Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“Open Endings”: A Proposed Theatre-In-Education Program Exploring Adolescent Suicide, Joan Elizabeth Disburg

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

"'Open Endings': A Proposed Theatre-in-Education Program Exploring Adolescent Suicide" is a descriptive study the purpose of which is to establish the theoretical basis for and the process of the development of a Theatre-in-Education program exploring the complex social issue of adolescent suicide. Chapter One introduces the study and presents a review of related literature in the two areas: adolescent suicide and Theatre-in-Education. Chapter Two establishes the theoretical base for the use of the specific dramatic form, Theatre-in-Education, for the exploration of the complex social, adolescent suicide. Four major theorists have been selected for this theoretical treatment: Richard Courtney, Robert J. …

Picture Books And The Literary Connection: A Bibliography, Susan Hall

Graduate Research Papers

Both elementary and secondary aged school students are required to recognize and understand various common literary devices that are employed in the fictional literature they read. In order to facilitate this learning process, using appropriate trade picture storybooks combined with traditional textbook literature may better serve to enhance student comprehension of literary devices. An examination of the past five (1980-1985) years of picture storybook reviews from The Horn Book Magazine has revealed that the picture book genre does exhibit a broad spectrum of common literary devices such as satire, analogy, flashback, and metaphor. During a single class session carefully selected …

When And Where Students Engage In Recreational Reading, Harriet Wooge Adams

Graduate Research Papers

Students in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades of Eagle Grove Community Schools in Eagle Grove, Iowa, responded to a questionnaire seeking to ascertain where the students were and what time it was when they engaged in recreational reading. Responses were categorized by the researcher and analyzed by grade level and sex. Location categories, from the highest percentage of responses to the lowest inlcuded: "bedroom", "school", "living room", "kitchen", "other home", "outdoors", transportation", "library", "bathroom", "other buildings", and "don't read". Time period categories, from the highest percentage of responses to the lowest included: "evening", "school", "afternoon", "morning", "vacations", "qualified time periods", …

Gifts To School Library Media Centers In Iowa, Sharon Stiles

Graduate Research Papers

This study examines the donation and solicitation of gifts to school library media centers in Iowa. A questionnaire was used to collect data concerning numbers and types of donations, their sources, their disposal, reasons for their exclusion from collections, their perceived benefits, and whether a statement concerning gifts was included in the selection policy of the school library media center.

Numbers of donations were found to be small. Fewer than five gifts per year were received by 66.l percent of the respondents. Gifts were usually materials donated by those closest to the daily operation of the school, particularly students, staff, …

Major Themes In Economics, V.2, 1986, Katsuyuki Ohbayashi, Eric Nielsen, Katherine Calhoun, Neal Jon Hoffman

Major Themes in Economics (Original Series, 1985-1986)

Table of Contents:

• Investing in the Hotel Business in China - Katsuyuki Ohbayashi ... p.1
• Diagnostic Related Groups: Dirty Rotten Guys or Dynamic Reduction in Government Expenditures - Eric Nielsen ... p.10
• Where's the Beef in Japan? Or, Why Isn't Japan Importing More U.S. Beef? - Katherine Calhoun ... p.23
• Book Review: The Theory of the Leisure Class, by Thorstein Veblen - Neal Jon Hoffman ... p.38

We Will Survive: An Ethnography Of The Grateful Dead Following, Ray Eldridge

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Experiencing continual re-creation during each of the twenty-one years preceding 1986, this study's core may continue to unfold indefinitely. Although discovered to encapsulate elements grounded elsewhere, this culture centers upon an experimental musical group known as the Grateful Dead. First encountering the Grateful Dead in the summer of 1981, their ageless repertoire failed to capture me, but an unusual audience filled my senses. Flowing print skirts and other bright but tired attire suggested San Francisco of a time then fifteen years past. Subdued excitement replaced the alcohol inhibition of many rock shows. As the band finally appeared, a peacefully elated …

Communication-Related Variables And Job Satisfaction In Fast-Food Restaurants, Craig Lee Borchard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the relationship of communication-related variables to employee job satisfaction. Specifically, employee communication satisfaction with supervisor, employee participation in decision-making, participation versus desired participation level, and job satisfaction with supervisor, co-workers, promotions, pay, and work were studied. The subjects for the study were lower level employees (cooks, shift supervisors, cashiers/hospitality, and dishwashers/table bussers) in fast-food restaurants in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. It was hypothesized that the communication with supervisor and decision participation variables would significantly predict employee job satisfaction variables. It is also hypothesized that communication satisfaction with supervisor variables would be more powerful predictors of job satisfaction …

