Monday, December 30, 2019

The Research Problem Using Qualitative Methodology

Examining research problem using qualitative methodology are basically non-numerical and show great diversity. It involves any form of human communication which could either be written, audio or visual. The qualitative methodology used in solving problems, or explaining what actually happened. However, using qualitative methods to examine the research problem involves two activities: developing an awareness of the types of data can be described and explained; and also the practical activities that assist with the kinds of data and the large amounts of it that needs to be examined (Gibbs, 2007). However, this paper will explore the examination of the research problem using a qualitative methodology. It will also restate the†¦show more content†¦This leads to employees quitting from the job. Another source of conflict exists between employees; arguments and competition for promotion, position and performance being the causes. Employees resigning from jobs in large numbers coul d lead to lower productivity and bad organizational reputation in most situations. Conflicts are critical part of human relationship; many organizations have devised methods to resolve them in a manner that maintains cohesion, economic stability in order to minimize negative outcomes which are certain for employees unless the conflicts between them and management are successfully managed through resolutions. With this in mind, it is worth noting that employees and management of various organizations have stressed the need for fast decisions that will encourage or support good personal relationship among people. Conflict varies and come in different forms. In the organizational setting, it comes through job retention or desires to be met, employer/employee disagreements and settlement, confidentiality reports and information sharing; all these leads to change in feeling and attitude. However, there are conflict management challenges facing many organizations in Nigeria. It is phenome nal, but can be controlled or managed. Notably, there seems to be growing importance of the conflict in various organizations. Olu Adesobomi (2013) in a survey revealed that managers spend most of their time handling issues and that conflict management is

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Goal of Buddhism - 1104 Words

The goal of Buddhism is to lead a group to understand the world and the truths that surround it, but it is the goal for one person to reach full enlightenment on their own. In Buddhism it is the Buddha who is the â€Å"awakened one,† and in The Matrix, Neo, known as â€Å"the One,† who become the enlightened beings as well as coming to understand the world as it truly is. In Siddhartha’s case, he seeks the truth about life after he is brought face to face with sickness, old age, asceticism and death. Just like Siddhartha, we see Neo’s life before he is introduced to the real world, one filled with unanswered questions. Just like Siddhartha’s curiosity which lead him to leave society, Neo’s curiosity to find answers lead him to Morpheus who then introduced him to the matrix. For both Siddhartha and Neo this is only the beginning of their journey towards enlightenment. The difference between these two is that unlike Siddhartha, Neo did no t have any worldly attachments except for having to leave behind the world he knew, or thought, was real. Also, unlike Siddhartha, Neo’s absence of a family made it that much easier to seek the truth. The main truths of the Buddhist world are commonly known as the Four Noble Truths. The first three truths focus on the roots of suffering and how it comes from one’s desires and attachments to â€Å"things† that we cannot actually have. The first truth, that all life is suffering, can be seen when Morpheus explains what the real world is to Neo, whoShow MoreRelatedThe Fundamental Goal Of Buddhism1543 Words   |  7 PagesThe first of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism is that life as we know it is unsatisfactory. Life is filled with suffering; there is pain, old age, sickness and death. Nothing in the world is permanent, or able to provide substantial satisfaction. This might seem like a very cynical outlook, but the three remaining truths explain the cause of s uffering and how it can be overcome. In Buddhist doctrine, the key to overcoming suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The first step of the EightfoldRead MoreThe Goals of Hinduism and Buddhism Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pages2. Hinduism and Buddhism are traditions that originated from the Vedic sacrifice practice, and they share a common foundation in their view of existence. What are the similarities, and very importantly, the differences in their respective focuses and goals? Also included in this topic: For a time, Buddhism became a dominant tradition in much of India, but then Hinduism rose to become the dominant tradition. There are relatively few Buddhists in India today, especially in comparison to the numberRead MoreBuddhism : Two Teachings And One Ultimate Goal3055 Words   |  13 PagesBrandi Peavy Jeremy Rottini Research Paper April 26, 2015 Buddhism: Two Teachings; One Ultimate Goal When someone mentions the word â€Å"Buddha†, one thing typically comes to mind and that is probably a fat and joyful man sitting with his legs crossed. This is a common statue for Buddhism, however that statue only represents a small aspect of the religion that we know as Buddhism. Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest and most significant religions (Malloy pg. 124). There are numerous sects withinRead MoreExploring the Moral Teachings and Life Goals Within Buddhism and Judaism1948 Words   |  8 PagesBuddhism and Judaism are both rich with moral and ethical instructions that direct their followers on how to live and act. These teachings not only guide mankind in proper behavior, but also offer obedient believers a manner in which to end strife and suffering by achieving Nirvana which brings the end to the circle of rebirth in Buddhism, and in Judaism reaching the ultimate goal of deliverance and eternal salvation. This paper will explore the similarities and diff erences between Buddhist and JewishRead MoreCompare and Contrast Hinduism and Buddhism Essay674 Words   |  3 PagesHinduism and Buddhism Some people may think that Hinduism and Buddhism are the same religions with just two different names. They aren’t, Buddhism and Hinduism both have different types of rituals, holidays, founders, and so-on. The two extensive religions of Hinduism and Buddhism have lots of information behind themselves. They are made up of cultures, rituals, practices, and many other things. â€Å"Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of timeRead MoreThe Moving Role of Buddhism in the United States1184 Words   |  5 PagesFor more than a hundred of years, Buddhism has played a moving role in the United States. At first, the teachings of Buddhism were quietly practiced among Chinese and Japanese immigrants on the west coast, but it quickly became a thriving religion in the United States performed by millions. These ambitious supporters have produced millions of books, magazines, television shows, and even movies. Different volumes on â€Å"The Art of Zen† are shelved in bookstores, [. The] the Dalai Lama has been characterizedRead MoreHinduism Vs. Buddhism970 Words   |  4 PagesHinduism and Buddhism are two of the most interesting religions in the world. To date, people still practice these religions in varying parts of the world especially in India. Although originating from Ancient India, some have difficult y in differentiating between the two. Hinduism and Buddhism share many similarities and also differ immensely. What is Hinduism? Hinduism, often referred to as Sanatana Dharma is the largest of the eastern religion and one of the oldest in the world. â€Å"HinduismRead More Hinduism Essay841 Words   |  4 Pages-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 19, 1997 By Jordan Bruins Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C. but no one person founded Hinduism as it evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha orRead MoreBuddhism : The Popularity Of Buddhism1306 Words   |  6 PagesBuddhism Culture in China Instructor Dr. Jack Name: Zhoudongxue Zhang Student #: 100311725 Date: 26/11/2015 The Popularity of Buddhism in China Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in the world. The Pew Research Center reports that nearly 488 million people practice Buddhism, which represents 7% to 8% of the world’s entire population. Buddhism is mainly practiced in the Asia-Pacific region with approximately 481,290,000 Buddhists, which means 99% of Buddhists live in Asia-PacificRead MoreChristian View of Buddhism764 Words   |  4 PagesBuddhism is one of the largest religions in the world, and it is continually expanding throughout the world. Buddhism comes from budhi, which means to awaken, the goal of Buddhism. Buddhism is a very open and adaptive religion. Because of this, there are over 80,000 different types of Buddhism. The two most widest beleived being Mahayanna and Theraveda. There are about 3-4 million Buddhists in America now. Buddhism is rich in history and it appeals to millions, as it spreads messages of peace

Friday, December 13, 2019

Compare and Contrast, from Cholos to Surfers and My Latino Heart Free Essays

The connections in these two stories is that in Mr. Lopez story is that a young boy is troubled because he is not sure on what being a â€Å"Mexican† is all about, and that ties in with what is California image really trying to say. The next story â€Å"Of Cholos and Surfers† is a depiction of a young boy also, but he is having trouble trying to break out of the tradition of being a normal â€Å"Mexican† and do what he is more comfortable doing. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast, from Cholos to Surfers and My Latino Heart or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the story of â€Å"My Latino Heart† it is about a young teenager who is having trouble finding what the Mexican culture is all about. He is not sure on how to fit in with his Mexican culture. The identity of his culture is hard for him to comprehend. He asked his mother â€Å" What am I†. His mother answered â€Å" You’re a Mexican American† He replied â€Å" But what does that mean†. He couldn’t didn’t know what his parents were trying to tell him. He did not think he was Mexican because he couldn’t speak the Spanish. He wanted to have a answer to his question. He went to his Aunt and asked her what it meant to be a Mexican American. His Aunt replied â€Å" You’re you†. Again he was not sure of what this meant? He didn’t get another opportunity to ask his Aunt again because she had died of alcoholism. When the family had a gathering he shied away from the younger parts of his family, and went to the adults to see what his Aunt was really like when she was alive and didn’t drink. He could get a sense of what being a Mexican meant. Remembering the people that had died and to never forget them. To think of the good things about the person and to credit them for their influence they had in his life. Also in the lives that she had contact with long enough to make a difference in their lives. In the story â€Å"Of Cholos and Surfers† this teenage boy depicted by the author Jack Lopez, was a boy who lived in a Mexican family in the Los Angeles area. His family was a family who kept their roots, and never forgot where they came from. Also there were two sides of the neighborhood were they grew up. You were either a cholo or a surfer. This young teenage boy had more of a interest in the surfer lifestyle. He wanted to be a surfer so bad that he wore clothes that the surfers would wear. His family would not allow to him to have his hair down to his ears. His friends in junior high where Sheldon Cohen and Tom Gheridelli. They were both surfers. He naturally became good friends with them because they had the same interest. He wanted to buy a surfer magazine that cost forty-five dollars. He would read Surfer Quarterly, and other surfer magazines with his friends at Sportsman Park under the bleachers. Him and his dad made an agreement that his dad would take him to get a magazine in Vermont. When he and his dad arrived in Vermont they got the magazine his father looked at him and said â€Å" Is that it? †. He didn’t believe that his son was serious about getting the magazine. When his father got to the counter to pay for the magazine, the clerk and his dad were poking fun at the magazine in Spanish. In these stories starting with â€Å"My Latino Heart† and the California myth of a glamorous life is this; in this story, this young boy wants to know what it means to be a Latino/Mexican. He asks’ his Aunt, his father, and his mother on what it means to be Mexican. He has to go to through a journey and figure out on what this Mexican culture is all about. n the story â€Å" Of Cholos and Surfers† the similarities of this story to that of the California dream is this. This young boy wanted something more out of his life. He did not think that the life of a cholo was the right life for him. He wanted to do something that he thought would have purpose and that made sense to him, and something that would make him succeed. Even though his parents did not like the idea. He was willing to make that dream come true. How to cite Compare and Contrast, from Cholos to Surfers and My Latino Heart, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Problematic Trends of Project Delivery in Australia

