Context That Motivates Adult Learning

Context That Motivates Adult Learning There are four â€Å"distinct context† to motivate adult learners according to the research of Malcolm Knowles (Alexander, M. , Clugston, W, & Tice, E. (2009) these are; Practical, Personal, Experiential and Idealistic Context. Practical context describes one who is motivated by intentional or specific personal gain where you deliberately choose to learn a subject or activity knowing in advance of starting the learning process that it will benefit and /or be useful to you either immediately or in the future.Personal context motivation is when one has the desire to further their education in an effort to achieve personal goals. Experiential context is when one is motivated to expand or adjust the knowledge gained through past experiences and applying it to new challenges or experiences to form updated results. Idealistic context motivation is learning for the sole purpose of learning, discovering and staying up to date and â€Å"in the kno w. † Practical context is my type of motivation to learn.Before applying to Ashford I was certain that the hard work and dedication I put into earning my degree in Human Resources Management will open opportunities for professional advancement in my career goals. My current occupation is Human Resources Representative in a corporate setting with over 10 years of experience in the Human Resources field. I have enough experience the Human Resources field that I am confident I will succeed as a manager. However, I cannot be considered for a management position until I achieve a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management.

Based god

Dear college admissions, Affirmative action really helps minorities and under privileged Americans. It helps them pay for college and get the right training they need for success later on in life, which will help the, later on in life to get better Jobs. Hand in hand it'll help out our economy in the long run. I can understand that some people would say that it wouldn't be beneficial for the people that aren't from minority backgrounds and that ffirmative action is discrimination.People may say that its discrimination because the people registering students are looking if theyre for ethnicity to see if they need help paying for school. But in my opinion you money only comes in one color, and that's green. If I could change some things about affirmative action it would be that the applicants wouldn't have to be of color or ethnicity, they would Just have to meet the income requirements.We would check their parent's annual income and see the best fit amount of money for their situation . When someone applies it shouldn't tell us the race of the applicant, it should Just state the income, parents in the household, and the other basic information. Race shouldn't influence others opinions.

Blessings of Liberty

In striking at the ‘domestic Tranquility,' ‘common defense' and ‘Blessings of Liberty' that the US Constitution was established to secure, the terrorist attacks of September 11 not only extinguished thousands of lives but also heralded a dangerous and unprecedented chapter in the ‘American experiment. ‘ 9/11 represented the end of what remained of America's post–1991 innocence about the severity of global threats and confirmed the many prior warnings that the question of mainland terror was one of when, not whether, it would occur.To some observers, the attacks triggered the most sudden and dramatic change in the history of American foreign policy, bringing an abrupt and decisive end to the post-Cold War era. (Stephen, 2001) But while many declarations proclaimed a permanently transformed world, American responses instead suggested a remarkable continuity. Rather than initiating a transformation, 9/11 accelerated trends, policies and approaches th at were well established.If the attacks' most immediate political effects were certainly dramatic – the Bush administration's approval ratings soared and public confidence in the federal government attained levels unseen since the early 1960s – the dominant features of recent American politics (not least partisan polarization) remained essentially unchanged. Analogical reasoning in international affairs is as hazardous in theory as it is ubiquitous in practice; hence the question of whether 9/11 will ultimately prove as strategically significant for America as Pearl Harbor, the Cold War or the implosion of the USSR is best left for another day.(Richard, 2001) 9/11 nonetheless proved both that America remains as vulnerable to conventional and unconventional attacks as other nations and that its singular influence renders it an especially inviting target. It also demonstrated, however, that America remains exceptional in its capacity to deploy vast resources and destruct ive assets on a global scale. The rapid removal of the Taliban regime revealed a hegemonic power with neither peer nor precedent, prompting commentators to compete for adjectival correctness: ‘hyper-power,' ‘mega-power,' ‘behemoth.‘ (Tim, 2002) Confronted by such dominance, critics are surely right to caution about the dangers accompanying such unprecedented and (relatively) unfettered power. But commentary on America frequently remains empirically poorly anchored, wrongly conflating official policies with public preferences and embracing stereo-types about (for example) mass aversion to military casualties that resisted close scrutiny long prior to 2001.The reasons why factual accuracy infrequently intrudes on familiar ‘truisms' about the USA has received compelling analysis elsewhere (Clive, 2002) but it is in the light of such infrequency that this chapter reviews in turn American perceptions of the terrorist attacks, the responses of the Bush admini stration and Congress and 9/11's broader significance for American domestic politics and foreign policy. Terrorism used to be seen by the world's militaries as â€Å"low intensity conflict† and many commanders such as you were not often preoccupied with it.For us, exceptionally hot years such as 1983 or 1985 were just that–exceptions. Now it's war. It is a war that the al Qaeda enemy formally declared in 1996, and again in 1998. It's a war made by a long series of attacks upon free peoples. The U. S. only accepted this as â€Å"war† at the end of 2001, but it is now affixed to the horizon. To call this war is not to say that it is a wholly military contest. If US government has a grand strategy, then this contest is political, ideological, legal, economic, and moral. It is profoundly moral.President Bush made the accurate parallel between terrorist and pirates or slave-traders. All three categories are natural enemies of humanity–an ancient concept of int ernational law, and a good one. On Saturday, the new Pope described terrorism as â€Å"perverse,† a â€Å"cruel decision that shows contempt for the sacred right to life,† and â€Å"a new barbarism. † The global nations, collectively, hold the upper hand in this contest because Allies is a moral cause, and they must not ignore or abandon that moral advantage. (Gray, 2005)Two recent and ugly innovations by terror groups underscore terrorism's profound inhumanity. You may have noticed the new pattern of terror attacks on aid personnel and nongovernmental organizations. What had been rare is now appallingly common. NGOs† are studying the challenge, but have only begun. For now they often close down relief operations and withdraw in the face of terror–a prudent response, but one that negates their whole purpose, and satisfies the attackers. Until now, NGOs have tended to want nothing from you as commanders except logistical support for their own work.Th e less contact the better, it seemed. Now, they may begin asking you to help with their security, which is a most complicated job. A second reminder of the character of terrorism is a new pattern of double-bombings. The first explosive is laid to wound and kill; this damage draws in dozens of medical professionals and â€Å"first responders;† (Wolf, 2003) when enough ambulances have arrived, the second timed charge detonates, redoubling the carnage. I first noticed the old Irish Republican Army do this. Then, a right-wing terrorist did it in Atlanta Georgia.The jihadis' Bali Indonesia bombings confirmed the pattern–a preliminary bomb in a building drove people out into the street, where a far larger bomb murdered many of them. And then, at a fourth point on the globe (Iraq) came the August 17 bombing of a bus terminal in Baghdad. Police naturally rushed to the scene, and that's when a second bomb blew, in the station parking lot. There was a third layer to the plan. Am bulances rushed wounded to a nearby hospital, and there, awaiting them, was a suicide bomber, who then detonated.When terrorism develops such techniques it rarely regresses; we'll see more. (Clutterbuck, 2004) The moral relativists who will not understand terrorism–who say, â€Å"it is nothing more than a weapon of the weak†Ã¢â‚¬â€œshould ponder the planning in these double-bombings. How hard you commanders work to train your personnel to protect the Red Cross, to steer clear of ambulances, to avoid hospitals as sanctuaries of the wounded, even amidst actual battle. Compare that with what terrorists plot and do in peacetime, with this explicit targeting of medical personnel.The over-heated religious militants led by al Qaeda have an internationalist program. That is evident from their targeting: Nairobi, Casablanca, Istanbul, Riyadh, and Madrid. Their internationalism is just as evident from their recruitment: Saudis, Moroccans, Algerians, Somalis, Yemenis, Filipinos, and Western Europeans of all kinds. †¦ The enemy confirms all this in how he trains: al Qaeda's camps in the Sudan, and then Afghanistan, drew tens of thousands, to some 50 training camps, from the corners of the world.In late 2001, in the Afghan war, The Allied coalition captured people from over forty countries! There was of course a Philippines training branch, and another in Indonesia. The array of foreign faces appearing in these camps was widely diverse. The jihadis' internationalism is just as evident in their ideology: as surely as a good man may be called into good and divine service from Madagascar or America–and they have been–so too might the jihadis' appeals touch a potential terrorist in Madagascar, or America–and they have. There are treasure troves of al Qaeda documents.Their own words make it apparent that as a policy end, al Qaeda envisages itself as the global leader of a great coalition, and should it conquer, then the creation of a grea t Caliphate. Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden talked about that in Afghanistan–there is a written record of it. If Mullah Omar's Taliban regime is any indication of how such a Caliphate would govern, very few Muslims would ever want it†¦although the rulers, being totalitarians, would not much care if their regime were wanted. The terrorists' internationalist policy dictates an internationalist strategy.That is why the celebrated fatwa of February 1998 heralded formation of â€Å"The World Islamic Front for Jihad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  †¦Why Bin Laden's speeches urge Islamic unity, a seamless community of the faithful, worldwide†¦Why his lieutenant, and doctor, the globe-trotting Egyptian Al Zawahiri, criticizes peoples of the Islamic world when they fail to come when they are called to arms by al Qaeda. (Alexander, 2001) So US government sees al Qaeda's global reach in its targeting, recruiting, training, ideology, and recovered documents and public pronouncements. Quit e obviously, there is a world war, and war must be joined.In the face of such global ambitions and global attacks, all decent governments should ally themselves in counterterrorism. That is the first and most apparent need from the assessment of the present enemy: And at the military level, this direction explains why Commandant Michael Hagee's strategic â€Å"Vision,† as briefed to leaders of the US Marine Corps, states simply that â€Å"Deterring and defeating Irregular threats places a high priority on working with partner nations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Adams, 2002) For the U. S. , these ongoing efforts include training international officer students in military staff level and war colleges.The Marine Corps alone has over five hundred such international students and trainees. Then there are the many training missions that the larger military services carry out abroad. USMC training teams were in nine countries in 2004, but this year they're in five times as many foreign countries . The State Department has an ambitious Antiterrorism Assistance Program, which mixes political, and security matters, and has operated world-wide since 1983. One part of this, conducted through the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, is the Foreign Emergency Support Team.Over the years, these teams have accomplished liaison with over one hundred partner countries to a limited but useful end: when a crisis occurs abroad, if that country desires U. S. technical support or advice, the mechanisms for it are understood on both sides. (Bolz, 2000) Consider as well Pakistan. Islamabad has made a remarkable and satisfying reversal of old policies. At great risk to itself, the Musharaf administration now studies, surrounds, and seizes bombers, torturers, shooters, plotters, and financiers, foreign and domestic. The Pakistani police are working even harder than the army.The country has extradited such important terrorists as Ramzi Yousef who bombed the New Yor k Trade Towers the first time (1993) and Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni who apparently sought to join his friends in the 9-11 hijacking teams. (Crenshaw, 2001) By the spring of 2003 one of the news magazines wrote admiringly that arrests were coming â€Å"almost weekly† in Pakistan. Few things are as satisfying as a successful trial, conviction and jailing; it puts things fight, and the world sees it. Some democracies created special counter-terrorist forces as an answer to the terrorist atrocities of the late 1960s.Many states built them then. Germany's GSGN border troops taking down the airliner held by terrorists in Mogadishu in 1978, with a devastating psychological impact on the Red Army Faction†¦French forces boldly recapturing one of their nation's airliners in Marseilles in December 1994, snuffing out a clear precursor attack on their own capital and preventing a 9-11 in that city†¦Peru's commandos, quietly enduring the tensions of the four-month siege they laid for MRTA Communists holding the Japanese embassy in Lima, in 1996.When Peru's commandos finally pounced, in April 1997, it was a magnificent performance that left the bad people stretched out on the ground and the hostages reunited with their astonished families. For specialized work like counterterrorism there must be specialized forces. This is somewhat true even for dealing with a broader insurgency. There are still roles for conscripts and draftees, available in large numbers, to perform traditional duties of aid and occupation, amidst a population for 8 or 12 months somewhere abroad.But the greatest need in Afghanistan today, in Nepal today, in Iraq today, is for confident well-trained professionals who will make long deployments and then consider another tour. At the very least, there must be a sophisticated way of helping capture the lessons they have learned. (Farrell, 2002) Officers do not arrive fresh upon an insurgent scene, such as Iraq, and determine by Clausewitzean c oup d'oeil the essence of the problem, and solve it before breakfast tomorrow.Instead the fellow coming in must study, and watch, and wrestle with the language and the newness of the situation, abandon a preconception or two, and think long and hard. It was T. E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, who wrote that â€Å"Guerrilla war is far more intellectual than a bayonet charge. † Neither guerrilla war nor its antidotes have changed much since his time. Pressures to have intimate human intelligence in this age of global terrorism are very high. In a localized insurgency at least there might be certain common features of the enemy mind.But in this global struggle, the countries of origin are as diverse as the personalities arrayed against America. Policy makers have many lenses through which to study and learn, and prepare what is practical: psychology, political science, political philosophy, regional studies, sociology, and other lenses will all help us take in the character of t he enemy. You may be thinking that it is a cliche to call for better human intelligence. (Rubin, 1999) True. It is true that is a cliche, and true that we need better intelligence.In the USA, many blue ribbon panels and careful studies have demanded that America has improved on her intelligence assets as compare to that was before 9-11. In practice, this recommendation means adjustments by more than just intelligence experts. It means education and training, in good, resident, schools. It means making every naval infantry man and woman an â€Å"intel† collector. ( Netanyahu, 2004) It means close cooperation between military and police forces, for the police often know more, being locals, and long-time experts at observing the law-breaking sort of man.Two of the great lessons of British counter-insurgency were in emphasis on intelligence by all units, and emphasis on sharing intelligence between the military and civilian sides, to include sometimes co-locating their two infras tructures. (Solan, 2000) Washington and Langley may emphasize counter-terrorism against al Qaeda but may still disappoint the close NATO partner, Berlin, with how much intelligence Americans actually share. Perhaps Turkey finds Washington's bureaucrats too busy, or too uninterested, in the problems of the reviving Kurdish insurgency.Yet Turkish blood flows, and Kurdish killers hide just over the border in Iraq, and Americans are said to have some powers in Iraq, so Turks may demand America use influence against their Kurdish terrorists. Russia saw, so long before Americans did, the need for directly aiding the Afghan Northern Alliance led by the brilliant Ahmed Shah Massoud, against the Taliban tyranny, in the 1990s. Now, who should be surprised if Russia feels she has a call on more political support over Chechen separatism. (Wolf, 2003) We must work to measure up to the challenges of allies as well as enemies.As Winston Churchill used to say, ‘a man must never allow himself to fall below the level of events. ‘ References Adams, James. Secret armies: inside the American, Soviet, and European special forces. New York, N. Y. , U. S. A. : The Atlantic Monthly Press, 2002. 440-48 Alexander, Yonah. ; Browne, Marjorie Ann. ; Nanes, Allan S. [eds. ]. Control of terrorism: international documents. (Foreword by Ray S. Cline; published in cooperation with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University). New York, N. Y. , U. S. A. : Crane, Russak, 2001.xvi, 21-25. Bolz, Frank. ; Dudonis, Kenneth J. ; Schulz, David P. The counter-terrorism handbook: tactics, procedures, and techniques. New York, N. Y. , U. S. A. : Elsevier Science, (Series in Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations), 2000. pp. 221-224 Clive Christie, ‘US Hate: A Designer Prejudice for Our Time', The Times Higher Educational Supplement, 18 Jan. 2002, p. 19. Clutterbuck, Richard L. Living with terrorism. London, G. B. : Faber and Faber, 2004. p p. 151-152 Crenshaw, Martha. Terrorism and international cooperation. Boulder, Colo.New York, N. Y. , U. S. A. : Westview Press; Institute for East-West Security Studies, (Occasional paper Series; 11), 2001. p91 Farrell, William Regis. The U. S. government response to terrorism: in search of an effective strategy. Boulder, Colo. , U. S. A. : Westview Press, (Westview Special Studies in National and International Terrorism), 2002. 139-42 Gray, John ‘Why Terrorism is Unbeatable', New Statesman, 25 Feb. 2005, pp. 50–3. Netanyahu, Benjamin. [ed. ]. Terrorism: how the West can win. London, G. B. : Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2004. 25-34 Richard A.Posner, Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001). Rubin, Barry. [ed. ]. The politics of counter-terrorism: the ordeal of democratic states. Washington, D. C. , U. S. A. : Foreign Policy Institute, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University, 19 99. 117-122 Solan, Stephen. Beating international terrorism: an action strategy for preemption and punishment. Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. ; [Washington, D. C. ], U. S. A. : Air University, Air University Press; [U. S. G. P. O. ], 2000. 60-66

