Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Student Experiences In The School Environment And School Belonging, Erin E. Welsh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Researchers have worked for years to decrease rates of student dropout by identifying associated factors, and developing strategies to increase school success. Despite these efforts, dropout is a complicated phenomenon, making it difficult to effectively support students. There is a body of literature concerning the connection between students' sense of belonging and its relationship to dropout. This literature is reviewed in light of the effect teachers, parents, peers, and personal characteristics have on belonging and dropout. A second body of research concerning how the physical environment of schools as behavior settings affects student outcomes is also discussed. A survey was …

Methods For Fostering Success In The Transition To High School, Debora E. Hanna Porter

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this paper is to examine newly implemented changes in transition supports at a large high school in the Midwest. Factors that affect success include attendance, environment, student characteristics and self-efficacy, socio-economic status and family support, peer pressure, teacher and school support, and race and gender differences. To determine the success of the new transition program, data were gathered regarding achievement and attendance outcomes for transitioning students in intervention and comparison groups. In addition, differences in outcomes were investigated for socioeconomic status 'groups and gender. Student opinions of the school environment, parent/teacher support, extra-curricular involvement, and the "New …

Understanding Parental Involvement In Youth Sports Through The Concept Of Serious Leisure, Greta Marie Giese

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to use the construct of serious leisure to identify to what extent parents are involved in their children's youth sports activities. A sample of 660 parents of children enrolled in Heartland Soccer Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa or the Panther Pride Soccer Club in Cedar Falls, Iowa was surveyed. Both male and female parents from a variety of ages were surveyed. The research instrument for this study was the "Parental Involvement in Youth Soccer Questionnaire." This survey was created based on the categories of serious leisure and a 1997 article comparing serious leisure and …

Examining The Intrinsic Motivational Level Of Task And Ego Goal Oriented Athletes In The Xl Sports Acceleration Program, Kira Melisa Werstein

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Acceleration programs are a new and popular tool used by youth athletes to prepare for upcoming sports seasons. Acceleration programs train athletes in the areas of speed, agility, power, coordination, and strength. Each of these aspects is important in the development of an athlete and effects athletic performance. It is important that acceleration programs also consider intrinsic motivation, because it will help advance the performance of each athlete. The purpose of this study is to examine motivational levels in task and ego goal oriented athletes over the length of a session at the XL Sports Acceleration Program. The Task and …

Assessment Of Sustainability Of Rural Tourism Villages In Southeastern China Using Sustainable Tourism Development Indicators, Tang Chen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to assess sustainability of rural tourism practices in heritage, ecological, and ethnic communities in southeastern China, using sustainable tourism development indicators. The rural tourism communities selected for this study were Tengtou Village in Fenghua, Zhuge Bagua County in Lanxi, and She Minority Village in E Shan Tonglu, representing examples of domestic rural tourism initiatives in China. This study applied the 2004 WTO sustainability indicator model to develop appropriate indicators for assessing sustainability of rural tourism practices in the selected communities, and aimed at answering the following research questions. First, what indicators would be most …

The Relationship Between Academic Achievement And Physical Fitness In Adolescents, George William Centeio

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In today's schools, there is a major emphasis placed on academic proficiency particularly in the areas of reading, math, and science. Society is also seeing increases in the number of people who are obese and inactive. Some believe that increasing physical activity and/or improving physical fitness will result in better academic achievement of students in school. This study examined the relationship between academic achievement and physical fitness in adolescents. The participants included 200 ( 118 male, 82 female), high school students, at a rural high school located in the Midwestern region of the United States. Student's third trimester, end of …

The Relationship Between Cardiovascular Fitness And Risk Factors Of Type 2 Diabetes In Adults, La Toshia Burrell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Obesity and overweight populations have increased dramatically in the last two decades in the United States causing a significant increase in the number of adults with type 2 diabetes. This alarming increase has become an important public health problem due to the associated diseases and health risks. As a result, there have been several programs developed specifically to help prevent or decrease the complications of type 2 diabetes. Physical fitness is an important component of many behavior modification programs. Research studies have conclusively shown beneficial effects of regular activity for disease risk reduction. However, many studies have examined associations between …

Teacher Learning In A Tibetan School In Exile: A Community Of Practice Perspective, Pema Yangchen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Using qualitative field techniques, the researcher explored teacher learning in a small community of English language teachers in a rural Tibetan school in India. From a community of practice perspective teachers were studied in terms of what they practiced, what challenges they faced and how they interacted and learned from and with each other.

