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Teacher Librarian Influence On Students' Self-Selection Of Books, Elizabeth A. Nelson

Graduate Research Papers

This qualitative case study reports the influence of the Teacher Librarian on students’ book selection strategies in a well-resourced, genrefied, and professionally-staffed school library. This study consisted of 57 seventh grade students from a large suburban middle school in Iowa. During regularly scheduled library visits, students were presented with three book promotion strategies: book talks, book displays, and student-produced visual book suggestions called shelf-talkers. Three themes emerged over the six weeks of the study in response to the research questions. Theme 1 is Ask a Friend: Over Half of Students Are Influenced by Social Interaction to Share and Seek Feedback …

Hey! That's How I Feel! A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Anxiety In Middle Grade Literature, Heather M. Wood

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this qualitative content analysis is to examine quality literature focused on anxiety as a mental health concern for middle grade readers and to identify which books should be promoted widely for students and recommended to teachers to support an SEL approach to the curriculum. The analysis of 10 middle grade books (Appendix A) using a book analysis tool (Appendix B) based on previous research completed by Wickham (2018) and Monaghan (2016) and as consistent with CASEL 5 identified four definitive themes in all 10 books. The four themes discovered were:

1) Books Have a Wide Range of …

Unstacking The Matryoshka Nesting Doll: A Self-Study Of Playful Language Instruction For Adult Second Language Learners, Marine Pepanyan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the recent three decades teaching second language (L2) vocabulary has expanded from sentence-level morphosyntactic features and pragmatics to the promotion and advancement of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Nevertheless, the L2 instructors are constantly seeking alternative strategies for vocabulary teaching and assessment due to a superficial level of vocabulary memorization and lack of student engagement. As an instructor-practitioner, I undertook a self-study of the process of implementing Playful Language Instruction (PLI) of L2 vocabulary in an Intensive English Program. In this self-study I combined conceptual lenses of theories of play, CLT, and the Adult Learning Theory to examine how playful …

Master's Recital: Kyle Punt, Kyle Punt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this recital is to partially fulfill the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy, and to display musical proficiency on piano, bass guitar, and drum set. Kyle Punt scheduled his graduate recital for March 22, 2022 at 7:30 PM.

The Impacts Of Adolescents' Leisure Activity Types On Psychological Well-Being, Academic Self-Efficacy, Self Esteem, And Stress, Dongyub Back

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Korean teenager deviance, school violence, and school dropout caused by academic stress are serious social issues within the country. High levels of student stress are likely to bring about depression and suicide resulting in a significant effect on their psychological well-being and life satisfaction. It is of particular concern for middle school students experiencing rapid physical and psychological developmental changes without proper support. Forty-five percent of Korean students’ indicated stress in their life and 27% experienced depression (Statistics Korea, 2019). Also, Korean middle school students (27.3%) have suicide impulse (Youm & Kim, 2019). These youth development issues are considered social …

The Path From Paramilitary To Politics: Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin, And The Good Friday Agreement: 1986-1998, Brenann Hamilton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Although the Troubles often have been written about by historians through a nationalistic or cultural context, pitting the Irish Catholic Nationalists against the Protestant British loyalists, much of the action took place within the political sphere, as the Nationalists’ and Unionists’ representatives fought for concessions and control. Rather than focusing on the religious differences or the ethnographic backgrounds of the people living in Northern Ireland, this thesis examines through a political context how the leaders of Sinn Féin shaped popular opinion and gained support through nonviolent means. While the national identity and cultural differences between the Nationalists and Unionists inform …

The Medieval Ideal: Utopian Medievalism In The Life, Thought, And Works Of William Morris, Benjamin Michael Kimball

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Interpreting the past often reveals as much about the interpreter as it does about the subject they interpret. This was the case with William Morris and his utopian mythologization of the Middle Ages. His art, writings, politics, and philosophy are suffused with a utopian vision of the medieval past. It runs through the whole body of his work and even in affected his personal life. It became a lens through which he could understand the world around him, a source on which he could draw for his political, social, and artistic critiques of Victorian Society. Through three different vantage points, …

