Digital Commons Network^™

Positive Portrayal Of Family In Children's Books With Homosexual Characters, Amanda Skellenger

Graduate Research Papers

In today's highly diverse society, it is important to include information in children's education reflecting the diversity they will encounter in their lives. Family is an important aspect in the lives of all children as well as being a diverse aspect of society; it is important that all family structures have adequate representation in a school curriculum (Chapman, 1999). The first article in the American Library Association's (ALA) Library Bill of Rights (1996) states "books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not …

Boy's Recreational Reading In A One-To-One Computer School, Michaela Seeman

Graduate Research Papers

High school boys are often not motivated to read when required, let alone read for enjoyment. With the use of advanced technology provided through a one-to-one computer educational setting and resources, high school boys may have a different approach and attitude to reading for enjoyment.

The purpose of this study was to examine what high school boys chose to read, print and electronic, for enjoyment in an Iowa one-to-one computer educational setting. The questions asked in this research study included:

1. What topics do high school boys spend time investigating? What resources do they use?

2. How do high school …

Teacher Librarian Evaluation In Small Districts In Four Iowa Counties, Marci Titera

Graduate Research Papers

This study explored how elementary principals in small Iowa schools evaluated teacher librarians. Principals responding to the survey indicated that evaluation of a teacher librarian is based on expectations set by the district, as defined in position descriptions. Respondents also indicated that in these small districts the teacher librarian being evaluated was responsible for more than one library. The teacher librarian overseeing more than one library was one reason for low response rate to this survey, because the elementary principal was not always responsible for the evaluation. This study showed that teacher librarians in small Iowa schools need to be …

Library And Technology Combined Curriculum For Kindergarten/First Grade Common Core, Dyann K. Vilez

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to create for Kindergarten and first grade students a curriculum that incorporated library and technology skills to make sure that each student was getting the knowledge and instruction in these areas that they need to become successful.

The standards, benchmarks, objectives, and skills in the following documents were referenced when creating this curriculum; American Association of School Librarians (AASL), Norwalk Community School District Literacy, Common Core English Language Arts, International Society for Technology/National Educational Technology Standards (ISTE/NETS), Norwalk Community School District Technology Standards and the Norwalk Community School District Technology Skills List. This project …

Program Design Considerations For A 8-Week After-School Program Focused On Social And Personal Development And Physical Fitness, Lawrence Daniel

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research paper is to describe the Carver Stars After- School Program and review factors considered in the design of an eight week long after-school program to enhance physical activity and increase academic performance in youth. This paper will present the goals and outcomes of the program, details of program design, and components of a successful after- school program. In addition, theories for behavior change will be reviewed. Finally, the process for evaluation will be presented. The information in this paper is to be shared with recreational programmers and fellow program directors with similar interest in program …

School Wellness Policies, Impacts, And Challenges, Shenay Tekin Damirgi

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the existing literature in order to understand the relationship between school wellness policies and the impact they have on children's dietary behavior and physical activity. The study will take a look at various guidelines that should be included in school wellness policies, the most significant ones being on competitive foods, fundraising, physical education, and nutrition education. Additionally the study will examine the CDC's School Health Index (SHI) and how it has aided schools in both evaluating and improving their school wellness policies.

The Relationship Between Absolute Strength, Relative Strength And Body Mass On Depth Jump Performance In Females, Erin Lynn Brocka

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of body mass and absolute leg strength on depth jump performance in college-aged females at a drop height of 45 cm.

Outcomes And Attitudes Of Service-Learning Gained Through Participation In Camp Adventure Child And Youth Services, Ashley Cayford

Graduate Research Papers

Service-learning programs implemented at colleges and universities concentrate on service experience and academic learning. The academic aspect is explored in the classroom and in the field, and the service experience is reflected upon and reviewed in the classroom. Depending on the design of a service-learning program, desired outcomes may vary and some outcomes might be emphasized more than others. Intended outcomes for students of service-learning programs often include academic achievement, personal competence and interpersonal relationship development, and citizenship. The desired outcomes for students of a service-learning program can be extensive. It is important for both desired and possible outcomes to …

