Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Harry Potter: A Comparison Of The Characters, Themes, Setting And Plot With The Arthurian Legend, Diane L. Engbretson

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to attempt to predict if Harry Potter is a re-creation of King Arthur and if the ending of the Potter stories will mirror that of King Arthur. This research focused on one series of King Arthur books written by Howard Pyle and the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. A content analysis chart was created and implemented to compare the two series of books. A content analysis chart was completed, first of the King Arthur series and then of the Harry Potter series. This archetypal chart was used to map the characters, themes, …

What Is The Meaning Of This!?: A Case Study Of A Small, Public School In Iowa And Its Acceptable Use Policy Interpretation, Patricia L. Miles

Graduate Research Papers

This study examined why parents and students may have signed acceptable use policies without completely understanding the meaning or consequences of what that document implied. This study examined the acceptable use policy and its background, use and interpretation from the Iowa Valley School District in Marengo, Iowa.

A case study methodology was used to answer interview questions and collect data from the school district. Over a period of approximately two months, the researcher interviewed: students from various grade levels, teachers from various grade levels, technology coordinators, administrators, various board members, and various parents. The interviews were administered one at a …

An Investigation Of The General Population's Understanding Of Forgiveness, Wen-Chuan Rita Chang

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the general population's understanding and views of forgiveness and to examine if gender was a factor related to one's understanding of forgiveness and motivation to forgive. In this study, structured interviews were administered which allowed a focus on the personal views and experiences of forgiveness and descriptive statistics were used to explain the common patterns in responses among the participants. Forty-nine participants, ranging in ages from 15 to 54, were selected to be interviewed on their views and practice of forgiveness. Of the 49 participants, 15 were males and 34 were females.

Self-Injury: An Analysis Of The Behavior, Causes, And Effective Treatments, Lindsey Huyser

Honors Program Theses

Society has also become obsessed with the quest for a perfect body (Lader & Conterio, 1998). Often, this causes great damage for the self-esteem of women because they are pressured to live up to these high expectations. Self-injury is a way to make women feel better. There has been a rise in women working outside of the home as well, making latchkey children a normal occurrence. Children are often home by themselves when they return from school in today's world, which leaves them with nobody to talk to when problems arise. Self-injury can become a way to heal these issues.

Cooperative And Competitive Games: An Examination Of The Effects Of Goal Structures On Social Development, Courtney J. Darby

Honors Program Theses

It is the purpose of this review to examine the results concerning social development in the context of cooperative and competitive games. First, research supporting the use of cooperative games will be discussed, including studies that have findings relating to aggression, and then research supporting the use of competitive games will be discussed. A personal position statement on the value of cooperative and competitive games for social development will be presented as well.

The Effects Of Divorce On Children And Interventions For All Members Of The Family Unit, Laurie Arieux

Honors Program Theses

ln 1989 more than 1 million children, on average, were affected by divorce in the United States and this number has risen to over 40% of the population under 18 in recent years (Amato & Keith, 1991 a). The assumption is that this number will continue to grow. When one considers that there are also parents who suffer from these stresses the number grows substantially into something worthy of much consideration. With so many people being affected by this growing trend the desire to understand the differences it has on families is growing. Divorce changes children in many ways including …

The Factors Preventing The Successful Implementation Of A Middle Level Advisory Program At One Middle School, Gina Grasso Leonard

Graduate Research Papers

This study investigated the feelings and conceptualizations about Advisory Programs of the teachers at one middle school in Southeast Iowa. Interviews were conducted to uncover the teachers' thoughts and perceptions on Advisory Programs at their middle school. The collected data was then evaluated and recommendations were made.