Mm Percussion Recital, Tyler Darnall

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This recital abstract serves as supplemental material to the Master of Music degree recital by Tyler Darnall. The recital will take place on April 15, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time in Davis Hall at the University of Northern Iowa. This recital will feature works by Jeffrey Dennis Smith, Elliott Carter, J.S. Bach, Alyssa Weinberg, Nicolas Martynciow, John Cage, and Iannis Xenakis. Aiden Endres, Nicole Loftus, Xander Webb, and Matthew Kokotivich will be collaborating with Darnall for his recital. In addition to providing musical and historical context, this document will address specific considerations regarding performance practice for each piece.

Master's Recital: Luke Sanders, Matthew Lucas Sanders

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this recital is to partially fulfill the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy, and to display musical proficiency on drum set, piano, and bass guitar. Luke Sanders presented his graduate jazz recital on April 24, 2022, at 4:00 PM in Bengtson Auditorium. The recital program included ten pieces in total: two pieces on drum set, piano, and bass guitar, and four pieces on electric guitar. These pieces displayed an eclectic set of styles and skills pertinent to the demands of the jazz pedagogy degree. The pieces performed featured various ensemble sizes and instrumentations …

Educational Experiences Of First Generation Black African Students With And Without Dis/Abilities, Shehreen Iqtadar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Several studies have focused on the disproportionate representation of students from historically multiply marginalized communities in special education (Artiles, 2011, 2013; Artiles et al., 2005; Brayboy et al., 2007; Cavendish et al., 2018; Cooc & Kiru, 2018; Dunn, 1968; Hosp & Reschly, 2004; O’Connor & Fernandez, 2006; Voulgarides et al., 2017). Only recently, researchers have begun to explore the connections between immigrant and refugee students and special education (Migliarini, 2017; Song, 2018; Qing, 2018). Missing in this literature are the critical accounts of students and (a) their perspectives about the nature of dis/ability and their placement within special education and …

Association Between Habitat And The Genetic Diversity Of The Brown-Belted Bumblebee (Bombus Griseocollis) In The Agricultural Landscape Across Northeast Iowa, Clarissa Elizabeth Bruns

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Wild bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are key pollinators in natural ecosystems and major contributors to pollination in agriculture. Despite this, numerous bee species are in decline from introduced pathogens, pesticides, and habitat fragmentation. In the Midwestern United States, the land is dominated by agricultural landscape, and farming practices result in limited floral resources and frequently disturbed nesting grounds for bee species. In this thesis, I examine the genetic diversity between and within populations of brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) across northeast Iowa and test for population genetic structure between reconstructed prairies within 3 years of establishment and prairies >10 years …

Not Our Problem: Ingroup Glorification Facilitates Moral Disengagement And Exclusion, Matthew Gunderson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study examined how ingroup/outgroup identification and harm predict cognitive restructuring and the shifting of blame. Drawing on Moral Disengagement Theory (Bandura, 1999), which holds that individuals create a new version of reality that allows them to violate their moral beliefs, I hypothesized that implicating the ingroup, lower levels of perceived harm, and higher ingroup glorification would result in more moral disengagement. Integrating Moral Disengagement Theory with Moral Exclusion Theory (Opotow, 1990), I further hypothesized that moral exclusion—the removal of others from the moral community—would also be greater. 422 participants recruited over Prolific read a modified news article about …

Psychopathy And Emotion Regulation: The Mediating Role Of Motives And Goals, Morning S. Baker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between psychopathy and emotion regulation as serially mediated by emotional motives and goals in an all-male sample. Six serial mediation models were proposed, three for each motive-type (i.e., hedonistic, instrumental), and two for each emotion (i.e., anger, fear, joy). Eight-hundred and seventy-eight participants were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Results indicate that male MTurk workers with greater levels of psychopathy have poorer emotion regulation, emotion goals for experiencing anger and fear, hedonistic and instrumental motives for experiencing anger and fear, emotion goals for not experiencing joy, and hedonistic and …

