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Rod Library Newsletter: Rod Notes, V2n4, January 2010, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

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Mediation As An Effective Method To Transform Relationships And Resolve Conflict, Julie R. Kneip

Graduate Research Papers

Mediation has become a well-respected method of conflict resolution. It is currently utilized in a variety of areas including family situations such as divorce and custody concerns, employer and employee disputes, and individual conflicts. Mediation occurs on a global level as well, including intervention with countries engaged in conflict with one another and countries with governments at odds with their constituents. In the United States, mediation is often seen as a way to lower the burden on the courts by having parties resolve issues with the help of a mediator rather than further clogging the judicial system. While this is …

Cyberbullying : A Literature Review, Natalie Nesbitt

Graduate Research Papers

Technology is becoming more prevalent each day, with that a new form of bullying is happening. The new form is cyberbullying. It is form of bullying that takes place over cell phones, email, websites, and chat rooms. While cyberbullying is a form of bullying, there are differences between cyberbullying and normal bullying. Cyberbullying makes it hard for some students to escape from the bullying, because cyberbullying is through technology, so it allows the bullying to continue outside of the school walls. This literature review is going to give students, teachers, administrators, and parents some helpful tips as to how to …

Psychological Predictors Of Athletic Injury, Sarah Marie Ulrich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

To date, research has yet to explore differences in injury based on Fear of Failure (FOF). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if: (a) athletes of varying fear of failure profiles have different perceptions of stress, (b) athletes of varying types of fear of failure differ in regards to injury onset, frequency and severity, and ( c) fear of failure predicts injury occurrence and severity. A total of 127 male collegiate athletes competing in football, wrestling, basketball, and track and field participated in this study. Participants completed the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PF AI) to assess fear …

Fifth Grade Student Learning And Interest In The American Revolution Through Reading Graphic Novels Compared To Reading Biography Or Other Nonfiction Books, Kari Bosma

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine student recall of facts, along with enjoyment of reading and interest in the topic when using graphic novels as compared to illustrated nonfiction prose in social studies content area reading. Twenty-two fifth grade students (13 f, 9 m) in a public school in a Midwestern state participated in the study. Half of the students read about the Boston Massacre and Patrick Henry through graphic novels and read about Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party with illustrated nonfiction texts, with the other half doing the opposite. The mean number of correct ideas …

Testing The Relationship Between Body Dysmorphic Disorder And Pathological Skin Picking Using A Bidimensional Model Of ‘Fear’ And ‘Anger', Nicole Christine Egan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Body image concerns are pervasive throughout Western culture, but there is a subset of the population who become so preoccupied with specific aspects of their appearance that it leads to clinically significant distress and impairment in their daily lives. This study examined symptoms of two disorders dealing with body concerns: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Pathological Skin Picking (PSP). The primary purpose of this study was to use the bidimensional model of 'fear' and 'anger' (Lara et al., 2006) to test the relationship between BOD & PSP. The model suggests that BDD and PSP are both characterized by high 'anger' …

Consequences Of Work-Family Balance And Comparisons With Work-Family And Family-Work Conflict, Sasha Marie Burnett

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The American work environment is quite different than it was just a few decades ago. Researchers, popular media, and employers alike have wondered how the changing labor environment is affecting employees. Participants in this study (N = 171) were 18 years of age or older, employed full-time and had at least one dependent child living at home. Of interest in this study was how well three measures of the work-family interface were able to predict five work-related consequences that would be of interest to employers. Work-family balance predicted both job satisfaction and intentions to quit, work-family conflict predicted job tension/strain …

Sticks And Stones: Fracture Analysis Of The University Of Iowa-Stanford Collection, Diane Eddie

Honors Program Theses

Bones are an integral part to the human body. They support the entire system, help produce blood, and serve as places for muscles to attach. The condition of bones can say something about the conditions a person lived in. When and how bones warp and fail can also reflect upon the living conditions of a person. Fractures in bones prior to death can show the types of stressors the person had to put up with in life or if there was a particular type of stressor for a certain population. The number of individuals in the University of Iowa-Stanford Collection …

