Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Higher Education Expenditures And Revenues : A Case Study On The University Of Northern Iowa, Thomas Keld Madsen

Honors Program Theses

Higher education costs have skyrocketed in recent years, leaving millions of students in copious amounts of debt. Facing problems with decreased support from state legislators, universities have increased tuition and fees to compensate. At the same time, university spending, especially in non-academic programs and services, has continued to rise. A fight as emerged between states and the schools residing in them for who is to blame for the increasing cost of higher education, and in the middle of the debate are schools such as the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). A medium-sized school, UNI faces decreasing financial support from the …

Does Religion Affect Economic Growth?, Parash Upreti

Honors Program Theses

A majority of the people in the world are affiliated with a religion. A study about world’s major religious groups found out that there are about 5.8 billion religiously affiliated people, which is about 85% of the world’s population (Pew Research Center 2012). It is important for people to understand how religion affects people’s daily lives, especially how religions affect spending and income. In this study, we are interested in finding whether or not religion has an impact on the economic growth of a country. Past studies have suggested that religion, in specific forms and activities, affects the people’s income …

The Variation Of Center Of Mass Excursion Within And Between Innings And Its Relationship To Pitched Ball Velocity In Collegiate Softball Players, Leah Renee Embrey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to measure the changes to excursions of the COM with pitch count and innings pitched in a collegiate softball game. Additionally, the effect of excursion on pitched ball velocity was investigated.

Twenty-six collegiate pitchers were recorded using a high speed video camera. The first three fastballs and the last three fastballs in each inning were used to determine the COM position during the stride foot takeoff, the lead foot touchdown, and the release. Ball velocity was also calculated from the digitization of each video. MatLab and Excel were used to calculate the excursions between …

A Model For Measuring The Contribution Of Form To Perception Of Biological Sex In Point-Light Actors, Michael Mintz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

People are able to judge the sex of actors represented in point-light displays. Much of the previous literature has focused on the contribution of motion information to this judgment, or has focused specifically on information gathered from the shoulders and hips. The purpose of the current study is to model how form information, based upon the distance between the dots representing a point-light actor’s key joints, the shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, wrist, and ankle points, contributes to the perception of biological sex. In a pilot study, 6 naïve observers responded to 63 computer generated stimuli that ranged from extremely female …

Perceived Effects Of Family Status Changes On Male Collegiate Outdoor Recreation Coordinators, Andrew K. Martin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A career as a collegiate outdoor recreation professional is both a challenging and rewarding occupation. It is a position that consists of inconsistent hours as well as extended periods away from home. This qualitative study identified how changes in family status affect an individual’s perception of the position as a collegiate outdoor recreation coordinator. More specifically, the perceived benefits or challenges that occur throughout the family status changes, and what effect, if any, these perceptions had on the individual’s work performance, job satisfaction and career longevity.

Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight individuals who were employed …

Identification Of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo By Pre-Service Teachers, Rachel Elizabeth Meisinger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Current research suggests that Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is a distinct attentional disorder from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that is characterized by a hypoactive, sluggish behavior pattern (Barkley, 2014). Further, unlike ADHD, SCT represents a more passive form of inattention that does not overly disrupt classroom learning goals. Thus children with SCT may be ‘falling through the cracks’ in schools. If children with SCT are going unrecognized in the classroom, they are likely not getting referred for treatment and additional educational services. SCT is related to many internalizing, academic, and social difficulties (Becker & Langberg, 2013, 2014) and early identification and …

Spacial Analysis Of Foreclosure And Neighborhood Characteristics In Miami Metropolitan Area, Florida, Adejoh Emmanuel Ogbe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In 2013, the State of Florida had 13 of the top 20 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) with the highest foreclosure rate in the country. Despite the high ranking, extensive research on foreclosure has yet to be carried out within the Miami-Fort LauderdalePompano Beach MSA. This research is a foray into an uncharted territory to understand the relationship between foreclosure and neighborhood characteristics in the Miami metropolitan area (MMA) within Miami-Dade County. The study was conducted in two phases: The first phase was to identify the foreclosure pattern in the MMA from 2010- 2013 by implementing the use of spatial analysis …

