Children and Screen Time Essay

Every parent wants nothing more then their child to succeed. They want their child to develop and learn with out struggle. In this day in age we have access to so many devices that can help contribute to a child’s success. Many will argue that a device such as a I-pad or mobile device will hinder ones learning. I feel the exact opposite will occur, and the child will gain knowledge. Children develop and learn so much at a very young age. They absorb everything they see and hear. They best learn through touch, sight, and sound. Using a device such as a touch I-pad, or I-phone a child can interact on their level. There are so many Apps available for children of all ages. They will help a child develop at their capability and speed, while learning. I feel they will absorb more knowledge with a educational hands on device rather then TV. Children have to interact and use their brains in order for the App to work. Placing a child in front of a TV to just sit and learn, they do not get the same hands on experience. There will be those arguing that placing a phone or tablet in a child’s arms will cause harm. I do not see that being true, in this day in age we use App’s for everything. Rather at the grocery store, banking, or even schools, most teach with touch devices. I feel that helping your child learn with a hands free device, will only help them in the future.

Benefits of Swimming

Swimming Rejuvenating, the body mind and spirit†¦. Fitness development The fitness development of swimming can be classified into1 group and 2 sub-sections: Performing swimming regularly can help one in building cardio which is important for both weight loss and good cardiovascular health. When the workout is increased gradually by swimming strokes in the water, the heart rate and muscle activity is improved. This increases blood flow to your muscles, which results in more nutrients being delivered to them. It decreases risks of cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure ands prevents obesity when calories are being burnt during your workout sessions. Always remember to warm up before a proper swimming workout session. After a workout session you can do a few basic laps to cool down and help your muscles recover and relax your body after a workout session. When you are doing high-volume workouts, with a good amount of breathing, this is an aerobic swimming workout. Anaerobic swimming workouts have to do with sprinting. However, simply sprinting, even if it is on a pace clock, does not make the workout anaerobic. By extending the rest period, and demanding the maximal speed of the athlete during springs, is an anaerobic swimming workout. By just performing simple water exercises known as water Aerobics, one can get a great workout session. Your aerobic endurance is your ability to exercise your whole body for a long period of time, at a moderate intensity like swimming. When you are first starting to train and you are not very active start off slowly. To increase your aerobic level you need to overload your body. It is a low impact workout session and so any injuries to your joints and muscles are prevented. Equipment needed? When in competition – Swimsuit: Usually very tight and sometimes longer down the legs and arms. This provides the least amount of drag so you take off is al lot faster. Goggles: Protect your eyes and see everything more clearly avoid any damage to the eyes and contract water-borne infections. Cap: Cuts out drag that hair has (weight wise). Swimming block: The raised platform from which a swimmer starts their race. It has a non-slip surface. Ear plugs: are made of rubber, they protect ears from water and noise and easy to install and remove Stopwatch: is used to keep count of time for laps racing ect. Towel: absorbent cloth used to dry the body. Racing Lane: These lines are made of polypropylene rope and pliable plastic floats, these separate the pool and are used for swimmers to have individual lanes. When in training – Fins: Work your legs and add propulsion to your swimming with fins. Long fins are great for beginners = develop ankle flexibility. Short fins are great = speed to your swimming. Kickboard. To work your legs exclusively, it allows your upper body to float while you kick with your legs. Paddles: Increase pull against the water. Where can I swim? The ideal location in which to perform water aerobics is in an indoor swimming pool where the water temperature is controlled. Health clubs offer swimming facilities along with the regular gym membership, they provide a race – style pool with classes and programs were you would be watched over by a professional trainer so that you can obtain maximum results during practice/training and maintain no injury /health risks these however are the latest trends to do in group training. Outside ponds, pools or lakes can be used, but an indoor pool is preferred. Benefits of swimming Physical Benefits: It reduces blood pressure, and risk of having a stroke. It reduces your resting heart rate and increases your cardiac input. It makes your heart pump blood effectively and efficiently therefore your heart muscle strength increases Swimming as an exercise requires all the movement muscles to co-ordinate at the same time. Water creates more resistance. As a result of this you develop stronger muscles, maintain muscular balance and ehabilitates you muscles. Good stretching habits, can greatly improve flexibility. The smoothness of the movements helps lengthen and stretch muscles giving the