Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Experience Of Migration And Selected Perceptions Of Older Residents Of The Waterloo Black Community, Jacqueline Elizabeth Ellis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis deals with the experience of migration during the formative years of the Black community of Waterloo, Iowa and perceptions of the quality of life from 1910-1970. This exploratory study is based on survey data and folk/oral history derived fr001 a selected sample of men and women, age 50-90 years, of the Black community of Waterloo. The early history of American Blacks has been grossly neglected by historians and others and, as a result, sources of documented information are limited. Because of this, it is important that existing information be preserved. It is this author's hope that survey data …

Attitudes Of Faculty And Administrators Toward The Library At Hawkeye Institute Of Technology, Sharon Gatewood

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to analyze the attitudes of the faculty and administrators toward the Library at Hawkeye Institute of Technology (HIT) in Waterloo, Iowa. Three years prior to this study the library collection at this vocational-technical school had been centralized in new facilities. By surveying library services used, the importance of materials and equipment to classroom teaching, student assignments and administrative duties and the responsibility for selecting and housing those materials and equipment, this researcher hoped 1) to determine if the faculty and administrators were accepting the new organizational pattern, and 2) to discover where those services …

Stereotypes Of The Native American In Fiction Books In Elementary School Libraries, Karma Anderson

Graduate Research Papers

This study proposed to investigate the kinds of Native American materials which were found in elementary school library media centers in Iowa Education Agency Seven (AEA 7). A questionnaire was prepared with seventeen recommended titles and fifteen presently criticized titles on which media specialists in AEA 7 were to indicate availability in their media centers. The hypothesis to be tested was: Given a list of books containing both reconnnended and presently criticized titles, 75 percent of school library specialists in AEA 7 will indicate that there are more recommended titles than presently criticized titles on Native Americans in their fiction …

Tasks Performed By Nonprofessionals In Elementary School Media Centers In Four Area Education Agencies In Iowa, Barbara J. Beebe

Graduate Research Papers

Nonprofessionals or aides in the media centers are an im­portant part of an effective educational media program. They are essential as support staff to strengthen and complement the services that can be provided.

This study was conducted to determine (1) what tasks are media nonprofessionals performing? (2) what tasks , if any, are media nonprofessionals performing which are usually considered to be tasks which are the responsibility of certificated media professionals and (3) how many, if any, appear to be supervising and instructing students without themselves being supervised by a media professional?

A questionnaire was sent to the media center …

Public Acceptability Of Psychotherapy: The Effects Of Sex, Psychotherapeutic Orientation And Mode Of Presentation, Mark A. Etscheidt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the public acceptability of psychotherapy. Three major models of psychotherapy were examined: behavior therapy, psychodynamic insight-oriented therapy, and client-centered therapy. The mode of presentation was manipulated based on previous acceptability research which has employed diverse types of stimulus materials. Written, audiotaped, and videotaped dialogues between a client and a therapist were used in this study. The sex of the subject was also of interest in this study. It was hypothesized: (1) that based on previous research, client-centered therapy would be perceived less favorably than either behavior therapy or psychodynamic therapy, (2) that …

The Portrayal Of Death In Selected Fiction Books For Adolescents, Nancy Helmers

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate the portrayal of death in selected fiction books for adolescents. The sample for the study consisted of eleven books selected by a committee of professionals in the field of adolescent literature. These are books that tend to be available to adolescents in libraries. A method of content analysis was applied'as the research design in which each book was analyzed on a basis of seven categories.

It was found that most of the books do handle the death theme realistically. In death vocabulary the most frequently used words were "die", "dead", …

The Analysis Of Library Books To Use With Gifted Readers Grades Four Through Six, Judith A. Mills

Graduate Research Papers

The major purpose of this research was to determine if a list of prototype questions, structured to elicit cognitive responses at the upper levels of the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, would be sufficiently productive when applied to the episodes in twelve books that they may elicit higher level thinking from gifted readers at the fourth through sixth grade levels.