Bulimia: A Preliminary Analysis Of Moods, Self-Efficacy, And Binge-Eating, Kristen Jean Henke

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous research has yielded numerous diagnostic techniques for bulimia. The presence of binge-eating is necessary for the diagnosis of bulimia. There is little research that has studied the amounts and types of foods that constitute a binge-eating episode. In addition, depression and anxiety have been found in subjects with bulimia, and low self-efficacy has been noted in subjects trying to change smoking or eating habits. Also, previous research has not studied completely the above mentioned factors in bulimic sub-groups and normal control groups. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the bulimic, borderline bulimic and normal control subjects on …

Use, Training, And Duties Of Student Assistants In Iowa Public School Library Media Centers, Bonnie Bannister

Graduate Research Papers

Practical experience has shown this writer that without good student assistants, a school library media center may not function properly. While in charge of a media center in which there were no other professionals, the author learned first hand that one person cannot do everything. The only labor force available was student assistants. At times, little would have been accomplished had they not been available.

Perception Of Stress Among Iowa School Media Specialists, Pam Dohrn

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction and perceptions of job related stress. The study sought to examine the roles of variables such as years of experience, school size, grade levels served by the media specialist, sex of the media specialist, full- or part-time employment status as a media specialist in the perception of stress. The study also examined changes in stress perceptions of school media specialists between 1980 and 1985.

A Content Analysis Of Books Depicting Adopted Teenagers In Adolescent Novels Published Between 1965-1981, Myrna Griffith

Graduate Research Papers

Since .adolescents can find answers to their questions by reading fiction, fiction that portrays teenagers like themselves, adolescent books on the subject of adoption may serve as a source of current information on adoption and society's attitudes of searching. This researcher proposed that an annotated bibliography be developed in this study. The technique of content analysis was used and young adult fiction titles were selected which might enable the young adult readers to determine if they can find answers to some of their questions about their birth parents and whether to search for them.

An Annotated Bibliography Of Art Literature For Grades Four Through Eight, Shelly A. Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

The visual arts, a discipline, with a history and knowledge base is a required component of the elementary and middle school curriculum. In order to learn the language of visual symbols resources are needed. The assumption that books which deal with various topics spanning the spectrum of art will provide a link between visual and verbal information and provide, in part, necessary assistance to students in their study of art is the premise on which this research paper is based.

As a result of research into available art related books at three school libraries, one public library and one university …

A Philosophical Taxonomy Of The Major Correctional Perspectives: Toward A New Approach In Criminal Justice, Steven Jay Cuvelier

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Since the repudiation of the rehabilitation ideal in the mid 1970s a considerable body of literature has developed in which the social purpose and goal of American corrections are debated. While much attention has been given to the policy issues surrounding the various correctional approaches, the author notes that little attention has been paid to the philosophical foundations upon which these perspectives are based. Chapter 1 traces the development of correctional ideology from its beginning to the present crises. An overview of the current problems faced by corrections is given, focusing upon the lack of conceptual clarity in the criminal …

Status, Self, And Peers: An Ethnography Of Junior High School, Susan Martha Nesheim Allbee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This report begins with a brief discussion of the overall purpose of social science: to be of service to humankind. To examine and report one's findings is no longer the whole of the responsibility of social scientific research. One must also examine the purpose and objectives of that research. In view of those statements, the objective of this project--the gathering and analysis of information on the culture of junior high school students-- is to gain a better understanding of early adolescence and thereby offer opportunities for insights not only into their culture but to add to the body of knowledge …

The Effect Of Juror Rule Structures On Juror Verdicts, Peter Charles Facciola

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Juror rule structures were hypothesized to influence juror verdict characteristics in four ways: (a) Juror rule structures significantly affect juror verdicts; (b) Jurors who use evaluative rule structures perceive themselves to be more influential during the deliberations than jurors who use adaptive rules; (c) Jurors who use evaluative rule structures are more confident that they have reached the best possible verdict than jurors who use adaptive rules; (d) The ballots of jurors who use evaluative rules will be less salient than the ballots of jurors who use adaptive rules. Naturalistic self-report techniques were used to test the hypotheses. Sixty jurors …

