Observational Essay Essay

Its Monday a rainy evening, I am sitting in the library waiting for my friend to come, so we could study for our sociology test. The library is humongous; it reminds me of my high school library. This place is silent. In the kids section I hear a little boy crying for a book he wants to read but his mom will not let him read, a baby babbling, and the mother trying to make him quiet. There are two dark skinned boys playing marble drop with their mom’s. There are two cute little girls coloring. There is tall teen looking girl reading stories to kids. There does not seem to be many kids in this section. Therefore, I go back to the main room. I see a girl, who looks like a high school freshman doing her homework quietly. A couple of blocks from her, there are group of blonde girls texting and talking in low voices and teenage girls checking their facebook and chatting about guys. In the main desk, area toward the right of the girls there is a frustrated woman who is trying to swipe the library card but perhaps her card is not working and is asking for help to a librarian. In the non-fiction book, area there is a short woman with brown hair, stacking up the books. Towards her left, there is a tall thin college looking girl arranging the books working a part time job to her college expenses. In the front of the library there are middle school kids waiting for their parents to pick them up. There is staircase next to the main door that leads to the computer room. I take glance over the computer room and it is packed with teens and adults. Some are doing homework while some are chatting in myspace and facebook. It seems like this library is always filled with people. From my observation, I see that some people come to library to study quietly and while others come to check facebook and myspace and it seems like library is a great hangout place for some kids.