Communication Techniques-Sports Commentary Essay

In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator gives a running commentary in real life or real time about a sport. Usually, this is done during a live broadcast on television. The broadcast is normally a voiceover and the main commentator is rarely seen on screen if at all. In American English, other common terms for a sports commentator are announcer and sportscaster. In actuality, a sportscaster may just refer to a newscaster covering the latest news about sports. Types of Sport Broadcasters Play-by-play announcers are the primary speakers, valued for their articulateness and for their ability to describe the events of an often fast-moving contest. Colour commentators, which serve as assistants to the primary speakers are valued for experience and insight into the game, and are often asked questions by the play-by-play announcer to give them a topic for analysis. The latter most often have gained their experience in the sport as a player or coach, while the former is more likely to be a professional broadcast journalist than a participant in the sport. The more common format is to use both types of commentators in order to provide a better-rounded experience for the audience. For example, NBC Sunday Night Football in the United States, which Cris Collinsworth, a former American football receiver, and Al Michaels, a professional announcer announce for. In the United Kingdom however there is a much less distinct division between play-by-play and colour commentary, although two-man commentary teams usually feature an enthusiast with formal journalistic training but little or no competitive experience leading the commentary, and an expert former (or current) competitor following up with analysis or summary. There are, however, exceptions to this. For example, all of the United Kingdom’s major cricket and snooker commentators are former professionals in their sports, while the legendary Formula One racing commentator Murray Walker had no formal journalistic training and only limited racing experience of his own. Another difference between the two types is that colour commentators will usually announce only a sport in which they played or coached, while play-by-play announcers, such as Michaels and David Coleman in the UK, may have careers in which they announce several different sports at one time or another.