Shhhhh! The Negative Effect Of Librarian Stereotypes On Junior High Students, Kerry Lust

Graduate Research Papers

Librarians are often portrayed negatively in media. The stereotypical spinster librarian with her hair in a bun and glasses on a chain around her neck has often been portrayed in books, television, and movies. Junior high students are great consumers of all types of media and have often been exposed to this stereotype. This study investigated four questions. What are the characteristics of the librarian stereotype? What are characteristics of junior high students that make them especially easy targets for media influence? Is there a set of characteristics which junior high students attribute to librarians? Can we say that media …

A Content Analysis Of Public Elementary School Library Media Program Websites In The State Of Wisconsin, Faye I. Reinhart

Honors Program Theses

An article written by Blumbach in 2005 suggested the 28 criteria are "essential elements for any school library media web site." The criteria are named closely similarly to the categories in the current study. Overall, the pattern in Wisconsin is that libraries are not living up the criteria suggested in the field of research for quality website presence. Due to the evidence that a school library media program is strongly influenced by its Internet presence, the purpose of this research was to perform a content analysis of selected public elementary school library media center websites in the state of Wisconsin. …

Trends In Family-Centered Early Intervention, Jody Lee Albertson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Family-centered early intervention services have been evolving for quite some time, and the role of the family in intervention for children with disabilities has changed drastically. Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated the family-centeredness of early intervention services, which is evident in the services and supports a family receives, the Individualized Family Services Plan document, and service coordination activities. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) then conducts compliance monitoring to gauge whether states are in compliance with IDEA. State monitoring reports are available to the public online.

The purpose of this study was to …

Turkey's Entrance Into The European Union: Global Implications, Melanie Miller

Honors Program Theses

The European Union has helped to unify twenty-five European countries. It continues to have a plan of enlargement that allows countries to apply to be candidates for accession. One of the countries wishing to enter the European Union is Turkey. Located in what is considered the Middle East, Turkey is partially on the continent of Europe and partially in Asia. If Turkey becomes a member it would be the first to be located in Asia, the first Muslim state, and one of the most populous of the entire member states (second only to Germany).

There are many people and many …

Should Corporate Farming Be Limited In The United States?: An Economic Perspective, Nathan Alan Wittmaack

Honors Program Theses

In 1920 there were approximately 6.5 million farms in the United States. 30.1 percent of United States population lived on farms. In 1992 those numbers were down to 2 million farms and less than 2 percent of the population living on farms [Allen and Lueck, 1998, 344].

The farming industry of today bears little resemblance to that of yesterday. Corporate farming has challenged the age-old structure of farming. Proponents of corporate farming say that it is more efficient than family farming and leads to more affordable food supplies. Opponents say the difference in efficiency does not justify the damage done …

The Earned Income Tax Credit, Taxes, And Food Stamps: Their Effects On Minimum Wage Workers By State, Aaron William Popp

Honors Program Theses

The federal government spends billions of dollars annually on programs to lift low income workers out of poverty, but the money is not necessarily efficiently spent. If the benefits provided by the government provide a work incentive, then to increase the income of a worker by $1 requires more than $1 in government funds. Some programs, however, do provide an incentive for people to work. Given the complexity of the federal bureaucracy, few people have tried to compute the income that minimum wage workers would expect to earn given a set of government benefits that they receive and a number …

Perception Of Youth Participation Of Human Service Collaboration Among Youth Workers In Hong Kong, Yuet-Mui Kong

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Human Service organizations face various challenges to providing services for their clients. Several studies pointed out the benefits of inter-organizational collaboration and youth participation. Both concepts share some common beliefs and values. They may have a role in contributing to solutions and improvements. The purpose of this study was to examine if and how youth service organizations in Hong Kong involve young people in inter-organizational collaboration. The study was designed to answer: (a) What are the characteristics of inter-organizational collaborations? (b) Is youth participation being included in inter-organizational collaboration? ( c) In what stage do young people participate in the …

The Authority Of Traditional Islamic Leaders: A Sociological Study Of Kyai's Authority In Pesantren, Achmad Zainal Arifin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The 9/11 tragedy, followed by the War on Terror policy have brought serious impacts on a study of Islam, especially regarding the issue of terrorism. An absolute authority of traditional Islamic leaders is often blamed as a source of religious violence. Their charismatic leaderships are considered having threats for the rest of the world. Imbalanced information provided by the Western media about Islam neglected a peaceful side of lslamic teachings. Through sociological perspective, especially the concept of authority from Weber, this thesis provides an alternative description of the authority of traditional Islamic leader in Indonesia, so-called kyai, the owner …