Overview Of Parental Involvement Studies Education Essay

Parent engagement in instruction either at school or at place is of import for kids. In the U.S Department of Education research publication Strong Families, Strong Schools ( 1994 ) the parent is called â€Å" a kid ‘s first and most of import instructor † ( p.2 ) . In the first 18 old ages of life, a pupil merely spends 13 per centum of the waking, potentially-educative clip in school go forthing the other 87 per centum under nominal control of the parents ( Walberg, 1984a ) . Parents, therefore, control over 6 times more potentially educative hours than the school and offer a comparatively big and incompletely tapped resource for bettering academic accomplishment ( Graue, Weinstein & A ; Walberg 1983 ) . Parents are different from one to another, both in their relationship with their ain kids and their feelings or reactions towards schooling of their kids. They have their ain backgrounds, their ain concerns, their ain troubles with relationships and their ain tenseness s. Some parents are better able to associate to their kids than others. Some are warm and back uping, others may be rejecting or even negligent. Some parents are intelligent, competent people ; others may be uneducated, nonreader, and unable to hold on the significance of state of affairss affecting their kids, even though they love them ( Grolnick & A ; Ryan, 1989 ) . This chapter seeks to reexamine surveies on parental home-based engagement and kids ‘s academic accomplishment. The focal point is on assorted specific variables of parents ‘ home-based engagement that are conducive factors to kids ‘s academic accomplishment. This chapter is divided into seven different parts: ( 1 ) Part one: debut ; ( 2 ) Part two defines ( I ) parents ‘ home-based engagement and ( two ) academic accomplishment ; ( 3 ) portion three presents the overview of parental engagement surveies ; ( 4 ) Part four nowadayss function of households in kids ‘s schooling ; ( 5 ) portion five nowadayss parental home-based engagement and academic accomplishment ; ( 6 ) portion six describes act uponing factors on academic accomplishment including household size, economic position of the household, and parent ‘s instruction ; ( 7 ) portion seven presents the relationship between parents ‘ home-based engagement variables and kids ‘s acad emic accomplishment including ( I ) the relationship between prep engagement and kids ‘s academic accomplishment, ( two ) the relationship between monitoring of telecasting screening and kids ‘s academic accomplishment and ( three ) the relationship between larning installations in the place and kids ‘s academic accomplishment. 2.2 Definition 2.2.1 Parents ‘ home-based engagement Parents ‘ home-based engagement was defined by Nayarko ( 2010 ) , â€Å" Parental engagement in the acquisition activities of their kids at home-that is parental place engagement. It refers to the school-related activities, actions, and behaviors that perform at place that impact on the academic success of the kids. It includes activities such as assisting kids with their prep, treatment with the kids about their school advancement, proviso of words of encouragement, etc. † ( p.340 ) In other words, parents ‘ home-based engagement was defined by Pomerantz & A ; Moorman ( 2007 ) as â€Å" parents ‘ patterns related to school that take topographic point outside of school, normally, though non ever, in the place † ( p.375 ) . In this survey, parents ‘ home-based engagement shall be operationally defined as prep engagement, monitoring of telecasting screening, and larning installations in the place. 2.2.2Academic accomplishment Academic accomplishment was defined by two footings. 1. Academic – it contains to school topics or to Fieldss of broad humanistic disciplines or to the domain of thoughts and abstraction. 2. Achievement – it was denoted by cognition attained or accomplishments developed by students normally in the schools, measured by trial tonss or by Markss assigned by instructors. Academic accomplishment was defined as cognition required and accomplishments developed in school topics, by and large indicated by Markss obtained in trials in an one-year scrutiny ( Sunitha, 2005 ) . Academic accomplishment, in this survey, is defined as the symbol obtained by a kid in an scrutiny. In this respect, kids ‘s academic accomplishment is measured in footings of the kids ‘s public presentation as reflected in the one-year tonss, which were provided by the 2nd and 3rd class instructors with the blessing of the school principal. The academic classs of the pupils for one academic twelvemonth in 11 topics were aggregated and mean mark was used to define their educational or academic accomplishment. These topics are mathematics, Khmer literature, societal surveies ( moral and civic instruction, geographics, history and place economic sciences ) , scientific discipline ( natural philosophies, chemical science, biological science and Earth scientific discipline ) and physical instruction. 2.3 Overview of parental engagement surveies The first research in the country of parental engagement and academic accomplishment day of the months back to the early 1900 ‘s. E.C. Brooks, in 1916, conducted the first known survey of the effects of parental engagement on academic accomplishment ( Cooper, Lindsay & A ; Nye, 2000 ) . After questioning 268 4th, 5th, and 6th pupils, Brooks concluded â€Å" where parents are capable of steering the kid and are inclined to oversee the place survey, their kids win in school. But where the parents are illiterate or for other grounds are unable to oversee the place survey, their kids as a regulation either do slow advancement or are failures † ( as cited in Cooper et al. , 2000 ) . Since 1916, schools and society have both changed dramatically, but the implicit in findings of this survey are consistent with modern-day research. Numerous surveies have concluded that parental engagement in school is straight related to academic accomplishment. Research has overpoweringly shown that kids are more likely to hold higher academic accomplishment degrees and improved behavior when households are involved in the kid ‘s instruction ( Bryan, 2005 ) . Harmonizing to the categorization proposed by Pomerantz et Al. ( 2007 ) , parents ‘ academic engagement is a many-sided concept that includes both home-based and school-based engagement. School-based engagement has been defined as parents ‘ collaborating with the kindergarten or school. It has been shown that school-based engagement enhances societal operation and decreases job behavior ( El Nokali Bachman & A ; Votruba-Drzal, 2010 ) . However, it does non straight predict alterations in accomplishment. Home-based engagement, on the other manus, refers to parents ‘ engagement in their kids ‘s school-related activities at place, and has been shown to be related to kids ‘s accomplishment ( Pomerantz et al. , 2007 ; Jeynes, 2005 ) . Parents ‘ home-based engagement ; that is, parental behavior in advancing kids ‘s academic development, can be seen to stand for what Morrison ( 2009 ) refer to as larning environment. Harmonizing to ( Foster, Lamber t, Abbott-Shim, McCarty & A ; Franze, 2005 ; Hart & A ; Risley, 1995 ; NICHD ECCRN,2003 ) , the place acquisition environment describes the educational quality of the scene parents set up for their kids, including entree to larning stuffs ( e.g. , books and playthings, battle in larning activities in the place and community ( e.g. , shared reading ; co-viewing educational telecasting plans ; trips to a museum or menagerie ) , and positive acquisition behaviors ( e.g. , parent reading in forepart of kid ) . In add-on, In 1988 Ascher mentioned that home-based acquisition activities were one of the most effectual and efficient ways for parents to pass clip with their kids. Harmonizing to the U.S Department of Education ( 1994 ) , kids ‘s acquisition and behaviors are enhanced when households 1 ) read together, 2 ) usage Television sagely, 3 ) set up a day-to-day modus operandi, 4 ) agenda daily prep times, 5 ) proctor out-of-school activities, 6 ) talk with their kids, 7 ) commun icate positive values, and 8 ) express high outlooks and offer congratulations and encouragement for accomplishment. Based on these old surveies, some specific facets of parental home-based engagement ( homework engagement, monitoring of telecasting screening, and larning installations in the place ) were developed as a conceptual model for this survey as presented in Figure 1 since they affect kids ‘s academic accomplishment ; moreover, they are the most appropriate facets to be studied in the country. Figure 1 Parents ‘ home-based engagement and its relation to kids ‘s academic accomplishment 2.4 The function of households in kids ‘s schooling The place is really germane and important to a kid ‘s well being and development in ulterior life. Family is the primary cell of society where the kid ‘s upbringing must get down since birth, still in cradle. Harmonizing to Bronfenbrenner & A ; Ceci, 1994 ; Sameroff, 1994, in order to help and back up their kids in their attempts to run intoing the demands of school, parents need to hold knowledge about their kids ‘s schooling and entree to resources to help them. Since household is the first establishment through which kids learn who they are, where they fit into society, and what sorts of hereafters they are likely to see or hold, it can non be neglected in our effort to develop the kid. Therefore, it is really indispensable for the environment within which they are raised or reared to supply the conditions that are needed to develop their innate features. The kid is non ever in the place environment, but at times in the school, it would be worthwhile if parents l iaise with the governments of the school to guarantee a proper and digesting development of the kid. Grace, Jethro & A ; Aina ( 2012 ) shows that household whose kids are making good in school exhibit the undermentioned characters: aˆ? Establish a day-to-day household modus operandi by supplying clip and a quiet topographic point to analyze with kids and delegating duty for house clasp jobs. aˆ? Monitor out-of-school activities, for illustration puting bounds on telecasting observation, cut down clip of playing, and supervise the group of friends the students walk with. aˆ? Encourage kids ‘s development and advancement in school ; that is keeping a warm and supportive place, demoing involvement in kids ‘s advancement at school, assisting him or her with prep, discoursing the value of a good instruction and future calling with kids ( p.197 as cited in Harderves, 1998 ) When schools work together with households to back up acquisition, kids tend to win non merely in school, but throughout life. In fact the most accurate forecaster of a pupil ‘s accomplishment in school is non income or societal position, but the extent to which that pupil ‘s household is able to make a place environment that encourages larning and to show high outlooks for their kids ‘s hereafter callings and become involved in their kids ‘s instruction at schools and in the place ( Grace, Jethro & A ; Aina, 2012 ) . 2.5 Parental home-based engagement and academic accomplishment The effectivity of instruction has traditionally been measured by kids ‘s academic public presentation or academic accomplishment operationalised as kids ‘s classs or GPA. Walberg, Schiller, and Hartel ( 1979 ) assert that educational stimulation by parents in the place can account for every bit much as 50 per centum of the difference in classs and trial tonss among pupils. The belief that effectual parental engagement within the place environment will interpret into academic success has spurred the development of legion school-based plans aimed at increasing the educationally stimulating quality of the place. In 1983, Graue et Al. reviewed 29 controlled surveies of simple school-based plans to find whether parent preparation plans were effectual or whether success was attributed because these plans selectively attracted competent households or bright kids. A quantitative synthesis led them to reason that school-based place direction plans have big positive effects on pupil ‘s academic acquisition with an mean consequence size twice that of socio-economic position. Hickman et Al. ( 1995 ) provided grounds about the efficaciousness of home-based parent engagement schemes. Using structured interview format, these research workers examined the relationship between pupils ‘ accomplishment in high school and different types of parent engagement. Of the seven types of parent engagement examined, merely home-based parent engagement was found to hold a positive linkage with pupil class point norm ( GPA ) . Fehrmann et Al. ( 1987 ) and Keith et Al. ( 1986 ) examined informations from the monolithic High School and Beyond sample of 28,051 seniors to find the direct and indirect effects of prep, telecasting screening, and pupils ‘ perceptual experience of parent engagement ( in day-to-day life, school advancement, and influence on station high school programs ) . They found the pupils ‘ perceptual experience of parent engagement in their life was positively correlated with the classs of school seniors but non with their accomplishment on standardised trials. Other research worker, nevertheless, have identified a positive connexion between pupils ‘ tonss on standardised trials and parent attempts within the place. Revicki ( 1981 ) , utilizing a sample of 2nd grade pupils from two geographically different schools, found a correlativity between pupils ‘ reading accomplishment and household outlooks and proviso of linguistic communication stimulation and home-based educational/reading activities. Overall, some research workers found a positive correlativity between parental home-based engagement and pupils ‘ classs, while others found a positive connexion between parental home-based engagement and pupils ‘ tonss on standardised trials. 2.6 Influencing factors on academic accomplishment Size of household, economic position of the household, instruction of parents may hold an impact on the academic achievement degree of students. 2.6.1Family size Child from big households are non likely to have the same sum or the same type of verbal stimulation from grownups which kids from smaller households obtain and accordingly, kids from big households tend to make less good academically. The ground could be that kids from big households are improbable to take full advantage of educational chances provided and therefore resulted in retardation in school. Chatterji et Al. ( 1972 ) made an effort to analyze the effects of household size on academic accomplishment of the kids. The sample consisted of 230 pupils both male childs and misss reading in category VI and category VII in eight Bengali schools in Calcutta. The pupils were divided into high, medium and low rational ability groups. Entire Markss obtained in the one-year scrutiny were taken as step of accomplishment. The consequences showed that household size and the figure of siblings were reciprocally related to the scholastic accomplishment of the kids particularly in low rational degree. Same tendency was observed when Mathur and Hudal ( 1972 ) conducted a survey to happen the relationship between the size of household and academic accomplishment of the kids. The sample consisted of 100 pupils analyzing in category Ten in a high school in Amrutsar. The consequences revealed a negative correlativity between the size of the household and academic accomplishment which indicated t hat bigger the household lower was the accomplishment. Similarly, Cherians ( 1990 ) conducted a survey on household size and academic accomplishment of kids. The sample consisted of 369 male childs and 652 misss in the age scope of 13 to 17 old ages old that represented entire 7 standard population in Transkei. The Markss obtained by the students at the 7 standard external scrutiny conducted by the Department of Education of the Government of Transkei was taken. The consequences revealed a negative relationship between household size of the kids and their academic accomplishment. Poonam and Balda ( 2001 ) revealed that household size was negatively correlated with IQ of kids. Above surveies indicate that kids from little size households compared to larger households are academically good. 2.6.2 Economic position of the household Children live in different environment ; that is, some kids live in hapless households, whereas some live in good to make households. They have different cognitive abilities, competency and accomplishments, which affects on their academic public presentation in school. Many research workers carried out their surveies on the relationship between economic position of the household and pupils ‘ academic accomplishment and showed different consequences. Chatterji et Al. ( 1972 ) survey revealed that economic conditions of the household had no consequence upon the scholastic accomplishment of kids in all the three viz. , high, medium and low rational ability groups. Besides, Sood ‘s ( 1990 ) studied on academic accomplishment of pre-engineering pupils in relation to socio-economic position. A limited sample consisted of 120 pupils of pre-engineering category from four colleges of Ambala were picked up by the way. In this survey academic accomplishment was taken as Markss obtained by the topics in their concluding scrutiny in pre-university/higher secondary. Kuppuswamy ‘s socio-economic graduated table ( urban ) from B for mensurating socio-economic position was used. The consequences showed that there was no important relationship between academic accomplishment and socio-economic position. However, Mathur and Hundal ( 1972 ) indicated that the one-year household income bore merely a moderate correlativity with academic accomplishment. Saini ‘s ( 1977 ) survey consequences revealed a positive correlativity between academic accomplishment and economic position of parents. Further, Wangoo and Khan ( 1991 ) carried out a survey to happen out whether the pupils from authorities and private schools differed significantly with regard to their socio-economic position and academic accomplishment was concerned. The sample consisted of 180 female pupils from 10 authorities and ten private schools within the age group of 13+ were selected from Srinagar. Kapoor ‘s pupil ‘s graduated table was administered and the mean of two one-year scrutiny consequences was considered as the standard for the academic accomplishment. The consequences revealed that authorities and private school pupils differed significantly. So for as their socio-economic position was concerned i mportant difference on academic accomplishment found between pupils from private and authorities schools. The relationship between academic accomplishment and socio-economic position when computed on entire sample was statistically important. Similarly, Gill and Sidhu ( 1988 ) reported that socio-economic position of parents influences the school public presentation of the pupils. 