Family assessment paper Essay

Family Assessment Paper 2382 Instructor Introduction The family just recently moved to my neighborhood and we casually said hi to each other. I went to their house and introduced myself and informed them of my intentions. I explained to the family that I was going to perform a family assessment and that this was about assessing the family processes and interactions and identifying both the weak and strong points in the family. I further discussed with the family that the purpose for this assessment was purely academic, confidentiality will be maintained and no diagnostic tests of any kind will be made. Permission was given before scheduling the interview and verified again prior to start. This was verbally consented and there was no need to sign any papers. Therefore, we set up the appointment for 5 o’clock in the evening on Saturday February the 11th 2012 and the interview was going to be at their home in the living room. As of my plan I wrote and grouped my interview questions. I was to interview the kids first and then finish up with the parents, the mother being the very last because of the abuse questions and assessment. I had the abuse assessment forms in envelopes for them to fill out at the end of the session. I planned to get the genogram with both the parent. So on this day of interview all the five family members were present. We gathered in their living room and being covered with all the information, the environment was tens free. I interviewed the kids first. And theirs was general, and I mostly wanted to know what their roles were in the family as a whole. Structural Assessment Family composition/ separate genogram attached The family consists of three kids, ages 15, 13 and a 6month old. The Kids’ names are Pt, Ks and Ax. None of the parents have been married before. This was their first one. They also have two large dogs and a small cat that they  recently adopted. Nobody else lives at home with the family Home and community environment. They live in a single family house. Pt has his own room, ks has her own room too and the parents share the room with baby Ax. They stated to don’t know many people yet in the neighborhood but so far it is a calm environment. They live near a community park, library, the kids’ school and day care is just a couple of blocks away, a hospital, dental clinic, a fire department nearby as well as a shopping center. Occupation and education background Mother is pursuing a RN. nursing degree and works 1 day a month in a nursing home. Father is a truck driver and is gone most of the week. He is mostly in Texas and Chicago. They both attained an equivalent of a high school diploma back in Poland. Mother is mostly the caregiver in the house while the father is the provider. This is a family that moved from Poland ten years ago, they lived in California before moving to Minnesota six years ago. Kids Assessment The oldest kid, a teenage boy just said he loved helping in the house especially since the baby came and he has been doing a lot of that. He does dishes, helps younger siblings with their assignments (mother is very busy with school and sometimes does not understand English very well). He said he wishes his dad would be home more but he also understood that he had to provide for them and pay the housing. He was a very calm young man and pleasant to talk to. Next I interviewed the 13 year-old girl, I had to talk about fashion at some point to get her attention and it worked. Morbidly obese and she said she has been trying to lose weight but she can’t stop herself from eating anything sweet she lays her hands on. She said she really wanted a girl sibling when her mom first said she was pregnant but when her baby brother was born she got over it fast .She is very helpful with the baby too and loves him dearly. Sometimes offers to sleep with him so her mother can get some sleep. Structural family relationship- Bb’s family is from Poland and she does not have any relatives in the United States. Rn is also from Poland. His brother lives in Chicago thus he can’t  help with the new baby and daycare is too expensive. So for now Bb has to stay home and watch baby Ax. However, she also goes to school and when she is gone to school; she has a lot of trouble finding help with the kids. She is doing evening classes so that Pt and Ks can help babysit after school. And that has been working out so far but would love to find a permanent solution. Cultural and religious tradition The family is white from Polish background. Bb and Rn were born and raised up in Poland. Their first two kids, Pt and Ks were born in Poland but have grown up mostly in the US. They speak multiple languages but more articulate in English. The family is a staunch Catholics and they go to a polish church in Minneapolis. They celebrate religious holidays like Easter and Christmas. They value Christianity and believe that Church is the basis of spirituality. The family also believes in baptism and eating sacrament so they have all their kids baptized. Functional Assessment Family interaction and roles Bb does not work much, but just once in a month. She stays home with the kids; she wishes she could work more because they are falling behind on the mortgage and can’t afford to buy things that she would want to have. For instance she wants a newer car but she can’t afford one now. However, they are managing although they have been able to cut back on other things that they were used to, before, such as family trips. Baby Ax was an accidental pregnancy and they were all much unprepared for it. It was especially hard on the family when Bb had to stop working because she had HTN and gestational diabetes. She was on bed rest for most of the pregnancy. The family has been through a lot lately and they are not doing well with the baby. Rn is complaining paying all the bills and finds it very hard to help with the baby. Power decision making/problem solving The family believes in authoritative rearing of kids and parents work well with the kids when they have done something undesirable. They do not believe in whipping the kids but discipline in denying privileges and giving time outs. Mother is mostly the disciplinarian. According to Bb, they agree on  punishment according to what the kids have done and they both support each other in disciplining the kids. The power and decision making is the father’s role and they will consult with him even when he is far on matters that need his attention. Abuse assessment. I used the abuse form that I had prepared from the questions on (Varcarolis, 2007 pg. 591) to interview the mother on abuse. I asked her the four questions from the abuse assessment screen (figure 26-2). 1. Have your ever been emotionally or physically abused by your partner or someone important to you? 2. Within the last year, have you been hit, slapped, kicked or otherwise physically hurt by someone? 3. Within the last year has anyone forced you to have sexual activities? 4. Are you afraid of your partner or anyone you listed on the assessment list? The mother denied being abused physically emotional or sexually in the past year. She denied feeling unsafe. She denied being threatened and said she felt safe in the home. Her verbal and nonverbal communication was congruent. Father also denied any kind of abuse and really expressed lots of appreciation about the wife instead. I also asked the following questions regarding their kids on (Varcarolis, 2007 pg. 598). 1. What arrangements do you make when you have to leave your child alone? 2. How do you discipline your children 3. When your infant cries for a long time how you do get him to stop? 4. What about your child’s behavior bothers you the most? These questions were to assess the possibility for children abuse and neglect but the results were negative regardless of the stressors the parents disciplines their kids fairly as I mentioned earlier in the power decision making / problem solving. They never leave the baby alone in the home and they attend to the crying baby promptly and calm him down by meeting his needs. Generally, the rationale for the screening is to ensure consistent and accurate assessments and protection of all individuals and or families at risk for domestic violence, maltreatment and neglect. (Varcarolis, 2007 pg. 587) On the same note women are victimized about six times more often than men (Varcarolis, 2007 pg. 586). Communication Different communication techniques were used during this interview, it  included open ended questions, seeking clarification, focusing and summarizing. There were also some non-verbal communication such as silence, nodding of the head, eye contact, smiles, movement of hands, looking up unto the roof, looking down onto the floor and movement on the seats. Active listening played a major role in data generation. There were also some interruptions with the kids seeking attention, dad and mom at different times taking breaks to smoke and a couple incoming phone calls. Expression of feelings/individuals: The family showed respect and peace among themselves members listened to each other’s opinions. No curse words to each other during the interview and I was very impressed with the respect to one another overall. Even though the father is away, he calls 3-4 times a day to talk to the kids and his wife. They are a close-knit family and try to stay together even during a crisis. Dad said love, patience and peace is the key to their long lasting marriage of their18 years. Regardless of all the stress they are going through, financially and with the baby care, they are clinging together still. Mother also expressed a nonverbal communication congruently in support dad’s statements Self-destructive behavior: Both parents smoke in the home and this is very unhealthy for the kids and to themselves. Father also drinks a lot on the days when he is off. This family eats out a lot too even with the limited finances, this in itself is expensive and choice of foods are not always the healthiest considering the fact that the family members are obese or overweight. Stages: (Friedman) Observation of family member’s interactions: Positive interactions were seen within the family members. The children were seen playing and interacting very well, and occasionally coming to the parent for attention and seeking clarifications on what to eat and not to eat. Leadership/Submission: Leadership and submission characteristic are evident within the family system. Though at times parents have episode of arguments, but they are always quick to come to a compromise. Father enforces rules and advices the wife to follow suit in order to have a common voice. Activities shared: Both  parents stated â€Å"we take them on a walk and sometimes biking and occasionally weekend trip when the time permits but we are barely surviving so we have not done anything for a longtime now. Emotional Support: Emotional Support was observed when the mother heard the last baby crying, she hurriedly rush to the scene to see what went wrong. Household chores responsibility: Household chores mainly domestic in nature rest primarily on the mom. But husband agreed to help whenever he is home. The children are also very helpful especially when their dad is gone. Caregiver- Shared or primary: Mother is the primary caregiver. Division of tasks: Mother is the one mainly doing chores in the house, when the husband is around he does not do much because he is â€Å"always tired†, mother’s statement. Stressors/strengths The mother sometimes feels unappreciated because she is taking care of the home and the kids while husband is away and wishes the husband would recognize how tough of a task this is. She feels like the house is not always clean and she loves to keep her house clean and neat but also understands that the baby is priority now. She gained 50 pounds with the pregnancy and she wants to lose it fast, she worries with her age she might never look the same again. The children are very well mannered and they understand that there is time for everything. They will follow instructions on when to go to bed and when to turn off all their gadgets (I-pod).Father hates his job but is willing to do it for as long as he can support his family. He realizes that it’s the sacrifice he has to make. Their financial situation is a big stress. The whole family has had to cut back on a lot of things and become very frugal in their spending. They would love to get ahead with the bills and be able to afford some holiday, but that is not going to happen soon so they try to do fun things in order to forget about their situation. Rn being gone is also a stressor for all the other family members and him. The baby is a joy but also a stressor since they have to make a lot of changes to take care of him. Their main strength is spirituality and lots of patience with one another. They get their strength from having good communication techniques. Clinging together unto their marriage is one of the big strengths in this family. Most families break up during situational crises that bring so much stress until couples can’t put  up together any longer. Mom stated â€Å"it is and has been very difficult but out we won’t fall apart.† So much patience was expressed. Thinking in Action journal This assignment was one of the most complex and challenging one so far in this semester. When we were given the instructions during clinical orientation, as well as in the 2381 lab, I thought it was going to be a simple assignment of which it wasn’t. However, at first I had more fun preparing for the interview, going up and meeting the family. Setting up the interview appointment was itself very exciting to me and this really incited me to looking forward to that scheduled day of 02/11/12. Before I knew it, the day of the interview was here and I arrived at the interviewee family home right on time so that do not interrupt with any of their plans. Amazingly they were all set in their living room ready for me. It started all well with open ended question since I had given them all the information prior and had verbally consented the interview at the time of scheduling. All went well with therapeutic communication and I gathered as much information as possible. I observed all their non-verbal in congruent with verbal communication. I demonstrated active listening a lot which of course enabled them to provide more information. I was amazed with how much they opened up for me. They answered all my questions in details without any signs of hesitation. This confidently revealed to me the big strength of my therapeutic communication giving me the feeling of empowerment and trust winning as a student nurse. At the end of the interview I was glad that I answered their all questions and gave them all the information as needed. I enjoyed this day and I will always remember it!!. As I started writing my paper, it was a little more challenging to organize all the data I collected appropriately, but eventually I managed. Although it was time consuming, it also was a very good learning experience. Works Cited Ackley, J. B., & Ladwig, B. G. (2011). Nursing Diagnosis Handbook. St. Louis: Elsevier Mosby, St. Louis. Varcarolis, E. M., & Halter, M. J. (2010). Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. St.Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier. Varvogli, L., & Darviri, C. (2011). Stress Management  Techniques: evidence-based procedures that reduce stress and promote health. Health Science Journal, Child Care Assistance for postsecondary Students. www.getreadyforcollege.org/pdfGR/ChildCare.pdfSimilar

Blog 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Blog 3 - Essay Example These supporters include the the disciples who existed in the period of Jesus, at the same time they may refer to the current Christians. â€Å"They ask you [Prophet] about the Hour, ‘When will it happen?’ Say, ‘My Lord alone has knowledge of it: He alone will reveal when its time will come, a time that is hidden from both the heavens and earth. All too suddenly it will come upon you.’ They ask about it as if you were eager [to find out]. Say, ‘God alone has knowledge of [when it will come], though most people do not realize it.’ Say [Prophet], ‘I have no control over benefit or harm, even to myself, except as God may please: if I had knowledge of what is hidden, I would have abundant good things and no harm could touch me. I am no more than a bearer of a warning and good news to those who believe.’† Quran 7:187-188 In this verse, Prophet Muhammad Predicts of Christ’s Reoccurrence, Jesus will come back. If one happens to observe him, then recognize him. He is a gentleman of a temperately healthy-looking appearance, who shall be wearing two slightly yellow clothes. He will come to take with him those who have been loyal to

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Good Man is Hard to Find - Essay Example He was demanding respect because he thought that he was almost a man and should be respected irrespective. The story of â€Å"A Good Man is Hard To Find† speaks ironically of how hard it was to find a good man. The irony comes out clearly from the start to the end of the story. The grandmother is trying to draw the son’s attention about why they should not go to Florida as usual but should change to east Tennessee. She was reading a journal about the man â€Å"Misfit† and the harm he was causing. According to the report â€Å"Misfit† was headed to Florida that same day. She had thought it would be a good idea to let her son read the article as well. Bailey instead ignored his mother and did not even care to look at the article. Later, as they travel to Florida, they get an accident and the â€Å"Misfit† comes across them. He kills the whole family just like he does. The two stories, â€Å"A man who was almost a man† and â€Å"A good man is hard to find† both reveal the character of the two men in question. They were big headed and disobedience. Dave did not listen to his mother that he should not get a gun. Instead, he thought that a gun would protect his title –almost a man. In his quest to protect his image, he killed Jenny. Bailey on the other hand, could not listen to his mother. Even when she spoke, Bailey kept ignoring her. He thought that now he was a grown man and did not need his mother’s advice. In the end, the whole family perished under â€Å"Misfit’s† hands. Their deaths would have been avoided had Bailey listened to his mother and read the article prior to their departure from their