Gender And Policing : An Analysis Of Police Departments As Gendered Organizations, Kimberly L. Seavey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Drawing upon eighteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews with women officers from three municipal police departments, I examine the work lives these women experience and how their work lives are influenced by gender. I explore three categories in this analysis: (1) work environment; (2) social relations of work; and (3) occupational identity and role conflict. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews, participant observation, and archival data consisting of documents gathered from all three police departments. The study is guided by Joan Acker' s (1990, 1992a, 1992b) "theory of gendered organizations." I apply Acker's (1990, 1992a, 1992b) theory to determine if the …

The Relationship Between Sexual Behavior And Relational Aggression In College Students, Hiliary Baethke

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Although the study of relational aggression has been the subject of more research since Crick and Grotpeter (1995) first defined the term, the impact of this form of aggression on college students is still an area that requires more study. Relational aggression is defined as "harming others through purposeful manipulation and damage of their peer relationships" (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). Current research on relational aggression has established that women are more likely to engage in relational aggression then men (Crick, Bigbee, & Howes, 1996). While research has typically focused on the impact of relational aggression on friendship groups, the impact …

School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports : An Evaluation Of An Elementary School Program, Lisa Andreasen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The outcomes of a school-wide positive behavior support program at a rural elementary school were evaluated to determine the effects of a school-wide program on the behavior of students. A program evaluation was conducted using student office referrals that were collected over a six year period. The results indicated that student office referrals significantly decreased from Year 1 to Year 6 and that specific behaviors of aggression and inappropriate language also decreased significantly from Year 1 to Year 6. Data were investigated to indicate trends in total office referrals by gender, grade, month, location, and problem behavior.

Differences In Enjoyment, Motivation, And Perceived Athletic Competence Between Sport And Fitness Physical Activity Participants, Andy Briggs

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to determine if differences existed in level of exercise enjoyment, motivation, and perceived athletic competence between college students that exercise using sport activities and college students that exercise using fitness activities. Data were collected from 188 college students from a midsize comprehensive university in the Midwest. The questionnaire was designed to tap enjoyment, motivation, perceived athletic competence, and amount of physical activity. The participants were divided into four groups according to their exercise habits: high sport/high fitness, high sport/low fitness, low sport/high fitness, and low sport/low fitness. A MANOV A test compared the four …

Stages Of Change, Process Of Change, Self-Efficacy, Decisional Balance, And Behavior Intention For Exercise Behavior By Young Adults, Danielle Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to assess stage transitions, processes of change, self-efficacy, decisional balance, and behavioral intention measures of exercise among college students enrolled in a conceptual-based university wellness class. A sub-problem of the study was to utilize the Transtheoretical Model as a basis for comparing two approaches of sequencing course content. Results are based on responses to a questionnaire completed by 164 students enrolled in the Personal Wellness course ( 440:010 sections 02 and 06) and the Human Identity and Relationships course (310:053 sections 02 and 05) during the Spring 2002 semester. The 46-item, self-report questionnaire was …

Providing Appropriate Social Interventions For Preschool-Age Children With Mild Autism Spectrum Disorders, Angela M. Riesberg

Graduate Research Papers

This paper provides a variety of appropriate social interventions to use with preschool-age children with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Regardless of his or her diagnostic label, each individual child requires an individualized approach to treatment. Typically, multiple interventions are necessary for a successful program.

The questions this project will address include: (a) What are some possible social interventions to use with preschool-age children who have mild autism spectrum disorders, (b) what research supports current successful social interventions, ( c) which social interventions could provide the most benefits and success, and (d) how can inclusion and interacting with typically developing …

Links Between Late Adolescents’ Tendency For Mild To Moderate Violence And School Shooters, Elizabeth Ruth Strey Christenson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Violent crimes committed by youth in their school environments have been a focus of concern in recent years. Since the tragedy at Columbine High School and the subsequent copycat efforts many questions have been raised by the public regarding how and why these school shootings occurred. In response to these questions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation produced a report listing 46 characteristics from four main categories (Personality Traits and Behavior, Family Dynamics, School Dynamics, and Social Dynamics) that they determined to be common characteristics of school shooters. However, since school shootings occur so rarely there is no completely accurate way …

Coping Strategies And Personality In Schizophrenia: Can These Two Factors Influence Relapse Rates And Quality Of Life?, Amanda Collins