Eighty questions were developed through the use of a mini-course entitled, "Higher Cognitive Questioning" secured from Cooperative Network Inservice Resources (CNIR), and two Gifted and Talented Workshops presented to the Marshalltown Schools by Educational Consulting Associates (ECA). Questions were further categorized …

The Relationship Of Leisure Reading And Television Viewing Time To Reading And General Achievement Among Fourth Grade Students, Diane Goodrich

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship that exists between the amount of time spent reading in the home and achievement scores; and, the relationship that exists between the amount of time spent viewing television and achievement scores among fourth grade pupils in an Iowa community. More precisely, the questions that were asked are: Is there a significant relationship between the amount of time spent on reading in the home and the reading and comprehensive scores as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) among fourth grade boys and girls? Likewise, is there a significant …

An Annotated Bibliography On Divorce In Children's Books, Lilith J. Dorr

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate books about divorce which can be used with elementary children. Results of this investigation were compiled in an annotated bibliography of fiction books to be used by students, teachers, guidance counselors, and media specialists in elementary schools. A comprehensive chart of readability, child of divorce, and divorce related problems was compiled and some interesting comparisons and conclusions were made. The number of books located was not as many as expected. The majority of books were located in Fry readability level three. The many feelings and emotions experienced by children of divorce, as …

A Study To Determine If Individuals’ Public Theoretical Statements Are Consistent With Their Later Related Public Statements, David Lewis Boman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis reports on a study designed to determine if public figures are consistent between their public theoretical statements and later related public statements. Judging philosophies and ballots written by academic debate judges, one subset of public figures, are used to measure the consistency of public figures. A review of consistency theory research using commitment as a variable supports the assumption that public figures will be consistent. Public commitments have two effects. First, making a public commitment increases the expectancy of others that the public figure will be consistent. Second, making a public commitment increases the resistance to change on …

Informs Users And Subject Requests, 1974-1978, Millicent M. Williams

Graduate Research Papers

This study assesses the use of INFORMS from 1974-1978. The number of requests, the types of users, and the variety of data bases used for searches were all recorded during this time period. Sixteen microfilmed rolls of INFORMS negotiation and ledger forms were used. The following conclusions were reached: 1) the number of requests did increase during the time periods when schools were in session; 2) teachers were the number one users of INFORMS; 3) curriculum and teaching techniques were the subject categories most requested; and 4) ERIC was the data base searched most often for all requests.

Interpersonal Aggression: Assertion Of Significant Reality Hypothesis, Dwight Alan Drury

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Interpersonal aggression is analyzed with the use of the symbolic interactionist perspective in this thesis. The literature generally lacks such an analysis. Symbolic interactionism views individuals as active definers and constructors of a reality. Individuals gain a sense of reality and the means by which to define it through the process of being socialized into various groups. That part of reality which is most important to the individual is termed "significant reality." A major part of an individual's "significant reality" is his or her self-concept. When an individual deems his or her "significant reality" is threatened, he or she may …

Objective Measuring Techniques Applied To Illustrations In Children’S Picture Storybooks, Diane Brown Harrington

Graduate Research Papers

This research study was designed to determine if found and developed objective measuring techniques, using children's preferences and interests, were effective when applied to the illustrations of picture storybooks.

Using only fourteen books written and illustrated by Stan and Jan Berenstain, the five methods used to gather data for this study were: 1) applying the Picture Potency Formula to obtain the language stimulation value of each book; 2) Using a kindergarten child to determine if the essence of the story can be told by a child from lookin0 at the illustrations; 3) recording the number of times the main character(s) …

A Comparison Of Users And Search Subjects Before And After The Beginning Of Medline At The Iowa State Medical Library, Joy Averill

Graduate Research Papers

The research in this paper is directed to the evalu­ation of changes brought about in the library search ser­vices of the Iowa State Medical Library by the addition of the use of the MEDLINE (MEDLARS on-line) computer. Nine hundred ninety-eight search requests were analyzed for two time periods of eight months each. The first time period included manual searches only and the second time period in­cluded both manual and MEDLINE searches. The information compiled for analysis included: the user's occupation; the subject request; whether a manual or computer search was requested; and the computer costs involved for each request.