STATUTORY VALUATION - Compulsory Purchase (REAL ESTATE BSc COURSE) (2) Essay

STATUTORY VALUATION - Compulsory Purchase (REAL ESTATE BSc COURSE) (2) - Essay Example However, we acknowledge that the adoption of compulsory purchase law will come with the right for people whose property interests may be affected by the claim compensation. Given that the shop was let to the Smiths Minimarket; the first floor leased out for 125 years; and the advert hoarding at the ground floor let out at an annual license, the freeholders are justified to receive  £ 334,800 compensation. From the available records, the shop was let to Smiths Minimarket on an FRI basis for 15 years from 25.12.2011 at a cost of  £ 20,000 per year though subject to a rent review every 3 years. It is evidence the shop`s first floor flat was leased out for 125 years from 25.12.2008 for a rent of  £ 200 per year. It is also well-known that portion of the shop, particularly at ground floor, had an advert hoarding let at  £ 5,000 per year though on annual license. We learnt that the planning consent was not renewed, actually from the time it was given for 3 years, years ago. Moreover, the freeholder receives  £ 50 every Friday evening from Mrs. Jones who has a chip and fish van that occupy the shop from the side of forecourt. It is said this agreement was held on a license that was stated to run for two years. In addition to all these, the freeholder revealed that  £ 100 is paid per sale by Mr Youens for casual sale of second-hand cars that occupy the three places on front forecou rt of the shop. A good number of compulsory purchases are made under laws granted by several general Acts. The Government had walked the talk of its early intention to complement the existing laws by fresh laws which dictates that authorization of compulsory acquisition is given through compulsory purchase order that is created by the acquiring body and affirmed by the appropriate Minister or confirming authority. This order should be in prescribed form and comprises a statement of purpose for which property is

HR strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HR strategy - Essay Example The unreliable market experienced during the case would have been as a result of poor production which is also a consequence of lack of proper management by the group managers and corresponding supervisors within the packaging department (Armstrong, 2008, p. 13). Some of the consequences of poor management experienced in the case study include but not limited to reduction in sales which negatively impacted on the company creating a perception that the company is losing consumer interest in the global market (Heneman and Judith, 2006, p. 16). In order for the company to go through such situations, there must have been issues that compromise the quality and reliability of the company in carrying out the designated product packaging work in line with the company objectives, missions and visions for the near future which is aimed at not less than creating large economies of scale within the global context (Sparrow, 2009, p. 71). ii. How will these changes impact on the Sonoco Strategy? C onsidering then situations that were experienced within the past decades, it would be wise to utilize the scenarios to determine the current requirements that would enable the company achieve to the required quality and quality so that the company becomes /retains the lead and preference in the packaging sector within the global market (Sparrow, 2009, p. 73). However, it is adept to include both the management and employees in a common strategic plan so that all the required issues are addressed from within a common centre that is able to communicate with the other branches so that the company achieves a common goal in their quest to raise the company to higher and better business class at both levels (Dr. Kilia, 2005, p. 75, & Warne, 2005, p. 84). Through inclusion of the entire stakeholders in the decision making process especially the employees; it is likely that the company would gain from the strategy as the employees would recognize that their concern is necessary in the compa ny’s strategic plan (Schein, 1968, p. 28, & Stewart, 1991, p. 61). This would in itself act as a morale booster hence high output would be achieved from the employees at drastically low production cost. A reduction in production expense with increased productivity is a sign of profit to the company (Purcell and wright, 2007, p. 22, &Ehnert, 2009, p.105). 2. The Cindy Hartley’s objectives for change at Sonoco As the vice president of the Sonoco Company, Cindy Hartley came up with strategies to control fixed costs and reduce expenditure which worked well at some time but later experienced a lot of challenges due to then variation in the value of US dollar and other economic factors like decline in trade with Asia due to financial crisis. However, Cindy perceived a lot more productive measures after a hint from the new CEO, DeLoach’s (Revans, 1982, p. 42, & Temple, 2001, p. 38). Despite the short stay at the company, five years was enough for Cindy Hartley to come up with new policies to positively impact on management and performance to enhance development. However, a lot of emphasis was made on compensation and succession plans so that the

Eliot's Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Eliot's Poetry - Essay Example Some poems had urban landscape as the backdrop; but mostly it is the inner landscape of the individual's mind that he tried to portray. His language focuses on the acute loneliness of the urban life that shows no sympathy to the individual. Isolation in the crowd is aptly expressed by his images, along with the ordinariness of life. His poetic forms could be termed as dreary compared to earlier poets; but he is depicting the depthless dreariness of modern life. He said: 'A large part of any poet's imagination must come from his reading and from his knowledge of history.' His poems had a sense of history, though he ventured into assessing modern society too often. The complexity of modern life has come across through his images. Glimpses of people who live in the impersonal modern world, spiritually exhausted, emotionally unsupported are shown in The Love song' The language shows the inherent confusion, feeble images, and unauthentic pretence that go through life. The culmination in a sense of defeat is almost predictable and the language could not have been clearer. In the same way, the image of the male observer in the Portrait of a Lady sounds acutely detached and unemotional while encroaching the lonely life of the woman without apology. Once again, almost in identical language, he visualises the mundane city life in Preludes. "To early coffee-stands. With the other masquerades That time resumes, One thinks of all the hands That are raising dingy shades In a thousand furnished rooms." (18-23). There is a definite sense of lack of time and difficult endeavours in the Rhapsody of a windy night. The division of hours and too many mentions of time brings it into acute focus. The same sense of rushing time comes across in the Portrait of a lady when her age is mentioned. The miserable lonely existence and the longing are portrayed alongside the mutilated life along with its acute lack of time for better things. Among the windings of the violins And the ariettes Of cracked cornets Inside my brain a dull tom-tom begins Absurdly hammering a prelude of its own, Capricious monotone. His poetic forms and language reflect the defeated and hopeless idealism. His images show that dreams and elegance are left behind. Eliot's images portray modern society's lack of idealism, emptiness and dangerous cynicism in the modern society. He portrayed the prostitutes as one of the uglier sides of city life in Rhapsody... " 'Regard the woman Who hesitates towards you in the light of the door Which opens on her like a grin. You see the border of her dress Is torn and stained with sand, And you see the corner of her eye Twists like a crooked pin.'" (16-22). It almost sounds inhuman and devouring. His language becomes cynically powerful when he depicts the hopelessness and emptiness of the present world. The images become oppressingly pessimistic and perhaps this is the result of the World War which saw horrendous destruction in Europe the signs of which exist

Diversity in employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Diversity in employment - Essay Example 13). Diversity in the work place has generally been thought of as purely an employment equity issue. However, diversity is coming to be recognized as an asset which can, like any other asset that is well managed, contribute to the bottom line. Diversity is growing almost as quickly as the number of software vendors at an accounting convention (Talbot-Allen, 2001, p. 3) One of the best definitions for diversity I have come across says, "Diversity is the mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values, and beliefs as assets to the groups and organisations with which they interact" (Rasmussen, 2000, p. 274). A mosaic enables people to retain their individuality while contributing collectively to the bigger picture. Second, this definition of diversity applies to and includes everyone; it does not rule out anyone. Finally, this definition describes diversity as an asset, as something desirable and beneficial! This change represents a move away from dominance by the white-Anglo male toward an increasingly diverse and segmented population. This workplace will include growing numbers of women, people of color, people of different ethnic backgrounds, aging workers, workers with a variety of physical handicaps, and people with alternative lifestyles. Only companies that have cultures that support diversity will be able to retain the best talent necessary to remain competitive. Diversity is not the same thing as employment equity. Diversity Pros and Cons Managing diversity is both a challenge and an opportunity for management. It is a challenge because it requires organisational change; it means fostering a cultural environment that values differences and maximizes the potential of all employees. It is an opportunity because organisations that proactively address diversity have a competitive advantage. They are able to attract, motivate and retain high potential employees. We must begin by recognizing the unique cultures of different racial, gender, ethnicities, abilities, differing lifestyles, etc., provide the basis for new perspectives on understanding organisational behavior. This perspective starts with the assumption that each cultural group organizes and defines experience within its own set of cultural systems. Research has suggested that men, women, and the various minorities do not share a common culture of organisational life. The implication is that each group identifies, defines, and organizes its experience in the organ isation in unique ways (Fine, Johnson, & Ryan, 2002, p.306, 317). A number of factors account for these differing experiences. For instance, women hold lower level positions at lower salaries than men; therefore, they tend to see the organisation from the bottom. Minority employees are fewer in number, so, they view the organisation in an isolation perspective. Second, each group appears most comfortable communicating within their own group. Third, the cultures of gender and race give unique perspectives on organizing experiences. Women and minorities identify interpersonal barriers as obstacles to their success, while white men see formal structures and policies as eliminating any obstacles. Women define moral order in terms of interpersonal relationships (as cited in Fine, Johnson, &am

Students with mental illness and depression Essay

Students with mental illness and depression - Essay Example Anxiety and depression disorders are common mental illnesses known to exist. Mental illnesses occur mostly in the times of uncertainty or stress which can be resulting from people’s daily life activities. It is worth to understand that mental illnesses and disorders are real illnesses. Just like other illnesses, such as asthma or diabetes, most mental disorders or illnesses are episodic. (U.S. Department of Education). That means there are periods when people will be well and productive, as well as other times being unwell and their overall production and functioning, becomes low. Depression is just a mental disorder, but not a disease. Psychiatrists have tried to help people who seek medication for conditions of mental disorders such as depression, but they have failed to explain the meaning of disorder or depression. These conditions are called disorders but not diseases with a reason. Disorder means something out of ordinary, where depression and other known mental illnesse s belong. According to a report in 2001, the US Department of Education reported that the rate of school dropouts among the students with mental illness is approximately fifty percent (U.S. Department of Education). The above disorder is characterized by the lack of ability to remain focused on a task, excessive activity, and impulsive behavior or inability to remain for a some moments. That means there are periods when people will be well and productive, as well as other times being unwell and their overall.

