Digital Commons Network^™

Graduate Voice Recital, Kayla Kjeldseth

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Kayla Kjeldseth, soprano, presented her graduate voice recital on Thursday, March 24th, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. in Davis Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa campus. The recital was given with collaborative pianist, Korey Barrett, and included works by Mendelssohn, Marx, Gluck, Puccini, and Griffes.

Using One-To-One Computing For Differentiated Instruction In Iowa: An Investigation Of The Impact Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching And Learning, Jodi A. Bermel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The 1983 seminal work entitled A Nation at Risk recommended that all high school graduates be proficient in the Five New Basics: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer science. To address the No Child Left Behind mandates, educators and administrators are evaluating the theory and practice of Differentiated Instruction (DI). One-to-one computer initiatives became an element of DI strategy due to the well-documented advantages in the use of technology to address individual learning needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of using one-to-one computing to differentiate instruction and to identify potential …

Unions In Waterloo, Iowa: How Organization, Political Activism, And Community Outreach Led To The Rise And Fall Of Organized Labor, 1947-1990, Dylan Christian Krauter Keller

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

I will explore the three foundations for union strength and success that were present in Waterloo: organization and representation, political activism/awakening, and community outreach. Unions’ solidarity and strength can be attributed to these foundations, but they also created limitations that led to the local unions’ decline in Waterloo.

Part I focuses on the relationship between organization and representation and the political awakening in 1947. It argues that Waterloo unions’ political activism from 1947 to 1964 expanded the local’s presence in the community. Campaigning, electing candidates who were members of a union, and developing a labor agenda resulted in positive growth …

Gender Stereotypes In Children's Literature, Christine C. Nebbia

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper focused on the creation of nine professional development sessions using critical literacy practices in order to analyze and examine gender stereotypes in children's literature addressed in the classroom. This professional development grew out of an in-depth examination of the research over the past 40 years addressing gender stereotypes and gender representation in children's literature, as well as, the literature on critical literacy practices and issues of social justice. The professional development sessions were designed around three major goals: to enable teachers to independently analyze children's literature for gender stereotypes; to help teachers understand the four components of …

Makerspaces And The Iowa Core: Connections In A High School Library, Tracie Marshall

Graduate Research Papers

Studies within the last five years have examined the subject of makerspaces, but few have explored the specific details of how standards and learning are achieved through use of a makerspace. The purpose of this qualitative study is to deepen understanding of five Iowa Core Standards while participants use a makerspace. Additionally, the study aims to determine the degree to which state learning standards are addressed through the activities students engage in during their use of a makerspace in a school library. A sample population of five participants, three students and two teachers were included in the study. One session …

A Selective Annotated List Of Reading Promotion Events Recommended For Elementary Students, Nicole Nadine Guldager

Graduate Research Papers

Students who are not afforded with the opportunity to read for pleasure often become students who choose not to read once the required reward­-based reading system is removed (Pavonetti et al., 2002). Although anecdotal ideas for reading promotion are often shared in email, blogs, and journals, teacher librarians would benefit from a clear annotated list of reading promotion events designed to help them select a wide variety of events to create a planned sequence of events throughout the school year to best meet a variety of school and community needs.

The research based project is an annotated list of 31 …

Supporting Reading Curriculum Without Restricting Access To Library Materials: Resources For Teacher Librarians, Tricia Carty

Graduate Research Papers

External pressure upon teacher librarians to arrange library book collections by level and to limit students’ choices to books within their level is complex due to the interwoven but sometimes conflicting demands of providing quality reading instruction, resources for independent reading, and relevant readers’ advisory. The school library and its teacher librarian are positioned squarely in the middle of this dynamic topic. The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies and policies teacher librarians use to support reading instruction without restricting students’ access to library materials. This study revealed that through the use of focused instruction, adaptable policies, …

Readers' Advisory Program For Non Proficient Readers, Lisa Gogel

Graduate Research Papers

Non proficient readers often demonstrate resistance towards reading and are especially in need of an environment that encourages students to select and read high quality materials at their level. However,current readers’ advisory practices lack cohesive strategies for specifically targeting non proficient readers in order to increase their motivation to read, self concept as readers, and time spent reading. To ascertain whether a structured and consistent readers’ advisory program for non proficient readers could have a positive influence on students’ motivation to read, self concept as readers and time spent reading, 10 second through fifth grade non proficient readers within a …