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Many schizophrenia patients never fully recover from their illness, despite being relatively stable. Therefore, research is beginning to go beyond symptom treatment and focus on patients' quality of life. Coping strategies and personality are two factors that may influence quality of life. This study investigated the effects of specific coping strategies and personality on the outcome of schizophrenia as measured by psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, and relapse rates. Results showed that symptomatology was associated with coping strategies that entailed creating a plan of action, while relapse rates were negatively associated with coping strategies that entailed mental and behavioral distraction. …

Relationship Between Playing Ability And Selected Performance And Physical Measures In High School Football Players, Timothy Scott Birkey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

The Availability Of Young Adult Fiction Containing Overt Gay And Lesbian Characters In Secondary Schools In Northeast Iowa Area Education Agency 1, Misty Dawn Gray

Graduate Research Papers

This study ascertained whether or not young adults had access to fiction titles containing gay and / or lesbian characters in school libraries in one geographic area within Iowa. The purpose of this study was to determine the availability of fiction titles containing overt gay and lesbian characters in secondary public schools in Area Education Agency 1 in Northeast Iowa. The methodology used for this study was quantitative content analysis. The researcher visited 45 secondary public schools in the 24 school districts in AEA 1 in Northeast Iowa in order to gain access to school library catalogs and determine which …

Gender Socialization Through Children’S Literature: Body And Beauty Image, Meera Basnet

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This exploratory study centers on a small number of children's books to examine how female characters are portrayed, and to consider the question, "Do gendered images of female characters exist visually in children's literature? I selected 5 books from the time periods of 1980 to 1989 and from 2000 to 2005. These books were written by U.S. authors and are directed at children aged 5-8 years. Findings are tentative, based upon the limited number of books included in the study, but patterns indicate that children's literature portrays gender somewhat stereotypically. I include body structure, dress, beauty and decoration, and movement …

Bible Beater/Bra Burner: Liminal Experiences Of Christian & Feminist Identity, Jennifer Lynn Freitag

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Bible Beater/Bra Burner: Liminal Experiences of Christian & Feminist identity explores the relationship between Christian and feminist identity. Through ethnography and ethnodrama, this project examines the ways fifteen women in eastern Iowa negotiate the relationship between Christianity and feminism in their daily lives, the ways language functions for and against these performances of self, and the ways staged performance can be used to approach these specific issues of women's identity. The ethnodrama written from interview and autoethnographic data, Bible Beater/Bra Burner, was performed in the University of Northern Iowa Interpreters Theatre on April 20-22, 2006. Bible Beater/Bra Burner employs creative …

The University Of Northern Iowa Honors Program And You, Eric Jacobs

Honors Program Theses

My project entitled, The University Northern Iowa Honors Program and You, was meant to be a promotional video for the honors program here at UNI. The purpose behind my project was twofold.

The first reason why I choose to make this my final thesis project was that I wanted to learn how to use the Avid Express editing system. The Avid is a widely used program throughout the video production industry and I thought that this presented me the perfect opportunity to get some real hands on experience using a system that is so widely used by professionals in the …

The Effects Of Hallucination Simulations On Neurocognition: An Investigation Of Auditory Hallucinations Using The Irrelevant Speech Paradigm, Suzanne Adele Horsager

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research has made it clear that severe psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, are often associated with deficits in neurocognition. Unfortunately, because of the complicated makeup of most psychiatric disorders, it is challenging to distinguish the nature of the neurocognitive deficits. Recent research has begun to look more specifically at the symptoms of these disorders ( e.g., auditory hallucinations) to examine the specific effects the symptoms have on patients. This research has suggested a link between auditory hallucinations and deficits in attentional inhibition as well as working memory abilities. However, current research has not considered whether the impairments associated with these …

Mom's The Word: The Portrayal Of The Single Mother/Son Relationship In Children's Literature, Sheryl Renee Haveman

Graduate Research Papers

Our culture is abounding with boys being raised solely by their mother. Awareness of the impact of divorce and the importance of a male role model for a young boy has increased and is represented in literature. Authors of children's literature have been continuing the tradition of dealing openly and honestly with many society issues. Despite the large number of books that include single mothers and their sons, the researcher questioned whether or not children's picture and chapter books were accurately portraying the dynamics involved with the single mother/son relationship.

The purpose of this study was to examine children's literature …