Toulmin Model Argument about the Environment Essay

Toulmin Model Argument about the Environment - Essay Example Christianity as a religion has pulled many people who share the faith together, to emphasize on the need of treating the environment with respect. Different Christians have varying interpretations of the Bible; hence some have been reluctant, while others are active in protecting and promoting the works of creation on the environment. These Christians have been spurred by the works and attitude of the creator towards the environment, making them to engage in environmentalist tasks as worship to God, besides the in-church devotion and activities. God himself created every little and big object, he loved and valued his creations. He looked at everything he had made and was satisfied it was indeed good (Gen. 1:31). Just as he loved man, he also loved his creation and moved forward to give man responsibility over the creation, beginning with Adam in the Garden of Eden. His love and goodness extends to all creations, â€Å"he has compassion on all he has made†. Christians who live by emulating the will of God have hence the role to be merciful and gracious to all God’s works (the environment). Christians demonstrate their mindfulness of God by trying the best to take care of the environment and its components as the will of God. There are many environmental injustices taking occurring on the surrounding; reckless deforestation, wildlife destruction and disposal of waste, industrial pollution and other unfriendly human activities to the environments, which are often carried out because of humans’ greed and selfishness. ... His love and goodness extends to all creations, â€Å"he has compassion on all he has made† (Psalms.145: 9). Christians who live by emulating the will of God have hence the role to be merciful and gracious to all God’s works (the environment). Christians demonstrate their mindfulness of God by trying the best to take care of the environment and its components as the will of God. There are many environmental injustices taking occurring on the surrounding; reckless deforestation, wildlife destruction and disposal of waste, industrial pollution and other unfriendly human activities to the environments, which are often carried out because of humans’ greed and selfishness. According to Henderson, the NCC proposed several actions entailing; disposing or recycling of trash properly, minimizing energy consumption, ensuring responsible recreation, reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides and participating in public witnessing on the federal, local, and state level a s ways to live appropriately, while safeguarding the environment (n.d.). These actions would enable man to practice justice and unselfishness in their activities on the environment. Actions Christians Should Take on Environmental Preservation Recycling and disposition The governments have been on the fore front campaigning on reuse of waste materials to minimize the pollution; Christians have a role to play to share the same vision with their authorities and demonstrate the actions to spur others. From the scripture, Hebrews 13: 17, Christians are guided to obey and be submissive to those who rule over them; this gives Christians the joy to work together with their governments for a profitable course. In many societies, people have neglected their responsibilities on caring for the

Situational Analysis - Obamas Inaugural Speech Essay

Situational Analysis - Obamas Inaugural Speech - Essay Example He gives hope for the dwindling economic throttle hold which has seen the deterioration of health, education, business, and employment sector as a result of greed, the irresponsibility of a few and the collective failure to make hard choices. To tackle the war, President Obama promises that America will responsibly withdraw its forces from Iraq and also â€Å"forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan† and to work tirelessly with â€Å"old friends and former foes to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet†. Obama, the first African American president, is addressing an audience drawn from all races at a time when the whole world is experiencing economic problems or war of a kind. The words must be well selected so as to appeal and put insight into the audience but not to provoke hard feelings from â€Å"old friends and former foes.† He must also bear in mind the millions of non-Americans listening to his speech, anxiously waiting for his remarks on the nuclear menace and war at large. America being the superpower and being at the watch by the world, his speech has to be well articulated. He has to tackle for instance terrorism and religious schisms well, in an attempt to unite the world once more. He does this by speaking directly to the people, the Muslim world, current leadership around the world, poor nations as well as prosperous nations. Being an African American, he has to address the issue of racism well, as this vice previously blackened the American History.

NT in Review (Biology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

NT in Review (Biology) - Essay Example For it is evident that man has been trying to explain the world around him for almost as long as he appeared on earth. We do not know whether there exist other species with similar proclivity, but with humans this need is evident. Despite warnings of dire consequences, Adam did pluck the fruit of knowledge didn’t he? At one level questions were of metaphysical nature and on the other they involved scientific knowledge. Earliest scientific study was mainly in the areas of Physical Science, questioning the nature of matter, energy and motion. The Greek philosophers applied their minds to these questions using logic alone in a dialectical reasoning. Aristotle made an attempt at compiling all that was known then. He wrote an entire treatise catalogueing hundreds of living animals. Following this tradition Biology was confined to making detailed observations about plants and animals right uptil the 17th century. As the data grew a need was felt to work out an effective system of classification. A Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus formulated the system of binomial nomenclature (naming a living organism using two different names, one of its genus and the other of its species). For example, Homo sapiens is the biological name for the modern man. This was an important step in systematising biological kno wledge. Even in its most rudimentary stage it was recognized that living beings were distinctly different from the rest of the physical world. One group of scientists proposed that there was some kind of ‘vital force’ acting within them that accounted for this distinction while others argued that living things were reducible to physical and chemical laws. Their theory was called the ‘mechanistic’ theory. The advocates of the ‘vital force’ theory declared that certain aspects of living organisms could not be explained with science and in fact science should not even attempt to meddle with the study of

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade Essay

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade - Essay Example Speaking in a straight and expressive language, slaves can be considered as individuals who are not given any right to do what they want or to deicide for themselves. However slavery has found broad usage and it has also been associated with other relationships like marriage or any other forms of family relations, military service, debt relationships and many other forms of relationships which all entail coercion or force in some aspects. Therefore slavery can be defined as a status or a condition of a person over whom powers attaching to the rights of ownership are exercise. This means that a slave is controlled by another person who acts as a mater or the owner of that person. The only way that someone who is considered a slave can leave the master is through escape or straying. (Lewis, 2007) In all countries in the world, slavery is considered illegal and there have been many campaigns in the world all directed towards ending slavery of any forms. The UN conventions outlaw any form of slaves. However there is still some existence of slavery in the modern world which may be directly or indirectly practices. For example, there is direct practice of slavery in Myanmar and Sudan which have been shown to facilitate some institutions of slavery. Most of these has been expressed as unfree labour where someone is told that they are working off a debt but they cannot account for that debt. In other cases it ahs been low paying or less supervise employment. Most of these slaves cannot leave these condition unless through the use of force. (Anti-slavery, 2008) It has been shown that society which are characterised by poverty, population pressure, cultural and technology backwardness are more prone to exportation of slave trade. They are mostly exported to the developed nations where they are given promise of better life but once they reach there they end up living as slaves. In the modern practice of slavery, the rural people have been at the

International Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Management - Assignment Example The study reviews what globalization is. It depicts its various definitions, singles out its three types, and describes its constituents. The work examines how globalization influences the economies of nations. Special attention is paid to the impact of globalization in the USA, China, and India. The author explains the term global village which emerged in globalization times. It means integration of people, institutions into a shared objective. The USA, China, and India encourage their institutions to engage in foreign trade benefiting from the international commerce. At the same time the author describes negative opinions about globalization. Critics of globalization point a dim picture of this aspect. They claim that globalization erodes the sovereignty of states. The author shows why those views are invalid. Countries which have embraced the aspect of globalization are sovereign by all definitions. The work illustrates the opposite: China takes care of its domestic and foreign po licies without any interference from other countries. India is also a sovereign state, formulating and implementing its domestic policies without interference from other states, and, therefore, notion of globalization eroding the much valued state sovereignty is uncalled for. Countries which have not embraced globalization are suffering from the consequences. North Korea has closed its economy from liberalization resulting into poverty of its citizens and of the state.

Space Tourism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Space Tourism - Term Paper Example This cannot be ignored. Businessmen and government must come together and work out a technology that will lessen the carbon emission and also design a program for these space tourism companies to offset the carbon they are emitting. There is an unspoken mantra in technological space: build it and they will come (Taylor, 2006). For years, technological companies spend billions of dollars on research and development of new products and services with no clear market. It’s a risky move but one that almost always pays off. That, in essence, is the business principle followed by space tourism. Vienna has expressed plans on building a spaceport in Asia, Singapore and United Arab Emirate. It will tap Russia in building five space crafts to shoot man into space. Building it will cost anywhere between $115 million to $265 million to build (Malik 2008). The numbers, obviously, are big risks and the obvious concern is whether it is worth pursuing. This paper will examine space tourism from three angles: economic, environmental and cultural. Specifically, this paper will answer the following questions: A qualitative method will be used to collect information about the topic. Published articles, news articles, and published statements will be the main references to analyse the economic, environmental, cultural and educational potential and impact of space tourism. Figures on the target market and potential revenue will be gathered and analysed. The same procedure will be applied to environmental impact. Several studies have already been done that quantifies who space tourism’s economic potential will impact the environment. These numbers will be collected and interpreted. The first space tourist went to space in April 2001. Dennis Tito paid $35 million for the experience of seeing Earth from the space. Since then, only seven people