Understanding Morphological Responses Of Typha (Cattail) Species To Nutrient Pollution, Anna Marie Shapiro

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the Midwestern United States, Typha x glauca is a hybrid of the native Typha latifolia and the non-native Typha angustifolia. Typha x glauca is considered invasive, and it is dominating Typha latifolia when they co-occur. Wetlands in the Midwest face nutrient pollution, due to fertilization used within the agricultural industry. Wetlands are nutrient sinks, which store the increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are known to increase Typha growth. Within this thesis, it was hypothesized that an increase of nitrogen in the wetland may increase the width of Typha leaves, making it difficult to distinguish the …

A Study Of Johann Sebastian Bach’S Toccata In E Minor, Bwv 914; Ludwig Van Beethoven’S Piano Sonata Op. 10, No. 3 In D Major; Claude Debussy’S Pour Le Piano L. 95; And Frederic Chopin’S Ballade No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 23, Hanna Stolper

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This paper discusses a work of four different composers, two from the 1700s and two from the 1800s. Each piece has a brief summary of the historical context of the piece and analyzes each movement of the pieces.

Master's Flute Recital, Breanna Daley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Breanna Daley presented a master’s flute recital at 6 pm on October 4, 2022 in Davis Hall at the University of Northern Iowa. Daley was assisted by Dr. Robin Guy on piano. This recital was given in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music degree in Flute Performance. The pieces on the program were Itinerant by Toru Takemitsu, Concerto in D major, K. 314 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata “Undine” for Flute and Piano by Carl Reinecke, and Le Moment du Cristal by Yuko Uebayashi. The purpose of this document is to discuss important musical, historical, and stylistic elements in …

Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation In Restored Native Prairies Over Time, Samrin Shahnaz

Honors Program Theses

With the recent focus on the causes and effects of climate change, the relationship between agriculture and climate change has become an important concern. Conventional farming maximizes crop production at the expense of ecosystem services like soil carbon storage. As the human population grows, it is vital to develop practices that balance crop production and ecosystem services.

We investigated organic carbon accumulation in restored prairie soil over the course of a decade. Our goal was to determine how organic carbon levels and soil bulk density changed over time, and how that change was influenced by species diversity and soil depth. …

The Development Of A Photographic Atlas Of Plant Adaptations For Pollination, Bethany Van Dusseldorp

Honors Program Theses

Plants have biotic, abiotic, or both biotic and abiotic adaptations for pollination, depending on how they are structured and the attraction between the plant and pollinator. The main focus for this project was biotic adaptations for pollination, and how various plants are specifically structured for the insect, bird, or mammal to pick up the pollen and carry it to the next plant. Documentation, using image/focus stacking and macro photography, was done of the structures of various plants from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Botanical Center to support the reason for why plants are structured the way they are. While …

Selective Mutism In Immigrant Children, Lauren Cummings

Honors Program Theses

Selective mutism is a highly debilitating anxiety disorder that is characterized by a child’s lack of verbal speech in certain situations, despite having the ability to speak (Elizur & Perednik, 2003). Children with selective mutism may present with a variety of symptoms, including high levels of anxiety and isolation, which significantly impacts their social and
language development, educational and occupational achievement, and mental health (Elizur & Perednik, 2003). Children who are diagnosed with selective mutism in early childhood often have communication or cognitive difficulties and may display higher rates of psychiatric disorders later in life compared to children without selective …

Young Adult Holocaust Literature: How Is The Holocaust Depicted And What Is Appropriate To Teach?, Madison Hilbert

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Testing The Efficiency Of The Nfl Betting Market, Ryan Earl Oswald

Honors Program Theses

This paper seeks to investigate the NFL betting market, using statistical and economic tests to challenge the Efficient Market Hypothesis’ claim that it is efficient and no strategy can be expected to make a profit. Specifically, this paper studies the spread, over-under, and money line markets to see if each is efficient on their own and as a collective. In looking to see how these lines can influence the outcomes of each other, this paper finds a number of strategies that were profitable over the timeframe of the data. This shows that the NFL betting market was not completely efficient …