2.6.3 Parent ‘s instruction Of the assorted place conditions, parent ‘s educational attainment is critical so far as the academic accomplishment of the kids is concerned. The general difference towards instruction of the uneducated parents frequently put the kid in a place of disability for rational growing and development. Burt ( 1961 ) observed that such a kid can a small in his place, because his parents know amazingly small of any life except their ain and have neither clip nor the leisure, neither the ability nor the temperament to leave what small they know. Educated parents in general are likely to happen themselves relatively in better economic status and this consequence in greater stuffs supports for the instruction of their kids. Bhatnagar and Sharma ( 1992 ) carried out a research to look into the relationship between instruction of parents and academic accomplishment of pupils in semirural scene. A sum of 85 pupils of Rajasthan metropolis were related. The consequences revealed that the kids whose parents attended school performed higher academic public presentation than the kids whose parents did non go to the school. This indicates parental instruction was significantly related to the academic accomplishment of pupils. Likewise, Chakrabarti ( 1986 ) conducted a survey with100 male childs selected indiscriminately from English medium schools in Pune and found that the kids whose parents were extremely educated and involved in their survey had better public presentation in both school scrutinies and accomplishment trials than those whose parents were rich but less educated and non involved in their kids day-to-day activities and surveies. Furthermore, in their survey Chatterji et Al. ( 1972 ) showed that parent ‘s educational degree was straight related to the scholastic accomplishment of their kids. Similarly, Mathur and Hudal ( 1972 ) revealed a positive correlativity between parent ‘s educational degree and academic accomplishment of the kids. Krishnan ( 1977 ) conducted a survey on 180 pupils from 6th to 9th analyzing in cardinal school, Tirupati. The sample was divided into 3 groups depending on their parent ‘s instruction every bit high, in-between and low groups. The consequences showed that parent ‘s educational position had important influence on the academic accomplishment of the kids. From the above surveies it can be concluded that parent ‘s educational degree has a important consequence on the academic accomplishment of the kids. Higher the degree of the parents, higher was the school accomplishment of the kids. 2.7 The relationship between parents ‘ home-based engagement and kids ‘s academic accomplishment Based on the conceptual model on parental home-based engagement developed in ( clause 2.3 ) , the empirical research related to the relationship between different types of parental home-based engagement and kids ‘s academic accomplishment will be reviewed. This subdivision is divided into three chief classs as followers: the relationship between prep engagement and kids ‘s academic accomplishment, the relationship between monitoring of telecasting screening and kids ‘s academic accomplishment and the relationship between larning installations in the place and kids ‘s academic accomplishment. 2.7.1 The relationship between prep engagement and kids ‘s academic accomplishment The pattern of delegating prep is non a new phenomenon. The history of prep has been marked by several epochs. Holler and Lovelace ( 2001 ) define prep as any undertakings that are assigned by instructors and intend to be carried out during nonschool hours. Originally, prep was assigned as a penalty to pupils and was based on recitation. In the 1950s, pedagogues incorporated prep into the course of study as a manner of widening acquisition. But in the sixtiess, pedagogues decreased the sum of prep to pupils in fright that excessively much prep would do mental emphasis. The educational reform motion of the seventiess caused pedagogues to re-examine pupils larning, and it was established that increased prep consequences in improved pupil accomplishment ( Holler & A ; Lovelace, 2001 ) . In schools today, prep is used to obtain three chief ends: academic accomplishment, improved duty, and parental engagement ( Holler & A ; Lovelace, 2001 ) . It is by and large agreed that pupils benefit when their parents get involved in their prep procedure. Empirical findings sing the impact of parental engagement in kids ‘s prep, nevertheless, are assorted. On the one manus, Hoover-Dempsey et Al ( 2001 ) reviewed the research on prep and found: ( a ) parents ‘ engagement in prep took many signifiers, from set uping constructions for prep to direct direction on content and acquisition schemes ; ( B ) parents ‘ engagement appeared to act upon pupil academic accomplishment through back uping the development of attitudes and properties ( e.g. , motive and self-regulation ) that support acquisition. For case, Patall, Cooper & A ; Robison ( 2008 ) have conducted the probe of parent engagement in prep. From a meta-analysis of 22 samples from 20 surveies correlates parent engagement and accomplishment. They found that puting regulations about when and where prep should be done has the strongest positive relationship with accomplishment. Puting regulations besides entails clearly pass oning outlooks, supplying guidelines and reenforcing behavior when regulations are followed. This scheme may be a peculiarly effectual manner to increa se the clip pupils attend to homework undertaking or the effectivity of how clip is used. They besides found that direct engagement assistance, which involves the parents giving feedback on prep truth or tutoring and giving direction about the content of prep, is positively related. Xu and Corno ( 2003 ) suggested that â€Å" household aid with prep † was related to middle school pupils ‘ behaviors of set uping larning environments and commanding emotions. Besides, there is apparent that prep improves accomplishment for high school ( Keith, 1982 ) , in-between school ( Keith et al. , 1993 ) and simple school pupils ( Paschal, Weinstein, & A ; Walberg, 1984 ) . Its positive influence extends to both standardized trial mark ( Walberg, Paschal, & A ; Weinstein, 1985 ) and classs ( Natrillo & A ; McDill, 1986 ) . And some research workers report positive between parental engagement with prep and school accomplishment. Epstein ( 1983 ) , in a longitudinal survey with interio r metropolis pupils, found prep activities ( naming to child and promoting & A ; assisting in prep ) produce important additions over clip, particularly in reading. Causal theoretical accounts by Keith et Al. ( 1986 ; 1993 ) with senior and eight class samples besides suggest a positive relationship between parents ‘ engagement with prep and pupil accomplishment although the consequence is indirect with parent influence strongly increasing the clip spent on prep which in bend additions accomplishment. On the other manus, parental engagement in prep is frequently found to correlate negatively with pupil accomplishment. For case, Bembenutty ( 2006 ) found that self-regulated acquisition ( such as self-efficacy, attempt ordinance, and intrinsic motive ) was a positive forecaster of math accomplishments as measured by the standardised trial, but parental engagement in prep ( frequence of look intoing prep and offering aid ) was found to be negatively related to math accomplishment of 10th class high school pupils. In their survey, Patall, Cooper & A ; Robinson ( 2008 ) found that supervising prep involved look intoing that prep is completed is negatively related to accomplishment. Weger ( 1993 ) besides found a negative correlativity between the sum of clip parents spent straight oversing their kids ‘s prep and their kids ‘s classs and accomplishment. Cooper ( 1989 ) has conducted the most extended probe of the relationship between prep and academic accomplishment. From a meta-analysis of 120 empirical surveies, he found that although there is a correlativity between prep and achievement the effects are really grade-level particular. The mean high school pupil with prep would out-perform 69 % of no-homework pupils, in junior high school the effects would merely behalf as strong, and in simple school there would be no consequence on accomplishment. Cooper discovered similar form when he examined the optimum clip a pupil should pass on prep. In simple school there is no relationship between prep clip and accomplishment, in junior high the accomplishment improved until the assignment lasted between one and two hours a dark and in high school the accomplishment effects continued above two hours a dark. Overall, the research to day of the month suggests that prep has positive influence on academic accomplishment with its effects going stronger as pupils progress in school. Parent engagement with prep appears to be an effectual manner to raise pupil accomplishment, chiefly because of its influence on clip variables. Correlation research, nevertheless, will non ever demo its positive consequence because parents may go involved with prep as a response to already bing accomplishment jobs. 2.7.2 The relationship between monitoring of telecasting screening and kids ‘s academic accomplishment The sum of clip kids spend watching telecasting varies from one to another. Television screening has been demonstrated to hold a little negative consequence on pupil accomplishment ( Fan & A ; Chen, 2001 ) , although its impact on academic accomplishment may be complex and depends on types of scheduling and sum of clip spent on watching Television ( Thompson & A ; Austin, 2003 ) . Nary ( 2004 ) tested the waies for the influence of Television sing on academic accomplishment utilizing informations from the 1997 Child Development Supplement ( CDS ) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics ( PSID ) . The consequences suggest that Television screening hindered academic accomplishment non merely by cut downing the clip pupils spent on prep, analyzing and reading for leisure but besides by increasing their mental passiveness and impulsiveness. In add-on, the hypothesis that telecasting sing stimulated academic accomplishment was non supported. Fetler ( 1984 ) conducted a research with the capable base of 10,000 simple school pupils, in a survey of telecasting screening and academic accomplishment, to find the factors that influenced academic accomplishment. Television screening was measured by the sum of clip kids spent watching telecasting and the academic accomplishment was measured by mathematical ability and written look. The consequences indicated that sing telecasting for more than four hours a twenty-four hours was associated with lower accomplishment for all pupils. He besides found that kids improved in academic accomplishment with the mid scope of telecasting screening, but merely when telecasting screening was moderate ( 1-2 hours ) . Reviewing literature from the last 25 old ages sing the impact of telecasting sing on pupil accomplishment and necessary behaviors for school success, Thompson and Austin ( 2003 ) concluded that moderate degrees of meaningful and supervised telecasting screening may be better for k ids than excessively much or no screening at all. In their surveies, Williams, Haertel, Haertel and Walberg ( 1982 ) investigated the relationship between leisure telecasting screening and accomplishment. Their synthesis of 23 empirical surveies found a curvilineal relationship between telecasting screening and accomplishment with positive effects happening for up to ten hours of hebdomad. Beyond this, the effects seem to be progressively negative, particularly for misss and high ability pupils. Overall, telecasting sing appears to hold a little, negative relationship with school accomplishment. A survey by Keith et Al. ( 1986 ) besides found a little negative relationship between telecasting screening and academic accomplishment but their research does non bespeak a curvilineal form for optimum screening clip. Consistent with the earlier survey, high ability pupils are more adversely affected. In 1993, Keith et Al. found that parent engagement additions homework which decreases telecasting clip. In contrast, the high degrees of unsupervised mindless telecasting screening, particularly when it is done in stead of day-to-day reading or other academic stimulation, can hold the possible to exercise harmful effects on accomplishment ( Thompson and Austin, 2003 ) . Although telecasting sing did non look to hold a important impact on educational accomplishment, Keith et Al. ( 1993 ) suggests that parental engagement can actuate pupils to pass clip on more educationally productive activities. Clark, et al. , ( 1978 ) found that sing wonts typically increases throughout simple school old ages, and decreases during high school old ages. The old ages right before and after adolescence are the more opportune times to determine Television sing wonts. From these positions, parent puting bounds on kids ‘s telecasting screening clip or scene regulations about Television is necessary. The research conducted by Ridley-Johnson, Cooper & A ; Chance ( 1982 ) suggests that when parents set regulation about telecasting their kids have higher reading, math and ability tonss. Similarly, a more recent survey by Fan & A ; Williams ( 2010 ) , analyzing whether assorted elements of parental engagement predicted 10th grade pupils ‘ motive utilizing informations from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 ( ELS 2002 ) , showed that household regulations at place like the regulations for watching telecasting positively predicted pupil ‘s academic battle and intrinsic motive in both English and mathematics. As parents limit their kids ‘s entree to telecasting, it is possible that kids will pass more clip prosecuting in constructive acquisition activities that they enjoy and therefore heightening their intrinsic motive and battle towards faculty members. Patrick ( 1991 ) besides discovered that higher school societal surveies achievement is associated with â€Å" limited telecasting screening. † In decision, moderate telecasting screening does non look to hold a strong negative consequence on educational accomplishment. Nevertheless, parent monitoring of telecasting screening is advantageous as it can guarantee that sing does non replace other activities which have more good results. 2.7.3 The relationship between larning installations in the place and kids ‘s academic accomplishment Home acquisition environment is one of the favorable conditions for kids ‘s instruction. Lustberg ( 1998 ) suggested that it is of import that parents can supply an appropriate topographic point where kids can work at place. Besides, parents must supervise prep clip and do certain pupils have an atmosphere conducive to analyzing and forming their clip and duty. Saunders ( N.D ) found that parents pass more clip assisting their kids with prep and undertakings when there is both designated clip and topographic point for the kid to analyze. In a high-quality place acquisition environment, health professionals foster kids ‘s communicating accomplishments and cognitive development by supplying them with educational drama stuffs and prosecuting them in activities that facilitate acquisition. Harmonizing to the parent investing theoretical account ( Mayer, 1997 ) , kids ‘s success depends on the clip, money, energy, and back up their parents put in the kids ‘s â€Å" human capital † every bit good as cultural gifts, such as the value parents topographic point on instruction through their modeling of larning behaviors and battle in larning activities. The money households spend on their kids through the buying of playthings, books, and larning stuffs for the place, and the clip spent prosecuting kids in larning activities, are investings that contribute to a high-quality place acquisition environment. Melhuish et al. , ( 2008 ) examined the relationship between place acquisition environment and literacy and numeracy development in 2,875 kids who participated in a longitudinal survey from ages three to seven old ages. It was found that place acquisition environment was positively related to academic accomplishment. In another survey, Duthilleul ( 1997 ) examined how parental patterns were associated with accomplishment in reading comprehension among 4th graders in Montevideo, Uruguay public school. This survey found that one of the most consistent effects on pupil accomplishment in the literacy accomplishments is the effects of presence of a literacy environment at place ; pupils who have more books and school stuffs available at place tend to hold higher reading accomplishment tonss because they have more chances to larn, experience and develop literacy-related accomplishments. A more recent survey by Altschul ( 2011 ) examined the relationship between six signifiers of parental engagement in instruction and young person ‘s academic results. By utilizing of course representative informations ( N= 1,609 ) from National Education Longitude Survey, the survey found that parents ‘ payment for educational resources such as computing machine, typewriter, Atlass, books, pocket reckoner, day-to-day newspaper, magazines and dictionary in the place has a slightly greater impact on accomplishment than the other signifiers of engagement that parents spend clip engaging in enriching activities together and discoursing school-related affairs. Furthermore, Saunder ( N.D ) suggested that appropriate stuff is indispensable to student accomplishment. Harmonizing to Rasinski & A ; Frederiks, 1988 & A ; Zhang Carrasquillo, 1995, larning resources and chances available are of import factors in effectual place acquisition environment created by parents. The learning resources and stuffs help kids develop school-related accomplishments. In this type of larning environment, kids may experience at easiness when they work on jobs with their parents, and can frequently larn of course when their parents enable them to manage books at place. In 1996, Khare conducted a survey on place acquisition environment and academic accomplishment of simple school kids. The sample consisted of 212 pupils of in-between schools of Bhopal metropolis. Datas were analyzed by the aid of Product-Moment correlativity, t-test and analysis of discrepancy ( ANOVA ) for unequal cell sizes. The consequences showed important correlativity between place environment and accomplishment in misss and male childs. There is a important difference in school accomplishment of male childs and misss. It was besides found out that the effects of environment and gender on school accomplishment of pupil male childs were better than misss. In one survey ( NICHD, 2003 ) , the quality of place acquisition environment has been found to be a important forecaster of kids ‘s school preparedness accomplishments. Specially, kids with high-quality place acquisition environments show higher knowledge, linguistic communication, societal competency, motive to larn, attending and undertaking continuity than kids with low-quality place acquisition environments. Similarly, Fantuzzo, McWayne, Perry, and Childs ( 2004 ) observed that, in a low-income and urban sample, home-based household engagement in the autumn of preschool, characterized by actively advancing a place acquisition environment for kids ( e.g. , making a infinite for larning activities at place and supplying larning chances for the kid in the community ) , strongly predicted kids ‘s motive to larn, attending, undertaking continuity, receptive vocabulary accomplishments, and low behavior jobs later in the spring of preschool. From the above surveies it can be concluded that the quality of place acquisition environment has a slightly impact on kids ‘s academic accomplishment as it is the status for kids ‘s instruction.