Question: Discuss about theProblematic Trends of Project Delivery in Australia. Answer: Introduction The project delivery is the method by which the production stakeholders decide the various aspect of the project regarding the finances, development, operation and upkeep of the project (Kovvuri et al. 2016). In the present scenario, the Australian market faces various challenges that affect the delivery of the project. This work aims to analyze the various reasons behind the problematic trend. Lack of Communication Communication is the process by which the interchange of information among the various people takes place. The importance of communication if fully recognized in the case of project implementation where the manage needs to dictate the specific goals that have been laid out by the client. If the manager fails to make the team understand the specific goals, the project is bound to fail in spite of the presence of the best workforce in the world (Hwang and Ng 2013). The outcome will fail to impress the clients. With the advent of industrialization, many machines were created that eased the life of people. The industrialization gave telephone which has made a long distance call reality. The present age digitization too serves the same purpose with much more security features added to them. The communication these days have been so fast that people around the world can be accessed within a second. But the advanced media has made the human lazier. As the presence at the location is not man datory for adding the value in the system, people avoid traveling, which not only reduces the valuable experience that could have been gained by physical presence but also reduces the strength of the bond between the stakeholders (Walker 2015). Hence these distancing bonds create misunderstanding leading to problems in a project. Lack of Specificity The lack of specificity can also be attributed to a communication gap between the stakeholders. Since the advanced communications forces us to think that the physical presence is not mandatory the minute details of the project is often missed creating the absence of specificity. Also, the huge industrialization has created a lot of machineries, and the theories that are behind the various streams of studies can be mastered by a single person (A. Makarova and Sokolova 2014). This vast knowledge that has been derived from the small knowledge pool just within two decades has created a talent pool that believes that specificity is not mandatory in a system. Thus the old engineers fail to realize the importance of the specific details of the system which land the project into trouble (Chen and Nakayama 2016). Hence the knowledge and the industry requirements should be simultaneously updated to create a system that understands the importance of details. Micromanaging the Projects The technologies have made the world very small. Due to this technological advancement, the working of the staffs can be monitored almost real time creating a system that is extremely tight thus totally reducing the chances of committing mistakes and reducing the experimentation (etindamar Phaal and Probert 2016). The newer manager with the advanced tools tends to be overly sensitive towards the mistakes and tend to behave like law enforcers in the company. Since the learning mechanism is hampered due to continuous monitoring of the process, it is highly suggested that the managers should decide an interval in which a specific target should be achieved (Ward and Peppard 2016). This should be done with great enthusiasm, and the failure should be treated in a proper way so that the workers are not too much pressed to produce work in a single go. Expecting Software to Solve all the Issues With the advent of the computer plethora of software are available to simulate the real time environment and to solve the real time issue. The software has been a boon to automate various aspect of the human actions. The software like MS Office totally automates the calculations and the tedious tasks that used to take a lot of human hours (Ahmed and Boutaba 2014). The other software that is available solves the other aspects of the human issues. But it should be understood that not all software are available for sorting out every problem encountered in real life. The software should be treated as a tool to simplify the actions not to totally resolve it. Since the present generation is extremely dependent upon the software, it has been found that this has led to unreal expectations that lead to setting up of unreal goals (Guess 2015). This can be seen as the negative impact of the technology on the human life. Budget In the above section, it has been presented that the technology creates an impression that every issue can be sorted out with the help of the technology, which makes the project look like a cake walk. The advanced machinery also contributes to the factor that makes people think that the automation can sort out every issue (Ojala 2013). Although the same may be true, the budgetary constraints make the project unreal. The budget allocation becomes a problem in almost all the project and often results in an overrun (Aurum et al. 2013). Hence it can be seen that average software that is being implemented in the country exceeds both the time limit and the estimated budget. Dependency Conflicts The advanced technologies have made the world smaller with the help of the various technologies like telephone, the internet, etc. the person of interest can be accessed crossing the physical boundaries that were one very difficult to cross (Garca-Mireles et al. 2013). This has resulted in collaboration between the experts who live in various continents. Since the physical presence is absent in these cases the scenario totally changes, the communication gap exists which leads to the development of the Unreal dependencies. The unreal dependencies lead to conflicts which create trouble for the project. Hence it should be understood that the assimilation should be treated as an option and not as the remedy to all the incidents. Clear Ideas about the limitation of technologies will also help in realizing the dependencies of the personnel thus leading to better management of the projects. References Makarova, E. and Sokolova, A., 2014. Foresight evaluation: lessons from project management.Foresight,16(1), pp.75-91. Ahmed, R. and Boutaba, R., 2014. Design considerations for managing wide area software defined networks.IEEE Communications Magazine,52(7), pp.116-123. Aurum, A., Jeffery, R., Wohlin, C. and Handzic, M. eds., 2013.Managing software engineering knowledge. Springer Science Business Media. etindamar, D., Phaal, R. and Probert, D., 2016.Technology management: activities and tools. Palgrave Macmillan. Chen, C.C., and Nakayama, M., 2016. Key factors increasing the trust and intention to adopt standard cloud-based applications. International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management,8(2), pp.144-159. Garca-Mireles, G.A., Moraga, M.., Garca, F. and Piattini, M., 2013, June. A framework to support software quality trade-offs from a process-based perspective. InEuropean Conference on Software Process Improvement(pp. 96-107). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Guess, A.K., 2015. Leadership Advantage: A People Person.Journal of Leadership, Accountability, and Ethics,12(4), p.59. Hwang, B.G. and Ng, W.J., 2013. Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), pp.272-284. Kovvuri, P.R.R., Sawhney, A., Ahuja, R. and Sreekumar, A., 2016. Efficient Project Delivery Using Lean Principles-An Indian Case Study.Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series A,97(1), pp.19-26. Ojala, A., 2013. Software-as-a-Service Revenue models. Walker, A., 2015.Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons. Ward, J. and Peppard, J., 2016.The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. John Wiley Sons.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

What Happened In World War II Essays - , Term Papers

What happened in World War II? The war didn't just start one day. Many events led up to this vivid memory. The whole thing is based on propaganda and beliefs of a man named Aldof Hitler. In January 1933 he became chancellor of Germany. As soon as he was in office he put laws on the Jews community. Germany became obsessed with power and soon they are invading Poland, Britain, Norway, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. War was on. The war was a war on the world. Throughout Europe war was lose. The Holocaust was in full swing. Jews were being sent to camps by the train full. Normandy invasion caused over 10,000 deaths and that was just on the French side. The Battle of the Bulge was a huge surprise attack, which caused German to lose tons of skilled labors. Germany was determined, they fought until May 1945. The United States was in a battle for life with Japan. In December 1941 Japan dropped a bomb on Pearl Harbor causing the day to be know as "The day of Infamy." This was the start of the US battles. The US became paranoid and placed Japanese Americans in Internment camps'. Japan and the US fought continuously over land. The Battle of Midway, and Iwo Jima were two of the biggest battles, the US won both. Japan still wouldn't give up. They continued to fight and began a plan of attack. They had a top-secret weapon, the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was dropped in two major cities, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. 75,000 people died, Japan gave up. The war ended on August 9, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The US hit Japan where it hurt, and the damages are unforgettable. In May 1945 German gave up, and surrendered causing a victory for the allies. The over all lose was huge, millions of Jews, millions of Americans, millions of Japanese, millions and millions of people all over the world paid the ultimate sacrifice through out this tireless war, death.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The 11 Best SAT Books Recommended for SAT Prep

