Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Conflicting Identities And Ideologies: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The National Japanese American Memorial To Patriotism During World War Ii, Kaori Yamada

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is a rhetorical criticism of the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, located in Washington, D.C. It was erected on November 9, 2000, to memorialize Japanese Americans who were forced to move to the relocation camps and Japanese American soldiers who died as members of the U.S. armed forces during WWII. Examining the intended meaning of the Memorial by its creators is not a central focus of this study. Rather, I investigate how interactions among the rhetoric of the Memorial, social contexts, and audiences create multiple meanings.

The first analytic focus is the symbolic …

The New Childbirth : An Analysis Of Planned Cesarean Sections, Loren Wilbers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examines the experience of planned cesarean section delivery as told by six mothers who have given birth utilizing this method. The rate of planned cesarean deliveries being performed in the United States has been increasing over the past two decades. The existing literature attributes this phenomenon to mothers' fear of the pain associated with vaginal birth, desires to imitate celebrities and maintain vaginal tone, and the greed of obstetricians who push for cesarean deliveries for both convenience and financial gain. The voices of mothers themselves is lacking in the existing literature. Thus, this study draws upon a qualitative, …

Testing The Selective Chivalry Theory In Iowa : Gender Sentencing Of Rural Property Offenders, Maria Dorothy Herring Koeppel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

During recent decades, sentencing patterns of offenders based on gender have been the topic of criminological and sociological research. There has been particular attention given to the lenient sentencing of female offenders compared to male offenders. Several research studies have found that gender affects the sentencing process in ways that are advantageous to female offenders, such as lower incarceration rates and shorter prison sentences. Despite the existing research on gender and sentencing, there are still several specific areas that need to be studied regarding this topic, such as property crimes and rural areas. The current research adds to the existing …

Language Exclusionary Behavior And Attitudes Toward Immigrants, Christine L. Bennett

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Immigrants often speak languages that natives do not understand, leading to intentional or inadvertent ostracism, which in turn may increase perceptions of threat. For example, English language participants excluded from a conversation in Spanish report more negative reactions than participants excluded in English (Hitlan, Kelly, & Zarate, 2010). Integrated threat theory (ITT) suggests that there are four threats that lead to prejudice toward outgroups such as immigrants: realistic threat, symbolic threat, intergroup anxiety, and negative stereotypes (Stephan, Ybarra, & Bachman, 1999). The current study expanded upon prior research by ostracizing participants in English, Spanish, or Arabic and then measuring participants' …

A Glance Backwards: An Analysis Of Youth Resiliency Through Autoethnographical And Life History Lenses, Toney Bissett Ford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate youth resiliency employing dual methodologies, auto-ethnography and life history research respectively, to reveal how two middle-aged adults (one African-American, the other Caucasian) achieved resiliency; and most importantly, how their experiences and insights might inform ongoing efforts to promote youth resiliency. This research project was a follow-up to a previous study (involving four African American participants – two males and two females) conducted to determine the roles that schools and communities play in promoting youth resiliency.

Offering insights into the usefulness of extended research, Herr and Anderson (2005) captured the essence of my …

A Late-Quaternary Record Of Environmental Variability From Lake Sediment Cores, Wind River Range, Wyoming, Tyler Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Sediment cores from two alpine lakes in Wyoming's Wind River Range were collected and analyzed to establish a record of depositional and mineralogical variability. Due to the hydrologic setting and isolation of Fiddlers and Louis lakes, these cores yielded the longest continuous limnological record in the region that extends back nearly 20,000 years to full-glacial conditions, a rarity for alpine lakes in the western United States.

To develop a paleolimnological record for Fiddlers and Louis lakes, the sediment cores were analyzed using four laboratory techniques. These techniques included particle size analysis, x-ray diffraction, heavy mineral analysis, and loss-on-ignition. Radiocarbon ages …

Leisure: Definitions, Patterns, And Constraints: A Study Of University Students In China, Shisi Zhou

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

China has witnessed tremendous social transformation in the last three decades due to the introduction of the "open door" policy and economic reforms in the late 1970s, which has resulted in great changes in Chinese culture and identity considerations. University students, as one of the most energetic and creative groups of individuals in the society, are playing and will play an important role in leading leisure lifestyles in China in the future. The purpose of this study was to examine the understanding of leisure (xiuxian in Chinese), leisure patterns, and constraints among university students in China.