appearance of being more toned, and having a healthy physique. Swimming is a very low impact exercise taking away any excess pressure on the bones, joints and muscles. It is one of the safest and cushioned forms of physical exercise. It improves the ability to control and maintain health y weight During 30 minutes of swimming it is possible to burn 260 calories. Low water temperatures also stimulate blood circulation, builds up endurance and metabolism Social Benefits: Whether at the beach or a pool the best form of recreation is swimming; it is a lot of fun and can be great way to socialize, friendships are made and you meet/interact with people from all different walks of life. You can join a water aerobics class or a master’s swim practice and socialize while you workout because it’s a safe work out program. Spiritual/Emotional benefits: Helps develop a positive attitude but mainly swimming forces you to regulate your breathing and allows more oxygen to flow into muscles. It also helps in massaging your muscles and relieves stress and tension. Being surrounded by the warm water facilitates a calming and meditative feeling. Contributes to a feeling of well-being as well as renewing energy and teaching patience. For a first time swimmer it removes the fear of water, preferably swimming should be introduced at an early age. Environmental responsibilities you should consider Chlorine in swimming pools- The chemicals found in chlorinated water are effective in purifying your pool but are discovered to have negative effects on the environment. Chlorine dissolves when mixed with water. It can also escape from water and enter air under certain conditions. Once in air or in water, chlorine reacts with other chemicals. It combines with inorganic material in water to form chloride salts, and with organic material in water to form chlorinated organic chemicals. Chlorine causes environmental harm at low levels. Plants and animals are not likely to store chlorine. However, laboratory studies show that exposure to chlorine in air can affect the immune system, the blood, the heart and the respiratory system of animals. Therefore Chlorine is especially harmful to organisms living in water and in oil. Chlorine affects towards humans – It is also known that pure chlorine is very toxic, even small amounts can be deadly to your health. When small amounts of chlorine are breathed in during short time periods, it can affect the reputational system. Effects vary from coughing and chest pains, skin and eyes. Alternatives include -Bromine has less of an odor therefore it can b e used as a sanitiser for an indoor pools. Salt is another alternative. Basically you need a unit called a Salt Cell, which passes an electric current through the water and converts salt into chlorine. Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine. † *Don't eat too much and then swim, allow at least an hour after a meal before swimming. Don't swim after taking alcohol or on an empty stomach. Make sure your pool is clean; dirty pools can give you an earache or perhaps even an upset stomach. Over chlorinated pools will be more subtle and are more dangerous. Always shower before and after swimming you never know what you might bring into the water, in terms of bacteria. When inside- Don't swim below diving boards, someone may land on your head always check areas where the depth of the pool changes suddenly. Don't use a mask or fins in the pool rather save them for the beach. Don't run near the edge of the pool, you may slip and hurt someone or yourself. Always check the temperature of the pools before diving in- make sure you do not dive in a shallow area. Always make sure you were your swimming caps, earplug and goggles, this prevents infection in the eyes, ears and chlorine damages your hair. Make sure you do not overly exercise (when you are tired stop and rest) and make sure you are in good shape to swim. When outside or at the beach -Choose a safe area many beaches have safe swimming areas clearly marked with buoy lines and with life guards on duty Beware of waves they can flip you over and possibly injure you. Headlands and rocky areas can quickly be surrounded by tides and at some beaches the water depth can increase suddenly – so go with caution to avoid this. Avoid strong currents; they can drag you away from shore or onto rocks. Protect against heat stroke and dehydration in hot summer weather. Aim or purpose of swimming Swimming is not only fun but is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy. By swimming regularly you will be leading a healthy lifestyle. It is an excellent form of exercise where all the muscles of the body are used when one swims. It is a sport that will bring kids fitness and enjoyment for life. It enhances children and adults natural flexibility by exercising all of their major joints. Since swimming requires constant supply of oxygen to the muscles, it is considered as an aerobic exercise, and it is believed that this helps to reduce stress so that you can just tune out and relax. Swimming caters for all skill levels. You can perform many different exercises when in the water. It also helps develop coordination because it requires combinations of complex movements of all parts of the body, enhancing muscle function, grace, and mobility. Not only does it feel great it is also effective in weight loss. As swimming is an easy and ———————– Safety when swimming simple exercise one feels refreshed. As you enjoy working out in the water your mind is at peace and away from all the worries.

