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Geography Newsletter, 2007-2008, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Geography.

Geography Newsletter

Inside this issue:

-- Alumni Newsletter
-- News From the Head
-- Department News and Activities
-- Notes from the Geographic Alliance of Iowa
-- Student News
-- Faculty News
-- Alumni News
-- University of Northern Iowa GeoInformatics Training, Research, Education and Extension

Iowa Conference On Communicative Disorders [Program, 2008], Iowa Conference On Communicative Disorders

Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders Programs

The Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders provides continuing education activities in speech- language pathology that are acceptable to the State of Iowa and the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Areas of emphasis include adults and pediatrics.

Cns Connections, Winter 2008-09, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Natural Sciences.

CNS Connections

Inside this issue:

-- Message from the Dean
-- UNI Botanical Center celebrates birthday, new name and addition
-- Hydrology lab opens in fall 2008
-- Fahmy's final year as head of IT exceptional
-- CNS News in short
-- CNS students in the news
-- Applause
-- Transitions
-- Duncan and Litwiller break 1,000!
-- PSM prograns in CNS off to promising start
-- Project SOAR under way at UNI
-- IMSEP up and running
-- Faculty research
-- Imagine your impact
-- Petersons give back to UNI
-- Alumni News
-- CNS Advisory Board

Supporting School Persistence : An Examination Of Student Experiences In An Alternative High School, Molly O'Connor

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Many researchers have investigated the problem of high school dropouts and the role of traditional schools in supporting· students' academic persistence. Despite traditional schools' efforts to support academic persistence, they are not meeting the needs of many students. Alternative schools have become increasingly available to support the needs of at-risk students. This is a qualitative case study, which examines how the experiences of students have been supported at a Midwestern alternative high school. Four themes emerged as being important to supporting student's academic . persistence: (a) positive relationships with teachers, (b) classes structured to meet needs, (c) student empowerment, and …

Religious Pluralism: The Evangelical Christian Response, Matthew F. Rittgers

Honors Program Theses

The dawn of the twenty-first century has ushered in a new age in humankind. Information travels around the world at the speed of light thanks to the Internet, cell phones and communications satellites; industry and science have created advanced technologies and medicines, and transportation has continued to grant more and more humans the ability to leave their ancestral homeland and travel across the globe in a matter of hours. Due to these things, the world seems to be a smaller place. No longer do enormous mountains or vast oceans isolate nations and cultures from each other. Perhaps one of the …

Thriving, Coping, Surviving, Hoping: Negotiating The First Year Of Teaching, Debrah Jean Fordice

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative study, I examined how four teachers negotiated their first year of teaching. All four teachers graduated from the same teacher preparation program, and secured general elementary positions in the same school district where they conducted some or all of their clinical coursework. I explored the factors that shaped the practice of these first-year teachers.

Annie, a 23-year-old, single, female marathon runner, with a vision to work with children in an inner-city setting, secured a position as a first grade teacher at a school where 85% of the children lived in poverty. Rachel, 24 years old, newly-married, and …

Deliberative Democratic Practices In Tourism Planning: Towards A Model Of Participatory Community Tourism Planning, Oksana Grybovych

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the current practices of citizen involvement in community tourism planning with the framework of deliberative democracy. The goal of this study was to expand the literature on tourism planning which currently lacks a working framework for participatory community tourism planning. Drawing from political philosophy, democratic theory, and planning literature, this study utilized the framework of deliberative democracy and planning as communicative action, in order to contribute to the development of a model of participatory community tourism planning.

The current practices of citizen involvement in community tourism planning were examined in …

Variability In L1 And L2 French Wh- Interrogatives: The Roles Of Communicative Function, Wh- Word, And Metalinguistic Awareness, Elizabeth Zwanziger

Faculty Publications

Research on variability in French interrogatives and the factors affecting word order in questions has many foci, but largely centers around socio-stylistic factors. In contrast, this dissertation explores two under-investigated constraints on French questions: communicative function and WH-element as well as the role metalinguistic awareness plays in the question structure produced. A corpus of 1200 questions each for L1 (n=30) and advanced L2 (n=30) groups was collected via a Discourse Elicitation Task crossing five communicative functions (echo, presupposition, topic-introduction, rhetorical, and self-addressed) and four WH-words (où, pourquoi, combien, and qui). Post DCT, the participants were interviewed regarding metalinguistic knowledge affecting …

The Mental, Emotional, And Bodily Toughness Inventory (Mebtough) [Survey Instrument], Mick G. Mack, Brian G. Ragan

Faculty Publications

The MeBTough is a 43-item, self-report measure of mental toughness. This one-dimensional scale assesses the mental, emotional, and physical (bodily) dimensions of toughness based on the writings of Loehr (1994). Respondents are asked to indicate how often they experience each item on a 4-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (Almost Never) to 4 (Almost Always). Nine of the items are designed to be reverse-scored. Responses to the 43 items are then summed to obtain a total score that can range from 43 to 172. Higher MeBTough scores indicate higher levels of mental toughness.