The Experience Of Upward Mobility, Lacey Jae Ritter

Honors Program Theses

Upward mobility is an interesting and highly valued phenomenon within American society. Due to American beliefs that hard work is the only requirement for success, individuals feel that moving up a social class from that of their class of origin is not impossible. Past research, however, shows that upward mobility is extremely difficult and quite unlikely. When individuals do achieve upward mobility, there are many consequences for doing so, including changes in relationships with family and friends. Most individuals receive emotional support from family and friends in their quest for mobility, yet the path to upward mobility is often begun …

Sex And Setting: A Look At Operational And Organizational Stress In Policing, Laura Anne Lundell

Honors Program Theses

Several studies have looked at how the sex of an officer may or may not influence stress levels within the setting of municipal departments but very little research regarding gender and stress can be found for officers on university or college campuses (Burke, Richardsen & Martinussen, 2006; He, Zhao & Archbold, 2002; Lilly, Pole, Best, Metzler & Marmar 2009; Morash, Haarr & Kwak, 2006; Norvell, Hills & Murrin 1993). Similarly, when sex is looked at as it relates to stress, research is lacking in whether men and women officers experience or are affected differently from operational and organizational stress.

For …

Factors Affecting Religious Beliefs At A Public Midwestern University, Dana Catherine Shook

Honors Program Theses

There is general disagreement in the literature on religion regarding its consequences, and whether they are positive or negative. Theorists such as Freud and Marx argue that religion is detrimental to the individual and society, while some, such as Sorokin and Jung, have found beneficial effects of religion (Ferraro & Albercht-Jensen 1991). This thesis also explored my assumption that doubting and/or critically thinking about religion is useful in creating the global citizens the world may benefit from. Global citizens, in my estimation, are individuals who have respect for individual or cultural differences, regardless of nationality, race, gender, religion, or creed. …

Burnout In Scholarship And Non-Scholarship Female College Swimmers, Kelly Mateas

Honors Program Theses

An emerging concern in the world of sports is burnout among amateur athletes. It is a major issue that must be addressed because some of the world’s best athletes are becoming victims to it. Not only is burnout affecting athletics, it is effecting the lives of those individuals who burn out and leave sports all together. Athletics help build a foundation of life skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving that athletes rely on daily. Sports provide a safe environment that can help keep the majority of participants out of trouble. It is important to have a better …

Recession, Unemployment, And Attendance At Major League Baseball Games, Bradley Joseph Shatek

Honors Program Theses

When a country experiences an economic downturn, as the United States has since late 2007, the negative effects are widespread. Workers are laid off, and households and firms spend less due to decreased income. In most industries, revenues and profits decline during recessions, and professional sports franchises may be no different. In a period of high unemployment, one would expect that consumers first cut back on recreation and entertainment. This study was designed to determine the impact of unemployment on one such entertainment activity, Major League Baseball games.

Paternal Religiosity And Parenting Style: Influence On The Quality Of Daughter's Friendships, Abigail Anne Buenneke

Honors Program Theses

Research shows that parenting styles fall into three basic categories: authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive (Baumrind, 1971). Also, a high amount of parental involvement has been found to exert a positive influence on children’s academic performance and personality development (Heaven & Ciarrochi, 2008). This study examines the hypothesis that a daughter who reports that her father figure only allows her to develop highly regulated friendships will have a more negative perception of her father figure than a girl who is given more freedom in developing friendships. Secondly, the study examines the hypothesis that a daughter who reports highly regulated friendships will …

Using Mathematics As A Gateway To Literacy For English Language Learners, Krista Hemphill

Honors Program Theses

One teaching approach that alleviates language barriers involves teachers using what students know and can do to develop students‟ understanding of and ability in another area. Thus, 2 teachers can promote ELLs‟ literacy development by integrating knowledge and skills ELLs have from another subject area into their literacy instruction. Specifically, teachers can integrate mathematics into literacy instruction because research suggests that ELLs often understand and successfully carry out mathematical tasks. For example, Gunning (2003) points out that ELLs tend to perform well on mathematical computations. The universality of mathematical symbols seems to promote ELLs‟ understanding of mathematics instruction although lessons …

Ecological Niche Modeling Of Potential West Nile Virus Vector Mosquito Species In Iowa, Scott R. Larson, John P. Degroote, Lyric C. Bartholomay, Ramanathan Sugumaran