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa or blank slate was a theory that became popular because of John Locke (HelpingPsychology). The Blank Slate theory is a theory that says everyone is born with a blank mind. There are no ideas or thoughts. Everything must be must learned and interrupted from the world around. This debate has been going on for a decades. Whether the mind is born blank or that there are ideas and thoughts when we are born. In the article The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker he speaks about the Blank Slate theory. He speaks about the debate and different views.Pinker uses John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner as examples for the debate. Watson believed that the when a child is born with nothing and has to gain the knowledge through experience. Watson’s most famous boost about this subject â€Å"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in, and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might se lect-doctor, lawyer, artists merchants-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors. (Watson, 21)† The debate about Blank Slate theory has been discussed but it has also caused problems.The Blank Slate theory in society has given way to cause problems between parent and child. It has also led to social problems. â€Å"And the conviction that humanity could be reshaped by massive social engineering projects has led to some of the greatest atrocities in history. (Watson, 21)† When the ignorance of a subject clouds the eyes of people it becomes easy to see where the distortion of truth is. When the people believe that they are able to shape their children exactly to how they want them they create the perfect situation to become disappointed. Not necessarily in the child but that they did not turn out as hoped or planned.Before reading this article and further reading I believed that humans were born with blank slates. I believed this because as we mature we need to be  taught how to do this like walk and talk. The older we get the more we learn and develop because of our environment. After reading the article, further reading, and more thinking I came to the conclusion that it is not purely one or the other.It like the Nature Nurture debate play off each other. I believe that we as humans are born with certain things in our minds but they are not strong thoughts or ideas. This thoughts and ideas are shadows or microscopic beings that in different environments will grow into something. Whether that something is positive or not depends again on the environment.The Blank Slate theory is something that has been discussed for decades. It has caused social distress. My views on it have been changed after reading more about it. Whether we are born or not with thoughts or ideas this is something that fascinates people, everyone from psychologists to anthropologi sts.

Total quality pointer paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Total quality pointer - Research Paper Example For instance, Quality entails developing and sustaining relationships by evaluating, expecting and fulfilling stipulated or stated requirements or needs. For instance, it is always the norm to seek zero defects and conformance to needs in order to develop and sustain relationships (George, 1998). Quality is the ongoing process of consistently producing what customers’ demands or wants while eliminating and reducing errors before and after delivery of services or goods to the customer. They will look at the segmentation criteria that allows an organization to determine which bunch of consumers are based suited to serve and which service or product offer will meet both the requirements of its selected segment and do better than their competitors. In addition, modern pioneers gather information about what customers needs and this in turn helps the firm to provide the consumers with what they want (Simon, 2011). Further, they focus on target marketing which helps them to brand messages on specific market that are more likely to purchase their product or service than other markets. Having specific knowledge about what target market will enable the firm meet the demands of its customers. Elements of quality are important because they define the firm or organization when it comes to treating or dealing with its customer. This in turn helps an organization know what it needs to do in order to continue providing quality services and products to its customers while outperforming its competitors in the market. Foreseeing the future in terms of what customers expect and that is what the companies need to deliver. Companies should aim to deliver continuous value to their consumers’ changing needs because there is an ever increasing global marketplace. The future quality hangs in balance because most companies are facing challenges to recruit, develop, train