Sustainable Microfinancing: Improving Microenterprise's Traditional Measures Of Success, Stephen R. Watson

Graduate Research Papers

Microfinance has over three decades of experience serving the needs of the poor on earth. Unfortunately, academia and the secular world are divided on its effectiveness to lift the impoverished from the bottom of the economic pyramid. India is the focus of this paper, but measures of microfinace success are essentially universal. This paper examines the metrics used to evaluate programs and their benefit to India's poor. Current estimates find 2.8 billion people survive on less than $2 per day. Subsistence living impacts nutrition, shelter, sanitation, transportation and access to healthcare and education. India's caste system creates discrimination and overpopulation …

Influx Of Child Immigrants To The United States: Policy & Practice Implications, Megan Vogt

Graduate Research Papers

Beginning in 2012, an influx of immigrant children from the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arrived in the United States from their home countries searching for safety and security. As the federal government stepped in to help place the children throughout the states, the governor of Iowa made a stance refusing to provide funding to these children leaving non-profits and faith-based organizations to provide the necessary resources. This study examines the options, services, and resources the children have accessed or are capable of accessing after arriving in the United States. Through interviews with agencies, groups, and organizations in …

An Annotated Bibliography Of Materials Recommended For Middle School Classrooms Regarding The Multiple Perspectives On The Causes Of The American Civil War, Emma Folland

Graduate Research Papers

The Civil War is a topic that is taught at the middle school level. However, teachers are not necessarily teaching from both the Northern and Southern perspectives. They are also not always looking at the causes of the Civil War beyond slavery. The purpose of this project was to create a selective annotated bibliography of recommended resources for middle school teachers to use when teaching about the causes of the Civil War from both the Northern and Southern perspectives. The researcher considered what resources were available for teaching middle school students about the different causes of the Civil War from …

Examining Variations In Technology Use For K-12 Students Of Different Gender And Socioeconomic Status, Nikki Lyons

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature currently published on how members of different genders and socioeconomic classes use technology to suit their needs in and out of the classroom learning environment. It will focus on the use of digital technologies by students in elementary, middle, and high schools. This was done by examining 30 research-based, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, published papers, documents, and observational analyses. The research indicates there are clear differences in how members of different subpopulations such as gender and socioeconomic groups choose to use technology to suit their communication, collaboration, instructional, and entertainment …

The Dual Role Of Self-Enhancement : Protection And Stigma, Corina Evelyn Klein

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Despite the availability of effective treatment options for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), these treatments are highly under-utilized. One of the most cited barriers to treatment among people with PTSD symptoms is public stigma. In fact, the majority of the population experiences a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in their lifetime and should contribute to an assumption of a lack of stigma toward people with PTSD symptoms. Yet, it may be that the stigma perceived by people with PTSD symptoms is more nuanced than what is seen in stigma for other disorders. More often than not, people who experience a PTE will …

Injunctive And Descriptive Norms Effect On Physical Activity, Monica Lynn Ehn

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Nearly half of adults in the United States do not meet the recommended guidelines for both aerobic and strengthening activities despite the benefits of regular physical activity (National Center for Health Statistics, 2014; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). The purpose of the current study was to test whether normative feedback (i.e., descriptive and descriptive plus injunctive norms) affects levels of physical activity. Participants wore a Fitbit Zip pedometer to record exercise behavior and received normative feedback messages sent to their mobile phones. Participants were 52 undergraduate students with a mean age of 18.66 (SD = 0.83); 27 …

Caged Manhood : Office Culture And How Walter Camp's Daily Dozen Revitalized The Workforce, 1903-1940, Nick Sly

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is examines how culture became a means to deal with the problems of over-civilization in the early twentieth century. The realities of a salaried position and corporate work spaces had dramatically changed how the middle class felt about work. Looking at the writings of Walter Camp, the human relations movement, and the exercise culture of the period one can see how the office space was not simply a place of work but a new context for constructing masculinity and a sense of worth.