An Analysis of Psychological Theories with Regard to Sexual Offenders Essay

An Analysis of Psychological Theories with Regard to Sexual Offenders - Essay Example Through the utilization of criminology the ability to illustrate the impact sexual offenders place in society has been predetermined as well, although the statistics change on a yearly basis. However the use of criminology and the many theories from the heart of this identity of the study of crime have developed ways in which to gauge the characteristics, background, and the environment in which the offender might have developed from and also how it might contribute to their sexual offenses against others (Lynch 2002). In this generation, researchers have found various treatment programs which often work well in the attempt to rehabilitate the offender and reintegrate them back into their former communities. However the research will show that this process can be extensive at times and there are many theorizations associated with this type of crime and its occurrence. There have been many theorizations utilized to try and depict the reasons why some people focus on criminal actions that are relative to rape and other forceful sexual encounters as well. Some of these theories are rational theory, female delinquent theory, Structural functionist theory, and many, many others. Some have offered better insight as to why these types of crimes occur and others have just lead to more questions as to the occurrence of this type of crime. With regard to rational theory, many criminal theorists state that sexual offenders are always given the choice whether to commit an act of rape of sexual violence or not, in other words they have the ability to rationalize this type of decision (Barbaree et al 1990). The idea of rational theory developed from the concept of economic theory in the mid 20th century with some of the early founding thinkers being Homans, Blau, and Coleman (Sobel 1994). As was stated, this theory views an act of crime in a way that deciphers the choices and decisions that criminal offenders make subsequent to the criminal act itself. It is seemingly closely connected to the 'Theory of Will' in that it gives the idea that any sexual offender has the mental capacity to make their own decisions between right and wrong and by choosing to bring harm to someone else they are detailing that they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions (Barbaree et al 1990). The main difference between the 'Theory of Free Will' and the theory of 'Rational Choice' is the fact that although the 'Free Will theory' shows that possible offenders do make their own choices in regards to committing a serious crime such as a sexual offence they do not rationalize their decisions and are very impulsive in their actions indicating that their reasoning might not be that of a wholly correct mentally functioning human being that has the ability to weigh right from wrong. Rational choice theory shows that there is no question in

Build strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Build strategy - Assignment Example Several strategies can be undertaken by this institution to solve this challenge of staff shortages. Importance of building a strategy Strategic planning is vital to any business in order to realize success. A strategic plan incorporates the mission, vision, and creative thinking. It mainly gives a description of the where the company is headed to by giving the details of achieving it. Strategic plans are the expressions of the visions and dreams of successful outcomes (Kaplan & Norton, 2008). It serves as the design of how a company can achieve its strategic objectives. Strategic planning can be focused on the whole organization or a department (Williams, 2006). For a hospital such as Milton Keynes, the strategy of solving the problem of understaffing will be focused on the entre institution. Objective The objective of this assignment is to build a strategy that can be implemented by Milton Keynes hospital in order to solve the issues related to understaffing. The strategy that will be developed will help the organization solve its immediate staffing problems and ensure that it is sustainable in the long-run. The strategy must put into consideration the implications of the implementation on the hospital. Such implications include: effect on patient care, increased costs and the ability of the institution to meet nursing needs in the future. Description of the problem The problem of understaffing in hospitals in the United Kingdom is rampant with the nation hospital services naming 26 healthcare institutions as operating below the safe staffing levels. This problem is further highlighted by the failure of sixteen percent of these institutions to come up to the required levels (Swayne et al, 2008). One of the main contributions of those staffing shortages especially in the nursing profession is due to the aging of the nursing population and the unwillingness of the younger generation to join the nursing profession. Despite in increase of foreign-born professiona ls in the medical profession, this group cannot meet the rising demand for medical care. The demand for higher pay, a weakening economy and increased medical demand is straining the thin available labor force (Mireille, 2007). Analysis of the problem Difficulties associated with understaffing are worsened by changes in medical care for example novel medical technologies and a reducing average stay in hospital that have contributed to increase in the level of care demanded by patients while they are in medical institutions. Novel medical technologies facilitate less seriously sick patients to receive medical care in out patient environments instead of inpatient environments. Furthermore, patients who would have spent the early days of recovery in hospitals are being released to nursing institutions or to their homes. The result of these changes in hospitals is that healthcare institutions are experiencing an influx of more patients who require more care. Staffing of healthcare instit utions is an issue of concern because of its effects on quality of care and patient safety (Greener, 2009). Sensitive outcomes, especially those attributable to nursing are one signs of quality of care. It can be defined as the changeable patient or caregiver situation, condition or