A New Design For The Hudson Community School District's Website, Shannon Michelle Horn

Honors Program Theses

Technology is increasingly becoming a bigger and more important part of our daily lives. Especially in such institutions as the public education system, the Internet is becoming more widely used as a source of information and a means of communication between the district and parents, students, the community, and even teachers. The Internet, and all forms of technology, is increasingly becoming the primary way people access information, especially in education. As more and more schools are depending on the Internet to promote their schools, they are in tum becoming dependent on how outsiders view their website as a first impression …

The Myth And Reality Of Prom: A Qualitative Examination Of The American High School Prom Experience, Sarah C. Brandt

Honors Program Theses

This research compares social and cultural myths about the prom with the reality of the high school prom experience. Data include content analysis of prom-related popular media, and ten qualitative interviews with individuals aged 20-25 about their high school prom experiences. Perceptions of what prom is supposed to be like are influence heavily by the media; study participants' real prom experiences were quite different. Additionally, participants' prom experiences related less with popular media depictions and more with their actual social status in high school culture. Findings support that the media present a narrow, idealized depiction of the prom that rarely …

The Effect Of Two Types Of Recovery On The Decline In Performance After Intense Bouts Of Exercise, Whitney Shindelar

Honors Program Theses

Anyone who is recreationally active, whether an athlete or someone in the general population, has some preferred action they choose to engage in after an extensive bout of intense exercise. According to Comparison of Two Strategies on Recovery after Exhausting Exercise, the common recommendation of raising your arms above your head in order to recover more quickly and thoroughly has been shown to not be the optimal recovery mechanism. The previously mentioned study has recently shown that a subject's heart rate decreased dramatically faster, which then decreased their over all recovery time, when they opted to bend at the …

The Effects Of Nanoscale Disorder On The Paramagnetic To Ferromagnetic Transition In Melt-Spun Gadolinium And Gadolinium Iron Alloys, Justin Gary Bohnet

Honors Program Theses

As nanoscale science continues to flourish, scientists strive to understand how structure and order (or disorder) on the nanoscale contribute to macroscopic properties, such as magnetism. This study examines alloys of gadolinium and iron that have been nanostructured through the process of melt-spinning. The result was a two-part system consisting of small (~70 nm) gadolinium grains surrounded by an amorphous gadolinium and iron matrix. Measurements of the samples’ DC magnetization and AC susceptibility were performed. By looking at the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition in the materials, the critical exponents were obtained and used to classify and understand how the addition …

Social Politics And Freedom: Incorporating Civil Society Into Arendt's Political Thought, Grant J. Rozeboom

Honors Program Theses

The possibility of human freedom has captivated philosophers throughout the ages, often leading them to conclude that freedom is a unique capacity of humanity, exemplifying our potential for politics, contemplation, and/or religious salvation. In the modern age, beginning with the political writings of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, freedom has been understood (at least within the early liberal tradition and common discourse) as unhindered and individuated economic movement, motivated by self-interest and actualized most fully in institutions such as the consumerist free market. Yet, we find that the more we devote our actions to fulfilling our individual interests and needs, …

Carpe Noctum, Mark Andrew Turnage

Honors Program Theses

In movies, there are certain conventions that identify a film with a particular genre: a typical western has cowboys; a superhero movie may star a gifted protagonist; or an adventure film could feature exotic locations. Such is also the case with film noir, a movement characterized by storylines featuring criminal elements and their tensions with the police, stylized black-and-white cinematography, and a seedy, nightmarish cityscape. But just as an audience can easily identify genres like these, an author can also demythologize a genre by providing original themes within a familiar setting or inverting those themes that currently exist within the …

Female Hysteria Across Cultures And Periods In American Literature, Jessica Daine Droogsma

Honors Program Theses

Modernity would like us to believe we are in control: you can be whatever you want if you work hard enough; you are in charge of your own destiny; practice makes perfect; if you don’t like something, change it; you are what you eat. These popular aphorisms reflect our society’s addiction to self-determinism. We are completely set on the idea that we create and direct our own lives. However, there are larger influences in the world which are sometimes out of our control. The government, the media, society as a collective, and other such establishments have power over the individual. …

An American's Guide To Cultural Brokering, Jessica Anna Sauer

Honors Program Theses

The United States is the world's largest refugee host, welcoming almost 3 million people in the last 30 years, according to the January 16th, 2007 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to refugees, the United States accepted 1,266,264 immigrants in 2006, as stated in the Office of Immigration Statistics 2006 Yearbook of Statistics. Furthermore, the Kids Count Data Center reports that one out of every five children lives in an immigrant family. Clearly, these numbers show that immigrants compose a significant part of our communities.