The 11 Best SAT Books Recommended for SAT Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips With so many SAT prep books to choose from, how can you tell the good ones from the bad ones? Well, not to worry because we've evaluated SAT books for you! This fully updated guide gives you our recommendations for the top 11 SAT preparation books to help you achieve the scores you want. To best outline the differences, I've divided the books into four main sections: Best Overall SAT Prep Book Best Traditional SAT Prep Books for Instruction, Strategy, and Practice Questions Best Books for SAT Math Best Books for SAT Reading and Writing Before jumping into our SAT book recommendations, though, allow me to give you a word about myperspective. Disclaimer: Why Am I Recommending SAT Books? You're probably wondering why PrepScholar, known for its online SAT prep program, is going old school and recommending an SAT book list. As SAT experts who have made it our mission to understand the test and help students succeed, we are dedicated to providing you with the best resources to achieve both your academic and personal goals. If you're self-motivated and prefer using SAT books in your prep, then they can be a great way to learn content, practice strategies, and try out sample questions. That being said, all the SAT prep books recommended below have strengths and weaknesses. Several of them seem as if they were rushed to publication, while others unfortunately don't offer the same level of quality that they did in previous versions. I believe PrepScholar has managed to integrate the best parts of these books into its online prep program while adding the helpful element of accountability. We help you plan out and stick to your study schedule, keep track of your progress, and hone the specific skills and practice problem types you need most in order to improve your scores. With prep books, you can try to customize your study plan to your specific needs too- but with PrepScholar, we do all that heavy lifting for you. Plus, considering the huge gains you can get from it, it's much more cost effective than buying all these books! Since we're not necessarily benefiting from these SAT book recommendations, you can trust that our advice is neutral, objective, and based onboth our andstudents' real experiences with these SAT preparation books. Now that we've got all that out of the way, let's move on to our list of SAT books. Because the best representation of SAT questions always come from the test makers themselves, I'll be starting this list with the College Board's Official SAT Study Guide. The College Board's Official SAT Study Guide, 2018 Edition Price: $15-$20 on Amazon In past years, I told students that the College Board’s SAT guide was the number one, critical book they had to have in their study arsenal. Now, I’m saying pretty much the opposite- don’t bother! Why? Because you can find all of its material for free online. In a helpful move, the College Board has asserted its commitment to transparency by providing free online SAT practice materials (they’re also strongly promoting their partnership with Khan Academy, which offers useful video explanations to go along with official SAT questions). Some students and educators were disappointed to buy The Official Study Guide book only to find that its practice tests were the same exact ones offered online. So does this book offer anything beyond SAT practice tests? It does dedicate a bunch ofpages to explaining the test structure, basic strategies, and answer explanations. Since you can find the majority of this info online, though, I don't recommend buying the official guide unless you really want all the material printed out for you. If you have access to a printer and a working internet connection, I’d say to take advantage of the free online material and learn about the SAT that way. The total number of tests is stilllimited, so you might space out these SAT practice tests throughout your prep as a way to gauge your progress and determine what concepts you need to study most. In-between these tests, you can supplement with questions from other books on this list. Read on for the pros and cons of the best overall SAT prep book, along with the best books by SAT section. Best Overall SAT Prep Book: Kallis' SAT Pattern Strategy Price: About $30 on Amazon Students and educators alike have reported having great experiences withKallis’ Redesigned SAT Pattern Strategybook. This book providessix full-length practice tests,addingup to around 24 hours of practice testing. Pros The SAT questions are generally realistic and closely mimic official test questions. Kallis goes beyond the official guide's simple explanations to give step-by-step answer explanations for each question. These in-depth descriptions help you understand any mistakes and fix them for next time- a key strategy forimproving your scores. The book discusses 101 topics you’ll find on the SAT and offers a clear, focused presentation of fundamental concepts in grammar, literature, and math.Beyond content review, this book gives some analysis ofthe various question types, allowing you to take a more strategic approach to your prep. Kallis goes over the structure, format, and topics covered on the SAT in detail, so you’ll have a strong grasp of logistics before test day. This review will save you time in having to read any instructions and pace yourself since you’ll know exactly what to expect on the SAT. Cons While this book does a good job providing realistic practice questions and content review, it’s less helpful for learning keySAT strategies, such as time management and the process of elimination. Because this book emphasizes a "learning by doing" approach, it doesn't spend a lot of time going over mindset and critical test-taking strategies. This book is relatively expensive at around $30 on Amazon. It requires a lot of independence and self-discipline. You’ll need to take responsibility for dividing up the material in the most effective way and designing and sticking to a productive study plan. While the practice questions are there, it’s up to you to put in the work and make the most out of them. Best Traditional SAT Prep Books for Instruction, Strategy, and Practice Questions The following SAT prep books are of decent quality but have some serious weaknesses as well. The following four books are the best currently availablefor content review and practice problems. Let's go over the pros and cons of each. SAT Prep Black Book, 2nd Edition Price:$20-$25 on Amazon I highly recommendSAT Prep Black Bookfor itsinsightful strategies and test advice.The SAT Black Book, as it's called, was written by Mike Barrett, who's taken the time to understand the test inside and out. In it, he goes over the different types of questions and introduces critical tips, such as how to recognize tricky wording and"distractor" answer choices. Pros This book is excellent for students who want to learn about the structure, format, and tricks of the SAT, and for those who want togain practical strategies when it comes to answering questions and saving time. It can be useful for students of all levels,since Barrettcustomizes his advice depending on your target score. It providesthorough answer explanations for questions on the first four official SAT practice tests. Where the College Board fails to walk you through the steps of a practice problem or explain why other answer choices are incorrect, this book guides you through each question on each practice test in detail. It can help change your mindset when actually taking the SAT. You can incorporate the book's explanations and strategies into your own approach so that you're more confident when answering each question type.While the Black Book is great for strategy, though, it's less helpful for studying concepts. Cons It doesn't have any of its own SAT practice questions. Instead, the book must be used in conjunction with the official SAT practice tests. It refers directly to official SAT questions and gives thorough explanations, especially for the hardest questions. The Black Book focuses on strategy and understanding the SAT, so it's not the strongest resource for reviewing concepts and content. If you're looking to completely relearn sentence parallelism or linear functions,for instance, you'd need an additional resource. Although I find this book to be written in a pretty engaging style, this is entirely a matter of opinion;in other words,Barrett's explanation style and test strategies might not work for everyone. McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2019 Price:$10-$15 on Amazon If you’re looking for an informative overview of the structure and content of the SAT, then McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2019is a decent choice. At more than 750 pages long, this massive bookgoes over the SAT in great detail, from the number of questions to the time limits on each section, so you can know exactly what to expect on test day. Pros It containsfive full-length SAT practice tests,including one diagnostic test. These are all fairly realistic and include thorough answer explanations for each question. The book's practice questions are realistic and resemble official questions. Specifically, the Math questions feature real-world scenarios you'd likely see on the SAT, with problems revolving around topics such as temperature and selling tickets for a performance. The book isextremely strong in its presentation of SAT Math concepts. It breaks down all the major topics in detail, from expressions and linear systems to less commonly tested ideas such as geometry, basic trig, and complex numbers. It gives you helpful guidance when it comes to mapping out your SAT study plan.Similar to our own SAT prep program, this book suggests beginning your prep with a diagnostic SAT practice test and using it to shape your study plan. It also offers some crucial strategies, such as improving your calculator fluency so you know when it'll be useful and when it'll just slow you down Cons It's weak inreviewing Reading and Writing. While the book goes over the Math section in detail, its presentation of the two verbal sections is more limited and even a little unusual. Its review of the sections ismore conceptual and experimental than it is specific to the SAT. For instance, the book features chapters with titles like "Language of Truth, Truthfulness, and Beauty" and the "Language of Dissent, Criticism, and Rebellion." While these sections might sound interesting to book lovers, they aren’t really relevant to the SAT- a feature I consider critical when prepping for this unique, idiosyncratic test. Barron's SAT, 29th Edition Price:$20-$25 on Amazon Barron's SAT, 29th Editionis another thorough prep book that offers ample content review, sample questions, and SAT practice tests. Pros The book containsfour full-length practice tests, in addition to access totwo more full-length online practice tests.This gives you tons of opportunities to practice. It offers a diagnostic test, a helpful tool to familiarize you with the SAT, get you into a testing mindset, and help you note any weaknesses you'll need to address moving forward. Barron’s is very comprehensive and covers most of the topics you need to know for the SAT. Because of its dense format, it’s typically more effective for high scorers who can engage quickly with the content and maintainfocus throughout. If you can divide up and scaffold the material in a manageable way, there's no doubt you'll gain some valuable practice with this SAT prep book. Cons Barron’s has been criticized for recycling practice questions from its old booksrather than creating new SAT content, and this problem remains in this edition as well. Simply reusing old questions won’t give you a realistic sense of the question types and concepts on the SAT. This book appears especially guilty of this in its math sections, where it alsolacks sufficient focus on algebra- a major component of the test. Some of the questions are overly confusing and have complicated wording.By contrast, real SAT test questions call for in-depth reasoning skills while using relatively straightforward wording. Therefore, the questions you’ll get in Barron's, while helpful, might ultimately be too hard and not as useful as they could be for your test prep. The Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT, 2019 Edition Price:About $15 on Amazon (and $20-$25 for premium edition) Similar to Barron's, The Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT, 2019 Edition prep book provides a comprehensive review of the SAT,covering concepts you need to know, such as grammar rules and algebraic functions, along with strategies for approaching the test questions and managing your time. Pros It containsfour full-length practice tests and one additional practice testyou can access online (or, if you get the premium version, you'll have access to three more online, giving you a total of eight practice tests!). The book offersthorough answer explanationsfor practice questions, which help you think about how you can approach similar questions in the future and on test day. There's an online component that helps you score your practice tests. Cons The Princeton Review shares one of Barron’s biggest drawbacks:some of its questions have overly elaboratewording and therefore don’t match the straightforward style of official SAT questions that well. While the practice tests are helpful, they're not the best representation of SAT questions. Some of the book's content review and questions are too conceptually easy.While Barron's might be better for especially motivated students aiming for top scores, this book is probably more appropriate for students scoring around or below 600 on a test section. Don't expect to have this book help you score much beyond this range. It doesn’t break each content area down into as many subtopics as it could, so there's a lack of detail when it comes to certain subject areas. Its style might not be for everyone. This book is a big, traditional test SAT prep book with a straightforward approach. While some students might appreciate or prefer this, others might find it boring and dull. All the SAT prep books mentioned above have both strengths and weaknesses. Combined, though, they provide relatively comprehensive prep in all major areas: practice questions, content review, and strategies. If you're looking to focus even more on a particular SAT section, you'll likely benefit from a subject-specific SAT prep book. The following books are my top recommendations for SAT Math, Reading, and Writing. Unlike his couches, this frogprefers his SAT prep one section at a time. Best Books for SAT Math Books that focus on a single SAT subject oftenprovide especially in-depth prep. Plus, they can be easier to approach than the huge comprehensive test prep books. If you need more prep in one section than the others or are taking advantage of your colleges' superscoring policiesby building up your SAT scores one section at a time, then these books could be great resources. We'll start with myrecommendations for Math prep books, starting with Dr. Steve Warner's500 New SAT Math Problems. Dr. Steve Warner's 500 New SAT Math Problems Price:About $35 on Amazon Dr. Steve Warner's500 New SAT Math Problemsis his most recent in SAT Math preparation.He discusses each area on the test: Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Complex Numbers (the College Board calls this last topic Additional Topics). Pros Just like with his last series, Dr. Warner offers comprehensive and clear content review and instruction. This book helpfully arranges SAT math concepts by difficulty, with the easiest being Level 1 and the most advanced being Level 5. This organization ensures that math problems from all the different content areas are integrated; it also allows you to focus on certain chapters depending on your own level. Students already scoring in the 700s, for instance, will benefit the most from studying Level 4 and 5 concepts and problems. Each lesson in this book is carefully crafted, and practice problems are realistic, helping to reinforce your understanding. Answer explanations are clear and go oversome different approaches you can take when solving a problem. As mentioned above, these kinds of multifaceted explanations appeal to different kinds of learners and allow you to carefully understand your mistakes and fix them for next time. Cons While it’s perhaps unfair to compare this book with its predecessors (which focused on the old version of the SAT), I can’t help but find ita little limited.The book could be a better resource if itbroke down each content area into smaller, more specific subtopics. Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook for the New SAT, 2018 Edition Price:About $25 on Amazon At more than 400 pages long, Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook for the New SAT, 2018 Editionis a great (and hefty) math prep book to add to your SAT book collection. Pros By far, this book's most impressive strength is its sheer number of math practice problems- more than 1,500 of them!It definitely allows for a "learning by doing" approach, as you can time yourself and answer practice questions for days on end. Question types are arranged by difficulty level, so you can break them up and customize your math practice depending on your needs. You might start with Dr. Jang’s diagnostic test and then space out the book’s 10 sample tests as you prep. Dr. Jang’s SAT math problems are generallyrealistic examples of what you’ll see on the SAT. The book emphasizes algebra, includes basic trigonometry, and divides questions into non-calculator and calculator sections (just like the actual SAT does). It also offers a strong representation of the concepts, format, and rules you’ll encounter on the SAT Math section. Cons This bookis like the flipped version of Dr. Warner’s book above- lots of practice problems but not a ton of content review. For more instruction, as well as strategies and detailed explanations, you'll need to supplement this workbook with another resource. It has some occasional typos, which can detract from your prep. It doesn't include manytest-taking strategies, such astime management. This book has lots of practice problems that appeal to students of all levels, but it’s probably not sufficient on its own to prep you for all aspects of SAT Math. PWN The SAT: Math Guide, 4th Edition Price:$25-$30 on Amazon PWN the SATtargets high-achieving, motivated studentswho areaiming for a top score in SAT Math.The book contains five main sections:Techniques, Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Additional Topics in Math. Each category is broken down into its component concepts to teach you the fundamentals tested on SAT Math. Pros The book is written in an engaging, irreverent style,which can help students stay engaged with the material. It has realistic practice math problems, both Calculator and No Calculator,to help you get ready for both question types. Each chapter also provides a list of official questions of a certain type to help you drill specific skills. You can register on the PWN SAT website to get bonus material andwatch video answer explanations that walk you step by step through the practice problems. Cons Its target audience is limited.While this book will help top scorers with strong math skills, it won't be as accessible to students who struggle with math. If you want to focus on gaining foundational knowledge, PWN the SAT isn't the book for you. Although there are works by several differentauthorsto choose from to maximize your SAT Math score, I just have one author recommendation to boost your SATReading and Writing score: Erica Meltzer. Quick coffee break, and then it's on to SAT Reading and Writing. Best Books for SATReading and Writing If you're looking to brush up your reading comprehension skills or knowledge of grammar rules, I recommend Erica Meltzer's books on the Reading and Writing sections of the SAT. The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading, 3rdEdition Price:$30-$35 on Amazon While studying for the SAT Reading section might seem hard to break down into specific parts, Erica Meltzer'sComplete Guide to SAT Readingdoes a good joboutlining the skills you'll need. Pros It offershelpful strategies for answering questions. While your English class might leave more room for subjective interpretation, the SAT Reading section does not. This book helps you locate the one unambiguously correct answer on reading comprehension questions. In addition to time management and reading comprehension techniques, this book teaches you how to locate and identify key information both quickly and efficiently. It provides useful strategies for approaching paired supporting evidence and data interpretation questions, many of which require you to read tables or graphs. It has a list of common, multiple-meaning words with their various definitions alongside strategies for how to use context clues to uncover the meanings of words and phrases. This book discusses question type so you can gain a better sense of what kinds of questions appear on Reading, such as main point, interpretation of detail, and vocabulary in context. It's full of high-quality questions and passages that resemble what you'll see on the SAT,including passages from US/world literature, history/social studies, and science. It also incorporates questions from the College Board and Khan Academy so you can match up concepts with relevant official sample questions. Cons Not all students are fans of the overall layout and formatting of the book,which has small, crowded font and isn't very creative or engaging. The writing style is all to the point. Some people appreciate this for its directness; other students find it dry. You can learn more about it at Meltzer's blog, The Critical Reader, and see how it suits you. It's a relatively expensive bookconsidering it only covers one section ofthe SAT. The Critical Reader: The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar, 4th Edition Price:About $30 on Amazon Erica Meltzer's Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammarclearly articulates the important grammar rules you'll need to know for the SAT Writing section and does a fantastic job getting you used to how the section will look and what kinds of questions you'll be asked on test day. Pros The questions are realistic and resemble those on the SAT Writing section. Like questions on the SAT, they are all connected to the context of a longer passage. Itbreaks down critical skills and grammar rules so you can study them individually. By learning the rules of grammar and usage, you'll be able to apply them to practice problems. Rather than just choosing an answer that sounds right, Meltzer's book will teach you all the rules you absolutely must know to get a good SAT Writing score. Cons While this book is helpful in the way it breaks the section down by skill and grammar rule, the questions on the real SATwill be in random order. This resource is useful for learning and drilling the rules, but you also want to take practice tests to make sure you can easily identify the grammar rule, even when it's not clearly laid out and labeled for you. There isn't a frequency guide, so it's hard to know which rules to prioritize over others. It's written in a similar style to her SAT Reading book, which some students might find dry. Like Meltzer's SAT Reading book, it's somewhat costly at around $30. This concludes our list of the best SAT prep books. Now, since this guide is meant to help you streamline your studying,let's discuss how you can best use these books to prep for the SAT and achieve your target scores. Key Tips for Studying With SAT Prep Books There are a lot of options when it comes to studying for the SAT from books. Rather than reading them cover to cover, you would be better served coming up with a plan and breaking each book down into smaller, manageable goals. I recommend using an official College Board practice testto give yourself a pre-testandgain a sense of your starting level, or baseline score. Use its answer key to score it and then analyze your results to determine what areas of the test you need to focus on in your prep. You could also save one of the tests to take right before you take the official SAT so you can gain a sense of how much you've improved. As mentioned, the other tests could be used as benchmarks along the way to gauge your progress and re-adjust your study plan if needed. A comprehensive book such as Kallis' or Barron's could be used alongside a subject-specific book, such as Steve Warner's Math book and Erica Meltzer's Reading and Writing guides. Depending on your goals and needs, you candecide how much time to devote to each subject to get the most out of your studying. There's a lot of room here to customize your study plan to your own strengths, weaknesses, and goals. This requires a good deal of planning and self-discipline to actually stick to your plan. You'll also benefit from reflecting on what works best for you in terms of maintaining interest, retaining information, and staying organized. If this sounds like a lot of "study prep" before you even get to your test prep, you might benefit from exploring SAT prep options beyond using an SAT book list. Time to explore! Final Tip: Explore Your SAT Prep Options The SAT is a unique test. Doing well in math and English class doesn't necessarily guarantee you a high score on SAT Math or Reading. Prep is a critical component of getting a high score for most students,which the College Board is finally acknowledgingwith its efforts to provide free online practice materials. Since youprobably don't have time to waste, you want to make the most of your prep time. If you're taking time out of your schedule to study, you should see results. PrepScholar's online SAT program was developed with these goals in mind. It retains the quality of content review, practical strategies, and SAT practice questions while adding those elements of accountability and customization. It also ensures you're getting the most out of your prep and aren't wasting time on material you already know or that won't help you on the SAT. With that same goal in mind, we've made available a number of in-depth strategy guides for the SAT, which we're adding to all the time. Here are some of our most popular guides: How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by a 2400 Expert Full Scorer How to Get 800 on SAT Reading: 11 Strategies by a Perfect Scorer How to Get 800 on SAT Writing: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer How to Get 800 on SAT Math, by a Perfect Scorer How Long Should I Study for the SAT? 6-Step Guide Should You Guess on the SAT? 6 Guessing Strategies The 21 Critical SAT Math Formulas You MUST Know The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules SAT EssayPrompts: The Complete List The Best Way to Review Your Mistakes for the SAT The recommended SAT prep books can be very useful in getting you ready, but they can also feel overwhelming and repetitive,not to mention expensive. Take the time to explore your optionswhile also learning about the SAT from high-quality online resourcesand our detailed guides. If you're putting in the time to prep for the SAT, make sure that you'reseeing results and enjoying the process along the way! What's Next? Before delving into content and strategies, you should familiarize yourself with exactly what's on the SAT. Learn all about theReading, Writing, and Math sections in our individual guides. Also, read ourcomplete guide to the SATto learn more about the test overall. An important part of your study schedule is knowing exactly when you plan to take the SAT. Read all about how to choose your test dates. Did you know a lot of colleges superscore the SAT, meaning they take your highest section scores across all dates? Learn how you can use this policy to your advantage and build up your scores across different test dates. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Anthropology in the World Today Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anthropology in the World Today - Research Paper Example This subject is not only restricted to understand these aspects but it also assists in major aspects of human life which include politics, business as well as social lives(Cultural Anthropology and Sociology). The use of cultural anthropology as a measure of assistance for governments dates from the period of the Second World War when Ruth Benedict, who was a renowned anthropology professor was employed by the government of the United States to enlighten them with the cultural perspectives of their main opponents that is Japan and Germany. This was meant to be of help not only for winning the war but also as a measure of help for rehabilitation of these states after their fall. This focus was mainly towards Japan and the cultural studies helped in the understanding of the beliefs and working of the Japanese society (Ferraro 2006). The role that cultural anthropology in today’s world can be understood clearly in the words of Elizabeth Tunstall when she states, â€Å"Contemporary anthropology is no longer primarily concerned with exotic peoples and dinosaurs. Anthropology is engaged with issues of the global flows of people and goods, human rights and social justice, global feminism, [design], technology adoption, the social effects of the environmental degradation, and local sustainability practices.† Anthropology in today’s world works towards connecting people. It assists the companies to satisfy their customers via understanding their needs which are known to them through anthropology. It also works towards explaining the stand of the society on issues like the rights of human beings and the role of women in society. This assists in molding decisions according to the particular society. Anthropology is also beneficial for the politicians and the government. It provides a clear picture o f the beliefs and the working of the society and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Sexuality in Todays Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sexuality in Todays Society - Essay Example This report stresses that today many teens are engaging in sexual promiscuity thus resulting to many of them falling for unwanted pregnancies. This has been encouraged by the many writings on sex, sex films and plays which depict sexual matters without a distinct coverage. For instance today pornography is being watched by people across all ages, young children who cannot even define their sexuality included. Thus the openness of sex may be said as having positive impact but it is largely negative. In today’s society parents have also been reluctant to control their children sexual habits thus worsening the situation. This is partly due to the increasing number of working class parents who end up having less time with their children. Therefore it is a high time that parents realized their role in teaching their children in relation to their sexual habits. This paper makes a conclusion that the society today is obsessed with sex and the question that comes to the fore relates to how the society should behave in relation to the issue of sexuality. In this aspect religion is an important tool for fighting unfavorable sexuality issues. This is because religious groups mostly advocate for sexual purity which ought to be of great importance in the society today. However it has proved difficult to maintain sexual purity today considering that many cultures are obsessed with sex and permissiveness in all types of sexual expressions.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Wal-Mart Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Wal-Mart Strategic Management - Essay Example But certainly the situation was not the same in the late 1950s or early 1960s, when Wal-Mart began its operations. Porter's five forces analysis proves to be quite useful in finding out the attractiveness of an industry. Porter came out with the five forces analysis, which helps in analyzing the attractiveness of an industry by taking into account different aspects of the business. Porter's Five Forces have become a yardstick for assessing industry profitability. This helps the retailer in consistent performance and planning. The five forces are; Suppliers: In today's context, large supermarkets like Wal-Mart have the overwhelming advantage over the small shopkeepers, as they are in a position to dictate the price they pay to the suppliers. The situation may not be as challenging for suppliers as now, but the lucre of supplying large quantities to reputed companies had always been there, as it helps the suppliers to leverage the economies of scale. Well, the number of stores of Wal-Mart and its presence was not as prevalent as today, but we must also take into account that the population and number of customers too was less. Therefore, even if we go back by about 55-60 years, we could easily figure out that the power of suppliers was not substantial enough to dictate terms to Wal-Mart. This helped the company to further strengthen its discount retail business. Competition: Competition in the retail business is a relatively newer phenomenon. The era of colonialism can very well be said to have given shape to the trend of globalization, but the roots of modern era of globalization came on the horizon in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Policies of liberalization by many countries around the world provided the all important catalyst to the modern era of globalization. There were indeed some reputed companies like K-Mart, Sobeys Inc, Family Thrift Centre etc in the retail business when Wal-Mart came out its concept of discount retail business, which might have given interesting competition to Wal-Mart even during those early days. Potential Entrants: Looking at the number of retailers and timeline of their origin, it becomes quite clear that the retail business seemed to attract quite a few entrepreneurs. Dan's Super Market, Wally's Supermarkets etc. are some of the new entrants during the 1950s, which found the retail business quite attractive. Therefore, while carrying out the discount retail business, the threat of new entrants was quite genuine one for the company even during those days. Buyer/ Customer's Power: If we go by the present circumstances, it is amply clear that today the customer is indeed treated like a king. Today companies believe in trying all out efforts to invite the attention of the customers and provide them with attractive discounts, better quality products and services. But the situation

