Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Individual Differences In Word Association And Inference Generation From Brief Discourse, Alison L. Clark

Theses : Honours

When people read a short discourse, both more and less skilled readers make word associations. However, it has also been found that, whereas more skilled readers generate inferences from the text, less skilled readers do not (Long, Oppy, & Seely, 1994). The present study partially replicates and extends the study of Long et al. (1994) by investigating the pattern of word associations and whether less skilled readers may be able to generate inferences if given more time to process the discourse. In particular, the study investigates whether word association are made and inferences are drawn as part of an automatic …

Self-Concept Differences Between Bullied And Non-Bullied Children, Wendy Forrest

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to compare bullied and non-bullied children in order to ascc1tain whether the two groups varied on specific self-concept factors. The theoretical position was that low self-concept was related to bullying and as such, bullied children would score lower on a stipulated self-concept test. The sample comprised fifty-three bullied and fifty-three non-bullied children from grades six to nine, selected from three large state city schools and six large state country schools with similar socio-economic status. The students were allocated to the "bullied" and "non-bullied" groups by class teachers using specified criteria. All fifty-three bullied children …

The Causes And Consequences Of Interactions Between Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Primary School Children From The Perspective Of Their Parents, Catherine M. Brennan

Theses : Honours

Racism is found in all societies but is a particular problem in post-colonial immigrant majority societies where the indigenous population have been dispossessed of their land and experience social injustices. Aboriginal people are the most disadvantaged group in Australian society and despite the current policies of self-determination and cultural pluralism they remain at the bottom of all social indicators. The aim of this study is to examine the causes and consequences of racism against Aboriginal children from the perspective of their parents. To do this a case-study of seven Aboriginal parents with primary school aged children was undertaken to see …

Wapato For The People : An Ecological Approach To Understanding The Native American Use Of Sagittaria Latifolia On The Lower Columbia River, Melissa Cole Darby

Dissertations and Theses

Sagittaria latifolia Willd. was an important root food and trade commodity for the Indians who lived along the Lower Columbia River in early historic times. This plant was prolific in the extensive wetlands of the Lower Columbia from about the great Cascades to the Kalama River. The tubers of this plant were called "wapato" in Chinook Jargon, the local trade language. The wetlands, and this plant that grew there, occupied a vast extent of the Lower Columbia territory; so much so that this valley was named 'Wapato Valley' by Lewis and Clark in 1805. This thesis will provide pertinent information …

The Portrayal Of Prison Inmates And Their Families In Juvenile Literature, Maleea Dudney

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper was to determine if juvenile literature portrays some characteristics of family members of male prison inmates in a realistic manner. Twenty five juvenile books were analyzed and compared to data gathered regarding characteristics of actual family members of prison inmates. This comparison revealed that juvenile literature does not portray the families of prison inmates in a realistic way.

Integrating World Wide Web Searching Skills Into World Geography Information Skills Curriculum, Karla Steege Krueger

Graduate Research Papers

World Geography I students' experiences searching for information using preselected bookmarked sites on the World Wide Web were studied. Fifty-three ninth and tenth grade students in two sections of World Geography I at New Hampton High School in New Hampton, Iowa, were taught how to use bookmarks on the World Wide Web to retrieve information for a European Dream Vacation Itinerary. Students worked in pairs on the assignment. Each pair of students was given 30 minutes of class time to search the bookmarked sites and was required to find one item for its itinerary on the World Wide Web. Following …

Use Of The Iowa Locator In School Library Media Classes, Debra A. Peterson

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Iowa Locator was being used by students and teachers to identify materials which are then requested through interlibrary loan in the ninety-three school library media centers that had the Locator available from August through December of 1995.

This was a descriptive study using a questionnaire survey methodology. The population for this study was identified as the ninety-three school library media centers that have the Iowa Locator.

The findings indicated that only 75% of the school library media centers that had the Iowa Locator had patrons request materials through interlibrary loan. …

The Effects Of Flexible Versus Fixed Schedules On Circulation And Attendance In An Elementary School Library Media Program, Sandy Weldon

Graduate Research Papers

Statistical analysis was used to document and observe the effects of fixed and flexible schedules on circulation and attendance at Howe Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa. This study compared circulation and attendance records of third through fifth graders from the school years 1992-93 and 1993-94 using fixed schedules to those from 1994-95 and 1995-96 using flexible schedules. Decreased circulation and attendance followed a shift in schedules, with the conclusion that both circulation and attendance were higher when following a more traditional, fixed schedule.