The …

History Of The Prison Library At The Iowa Women's Reformatory, Cathy Charleston

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to present a history of the Women's State Reformatory Library at Rockwell City, Iowa. The writer investigated the history of the library between the years 1940 and 1980, but the emphasis has been focused on the relatively recent history of the library because very few records were identified prior to the 1970 1 s. Primary and secondary resources were obtained through 1) personal interviews with past and present employees, and administrative personnel associated with the library, 2) past records at the Reformatory and at the Iowa State Library, 3) periodicals newspapers, and annual reports …

A Comparison Of Production Printing Services Among The Fifteen Area Education Agencies Of Iowa, Joel T. Haack

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to discover if there were any differences among the Area Education Agencies of Iowa in printing production services. This was done by means of a questionnaire based on the amount and type of printing equipment owned and used by the AEAs, the number of personnel and the Full-Time Employee (FTE) hours of the staff, and the total number of offset printing impressions produced during the fiscal year from July 1, 1978 - June 30, 1979. The questionnaire was sent to all fifteen AEA Media Center directors in the spring of 1980, asking them to …

A Study Of Historical Fiction And The Works Of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Kathleen L. Mclaughlin

Graduate Research Papers

This study was undertaken for the specific purpose of developing criteria for good historical fiction, applying the resulting criteria statements to each of the books that make up the "Little House" series, and determining the frequency of criteria appearance in each book separately and as a series. The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a criteria list to each of the books in the "Little House" series point by point.

A valid list of criteria has been established and used in evaluating the "Little House series. Eleven separate criterion which describe the five important elements of good …

Middle School Leisure Reading Material And Its Accessibility, Betty Ann Resch

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine which formats of leisure reading materials (hardback books, paperback books, magazines, comic books, and newspapers) middle school students read, which formats they prefer to read and where students gain access to their leisure reading materials. In February, 1980, during the school day, a questionnaire was completed by the fifth and sixth grade middle school students of Cherokee Community Schools, Cherokee, Iowa to determine leisure reading of students since school started in August, 1979.

Results of the survey by sex, grade level, and reading level revealed that 94.15 percent of the students reported …

Marshalltown’S Library Service: A History Of The First Fifty Years, 1860-1910, Stephen R. Wiarda

Graduate Research Papers

In the study, "Marshalltown Library Service; A History of the First Fifty Years, 1860-1910," the researcher traced Marshalltown's library service provided during three time spans. The researcher documented the services provided during the three time spans dating from March 4, 1892, to September 3, 1898, when the library was housed at the Marshall County Courthouse as a private association; from September 3, 1898, to September 22, 1903, when service was provided from above Andrew's Dry Goods store by the Marshalltown Free Public Library; and concluding with the time period April 22, 1903, through December 31, 1910, when public library service …

Exploratory Data Analysis Of Nigeria’S 1963 Age Structures, Julius Oladele Samuel Dada

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis explores and probes the reliability and the inconsistencies of Nigeria's 1963 census using the scanty information available through the microfilm on Nigeria's 1963 census. It uses the 25 provinces and some times, the four regions of Nigeria as the unit level of resolutions. This is the first attempt to discuss the age-sex structure of the whole country. The 1963 data set is subjected to series of testing to see if there is any valid relationship between the 1963 Nigeria demographic variables and those found in other advanced nations for which reliable information has been obtained by some population …

A Socio-Historical Study Of Convict Labor In Iowa, William Farrell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Forms of punishment are historically specific. They are only realized in particular economic, political and ideological conditions. In this sense, imprisonment is a relatively recent historical phenomenon. Its rise can be argued to have accompanied the emergence of a modern capitalist market system. This thesis attempts to merge sociological and historical approaches to the study of penal policy by studying the development of convict labor in the United States and Iowa in relation to the development of the American economy. Convict labor was the country's dominant penal practice from the Civil War to the Great Depression in the United States …

The Evangelical Faith: An Initial Exploration Into The Belief System In One Congregation In Iowa, Pamela Jenkins