Unrealistic Optimism Gender and Culture Essay Example for Free

Unrealistic Optimism Gender and Culture Essay Several studies have been conducted to determine the influence that unrealistic optimism has over gender differences and culture. Unrealistic optimism is defined as the belief that positive (negative) events are more (less) likely to happen to one ’s self-versus others. Researchers have reported that both men and women from across cultures tend to be influenced by this bias. Nevertheless, they’ve found that Western cultures (such as Americans or Canadians) are identified by being independent and individualist, whereas Eastern cultures (such as Japanese) tend to focus on interdependence and collectivism. Given this basic traits, experimenters have discovered that Canadians tend to believe that positive events are more likely to happen to them, whereas Japanese tend to believe that they are more likely to experience negative events. In the other hand, both men and women have revealed to be unrealistically optimistic. However, men have reported higher levels of unrealistic bias compared to women around the world. Introduction Unrealistic optimism or optimistic bias is defined as the tendency for people to believe that they are more likely to experience positive events and less likely to experience negative events compared to others. (Weinsten, 1980). Taylor and Brown stated that almost 121 studies have demonstrated this phenomenon. Various findings have confirmed that American college students think that they were more likely than others to experience positive events such as getting a good job or forming a family. In opposition, most people think that they are less likely than others of experiencing negative events such as having a drinking problem or being fired from a job. The purpose of this essay is to determine the extent to which cultural and gender differences are influenced by unrealistic optimism. Unrealistic Optimism Unrealistic optimism could cause a negative effect over an individual’s life as it can distort their perception about reality. However, unrealistic optimism has also shown favorable effects over and individual’s well-being. This bias is significantly important because it can impact people’s intentions to engage in preventive behaviors. In addition, it can also affect the way in which people process information to update their beliefs. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that optimistic bias appears to be motivated by threat. In other words, if a negative future event is perceived to be particularly serious, it’s more likely that the person will feel invulnerable toward that particular event. Western vs. Eastern Cultures The tendency of believing that one has better-than-average attributes has been researched and discussed lately. Researchers have found that people from Western cultures tend to be more unrealistically optimistic than people from Eastern cultures when comparing their chances of experiencing negative events to the average’s person. Markys and Kitayama stated that this bias influences every culture in a different way because they emphasize to tasks relevant to everyday life in different forms; independence and interdependence. Additionally, they stated that the cultures that have developed an independent construal of self are characterized by having an autonomous sense of self that’s different from others and the environment, whereas cultures that have fostered an interdependent construal of self are mutually reliant on each other and don’t attribute their individuality and uniqueness separately from the social world. Study #1 Cultural differences in unrealistic optimism and pessimism For this particular study participants form Japan and the United States responded to questions about negative health events that varied in event frequency and severity. The overall purpose of this study was to examine cultural differences in unrealistic optimism and pessimism through the direct versus the indirect method. The direct method involved a question in which participants compared themselves to the average group (e.g., â€Å"How likely are you to have a heart attack, relative to the average student of your age/sex?†). In the other hand, the indirect method involved a single question in which participants made absolute separate ratings for themselves (e.g., â€Å"How likely are you to have a heart attack?†). For the indirect method, the researchers predicted that participants across cultures would present different patterns. For instance, they expected that Japanese participants would report equal or higher risk estimates than for the average student for most events. In the other hand, they predicted that U.S participants would present higher risk estimates for themselves than for the average student for most events. In contrast, for the direct method investigators predicted that participants across cultures would report similar patterns of unrealistic optimism since cognitive biases such as egocentrism on direct comparisons will have a significant influence over respondents. After 127 students from the University of Iowa (United States) and 123 students from Kansai University (Japan) were tested through both the direct and the indirect methods, researchers acknowledged that in order to determine whether there are cross-cultural differences in unrealistic optimism they needed to take in consideration on whether direct or indirect comparisons were made. Considering the direct method, there was evidence that both Japanese and U.S. participants displayed high levels of unrealistic optimism about avoiding infrequent/negative events but, unrealistically pessimistic about avoiding frequent/negative events. However when measuring unrealistic optimism or pessimism through the indirect method the Japanese participants reported to have a tendency towards being less unrealistically optimistic than the U.S. participants. Contrarily, U.S participants showed that they tend to be more optimistic about themselves than for the average student for the majority of the events. Study#2 Does the West feel more vulnerable than the East?. At the same time, Steven J. Heine and Damn R. Lehman from the University of British Columbia compared the levels of unrealistic optimism between Canadians and Japanese through two different studies. The first study examined levels of unrealistic optimism exhibited by a sample typical of an independent construal of self (Canadians) and a sample typical of an interdependent construal of self (Japanese). Three different hypotheses were stated by the researchers. The first hypothesis anticipated that Canadians would show significantly more unrealistic optimism than Japanese; the second hypothesis drawn expected that constructs that have been shown to sustain the optimism bias, and availability of stereotypes, would be more pronounced in Canadians than in Japanese. And the last hypothesis predicted that Japanese’s optimism judgments will be less strongly related to threat whereas, Canadians unrealistic optimism would increase with perceived threat. For this particular study a total of 510 students who were taking different introductory psychology courses participated. Respondents were evenly separated between each of the Japanese and the Canadian samples. Moreover, in order to obtain membership in the westernized Canadian sample, respondents had to meet each of the following criteria: (a) the respondent had to be born in either Canada or the United States; (b) both of the respondents parents had to be born in Canada, the United States, or in a European country; (c) the respondent had to declare his or her ethnic descent to be that of a European culture; and (d) to keep the age range of the Canadian sample comparable to that of the Japanese sample, the respondent had to be between the ages of 18 and 25. All participants completed a questionnaire packet that included 15 future life events. Unrealistic optimism was measured for both negative and positive events through two methods: within-groups measure and between-groups measure. In the within-groups measure, participants had to respond questions about the chances they thought they had about experiencing a particular future event compared to other university students. In the other hand, through the between-groups measure the experimenters measured unrealistic optimism between groups. Participants received two different versions of the questionnaire. In the first version, beneath each future life event respondents were asked to estimate the absolute percentage chance that this event would happen to them. Contrarily, in the second version of the questionnaire, beneath each future life event, participants had to estimate the absolute percentage chance that a future event would happen to another same-sex student from their university. The assumptions made by Heine and Lehman about Study 1 were strongly supported since Japanese showed less unrealistic optimism than Canadians in all instances, regardless the methodology used. Surprisingly, experimenters found an in teresting pattern among participants’ estimates for themselves and others. Their findings suggested that Canadians tend to believe that positive events are more likely to occur to themselves in comparison to Japanese that reported to believe that positive events are less likely to happen to them than to others. Conversely, compared to Japanese, Canadians reported that the negative events were non significantly less likely to happen to themselves and significantly more likely to happen to others. Similarly, the main purpose for Study 2 was to examine only future life events. Researchers wanted to determine if Japanese would self-enhance more in cases in which their interdependence is threatened. Their findings were done through two subsets of future life events that we believed would be particularly threatening to people with independent and interdependent construals of self, respectively. Furthermore, Heine and Lehman anticipated that independent events would be perceived as more threatening than interdependent events for Canadians whereas interdependent ev ents would be perceived more threatening than independent events for Japanese. 215 introductory psychology students were taken in consideration for Study 2, including Japanese and Canadian students divided evenly within samples. All respondents completed a questionnaire which contained 10 questions about negative independent future events and 10 questions about interdependent future life events. These events were selected based on reasoning that independent events will threaten the individual; whereas interdependent events will threaten the individual’s relations with close others such as co-workers, friends or family members. The researchers’ findings revealed that comparing across cultures, Japanese perceived interdependent events to be more threatening than Canadians. Control and stereotype ratings were also examined in terms in how these independent and interdependent events would be rated. With respect to control, Canadians found that both independent and especially, independent events are more controllable. However, Japanese reported that in terdependent events are more controllable than independent events. Taken together both the controllability and severity findings, ratings suggest that negative future events were perceived differently by both cultures. As a result, Canadians and Japanese showed unrealistic optimism for both independent and interdependent events. In brief, Canadians were more unrealistically optimistic than Japanese for both independent and, especially, interdependent events whereas Japanese actually showed significant unrealistic pessimism for both types of events. Similarly, recent findings have shown several differences in the way in which genders (feminine and masculine) are influenced by unrealistic optimism. Most predictions suggest that men would show greater levels of unrealistic optimism than women. In fact, as women have a more interdependent self-construal of the self and men possess a more independent construal of the self, unrealistic optimism should be stronger and more resistant for men than for women. Furthermore, gender research has shown that men an d women have different expectations of marital quality; specifically different definitions of what constitutes a happy marriage Study #3 Gender differences in unrealistic optimism Two different studies held by Ying-Ching Lin and Priya Raghubir examined gender differences in optimistic bias, and their beliefs about marriage using a Taiwanese population. Study 1 tested the strength of the optimistic bias for men compared to women with respect to their expectations for a happy marriage or divorce. They hypothesised men to report higher levels of unrealistic optimism than women. In the other hand, Study 2 examined the bias’s resilience among men and women, and expected men’s beliefs to be less likely to be influenced by base rates compared to women. 309 students from a Taiwanese university were part of the study in which they had to respond to different questions regarding a target person (self, same-sex best friend, average undergraduate, and average person) and their likelihood of getting divorced or having a happy marriage. Half of the participants answered questions regarding the likelihood of having a happy marriage and the other half answered q uestions regarding the likelihood of getting divorced. Finally, they were asked to estimate the likelihood of an event occurring in the future from 0% to 100% for each of the four target persons. The results of this study suggested that Taiwanese men and Taiwanese women are unrealistically optimistic with respect to their relationships, and that men think that positive events, such as a happy marriage, are more likely to happen to them compared to an average person than women do. Similarly, they believe that negative events, such as divorce, are less likely to happen to them than to another person compared to women. 188 students participated in Study 2. They were divided into two groups assigned randomly to one of the two event conditions: happy marriage or divorce and were asked to estimate their own likelihood for that particular event. Subsequently, all participants were given base rate information for the event to which they were assigned (divorce = 25%, happy marriage = 60%). These base rates were based on an official publication of the Government Statistical Reports: Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. After being exposed to base rate information, all respondents were asked to estimate the likelihood of the event occurring to them, and to estimate the likelihood of the event occurring to someone else. The findings for this study reported, that both men and women show high levels of unrealistic optimism regarding a happy marriage and a divorce. Compared to men, women with a positive prior were influenced by the base rate information regarding a happy marriage. However, neither women nor men updated their estimates about their own divorce. In the other hand, men’s answers with a negative prior got influenced by the provided base rates at the beginning of the study whereas women’s answers were only influenced when talking about a happy marriage, but not about divorce. In general terms, both studies showed that both men and women tend to be influenced by optimistic bias about their expectations of their marriage. However, men showed greater levels of unrealistic optimism than women did. Regarding base rate information, women were more realistic in their estimates about a happy marriage compared to their estimates of getting divorced. Finally, only men with a negative initial prior were influenced by base rates whereas men with a positive initial prior do not updated their self- estimates. Gender vs. Culture The data used in both studies was collected using a Taiwanese sample (collectivist culture). However, the experimenters found that this bias is a universal phenomenon that occurs to both individualist and collectivist cultures. Moreover, recent work has reported that the bias is lower for participants who belong to collectivist cultures such as Japanese compared to individualist cultures such as Canadians. Because marriage is considered a relational aspect, consistent with a collectivist attribute, the population under this domain should show unrealistic levels of optimism. Conclusion Unrealistic optimism is a universal phenomenon that affects both gender and cultural differences around the world. Recent findings have demonstrated that both men and women across cultures (Eastern vs. Western) tend to be unrealistically optimistic about avoiding frequent/negative events, and unrealistically pessimistic about avoiding infrequent/negative events. However, the extent to which men vs. women and Eastern vs. Western cultures are affected by the bias varies among them. Being the West an independent and individualist culture, they report a higher tendency to be unrealistically optimistic. In contrast, being the East an interdependent and collectivist culture they present lower levels of unrealistic bias. At the same time, men and women have reported to be biased to some extent. Men have reported higher levels of unrealistic optimism, whereas women have shown to be less likely influenced by this threat. Now the question is: have you ever felt influenced by unrealistic bias?