The Effects Of Telephone Technology On Saudi Arabian Society, Khalid I. Otibi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The current research explores the significance of the introduction of telephone technology into Saudi Arabia. The problem addressed by the research was to identify and describe the cultural and economic significance that the telephone has had in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the research was specifically to study the significance that telephone technology has in the three areas of family ties, business, and transportation. The methodology began with the development a data-collection document. An English version of the document was administered as a pilot test to students at the University of Northern Iowa. This pilot test revealed that the document …

New Computer Software, Cd-Roms, And Videodiscs In K-12 Music Education: What Music Educators And Media Specialists Need To Know : A Selected Annotated Bibliography, Brent A. Andrews

Graduate Research Papers

This study identified new music education resources in CD-Rom, videodisc, and computer software formats created from 1990-1995. Each item was evaluated according to its effectiveness in meeting the three different domains of learning; affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. The study also identified items that exhibited multicultural diversity. The resulting annotated bibliography lists twenty-two resources with critical evaluations of use to music teachers and library media specialists.

Evaluating Intensive Home Supervision : A Community Based Juvenile Corrections Program, Laone K. Kishman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The thesis presented herein is an evaluation of Intensive Home Supervision (IHS). IHS is a community based juvenile delinquency prevention program operated conjointly through the Department of Human Services (OHS) and Juvenile Court Services in Black Hawk County. The purpose of IHS is to provide a treatment oriented intensive supervision program designed specifically to keep youthful offenders in their homes and out of long term residential placements. IHS is different than many other intensive supervision programs in that it is designed to go beyond monitoring youths' behaviors by therapeutically intervening to enhance the offenders' life skills. The nine life skills …

Expressive Individualism In A Midwestern Situated Youth Subculture Group, Jeffrey Michael Webb

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In a Midwestern city of, according to the 1990 census, 34,000 people (97% "white"), fifty all Caucasian, mostly middle class, predominantly high school, youth subculture group members (32 males; 18 females) were qualitatively studied in public places. I utilized participant observation, intensive interviews, field notes, color photographs, diary entrees, and electronic mail to gather data on why these particular young people appeared and behaved in manners different from their peers and the larger culture. Such difference centered on hair color, nonmainstream body piercing, tattoos, baggy clothing, pranking behavior known as "garfinkeling," and some psychedelic drug use. The design of the …

Another Look At Social Learning Theory And Dating Violence, Samantha Smith O'Hara

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Interpersonal violence is a common social problem in American society. Heightened interest in the topic of domestic violence has been sweeping the country as a result of conscience-raising efforts by the feminist movement and others in the late 1960s and early 1970s (White & Koss, 1991). The "closed door" that has protected the secret of violence in the home has slowly begun to open (O'Keefe, Brockopp, & Chew, 1986).

The Aftermath Of Teenage Childbearing : The Characteristics Of Successful Adjustment, Sarjo Sanneh Patrick

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This exploratory qualitative study provides a description of how. and an understanding of why a subset of teenage mothers go on to attain higher educational and economic success, thus becoming self-supponing in their adult lives. A standardized pre-structured interview was conducted with IO Caucasian women aged 21 to 56 who had had their first children at or below age 19. Participation in the study was voluntary. A conceptual framework was advanced suggesting how social control theory was able to explain the processes involved in the anamment of later-life academic and economic success among early childbearers. The women confirmed that strong …

An Exploratory Look At University Students' Attitudes Toward Welfare Recipients, Glen Leonard Lantz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to discover if university students use victim blaming explanations to gain understanding as to why someone receives welfare assistance. A sub-problem in this study was to discover the extent that university students employ individualistic, familial, structural, and fatalistic explanations in their attempts to comprehend why some families are recipients of welfare. Also, the study attempted to find if relationships exist between victim blaming and other personal characteristics such as cultural estrangement, social criticism, affiliation, income, and political orientation.