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to describe practicing teachers' perception of professional development and teacher learning, and (b) to examine teacher learning from a community of practice perspective. Eight female and two male teachers who taught English participated in the study. Prolonged engagement …

The Effects Of Indian-Accented English And Need For Cognition On Message Evaluation: A Field Study, Duoc V. Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research has shown that Americans rate non-accented English speakers more favorably than accented English speakers (e.g., Cargile & Giles, 1997; Frumkin, 2007); however this is not always the case ( e.g., Cargile, 2000; Singer & Eder, 1988). Other factors may be involved when people are processing other people's messages. One motivating factor may be the extent to which people like to think, or have a high need for cognition (NCS; Cacioppo & Petty, 1982). As call center jobs continue to be outsourced to other countries such as India, it is important to ascertain how people with varying degrees of motivation …

Captivating Emotions: Sentiment And The Work Of Rhetorical Drag In Colonial And Early National Captivity Narrative, Gleidson Gouveia

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Captivity narrative, the American genre initiated early in the seventeenth century, tells the story of Europeans abducted by Native Americans in the New England frontier. These texts, however, do not simply tell the subjects' experiences of confinement among the Indians but reveal important relations of power, religion, and politics that took place in Early America. This work analyzes the captivity narratives of Mary Rowlandson, Mary Swarton, John Williams, Mary Jemison, and John Tanner to understand how their experiences were appropriated by third parties in order to meet religious and political ends of their respective times. Following scholars of captivity narrative …

A Test Of Tmt: Mortality Salience And Avoidance Of Worldview Threats, Taylor Wayne Wadian

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Imagine playing a game of catch with three people, and all the things that would influence to whom you throw. Were thoughts of death included as one of those factors? The hypothesis that mortality salience motivates avoidant behavior toward a worldviewthreatening target was empirically tested on a sample of 200 undergraduate Caucasian college students from a Midwestern university. I induced participants to write about either their own death or dental pain, and presented them with summer descriptions of three fictitious male African American targets that they believed they were going to interact with later in the study. Targets' descriptions were …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Functional Behavioral Assessment For Students With Emotional Behavioral Disabilities, Megan Kale Brose

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is defined as "a set of assessment procedures used to identify variables that promote and maintain challenging behavior and based upon this assessment, interventions are selected that alter one or more of these variables" (Stichter & Conroy, 2005, pp. 19-20). FBA has received a great deal of attention since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)l997 amendments, which require the use of FBA for all special education students upon referral of alternative educational placements due to behavior resulting in disciplinary action. There has also been considerable questioning of and need for research in …

How To Drown, Erik Hanson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is a collection of short fiction produced during my time as a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa. As its title may suggest, there is a level of cynicism in the overall theme, but closer inspection will reveal that I have attempted to incorporate elements of ambiguity in the potential outcomes. My intention is that every reader will come away with a unique interpretation based on what they have personally "brought" while reading my stories.

A Test Of Ajzen’S Theory Of Planned Behavior: Predicting Students’ Intentions Toward Joining An Army Rotc Program, Jason Hornberg

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Young adults' expressed interest toward joining The Unites States Armed Forces has been decreasing since the 1990's. This downward trend has negatively influenced the recruitment of enlisted soldiers into the military as well as the enrollment of young adults into officer production programs like the Reserve Officer Training Course (ROTC). In an attempt to understand and overcome the effects of this trend, behavioral scientists have begun using behavioral theories to predict young adults' intention toward joining the military. One theory that has been frequently used to predict intention and behavior is Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. Ajzen' s theory of …

Supervisor Discussing Zoning; Hear Updates From Auditor And Emergency Management

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the regular meeting of the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors. The meeting included an update from the Emergency Management Director on the issues stemming from the Agriprocessors plant in Postville and what his office has done to address the problems.