Leveraging Machine Learning For Detecting Iot-Based Interference In Operational Wifi Networks, Josh Pulse

Honors Program Theses

IoT (Internet of Things) devices have become increasingly popular in recent years while WiFi continues to serve as primary network provider indoors. With the advancements in technology, the networks of IoT devices continue to weave closely with indoor WiFi network deployments. Both kinds of these networks primarily operate in 2.4 GHz ISM Band (though latest WiFi standards can operate in 5 GHz and 60 GHz bands, too). With the multitude of tiny IoT sensors being deployed indoors alongside operational WiFi networks, severe interference scenarios cannot be ruled out. As a result of this interference, performance of WiFi networks is bound …

How Exercise Affects The Musculoskeletal System In The Biological Sexes: A Literature Review, Lauren Connolly

Honors Program Theses

Exercise has countless benefits for the human body. Physical activity increases overall health and reduces the risk of developing many chronic diseases. While the entire body is impacted by exercise, the musculoskeletal system is perhaps targeted most directly. Muscle contraction is required to complete any form of exercise, which helps build muscle mass and consequently strengthens bones. The physiology of musculoskeletal growth after exercise is the same for all individuals. However, the magnitude of this growth is not the same for men and women. Men have a profound ability to gain muscle mass that most women are not capable of …

Exploring High School Students' Perceptions Post A Social Justice Mathematics Lesson, Emily Terrones Moore

Honors Program Theses

Through the social justice mathematics that has been introduced into the classroom, students now explore issues in the world around them through the lens of mathematics. This study follows a class that was previously unfamiliar with social justice mathematics lessons by giving pre- and post-lesson surveys intending to show the impact of a social justice lesson that was taught over a series of three days on students’ perceptions. Specifically, I explored the impact a social justice mathematics lesson had on students’ view of themselves and mathematics. Particularly within the student perception of self, I examined the change of confidence levels …

It's Possible: Creating An Ability Inclusive Production Approach For The Musical Cinderella, Danielle Jean Schmaltz

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Communication In Mass Media Surrounding Public Health Crises: A Comparative Analysis, Megan Grace Kramer

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Blough Dairy Farm Comprehensive Safety & Training Manual, Riley Elaine Elenz

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Weird Critters: A Visual Narrative Inspired By Paleontology And Teratology, Kate Murray

Honors Program Theses

Attempts to fuse fantasy and science fiction art work tend to be unidirectional. The artists begin with things that don’t make sense and then force them to make sense to the audience. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. In some images, dinosaurs are given mechanically sound contraptions; dragons are given tendons, and basilisks are drawn with surprising accuracy. It applies science to the fictional to create an image that is plausible. However, my experience with developmental biology and paleontology suggests that it is equally possible to take it in the other direction and begin with things that …

Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Analysis Of Native American Pottery For Maple Syrup Residues, Alexis Wirtz

Honors Program Theses

The research conducted regards whether or not Native Americans understood how to create maple syrup before the influence of Europeans. The analytical technique that was used is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This technique assisted in understanding what organic residues resided within the pottery and what those organic residues tell us about Native American history. An analysis of organic residues was performed on the following types of pottery: proof of concept pottery, weathered pottery (an analog of the proof of concept), and Native American pottery. The residues used in analysis were obtained through the usage of different solvent systems - Acetone: …

Using Color With Care: An Exploration Of The Application Of Psychological Color Theory Within Language Classrooms, Mackenzie Wisneski

Honors Program Theses

This study is a qualitative analysis of the current use(s) of affective-based color theory for social-emotional and academic-related assistance within language classrooms. Current and past literature support the important and effective nature of a learner’s environment in relation to information acquisition and retention (Krashen, 1982; Maslow, 1970b; Perry, 2006). This research is significant within the language teaching field as it stands to summarize the external challenges that emergent bilingual students are facing as well as contextualize their learning environment with respect to the use of visual cues to promote both the students’ social-emotional wellbeing and academic success. Data was collected …