The Potential Contributions of Human Resource Case Study

The Potential Contributions of Human Resource - Case Study Example British Airways also supports other additional jobs through its supply chain, and all this generates annual revenues of approximately 7.8 billion (Whitelegg 2000, BA 2005). British Airways contributes to economic growth in the UK as it is part of a transport infrastructure on which many other parts of the economy depends on. For example, better transport links between cities have expanded markets, allowing for economies of scale, increased specialisation in areas of competitive advantage and stiffer competitive pressures on companies (OEF 1999, Whitelegg 2000). This also means that British Airways supports foreign direct investment into the United Kingdom and this introduces new technology into the country, as well as improves networking to bring on more innovation (OEF 1999). As with any other industry, the key challenge facing British Airways is future growth and development, especially in light of low-cost airlines and climate change. Despite the impressive record of consistently delivering improvements in energy efficiency, British Airways is once again faced with a multitude of environmental and other factors, which could potentially erode its human resource based, which it has created. In order to understand the potential contributions British Airways makes to the human resource function, it is important to conduct environmental and internal analyses. II. PESTLE Analysis II. i. Political This airline industry is heavily subsidized, however the high cost of labour in the UK has made British Airways look at more cost effective ways of creating jobs, such as automated ticket machines and check-in machines. At the same time the construction of Heathrow Terminal 5 exists to meet the rising demand, which puts pressure on the government in terms of planning, and allocating more runway space in other areas of the country. The conflict in the Middle East has also meant increased fees for flying with British Airways to cover the cost of fuel price increases, which could cost the organization dearly. II. ii. Economic The crisis in the Middle East has resulted in reduced passenger numbers for some routes, and whilst it may not affect all of British Airways routes, a reduction in passenger numbers means significant losses in terms of profit. If passenger growth falls at 3.5% per year instead of the predicted 4%, the UK's GDP would be reduced by 2.5% by 2015 or the equivalent of 30 billion (OEF 1999, BA 2005). In 1997 UK travelers abroad spent 13.4 billion and foreign travelers to the UK spent 9.9 billion (OEF 1999), therefore the importance of the economy cannot be downplayed. II. iii. Social There has been an increase in recreational flyers, or the use of private airplanes, since September, 11th and this has affect passenger numbers slightly (BA 2005). This is also due to the rise of disposable income and specialization of leisure pursuits at small air fields and air

The Way to Wealth Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Way to Wealth Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example To gain diligence, a student requires undivided attention in class and participation in group works. It is possible to reinforce diligence through readings in articles, journals and other books. A knowledgeable student possesses a large scope of understanding in the electrical concepts. Diligence allows making inferences where concepts are not well understood. Participation in class discussions should be encouraged so that students get to share views and wealth of their understanding of concepts in electricity. To gain diligence is a factor of effort by an individual. With proper understanding of electricity, a student becomes empowered to avoid accidents. The student gets to learn what to do and what to rephrase from doing in an electrical accident. People become empowered to work with electrical cables conducting high voltage due to a good understanding of electricity. Experts in the field lack tension regardless of the danger they expose themselves (Adams 18). Another aphorism inf orms the reader to do today, what he plans to do tomorrow. This indicates the need for research. To keep in pace with the demands of the current world, an electrician cannot be left behind in designing user friendly interphones in the field. It is only through research that safe methods of handling electricity can be developed. Electricity forms the driving force of many economies and gains application in many homesteads all over the world. Through research, ways of application can be reviewed, or new ways developed. New ways of generating electricity can be discovered through extensive research. It is through research that electricity can now be generated from wave tides, wind and biogas. Efficient ways of application and perhaps generation can be developed through research. With the global warming challenge, many rivers used for hydro-power generation are receding. The amounts of Kilowatts diminish continually. Nuclear generation has its share or challenges in disposal of radioact ive matter and the impact on the environment. All fields are facing various challenges prompting aggressive research to be able to sustain the world while taking care of the environment. Through research, the foreseeable problems can be solved and avoided (Hill 592). ‘A little neglect may bring enormous mischief.’ In this aphorism, the writer sought to caution against lack of attention to details. Most electrical accidents happen due to neglect. Installers leave loose live wires hanging around or bare sockets. These become lethal in the homesteads. Fires and electrocution form examples of mischief caused by neglect. Good workmanship should be encouraged to the students. This can be instilled through practical sessions to establish how keen a student remains. Electrical work is sometimes tedious and uninteresting; this may cause a person to overlook basic faults which might later develop into disastrous mistakes. Students usually lack the necessary attention while perfor ming duties. When designing a factory, for instance, careful calculations are involved. If the calculations used are wrong, installations might fail or even blow. Huge losses would be incurred due to small mistakes in calculations. This also calls for discipline and decent work ethics. Imagine the damage that would occur in the ICU unit of a referral hospital due to the negligence of an electrician. Expensive equipment would be destroyed and lives lost. Taking of shortcuts must be