Undergraduate students (N = …

From The Barrio To A Four-Year University: The Academic Success Stories Of Fifteen Socioeconomic Disadvantaged Latino Male College Students, Erineo Eddy Espinoza

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Review of the prior literature on the topic of academic achievement among U.S. Latino students reveals both problematic performance and systematic disadvantaged obstacles that impede their ability to achieve expected academic accomplishments. Despite such conditions, however, there are Latino students from disadvantaged backgrounds who graduated from high school and enrolled in a four year university. Interpretations of action theory were used as a theoretical framework to interview 15 collegiate Latino males, who grew up in disadvantaged socioeconomic communities (barrios) and enrolled in a four year university. Three findings emerged from their interviews that explained the academic achievements from both these …

Faculty Hiring Committees Perceptions Of Hiring Processes And Subjectivity, Laura Caraleen Foster

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Hiring the most capable applicants has a large impact on the bottom line of an organization. The most effective tools to identify talent are well known to IndustrialOrganizational Psychologists, but these analytical tools are used less frequently than less effective intuitive procedures, such as the traditional unstructured job interview. In a survey of university faculty, we found that the most important factor influencing the use of a selection tool was its perceived validity, but these perceptions were not wellcalibrated to actual criterion related validity. We found some evidence that perceived validity was influenced by implicit beliefs about hiring. A body …

The Effect Of Race On Eyewitness Identification Lineup Processing Strategies: An Analysis Of Eye Movements, Ryan Betts

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Race plays an extremely important role in people's ability to recognize or identify an individual in an eyewitness identification situation. In particular, other-race faces are more poorly recognized than same-race faces. This phenomenon, known as the cross-race effect, compounded by problematic lineup administration, contribute to the hundreds of falsely convicted people who continue to be exonerated through DNA evidence to this day. The current study focused on the role that race plays in an eyewitness's decision making strategy when viewing simultaneous police lineups. Eye tracking methodology was used to analyze eye movements and fixations while viewing lineups that were of …

The Effects Of Owi Victim Impact Courses On Offender Recidivism, Sarah Emily Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examines the effectiveness of victim impact courses, a court mandated intervention program, for 2nd OWI offenders (individuals with a second conviction of operating while intoxicated) in the first, fifth, and sixth districts of Iowa. Victim impact courses are intended to teach offenders about how drinking and driving can come to affect others in various different ways. The course is intended to lower reoffending rates for those who participate. Data was obtained through the ICON database. The ICON database is utilized by the Department of Corrections in Iowa to track information concerning offenders and their offenses. A bivariate analysis, …

Psychometric Comparisons Of The Reasons For Living Inventory For Young Adults And The College Student Reasons For Living Inventory In A College Sample, Ashley A. Heck

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of two self-report measures designed to assess suicide-related behaviors in college-age populations. Screening for suicidality is important to identify and support individuals who may be at risk for suicide-related behaviors (Joe & Bryant, 2007). Both the Reasons for Living Inventory for Young Adults (Osman, 1998) and the College Students Reasons for Living Inventory (Westefeld, Cardin, & Deaton, 1992) were developed to assess the reasons that young adults may have for refraining from self destructive acts. These measures were analyzed in terms of their factor structure and …

Cloning In Young Adult Fiction, Jennifer L. Kehoe

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to discover the issues raised about human cloning in young adult fiction. This study determined the themes found in the young adult fiction selected and if those themes reflected issues about human cloning. The questions asked in the study were: 1. Does young adult fiction confront the complexity of ethical issues about human cloning? 2. Do the plots and characters in young adult fiction about cloning provide substance to provoke reader response to the ethical controversies that surround cloning? A thematic analysis was conducted. The researcher read each book and recorded themes that were …

Functional Behavioral Assessment : School Based Practice And Perception, Clint Henning

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is a process that attempts to uncover specific causes and reinforcement of inappropriate behavior in order to design and implement interventions that more accurately address these behaviors. According to the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, functional assessments are now required in working with students struggling with inappropriate behavior. Despite these requirements there is still ambiguity about how these assessments are carried out in school settings (Gartin and Murdick, 2001). This study consisted of a survey of school psychologists in the state of Iowa to understand how the process looks currently, ten years …

Performance-Based Assessment Of School Psychology Interns : Analysis Of Problem-Solving Skills As Demonstrated In Comprehensive Case Examinations, Kimberly Suzanne Hansen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