Social Bookmarking In The Classroom, Sara Richardson

Graduate Research Papers

The vast amount of content on the Internet causes complications when struggling to tame it. The purpose of this literature review is to uncover the viability of social bookmarking for managing Internet content for classroom learning. It also reveals how collaboration in social bookmarking can increase its effectiveness in the classroom and how social bookmarking models best facilitate learning. Sources researched were published in the last seven years, when social bookmarking started to become widely recognized. Studies in the areas of content organization, searching, collaboration, and education were reviewed. The conclusions acknowledge social bookmarking as not a replacement for, but …

Kindergarten Transition And Parent Communication, Jessica Rae Sandboth

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this literature review is to clarify what a successful kindergarten transition plan is. This review focuses on the transition a child and his or her family experience when moving from preschool, home, or day care into the formal kindergarten classroom. Studies were reviewed from several countries in Europe and from the United States of America and Australia. Studies were conducted in various settings including Head Start classrooms, preschool and kindergarten classrooms, and day care centers. The studies provided information on the models of transition plans used, types of transition activities used, barriers to transition plans for teachers …

Decoding Hollywood: An Instructional Design Module For Visual Literacy Of Race, Ethnicity, & Cultural Portrayals In Hollywood Films, Derek A. Sallis

Graduate Research Papers

This is an instructional design project developed to enhance a curriculum module in Visual Literacy at the University of Northern Iowa. The module examines the content, messages, and viewer interpretation of Hollywood Cinema and issues of diversity. Hollywood reflects the current thoughts, actions, and habits of the American culture, which influences the thought process of the entire world. Students are required to view selected Hollywood films that document American history and educate in cultural diversity, trends and issues. The intention of this module is for students of diverse backgrounds to become exposed to a cultural system that they have traditionally …

Early Algona: A Digital Story, Kathy Bottaro

Graduate Research Papers

The 1986 classic teen movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off' contains a scene that is all too familiar in today's high school classrooms. The history/economics teacher is addressing a classroom full of seemingly comatose students: In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the ... anyone? anyone? the Great Depression, passed the ... anyone? anyone? the tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered? ... raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and …

Parental Perspective On Technology Integration In Pk-2 In A Rural Community School, Stephanie L. Callan

Graduate Research Papers

This study investigated parental perspectives of PK-2 classroom technology integration and parental familiarity with 21st Century Skills and their importance in their children's education and future success in a global economy. Through this descriptive study the researcher used mixed-methods of a survey and semi-structured interview to gather information from parents in a small, rural school in southeastern Iowa. The research found that parents of this age group do place value on technology integration as it relates to both their children's academic and future success. Most parents of this age group working outside of an educational setting were unaware of what …

Spinning Wheels, Weaving Words, And Cupbearing: The Wife's Lament And Female Power, Agency And Resistance In Anglo-Saxon England, Alison Leytem

Honors Program Theses

Looking through the lens of Anglo-Saxon womens' roles as peaceweavers, cupbearers, inciters or "whetting women" in their ability to practice and assert power, resistance and agency within conjugal bonds with husbands or lovers, we can better understand the ambiguous Old English poem The Wife's Lament. By exploring the poem, documents that history has left us, and previous foundational research, I will investigate whether the role women played in Anglo Saxon society mattered, and if either way, they had significant opportunity for agency.

Family Matters: Influential Factors Of Choice Regarding The Family-Career Dichotomy For The Next Generation Of Mothers, Beth Lindberg

Honors Program Theses

This study was performed for an undergraduate thesis project for a university honor's program. The thesis project sought to discover female college students' viewpoints on stay-at-home mothering and various influences on said viewpoints through the administration of a survey to college women. Various statistical tests, such as t-test, chi-square, correlation, and regression tests, were completed to analyze the data. From this data, it was found that most participants in the study had positive, socially constructed, stereotypical viewpoints of stay-at-home mothers. Three influences were found to be unique predictors for the choice to plan to be a full-time stay-at-home mother: number …

Cursed: An Experiment In Gender Roles In Video Game Concept Art, Gillian Renk

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this project was to create a game concept, in the form of an art book, that featured characters who play somewhat nontraditional, reversed roles as an experiment in gender equality in video games. This was mainly done with a slant toward women, as women are becoming a larger part of the gaming community and, as such, may seek games that are more aligned with their own interests. Character designs were done with the individuals' roles in mind as well as how their appearances would make the player sympathetic toward them. For instance, as explained in an article …