The subjects of this study were 245 individuals attending the University of Northern Iowa, both graduates …

Dimensions Of Social Support: Cardiac Patients And Their Spouses, Nichole Louise Egbert

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Social support has been shown to benefit the recovery of cardiac patients on many levels. However, this general conclusion has not yet been conclusively defined regarding variables such as the role of gender in the provision and receipt of support and the specific effects of the marriage relationship on the healing process. Furthermore, researchers are still working on the best construct to describe and operationalize the various types and modes of social support for the cardiac patient. This study investigated how men as compared to women, and patients as compared to spouses reported the frequency and value of 4 different …

The Impact Of Ethnic Minorities Within Quebec Upon The Question Of Greater Sovereignty For The Province, Paul William Gausmann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

For the last several decades the Canadian province of Quebec has faced internal debate over whether or not it should achieve greater sovereignty from the rest of Canada. Since the 1960s a strong separatist movement has arisen within the province that has effectively instituted policies that increased the use of the French language in Quebec while restricting the use of English. Faced with the prospect of an independent or increasingly autonomous province dominated by a francophone majority, the three main ethnic groups in the province--the anglophones, allophones, and aboriginal peoples, have sought with varying degrees of unanimity and success to …

Is Library Automation Feasible For All Elementary Schools?, Tiffany Bayless

Graduate Research Papers

Library automation has been adopted by many library media centers, but is it appropriate for all libraries? The justification for automation of four library media centers will be based on the literature reviewed, current operations of these centers, and personal experiences and observations in working with these library media centers. There have been many concerns about whether library automation is feasible for these library media centers, and that is the reason for the focus of this study. Library automation should not be something that is implemented just because "everyone else is doing it".

Using The Winnebago Circ/Cat. Program For Collection Analysis In A Small School Library, Pati Jo Daisy

Graduate Research Papers

This study investigated how integrated library automation systems can assist in quantitative collection analysis in a small school library setting. The methodology used was a statistical descriptive study as it was most suited to the study of a specific collection analysis process. The study revealed that the Winnebago Circ/Cat version program can aid in the collection of raw data for analysis. The study further revealed the data manipulation abilities of the Winnebago program are limited. An automated spreadsheet program is necessary to manipulate the data and illustrate that data in graphic form.

Validation Of The Reasons For Living Inventory-Ii (Rfl-Ii) In A College Sample, Monty T. Baker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of a self-report measure designed to assess adolescent and young adult suicidal behavior. This measure, the Reasons for Living Inventory-II, was the revised version of the Adolescent Reasons for Living Inventory developed by Osman and Besett (1995). The final version of the RFL-II contained 32 items that loaded on five factors. The item loadings and coefficients alpha were high and satisfactory. Confirmatory factor-analytic procedures supported the fit of the five factor oblique model. Two groups were identified by using the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire item, "Have you ever thought about or …

The Study Of Optimism In A Freshman College Student Population: An Analysis Of The Optimism About College Life Scale, Patrick John Barlow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of the Optimism about College Life Scale (OCLS: Prola, 1984) as it related to conceptually similar (Life Orientation Test: Scheier & Carver, 1985; Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale: Fibel & Hale, 1978) and dissimilar (Beck Hopelessness Scale: Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974; Self-rating Depression Scale: Zung, 1965; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970) scales. A second focus of the study was to determine the relation of the OCLS to actual college life as measured by grade point average and an adjustment to college measure adapted from …

Influence Of Physical Fitness On Susceptibility To Noise-Induced Temporary Threshold Shift In Females, Stacy Claire Bukatz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the influence of physical fitness on susceptibility to noise-induced temporary hearing loss in 33 females of various fitness levels, and the relationship between temporary threshold shift (TTS) and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) measurements. Behavioral audiometric thresholds and DPOAE measurements were obtained at 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz prior to and immediately after 10 minutes of exposure to 108-dB SPL narrow-band noise centered at 2000 Hz. The greatest TTS and largest reduction in DPOAE amplitude occurred at·3000 Hz. However, no significant correlation was observed between TTS and DPOAE at any frequency or between any of the …

Characteristics Of Batterers Convicted Of Domestic Abuse In The Batterers’ Education Reform, Jacquelyn E. Powell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The information obtained from this study will give an indication as to whether the abusers in this area share common characteristics of the abuser. By identifying these characteristics, it may be possible to target individuals prone to practice abusive behavior, and possibly interrupt the cycle by intervening with education and prevention strategies to combat the problem.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain selected characteristics of males convicted of domestic abuse in the Black Hawk County's Batterers' Education Program. The study was to identify selected characteristics of participants court-ordered to attend the Batterers' Education Program. The study investigated demographical …