School psychologists are integral partners in the facilitation of the problem solving process, especially when the process is embedded within a tiered service delivery system incorporating response to intervention philosophies. Therefore, it is important that new school psychologists entering the field be competent in the skill areas needed to produce positive student outcomes. It is important for school psychology training programs to assess these competencies to improve individual student competencies as well as to improve the training provided by the program in the future. Comprehensive case studies are performance-based assessments that can be utilized to evaluate individuals, as well as …

Body Type And Perceived Physical Competence In College Female Dancers, Brenna Marie Vogel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The relationship between body type and perceived physical competence was determined among college female company dancers. Participants were from one of four technique based dance companies at a midwestern university. They were questioned as to their perceived physical competence in seven different styles of dance, all of which had been offered at the selected university over the previous academic year. Body type was calculated using both the Body Mass Index Scale and the Body Composition Analyzer, which is a bioelectrical impedance analysis of one's body fat percentage, total body water, and body weight. A total of 44 participants took part …

Cultural Tolerance Of Americans In Canada, Benjamin Campbell Barclay

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this research was to develop a cultural tolerance scale, and determine how well it correlates with certain personality dimensions as well as expected stress. The cultural tolerance scale was administered to 104 students from the University of Northern Iowa along with shortened versions of the IPIP and RWA. As expected, the findings showed that cultural tolerance is correlated with openness and agreeableness, but no other personality dimensions. Cultural tolerance is also negatively correlated with R WA and expected stress. Cultural tolerance is a very good predictor of expected stress. This scale could be used as an effective …

Regional Differences In Jurors’ Attitudes And Knowledge, Heather M. Caspers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dynamic social impact theory (DSIT; Latane, 1996) suggests that social influence leads to four phenomena: clustering (regional differences in attitudes), correlation (emergent relationships between attitudes), consolidation (reduction in attitude variance), and continuing diversity (whereby minority opinions persist). These phenomena have been shown in a variety of settings (Harton & Bourgeois, 2004; Harton & Bullock, 2007), but geographic clustering in attitudes about crime have not been examined. These attitudes have the potential to affect a verdict in a trial if a defendant has a change of venue to a different area of the state or the country. Two datasets, the National …

Status Is Fine For The In-Group But Out-Group Members Watch Out: Examining An Optimal Model Of Face Processing Using Eye-Tracking, J. Daniel Mccarthy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Face recognition is an important factor in everyday social interaction. Bruce and Young's (1986) model of face processing has been largely accepted as a model for face processing, however, it fails to account for differential processing based on race. MacLin and MacLin (in press) propose the presence of a cognitive gating mechanism (CGM) that suggests different processing strategies are used for in-group and out-group members. To date, the model has only been examined using novel stimuli. The present research examined the model using famous and nonfamous African-American and Caucasian faces to determine if the CGM adequately explains the recognition of …

Leisure And Aging: A Content Analysis Of Leisure Textbooks And Leisure Academic Journal Articles, Leila Rod-Welch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study will review literature related to leisure and aging. We live in an aging society. People are expected to live healthier and longer. Therefore, there is a need to analyze how older adults are portrayed in leisure textbooks and academic journal articles which are typically used to educate and train recreation professionals. This study explores whether leisure textbooks published in the United States addressed the topic of aging and, if so, to what extent. In addition, any differences between leisure textbooks and specialty leisure and aging textbooks were analyzed. A content analysis of 54 leisure textbooks from six U.S. …

The Unforgettable June 2008 Cedar River Flood, Keri Annis

Graduate Research Papers

Natural disasters such as flooding cause emotional and financial strains. Among those directly affected are children. Communities are forever changed after suffering loses due to flooding. Informational text provides discussion and comprehension for children. An informational booklet about the devastating June 2008 Cedar River flood and the effects it has had on the Cedar Rapids community would benefit third graders in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. Due to the recency of this flood, no informational books about it have been published for children. The purpose of this research project was to create an informational booklet using a non-fiction expository …

School Library Facilities, Meeting The Needs Of Individuals With Disabilities, Nicole Willard

Graduate Research Papers

The problem identified by the research is that schools may not be meeting the needs of all students in typical school library environments. This research used a mixed methods approach to investigate newly constructed or remodeled school library facilities in eastern Iowa to assess accessibility to the library facility for individuals with disabilities.