Friday, November 15, 2019

Barriers to ICT in Nigeria School Research

Barriers to ICT in Nigeria School Research Information communication technologies (ICTs) are information usage tools that are used for the production, storage, processing, and distribution and exchanging of information. The many different information tools work together, and merge to make a networked world- which gets into every part of the world (UNDP Evaluation Office, 2001). It is a progressively more powerful tool for getting involved in global markets, enhancing political accountability; recovering and making better the delivery of basic services; and enhancing many development opportunities (UNDP, 2006). Ogunsola (2005) says Information Communication and Technology is a based electronic system use for transmission of information, to respond, process and retrieve, which has influenced the way we generally live our lives. Access to global knowledge and communication can be gained (Ogunsola, 2005). The use of ICTs by student make them get more knowledge and understanding to complicated subject topics and concepts and are m ore likely to remember information gained and apply it outside the walls of the classroom. (Apple Computer, 2002). In addition, students deepen their understanding and knowledge through ICT because there is access to information at different levels. (CEO Forum on Education and Technology, 2001). Nigeria is a developing country populated with over 124,009,000 people.60% of the population in Nigeria lives in the rural area which do not even have access to social amenities like computers or IT amenities for distribution of information. Most schools in Nigeria do not have computer systems in their schools and even those that have do not make use of it or get the full utilization of the effectiveness and efficiency of information technology. The development of information technology in Nigeria has not attained the required heights which is affecting the use information and communication technology in the education system of the country. (Oyebisi, 2003) Education System in Nigeria is structured into four different levels; we have the primary education, secondary education which is divided into two different cycles-junior secondary school and senior secondary school, and we have also got the Tertiary and higher education level. The primary education is run for six years for ages from 5 to 11yrs after an examination called common entrance is written to secure admission into the junior secondary school education, the junior secondary school cycle is run for 3 years and from age 11 to 13 years and also the senior secondary school cycle also run for 3years from age 13 to 16 years after which a senior secondary school certificate (SSCE) is taken which stands as a requirement for entrance into the tertiary and higher education level. The tertiary and higher education level comprises of universities, polytechnics and college of education. (International organization for Migration). This dissertation will be a study on the secondary educatio n level in Nigeria focusing on the senior secondary school cycle. In Nigeria, the ability and effect of information technology has been known in the school system. (Yusuf, 2005).The evidence of this is shown in different reform policies laid down by the country to integrate ICT especially computer in the Nigeria school system. The federal government 1988 document policy implements the introduction of computer studies, both software and hardware, to the various levels of education in the country. The document also stated that secondary school teachers should be trained which was facilitated by introducing computer systems some of the secondary schools. In 2004, the revised National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004) focuses more on the need of ICT at all Nigeria education levels. For example, in the section 11 sub-section 102 (a) states that All states, Teachers Resource Centres, University Institutes of Education and other professional bodies shall belong to the network of information and communication technology (ICT) (p.53) and also further stated in the section 11 sub-section 102(d) states Government shall provide facilities and necessary infrastructure for the promotion of information and communication Technology at all levels of education (p.53). However, despite the written documents were accepted, they were not implemented which has left Nigeria to still be lacking in the usage of Information technology in the Nigeria education institutions. 1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE RESEARCH Information and Communication technology has made impact in all aspects of life (Oliver, 2002). Information and communication Technology has proved and provided so many positive effects in every aspects of any country, organization. Many countries have experienced drastically change in their environment especially their education factor through the use of information technology. In spite of such positive impact most developing countries like Nigeria are still yet to efficiently and effectively incorporate the use of information and communication technology into their educational system. This study will be researching the barriers and also factors that preventing the effective and efficient use of ICT in Nigeria and the steps to be taken to improve the usage of ICT. 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION The research question developed to guide the study is What are the factors preventing the usage of Information and communication Technology (ICT) in the senior secondary school educational system of Nigeria? And what steps that could be taken to promote ICT usage in this sector? The following research sub questions were developed to guide the study: What is the current secondary school education system in Nigeria? What is the current level of usage of ICT in senior secondary school education system in Nigeria? What are the factors influencing usage of ICT in Nigeria senior secondary school education system? What are the barriers affecting the usage of ICT in Nigeria senior secondary school education system? What can be done to improve the current situation of ICT usage in Nigeria senior secondary school education? 1.3 AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this research is to be able to identify and analyze the different barriers preventing the usage of ICT in the Nigeria senior secondary school education system and make suitable recommendations to improve the current usage. 1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objectives of this study: To understand Nigeria current senior secondary school education system. To understand the current usage level of ICT in senior secondary school education in Nigeria. To identify the factors influencing the usage of ICT in senior secondary school education in Nigeria. To identify the barriers affecting the usage of ICT in senior secondary school education in Nigeria. To establish the suitable ways by which the usage of ICT in senior secondary education in Nigeria can be effective 1.5 GANTT CHART The Gantt chart shows the framework for the research in terms of time scale apportioned to the different aspect of the research. Its a representation of the different tasks and activities that will be done in the research project. (See Appendix 1) CHAPTER TWO 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Africa has experienced the growth of ICTs in different areas over the past decades and it includes education. The metamorphosis from teacher-centred educational method to learner -centred education the all over the world in the previous years, adds to the use of ICTs in education. Lending from the phrase Knowledge -Driven world as envisioned by (Hawkins, 2004;Inwent, 2004), it connotes that education developmental practices must centre on the same access (i.e. equal) and value of education which should emphasize the significance of change in the educational sector via use of ICTs and providing new generations with improved expertise to operate in the 21st century. The use of ICTs in African countries and Nigeria in general is rising and considerably increasing. Conversely, while there is a vast knowledge on how ICTs are being implemented in advanced countries, there is less information on the method in which ICTs are being brought in into schools in less advanced countries (Beukes-Amiss and Chiware, 2006). Observing the less-developed countries in accordance to these authors, there is usually a short access time for each month using ICTs via both the students and teachers and even a lesser time taken with good Internet access. It ought to be observed that accessibility of ICTs with reference to access in terms of proportion of teachers to students varies considerably. In spite of this, the recent and rising technologies challenges the conventional process of Learning and teaching, and the manner in which education is controlled or managed. Despite the fact that ICT is a vital area of research in its own right, it is getting a key impact throug h all prospectus areas. Simple global communication gives immediate access to a wide array of data, challenging assessment and assimilation skills (Fowowe, 2006). Rapid communication and better access to ICTs in homes, educational establishment, and at work may possibly mean that acquisition of knowledge or learning turn out to be a truly lifelong activity-activities via which the rate of hi-tech change, forces continuous assessment of the teaching progression or process itself. Besides the importance of the research, laying emphasis on the part of the Internet and students mind-set or attitudes towards it has been well thought-out. Nowadays, Internet has become our part of communal order via the provision of a variety of functions. On the other hand however, it has immense function by implementation of method of education and system at all the society. Moreover; having awareness of the educational technologies and its major parts as Internet needs being more creative i.e. readiness, to put in new growth, creativeness or originality for learning, allowing individuals have their own learning with supportive and collective intelligence, making significant learning based on the constructivist approach (Maddux, et al., 1997). 2.1 FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO USING ICT IN THE CLASSROOM In Accordance to Cox and Preston (1999), there are quite a few factors that have been recognized which could support and influence teachers in the usage of ICT in classrooms. In order to examine these factors furthermore with reference to teachers ICT use, the research makes use of the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) done by Bagozzi, Davis and Warshaw (1989) which was an edition of hypothesis of reason action by Fisbein and Ajzen (1980) to examine the basis for the usage of ICTs by teachers. 107 adult users who had been using a managerial system for 14 weeks were tested with this model, and it was observed that peoples usage of computer was guided by the intents of their minds to use it and that knowledge effectiveness was also strongly related to these aims. 2.2 TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPLICATIONS OF ICTS Several different types of technology could be used to maintain and improve learning. All from digital moviemaking, video content, to handheld technologies and laptop computing has been used in classrooms. Likewise, new usage of technology such as pod casting are constantly emerging (Marshall, 2002). From Marshals view point, a variety of technologies brings different types of package and provides different purposes in the classroom. E-mail and Word processing promotes communicational skills; spreadsheet and database programmes promote organizational skills; and software for modelling promotes the basic understanding of Mathematics and Science concepts. It is imperative to look at how these electronic technologies vary and what type makes them essential as a van for education (Berker, 1994). Available technologies in classrooms nowadays vary from simple tool-based functions for example word processors, to scientific repositories of online data. Others are handheld computers, primary historical documents, two-way distance learning classrooms and closed-circuit television channels. Prensky (2005) emphasized that even the mobile phones that a lot of people now take with them can be used to gain knowledge. In accordance with Zhao and Lei (2006) all technology is possible to play diverse roles in the learning of students. Instead of trying to illustrate the effect of all technologies by putting them as the same, researchers ought to consider the various types of technologies that are being used in class-rooms and for what intentions. Two universal differences can then be looked at from the literature. Learners can study from computers where technologies are used basically as teachers and tend to enhance students essential knowledge and skills. Furthermore, it is feasible for them to be taught with computers where technologies are used as tools that can be used in varieties of goals in the knowledge acquisition process and can be as resources to help in the development of advanced order thinking, research skills and creativity (Ring staff and Kelley, 2002; Reeves, 1998). Murphy, et al., (2001), said that the primary structure of student studying from computers is explained as DES (Discrete Educational Software), CAI (Computer-assisted Instruction), ILS (Integrated Learning System), and CBI (Computer-based instruction). Applications of this software are also the most broadly accessible applications of learning machinery in schools nowadays, alongside the word-processing software, and have immensely helped in classroom for over 20 years (Wong, Ravity, Becker, 1999). Murphy et al., (2001) elucidates that teachers employ the use of (Discrete Educational Software) DES not only to enhance teaching, as in the previous years, but to provide means for self study, bring in topics, and give chances to learn ideas otherwise difficult to get to students. The software also performs two key hypotheses about how computers can aid learning. Primarily, the users capability to relate with the software is barely described in methods intended particularly to encourage studying with the tools. Secondly, computers are seen as a medium for acquiring knowledge, to a certain extent than as tools which may perhaps support more learning. As Discrete Educational Software (DES) is known as the universal method or approach to computer use in students acquisition of knowledge. Of late, the usage of computers in schools has developed more varieties as educators identify the potency of studying with technology as a way of enhancing or improving students problem solving abiliti es and reasoning. Zhang (2005) remarks that this move that has been motivated by the superfluity of communication devices and new information now more available to students at home and in school , each of which gives new enablement to students and teachers alike for enhancing and improving student success and to meet demands the 21st century skills. 