Fieldler's Contingency Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fieldler's Contingency Theory - Research Paper Example This scale measures the leadership style of an individual by taking into consideration the opinion of the persons that have been able to work the least well with the subject. The theory might seem a bit odd since one would think that the opinion of the person that you had trouble with would not be such an important factor. The theory can be used to differentiate between relationship motivated styles and task motivated leaders. There are three situational control variables that must be considered. The three situational control variables are leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. The Fieldler contingency theory can be used in the workplace to improve the performance of the workers by using the best leadership style based on the circumstances. Take for example a project manager leading a group of workers. The workers the project manager was given were a group of recently recruited employees. They lack a lot of experience at the work tasks and have little knowledge of the corporate culture of the firm. Based on this scenario it would be more effective for the project manager to use a task orientated leadership style. The project manager should pay close attention to each member of the crew to make sure that the workers understand what is expected of them. The project manager should establish good communications and relations with the workers to build a bond of trust. In the future once I reach a position where I have to exert leadership to manage a group of people I plan on using Fielder’s contingency theory to my advantage. If I was faced with leading a group of workers that had lots of experience, good interpersonal relations among themselves and with the boss, understanding of the culture of the firm and clear knowledge of what is expected of them I would use a relationship-motivated leadership style. A company that has utilized Fielder contingency theory to improve the performance of its workers is Sears Roebuck. Contingency theory has tremendous utility because it can be applied in a wide variety of industries. The theory allows the leader to adapt to the circumstances. The academic community has used Fieldler’s contingency theory in research studies to test different aspects of leadership. A study performed on 360 senior managers across 20 different British firms concluded that leadership and decision making must be analyzed form a contingency rather than a universalistic perspective (Heller, 1973). Fieldler’s work has evolved and recently the theory has evolved through the development of cognitive resource theory. The new cognitive approach states that that leader should use directive or nondirective behavior based on situational contingencies such as experience, support of the leader, and stress. For example when leaders have to manage a group of employees working on tight deadlines such as an accounting staff during the closing period the leader should not exert excessive pressure on the sta ff since the worker already realizes the deadlines they have to meet. Being a facilitator during these circumstances is a more effective leadership style. Contingency theories such as Fieldler’s direct their research towards discovering the variables that make certain leadership characteristics and behaviors effective in specific situations (Gunbayi, 2005). Contingency theory can be very effective in fast adaptive environments such as a casino operation. The casino

Policy, planning and development for tourism Case Study

Policy, planning and development for tourism - Case Study Example In the southern part of Australia, there is an island, Kangaroo Island, commonly known for its abundance in wildlife animals and tourists flock there every year for various reasons (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003:55). This paper will seek to will provide a report detailing policy, planning, and development for tourism in Kangaroo Island. The Kangaroo Island covers a wide area, as it is 155 kilometers long, 55 kilometers wide, and has a permanent population count of about 4,400 people. One can find the Kangaroo Island at the far end of South Australia. Additionally, 47 percent of its vegetation is natively original while 57 percent is under the protection of the National and Conservation Parks (Jack, 2005:8). Studies carried out by a number of researchers recorded that, the Kangaroo Island received many tourists in the year 2003, which amounted to 180,915 people (Brown, 2006:101). After doping some analysis, these researchers found out that 26 percent of those tourists were international visitors and that was expected to surpass 60 percent by the end of 2011 (Miller and Twining-Ward, 2005:207). This means that Kangaroo Island is indeed a tourist’s destination area, which does not only require a development plan, but also an implementation platform. Upon giving the Kangaroo Island study a closer outlook, it emerged that kind of development found or seen in this area has come with a price. Pertinently, for it to look the way it does there must be concerted efforts from some stakeholders. As of today, the Kangaroo Island has an innovative program responsible for developing and monitoring the influence of tourism (Beeton, 2005:36). It is also responsible for ensuring sustainable tourism development in this island as currently the tourism industry is working towards setting measures responsible for maintaining a sustainable ecology. At Kangaroo Island, there