Faculty Work

Ecological niche modeling (ENM) algorithms, Maximum Entropy Species Distribution Modeling (Maxent) and Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction (GARP), were used to develop models in Iowa for three species of mosquito – two significant, extant West Nile virus (WNV) vectors (Culex pipiens L and Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Diptera: Culicidae)), and the nuisance mosquito, Aedes vexans Meigen (Diptera: Culicidae), a potential WNV bridge vector. Occurrence data for the three mosquito species from a state-wide arbovirus surveillance program were used in combination with climatic and landscape layers. Maxent successfully created more appropriate niche models with greater accuracy than GARP. The three Maxent species’ …

Wandering Socially: Technology And The Modern American Hobo Community, Natalie K. Turner

Honors Program Theses

In this research I investigate how our increasingly technological society is changing the lives and culture of hobos. Hobos are traditionally viewed as migratory workers who ride trains to travel to different jobs, and who were in the greatest abundance during the Great Depression. In the 1950s and 60s, impacted by the popularity of Kerouac's novel, On the Road, hobos began to incorporate the beat movement's love of freedom and poetry as a part of their culture. Most recently, hobo ideology can be found in anti-consumer and "simple living" communities. Conducting ethnographic research at the National Hobo Convention in Britt, …

Perspectives Of Fitness And Health In College Men And Women, Jennifer J. Waldron, Rodney B. Dieser

Faculty Publications

Because many college students engage in low levels of physical activity, the current study used a qualitative framework to interview 11 college students to examine the meaning physically active college students assign to the practice of fitness and health. Students discussed the importance of healthy eating, but that it was difficult to accomplish at college. Additionally, students intertwined health and fitness with physical appearance and attractiveness. In particular, the media shaped many of their perceptions of health and fitness. Implications of these findings to policy making in higher education, in particular wellness programming, are highlighted.

Seeking Alternatives To Marijuana Prohibition, Rachel Kiesel

Honors Program Theses

Marijuana legality is a highly controversial social issue. Although our society continues to be bombarded by negative images of drugs and crime in the media, cultural perceptions regarding marijuana have been changing over the past few years. Today, many people are more accepting of marijuana use than ever before. As a result of these shifting attitudes, several states have taken the initiative to pass new legislation on regulating marijuana with reduced restrictions.

An Archaeological Model Of Northern Warren County Prehistory With Survey Data, Whitney Alina Mark

Honors Program Theses

The following paper is an outline of prehistoric cultures within Central Iowa and more specifically northern Warren County. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of the archaeological evidence near Middle River and the creation of a model to explain the location of this evidence. The model was created in order to predict what types of sites are common as well as what topographical locations they are located on. The number and location of known sites, as well as their cultural identification was analyzed in order to determine the probability that cultural remains could be found on the survey …

Purchasing Subscription Reference Databases In The Iowa Elementary Public School Library, Michaela B. Seeman

Honors Program Theses

With so many reference materials available for the elementary public school library, making subscription reference database purchasing decisions can be an overwhelming task. The purpose of this research study was to examine how the 15 participating Iowa teacher librarians made subscription reference database purchasing decisions and the use they observe of various reference materials by students and staff influencing these decisions. To answer these questions, I conducted a survey asking Iowa public elementary school teacher librarians how they decided what to purchase and criteria they used for examining reference materials such as subscription reference databases. The population used for this …

Risk-Taking Propensity And Its Relationship To Achievement Motivation Among Selected Municipal Parks And Recreation Directors In The State Of Iowa, Jiangong (Brad) Tan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to examine the risk-taking propensity and achievement motivation among selected park and recreation directors in the state of Iowa. More specifically, the study is designed to determine the relationships between risk-taking propensity and achievement motivation. In addition, the study seeks to explore the relationships between various demographic variables such as age, gender, education level, city size, agency size, organizational budget, and years of professional experience in the park and recreation field and either risk-taking propensity or achievement motivation.