Bail Denied For Rubashkin For Second Time

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the rejection of a second request for bail by Sholom Rubashkin, with the government believing that he was a flight risk.

Many Doses Of Kindness; A Northeast Iowa Christmas Story, Liz Rog

Postville Project Documents

An account of seeking medical care for an immigrant woman with a bad headache after the Postville raid.

Lost Generations? Indigenous Population Of The Russian North In The Post-Soviet Era, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

This paper discusses key findings concerning population dynamic of the Indigenous minorities living in the Russian North during the post-Soviet period, highlighted by the 2002 Census. The paper places recent demographic trends into the context of past and current economic, social and institutional changes. It also provides comparisons with Indigenous population dynamics in other parts of the Arctic. Although most Indigenous peoples of the Russian North were growing numerically, they still experienced effects of Russia’s economic crisis, primarily reflected in rapidly falling fertility and rising mortality in the middle-age cohorts. In addition, both the ethnic drift and legal changes seriously …

Letter To The Editor [K. Weston], K. Weston

Postville Project Documents

Opinion letter listing the local businesses owed money by Agriprocessors and the amounts owed to them and what impact that has on the local economy.

U.S. Attorney's Office Files Motion To Keep Former Ceo In Prison

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the motion by the U.S. Attorney's Office to deny the release of Sholom Rubashkin, the former CEO of Agriprocessors before the trial.

Hundreds Of Residents Enjoy Soup Supper; Toy Give-Away During Hometown Of Hope Event

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the community soup dinner that served as the kick-off for the Hometown of Hope Campaign in the wake of the Agriprocessors raid.

Six Chairs In Search Of An Opera, December 2, 2008 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

Program of a music recital given by faculty, students, or guest artists from the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa.

Fall Commencement [Program], December 20, 2008, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

Officials From Harkin's Office Visit With Displaced Workers

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the visit by Senator Tom Harkin's staff to hear about the impact the Agriprocessors raid and bankruptcy has had on Postville. Also included are the plea by Karina Freund on her trial in Cedar Rapids, updates on the trials for Sholom Rubashkin and Brent Beebe, and the potential of Postville owing $4 million to the USDA if Agriprocessors folds due to an agreement on the wastewater treatment facility.

Postville Is The 'Hometown Of Hope;' Official Ribbon Campaign Launched

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on a campaign to show how many were impacted by the Agriprocessors raid and bankruptcy and on the community dinner where the campaign was launched.

University Of Northern Iowa Graduate Council Minutes, December 11, 2008, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate Council.

Documents - Graduate Council

Meeting minutes from the Graduate Council of the University of Northern Iowa.

Standing Room Only

Postville Project Documents

Color photograph of a meeting with Lt. Governor Patty Judge and other officials in the wake of the Agriprocessors raid and the resulting bankruptcy of the company.

Bankruptcy Trustee Is Unable To Answer Displaced Workers' Questions

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on a meeting held by the bankruptcy trustee for Agriprocessors with displaced workers to attempt to answer their questions about receiving pay owed to them for work done and other concerns. Also includes reporting on the visit by Lt. Governor Patty Judge to hear the concerns of the workers and to announce some efforts by the state of Iowa to assist those impacted by the closure.

Donations Welcome For Those Affected By The Closing Of Agriprocessors, Inc.

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the ways people can donate to help those without an income with the closing of the Agriprocessors plant.

Chimes Of Christmas, December 10, 2008 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

Program of a music recital given by faculty, students, or guest artists from the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa.