Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of Differentiation For The Struggling Reader, Christine M. Troyer

Graduate Research Papers

Learning to read is a journey, and the first steps of this journey are among the most important. It is critical for struggling readers to have support and encouragement as they overcome the various obstacles they face. Not all young readers have the same background knowledge and sufficient skills to be proficient. Teachers play a vital role in supporting these students. First grade especially is a critical step on this path. A poor reader will continue to struggle and lose interest without the necessary guidance. This paper will detail the necessity of assisting the struggling reader in the first grade …

Instructing For Fluency In The First Grade, Kim Vierkant

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review inquired as to how fluency relates to comprehension, what sub-skills are necessary to ensure the development of a fluent reader, and what the top two fluency intervention programs available were according to the What Works Clearinghouse. The author of this literature review used peer-reviewed literature, personal communications, and observations from her first grade classroom to come to the conclusion that beginning readers' fluency led to comprehension. But, when readers have a command over accuracy and fluency then comprehension and fluency were reciprocal skills. The author of this literature review goes on to depict the sub-skills needed to …

The Impact Of Instructional Materials On The Motivational Of Struggling Readers, Kimberly Weeks

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review examined the impact that instructional materials have on the motivation and literacy engagement of struggling readers. Its purpose was to determine the influence instructional materials have on struggling readers' engagement with text, which instructional materials have a positive effect on struggling readers, the influence that informational text has on students' reading motivation, the impact of gender on the selection of effective instructional materials, and what instructional materials have a positive impact on struggling male readers. Through this review, instructional materials were found to have a positive effect on literacy engagement when they are at an appropriate level, …

Concert Recording 2009-04-15a, David Frantz, Madison Pennington, Emily Nelson, Richard Bobo, Henry Runkles, Travis Chilton, Jeannie Lee, Cali Alexander, Patrick George, Katie Kennan, Kristin Harwell, Kristin Lankford, Joe Wilhelm, Lewis Clark, Joseph Ralston, Joel Paul

Concert Recordings & Programs

Im Abendrot / Franz Schubert -- Brief dialogue between a bear and a nightingale / Umberto Bertoni -- Concerto in d minor / Antonio Vivaldi -- Entracte / Jacques Ibert -- Duo / Norbert Burgmuller -- Romanze / Carl Nielson -- Sonatina for trombone and piano / Kazimierz Serocki -- Two-part invention / Johann Sebastian Bach

Best Grouping Practices For Reading Instruction, Stacia Ann Weisskopf

Graduate Research Papers

In this project, teachers learned about the most effective type of grouping for reading instruction through a year long series of inservices. The purpose of this project was to focus in on the impact of flexible grouping and how to keep students engaged during small group reading time. Research for this project was gathered from professional articles and books about literacy and the role of a literacy coach. Flexible grouping was found to be the most effective type of reading instruction when used correctly. Flood, Lapp, Flood, and Nagel (1992) stated that flexible groups are flexible if: (a) you choose …

On C2 -Smooth Surfaces Of Constant Width, Brendan Guilfoyle, Wilhelm Klingenberg

Publications

A number of results for C2 -smooth surfaces of constant width in Euclidean 3-space E 3 are obtained. In particular, an integral inequality for constant width surfaces is established. This is used to prove that the ratio of volume to cubed width of a constant width surface is reduced by shrinking it along its normal lines. We also give a characterization of surfaces of constant width that have rational support function. Our techniques, which are complex differential geometric in nature, allow us to construct explicit smooth surfaces of constant width in E 3 , and their focal sets. They also …

Effects Of Applied Behavior Analysis On Teaching Social Skills To Young Children With Autism, Michelle Yeggy

Graduate Research Papers

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 166 children are born with autism (Falco, 2008). With this continual increase of children being diagnosed there is a lot of pressure put on schools to provide the quality programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD have delays with their language and communication skills, social skills and theory of mind, and also these children have challenges with sensory processing. Rogers (2000) wrote that social dysfunction is the single most defining characteristic of autism, and it is also one of the most important to overcome. …

Spelling Instruction In The Classroom, Kristin Zweibohmer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to identify research-based, effective spelling strategies that will improve students' abilities in a classroom. There has been a great debate about the effectiveness of spelling instruction in the classroom. Many studies have been conducted on spelling instruction using a word sort technique. By looking at past and present studies of spelling instruction, educators will be able to see how well these strategies for spelling instruction have worked. This knowledge can help educators design a spelling instruction program that will enhance their students' scores in many curriculum areas. An effective, research-based, contemporary model for teachers …

Positions Of Power, Abjection And Constraint: Evaluating Discursive Attempts To Save An Other, Ruth Janet Beerman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Beginning from the presumption that questions of agency are important, this thesis interrogates notions of who can speak, how to speak, and what constitutes agency. Feminist rhetorical theory operates as a key avenue to evaluate negotiating positions of power and privilege when examining how to liberate oppressed groups. By utilizing feminist conceptions of the body as well as theories of performance and personae, I examine how rhetorical theory contributes to such understandings where one speaks about an other. Finally, the war in Iraq serves as a case study to illustrate my theory.

Voluntary Simplicity And Its Effects On Personal Identity, Family Life, And Relationships, Julie Ann Fox

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

With the seemingly endless advance of technology and the resulting cheaper material goods, consumption levels have risen to record highs. Over-consumption is having devastating effects on the environment, as well as on families and societies. We are encouraged by the advertising industry to consume at every turn, and buying things has become a substitute source of self-worth for many people. But an abundance of material items has not brought personal fulfillment for most Americans. A growing number of people have begun to question the hollow promises of consumerism, searching instead for alternative ways to find contentment, meaning, and purpose in …

Characteristics Of Highly Effective Teachers: A Perspective From Students With Disabilities, David J. Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teacher quality is a widely discussed topic in education. States, districts, schools, parents, and other stakeholders want to know how to measure, improve, and reward teacher quality. A major factor in the rise in interest about teacher quality is clear evidence that individual teachers are able to positively affect student achievement, specifically in relationship to students' standardized test scores (No Child Left Behind Legislation). Even a cursory look at statewide student achievement data reveals that students with disabilities are achieving at lower levels in comparison to their peers without disabilities.

While several researchers have asked students to identify characteristics of …

The Effect Of Learning Styles And Attitude On Preservice Elementary Teachers' Conceptual Understanding Of Chemistry And The Nature Of Matter In A Simulation-Based Learning Environment, Mo H. Al-Jaroudi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This causal-comparative descriptive study investigated the achievement of pre-service elementary teachers taking an introductory physical science course that integrates inquiry-based instruction with computer simulations. The study was intended to explore if pre-service elementary teachers with different attitudes towards science as well as students with different learning styles would benefit differentially. Four research questions including four hypotheses were developed. The first major question consist of four specific hypothesis that addressed preservice elementary teachers' learning styles (Active/Reflective, Sensing/Intuitive, Visual/Verbal, and Sequential/Global) and their conceptual understanding of chemistry and the particulate nature of matter in a science class which use hands-on learning integrated …

Those Magnificent Men Or Their Flying Machines?: Tradition And Modernity In The 1928 National Air Races, Joshua James Waddle

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The history of aviation in the United States between 1920 and 1940 describes two phases--the dangerous aeronautic stunts and cross-country flights of the 1920s and the regulation of the 1930s—but does not analyze how the transition between the two occurred. The beginning of this transition occurred in the latter 1920s. First, American businesses, attempting to establish commercial air travel, downplayed the perceived danger as they marketed the flying experience to the general public. Second, women pilots showed that planes did not require mystical, unidentifiable masculine qualities in order to be flown and landed safely. The actual transition, however, took place …

Showing Utah 4-H Dressage, Rebecca Lewis, Patricia Evans

All Current Publications

This publication gives information on Dressage which teaches understanding between horse and rider. Dressage develops the horse's physical and mental condition.

Shooting Under Pressure: How Pressure Affects The Shooting Percentage Of Men’S College Basketball Players, Brooks Joseph Mckowen

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this purposed study is to examine the effects of pressure on the shooting percentages of men's college basketball players in the Missouri Valley Conference. The correlation between the teams shooting percentage ( field goal percentage, three point percentage, and free throw percentage) and the following will be investigated: the score and time of game, game site (whether a team is home, away, or neutral), attendance, point in the season (first or second half of conference play), and conference standings (how far off the lead or close to the play in game in the conference tournament a team …

Donor Intent: An Examination Of The Pertinent Literature Between Donors And Charities And The Legalities Of Complying With The Donor’S Restrictions On Gifts, Sherry Kluender

Graduate Research Papers

Foundations and non profit organizations have a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to honor the donor's original intent with their gift. Unfortunately, there are several instances in the past few years that have shown charities in the public eye where they have intentionally broke the agreements with their donors, thus causing donor mistrust and creating legal battles that affect all organizations. This paper outlines what donor intent entails, the legal boundaries which organizations need to abide and their legal rights to break donor intent. Lastly, this literature review will cover ethical behavior and how to combat this growing trend. Ultimately, …

Are Paralympics Athletes Experiencing Serious Leisure?, Janet Thi Ho

Graduate Research Papers

According to Stebbins (2008), Serious leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer core activity that people find so substantial, interesting, and fulfilling that, in the typical case, they launch themselves on a (leisure) career centered on acquiring and expression a combination of its special skills, knowledge, and experience (p.5). Stebbins notes, serious leisure involves pursuing an amateur activity.

Amateurism involving sports is defined by Allison (2001), as "doing things for the love of them, doing them without reward or material gain or doing them unprofessionally" (p. 3). Allison also states "a human activity is amateur in …

Utility Of A Non-Exercise Method Of Estimating Aerobic Capacity, Meghan Phillips

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Benefits Of Soccer Within Diverse Soccer Programs And Their Cultural Differences, Aldin Muhamedagic

Graduate Research Papers

Physical inactivity is one of the leading concerns in today's society. Current research shows that today's children are most definitely less fit than children 20 years ago. According to the research, today's children seem to be heavier and over weight. Plus there is more overall health concern for the children then ever before. The focus of this study is to examine the benefits of soccer in diverse soccer programs and their cultural differences and to examine how soccer can help the youth to live better and healthier lives.