Different Levels Of Negative Emotions And Their Impact On Prosocial Behavior, Tsamchoe Dolma

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this fast and competitive world, people are becoming less likely to help others. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014), the volunteerism rate reached the lowest point in 2013 since 2002. This decrease in prosocial behavior makes the study of prosocial behavior important, especially with the increasing numbers of charitable organizations and their competition to attract more donors and volunteers. Public service advertisements (PSA) are used as a common medium to garner help and support, and many of them use emotional appeals to enhance persuasion. The literature on persuasion shows that emotions have persuasive power to change people's …

The Public Library Experience: Choosing Books To Read From Predetermined Levels And Its Implications, Amy L. Seufert

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the implications resulting from experiences in libraries that parents and children face when they come to the public library with externally identified reading levels that restrict their reading to materials with a particular numerical measure. The volunteer participants included 27 parents and their children who frequent the public library searching for books, particularly leveled books. Participants completed a simple, paper survey which was located at the library desk over a two week period. Based on their in depth answers to survey questions, three parents of first and second grade students were asked …

On Body Dumps : The Rhetorics Of Corporeal Narcoterrorism, Evan Mitchell Schares

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Though the exact number is unknown, estimates indicate the trade and movement of narcotics have resulted in over 60,000 murders of Mexican citizens. As a result of the rising narcoviolence, Felipe Calderón, early in his presidential administration, made the “War on Drugs” a top priority. Despite this effort to curb the violence, in 2010 alone, more than 15,200 lifeless bodies have been left across Mexico, most likely by drug cartels. A nascent phrase, body dumps, has risen in journalistic reports describing this conscious relocation of the ruined corpse to highly visible traffic areas. This thesis explores the rhetorical constructions of …

Perceived Relational Evaluation : Biological, Psychological, And Physical Health Correlates, Emily Christina Banitt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Humans have a fundamental need to belong, and being rejected or devalued elicits strong emotional reactions such as stress and anxiety (Leary, 2001). Low perceived relational evaluation (PRE), as a type of rejection, occurs when one person in a relationship believes his or her significant other does not regard his or her bond with the other person as valuable, close, or important (Leary, 2001). The goal of the research was to examine the interrelations among PRE, cortisol (biological stress), relationship quality, and physical and psychological within dating couples. Undergraduate female students (N = 109) who were involved in dating relationships …

The Transition Of An Oral Communication Course From Traditional Face-To-Face To The Online Format: A Faculty Perspective, Cydney A. Lovell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to examine instructor experiences regarding their transition from the face-to-face teaching format to the online format of a basic oral communication course. Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten instructors who have transitioned their basic oral communication class to online. Participants were recruited using the Basic Communication Course Directors List Serv and NCA’s CRTNET. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and over the phone using a set of twelve semi-structured interview questions. Participants were instructors from both community colleges and universities. This qualitative study explores all aspects of the transition, including levels of instructor training, the importance …

The Influence Of The Single Stereotype On Moral Judgments, Peng Zhang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Stereotypes can powerfully influence people’s moral judgments. For example, stereotypes of atheists lead people to report immoral behavior as more consistent for atheists than Christians (Wright & Nichols, 2014). When targets are labeled as “obese” or “hippie”, perceivers morally judge them more harshly than targets who are not assigned such labels (Masicampo, Barth, & Ambady, 2014). However, limited research has examined how stereotypes of single people can influence perceivers’ moral judgments. Because of various negative stereotypes people hold about single people (Conley & Collins, 2002; DePaulo & Morris, 2005), it was anticipated that people would morally judge a single target …

Losing Robin Williams: An Analysis Of User-Generated Twitter Content Following The Sudden Death Of A Celebrity, Samantha Mallow