While the US strives to welcome newcomers, many immigrants are left in the …

Biracial Filipino Americans In Society, Neal Andrew Molitor

Honors Program Theses

Since I grew up in a small and predominantly white Midwestern town, I was acutely aware of the common cultural aspects of my Caucasian side. I was able to familiarize myself with the Western cultural values, and I felt comfortable within them. My appearance may have differed from my peers' but I was able to assimilate myself with all the local customs. However, I still felt that I was neglecting a major part of my identity. I needed to know more about the other half of my cultural heritage, and I knew that college and this thesis project would provide …

Gaming Towards Academic And Physical Success, Eric Burt

Graduate Research Papers

This review addresses the potential of serious video games and the benefits that serious video games can have on a student academically as well as physically. Serious video games require strategic thinking, problem solving, planning and decision making. Serious video games enable learners to experience ~eal world situations without the real-life consequences. Exergaming provides potential for combining gaming and exercise, this type of video game has tremendous upside. This review of research.investigates how video games can be used to engage learners and help students learn. Research is needed to determine which features of games and simulation~ are important for learning …

Technology Integration Into The Elementary School Curriculum, Yulia Vladimirovna Koreshkova Poblete

Graduate Research Papers

A new generation of students born after 1985 – the Net Generation or Digital Natives – is now entering public schools. Historical overview shows the picture of growing computer use by children in homes and in schools for the past 10 years. ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) literacy skills and tools help students to acquire the skills needed to use the technologies within the classroom. National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and NETS performance indicators provide guidelines for teachers of what students should know and be able to do with technologies by the end of every grade level.

This paper describes …

School Library Orientation: Introducing Teachers To The Roles And Services Of Teacher Librarians, Allison Emery

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research project was to develop materials that could be used to orient teachers new to a school building to the roles and services of the teacher librarian, the resources he or she can provide, and the culture of collaboration. Research questions seeking resolution were the following: (1) What do teachers new to a school need to know in order to be able to collaborate with a teacher librarian and to be able to use the school library and all of its resources to effectively meet the academic needs of their students? (2) What practices are best …

The Relationship Of Preservice Teachers' And Faculty Members' Perceptions Of Critical Thinking And Their Epistemological Beliefs, Meskerem Debele

Graduate Research Papers

The term "critical thinking" has recently been used in the Ethiopian educational policy documents as well as in its teacher education curricula. Even though the concept has been given a central importance by being the central goal of education at all levels, a well established understanding and practice of nurturing critical thinking at school level, as well as at teacher education and training curriculum has not been achieved yet. From the personal experience both as pre-service teacher and then as teacher educator in Bahir Dar university, one of the teacher education institutions in the country, I have observed, especially during …

21st Century Teaching, Learning, And One-To-One Computing, Sarah Davison

Graduate Research Papers

The rapid dissemination of technology is changing teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. Use of technology integration and one-to-one computing can meet the diverse and evolving needs of twenty-first century students and enrich learning opportunities in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to examine teaching and learning in the twenty-first century and how one-to-one computing can enrich learning environments.

The sources used were scholarly journal articles, a technical research report, a periodical and a chapter of a book. Effective technology integration and one-to-one computing can enrich teaching and learning for students' needs in the digital age. Current …

Alcohol Use Among Adolescents, Malynda R. Zuck

Graduate Research Papers

Alcohol is the most frequently used drug among adolescents today. Alcohol use among adolescents has been linked to many probable consequences and risks including: motor vehicle crashes, risky sexual behavior and an increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases, suicide, poor physical and mental health, lower social competence, and decreases in school achievement (Brown et al., 2007; Diego, Field, & Sanders, 2003; Wallace & Fisher, 2006). Research has shown that the earlier an adolescent initiates with the use of alcohol, the more likely that person will experience alcohol dependence in his or her life, with the onset of dependence occurring quickly …

Freshman Transition Retreat, Amy E. Swisher

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of a freshman retreat would be to help middle school students make the transition to high school a successful one. A successful transition program has many components such as; important information in regards to classes and school requirements, parent meetings, and days for new freshman to get acquainted to their new surroundings. These components along with a weekend retreat away from school grounds would prove to be an effective way to help transitioning students. Through the use of adventure-based activities and techniques students will gain self confidence, develop new friendships and take part in risk taking.