Word Study And Its Importance To Reading And Writing In The Primary Classroom, Korie Frazier

Graduate Research Papers

The Words Their Way Spelling program was used to evaluate student progress in spelling with direct instruction versus traditional spelling programs. Teachers were asked to volunteer to take the Words Their Way Course, implement the Words Their Way Spelling Program in their classrooms, and allow their data to be used in the decision making process for the district curriculum office. Students began spelling more words correctly in their independent writing, and were therefore able to use what they knew about words to spell unknown words with similar spelling patterns.

Designing A Self-Directed Gamified Professional Development Course For Technology Integration, Rebecca J. Kinnander

Graduate Research Papers

Gamified Professional Development for Technology Integration is a one credit license renewal or graduate credit course that can be offered to teachers at the elementary and secondary levels, and pre-service teachers at post-secondary levels, for self-paced learning. Created in response to a lack of dedicated in-service time and ineffective professional development, I sought to develop a rigorous self-paced course using the Understanding by Design framework (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) – a course where teacher-learners could master technology tools, make their personal meaning, and independently/flexibly transfer learning to authentic tasks they could replicate in their own classrooms.

Using Comprehensive Literacy Instructional Modules For Literacy Instruction With Students With Disabilities, Amanda M. Wasylik

Graduate Research Papers

This research study examined the use of comprehensive literacy instruction within a self-contained ID-mild Special Education classroom. Comprehensive literacy consists of daily instruction in word study, comprehension, and writing, with an additional period of time during each day for self-selected reading. Comprehensive literacy instruction was examined using self-study methodology on teaching practice through the analysis of lesson reflections, class schedules, and an autobiography of professional teaching experience.

Three case studies of student performance across a semester of instruction were analyzed using data on literacy tasks, literacy assessment, and classroom observations. Results support the promotion of effective comprehensive literacy instruction for …

Content Analysis Of Two Libraries Resources For Supporting Primary Economics Instruction, Lindsey J. Hilts

Graduate Research Papers

The teaching of some primary teachers is being compromised in schools with a lack of rich science and social studies library collections that have been intentionally developed by a professional teacher librarian in collaboration with teachers. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare school library resources for the same economics unit taught in two different elementary schools’ primary classrooms, including the quality of resources available and their usefulness in teaching social studies economics standards. School B had a higher quantity of resources meeting the standards as well as more texts determined to be of high quality. The …

Utilizing Local Project Experts To Provide Professional Development For Early Childhood Educators : A Professional Development Project, Dawn Janette Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

This project consists of a series of professional development sessions designed to support early childhood educators in implementing Project Approach in their classrooms. The project utilizes local project experts of the Southeast Iowa Project Group. In addition, the project addresses the need of early childhood educators in rural southeast Iowa to have opportunities to attend professional development locally.

Research indicates that professional development is enhanced when educators are given opportunities to learn in authentic contexts, engage in problem-solving, practice new skills, and participate in extending learning experiences. Additionally, professional development greatly affects educators' abilities to provide children with high quality …

Increasing Vocabulary And Oral Language Skills Of Pre-K English Language Learners Through Shared Storybook Reading And Take-Home Literacy Bags, Angela Butler

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Shared Storybook Readings and Take Home Literacy Bags utilizing Dialogic Questioning Techniques on the oral language skills and vocabulary knowledge of preschool-aged English Language Learners.

Eleven preschool students identified as English Language Learners in a suburban school district took part in the six-week intervention. Each week students were exposed to three read-aloud experiences utilizing Dialogic Reading Techniques and Questioning and a Take Home Literacy Bag for further reading experiences with their families. Student growth was assessed weekly using three tools: Teaching Strategies GOLD observations, a Teacher-Created Vocabulary Assessment, and …

Empowering Elementary Teachers To Explore Critical Literacy Through Drama-Based Instruction, Courtney J. Jensen