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of my thesis is to examine how people use social media, in this case Twitter, to share content that reflects their attitudes toward the loss of a celebrity and the issue of mental illness. To complete my research, I examined how users of Twitter created content expressing their reactions to the sudden passing of comedian and actor Robin Williams on August 11, 2014. Williams’ death raised mental illness issues that he had faced during his life. After analyzing the data I created a short survey with eight tweets that referred to mental illness. The survey was administered to …

Age Variation In Nonverbal Cue Recognition In Computer-Mediated Communication, Nathaniel Beyerink

Honors Program Theses

When interacting with someone in a face-to-face setting you not only communicate with spoken words, but with other sorts of communicative tools, such as tone of voice or facial expressions. However, now interlocutors are frequently communicating through channels, such as email, that restrict their ability to use such tools. Therefore, one may wonder how one retains the same level of communication. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to attempt to attain a better understanding of the ways in which people interpret text-based computer-mediated communication (e.g. texting, instant messaging, and email). More specifically, this study looks at …

Finding Community: The Importance Of Intergroup Dialogue Within Diversity Workshops, Joslyn Nycole Aldape

Honors Program Theses

The number of students with diverse backgrounds has increased across universities and colleges nationwide. In fact, some institutions have hired Chief Diversity Officers. According to Jeffery L. Wilson, close to 150 institutions were a part of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) in 2009 (433). As campuses experience an influx of new demographics, there is an increasing need to discuss diversity issues. The rapidity of this movement has created great conflict on college campuses, such as the hate crime incident that occurred at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in October 2014. Surrounding the application Yik …

Perspectives On Why The Glass Ceiling Still Exists For Women In Advertising And Media And Tools To Help Shatter It, Olivia Hottle Mossman

Honors Program Theses

This ethnographic study provides current insights into the barriers women experience as they seek executive positions in the media and advertising industries—careers largely held by men. Interviews with women who currently or have previously held management roles in media and advertising companies are analyzed and presented. The knowledge gained from these interviews raises awareness of the lack of women’s voices on the media channels that influence a society’s perception of what is socially and culturally acceptable. This research also counteracts an absence of recent research regarding this topic. As the study evolved, it looked more at the relationships between women …

Library Connection, V2n1, Fall 2014, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Library Connection

Contents:

-- Developing UNI ScholarSpace
-- Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime UNI ScholarWorks
-- West Entrance and Book Bistro Cafe
-- RodCon 2015
-- New Curator of the UNI Museums

Rod Library Newsletter: Rod Notes, V7n5, December 2014/January 2015, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Rod Library newsletter: Notes for the Stalled

Contents:

-- Camp Dodge: Home Away From Home
-- Finals Week
-- Beyond Google

Csbs Kudos, December 2014, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Social And Behavioral Sciences.

CSBS Kudos

Contents:

-- 2014 CSBS Fall Faculty Meeting
-- 4th Annual Scholarship Event Held
-- Anniversary Honored
-- LIfelong Learning
-- The Next Phase
-- "Big Cats Initiative"
-- Faculty & Staff Kudos
-- Special Guests
-- Student Kudos
-- Alumni Kudos
-- The Semester in Pictures

Rod Library Newsletter: Rod Notes, V7n4, November 2014, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Rod Library newsletter: Notes for the Stalled

Contents:

-- Around the World...
-- Reed Trio Performance
-- Deception and Visual Illusion
-- Did You Know....?

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V10n3, Fall 2014, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--Member Only Website Log-in

--ICTM-ISTS Math Science Fall Conference

--New IAS Program Coordinator

--New REAP Grant

--New Academy Website

--Iowa Science Foundation

--Recognizing Excellence

--Events and Deadlines

--Excellence in Science Teaching Award

Geography News, V37n2, Fall 2014, Geographic Alliance Of Iowa.

Geography News

Inside This Issue:
--Coordinator's corner
--Changes at National Geographic
--Resources for Elementary Education
--2015 Workshops
--New Resources