Chlamydia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chlamydia - Research Paper Example Further, this essay will zone in on ways to which the onset of this infection may delay and how to promote substantive productive health. According to numerous researches, Chlamydia is a relatively inactive infection with minimal visible alarming signs and symptoms. Despite this, some signs of the infection may include a burning sensation in women especially when excreting urine and to some extremes pain during sexual intercourse. In addition, women may experience the discharging of a heavy and abnormal discharge that may be scentless. On the other hand, a heavy whitish discharge may be visible in men and pain during the passing of urine is also a symptom that characterizes the infection. According to Kacian (2012), the prevalence of Chlamydia and other sexually related infections are high between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Further, it is a health threat especially to those with multiple sex partners within this age bracket. Additionally, pregnant women also serve as potential victims of the infection. Remarkably, Chlamydia is the most reported sexually related infection across the United States. In addition, sexually active women within this age bracket should also subject themselves to annual screening in order to increase the chances of early detection and treatment. Subsequently, the infection may lead to infertility especially in women if no medical intervention occurs. Further, if untreated the mother may pass on the infection to her unborn child which may in turn affect their ability to see (Kacian, 2011). Moreover, having Chlamydia also makes one susceptible to HIV once one exposes themselves to it (Baby Center, 2013). However, the infection is preventab le through the consistent use of condoms and also through abstinence, which is more effective. Therefore, screening of pregnant mothers is vital in the prevention of blindness in newborns as result of this infection (Healthy People, 2012) Mostly, the prevention of contracting this

Change Agents Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Change Agents - Research Paper Example The change agent is unbiased and he looks for solutions to resolve the issue taking into considerations the needs of all parties involved. Resistance to change can negatively impact the plans to implement change at a company. The managers must communicate with their employees to explain to them how the change management initiatives will affect their job routines. Change initiatives often fail due to a lack of change management (Swati, 2012). Resistance to change can hinder the ability to change the culture of an organization. Management intervention is needed to resolve resistance to change (Mariana, Violeta, 2011). The managers have to demonstrate to the employees the benefits of the initiative. If resistance to change persists it can have devastating effects on a company. The efficiency and productivity of the workers decreases which hurts the profitability of the firm. Long periods of resistance to change can escalate into work strikes or even complete shutdown of an operation. Managers have to react in a proactive manner to handle resistance to change effectively. Mariana, P., Violeta, S. (2011). Opportunity to Reduce Resistance to Change in a Process of Organizational Change. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 10(2). p698-702. Retrieved February 9, 2013 from EBSCOhost database. Swati, M. (2012). Managing Employee Resistance to Change a Comparative Study of Indian Organizations and NMCS in Delhi-NCR Region. Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce, 3(4). p64-71. Retrieved February 9, 2013 from EBSCOhost

Research on Tenured Teachers in the School System Paper

On Tenured Teachers in the School System - Research Paper Example Yet another essential detail to be considered is delivered through the understanding of cost as a relative good. Teachers with good reputation and solid experience are often expensive, which can be regarded by school administration as a shortcoming. Tenure protects experienced teachers from being dismissed for this reason. On the other hand, this same issue of protection becomes the primary disadvantage of tenure when doubts of the teacher’s competence raise. Due to tenure, it might become a problem to fire such a teacher without primarily addressing a lot of bureaucratic issues at hand. Moreover, another disadvantage that should be addressed here is that undergoing the legislatively fixed procedure of firing a teacher is costly and thus a lot of institutions might ignore the necessity of dismissing a teacher based on this consideration alone. In order to avoid this problem, some institutions are prone to secrecy by providing a teacher to dismiss certain sum of money (Mathis, 2010). This allows the schools to avoid disclosure and the expensive, long and difficult process of firing a tenured teacher. There is a set of other pros and cons that should be considered when talking about teacher tenure. Among the pros, there is a notion that tenure is actually quite a useful and beneficial instrument when used correctly (McGuinn, 2010, p. 26). Tenure can create the environment that allows the teachers to improve as it creates healthy competition and motivates teachers without tenure to work harder to get it.

Evaluate the contribution that induction makes to tourism, events or Essay

Evaluate the contribution that induction makes to tourism, events or consumer- focused organisations in the UK - Essay Example â€Å" In order to reap the benefits of deep-level diversity, organizations must promote equal employment opportunity by attending to the surface characteristics of their human resource management practices† (Stockdale and Crosby, 2004) Handling diversity in the workplace is absolutely necessary as it contributes to the growth of the organization in its status. According to Anca and Vazquez (2007), a company needs to be flexible and face challenges with in order to â€Å"undertake varied roles, performing tasks in different ways and taking positions in different companies†. The importance of the equal opportunity belief gave rise to the regulation of the provision in order to weed out the discrepancies. According to Dobbin (2009), â€Å"while some firms created their own elaborate equal opportunity systems, the absence of a strong central authority with clear standards meant that others did nothing†. In order to make sure that people from outside the country also recognized and taken inside the organizations, the UK government has taken various measures and one among them is the passing of the Equality law. The simplification and tailor-made provisions of the new Equality Act speaks about the importance of employing different group people into an organization without any sort of bias.

Consumer Incentives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Consumer Incentives - Essay Example The economic challenges of running a nursing home include risk and uncertainties, complexities related to insurance, the pressure to reduce costs, rapid and confusing course of technical and institutional changes, and perils caused by information asymmetries. All citizens demand healthcare services; therefore, the government intervenes by supporting healthcare facilities (Lee, 2009). The government may give economic incentives to healthcare providers through tax-free imports of medical facilities, tax holidays, and financial support with the aim of improving the quality of healthcare. The nursing home can signal the quality of its services to customers by hiring adequate number of nurses, ensuring nurses are educationally and clinically prepared, availing sufficient resources for service provision and informing the public about the quality of services through the media. Socio-cultural factors play a role in shaping the perceptions of people and their responses to health problems (Lee , 2009). Additionally, socio-cultural factors such as religious beliefs, cultural diversities, people’s customs, and risk-taking attitudes are critical in understanding societal and population processes such as the status of morbidity, survival, and mortality. Hiring adequate number of nurses is the best method of communicating the quality of service to the potential customers. When customers observe nurses working without strain, they develop confidence and expectations about getting personalized attention in the facility.

Huckleberry Finn Analysis Essay Example for Free

Huckleberry Finn Analysis Essay Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been regarded as one of the greatest novels in American regionalism. So many Americans have read it, and many have enjoyed it and many believe that it is worthy of the highest praise, and deserves to be included in the canon of Great American literature. As a piece of regionalist literature, the novel shines out amongst other novels. Twain vividly describes the Mississippi river and surrounding area of Missouri with detail unrivaled. His characters’ dialogue accurately depicts the dialogue of the area, and their attitudes, especially towards African Americans, are also historically accurate. However, as Huck and Jim move farther south down the river, Twain loses touch with his style of writing. The regionalist aspect suddenly crumbles, and his plot line gets outrageously unbelievable. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not deserving of inclusion in the canon of Great American literature. As Jane Smiley said in her essay Say It Ain’t So, Huck, â€Å"There is more to be learned about the American character from its canonization than through its canonization(Smiley 61). If Twain had kept the story line in his territory of familiarity the outcome may be different, but as his setting moves south, his writing moves right along with it. To clearly see how Twain’s writing deteriorates as the novel progresses one must compare quotes from when the novel is set in Missouri to when the novel is set farther south. Here is a quote from the beginning of the novel, describing the area around Jackson Island, â€Å"†¦but mostly it was big trees all about, and gloomy in there amongst them. There was freckled Boyer 2 freckled places on the ground where the light sifted down through the leaves, and the freckled places swapped about a little, showing there was a little breeze up there†(Twain, 51). The way he describes nature in this excerpt shows his true talent. The personification of the ground and the light, giving it the human-like characteristics of freckles gives the passage a personal touch. His diction and prose make the reader feel like they are watching the golden beams of light dance before their eyes. This is why Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are recognized across America. However, in Chapter 31, when Jim ends up on the Phelps’ plantation, and the Phelps end up being Tom Sawyer’s family, and the Phelps mistake Huck for Tom and Tom for Sid, Twain is really pushing the believability of his novel, and from this excerpt we can see that the beauty of his prose is gone, as though he’s lost touch with the regionalist touch that makes his writing great, â€Å"‘Phelps’s was one of these little one-horse cotton plantations, and they all look alike. A rail fence round a two-acre yard; a stile made out of logs sawed off and up-ended in steps, like barrels of different length†¦(Twain, 273)† and on and on about the buildings of the plantation. There is nothing here that even remotely sounds like it came from someone who knows the area. Twain even says, â€Å"†¦and they all look alike† in the passage. He really lost his essence and creativity. He wrote out of his sphere of knowledge, and his novel suffers for it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a wonderful piece of literature. Twain captures the true essence of being a teenage boy on a big adventure on the lazy Mississippi river. However, the end of his novel switches settings from Missouri, to further south, on a plantation coincidentally owned by Tow Sawyer’s family, and the reader can clearly see that Twain was out of his element, and he lost the wonderful sense of regionalism that made his Boyer 3 his works, and his era, influential in American literature, mainly because he wasn’t writing about the region he knew, grew up in, and loved. This is why Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not deserving of inclusion into the great canon of American literature.