Motivational Factors Of Seasonal Volunteers: A Study Of The Student Conservation Association, Cory J. Roegner

Graduate Research Papers

The use and efficacy of motivational factors in attracting and retaining employees has become an increasingly important concern within the realm of leisure-service management. Authors of leading text on managing leisure-service organizations have affirmed this dilemma, stating that more research is needed on how to attract, retain, supervise, and motivate employees (Henderson & Bialeschki, 1993; Hoff, Ellis & Crossley, 1988). In recent decades, this need has become particularly true with respect to the motives of seasonal and part-time volunteers (DeGraaf & Edginton, 1992). The field of outdoor recreation/resource management is of no exception. Thus, the purpose of this study was …

Preparing Instructors Of Adult Learners To Address The Needs Of Minority Students, Travell Unique Brock

Graduate Research Papers

In predominately Caucasian educational systems, diversity in the classroom is becoming a fast-growing phenomenon. With this new phenomenon, adult instructors now have a new challenge of facilitating learning in an environment where the learners not only have different learning capabilities, but also language and cultural differences. The reviewer answers the following questions: what are the important considerations for instructors to prepare diverse adult learners for corporate work environments, higher education, and K-12 professional development? And what are the appropriate cultural specific media and literature resources to include in training?

The literature collected focused on resources related to teaching adult minority …

Development And Validation Of A Movement And Activity In Physical Space (Maps) Score As A Functional Outcome Measure, Stephen Duane Herrmann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Assessing function is an important outcome measure in establishing evidence based practice. Currently, there are no well-accepted functional measures that encompass both physical activity and environment interaction. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a quantifiable functional measure that incorporates physical activity and environmental factors. Sixteen volunteer participants (age [mean± SD] = 28.9 ± 12.0 years; height= 171.9 ± 8.4 cm; weight= 80.9 ± 16.6 kg} were assigned to two groups; post-surgical knee (n = 8; < 7 days after surgery= 4.1 ± 2.8 days} and control (n = 8). Two physical activity measures, step count (volume} and activity count (intensity}, were obtained using minute-by-minute accelerometry. Participants' locations and travel were recorded using GPS. Participants, under free living conditions, wore the accelerometers and GPS receivers on their waist for three days one week after surgery and 2 months later. The step count and GPS data were combined to produce a MAPSv (volume} score and the activity count and GPS data were combined to produce a MAPSi (intensity} score. The reliability for MAPSv and MAPSi scores over three days was acceptable (ICC[l, 1] = .84 - .89). Validity evidence was demonstrated by a significant correlation with a self-report functional knee scale. MAPSv was correlated with all of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscales. MAPSi was correlated with all of the KOOS subscales except pain (r = .484; p = 0.058). There were significant differences between the post-surgical and control groups for both MAPSv (t,9.9 = -3.60; p = .007; post-surgical= 14.16 ± 9.71, control= 57.34 ± 32.48) and MAPSi (t10.B = -3.22; p = .013; post-surgical = 480.58 ± 344.01, control= 2143.30 ± 1419.66) immediately following surgery. The ANOVA results for MAPSv indicated that there was a significant time-group interaction, F (1, 12) = 4.60, p = .05. However, for MAPSi there was not a statistically significant time-group interaction, F (1, 12) = 3.42, p = .09. The results provide known-group difference and convergent validity evidence for the use of MAPSv as a functional outcome measure. It also shows evidence that MAPSv is sensitive to the changes in function over time.

Effects Of Acute Static Stretching On Anaerobic Performance Of The Upper Body In Collegiate Wrestlers, Karl Bratland

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Stretching prior to physical activity is common in sports and recreational exercise. Athletes, coaches, trainers, and physicians recommend stretching in an effort to both prevent injury and enhance performance. However, much of this information is based more on anecdotal evidence and intuition, rather than scientific evidence. Researchers have found that typical pre-exercise stretching protocols do not reduce the incidence of injuries (Pope, Herbert, Kirwan, & Graham, 2000). Studies have also found decrements in various performance measures such as maximal strength (Kokkonen, Nelson, & Cornwell, 1998) and explosive force and jumping performance (Young & Elliot, 2001; Young & Behm, 2003) after …

The Reflective Science Educator, Caroline Anne Scheidel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Reflection is synonymous with quality teaching. Though teachers reflect, the domains of reflections vary from teachers in different curriculum areas. Teachers of science have their own interesting characteristics to reflection. The art of reflection contains several unique aspects such as the logistics of reflections, the influence of the reflection, the content, and the perception one has on reflection. These aspects are described through the eyes of a science teacher to better understand their relationship to reflection. Though the research within reflections of teachers is plentiful, there is little on science teacher's reflections. The focus of this study is to determine …