2.3 BARRIERS TO ICT USAGE IN EDUCATION The observation that teachers proficiency and lack of understanding to weigh up the use, tasks and roles of ICT in education as the two major factors obstructing teachers willingness and self-confidence in using ICT support. Likewise, (JISC, 2004) in their observation on rising development in learning technology showed that the most noteworthy obstacles seen are linked to the training of staff in the use of ICT, staff attitude, access and ICT expertise in general. Furthermore (Elgort, Marshall Mitchell, 2003) similarly reported that staffs keep on identifying a lack of time as an obstacle to the use of technology. At the same time this has been interpreted to mean that staffs have not had the moment in time to attain the essential or Basic skills needed, which now appears more probable that it reveals a sense of main concern communicated by the institution and a need by academics to see a revisit on the investment or outlay of their time in accelerating their teaching and educationa l delivery with latest technology. Earlier study of academic staff attitude and manner of approach to the use of technology has also repetitively discovered time and a lack of such examples (e.g. knowledge and skills) as major obstacles to technology implementation (Marshall, 2000). The observation of ICT, has been user-friendly by teachers in this research is significantly relevant what Cox et al. (1999) observed. This is owing to the fact that most factors that teachers regard as making it easier to use ICTs was seen by Cox et al. as adding to the constant use of ICT by teachers in their learning, and which were also seen to be of main importance to these teachers in their teaching. The issues are: making the courses easier, interesting, and more diverse, more fun for them and their pupils, more enjoyable and more motivating for the pupils among others. In addition, it should be of a worthy note that in TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) by (Davis et al., 1989), one of the fundamental themes studied was apparently ease of use. This, in accordance to Davis generally influences peoples acceptance or approval to use a particular technology. CHAPTER THREE 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research is a cautious enquiry or search into a research question, or venture to ascertain new, or gather old facts etc., by methodical study of a subject. A good research is organized, truthful, and regularly assisted by knowledge of experts. It is governed by an in-depth understanding of what it means to be acquainted with something, by principles for performing things observed, for putting together and evaluating evidence to enable choices to be made between competing accounts of an observable fact, for testing the reliability of conclusions (Sharp et al, 2006) The research methodology is divided into parts: The research design and the data collection. 3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN 3.1.1 Research Approach There are two types of approaches to a research, inductive approach and deductive approach. These two approaches are use to assess information. 3.1.1.1 Inductive Approach Inductive approach is a research approach that has to do with collection of data and then analyse the data, from which a theory is developed. It emphasize on having understanding on the human factor reasoning. It uses quantitative method in collection of data. The researcher is part of the process of the research. (Saunders, et al, 2009). 3.1.1.2 Deductive Approach For the purpose of this study, deductive approach will be used. Deductive approach is an approach that has to do with shifting from theory to data; there is development of theory or hypotheses, in which a research strategy is designed to test it. It emphasizes more on scientific principles. It is a highly structured approach. It uses collection of qualitative method (Saunders, et al, 2009). Deductive approach analyse the relationship between research and theory. Theories that have been developed are then tested. Theories gathered are quite illuminating until they are tested. A researchers analysis of any theory may change after data has been collected, tested and analyse. These may be because ,new theories might have been developed before the researchers finishes his or her analysis and also the data collected by the researcher may not fit into the real or initial theory. (Alan, et al, 2007) The process of deductive approach is-Theory, Hypothesis, Data collection, Findings, Hypothesis confirmed or rejected and Revision of theory. (Alan, et al, 2007) 3.1.1.3 WHY DEDUCTIVE APPROACH? The approach that will be used for this study is deductive approach because it is already established that Information and Communication Technology has made a very great impact in education but despite this Nigeria is still lacking in the use of ICT in education. Most of the secondary school students are yet to use a computer in their studies and teachers are finding it very difficult to change their system of teaching by using ICT in their system f teaching. Therefore here will now be collection of data through questionnaires to test this theory. 3.2 DATA ANALYSIS There are two types of methods used in data analysis, they are: Quantitative analysis Qualitative analysis 3.2.1 Quantitative analysis Quantitative analysis is a type of analysis that uses numerical data for its data analysis process like graphs collecting data through data collection technique such as questionnaire. (Saunders, et al, 2009). 3.2.2 Qualitative analysis Qualitative analysis is a type of analysis that uses non-numerical data for its data analysis process such as categorising data through data collection technique such as Interview. (Saunders, et al, 2009). Researchers that make use of qualitative analysis gets close to the targeted population which are being researched so as he or she can have a better understanding of them in terms of behaviour, beliefs and values. In qualitative analysis, new research concepts and theories emerges out of the collected data .Due to the relationship that tend to exist between the researcher and the people he or she is investigating, qualitative researchers play an active role in the research design and gets more involved in whole process. 3.3 PROPOSED RESEARCH STRATEGY FOR THE CURRENT STUDY The research strategy chosen must be able to answer the research question and sub-questions appropriately and also meet up the objectives set.(Saunders,et al,2009).There are many types of research strategies which include, experiment, survey, case study, action research, grounded theory, ethnography and archival research. . (Saunders, et al, 2009).For the purpose of this study, the research strategy to be used is survey. Survey strategy enables one to sampling, whereby data can be collected from a small population representing a large size population. 3.4 DATA COLLECTION METHOD The data collection method that will be used is questionnaire and which will be administered by using postal and also telephone interview. The postal or mail questionnaire will be administered to respondents which are principals, teachers and students, which will be sampled randomly, while the respondent for telephone interview will be Government official. 3.5 POPULATION TO BE SAMPLED The participant s will involve 25 principals, 250 teachers and also 250 students will be selected randomly from different senior secondary schools.10 Government officials will be used for the telephone interview. The questionnaire given will be filled by the respondents, which will be collected back. 3.6 TYPE OF DATA The kind of data to be collected include: Gender; Age; Qualification; Experience; school location, Education Level, ETC and also further questions to be asked are What is your level of computer literacy? Which kind of ICT do you have access to in your school? How frequent do you have access to the ICT items per week? What is the adequate level of the availability of ICT and access to them? What are the activities done with ICT items? What are the factors hindering the usage of ICT in the school? These are just few out of the questions to be set in the questionnaire; more questions will be added as i further into the study. 3.7 PROPOSED RESEARCH ANALYSIS FOR THE CURRENT STUDY The combination of both Qualitative and Quantitative analysis would be use for the purpose of this research for the data collected; because numerical data will be used for it data analysis and questionnaire will be used as the data collection technique and also the interview that will be conducted with the government officials will be analysed with quantitative. They will be given their opinions in the answering of the questions. REFERENCES Apple Computer, (2002).The impact of technology on students achievement. Available at:http://www.aple.com/education/research/index2.html {Accessed on{12/05/2010} Ajzen, I., Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behaviour. Englewood Cliffs,NJ: Prentice-Hall. Alan B.Emman B.(2007).Business research methods.(2nd edition).Oxford University Press Inc.,New York. Becker, H.J. (1994).Internet use by teachers. Available at: http://www.crio.uci.edu/TLC/findings/Internet-Use/startpage.html. {Accessed 25 May 2010} Becker, H.J.; Ravitz, J.L, Wong, Y (1999). Teacher and teacher directed student use of computers and software. Center for Research on Information Technology and Organisations, University of California,Irvin, and University of Minnesota. Beukes-Amiss, C.M. .Chiware, E.R.T. (2006).The impact of diffusion of ICTs into educational practices, howgood or how bad? A review of the Namibia situation. Available at:http://www.dspace.unam.na:8443/dspace/bitstream/1995/244/impact+diffusionICTedupdf {Accessed 23 May 2010} CEO Forum on Education Technology (2001). School technology and readiness report: Key building blocks for student achievement in the 21st century: integrating digital content. Washington, DC: Author. Available at: http://www.ceoforum.org/downloads/report4.pdf Cox, M.J., Preston, C., Cox, K. (1999) What Motivates Teachers to use ICT? Paper presented at the British Davis, F.D, Bagozzi, R.P Warshaw, P.R. (1989) User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science. 35(8). 982-1003 Educational Research Association Conference. Brighton. September. Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004).National policy on education (4th edition.)Lagos: NERDC Press Fowowe, S.S. (2006).Information technology: A veritable tools for sustaining the Universal Basic Education Programme in Africa. Paper presented at the African conference on Achieving Universal Basic/Primary Education in Africa in 2015. University of Botswana. 16- 19 October Gray, D.S. . Souter, N. (2003).Secondary science teachers use of, and attitude towards ICT in Scotland. A Report, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. Hawkins, R.J. (2004). Ten lessons for ICT and Education in the Developing World. World. Inwent. (2004) eLearning development and implementation: course information and documentation. Bonn: Inwent International organization for Migration, Ireland.()Available at:http://www.iomdublin.org/DORAS%20Nigeria%20Education.html#Secondaryeducation{Accessed 12 May 2010} JISC. (2004).Developing maturity in e-learning. Available at: http://www.aclearn.net [Accessed 21 May 2010] Kelly, K. (2002). Lesson study: Can Japanese methods translate to U.S. schools? Harvard Education Letter,18(3), 4-7. Lei, J. Zhao. (2006). Technology uses and student achievement: A longitudinal study. Computers and Education. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com {Accessed on 02 June 2010}. MADDUX, C., et al. (1997). Educational Computing. A Viacom Company in United States of America. Marshall, J.M. (2002).Learning with technology: Evidence that technology can, and does support learning .San Diego: State University Marshall, S., Elgort, I., Mitchell, G. (2003).Raising the Valleys: An Approach to Developing Staff Capability in e-Learning. Available at: http://surveys.canterbury.ac.nz/herdsa03/pdfsnon/N1123.pdf [Accessed 21 May 2010] Marshall, S. (2000). Report on the 2000 UTDC Survey of Academic Staff Needs for Teaching Technology Support. Wellington NZ, Victoria University of Wellington. Murphy, R., Penuel, W., Means, B., Korbak, C., Whaley, A. (2001). E-DESK: A review of recent evidence on the effectiveness of discrete Educational Software. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Ogunsola, L.A. (2005). Information communication technologies and the effects of globalization: Twenty-first century digital slavery for developing countries- Myth or Reality? Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 6 (1- 2) 1-10. Oliver,R.(2002).The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT as a change agent for education.Available at http: {Accessed 10 May 2010} Oyebisi, T.O (2003).The impact of the environment on the growth of the Nigerian IT industry. International journal of Information management. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com{Accessed 03 May 2010}. Pensky, M. (2005). What can you learn a cell phone? Almost anything! Innovative: Journal of Online Education,1 (5). Reeves, T.C. (1998). The impact of media and technology in schools: A research report Prepared for The Bertelsmann Foundation Sharp J.A., Peters J. and Howard, K (2006) The Management of a Student Research Project (3rd edn), Aldershot, Gower/Milton Keynes, The Open University. (Set book for M801). Saunders M.,Lewis P. And Thornhill A. (2009) Research methods for business students(5th edition) U.N.D.P. Evaluation Office. (2001).Information communication technology for development, No 5, pp 1- 31 UNDP. (2006). Information communication technologies and development. Available at:http://usdnhq.undp.prg/it4dev/ {Accessed 01 June 2010}. UNESCO, (2004). ICT pedagogy. UNESCO office. Yusuf M.O(2005) Information and communication Technology(ICT) and Education.Analysing the Nigerian national policy for information technology.Int.Educ.Joornal.Available at:http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/iej/articles/v6n3/v6n3.pdf{Accessed 02 June 2010} Zhang, Y. (2005).Development and validation of an Internet use attitude scale. Computers and Education.Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science {Accessed 15 May 2010}

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Superiority Ideas in the Formation of the United States :: United States History Papers

Superiority Ideas in the Formation of the United States Superiority ideas are the darkest elements of human nature. The people of the United States appreciate the notion that the nation is progressive and constantly pushing towards the equity and prosperity of all its citizens. However, the United States remains a nation of polarized cities and undemocratic schools. Within the country is a macroculture that forms the cultural norms of America; norms that alienate many of the diverse groups that are in reality the constituents that form the Union. We need to realign our ideals to truly encourage the equity and prosperity of all the citizens of America; before this can be accomplished we need to recognize the origins of the superiority views that are a part of the present American culture. In an effort to trace the roots of the superior views that are part our macroculture, the follow exposition examines the Puritan settlers of the New World, the waves of European immigration to America in the 1800s, and the structure of the American city. The Protestant ethic of the New World and the United States has influenced the macroculture that mandates the nation’s present educational ideals and social norms. In addition, the models used by sociologists to describe the American city demonstrates that even the structure of the American city encourages the nation to be racially polarized; polarization that inevitably leads to violence. With obvious constraints, the following exposition points only to a limited portion of the possible roots of the existing superiority views; clearly there are numerous other origins that can be found within the formation of the United States that have contributed negatively to the social norms of America. The identified roots of superio rity are the points of the authors interest and have been intentionally researched and described as possible sources of superiority views. Consequently, the negative attributes of the Puritans and the dominant group in America have been focused on. Certainly, not all of the Puritan ideals and Anglo-Saxon ideals have had a negative influence on the apparent macroculture of America. Our present society has had a myriad of beneficial contributions from the early Puritan settlers and the Protestant ethic. With the previous clarifications mentioned, the Puritan settlers of the New World can be contemplated and rediscovered. The Puritans were, in their view, an â€Å"elite† subgroup of the Protestants, thus their goal in England was to halt Roman Catholic worship.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Badge of Shame

â€Å"Woman, it is thy badge of shame! †. Governor Bellingham was describing the scarlet letter to Hester while they were discussing if the punishments that Hester had to go through were adequate enough for the crime. Hester was living in the outskirts of the city in a small abandoned cottage for several years with the only thing that had any monetary value in her life, her child and the product of committing adultery, Pearl. She and her little Pearl were shunned from the community for her acts. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is punished in more than one way, and she is able to deal with it openly so the community will, over time, forgive her. The most obvious subject of punishment that Hester had to cope with is wearing the scarlet letter. â€Å"By the point which drew all eyes and, as it were, transfigured the wearer†¦ was the scarlet letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom†. Hester wrought the scarlet letter before she stood on the scaffold. When Pearl asks her why she wears the letter she replies that she wears it for its gold thread. Hester wears the letter for many years, even after the people in the community care anymore, so that she will be fully forgiven for her sin. In the beginning of the story, Hester is faced with serving the temporary part of her sentence, standing on the scaffold in front of the whole town. â€Å"It was a circumstance to be noted, on the summer morning when our story begins its course, that the women of whom there were several in the crowd, appeared to take a peculiar interest in whatever penal infliction might be expected to ensue†. The citizens of the town had gathered to criticize Hester as she stood on the scaffold, and many of the town s women were discussing the simplicity of Hester s sentence, since the usual punishment for committing adultery is the death penalty. Although she had to put up with the remarks about her for three hours while she was standing on the scaffold, the ridicule followed for many years to come. Hester and her daughter were thought upon as sinners long after Hester had served her sentence. Hester was not accepted by the community because of her sins. She was forced to live in an abandoned cottage on the edge of the city. â€Å"Hester Prynne, therefore, did not flee. On the outskirts of town, within the verge of the peninsula, but not in close vicinity to any other habitation, there was a small thatched cottage. It had been built by an earlier settler, and abandoned because the soil about it was too sterile for cultivation.. .†. Hester and her little Pearl not only lived in the little cottage, they spent most of their time there, only going into town for important things like food and supplies. The community basically shunned Hester and Pearl from the town and made it clear to them that they were not wanted inside the city. Hester went through a lot of punishment for her sins. She was able to deal with it openly, like wearing the scarlet letter and standing on the scaffold, and some she dealt with without showing any remorse. She was brave to live on the edge of the city and not to flee to another city or even another country. She also kept things inside, like the father of her child and her husband that seemingly deserted her. Overall, she is a brave soul and in some ways, is a role model to the rest of the people in the community.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Gangs essays

Gangs essays Researchers frequently use 5 criteria to define a gang: (1) formal organization structure, (2) identifiable leadership, (3) identified with a territory, (4) recurrent interaction and (5) engaging in serious or violent behavior. Pirates were probably the first types of gang in history. To define a gang is a difficult task, but I will give you an idea of what a gang actually is. A gang is a loosely organized peer group of persons in a lower-, middle-, or upper class community who participate in activities that are either harmful to themselves and/or others in society. They share a common name, symbols and colors. Former gangs came together for social reasons. But modern-day gangs meet for anti-social reasons. Gangs tend to form among groups of immigrants to keep their ethnic identity. African-American gangs are believed to confine activities in their own communities. Asian gangs primarily consisted of Cambodian, Vietnamese and Korean youth; go as far away from home as possible to conduct their activities. Anglo gangs are for the most part made up of white supremacists. Researchers have concluded that gangs are consisted of a little more than 90% males. The main reason why gangs are attractive is because they respond to an individuals need for attention and love. They give youth a sense of family and acceptance by others. Alienated youths feel helpless and need a support system. This leads to frustration and anger, so they look for the support some place other than home and school. In gangs, they find a type of support and attention they may have never found with their families. Membership allows youth to find their true identity. Feelings of fear, hatred, bigotry, poverty, disenfranchisement, and the breakdown of social values are considered motivations for joining a gang. For many its a history of abuse in the home setting. They are not given the background needed to understand the value of human life. Peo...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) Essay Example