Examining The Computer History Of Microsoft Information Technology Essay

Examining The Computer History Of Microsoft Information Technology Essay Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world. The way he made his money is by developing technology. He and Paul Allen were the two people who founded Microsoft. But before they founded Microsoft, they worked on the IBM-PC model 5150 and gave IBM a one the PC-DOS operating system for a onetime fee of 50,000 dollars. But they had to make a deal with Seattle Computer Products in order to get this operating system. Then in 1985, with the help of IBM, Gates produced the first retail version on Windows, which was called OS/2. After in 1991 Gates said that the OS/2 partnership was over and he would start working on Windows NT. Windows NT was released in 1993, this version was the first 32-bit version on Windows. From that point on, he helped create multiple other operating systems like windows 95 which introduced the first novel start menu and the included the Internet Explorer internet browser. Later in 2000 Gates stepped down as C.E.O of Microsoft and remained as chairman of the board and chief software architect. In 2006, Gates openly stated that he had many a decision to devote his time more towards his charitable foundation. Gates is still the companys chairman. That is how Bill Gates has made of a contribution to technology. Who is this man? This man was the co-founder and current CEO of Apple Inc. Apple is the innovator of iPods, iPads, iPhones and Mac computers. Apple had other projects like the Apple I and Apple Lisa but they werent as successful. The Macintosh was introduced in 1984. This model included a mouse and a graphical user interface rather than the command-line interface. Apple also created the iPod which allowed people to listen to all their favourite music, and view all their favourite movies and pictures. When the iPod-touch was released it allowed people to do all that and surf the internet with a Wi-Fi connection and download tonnes of apps from the app store on the iPod-touch. The iPhone is the same thing as an iPod-touch but you can text and call people. The iPad is like the iPod-touch but it is larger and you can get 3G service on it. Therefore, I think Steve Jobs has made a significant contribution towards technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/steve-jobs/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc. Magnetic Tape Magnetic Tape is something people use to record music or videos on. This tape was developed in Germany. Separately bought devices can play their music or videos on the Magnetic Tape. Examples of these devices would be VCRs and audio cassette players. The Magnetic Tape was intended to record music at first. This tape was original made by Valdemar Poulsen in 1898. He used iron oxide powder, coating a long strip of paper. But was it was further devolved by a German electronic company called AGE (Allgemeine Elektricitata-Gesellschaft) in 1933. AEG also manufactured the recording machines as well. Later on, people wanted to record video on the magnetic tape, so Ampex made a breakthrough innovation. They used a spinning recording head and a normal tape speeds to achieve a very high head to tape speed that could record and reproduce the high bandwidth. Later on, Sony devolved a helical scan and put it in the tape reels. Finally, these tapes are used for data storage. Some good examples woul d be Computers in 1951. Therefore I think the invention of magnetic tape has contributed to the development of technology greatly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_tape http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-magnetic-tape.htm http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Magnetic_tape Howard Aiken Howard Akien is the original conceptual designer of the Harvard Mark I computer made by IBM. This computer was built using 765,000 components and a lot of wiring. It was 16m in length and 2.4m in height. Also, it weighed over 4500 kg. This computer was made for calculations. It had 60 sets of 24 switches for entering numbers manually. Also, each number only could be 23 digits long. This machine could calculate 3 additions or subtractions in a second, while a multiplication took 6 seconds, a division taking 15.3. But trigonometric function took over a minute. The way that this computer got its information was from punched paper tape. Therefore, I believe that this computer made a great contribution to technology, as the base of our modern day calculator and computer languages were founded from this innovation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_H._Aiken http://www.thocp.net/biographies/aiken_howard.html http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa052198.htm Freddy Williams Freddy Williams is an English engineer. He and Tom Kilburn created the Williams or Williams-Kilburn tube, in 1947. This tube was made to store binary data. Each one of these tubes could hold around 512-1024 bits of data. The way this machine stored data was quite fascinating. There would be a cathode ray tube and dots would be drawn on it. The dot becomes positively charged and the area around became negatively charged for a brief moment. This energy could not be transferred and the energy would remain on the surface of the tube for a fraction of a second. This let the device act as the computer memory. The only way to erase a dot is by drawing another dot beside it. Once the memory is safe is when the computer reads the information. Therefore, I believe that this device made a significant contribution to technology because this device laid down the foundation of current day RAM to be developed. http://www.computer50.org/kgill/williams/williams.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Calland_Williams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_tube EDSAC An EDSAC or an Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator was a British computer. The EDSAC was made by Maurice Wilkes and his team at the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory. This was the first practical stored-program computer. This computer uses mercury delay lines for memory. The memory has 1024 locations, while each location has 18 bits. The CPU can hold 71 bits. The only commands that this computer had were: to add, subtract, multiply, collate, shit left, shift right, load multiplier register, store, accumulator, condition skip, read input tape, print character, round accumulator, no-op and stop. The initial orders were hand written on a set of uniselector switches and from there they were loaded into the low words memory at start up. This was the worlds assembler. People say at that moment the global software industry started, people would prepare their programs by punching them on a paper tape. Soon after, the program will be able to be used at this time the pa per was hung on length of line strung up near the paper tape reader. Therefore, I believe that the EDSAC made an important contribution to programming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Delay_Storage_Automatic_Calculator http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mr10/Edsac/edsacposter.pdf http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_uses_of_edsac Jacquard loom The Jacquard loom was invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801. This loom is controlled by punched cards. There are multiple holes punched in each card that make a design of the textile. The way that a hole is punched into the card is by the Bolus hook. Each hook is connected by a harness. These days Jacquards looms are controlled by computers and these computers can have thousands of hooks. The Jacquard loom was the first machine that had the ability to punch cards to control a sequence of operations. This helped the development of computer programming because now programmers didnt have to make their own holes; they could make holes using this loom. Also they could make the holes faster. In conclusion, the Jacquards loom helped the development of programming. http://www.thetapestryhouse.com/aboutproducts/jacquard-loom.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_loom http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/jacquard.htm The Machine That Changed the World Scavenger Hunt Using an internet search engine, find a WWW sites that contains the following statements: 1. Daughter of Lord Byron, mentored by Babbage, called by some the first programmer. Answer: Augusta Ada Lovelace URL: http://wiki.answers.com/ 2. Had a job to speed up the 1890 census and devised a punched-card machine. Answer: Herman Hollerith URL: http://wiki.answers.com/ 3. In 1924 Thomas J. Watson changed the companys name to this name. Answer: International Business Machines. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Watson 4. A 1973 Federal Court ruling officially credited Dr. John V. Atanasoff with this invention. Answer: first automatic electronic digital computer URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vincent_Atanasoff 5. Probably the original mechanical counting device traced back 5,000 years. Answer: The abacus URL: http://www.kraza.itgo.com/html/computer_history.htm 6. This inventor, painter, and sculptor sketched ideas for a mechanical adding machine. Answer: Leonardo da Vinci.   URL: http://wiki.answers.com 7. Created a punched-card system to direct movements of needles, thread, and fabric. Answer: Joseph Jacquard URL: http://wiki.answers.com 8. Howard Aiken completed this electromechanical computer. Answer: The Mark I later making the Mark II Mark III URL: http://wiki.answers.com 9. Dr. John W. ? and Presper ? created the first fully operational electronic computer called ? (3 answers!) Answers: Mauchly and J presper Eckert created the ENIAC (electrical numerical integrator and calculator) URLs: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bleniac.htm 10. IBM introduced the IBM Personal computer or PC in what year. Answer: August 1981 URL: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc25/pc25_intro.html 11. Graphic images where each pixel is bit-mapped and take up more memory. Answer: Bitmap Graphic URL: http://wiki.answers.com 12. Graphic images defined by geometric shapes each of which can define the attributes of many pixels. These use less memory. Answer: Vector Graphics URL: http://wiki.answers.com 13. This professor of mathematics joined the Navy in 1943. She led a distinguished career which included developing software for the UNIVAC1. She led the effort to develop the a business language that eventually became COBOL. Answer: Grace Hopper URL: http://www.thocp.net/biographies/hopper_grace.html 14. This object-oriented version of C programming language is used to develop software for PCs such as Fractal Design Painter, Lotus 123, and games. Answer: C++ URL: http://wiki.answers.com 15. The term for communications between remote devices. Answer: Networking URL: http://wiki.answers.com

MP3 :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MP3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subject: MP3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most exciting and innovative ways to get music these days is not in the mall and not at a huge mega electronic store, it's not even by a mail order CD club, it sits right on a desk and can allow you access to almost any kind of music available right in our home. Technology is changing the way we listen to music now downloading an MP3 from the Internet is as easy if not a lot easier than going to the store and buying the CD. An MP3 is a near CD quality digital recording of a musical piece that is compressed so it can be distributed through the internet. It seems the high prices, new technology, and a big one is availability are causing most music lovers to turn to the internet to lister to their music. It's convenient to search a database for a song you've been wanting to hear by your favorite artist, download it, and copy it on to a CD. More and more people are doing this because with the help of search engines it's possible to find any song imaginable and download it for free. What most people don't realize is that the reproduction of a musical work, distribution of copies of a musical piece, and the public performance of the work without the copyright owner's consent are all violations of copyright laws. However, they do know that getting caught for the is very unlikely. Catching people who violate copyright laws is very hard to find out just who is a fault. Is it the web site promoting pirated music or is it the user who downloads it? Do to digital audio compression technologies and using special software that is readily available and free on the internet, one can download a MPEG 1 layer 3 or MP3 for short, play the music on there computer and with read/write CD's, even make a CD of there own. That would mean people can from there own home create illegal copies of the copyrighted material at or near industrial compact disc quality. Now they even have portable MP3 players so you don't even have to burn a CD, you can just download it to the player were it stores it digitally. Being so convenient and easy to do with such minimal risk of being punished the MP3 is destined to get bigger and bigger.