Key Elements Of Poverty Influencing Language Development And Academic Achievement, Joanna L. Eggert

Honors Program Theses

This paper investigates central issues surrounding poverty and how it influences a child's language development and academic achievement. It examines the differences in amounts of language input in the home environments of children from varying socioeconomic statuses and how this shapes their language acquisition. The research also explores the exposure to prenatal teratogens in addition to environmental toxins associated with poverty that may play a role in disparities in development, such as lead exposure. Furthermore, the issue of unequal healthcare and educational access between individuals of differing income levels is addressed. Ultimately, the purpose of this research is to call …

Using Ecological Niche Modeling To Resolve Cryptic Taxa Within The Greenside Darter Species Complex, Jack Alphonse Kosmicki

Honors Program Theses

A major challenge for systematists is clearly identifying species early after a speciation event (Frost and Kluge, 1994; Wiens and Servedio, 2000; Coyne and Orr, 2004). Traditionally species delimitation is made based on morphological characteristics, behavioral differences, and/or genetic data. However, for cryptic species lineages, these approaches do not work as well because the lineages have subtle overlapping morphological and behavioral differences and lineage sorting may not be complete (Raxworthy et al., 2007). A far less common approach is to use ecological niche models (ENMs) to help identify new species. This approach holds strong potential for cryptic species in which …

Lost In Translation: In Search Of The "Real" "Wulf And Eadwacer", John Anderson

Honors Program Theses

In this thesis, I seek to uncover the nature of translation through examining those elements of "Wulf and Eadwacer" that work against producing a definitive translation. Using the combined lenses of literary analysis and the philosophy of language, I will also investigate the ties between translation and interpretation inherent in this work and what we can learn about the project of translation in general, ultimately arriving at my own re-presentation of the text. I will then briefly consider how this can inform our approaches to translations of other texts, in particular our understanding of translations of the Bible, one of …

Pulling Back The Veil On Stem Cell Research: The Generation Of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells As An Alternative To Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Sara Ternes

Honors Program Theses

Stem cell research has captured the imagination of many in society, and although it holds hope for repairing the human body, curing disease, and alleviating human suffering, the effects of this pioneering technology present profound ethical and legal implications. While a general consensus exists that the use of adult stem cells is ethically and morally just, embryonic stem (ES) cell research has generated significant debate in both the scientific and legal communities. Decades of legislation and policymaking have led to the creation of a set of human subject research principles that are now well recognized and rooted in the inherent …

An Evaluation Of The Species Status Of Physaria Intermedia (Brassicaceae), Katie Arp

Honors Program Theses

The taxonomy of the genus Physaria (Brassicaceae) has been continually under revision as many species groups have proved difficult to resolve. Physaria intermedia (S. Watson) O'Kane Al-Shehbaz, has been a species whose circumscription has more recently been questioned and in need of clarification. The uncertainty surrounding the species stemmed from a combination of its geographical distribution, inhabiting two disjunct locations, as well as some minor differences in morphology that warranted a closer look. The species had been described as occupying southern Utah, northern and eastern (in northern 2/3) Arizona and southwest New Mexico with the remaining specimens inhabiting an isolated …

"From Research To Realized Garments": A Costume Design Process For Dying City, Tori Rezek

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of my thesis project is to develop and document an approach to costume design that would support this method by creating realistic visual images of the characters the actors developed. This portfolio displays my complete costume design process for Dying City. It includes notes, sketches, research images, and charts that helped inform the final costume design for the production. The collaborative processes I participated in with the production team (involving the director; scenic, lighting, and sound designers; and stage management) and the build team (the costume technical director, cutter/drapers, and stichers) also aided in the development of my …

Determining The Virulence Of Corn Pathogen Fusarium Verticillioides Utilizing Deletion Mutants Lacking Genes Fv_00027 Or Fv_Nps6, Abigail Zieman

Honors Program Theses

Fusarium verticillioides is an important fungal pathogen of com. Many pathogens have virulent genes which are genes that increase infectivity of the pathogen. After a bioinformatics study, it was determined that genes Fv _ 00027 and Fv _ NPS6 are potential virulent genes in F. verticillioides. To determine if either gene ·contributes to the virulence of the fungus, deletion mutants of F. verticillioides were created lacking either Fv _ 00027 or Fv _ NPS6 genes. These deletion mutants were utilized in an optimized com assay to determine the effect of infectivity on com. To test these deletion mutants, com seeds …

