Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring The Growth Of Science Teaching Efficacy Of Participants In The Inspire Program, Loren Thalacker

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this research project is to measure the growth of INSPRE participant's comfort in teaching scientific concepts, as measured through science teaching self-efficacy (as defined on page 6). It will also function to measure the effect of the program in general.

This research aligns with the goals of Iowa's Governor STEM Advisory Council by creating authentic opportunities for pre-service teachers to participate in and later utilize the experience to increase their students' interest and achievement in STEM (Governor's STEM Advisory Council, 2012). This project also aligns with goals of the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership by helping …

A Comparison Of Brazil And The United States: How Higher Education Can Shape And Be Shaped By History, Politics, Culture, And Economy, Cassandra Mae Oliveira

Honors Program Theses

This thesis will argue that, in order to cooperate, negotiate, and coexist in the future with Brazil, it is necessary to understand the way in which Brazil is educating its youth in comparison to how the United States is doing so since the products of these educational systems are the future leaders of their nations. Also, this thesis will analyze the reasons these educational institutions evolved so differently by reviewing how they were influenced by the intricate histories, the differing political leadership, the eccentric cultures, and the fluctuating economies of each nation. It will also evaluate how these different university …

A Study In Merger Induced Galaxy Evolution Through Post-Starburst Systems, Zachary Dean Griffith

Honors Program Theses

We discuss an optical study of a triple galaxy system at a redshift of 0.06. In optical images from Data Release 7 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the system consists of a close pair plus another galaxy at a projected distance of 35 kpc. Tidal features extending at least 30 kpc are visible to the southeast of both the galaxy pair and the third member of the system, suggesting significant interaction. One of the the pair and the more isolated galaxy are low-luminosity radio sources. The lone galaxy appears extended in a radio map from the FIRST survey. …

The Chicago Americanization Movement: Solutions To The Immigrant Problem, Heather Greel

Honors Program Theses

Our nation is in the midst of an increase in immigration from Mexico, an increase which many policy makers have called a “crisis”. This “crisis” has left our nation, and specifically educators, asking, “What do we do with these millions of immigrants, and their children, who are so different from us?” This concern over an influx of “others” is the basis of a long struggle between the native-born and immigrants. In fact, the rhetoric used today in reference to the current “immigrant problem” is a direct reflection of the ideas developed one hundred years ago, during the first Americanization movement …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?: A Comparison Study Of Cornerstone And Non-Cornerstone Students' Levels Of Campus Engagement And Institutional Commitment, Theresa Luensmann

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to discover if sophomores who took Cornerstone as freshmen are more committed to UNI and more engaged in the campus community than sophomores who did not take Cornerstone as freshmen. This work is important because it focuses on the role of a unique first-year experience course on sophomores, which as a group is more likely to leave the institution they are attending. The study helps in determining the effectiveness of the Cornerstone class in keeping students committed to UNI in their second year. It will also help with the development of ideas for ways …

Learning Styles: A Viable Approach To Instruction?, Lauren A. Hanzelka

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of the project is to research the concept of learning styles, a common theory used in education, through a critical lens, then take the information, and apply it to a classroom environment. Numerous sources of literature that address the background, research, and efficacy of learning styles will be critically analyzed in order to determine the effectiveness. The research and conclusion will discuss the implications for learning styles in the K-8 classroom

Going Offline: Personality And Its Effects On The Transition Of Online Relationships To The Offline World, Morgan Johnson

Honors Program Theses

Because the internet is a relatively new technology, few studies have researched the correlations between online behavior and personality. As such, this study set out to determine if online friendships and personality are related. In this study differences in personality were examined between individuals who have met their online friends face-to-face and those who have not. A survey was distributed online using the Five Factor Model to measure personality. Participants in this study were recruited from an online community called Nerdfighteria. The results found that the facets of the Five Factor Model of personality were largely found not to be …

Clean Up Our Home: Ellen Swallow Richards' Human Ecology And Emerging Environmental Ideologies, 1890-1915, Raeann Lillian Swanson

Honors Program Theses

In the late 1880s, after years of study and hard work, Ellen Richards began publishing her ideas on the home and the natural and urban environment. She called for the knowledge of basic scientific principles to be available to everyone. She believed that ignorance was holding back the public from altering their environment to make life healthier, happier, and safer. Over one hundred years later, Malcolm Gladwell wrote the book The Tipping Point. In his book, Gladwell explores the Broken Windows Theory that social scientists claimed they developed in the 1980s. The Broken Windows Theory states that there is a …

Uni's Dance Craze: A Psychological Analysis And Creative Documentary On 'The Interlude Dance' And 'The Dance Party', Ian Goldsmith

Honors Program Theses

The UNI campus has been part of an epidemic: a dance epidemic. “The Interlude Dance” and “The Dance Party” are two recent dance phenomena that have played a major role in my undergraduate experience. I sought to study these phenomena through an analytical approach. I sought to determine the psychosocial factors that lead to the initial and continuing success of “The Interlude Dance” and “The Dance Party”, and to build conceptual connections between both phenomena. This creative-research hybrid project culminated in a documentary short-film.