Ten librarians within one regional center that had newly built or remodeled libraries were asked to participate in the study along with one special education teacher within each building. Out of ten librarians asked to participate in the study, eight agreed to participate along with four special …

Obscenity And Pornography: A Historical Look At The American Library Association, The Commission On Obscenity And Pornography, And The Supreme Court, Gretchen Brooke Gould

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There was a time when accessing pornographic and obscene materials was much more difficult than it is today. Prosecuted in 1868, Regina v. Hicklin was the first known obscenity case tried under the Obscene Publications Act in Great Britain. The United States Supreme Court first addressed obscenity in the 1957 case of Roth v. United States and grappled with setting standards or creating criteria by which obscenity could be defined. In the 1960s, multiple proposals for federal legislation to crack down on obscenity were offered. The American Library Association (ALA) stepped in to voice its concern and provide professional input …

Helping Adolescents Forgive: The Use Of Forgiveness Education At An Inpatient Mental Health Facility, Tiffany R. Everding

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Understanding the concept of forgiveness has demonstrated to be a complex process (Walker & Gorsuch, 2004; McCullough & vanOyen Witvliet, 2002). Enright and the Human Development Study Group (1991) developed a process model of forgiveness as a way for people to constructively deal with their anger and improve overall psychological well-being after experiencing a deep hurt. Due to the reported benefits illustrated by forgiveness intervention studies, future research is needed to examine the effectiveness of forgiveness education with adolescents in a clinical setting. The current study implemented a forgiveness education intervention with adolescents at local inpatient mental health facility examining …

Home Movies, Taylor Scott

Honors Program Theses

As an electronic media major I wanted to create a thesis that exemplified all of the video editing and creative skills and also the media theories I have learned at the University of Northern Iowa. To me, one of the most interesting topics in the electronic media field is the strong influence amateurs have on mass media, starting at the advent of the radio and through today on the internet. This is what inspired me to create Home Movies. I wanted to combine my interest in amateurism with the skills and knowledge I have learned as an electronic media student. …

The Perception And Production Of Spanish Pure Vowels By Native English Speakers, Lauren Erickson

Honors Program Theses

Quantitatively measuring a person’s fluency in a second language (L2) is difficult, but analysis of formant movements during vowel production may provide a more accurate way of measuring the accuracy of acquiring a native-like production of the L2. This study examined the accuracy with which two groups of native English speakers perceived and produced the Spanish vowel /e/ and diphthong /ei/, and compared their results with the results from a group of native Spanish speakers. For the perception portion of the study, participants were asked to correctly identify matching sounds, and the number and percentage of correct responses were compared …

A Study Of Japanese Women Today: Changing Gender Roles And Attitudes Toward Marriage, Shiho Hosokawa

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Japanese women and men are getting married later in life than before and the number of Japanese choosing to live a single person's lifestyle has increased since the 1980's. In the 1970's, the number of women working outside the home was lower than now and most of those who did work, did so only to supplement their husband's income. Today, many Japanese women obtain college degrees and have a paid job, the same as men do. Yet, based on my personal experience and those of others I know, Japanese women often remain the primary caretakers in the home. They are …

Designing A Library Program To Increase The Number Of Fourth Grade Reading Goals, Jodonna Carlson

Graduate Research Papers

The problem identified by this research was at School C, 37% of the fourth grade students were not meeting their reading goal. The library at School C may not have been designed to meet the needs of these students. Action research using both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data was used in this study. Parental permission was given for four fourth grade students to participate in this study. Two fourth grade teachers also agreed to participate in this study. Field notes were used to gather data during observations of book checkout for each class. Open-ended questions were asked each …

Educating A School Community Implementing A One-To-One Laptop Learning Initiative, Shannon Mcclintock Miller

Graduate Research Papers

As a major technological change is implemented into a school community, such as a one-to-one laptop learning initiative, it is essential to educate everyone involved in order for it to be successful. In this research project, the Van Meter 1:1 Laptop Learning Initiative Google Site was developed to provide the resources and continued support needed for the change. The digital tools created to be used through the Google site brought knowledge, collaboration, creativity, and connections to the students, teachers, parents, and community at Van Meter. The tools also served as a way for Van Meter to connect to the world …

Sheldon Community History Traveling Trunk Project, Jan M. Kinderknecht

Graduate Research Papers

National, state, and local standards guide education in what is taught in the classrooms today. A lack of resources is often a problem in teaching these standards, especially at the local level. The Sheldon third grade teachers needed resources to fulfill the teaching expectations about their local community. The purpose of this project was to develop a traveling trunk filled with primary and secondary resources to be used in the teaching of a social studies unit on the community of Sheldon. Deciding what people, places, and events to include in these resources is often a concern. Another concern was what …