Female Aggression In Semi-Contact Sports, Karla Ann Sipple

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate female aggression in semi-contact sport. More specifically, two areas were examined: the types of aggression, hostile or instrumental, that occurred in girls basketball and soccer and the types of aggression that were committed within both sports. The subjects (N = 57) for this study were female athletes ( ages 15-18) who were sampled from various Midwestern high schools: basketball athletes (n = 32) and soccer athletes (n = 25). Subjects responded to a modified form of the Bredemeier Athletic Aggression Inventory (BAAGI-S). One way ANOVA's indicated non-significant differences for the …

Occupational Stress And Absenteeism Among Promise Jobs Specialists, Kristine Owens

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between selected occupational stressors and absenteeism among PROMISE JOBS specialists across the State of Iowa. The Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) (Osipow & Spokane, 1987) supplemented with demographic and absentee measures was administered to the entire population of205 specialists in 16 service delivery areas. The service delivery area directors distributed the surveys in their local agencies. The specialists were asked to return the survey questionnaire in the self-addressed pre-paid envelopes. The overall return rate was 104 questionnaires (50. 7%) of the original population. The findings of this study were based upon 90 usable …

The Effects Of Herbicides On Microbial And Mycorrhizal Populations In Native Prairie, Corn, And Non-Native Prairie Vegetation, Using The Biolog Technique, Susann E. Ahrabi-Fard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Soil bioremediation has primarily focused on the use of free living, actively growing microorganisms to degrade toxic organic substances. Recently, however, plants and rhizosphere activity, including mycorrhizal fungi have been increasingly studied to determine the role that consortial assemblages may play in bioremediation. While the enhanced absorbtion of nutrients, water, and minerals by mycorrhizal fungi has been well documented, less is known about their role in the degradation of soil contaminants. Using the Biolog plate technique, microbial communities were characterized in Native Prairie, Corn, and Non-Native Prairie vegetative strips prior to, and after two applications of Acetachlor, Alachlor, and Atrazine. …

Youth-Serving Agency's Prevention And Intervention Programs For Gangs, Julianne Gassman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe the perception of directors of youth-serving agencies on what prevention and intervention programs have been implemented by youth-serving agencies in eastern Iowa. Directors of youth-serving agencies in the following cities in Iowa answered the questionnaire (Gang Program Assessment Questionnaire): Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City, Coralville, Adel, Ankeny, Bondurant, Indianola, Johnston, Knoxville, Nevada, Newton, Pella, Pleasant Hill, Ames, Des Moines, Makquoketa, and Urbandale.

The Gang Assessment Program Questionnaire was used to analyze the extent to which gangs were perceived as active in each city as well as expectations for …

A Study Of School Disturbance In The United States: A Twentieth Century Perspective, Part Two, Gordon A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

In 1989, President George Bush. and the Nation's fifty governors, held a historic education summit that culminated in the adoption of six National Education Goals. These six broad goals were intended to serve as a framework for future reform efforts. The sixth goal of the United States' National Educational Goals states:

By the year 2000, every school in America will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning. The stated objectives are: Every school will implement a firm and fair policy on use, possession, and distribution of drugs and alcohol. Parents, businesses, and …

Higher-Order, Multiplicatively Weighted Voronoi Diagrams: A New Approach To Trade Area Analysis, Robert William South

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Trade area models have traditionally been classified into one of two groups: spatial monopoly models or market penetration approaches. Spatial monopoly models define trade areas in a deterministic manner, while market penetration models construct market areas that are probabilistic. Past research has grouped Voronoi diagram models exclusively with the spatial monopoly approach. However, the research contained within this thesis demonstrates that Voronoi diagrams can be used to generate trade areas that are consistent with market penetration models. This thesis introduces two new Voronoi diagrams: the order-k, multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram (OKMWVD) and the ordered order-k, multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram (OOKMWVD). …

Forum Theatre From A Community Psychology Perspective, Holt Sivak

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Having responded to a request from Community Justice Initiatives of Waterloo Region to enact a Forum Theatre presentation, I have here described the process that took place and evaluated that process from a community psychology social action perspective. Participants included both drama troupe members and audience participants who were attempting to utilise Forum Theatre to further their understanding of and to help prevent sexual abuse in their community. Forum Theatre is an issue analysis and social change process derived from the work of Augsto Boal, and adapted for use in a Canadian social service setting. The process closely parallels that …