Leisure Trends And Technology Within Generations X, Y, And Z, Alyssa Eisenman

Honors Program Theses

A generation is defined as "a grouping of individuals who share birth years and thus share life stages" (Hunter-Jones, 2012, p. 2). This research paper will focus on Generations X, Y, and Z, inclusive of their general characteristics and the various ways in which each generation chooses to recreate and spend their leisure time. Generations X, Y, and Z make up a majority of today's population from our education system as students to the workplace as employees. They make up the current college student body, as some members of Generation X are in graduate school, and members of Generations Y …

The Effectiveness Of Negative And Positive Advertisements, Kristen Hora

Honors Program Theses

Whether we know it or not, we are faced with hundreds or even thousands of advertisements every day. Sometimes we acknowledge them and sometimes we do not, but whether or not we realize it, they can and do impact our decisions. The purpose for my senior year Honors Program Thesis was to determine the effectiveness of negative and positive advertising on people who are already favorable or unfavorable towards an industry. I chose to examine video advertisements with the topic of the pork industry. The basis of this research comes from my past experience in promotion for the pork industry. …

Learning Outcomes: A Study Of Student Employees At The University Of Northern Iowa Wellness And Recreation Center, Justin James Holman

Graduate Research Papers

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Wellness and Recreation Services (WRS) administration and professional staff have recognized that employment at the Wellness Recreation Center (WRC) can and should be a component of the education that student employees receive as UNI undergraduates. This is clearly supported by Keeling (2005), Caine, Caine, McClintic and Klimek (2005), Stayhorn (2006) among others and a host of sponsored studies by the American College Personnel Association and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (2004). The purpose of this research is to establish a comprehensive comparative analysis of student employee development through employment with the UNIWRS.

The Federal Estate Tax: A Comprehensive Look At The Effects On American Farming And Ranching Businesses, Taylor G. Johnson

Honors Program Theses

One central divide that has emerged on the federal estate tax issue is whether or not it adversely affects farming and ranching businesses in America. An adverse effect on a farming and ranching business would be if business assets would need to be sold in order to pay the federal estate tax. There are opinions on both sides of this issue. Thus, the first research question to answer will be:

i. Does the federal estate tax have adverse consequences on farming and ranching businesses in America?

After a conclusion is drawn on whether or not there are adverse effects from …

Does International Recruiting Make Sense In The Missouri Valley Conference?, Natalie Johnson

Honors Program Theses

The primary purpose of this research study is to examine the prevalence and effects of international recruiting on team performance of women’s swim and dive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. This research will evaluate the issues that influence coaches’ and athletes’ decisions to recruit or compete internationally, including evaluating the strength of in-state and regional recruitment pools, athlete retention rates by geographic region, and the correlation between the number of Top 8 finishes to the number of Top 8 finishers by region.

Exploring Intelligence And Interpersonal Communication: An Analysis Of Intellectual Perceptions In A Real Dating Arena, Andrew Dix

Iowa Journal of Communication

The present study examined the relationship between perceptions of intelligence and interpersonal communication in a courtship setting. Participants engaged in speed-dating as a means to quantitatively assess whether evaluations of a dating partner would change from pre-test to post-test. Findings indicated positive messages caused participants to see a potential romantic partner as more intelligent. In contrast, negative communication resulted in unfavorable evaluations of dater intelligence. Study data focused on participant matches revealed women were significantly more selective than men in terms of second-date selection. The findings can be applied to various communicative contexts including employment interviewing and casual dating. Future …

Don't Paint Your Chevy Blazer In High Visibility Orange, Roy R. Behrens, Rich Dana

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Selective Annotated Bibliography Of Materials Recommended For Junior High Classrooms Regarding Resistance During The Holocaust, Katharine Mulfinger

Graduate Research Papers

The Holocaust is a topic that is regularly taught in schools around the country, yet teachers are not necessarily instructed about what to teach regarding this time in history. The purpose of this project was to create a selective annotated bibliography of recommended resources for junior high school teachers to use when teaching about resistance during the Holocaust. The researcher questioned the appropriate role of historical fiction among teaching resources for a junior high school unit about resistance during the Holocaust, and she considered what resources were available for teaching junior high school students about resistance during the Holocaust. The …

Vocabulary Instruction : Becoming Word Conscious To Support Reading Comprehension, Amy Evelyn Bries

Graduate Research Papers

Currently, many classroom teachers are striving to support students' comprehension skills. Teachers are currently teaching vocabulary through incidental exposures. The dependency of vocabulary skills are falling to the students. The students might be asked to memorize rather than gathering a deeper meaning of a word and how we use the word within context. Over the past several years research has shown that vocabulary develops more rapidly after grade three, but the primary grades need to begin with a strong literacy foundation in word learning strategies (Biemiller, 2003, 2006). This research project organized professional development sessions for teachers, to provide the …

The State Of The “Gen Y” Estate: An Examination Of Leadership Traits Necessary For Nonprofit Organizations To Secure The Millenial Generation As Loyal Donors And Employees, Duff Ridgeway

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive literature review based upon Generation Y as our future donors and employees. This review is conducted so that we might begin to learn and understand how more than 76 million individuals will impact the future of charitable giving as we know it today. Serving as a small piece that will provide a large role in the eventual understanding of our Generation Y donors and employees, this review will demonstrate how Generation Y subjects become attached to and serve charitable causes, the types of assets they'll likely possess later in life, …

Transition To Kindergarten : A Project For The Grinnell-Newburg School District, Donna Godar

Graduate Research Papers

This project looked at the following research questions:

How can schools establish a strong transition plan for students entering kindergarten?