Dionysus- some ideas :: essays research papers

Within all the text in the â€Å"Dionysus† section the universal theme I found is that the characters were punished by fate for no apparent reason. In one pivotal moment in each story, the innocent character loses free will and henceforth is steered by merciless fate. In the myth of Diana and Actaeon, Actaeon has committed no crime but is punished as if he had. His seeing Diana bathing was the work of fate. As a matter of fact, Hughes reinforces this belief in the first paragraph of the story when he states, â€Å"Destiny, not guilt, was enough for Actaeon. It is no crime to lose your way in the dark wood† (Hughes 97). It is perfectly clear that it was purely fate guiding this story. Actaeon was â€Å"Steered by pitiless fate- whose nudgings he felt only as surges of curiosity† (Hughes 99). At this point one can see that Actaeon has completely lost his free will. It is no longer his decision whether to not go further in the cave. From here on, fate takes control of his life. The only character that has gained a form of justice from this encounter is Diana. By disposing of Actaeon, she won back her purity- the essence of her virginity. This purity she had lost when Actaeon saw her exposed. Her only means of regaining her chastity is by ridding herself of Actaeon. In comparison, there is no justice in this tale for Actaeon. He was simply a victim of fate, which put him in the wrong place at wrong time. The strongest moral of the myth of Diana and Actaeon is that fate carries no preferences. Actaeon committed no crime; he did nothing to anger the gods. Fate catches up to all people regardless of the manner in which they chose to live their lives. Ovid could have used this myth as a basis for explaining to his people why even the innocents suffer in life. However, I found that the morals of this myth are as beauty is to the eyes of a beholder. For example, another one of the possible morals I came up with is that the hunter became the hunted. Diana, being the goddess of the hunt had the power to show Actaeon what it was like to be the hunted. This is brutally demonstrated when Actaeon’s own dogs, which were so peculiarly described (practically all of page 101 is dedicated to the description of these dogs), hunt Actaeon down and ravenously tear him to pieces.

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Soft Corals :: Reproduce Nature Wildlife Essays

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Soft Corals The battle between sexual and asexual reproduction is a competition that has been ongoing for millions of years. Somewhere along the way due to its higher level of genetic variation, sexual reproduction was able to overcome the two fold advantage of asexual reproduction, and now dominates reproduction in organisms. However, some types of organisms such as worms and corals have acquired the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences in asexual and sexual reproduction both from a biological and an evolutionary standpoint and to explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Introduction: Soft corals are very widespread among the Great Barrier Reef and other Indo-Pacific coral reefs. On the Great Barrier Reef they may cover up to 37% of the reef area (Bastidas, et. al, 2001). Even though soft corals are abundant on the Great Barrier Reef they have been overshadowed by the study of hard corals. Very little research has been conducted on them, yet they are just as fascinating as their hard coral neighbors. The main purpose of this paper is to explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually. To do this I will first introduce soft corals, then explain the types of reproduction soft corals are capable of, and finally explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually, using numerous studies to support my claims. Most of the information on this topic was very species specific, but this paper will explain the reproductive evolution of soft corals in a broade r array that will pertain to the scientific order Alcyonacea, or all types of soft corals. What are soft corals? Soft corals are grouped in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, and order Alcyonacea. Their distinguishing characteristic is that their polyps always bear eight tentacles which are on both edges fringed by rows of pinnules (Fabricius and De’ath, 2002). The common name â€Å"soft coral† comes from the fact that they have no massive external skeleton as compared to the more commonly studied hard corals.

Art History: Abstract Art vs Pop Art Essay

There have been different art forms that have come and gone over the course of time. Some of the most intriguing art forms in my mind come from the 20th century. Out of all of these 20th century art forms, geometric abstract art and pop art are my favorite. These two art movements came close to each other in reference to time period. Geometric abstract art originated in the 7th century but became a dominant movement in 1937. Pop art emerged in the 1950s. These two art forms were similar in ways but they had different moods of expression. We will take a closer look at each one of these forms of art. Geometric abstraction form uses lines, squares, triangles and circles painted with primary or secondary colors or are sculpted in steel or aluminum. As mentioned, the focus of geometric abstraction began in New York after the outbreak of World War II where the tradition was continued by the American Abstract Artists group formed in 1937. The War had a great impact on the economy that was struggling to recover. War is always something that has effects on families and friends that have the daily threat of losing loved ones to injuries or even death. Being that art is a mighty way to express one self, geometric abstraction became popular throughout this time in history. The economic recovery after the war was positive and geometric abstract art had a strong impact on the society at that time. This art form has continued and is still seen various places in today’s society. One of the most famous geometric abstract srtists was Kazimir Malevich. Malevich is famous for his painting The Black Spuare. He was known for expressing himself in a spiritual way through his work. Music was one of his main ways to express himself but geometric abstraction was Malevich’s way of expressing â€Å"pure feeling. † This â€Å"pure feeling† is expressed in his work, The Black Square. This square was simply represented many things. It represented feeling, God, a void, and an icon. It is amazing how one great artist can use a simple square that represented so many things. This form of art has passed down to our generation what it means to express yourself through art. The Pop Art period came immediately after the Geometric abstraction period. This form of art originated in Britain way back in the mid 1950’s. Sometime from the late 1950’s, through the 1960’s it made its way into America and flourished throughout the 1970’s. This art was known as â€Å"fun† art because of the sense of humor portrayed in the art. This art period marked the end of modernism and was at the beginning of the postmodern era. â€Å"With respect to pop art, an artist would select required material fro, its source, isolate the entities that it is composed of and combine them with others extracted in a similar manner for consideration (pop art). † The social conditions that may have contributed to this style included the need by the artists to cut out identities and niches, â€Å"due to the academic orientation that was taking shape (pop art). † The term â€Å"pop art† began with artist Lawrence Aalloway. Lawrence was and English art critic that used this term to break away from the dominance of abstract art. The main point of pop art as a whole was to bring art back into the daily life of Americans. One of the most famous Pop Art artist is Andy Warhol. Andy was one of the first artist to use â€Å"repetition for allowing an iconic image to lose all value (pop art). †Andy’s most famous works of art is the Campbell’s soup cans. This started in 1962. Campbell’s soup can labels are very popular even in todays society. We see them on a regular basis in everyday life. Because it is so common, it has had a huge impact on advertisement for the Campbell’s soup company. Pop art began to be a great form of advertisement for many companies. This is one of the biggest impacts that pop art has on today’s society and art world. Little did Andy Warhol know, but his design would still be dominant and popular in 2012. These two art forms can be compared by looking at what the artist were trying to convey. Artists from both forms use their art to express some kind of emotion. They do this by using vibrant and neon colors. There are also the same in that they are both paintings. The main thing that these two art periods have in common is the fact that they occurred around the World War II days. The main difference is that pop art depicts things as opposed to abstract art that has no subject. For example, abstract art uses big canvases and applies paint rapidly for expression as opposed to pop art which brings things of everyday life into art. It does this by using comics, television, and magazines. Pop artist found abstract expressionism to pretentious and intense. Abstract art is mainly based on emotion due to the horror of World War II and the conditions of the times. Pop art brought an era of excitement and enthusiasm through the tough times. It did this through fun forms of logos and advertisement. Pop art relates to abstract art by the idea of emotion being expressed through art, as well as they are both painting eras. For example, the two works of art mentioned earlier, The Black Square and the Campbell’s Soup logo are not drawings or sketching, but rather paintings. These two art forms can be compared by looking at what the artist were trying to convey. Artists from both forms use their art to express some kind of emotion. They do this by using vibrant and neon colors. Abstract artist would pick up paint brushes and began to throw out some designs in form of expression. Pop artists would attempt to express a fun and entertaining vibe through their work. They can also be compared with the fact that they both are paintings and come from the same overall time period. Pop art had a major impact on the art world. Pop art impacted music as pop music began in the 1950’s and 60’s. Pop art was used in the designs for the music covers of music artists such as Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe were also conveyed through pop art. Famous pop artist Andy Warhol developed the concept of silkscreen printing which is used for mass production. Pop art was one of the biggest eras that renovated the art world by giving people and avenue for advertisement that is still used today such as the Campbell’s soup can labels. It was also an avenue for comic books and fashion. All of these things are still found in today’s art world.