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study is primarily concerned with the growing movement in Christianity labeled, loosely albeit, evangelical. The word evangelical has historically had different and changing definitions. Its meaning is traced from its origins in German pietism, Wesley Methodism and the Great Awakening to its present forms and diversifications. This historical grounding has its basis in the theory concerning and surrounding the nature of religion. However, the crux of this study was to answer the question: In what ways and for what motivation, will a person belonging to an evangelical faith combine their religious ideology and their political beliefs? This question, unfortunately …

A Content Analysis Of The Portrayal Of The Emotionally Disturbed In Books Popular With Adolescents, Judith A. Heusinkveld

Graduate Research Papers

The major purposes of this research were to analyze the portrayal of emotionally disturbed characters in books which adolescents are reading and to attempt to determine if this portrayal was realistic and balanced in terms of the entire group of books. A panel of experts was used to obtain a sample of ten books. The portrayals of twelve characters from these ten books were analyzed using an inventory of twelve elements which were derived from traditional stereotypes of the emotionally disturbed. The results of this analysis suggested that, for the most part, a realistic and generally balanced portrayal of emotionally …

The Role Of The School Library Media Specialist As Perceived By English And Social Science Teaching Majors And Library Science Students At The University Of Northern Iowa, Edward L. Bailey Jr.

Graduate Research Papers

This research study was an attempt to answer the question: Do English and social science students; English and school library media specialist students; and social science and school library media specialist students possess similar perceptions of the role of the school library media specialist?

To answer this question, a role norm inventory consisting of seven parts, each representing one of seven role segments was admini­stered. Responses were made on a Likert-type scale by sample groups at the University of Northern Iowa. An analysis of variance was used to determine the significant differences with the .05 level of proba­bility set for …

The Fiction Reading Interests Of Academically Gifted Seventh-, Eighth-, And Ninth-Grad Students At Holmes Junior High School, Donna Bush

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper was to discover the following concerning gifted seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students: preferred categories of fiction, factors which influence fiction reading choices, and the amount of time devoted to reading. The professional literature reviewed helped in making predictions for the outcome of this study and in developing fiction categories used in the survey instrument. A questionnaire was distributed to all gifted students and a representative number of students at each grade level not in the program for the gifted at Holmes Junior High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The questionnaire was divided into the following …

Censorship Of Media Center Materials By Principals Of Iowa Secondary Schools, Helen C. Bush

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of censorship of school library media center materials by principals in Iowa secondary schools. A proportional stratified sample of 200 principals was chosen to receive the survey instrument from a computerized list of all the school districts in Iowa arranged according to size.

Accessibility Of The Media Center In Open Space And Traditional Schools: A Case Study, Norma Whipple

Graduate Research Papers

The media center serves a vital role in the functioning of an effective educational program in a junior high school. In order for students to maximize use of the media center they should have easy access to the area.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the student in an open space school had easier access to the media center and its resources than a student in a traditional school with a media center enclosed by walls and doors. The four areas of concern were the location of the media center, school policies, teacher classroom policies and the …

The Kashmir Conflict: A Geographical Perspective, Razia Babar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The object of this study is to examine Kashmir as a case of a territorial dispute. The first chapter surveys Kashmir's physical geography. The prevailing trend of mountain ranges and river valleys is related to historic movement patterns, which in turn are indicative of social, cultural, and economic links of Kashmir with Pakistan and India, and it is noted that contacts have been greater with Pakistan. In the second chapter Kashmir's cultural patterns are described, and regional religious and linguistic groupings are noted. There has been a continuity in these patterns since the second half of the nineteenth century. In …

School Library Programs And Materials For Special Education Teachers And Students, Audrey Cammack

Graduate Research Papers

The primary purpose of this study was to gather information about programs and materials provided for special education teachers and students in public elementary schools in Iowa.

The Effectiveness Of Two Methods Of Teaching Card Index Skills To Third Graders, Jo Bader

Graduate Research Papers

This research study set out to determine if an audio-tutorial package or a slide-tape learning package was more effective in teaching card index skills. The researcher predicted no significant difference at the .05 level in the two groups. Literature was reviewed on audio-tutorial packages, characteristics of media, the projected image, and theories of learning. The two learning packages were designed, piloted, and revised. The population was thirty third grade students at Grant Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This population was randomly divided into two treatment groups. The students took similar pretests and post tests and completed the same follow-up …