The Modern Hero: Three Plays For Young People, George D. Cowan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Heroes existed in the past, but heroes today are obsolescent, if not obsolete. The problem for us today, then, is to find or create heroes. I contend that we can still identify heroes in our lives. They can be found in our families, in our friends, and in ourselves, if we only look for them. This thesis examines and defines heroes. It shows why heroes disappeared. It shows the need for and illustrates three views of the hero through three plays for young people, and it suggests how modern-day heroes are possible. Heroes are defined by actions. Heroes are also …

Effects Of Deprivation And Smoking On Smokers’ Performance And Mood During The Operation Of A Complex Computer Simulation, Gregory Howarth Cutler

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Past research has shown that smoking attenuates stress and reduces emotional behavior in smokers. Smoking also generally leads to the facilitation of performance on a variety of tasks. Deprivation of smoking has consistently produced performance and mood decrements. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the effects of three hours of deprivation and smoking on performance and mood in smokers while operating a complex computer simulation. The following hypotheses were constructed: (a) Nondeprived smokers who smoke nicotine cigarettes will show superior subjective and objective performance, will rate the stimulation as less difficult and stressful, and will possess higher self-efficacy …

Cognitive Correlates And Predictors Of Verbal Aggression And Anger In The College Population, Douglas Allen Davidson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present investigation involved a multidimensional approach to the assessment of anger and aggression. Past research had neglected to use multiple assessment approaches to assess the degree of anger and aggression experience. The present study evaluated cognitive, behavioral, and physiological measures of anger and aggression. This study examined the subjects' thought processes, as well as their actual verbal behavior in role-play situations. The purpose of the present study was to find out what variables were the best predictors of verbal aggression and anger. Based on past research the following hypotheses were proposed: (a) subjects rated high on anger and aggression …

The Effects Of Prenatal Versus Postnatal Maternal Environment On Saline Intake By Crossbred Rats, Mary Elizabeth Deyo

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous research has demonstrated strain differences in sodium intake as well as strain-dependent effects of early experience on the sodium intake of rats. The present study investigated the roles of prenatal and postnatal maternal environment in determining the sodium intake patterns of hybrid offspring resulting from the reciprocal crossing of two inbred rat strains known to differ in sodium consumption: TS3 (high intake) and I (low intake). Offspring of identical genetic makeup were first subjected to differing prenatal maternal environments (TS3 or I). At birth the crossbred pups were either cross-fostered to a host dam of the opposite strain or …

Perception Of English/Spanish Vot By Monolingual English Speakers: A Dichotic Study, Cynthia Flesher Barrios

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dichotic listening tasks have been used extensively to establish the left cerebral hemisphere as dominant for linguistic processing. Dichotic stress has also been used to investigate lateralization patterns for individuals who speak more than one language and if those patterns differ from those found in monolingual speakers. Most investigations of this nature, with both monolingual and bilingual subjects, have found a right ear advantage (REA) for linguistic processing. Voice onset time (VOT) is the acoustic parameter primarily responsible for the categorical discrimination of stop consonants in a number of different languages, including English and Spansih [sic]. It has been found …

Normalization: A Method For Structured File Design, Jerry V. Caswell

Library Faculty/Staff Publications

Library automation requires an extraordinary investment of time and money in the development and maintenance of databases. Irrespective of whether a library sets up a stand-alone system such as circulation, a group of more or less related subsystems, or a totally integrated system, it can be certain of one thing: over time needs will change, new applications will have to be developed, and modifications will have to be made to the file structure of the databases. Of principal concern to the designers of a library's databases should be finding a design structure that will allow modifications to be made with …

Use Of Recommended Selection Aids, Procedures And Budget Priorities For Library Media, Johanna Anderson

Graduate Research Papers

This research study was conducted to learn what media selection tools and procedures a selected group of school library media specialists in Iowa used in selecting library media, and the amount of money these media specialists spent on different library materials during the 1983-84 school year. A questionnaire was sent to forty-six certificated library media specialists all of whom completed certification programs and/or masters degrees in the University of Northern Iowa Department of Library Science. Responses were received from forty persons.