A brief history of science education in Ghana Essay

Science education is the cultivation and disciplining the mind and other faculties of an individual to utilize science for improving his life, cope with an increasingly technological world, or pursue science academically and professionally, and for dealing responsibly with science related social issues (Akpan, 1992). Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, was the first African country to the south of the Sahara to gain political independence from colonial rule in 1957. This former British colony of 92,000 square miles (about 238,000 square kilometers) shares boundaries with three French-speaking nations: the Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east. The Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean is to the south of the country. EARLY HISTORY OF EDUCATION BEFORE INDEPENDENCE As was the case in many colonies during the early colonial period, the main goal of education was to ‘make civilization march hand-in-hand with evangelization’ (Anum –Odoom, 2013). This statement gives a clear description of how education in Ghana was implemented at that time. The formal, western-style education in Ghana is directly associated with the history of European activities on the Gold Coast The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive at the Guinea coast in 1471. Their intention to establish schools was expressed in imperial instructions that, in 1529, encouraged the Governor of the Portuguese Castle at Elmina to teach reading, writing, and the Catholic religion to the people. It is imply proven that the Danish, Dutch and the English merchants also set up schools in their forts and castle to educate their mulatto children by native women. Unmistakably linked to the implementation of formal education in Ghana with the Christian missionaries, who realized that in order to spread the word of God, they needed well- educated local assistants. Following the consolidation of the coastal region as the British Gold Coast Colony, the administration became more aggressive in pursuit of its educational policy. This was precipitated by the British purchase of the Danish property at Christiansborg in 1850 and the Dutch Elmina Castle in 1872. To help redress problems faced by the mission schools—such as training local teachers and improving the quality of education—the administration made grants to both the Wesleyan and Basel missions in 1874. In the Educational Ordinance of 1882, government grants to denominational schools were made dependent on an assessment of the level of efficiency. The schools receiving grant-in-aid were defined as â€Å"government assisted schools,† but their primary funding was to come from the missions themselves and from other private sources. On the Gold Coast, the appointment of Brigadier General Gordon Guggisberg as governor brought its own advantages. During his tenure from 1919 through 1927, Governor Guggisberg initiated several major developmental programs that included educational improvements as a critical ingredient in his construction of a modern Gold Coast. While the previous administration had seen the provision of elementary schools by the various Christian missions as adequate, Guggisberg was of the conviction that the current system could not sustain future developments. In fact, only a few months after his arrival, the governor presented a 10-year development plan for the Gold Coast. Among other things, funding was aggressively sought for post elementary education for boys and girls. Even though the administration proposed a technical college for Accra, the Prince of Wales College (now Achimota College) was the real trophy of the administration’s educational program. This non denominational school catered for students from kindergarten to the pre university level. THE BIRTH OF SCIENCE EDUCATION The inadequacies inherent in the system of education were observed in the post-World War I appeal made by the Foreign Missions Conference of North America to the Phelps-Stokes Funds for a review of the state of education in Africa. The Phelps-Stokes Commission on Africa issued reports in 1922 and 1925 in which educators were criticized for inadequately catering to the social and economic needs of the continent. The commission of which James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey was a member, called for instructions in the mechanical operations necessary for the improvement of the condition of the mass majority of the people. This included science education and character training. The Phelps-Stokes fund’s founded in 1920, is an African Education Commission represented one of the early attempts to link black Africa with Negro America. The attempt to forge this link represented a concerted policy on the part of a number of missionary and philanthropic groups in the United Kingdom and the United States to draw attention to what seemed to be analogous situations-politically, socially, and economically. Ghana is said to be the first independent sub-Saharan African country outside South Africa to embark on a comprehensive drive to promote science education and the application of science in industrial and social development (Anamuah-Mensah, 1999). Science Education after Independence After Phelps- stokes commission had pushed for the birth of science education in Africa in general and in particular, Gold Coast, there has not been any clear cut national policy for science education in Ghana up to date (Ahmed, 2013). Dr Kwame Nkrumah who aimed at achieving Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education instituted an Act called 1961 Act, (Act 87) . This Act was to make Basic education free and Compulsory and anyone who fails to send his or her child to school was made to pay a fund by the Minister for education. The education system at that point consisted of six year of primary education, followed by four-years of secondary education. At the end of the four years suitable students went on to do a two-year sixth form course that could lead to a three year University course. Students, who were not suitable to continue, completed two- year of pre-vocational classes. The Nkrumah government encouraged the learning of science by instituting a special scholarship scheme which enabled science and agriculture undergraduates to enjoy scholarships a little higher than those of their counterparts in the humanities. This facility was withdrawn after 1966. Science and mathematics teachers were also paid a little more than their colleagues in the humanities. (Djangmah, 2007) The Reforms The seven year development plan instituted by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was short lived. The system was later regarded as too long and too academic. Thus Dzobo Education Reforms of 1974 saw a reform of the system, instating the Junior Secondary School (now Junior High School) on an experimental basis. The Junior Secondary School introduced practical subjects and activities allowing students to acquire occupational skills, which after an apprenticeship lead to the qualification for self-employment. Due to a wide range of factors such as the economic decline, bureaucracy and sheer lack of interest the JSS-system never went beyond the experimental phase. By 1983 the education system was in a state of crisis. It faced drastic reductions in Government financing, lack of educational materials, and deterioration of school structures, low enrollment levels and high dropout rates. With the assistance of several development partners (World Bank, Department for International Development (ODA) and international grants) the education system was reviewed and proposals were implemented in 1987 known as Evans-Anfom reforms. In 1987, Ghana’s Ministry of Education introduced a restructured educational system that gradually replaced the British-based O-level and A-level system. The transition was completed in June, 1996, when the last class took A-level exams. The last O-level exams were administered in June 1994, although a remedial exam was offered through 1999 (Keteku, 2013) The 1987 Reforms had strengths as well as weaknesses. One of the strengths was that it provided a comprehensive Basic Education which improved access to education for more children of school-going age. Junior Secondary Schools were provided throughout the country and this helped to increase literacy levels. The reform also introduced Continuous Assessment which formed part of the final examination. This ensured that internal assessment in schools was included in the final examinations and this ended the single-shot examination existing in the old system. The Anamuah-Mensah Report recommended similar structure of education just like the Evans-Anfom Report of 1986. The difference was the inclusion of two (2) years of Kindergarten education as part of Basic Education and Apprenticeship training for leavers of the Junior Secondary School who unable to or do not want to continue in the formal sector. The implementation of the Anamuah-Mensah Reforms began in September 2007, and it was faced with initial problems. These problems included delay in the supply of syllabuses and textbooks for the smooth take-off of the programme, and teachers were not adequately prepared in terms of training to implement the reforms. These problems were later dealt with as the implementation of the reforms progressed. The next major problem being anticipated is the inadequate classrooms and other facilities as students will enter the fourth year of Senior High School in September 2010. The Way Forward For Science Education Promotion of science education in the country will depend on three drivers of change, namely, funding, teaching and interventions, and research (Akyeampong ,2007) Funding Knowledge is not cheap. Science, technology and mathematics knowledge required to move the country into the knowledge society can never be cheap. Government’s commitment to science education should be demonstrated in the level of resources allocated to science and technology. Laboratories and workshops in the schools, teacher training colleges, universities and polytechnics should be well equipped and new ones constructed to take into consideration the increasing student population. Research The knowledge society thrives on the creation of new knowledge. Research provides the means by which new knowledge is created. Resources, both material and human, for research in science and technology are woefully inadequate or non-existent. This has had a profound effect on the development of post graduate research in the universities. A number of measures need to be taken to strengthen research in science and technology in order to meet the demands of the country. The following are being suggested: †¢Research in research institutions and the universities should be adequately funded. †¢Most researches carried out in the universities are those that interest the researchers and are hence supply-driven; the Government should challenge our scientists and provide funds to carry out research on problems confronting the country. This can be done through the provision of research funds to be competed for by all scientists in the country. †¢Establish a National Science Research Facilities Centre equipped with world class specialized facilities which are normally expensive and therefore beyond the means of single institutions, to provide opportunities for Ghanaian researchers to carry out scientific research and development and retain local researchers as well as attract foreign ones. †¢To improve the quality of science education at all levels, research in science and technology should include research on teaching and learning science, technology and mathematics. †¢Institute special awards for best researchers and science teachers. This could be termed the President’s Award for Science to be given annually. We need to celebrate achievement. †¢Set up a formal scheme for mentoring the Youth- This is critical to the development of a career path in science for the youth. Mentors excite interest in junior colleagues and help them to â€Å"walk the path†. This experience is however rare in the universities. These days, newly recruited scientists struggle to keep afloat with little or no support. A formal mentoring system should be established in all institutions to ensure that young scientists recruited into the universities or research institutions are attached to professors and senior scientists in their fields of study to receive advice and support. The mentoring can take the form of joint research, publications and presentations at conferences and seminars. †¢To raise the level of awareness of science and technology innovation (research) and foster a synergy among education, industry and research institutes, a project referred to as SMART. MOVES in some countries should be established in secondary schools. This project will involve encouraging schools through visits, presentations and seminars to work on problem solving projects with support from the community. The projects will be assessed and students with innovative and creative projects will be invited to present their projects at a Junior Scientist Conference which will be attended by senior scientists who can later act as mentors for the students. Prizes will be given to students based on the quality of project and presentation. The Ghana Academy of Science and Arts can take up this. Conclusion The vision of the National Science and Technology Policy is: â€Å"to support national socio-economic development goals with a view to lifting Ghana to a middle income status by the year 2020 through the perpetuation of a science and technology culture at all the levels of society, which is driven by the promotion of innovation and the mastery of known and proven technologies and their application in industry, and other sectors of the economy†. (MEST, 2000) This vision can become a reality when science education is given a boost at all levels of education. It has been suggested that the promotion of science education hinges on three pillars – funding, teaching and intervention, and research. Without adequate funding, quality teachers, supportive intervention activities and research to illuminate our understanding, science education will have no impact on the everyday lives of Ghanaians; and the observation made by the National Development Planning Commission will remain true. Our national vision for science and technology will be therefore be meaningless. REFERENCES Ahmed, M. (2012). Ghana to launch National Science policy. Retrieved 4th October, 2013, from http://www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel. php? ID=235350. Akpan, O. E. (1992) Toward Creative Science teaching and learning in West African school. Ghana: catholic Press Akyeampong, K. (Centre for International Education, University of Sussex, England) in his lecture on â€Å"50 Years of Educational Progress and Challenge in Ghana†, at Parliament House, London, England; 2007 Anamuah-Mensah, J. (1999). Science and Technology Education in Ghana. A paper delivered at the National education Forum on the theme: Towards Sustaining an Effective National Education System, held at the Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, 17-19th November. Anum-Odoom, A. K. M . Educational Reforms in Ghana, 1974-2007. Retrieved on 12th October, 2013, from http://www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/blogs/blog. article. php? blog=2091&ID=1000004125- Djangmah, J. S. Clarifying Ghana’s national vision for the application of science and technology to development. Retrieved on 12th October, 2013, from http://www. ghanansem. org/index. php? option=com_content&task=view&id=234 Keteku, N. W (EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN GHANA: THE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL). Retrieved 10th October, 2013, from http://www. bibl. u-szeged. hu/oseas_adsec/ghana. htm Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) (2000). National Science and Technology Policy Document. Accra: MEST.