House Prices and the Wealth Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

House Prices and the Wealth Effect - Essay Example In a typical household, shares account for a relatively smaller proportion of average assets while housing takes the huge proportion. People will rather invest in housing that has moderate rises in price compared to the stock market that has sharp unpredictable prizes. Home values are thus more evenly distributed that financial related wealth that is spread among the rich whose spending has less effect on changing waves. Change in house prices thus presents much higher effect to many people that change in share prices (Case, Quigley, & Shiller 3). However, this is not true across all economies. The influence of financial assets is much greater than that of housing wealth in Britain than in America because of Britain having refined instruments through which money is spent. In America, weakness in wealth effect on consumption was expected to reduce spending but the opposite happened. As more Americans became poor from the fallen share prices, spending grew considerably hence helping America avoids getting into recession. Housing prices instead went higher thus squaring out the effect of fallen stock prices. However, empty homes and increased unemployment have indicated that consumer spending is driven by real earnings that influence projections of earnings from stocks, property, and bonds. Thus fallen asset values that cause investors to spend less and the rest are put into savings (The Economist, â€Å"A housing slump helped† 1). For example in the US in 2004, an increase in wealth by $1 caused an increase in spending between 1 and 7 cents. This translated to 0.0375 wealth effect for a model that assumed equal effect between housing and financial assets. The policymakers consider housing wealth as having a similar effect as financial wealth in microeconomics sense. However, some people have already established fault in such conclusion. They argue that increase in the price of property increase cost of housing.  

Miss Julie Essay Example for Free

Miss Julie Essay This play is mainly about two characters one who is obviously Miss Julie and the other Jean. Miss Julie is a twenty-five-year-old tragic heroine. The other major character Jean is a thirty-year old valet who is chosen as Miss Julie’s lover. There are other characters such as Christine and Serena who are relatively minor characters. The setting for this play takes place in a kitchen of the Count’s manor house on a Midsummer’s Eve. In the beginning of the play it starts off with Julie dancing in the kitchen. Christine goes on to say that the reason she is rambunctious is because she is realizing that her engagement is broken. With this rambunctious behavior Julie begins to flirt with jean. Although Jean does not love Julie he still plays along with Julie, saying kind words to Julie that were not from his heart. Later on that night Jean and Julie sleep together. Then just like that after they have slept together Jean pretends like nothing ever happened and tells Julie he doesn’t love her. Enraged by this act of cruelty Julie confesses that she hates men. Later when the gossip is out Julie is ashamed of herself and is terrified of the consequences of the count. Julie then has no one else to run to for help except Jean, so she asks him what she should do and that she would do any thing for him to get her out of this mess. Terrified of the count Julie tells Jean to pretend he is the count and to hypnotize her. Jean does this but when he hypnotizes her he commands Julie to her death. Miss Julie the play has a straight forward message to the audience. The message is to all women saying to them to not give in very easily into a mens words. For example I have an uncle who always would tell me to always tell beautiful things to girls even if you don’t mean it because they fall for that. I personally never liked doing such acts, but for a lot of men out there this is a common strategy. Women should never give into a man very easily because that just tells the man that they have no respect for themselves. The play Miss Julie reminded me of my cousin and her boyfriend Ben. I pictured Jean in the play as Ben and Julie as my cousin, because even though Ben is dating my cousin it is obvious he does not love her. Just like Jean only pretended he loved Julie. Finally when my cousin realized he did not love her she also like Julie became enraged and gained hatred towards men. To this day my cousin would care less if she is single or not. Today in society I would say the problem with a lot young unwed girls getting pregnant in this day in age is due to the fact that they are not respecting themselves. This example reminds me of Julie how she did not respect herself in the play. Julie gave her heart to jean and jean shattered it in to pieces by just using Julie and then acting like nothing ever happened. One concrete statistic to prove that teenage pregnancy is getting out of control is from the Center of Disease: they say that one third of girls get pregnant before they are twenty (Teen Pregnancy). Miss Julie was a great play. It was though out very well by August Strindberg. One note to add about the play is that it had a lot of good messages to give to the audience. The Characters in this play were very easy to get into. Overall Miss Julie had a lot of positives to it and should be a play everyone should go to.