Continuous Professional development Essay Example for Free

Continuous Professional development Essay Continuous professional development (CPD) is a framework of learning and development that ensures a professional’s competency, effectiveness, knowledge, skills and practice are continually kept up to date through ‘lifelong learning’ strategies and activities. There is not a fixed CPD standard or structure and a ‘one size fits all’ process would not work for all professions and individuals who work for companies with diverse objectives and working practices. The various approaches may have common themes and goals such as setting objectives for development and charting progress towards them, or asking questions such as where I want to be, and how I plan to get there. Reflection is also a key element of the process. Just as important is the motivation and responsibility of professionals for keeping their own skills and knowledge up to date. An early definition of CPD was developed in 1986 by the Construction Industry Council (UK). However, Friedman et al. (2000) found that it was still the most commonly cited definition of CPD among UK professional bodies in 1999. ‘The systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skills, and the development of personal qualities necessary for execution of professional and technical duties throughout the individual’s working life’. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggest the following elements of a good and broad CPD structure. be a documented process be self-directed: driven by you, not your employer focus on learning from experience, reflective learning and review help you set development goals and objectives include both formal and informal learning. CIPD further suggest the benefits to CPD practitioners provides an overview of your professional development to date reminds you of your achievements and how far youve progressed directs your career and helps you keep your eye on your goals uncovers gaps in your skills and capabilities Opens up further development needs provides examples and scenarios for a CV or interview demonstrates your professional standing to clients and employers helps you with your career development or a possible career change. CPD can involve any relevant learning activity, whether formal and structured or informal and self-directed. Good CPD practice will include a variety of learning models that help professionals remain competent and up to date. Whatever the model or structure the process should highlight the needs of the job, strengths and weaknesses of learners and their future goals so learning gaps can be addressed. Listed below are examples and a short explanation of types of CPD learning and practice. The training model – often delivered by an expert in a classroom type environment. The award-bearing model – validation achieved via a standard or qualification. The deficit model – weak performance highlighted and measures taken to improve it. The cascade model – one learner cascading their learning down to other colleagues. The standards-based model meeting standards, often highlighted in observations. The coaching/mentoring model – on the job training that includes shadowing. The community of practice model – secondment or interagency training initiatives. The transformative model – flexible approach involving many of the above models. My own development is based very much on the transformative model of CPD that involves a range of both formal and informal learning, this provides me with the up to date knowledge and skills I need to do my job competently. Schunk describes learning as, ‘Learning is an enduring change in behaviour or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion which results from practice or other forms of experience’. Schunk, Learning theories, 5th ed, 2008 Formal learning through training or qualification is often related to something specific, like a skill or competence. Formal training may include on-line and CD-ROM based courses or full or part time study leading to qualifications. Development on the other hand can be more informal and has a broader outlook on learning and may include private study such as reading, observing and reflection. Structured continual learning is important in any profession because new research and practices may require new knowledge and skills. For example the QCF Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development is one example of formal learning that I have considered and want to undertake. This is for both professional and financial reasons. Professionally it proves a level of academic ability, knowledge and credibility. It is the standard that many career companies now expect from professionals delivering career guidance in schools. Gaining the qualification should also help me remain competitive when applying for a job and hopefully keep me within a reasonable pay scale. Conferences, workshops and seminars also help keep professionals up to date with changes to practice and can be a vehicle for networks to be built up and experiences shared. On the job training such staff training, shadowing, secondment, coaching and mentoring all provide excellent provision for professionals to learn new skills and build up work based knowledge. Professionals may also learn by taking part in working groups or involvement in research projects. Babcock recognises the benefit of CPD and is committed to broadening and developing all employees’ knowledge and skills in the pursuit of excellence. They understand the process helps promote career development and ensure legislation and contractual agreements are met. The company handbook CPD at Babcock Education and Training – Guidance for Staff’, describes the process of CPD as, ‘’any activity which increases the knowledge, skills and understanding of staff, improves job satisfaction and raises company performance’’. The policy strongly advocates that practitioners should be accountable for their own personal growth and not solely rely on the company for training and development. It also requires professionals to maintain competent levels of learning as directed by their own professional bodies. If professionals are to be committed to their own CPD practice then there needs to be a certain level of self-motivation. Career Advisers as with all professionals need to remain competent to practice, regardless of whether they qualified yesterday, last year or twenty-five years ago. (Golding ; Gray, 2006) agree and suggest that the last day of professional training signals the beginning of lifelong learning. According to Maslow (1943) hierarchy of needs that suggests people are motivated by a range of wants such as basic needs from food and shelter right up to the final stage of self-actualization and fulfillment. Herzberg (1959) showed that to motivate an employee a business needs to create conditions that make them feel fulfilled in the workplace. He suggested motivators such as achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility and advancement will motivate the worker to want to succeed and do well. Both models recognise that when conditions are right workers want to do a good job and find satisfaction in their work. I would argue that professionals such as career advisers go further by recognising their duty of care to clients and desire to serve them well by providing the best service possible. This is only achieved by having up to date skills and a positive outlook on personal learning and development. CPD clearly benefits professionals, employers, customers and users. For it to be best utilised practitioners may need some form of CPD training. Learning how to learn is a skill in itself, Joyce and Showers (2001) suggest that a positive impact on performance is more likely if training is provided on it. Cunningham (2001) agrees and says ‘’It cannot be ‘caught; people must be trained in the process’’ A full understanding of the CPD process gives the practitioner a methodical and structured approach to their learning that can be flexible and involve a number of learning styles that best suits the learner’s needs. My own CPD practice and planning is assisted through various policies and templates implemented by Babcock. Supervision meetings with line-managers take place every 6-8 weeks where performance against SMART targets (objectives broken down to specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals) are discussed and feedback given. Before annual reviews take place a pre-review template is filled in by the member of staff. This process alone demands employees to take time to reflect on their past performance and draw attention to skill gaps and future training needs. Another template used during the annual review guides both practitioner and line-manager through the process. This tool asks questions that demands a certain level of thought and reflection. Questions are asked around time spent on an activity, why it was done, what was learned and can it be shared with others. The pre-review template and review process agree much with guided reflective theory developed by Johns (1995) where he suggests a series of questions can challenge the motivation and rationale for actions. These questions from a third party can help guide learners through the reflective process. Johns suggested reflective diaries and sharing experience with others can lead to a greater understanding than reflections done alone. Though I do not keep a written diary of reflection I do reflect constantly and can relate to Schon’s ‘reflection in action’ and ‘reflection on’ practice. I also incorporate much of Rolfe (2000) Driscoll’s (2000) thinking by asking what, so what and now what into my practice. Another simple strategy I endorse and find useful is SWOT analysis, a technique accredited to Albert Humphrey in the 1950’s that asks practitioners to scrutinize their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Practitioners can also be unaware of issues in their own practice, this is suggested by the Jo Harari window, developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955; it proposes that others see things about us to which we may be blind. New objectives and action plans can then be agreed and formalised. Feedback from supervision and annual review meetings help to evaluate work and clarify agreed targets and future development tasks. The meetings also offer a platform to formally raise concerns or requests for training. A training request was made after I became aware of a number of young people in school who seemed to be unmotivated, withdrawn or depressed. I had no knowledge of mental health issues and felt out of my depth to offer solutions and wanted to be able to offer better front-line support. I approached my line-manager and it was suggested I investigate possible training options. I later attended three one day courses on adolescent mental health that were free of charge and run by Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH). The training was around spotting mental health disorders, early intervention and ideas for support in school. Networking is also a valuable source of gathering information and developing support channels. It was through a network that I learned of the free training delivered by CAMHS. Another effective learning tool is observation. Feedback from formal interview observations and those from colleagues, teachers, pupils, parents and others has benefited my overall reflections and development by highlighting levels of performance. Critical thinking allows me to analyse different qualities, talents, views and opinions of others. I often ask myself whether I would have handled a situation differently to a colleague and would my actions have made the situation better or worse? Writing regular case studies has been useful when reflecting on my work. They help me focus on what went well and what hasn’t gone so well. The discipline of writing down events and analysing them requires much deeper thought processes. Attending regular training events and seminars ensures I remain up to date with new practice, law and policy changes. Training has broadened my knowledge around specialist areas such as homelessness and sex education. Some training programmes are also compulsory requirements of Babcock and include child protection training or online courses like equality and diversity. Attendance at staff meetings keep me up to date with events in the careers industry and practice at a local level. Often meetings include training workshops, group discussions and presentations from guest speakers. As a group member of the Career Development Institute I receive regular updates, advice and information on topical subjects through journals and annual conferences. In summary CPD is an investment that gives professionals a methodical structure to directly link learning with practice. It records learning undertaken and helps plot any future training. Confidence and professional credibility can be boosted and it may accelerate career advancement. Through creative thinking and tackling new challenges personal interest and job satisfaction can also be increased.