In this study we examined a different aspect of youth development and …

Rural Philanthropy: An Examination Of The Pertinent Literature Of The Current State And Evolution Of Rural Philanthropy In This Country, Barbara J. Keninger

Graduate Research Papers

While the social needs of rural America continues to grow, the philanthropic funding of these rural communities has not kept pace. This study looks at evidence that rural communities are not receiving the fair share of philanthropic funding despite these increasing needs and investigates the barriers faced by rural organizations that prevent the grant makers from focusing on the needs of rural America. Numerous authors of the literature reviewed support the importance of philanthropic funding for rural America to help fulfill the growing social needs.

This study examined the literature regarding the possible growth of rural philanthropy and how rural …

The Effects Of Exercise-Induced Amenorrhea On The Fertility Of Female Athletes, Kara Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

It is well documented that a high number of female athletes experience detrimental health effects as a result of the "female athlete triad"-a set of conditions including osteoporosis, disordered eating, and amenorrhea. While the health effects of disordered eating and osteoporosis are heavily studied and well-known, even to the general population, the long-term consequences of amenorrhea are relatively unknown.

There is much evidence and documentation that women who engage in exercise and sport are likely to experience amenorrhea. Research has also shown that exerciseinduced amenorrhea can lead to a host of reproductive problems, including luteal phase defects, hormonal disruptions, and …

Postpartum Depression And Universal Screening: Consequences, Benefits, And Barriers, Jennifer Setzer Trumbull

Graduate Research Papers

In the United States our society has a perception that after a mother has given birth she should be overjoyed and the happiest she has ever been in her life as well as in love with her baby the instant the first breath is taken. As all parents know, having a child is a stressful, life-changing event (Brewer, 2001). No one wants to believe a mother is not happy or may be unable to care for the new baby much, less that she might be able to harm the child (Brewer, 2001). Unfortunately, the reality is many women suffer from …

Eating Disorders In Adolescent Females With Diabetes: A Review Of The Literature, Kristy Lynn Herbrandson

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Exercise Benefits For People With Multiple Sclerosis, Ethan Tews

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Are Soda Beverages A Contributing Factor To Weight Gain In Children?, Wendy Maria Clark

Graduate Research Papers

The controversy that diet soda may trigger a mechanism for weight gain has inspired this literature review. Our children need current facts on what is healthy and not healthy. Soda has been regarded as a discretionary beverage and not long ago, as a treat, after daily nutritional needs were met. However, soda is being consumed more frequently replacing other healthy nutritious beverages. Since diet soda is calorie-free, people unknowingly may imagine it has no impact on their bodies. In reality, research findings suggest that the effects of soda on the body are not benign. It is worth taking an in-depth …

Risk Management Of Commercial Overland Food Transport And Distribution, Lucas Charles Hartman Geadelmann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this research was to study the contemporary safety issues related to the overland transport of perishable food items via semi-truck and trailer. An anonymous survey instrument consisting of 20 questions was developed in order to examine semi-truck driver habits. The questions pertained to truck driver safety and subsequent food safety matters related to the perishable food items contained within the trailers. The paper surveys were distributed to the semi-truck driving employees of two food distributors located in the upper Midwest, which had agreed to voluntarily participate in the study. A total of 90 surveys were completed and …

Differentiated Instruction In The Secondary Social Studies Classroom, Chad A. Christopher

Graduate Research Papers

As an educator with fifteen years of experience, this author has experienced the frustrations of having to teach a wide range of student abilities at the secondary social studies level. There is a lot of support for differentiated instruction for special education, TAG, and elementary students, but there seems to be questions about the practicality and effectiveness of it in a secondary classroom.

The issues discussed in this paper will focus on the following questions: 1) Does Differentiated Instruction affect student learning? 2) Can Differentiated Instruction be implemented with secondary teachers in a practical way to help student learning and …

Phonemic Awareness : One Piece Of The "Learning To Read" Puzzle, Michelle S. Carradus

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper focuses on a review of current literature regarding the role of phonemic awareness within reading instruction for elementary students. Phonemic awareness studies and results will be shared. This paper will define phonemic awareness and relative terms, and contrast it with phonics instruction. Phonemic awareness instruction and intervention strategies will be discussed, including supplemental and intense instruction for at-risk readers. A possible sequence for teaching phonemic awareness, teaching applications, and professional book titles are offered as resources for educators of early elementary children.

Microwave Syntheses And Thermal Gravimetric Analysis Of Trans-Hydrogen Bis(Dimethylsulfoxide)Tetrachlororuthenate(Iii), S. Chui, Mark Draganjac, E. Benjamin, B. Rougaeu

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Microwave Synthesis Of Cis-Dichlorotetrakis(Dimethylsulfoxide)Ruthenium(Ii), A. Harvey, Mark Draganjac, S. Chui, R. Snell, E. Benjamin

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.