Graduate Research Papers

This research project comes in the form of a professional development project combining the theories of critical literacy for elementary students and drama as a form of arts integration in literacy instruction. The project consists of six workshop sessions intended for willing elementary school teachers looking to expand their thinking around literacy instruction. Participants experience introductions to drama as an instructional approach by learning three specific strategies, including tableau, character interviews, and writing-in-role. They also learn about the basic elements of critical literacy by engaging in self-exploration and reflection, along with participating in research-based learning exercises intended to extend individuals' …

A Journey Of Designing And Beta-Testing A Game-Based Unit, Renee E. Thomas

Graduate Research Papers

This project report describes a journey of designing and beta-testing a game-based learning unit with sixth grade students in rural Iowa. Game-based learning was a trial at practicing the 21st century employability skill of demonstrating productivity and accountability. The unit was designed and developed using the backwards planning process of Understanding by Design (Wiggin & Mc Tighe, 2005). The beta testers were two classes of sixth grade students and a classroom teacher. Alpha testers were other school personnel. It is found that a majority of sixth grade students like to be in control of their learning path in a game-based …

Sign Language In The Preschool Classroom : A Self-Study, Dianna Geiger

Graduate Research Papers

This research was a self-study involving the learning and implementation of sign language in the preschool classroom. Over the course of eight weeks, I taught myself sign language and implemented what I learned in my preschool classroom of three- and four-year-old children. Through journaling, videotaping and surveys, I was able to increase my sign language knowledge at a good rate, increase student engagement and find a unique way to bond with my students. My memory was the biggest challenge for me during the study. Knowing someone that speaks in sign language would be beneficial to someone just starting out. While …

A Unit Design : Learning To Code With Finches, William V. Gruman

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to develop a coding unit for students in grades 5-8 as an introductory programming course using the programming language SNAP! with a Finch robotics platform. The robotics platform provides a means of student engagement that allows them to complete computer programming challenges that drive interest and motivation. A series of five major learning activities were created as part of a middle school technology exploratory course. The beta testers included the four course instructors and around 30 of middle school student volunteers.

The designed unit was implemented once as a pilot, and was being implemented …

Methods For Supporting 21st Century Learning In School Library Spaces, Ashley Mcgrath

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore ways in which the school library space can function to serve the needs oflearners in the 21st century. Additionally, this study explores teacher librarians' perceptions of school library spaces in terms of the features that best support 21st century learning. Findings from interviews were used to determine which features of school library spaces aim to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of all learners. Three teacher librarians from public school systems participated in the study. Participants completed an initial interest survey in which they indicated number of years of service …

A New Vision For A 6-12 Library Science Curriculum, Jacqueline Leigh Seidl

Graduate Research Papers

The current perception of the teacher librarian's role in our Central Iowa school district is quite different than the role suggested in the professional research. Students leaving high school do not have the inquiry and evaluation skills expected at the postsecondary level (Donham, 2014). Students spend their free time using technology, but not for academic or voluntary reading (Igbokwe & Obidike, 2012). It is evident that the Common Core's focus on information inquiry and literacy, technology use, and pleasure reading are all facets of the teacher librarian's desired curriculum, but creating a curriculum where the three complement each other rather …

Front Matter - Table Of Content

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Concussions In Female Collegiate Diving: An Exploratory Study, Sarah Kemp

Honors Program Theses

An abundant amount of research is being put into sports-related concussions. A vast majority of the research is being done on high-contact sports such as football, ice hockey, rugby, basketball, and soccer. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of concussions in women’s collegiate diving and examine the diver’s readiness to return to competitive sport. Twenty-four Division I divers from different Midwestern universities completed a survey that included prevalence questions, a checklist of symptoms that they experienced, and several questions regarding confidence to return to play. The data showed that 54.2% of the participants have had a …

"Yeah, I Taught Myself On Youtube": Young Women And Navigating The World Of Traditional Crafting, Emily A. Gardner

Honors Program Theses

In this study I work to understand how US women ages 18 to 24 navigate the world of crafting (e.g., crocheting, knitting, quilting, etc.) and how their motivations and methods may differ from the older women that traditionally inhabit that space. In-person interviews with ten younger women and results from an online mixed methods survey show that young women who participate in crafting show that young women primarily use crafting as a way to cope with stress from school and work, they participate in informal groupings to develop friendships and gain technical crafting insight, and they use internet sites extensively …