Atkinson's Theory of Achievement Motivation and McClelland's Need for Achievement were employed to better understand the …

Parental Perceptions Of A Midwest Public Library: An Exploratory Study Of Chinese-Speaking Residents, Lingxin Ruth Yan

Graduate Research Papers

The United States has experienced the rapid growth of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students in public schools since 1990. Issues concerning CLD students such as their limited English proficiency, school failures, parental involvement in their education, appropriate models of bilingual education and study resources provided by libraries have caused increasing concerns from policy makers, school administrators and educators at all school levels. Facing the diversity population reality, both school libraries and public libraries are called to become more culturally responsive in providing effective outreach library services to ensure academic success of all CLD students and meet the needs of …

Parental Influences On Children’S Physical Activity, Molly Eshelman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The general purpose of this study was to investigate the role of parental influence on children's physical activity (PA) behaviors. The specific purposes were to (1) determine the relationship between parental attitudes and their children's PA, (2) determine if parental exercise habits are related to their children's PA participation, (3) determine if parental knowledge of physical activity recommendations is related to their children's PA participation, ( 4) examine the nature of parenting practices on their children's PA participation, and (5) investigate the mediating effect of socio-economic status on the influence parents have on their children's PA participation. Questionnaires were obtained …

Self-Censorship In Iowa Elementary Libraries, Lacey Fliger

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether or not Iowa elementary school children had access to fiction and non-fiction titles containing potentially controversial topics. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Iowa elementary schools with professionally certified school librarians hold a greater number of recommended books from ALA Notable Children's Books list from 2002-2009 in which reviews do not indicate potentially controversial topics as compared with those ALA Notable Children's Books from the same years in which reviews indicate potentially controversial topics. The methodology used for this study was quantitative research. The researcher randomly chose 45 …

Importance Of Reader's Advisory Interview In Graphic Novel Promotion, Lori Petersen

Graduate Research Papers

Web sites, magazine articles, books, and even summer library programs are promoting graphic novels as an almost magic cure for those children who struggle with the written word or who may be simply lack interest in reading. Much of the appeal of the graphic novel for teachers and librarians is based on the pictures, and it is easy to assume this makes reading easier.

This research sought to explore the graphic novel reading experiences for young readers to ascertain (1) the nature of their understanding of the graphic novel; (2) their tendency to draw inference and interpretation from text and …

A Comparative Study Of The Organizational Culture Of Capra Accredited And Non-Accredited Municipal Park And Recreation Agencies, John E. Farland

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the organizational cultures of municipal park and recreation agencies in the United States. Further, the study sought to compare the organizational cultures of municipal park and recreation agencies which have achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) versus those who have not achieved CAPRA accreditation. Organizational culture according to Schein (1985) included characteristics found within a working environment, a pattern of assumptions, both written and assumed, passed on to new members. Authors throughout the literature wrote that all organizations have culture. Accreditation is a …

The Value-Added Tax: Effects On Tax Revenue, U.S. Corporations, And Individual Taxpayers, Joseph Raymond Pudenz

Honors Program Theses

The importance of understanding how a value-added tax would affect the United States is imperative. Many economists have long stated that a value-added tax system would benefit the United States (Hooper & Smith, 1997), and politicians have periodically brought up the value-added tax since the 1960s as a solution to tax revenue needs (Comptroller General of the United States, 1981). Given these facts, it is likely that the value-added tax will continue to be considered as a possible tax system. An adequate level of understanding regarding how a value-added tax is applied and its effects is essential.

Implications Of Physical Attractiveness On Time Allocations From Salesperson To Customer, Emily Anne Prinsen

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if more attractive females—as compared to less attractive females—received better customer service in terms of time it took the salesperson to interact with the customer. The hypothesis was not supported; in fact, just the opposing outcome occurred. Less attractive females were served more promptly than attractive females. The study was performed in a mid-size city in the Midwest.

Improving The Instruction And Learning Of Topographic Maps Through The Use Of Geospatial Technologies, Troy Dean Schwemm

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Geographic information technologies (GIT) are spatially based technologies that include geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and global positioning systems (GPS). Though GIT has been used in society for decades, and has grown tremendously in the last 10 years as advancements in technology have become available, its inclusion into the K-12 curriculum has not kept pace. As the educational reform movement places an ever increasing amount of pressure on schools to produce technologically literate, workforce ready graduates, school districts are scrambling to find creative, innovative ways to accomplish this task. Rather than learning passively, GIT allows students to construct their …