What information would be valuable to evaluate and revise a kindergarten transition plan for the benefit of all parties involved?

In order to answer these questions, current literature was reviewed looking at all parties involved in the transition to kindergarten: children, families, schools, and the community. The path to the project included collaboration initially with kindergarten and preschool staff and led to the final development of the project collaborating with two community members, a preschool laboratory director and a scholar …

The Rise Of The Benefit Corporation: An Examination Of The Strengths And Potential Obstacles To Long Term Success, Lisa L. Freeman

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive literature review to document and examine the strengths and potential obstacles of the Benefit Corporation framework with the intent of informing the larger question - is the Benefit Corporation 'made to stick?'

Portrayal Of Agriculture In Children's Literature: Contemporary Stories In Picture Books, Traditional Tales, And Nonfiction, Kathryn S. Koller

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to analyze the representations of modern American farming in traditional tales in picture book format, storybooks with contemporary settings, and non-fiction literature to assess how accurately agriculture information is provided to children. This project will contribute to the knowledge base about how well children’s books are compensating for the lack of first-hand experience. The four hypothesizes studied were: 1. Ninety percent of storybooks with contemporary settings will depict a male in the role of farmer. 2. One hundred percent of traditional literature in picture book format will depict a farmer wearing bib overalls, straw …

Effective Comprehension Strategies In The Elementary Classroom, Melissa Ann Determan

Graduate Research Papers

This paper focuses on key fiction and nonfiction comprehension strategies and different methods for teaching these strategies in the elementary classroom. It is essential to use effective comprehension instruction within the classroom to unlock meaning and to build student success. These strategies include activating background knowledge, questioning, summarizing, and text structures.

Making Historical Fiction Appealing To Young Adults Through Book Trailers, Chelsey Kolpin

Graduate Research Papers

The Hi-Fi for Wi-Fi website was developed to address the problem that many young adults do not select historical fiction for free reading because they view the genre negatively. The website can be used as an advisory and teaching tool for young adults, teachers, parents, and librarians to increase interest in historical fiction via book trailers. The website includes 15 books that were published in 2003 or after, and are included in the H.W. Wilson core or highly recommended collections. Book trailers and descriptions for all 15 books are embedded on the pages of the website, and are organized by …

An Examination Of The Criteria For The Iowa Children's Choice Award List, Jessica Zimmerman

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the Iowa Children's Choice Award lists for variety of reading levels, topics, and protagonists and compare this to the criteria set by the Iowa Association of School Librarians. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to allow comparison between the last four years of Iowa Children's Choice Award lists. Results showed that all of the texts chosen for the award lists in the last four years fell in the third through sixth grade level according to Fountas and Pinnell. The majority of the texts include a female protagonist making the award lists more …

Positive Effects Of Physical Activity On Behavior In Individuals With Intellectual And Adaptive Disorders, Tara Stemsrud

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review was to examine the literature associated with the effects of physical activity upon individuals with intellectual and adaptive behaviors.

Capitalizing On Human Capital: An Examination Of Employee Motivation In A Changing Nonprofit Landscape, Katherine A. Betts

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive literature review related to examining the relationship between employee satisfaction and productivity in order to identify and capitalize on how to motivate workers. It is this author's belief that only through the evolution of the nonprofit sector to a more hybrid structure can it hope to handle the loss of government funding. As such, it is imperative to understand how employee motivation works in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Only with a clear understanding of all potential influencers on a cross-sector hybrid organization can we hope to maximize the …

Barriers And Facilitators Of Physical Activity For Adolescent Females, Elisa M. Cohen

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on barriers and facilitating factors that are associated with physical activity among adolescent females. This paper discusses how selected factors influence physical activity participation and avoidance. Knowledge of these factors may be useful for professionals in the field to better cater to the needs of adolescent girls.

The Beliefs Of University Of Northern Iowa Preservice Teachers About Gifted And Talented Learners, Caitlyn E. Reighley

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the beliefs about Gifted and Talented (GT) learners held by preservice teachers at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). These beliefs, once identified, will be compared with those of other preservice teachers as reported in current literature.

Attainable Arts Integration In The Elementary School Classroom, Anneliese Gentzsch

Honors Program Theses

Arts Integration is an education philosophy that advocates for educating the whole child in a way that will prepare him or her for life outside the classroom. Arts Integration can effectively do this because it makes art, which is seen everywhere in the world around people, an essential part of the classroom. In an Arts Integration classroom, the arts are integrated with mathematics, science, social studies, and reading. Arts Integration teachers strive to authentically incorporate music, drama, the visual arts, dance, and literature into their classrooms on a daily basis. When teachers authentically incorporate the arts into the classroom, the …