What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) Essay Example What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) Paper What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) Paper Essay Topic: The Birthday Party Summary Written by Peter Hedges, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is the story of the Grape family, which consists of Gilbert, Amy, Arnie, Ellen, and Bonnie. The movie is narrated by Gilbert Grape. Arnie is one of the main characters in the movie. Arnie is a 17-year-old male who shows signs of having Mental Retardation and Autism. Throughout the majority of the movie, Arnie is looking forward to the birthday party his family is going to be throwing for him for his 18th birthday. The movie is based on how the members of the Grape family are affected by Arnie’s disabilities, and the daily struggles they go through while caring for a family member with disabilities. All of Arnie’s siblings help out, but Gilbert does the majority of the work when it comes to caring for Arnie. Gilbert takes Arnie to work with him at the local grocery store, gives him his bath on a daily basis, and is always looking after him. Although, sometimes, Gilbert does not watch his brother close enough and he usually ends up climbing the water tower in town or is getting into some other kind of trouble. Gilbert Grape was the one appointed to caring for Arnie since he is the only man left in the house since Mr. Grape committed suicide seven years ago. Mr. Grape’s death left their mother, Bonnie, severely depressed and morbidly obese. Bonnie has not left the house in seven years, and her weight has left her incapable of caring for Arnie for years. Although it is obvious that Bonnie does feel guilty about leaving the care of Arnie completely up to her children, it is at times apparent throughout the movie that Bonnie and the children make it sound like Arnie may be the cause behind the death of Mr. Grape and the reason for the depression and current condition of their mother. It is evident throughout the movie the stress the Grape family is under. They are always arguing, and all of their arguments seem to revolve around one thing; Arnie. Accuracies, Inaccuracies, Stereotypes In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, there were many things about the movie that were very truthful. The performance of Arnie Grape, played by Leonardo DiCaprio was very believable and consistent throughout the entire film. His portrayal of an individual with disabilities was spot on and I believe that anyone familiar with working with individuals with disabilities similar to Arnie’s would be proud of DiCaprio’s performance in the movie. Also, the second accuracy within the film was the way that the family sometimes treated Arnie like he was a nuisance. At times, families with a child who has a disability feel as though their child is nothing but a large burden to their life. As sad as it may sound, it is the truth in most cases; and it was very true especially with the Grape family. It was obvious at times throughout the movie that Arnie did have a negative impact on the lives of the members of the Grape family and sometimes they just did not want to be bothered because it was just too much for them. I believe that that is accurate because anyone who cares for a family member with a disability needs a break sometimes, and without the occasional break or help from another family member, it can be very strenuous to one’s own health. One of the most ridiculous inaccuracies that were stated in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape happened within the first couple minutes of the movie when Gilbert, the narrator, says that the Doctor said that Arnie would not live past the age of 10, and that he could now go any day now. Having a disability is not a death sentence, and even though the movie was set back in the early 1990’s, I don’t think doctor’s views on developmental disabilities such as Arnie’s have changed much since that time. There are many things that can be done for an individual with developmental disabilities as long as they are taken care of properly. Another inaccuracy in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is that several times throughout the movie, Arnie’s younger sister, Ellen calls Arnie crazy. Individuals with disabilities are not crazy. Sure, they may do things out of the ordinary, or do things that we as regular people may not find acceptable to do, but that does not make them crazy, it just makes them different from us. Everyone is different from each other in one way or another, but that definitely does not make them crazy. Although, Arnie does do things over and over again, such as climbing the water tower in town, and does not learn from being reprimanded, but that in the least does not make him crazy. Also, another inaccuracy I would like to point out from the movie is when his family member’s think and say that Arnie is totally helpless. Although, in some cases, this may be a true statement, in Arnie’s case, it is not true at all. He is able to do many things on his own. He is very capable of finding the water tower on his own, he is able to speak and express his wants and needs clearly, and he is also able to communicate clearly with others. There were quite a few stereotypes in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and most of them were very common among people today. Like for example, when Arnie climbed the water tower and the police decided to arrest him, they thought that he should have known better. Although, he was told numerous times before not to climb the water tower, for an individual with a disability, it is not an easy concept to grasp, and individuals with developmental disabilities more often than not do not understand right from wrong. Also, when arresting Arnie, they do not take his disability into consideration whatsoever. They were very rough with him and very rude as well. Another stereotype that was cast upon Arnie in the movie was when Gilbert was with his friends as the restaurant and Arnie was playing the pinball machine. He was being very verbal while he was playing the game, and many of the other patrons eating in the restaurant were staring at him as though no one else would be excited if they won a game or upset that they lost. They sort of glance at him like he has some sort of horrible disease, but much to their dismay, he is just as normal as the common folk. Take-away Message In the movie there are quite a few negative scenarios that could leave many viewers who are unfamiliar with individuals with disabilities with a bad taste in their mouths. One of the take-away messages that one may get from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is that it is acceptable to yell and reprimand an individual with disabilities in public. This could not be further from the truth. This could have been taken from the scene where Ellen is watching Arnie, and he is headed toward the water tower and in her attempts to stop him, she pulls him down to the ground by his shirt, and proceeds to yell and scream at him like he is an animal. She also hits and kicks him while he is lying on the ground. This is a very negative thing for anyone to witness and it could not be further from the truth. Another message that people could have taken-away from the movie is that many family members and caregivers for individuals and family members with disabilities will eventually leave the family due to frustrations, commit suicide, or hit their disabled child. This is a very untruthful statement as well. Even though Mr. Grape did commit suicide and in the movie, the children and Bonnie do casually mention that it is because of Arnie that Mr. Grape is dead, it is not said for sure. Many people choose to be caregivers for individuals with disabilities and do it for their entire lives. It takes a special person to take care of a person with disabilities, and it takes a lot of time and patience, and without that, you will most likely be an unsuccessful caregiver. There are certain characteristics that a caregiver for a person with a disability must hold, and if you lack any of those characteristics, you will most likely not be able to handle the stress of caring for a person or child who is disabled. In addition to the ones mentioned before, another common take away message is that all individuals with disabilities are â€Å"crazy†. This was covered in another part of my paper, but it applies here as well. When Ellen calls her brother â€Å"crazy† numerous times throughout the movie, it makes people who are not familiar with disabilities wonder â€Å"are people with disabilities really crazy? † and the answer is no, they are not. Although there are many different kinds of disabilities out there, the disabilities that Arnie has do not make him crazy. There is not any time during the movie where Arnie shows any signs of being â€Å"crazy†. He is just a typical teenage boy who needs a little more help than others at times. Last but not least, the last take away message from the movie is that all persons with disabilities constantly misbehave and need to be under constant 24 hour supervision. This is not true in any sense of the word. There any many independent individuals who have disabilities who have their own apartments, have jobs, pay their own bills, and do not need any help or supervision whatsoever. Just because Arnie needs to be watched closely so he does not get into trouble does not mean that every single individual with a disability needs to be supervised with a close eye at all times. Every person and every disability is unique, and every person deals with their disability in a unique way. Some individuals with disabilities are able to go out and live completely independent lives, where others may need to live with a parent, caregiver, or roommate forever. It just depends solely on the individual. Likes, Dislikes, Changes In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, there were a lot of things that were definitely likable about the movie. For one, the reality of the family and community setting where the movie took place. Also, the acting of DiCaprio as Arnie who was a teenager with developmental disabilities was exceptionally realistic. In addition, the reactions that the people in the community had to Arnie and his sometimes impulsive and irrational behaviors were very similar to the reactions people would have to an individual with disabilities out in the community today. Another thing that was much desired about What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was the fact that it probably opened the eyes of many people who thought it was out of the ordinary for parents to keep their disabled child and care for them and not send them away and institutionalize them. I believe that it made many people realize that it is normal for families to keep and care for their child whether it has a disability or not. Lastly, the movie also sent out a very positive and important message to viewers that could make many people feel more comfortable with people who care for individuals with disabilities, individuals with disabilities themselves, and giving the people who care for such individuals more credit for the hard work that they do. Some of the dislikes in the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape were the way the family and the community sometimes treated Arnie. Even though, that is the way it actually is at times, it is still unnecessary to treat anyone, disabled or not, disrespectfully and rudely. Throughout the movie, there were several scenarios where Arnie was treated with much disrespect. Although, that is how many individuals who are like Arnie are treated in today’s society, it is not acceptable and very terrible. Another dislike of the movie was the part of the movie where Gilbert was so frustrated with everything in his life, and had all of his emotions built up and he took it all out on Arnie and he hit him. Although, everyone gets angry at times, it is never acceptable to hit someone else, especially someone like Arnie who is unable of properly defending themselves. It may have been a very honest and true situation to see a family member with a child or sibling with a disability struggle through; there are plenty of other ways that Gilbert could have effectively expressed his emotions without hitting Arnie. He was under a lot of stress from the rest of his family, but that was no reason for him to take it out on Arnie, when it was his mother and other siblings that were causing all of his built up frustration and anger. Lastly, a dislike was very disheartening was the fact that whenever they went somewhere with Arnie, the people in the community would point, stare, or ask â€Å"what is wrong with him? †. Although, most times in today’s society, children and even some adults will do the same things to individuals with disabilities; that is the most disrespectful thing you could ever do to a person. It is a giant reality and it happens very, very often, but it tops the list of my dislike list in the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Some of the changes that would have been ideal to the movie would to have been given the opportunity to see how Arnie performed and acted during school. It was very apparent how he acted outside of school and how he acted while around Gilbert and his other siblings, but it would have been interesting to see how he acted around his peers and other individuals who are like him. Also, another change that would be idealistic would be to have his other sister’s more involved in his care. Amy and Ellen were always too busy to care for Arnie, so all of the responsibility was always dumped completely onto Gilbert. It would have been nice to see how differently Arnie would have acted, and if he would have behaved any different if he were to be with Amy or Ellen more often than he was throughout the movie. At one point in the movie, Ellen was supposed to be watching Arnie and he ended up running towards the water tower and Ellen grabbed him and pulled him to the ground and was dragging him away from the water tower, while yelling at him and kicking him in public. Thankfully, Gilbert was there to intercede and stop Ellen from hurting Arnie anymore than she already had. It makes you wonder if Ellen showed more interest in Arnie if he would not have acted out while with her, and scenarios such as that would not have happened. Back in 1993, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was a very controversial movie but portrayed a positive message to those families and individuals who did not understand disabilities and just how much work goes in to caring for individuals with disabilities. Many of those who did not understand before still may not completely understand and sadly, they may never. The movie does not do complete justice to all individuals with disabilities, because every individual and every disability is different and Arnie’s condition was a mild to moderate disability. From working with individuals with disabilities for the past eight years, every stereotype you can imagine was cast upon them, and many people do not take into consideration that they are people just like themselves and they have feelings too. Many people believe that individuals with disabilities do not hear or understand what is being said about them, but you would be surprised how smart some individuals with disabilities can be. It is sad that many individuals with disabilities are hardly ever recognized for their good attributes, it always seem to be the bad one’s that outshine and catch people’s attention.