The Adolescent Refugee Experience: Cultural Attitudes Of High School Burmese Refugees Living In Iowa, Alexis Helgens

Honors Program Theses

This research seeks to explore the experience of a group of high school refugee students who currently reside in Waterloo, Iowa. At home, the Burmese refugee high school students are surrounded by a rich Burmese culture; they interact with the Burmese language, food, and family. In school, they are surrounded by American systems; English is the only accepted language, and American pop culture is inescapable. With a growing number of refugees entering the country, it is vital to understand the experience and perceptions of developing young adults. Better understanding will facilitate in giving schools and other services tools to equip …

A Healthy Herd: Addressing The Justifications For Vaccine Denial And Applying The Health Belief Model To The Current Anti-Vaccination Movement, Sarah L. Mchugh

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore and analyze the existing literature regarding the refusal to receive vaccinations designed specifically to prevent Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), which has spurred a serious public health issue that puts every unvaccinated person at risk. It will investigate the reasons people refuse to get vaccinations for themselves or their children. The analysis of the current situation and the application of the Health Belief Model to the related factors will provide potential explanations regarding how the decision-making process may strengthen efforts towards increasing vaccination rates.

Small-Scale Enterprises Supply Chain Lean Conversion, Jianhua Xu

Graduate Research Papers

Reviewing literature on lean and supply chain theories and tools, and taking small-scale 5 company WOMISINA as the study subject, this paper illustrates a case study on how to complete lean supply chain conversion and achieve business goals for a small scale company. Considering different stage and different environment, the paper uses suitable ways to find solutions. For example, small-scale enterprises face some challenges. The challenges include low volume, small batch or even one piece order. Production is not stable with variance non-standard product. Under this situation, this paper analyzes how to complete lean conversion and its achievements, which may …

Liberty And Justice For All? : Ethics In The American Criminal Justice System, Haley Hasenstein

Honors Program Theses

The American Bar Association (ABA) claims a commitment to ethics for all that fall under its jurisdiction. As a part of the Bar Exam that lawyers must take to join the Association they are issued a character and fitness test, where some prior misbehavior may disqualify an individual from becoming barred. “Miscarriages of justice” is a common theme among literature about lawyers in the criminal justice system. In this study I will shed light on some of the ethical discrepancies in the legal profession’s values and practice. This study focuses on criminal lawyers’ experiences with personal ethics as well as …

Contrasting American And Chinese Exceptionalism : Representations Of Political Corruption, Tatiana Rice

Honors Program Theses

This thesis compares media portrayals of political corruption in the United States of America versus the People’s Republic of China. Political corruption is considerably understudied and poses a serious threat to the social, political, and economic wellbeing of all nations. By studying each country’s corresponding media portrayals, this thesis was able to identify how seemingly opposing styles of government and culture framed political corruption in their own nation and abroad. In examining each country’s national newspapers, this study resulted in two major findings: 1) each country had differing ideas of corruption; and 2) these portrayals played a role in framing …

Promoting Bullying Prevention And Intervention Through Forgiveness Education, Amy Gregory

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There is growing recognition of the severe, adverse long-term effects that bullying behaviors have, on the victims or on bullies. Although there are many existing anti-bullying programs that are designed to counteract both the behaviors and their potential long-term negative effects, forgiveness education programs may also be used to help create a positive school climate in which bullies can take responsibility for their behaviors and begin to reintegrate into the social fabric of the school. The purpose of this research proposal is to examine the effects of the International Forgiveness Institute's (IFI) forgiveness education curriculum in comparison to an anti-bullying …

From Soprano To Barking Dog : John Cage, The Avant Garde, And The Counterculture, 1940-1975, Heather M. Mcalpine

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

John Cage’s compositions, representative of second generation avant-garde music, are an integral part of any discussion of the sixties, and his work complicates parts of the counterculture historiography. While the political ideology that drives Cage’s compositions fit many of the counterculture’s aims, it has not been included in the historiography in its own right. The evidence suggests instead that his ideas, and those of the new avant-garde of which he was a part, were actually a piece of a consistent tradition that extended into the counterculture. Historians and musicologists have not done justice to Cage’s long background of political ideas …