School Inspections Improve School Quality Education Essay

School Inspections Improve School Quality Education Essay Introduction This critical appraisal of a research article entitled Do school inspections improve school quality? Ofsted inspections and school examination results in the UK looks at the research methodology, style and approach adopted by the writer, Leslie Rosenthal. The article has been chosen as it discusses whether the inspection process, that has been designed to improve standards in schools, actually make exam results worse, in particularly in the year during inspection. If the researchers theory is found to be correct, this would lead to questions about the effectiveness, and value for money of the inspection process. The objectives for carrying out a critical appraisal of this piece of research are to identify the research approach that has been adopted the research style that has been used the intended research population how information will be gained from the research population the research instruments used any other considerations such as validity, reliability and credibility Each of the objectives will be discussed in turn, making explicit reference to the research article and current research methods literature. A summary of findings will be presented at the end of the assignment. Background Leslie Rosenthal (2004) states that Improving the quality of state-funded secondary school education remains a major explicit policy aim in the UK and is the central means by which state-provided education in the UK is now regulated, though a system of inspections carried out by the Office of Standards in Education (Ofsted), set up in 1992. Research has been conducted which looks at the exam results of state-funded ,non-selective English secondary schools that had been inspected during the year of the exams. Rosenthal, L. (2004) describes the research as empirical research several times throughout the text. The data used for the research has come from publicly available material based on the exam success of 15-16 year old students in state-funded school. This measure of performance, from secondary school performance tables, is used to test the proposition that in the year of an Ofsted inspection, the measure of the quality of the school changes. Empirical research is described as research of any phenomenon that results in outwardly measurable criteria, or can be verified by observation or used to derive a particular interpretation, (Opie, C. 2006). Empirical research lends itself to quantitative approaches in educational research in order to lead to generalisability. This means that the research findings can be applied to other settings than where they where originally founded in order to show that the statement is true (CEM, 2009).This could be important to empirical or experimental research where the research design may not be ethical or practical in the required setting, but the results could be compared from another setting. Empirical research is described by Verma and Mallick (2004) as the starting point to a research problem, with a view to explaining important factors or what happened after the research has been carried out. This implies that the research has been carried out with an open mind and results should not b e corrupt or biased. Rosenthal carried out empirical research using data from the year previous to, and post Ofsted inspection to confirm the validity and generalisability of the results obtained (these terms will be discussed in more detail under objective 6). The purpose of this is to show that there exists a small negative effect on exam results during the year that Ofsted inspects a school, even though the general philosophy of the agencys approach is described by its own motto as Improvement through Inspection, and one of their four objectives is to raise standards of achievement by students in exams (Ofsted, 1995). Objective 1 Identify the research approach that has been adopted The overall approach to the research that was carried out by Rosenthal was a quantitative approach. Bryman, (2008) describes quantitative research as deductive and testing theory rather than being inductive or generating theory as with qualitative analysis. The theoretical and conceptual structure of the research is determined before testing it through empirical observation. Quantitative research is not merely number crunching but is the use of theory to deduce a hypothesis. Primary or secondary information is then gathered to test the hypothesis. Primary information research involves gathering new data by means of written questionnaire, survey, or face to face and telephone interviews. However, Rosenthal used secondary information, which is research or information that has already been collected by somebody else, in this case, Government officials collecting data about schools to measure attainment and performance. To carry out quantitative research, any information, whether from primary or secondary sources, needs to be processed in some way in order to quantify it. Rosenthal has used statistical measures to analyse the secondary data and show the effects of Ofsted inspections in school quality. Opie, (2006) describes quantitative research as being objective and positivistic as opposed to subjective and anti-positivistic. Objectivity can be defined as unbiased and