Data showed 87.5 percent use SLJ, 82.5 percent use Booklist, and 85 percent use at least one …

Factors Which Contribute To The Usage Of The Vinton Public Library By Students In Grades Four Through Six, Elizabeth Galloway Stark

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine factors which contribute to the usage of the Vinton Public Library by students in grades four through six in Vinton, Iowa. The 285 students were surveyed by means of a questionnaire. The results of this survey indicated that parents' use of the Vinton Public Library seemed to be an important factor in children's use of the Vinton Public Library; that children wanted to find books and materials for homework at the Vinton Public Library; that children appear to be less interested in AV materials for listening, and that there appears to be …

The Angler’S Angle: An Ethnography Of The Bass Fishermen, Ellen Ray Millhollin Irish

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Angler's Angle is an ethnographic (cultural description) of the bass fishermen . The purpose of this thesis is two-fold: (1) to present a better understanding of the ethnographic process and its usefulness as a too l within the social sciences, and (2) to illustrate this usefulness by the study of a cultural scene that often goes unnoticed in our Western society. An examination in Chapter 1 on the background of cultural studies (undertaken for the most part to de scribe non-Western societies), sets the tone for the use of ethnography today. Research on sub-cultures within our own society is …

Media Center Book Losses Due To Student Mobility In Waterloo, Iowa, Darlene Peterson

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the study was to determine what percentage of all missing elementary media centers books were not returned by students who had moved either within or outside the Waterloo Community School District, and what retrieval methods had been most frequently and most successfully used. Survey instruments were mailed to all elementary media specialists in Waterloo in September, 1983. The first section of the survey instrument asked how many books were lost in 1982-1983, and of these how many were not checked out but were missing, were checked out but not returned by students who had moved, were checked …

Collection Diversification In Three Media Centers In Hamilton County, Iowa, Patricia Golden

Graduate Research Papers

Specific research problems to be investigated are:

1. What percent of the nonfiction book titles related to selected social studies topics will be in all three of, in two of, and in only one of the secondary school media center collections?

2. What percent of the nonfiction book titles related to selected social studies topics and listed in the Senior High School Library Catalog will each of the three media centers have?

A Historical Study Of Library Service In Dike Community Schools Dike, Iowa, Patricia Middleswart

Graduate Research Papers

This study was intended to record the stages in the development of the Dike School Libraries as well as to ascertain the significant influences in the the development of library services in a small Iowa community.

The major source of data for this research was the personal interview. Librarians, teachers, administrators and students representing the span of school history from the early 1920 1 s to the present were interviewed. Other primary sources included NCA evaluations, applications for the School Library Media Program Award, and school board minutes.

The researcher found the desire of the Dike high school to obtain …

An Individual Reading Guidance Program In An Elementary Media Center, Kathryn M. Rewerts

Graduate Research Papers

The investigator researched whether participation in the individualized reading guidance program caused an increase in the number of recreational reading books read by the students in the experimental group during the program and after the completion of the program as compared to the number of recreational reading books read by the students in the control group during the same time period.

The Utilization Of Adult Volunteers In Elementary School Library Media Centers, Judith Ann Snetselaar

Graduate Research Papers

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which Iowa school systems, employing media specialists, were utilizing adult volunteers in elementary media centers and to determine the tasks the adult volunteers were being assigned. A survey instrument, consisting of equal parts of both professional and nonprofessional tasks randomly selected from the Task Analysis Survey Instrument, was sent to one hundred twenty-one Iowa elementary school media centers. These elementary school media centers indicated the presence of a media specialist on the Basic Education Data Survey 1982-1983. One hundred and eight survey instruments were returned, and this represented a return rate …

A Test Of Max Weber’S Theory Of Charismatic Leadership In A Third World Case: Cuba’S Fidel Castro, Leida Javier-Vivoni

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this thesis a limited test of Max Weber's theory of charisma was conducted by applying it to the case of a Third World leader, that of Fidel Castro. This was achieved by reviewing and analyzing Weber's original formulation, the various interpretations of it that followed, and the different ways Weber's theory has been reconstructed for the purpose of guiding research on charisma. Ralph Hummel's (1972) and Richard Fagen's (1965) separate sets of propositions, based on reconstructions of different parts of Weber's theory, were chosen to guide the research on Castro's case. The interpretive data generated by this process constituted …