Butterfly Community Dynamics In A Restored Prairie Used For Biofuel Production, Nicholas E. Tebockhorst, Jarrett D. Pfrimmer, Mark C. Myers

Undergraduate Student Work

The conversion of native Midwestern tallgrass prairie to monoculture production of corn (Zea mays) and soybeans (Glycene max) for food and fuel has resulted in a significant decrease in habitat for insect pollinators, including butterflies. Compared to conventional biofuels such as corn ethanol, prairie biomass produces greater energy yields while providing high quality wildlife habitat and protecting soil and water resources. My research took place at Cedar River Natural Resource Area in Black Hawk County Iowa, USA. In spring 2009, the University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center seeded 48 research plots in conventional fields to …

Perceptions Of "Americanism": U.S. High School Students' Attitudes Towards Non-Standard English Accents, Christina Michelle Goering

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which U.S. high school students perceive various English accents as being part of their American community or not and to further investigate how likely these high school students are to socialize with speakers of the varying English accents.

Morphological Variation Among Populations Of Uca Rapax In The Gulf Of Mexico And Northern Caribbean, Amanda L. Brase

Honors Program Theses

This study explores the relationship between phenotypic variation in the carapace morphology and the geographic distribution of Uca rapax population in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the Northern Caribbean Sea. Carapace or body shape in 37 populations is analyzed quantitatively and correlated with two habitat variables: salinity and location. Although there is morphological overlap among populations grouped by habitat, they are significantly different when sorted by geographic region. Populations from the northern and western Gulf of Mexico diverge from those in Florida, the Yucatan and the northern Caribbean implying restricted larval dispersal and/or differential habitat selection.

Bird Use Of Heterogeneous Prairie Biofuel Production Plots In Black Hawk County, Iowa, Jarrett Pfrimmer, Mark C. Myers, Benjamin Hoksch, Drew Miller

Undergraduate Student Work

Agricultural intensification has driven the loss of >90% of native grassland habitats in the Midwest. Consequently, grassland birds have declined more drastically than any other North American guild. Current biofuel production systems rely on high input monoculture crops that provide little habitat value to most grassland birds. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center is exploring the feasibility of growing and harvesting diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for use as a sustainable biofuel in a manner that also provides high quality bird habitat. In 2009, we seeded 48 research plots on three soil types with one of four …

From Strangers To Siblings: An Ethnography Of The Appalachia Service Project Summer Staffers, Rachel Elizabeth Tish

Honors Program Theses

Communication research has typically focused on relationship development in fairly regular, true-to-life settings; there is a lack of focus on friendships that grow out of situations in which people have no relational alternatives. This ethnographic study of the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) offers a contrast: observations, interviews, cultural artifacts, and researcher memories shed light on the friendship processes within various groups of four college-aged individuals who are assigned as work teams for 12 weeks. Together the members of these teams repair homes, oversee volunteers, and typically form relationships that reach a deeper level than most friendships. The study of how …

Quantz And Frederick The Great: Masters And Monarchs Of The Flute, Betsy Anne Groat

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the significant contributions that Quantz made as a flutist, composer, and pedagogue to the music world and in particular, to research the impact that Quantz had in the development of Frederick the Great as a virtuoso musician. The hope is to also illustrate the resulting significance of Frederick the Great as an important composer and flutist. This thesis is also intended to establish a case for the enduring significance of Frederick the Great and Quantz as significant flutists and composers and to encourage the acceptance of their compositions in the generally performed …

School Libraries: Developing A Valuable Resource For Gifted Learners, Corinn K. Matheson

Graduate Research Papers

This study surveys the teacher librarians, Extended Learning Program teachers, and instructional coaches in a Midwest suburban school district's elementary and middle schools. The purpose is to determine what, if any, changes are needed to better meet the needs of the district's gifted population. Seventeen (77%) of the twenty-two anonymous surveys were completed. Six ELP instructors responded (100%), five teacher librarians responded (63%), and six instruction coaches responded (75%). A qualitative analysis of six open-ended survey questions was used to evaluate respondents' answers. The questions referred both to current practices as well as suggested strategies. The results showed that while …