open-minded, and that only one interpretation or meaning can be drawn from the data, where as a subjective point of view is regarded as belonging to an individual as a result of their own consciousness or thought. Subjectivity is not based on facts that can be demonstrated or observed, but could in fact be interpreted in different ways. This piece of research has been based on facts from secondary information, and independent variables that could have a positive or negative effect on results have been tested to ensure that the results are unbiased and can not be interpreted in different ways therefore demonstrating the quantitative nature of the research. Objective 2 Identify the research style that has been used The style of research that has been adopted by the researcher is Evaluation Research. According to Burton Bartlett (2005), evaluation research is used to assess the effectiveness of specific projects to see if the original aims have been met. Rosenthal states that the objective of the research is to investigate the direct influence of Ofsted inspections on exam performance of inspected schools for the year of the inspection, as one of the four objectives for inspection is to raise the standards of achievement by students (in exams). In other words, the research has been carried out to evaluate how effective the inspection process has been at raising student achievement in exams at GCSE level. Evaluation research is often funded by government in order to evaluate the effectiveness of policies or procedures, and can be broken down into formative and summative evaluation. According to Trochim and Donnelly (2007) formative evaluation research is carried out during a program or activity in order to form the direction or strengthen the outcomes of the activity. The formative research is used as a method of improving the quality of an activity by looking at the needs, conceptualisation, implementation and processes of the activity. Summative evaluation research looks to summarise the activity in terms of meeting objectives, cost-analysis and impact. The research may be conducted to improve performance or processes if the activity is to be repeated, or to carry out secondary analysis, which re-examines existing data to answer new questions that may have arisen from the activity. Rosenthals research is summative as it is not intended to improve the processes of inspection, but to summarise whether or not the inspection has met its own objectives of raising standards of achievement in exams. Objective 3 Identify the intended research population The indented research population is clearly stated by Rosenthal, in section 4 of the report as state-funded, non-selective English secondary schools that serve students up to 16 years. State-funded schools that are selective on the basis of religion (voluntary aided, voluntary assisted and special agreement schools) and/or on the basis of academic ability (grammar and secondary modern, and selective grant maintained schools) have been excluded from the study. Only those schools that were inspected under Section 10 of the 1992 Education (Schools) Act were included in the study and not those classed as failing or having serious weaknesses. Data was gathered from approximately 2,300 schools inspected during the years 1993/4 to 1997/8 with some 2,700 Ofsted inspections taking place. Under Section 10 of the 1992 Educations (Schools) Act, schools were to be inspected at least once in every four year cycle; therefore around one quarter of the 2,300 schools would be inspected each year, duri ng the four year research period. The exact figures have been shown in table form in section 4 (Data and method) by Rosenthal. Objective 4 Identify how information will be gained from the research population The information needed to carry out the empirical research was, and still is, freely available in the public domain for use by Rosenthal. Rosenthal references the web address for Secondary School Performance Tables (or Achievement and Attainment Tables as they are now called) and these tables are published annually on the Department for Children, Schools and Families website (http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/) and in national newspapers. Information contained in these performance tables includes the official measures of exam success of 15-16 year old students at GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) level or equivalent. The data collected focuses specifically on the number of GCSE passes at grades A* C in each school year of the research period 1993/4 to 1997/8. Objective 5 Identify the research instruments used Secondary data analysis has been carried out by Rosenthal. As discussed in objective one, secondary data is information that has been gathered previously by another person for some purpose, rather than information which is being gathered for the first time as with primary data. The data that Rosenthal used was gathered by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), and published in the annual league tables that shows the performance of a school in terms of attainment and achievement, pupil attendance and proportion of students with Special Education Needs (SEN) [DCSF accessed on 4th March 10]. Objective 6 Identify any other considerations such as validity, reliability and credibility Summary of findings