Relationship Between Motivational Beliefs and Education

Relationship Between Motivational Beliefs and Education Background to Research Adequately meeting the varying needs of an increasingly diverse population of students is a major challenge for education. To face this challenge educational researchers have explored a variety of areas within the students educational experience to examine the effects on students. Many studies of the experiences, characteristics and needs of students at various grade levels and age groups have been conducted. There is a general consensus that the needs, interests, preferences and characteristics of the students change with the social, economic, and technological changes around them. Provision of the best environment and conditions that support better learning and development of students is on the educational reform agenda worldwide (UNESCO, 1998). Research has emphasized the need and importance of students views and opinions about their learning experiences, while planning and providing supportive conditions and facilities for learning (Leckey Neill, 2001, Nicholls, 2002). The Islamic Republic of Pakistan came into being in 1947. It has an estimated population of 164.8 Million (Population Census organization, 2008) with an overall literacy rate of 51.6 % (Government of Pakistan, 2005). Education in Pakistan is divided into five levels, Primary (grades one through five), Middle (grades six through eight), High (grades nine and ten, leading to Secondary School certificate), Intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a higher Secondary School Certificate), and Higher Education (education above grades 12) leading to a bachelor degree (BA/BSC) after two years of study mostly at affiliated colleges. A Masters Degree or Postgraduate degree is mostly undertaken at universities and requires another two years of study. At the time of independence in 1947 there were only two universities, the University of the Punjab, Lahore and the University of Dhaka. At present there are 67 universities in the public sector and 57 in the private (Higher Education Commission, 2005). Currently there are approximately 32, 8603 students enrolled in postgraduate programmes (MA/MSc) with more females (53%) than males currently enrolled (Government of Pakis tan, 2003). Since independence the quality of education at all levels has been a concern in Pakistan. Most of the efforts directed at quality enhancement have been targeted towards primary and secondary education, but during late 1990s higher education became the major concern of the government and this has been expressed in its policies and plans (Government of Pakistan, 1998, 2004, 2005). Responding to unprecedented expansion in higher education, formalized and systematic quality assurance mechanisms began to evolve in the early 2000s, with the establishment of Higher Education Commission (HEC). Most of the efforts at reform designed to improve the quality of higher education have been directed toward physical inputs, teacher training, and material resources (Government of Pakistan, 2004, 2005). There has also been increasing recognition that conventional approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and organization in higher education do not always lead to excellence and quality (Government of Pakistan , 2001). However what is missing in these discussion concerning strategies for enhancing quality of higher education in Pakistan is students opinions about their learning and their learning experiences. Being a part of the higher education community in Pakistan, issues of higher education quality have been of increasing concern and interest to me. My experience of teaching at the University of the Punjab (Lahore), Pakistan, during the last ten years have led to the development of an interest in the study of motivational beliefs and learning experiences of the postgraduate students. The University of the Punjab is one of the oldest and largest universities of Pakistan. Established in the 1882, the University is comprised of 4 Campuses, 13 Faculties, 9 constituent colleges, and 64 Departments and Centers. Currently students feedback about their learning is obtained at the level of individual units or courses but there is no systematic procedure for evaluating students overall experience of learning at the level of whole course or degree. In Pakistan postgraduate students join the university after completing 10 years of study at school and 4 years of study at college. Postgraduate stud ents who attend university in Pakistan are thus engaged in higher education for a minimum of four years. Their long academic experience means they are in a position to judge the nature and quality of their experiences of learning at university but they are never given a chance to do so except at the unit level and they are not asked about their goals, aspirations and motivations. Research in western higher education systems shows that the students are best placed to comment about many aspects of quality of education and their ratings are considered to be valid, multidimensional and reliable (Marsh, 1987; Ramsden 1991; Leckey Niell, 2001). Many studies have also been conducted on students motivational beliefs and learning in higher education and well developed instruments such as Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) have been employed to explore the motivational beliefs of the students and to study the impact of various other factors on the students experiences of teaching, curriculum and assessment and learning in western higher education. A systematic use of the findings of these studies has provided a strong basis for the improvement of the quality of student learning in higher education (Watson, 2003; Harvey, 2003). Much of the research on student learning and higher education has been conducted in developed countries like the USA, UK and Australia (Watson, 2003; Harvery, 2003, Pascarella Terenzini, 1998; Wilson .Lozzio Ramsden, 1997; Diseth, 2003; Diseth Pallesen, Hoveland Larsen, 2006) with very few studies be conducted in the Asian contexts (see Salili, 1996). No studies of this nature have been conducted in the Pakistani context. However the researchers in the field of motivation and learning have increasingly highlighted the importance of conducting research in different cultural and social contexts (Byrne Flood, 2008; Schunk, Pintrich Meece, 2008; Kaplan Maehr, 2006).According to Pintrich and Zusho (2007) cultural and social context can have mojor effect on the motivational beliefs as well as on the outcomes of education and research is needed to explore whether various models of learning and motivation can be generalized and do the various motivational constructs operate similarly among various cultures. Therefore findings and implications of the research on hig her education in western contexts, need to be explored further in the social, economic and cultural context of Pakistan. Such research is needed to get an insight into motivational profile and learning experiences of the student at the postgraduate level in Pakistan, where the percentage of female students at postgraduate level (53 %) is higher than male students. These figures for females sit in stark contrast to the lower literacy rate for females (39.2%) across the country (Government of Pakistan, 2005) and where future job prospects for qualified people are very low (Husain, 2005).The overall unemployment rate in Pakistan is 7.8 % (Government of Pakistan, 2008) whereas no statistics are available for different groups such as people with bachelors degrees, masters degrees and professional degrees. There is hardly any research conducted in Pakistan that could provide an insight into students motivational beliefs and their experiences of learning at the postgraduate level. A literature search identified just two recent studies about students approaches to learning in higher education in Pakistan. Siddiqui (2006) investigated study approaches of Pakistani students in tertiary institutions by using a revised version of the Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F). The sample comprised 13,331 students who appeared at 15 centers for National Postgraduate Scholarship Examination in December 2003. The results showed that the students predominantly had higher scores on deep approach. No statistically significant differences were observed on the basis of gender, age and highest qualification, but there were significant differences for various fields of study. Akhtar (2007) conducted a comparative study of approaches to study used by students in pre-service teacher education programs at th e University of the Punjab (Lahore), Pakistan and the University of Edinburgh, UK. The study showed that the students from both universities perceived their learning environment in a similar way, but that a surface approach to learning was found to be more dominant among the Pakistani students. Due to lack of research on higher education students in Pakistan, my proposed study of the motivational beliefs and the experiences of learning in various disciplines of study at the University of the Punjab is expected to be the first in Pakistan to investigate the relationship between the motivational beliefs and learning at postgraduate level in Pakistan. This study will provide an understanding of the factors affecting the learning processes at the University of the Punjab and may serve as a basis for the improvement of academic programs and students learning experiences in Pakistani universities more generally. In a range of Western countries, many research studies have established the impact of motivational beliefs on self regulation and educational achievement (Pintrich DeGroot, 1990; Eccles, Wigfield Schiefele, 1998); Pintrich Zusho, 2007) but no research has explored the relationship between motivational beliefs and experiences of learning at postgraduate level. This is a n important issue in Pakistan where postgraduates do not necessarily expect to find suitable work after completion of their qualification. The results of the study will also help to understand and suggest to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, some practical and feasible initiatives to highlight the importance of students views in the current efforts of the Government to enhance the quality of university education. Literature Review The following section discusses and examines the concept of students learning experiences in higher education sector. After a brief review of recent changes in the higher education and how the exploration of student experiences have been used to improve the quality of education, this review discuses various perspectives on learning to provide an account of how experience of learning has been conceptualized so far and what is needed to be explored further to develop our understanding of student learning in higher education. The Changing Face of Higher Education Worldwide there has been shift in the nature, structure, function and the financing of the university system (Biggs, 2003). In universities in developed countries these changes are quite evident through the expansion of technology, more diverse student population, increased demand for accountability and emphasis on research and performance related funding. Studies in Australia and other countries of the world serve to highlight some of the significant changes in the nature of student population over the last decade. For instance, in the UK 21% of full-time students at the start of their degree in 2005 were over the age of 21 (Robotham, 2008). Similarly, Studies by McInnis, James Hartley (2000) in Australia reveal other important changes when they note an increase in the proportion of full-time students who are working part-time and students seeking more choice in the subjects, delivery modes, assessment activities and facilities provided by the universities. Due to this growing diversity of the student population and rapidly changing social, technological and economic contexts, mass systems of the higher education in USA and Australia are now faced with the challenge of complexity of the student learning (James 2001, Pascarella and Terenzizni, 1998). According to Biggs (2003) a greater proportion of school leavers with diverse experiences, socio- economic status and cultural backgrounds are now joining higher education, they have to pay more tuition fees, study in large class sizes with fewer teachers and have to choose from more vocationally oriented courses. While discussing the challenge of the growing diversity of the student population and the influences of a number of demographic, institutional, economic and technological forces in the context of the USA, Pascarella and Terenzizni (1998) argue that these changes have significant implications for understanding the impact of college on students and require us to rethink about students experiences of learning. They further argue that these challenges require us to rethink students experiences of learning and redefine the outcomes of college and university education. In developed and developing countries like Pakistan more students are now aspiring to join institutions of higher education and there is a significant increase in the number of universities accommodating this new student population. Over the course of the later part of the twentieth century there was a world wide expansion of higher education institutions and enrollments. In 1900 roughly 500,000 students were enrolled in higher education institutions world wide, representing only one percent of college age population, whereas by the year 2000, this number had grown two hundredfold to approximately 100 million people, or 20 percent of the cohort worldwide (Schofer Meyer, 2005). At the time of the creation of Pakistan in 1947, there were only two universities, but after 1999-2000 there was a sharp increase in the number of public and private universities as the government showed the clear commitment to improving the higher education (Government of Pakistan 2004)., There was a significant increase in the spending on tertiary education (15.7% of the total Ed. Expenditure). At present there are 67 universities in public sector in Pakistan and 57 in the private. Despite the fact that only 3.7 percent of the 18 to 23 age cohort participates in higher education, the student enrollment at the University of the Punjab alone has increased from 10,000 to 30,000 over the last eight years (Iqbal, 2008). There are no empirical studies and little literature available on the demographic and economic characteristics, expectations, and experiences of students in Pakistani higher education institutions. To sum up, it can be said that as a consequence of the changes in the nature and context of higher education, the relationship between universities and students has also changed (James, 2001). Further, learning at university has become far more complex than it has been before. With the changing face of higher education, the factors that can have an impact on student learning in higher education have also become manifold, including personal factors (e.g. age, gender, prior experience and motivation of students) and contextual factors (e.g. teaching and learning activities, courses and content of study, facilities, resources and social environment. In other words, the impacts of wider changes in the context of higher education appear to be filtering down to the level of the individual student. Student Views and Quality of Higher Education Changes in the nature and provision of higher education have meant that the collection of feedback from students and the importance of students views and experiences of learning is on the agenda world wide. Students evaluations of courses and teaching are considered to be an important measure and indicator of educational quality (Marsh, 1987; Leckey Neill, 2001, Harvey, 2003). Universities in the UK, USA and Australia regularly collect student feedback to improve the quality of higher education. According to Leckey and Neill (2001) many papers have been written about students evaluation of teaching quality and many authors (such as Marsh, 1987, Kuh, 1999, Vesper Kuh, 1997) have published the review of these thereby supporting the continuing use of student evaluations. The importance of student feedback to universities can be seen in the growth of student involvement in university decision-making. For example in Sweden the Swedish government passed a bill in 2000 to give representat ion to students in university decision-making bodies (Swedish Government, 1999) In the UK a variety of mechanisms is being used both at the local level (faculty, school, course, and module) and institutional level (for example, graduate surveys) to get students feedback (Leckey Neill, 2001). At the national level, student surveys were introduced in 2005, to collect feedback from students on the quality of courses in order to contribute to public accountability, as well as to help inform the choices of future applicants coming to higher education (Harvey, 2003). In the USA there are three major types of surveys used to gather data on students experiences of learning, namely the College Student Experience Questionnaire (used since 1983 by about 500 colleges and universities), the College Students Expectation Questionnaire (used since 1996, with over 61,000 students at more than 60 institutions) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (began in 1998). The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) obtains, on an annual basis, information about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college (NSSE, 2003). Similarly, in Australia, since 1993 all graduates in universities have been invited annually to complete the Course Experience Questionnaire. As a result of various investigations and analyses of these surveys since then, many important aspects (e.g quality of teaching, availability of recourses and social climate of the institutions) of learning in higher education have been discovered. Differences in students evaluations have been noted within different subject areas and disciplines (Ramsden, 2003). The Graduate career Council of Australia (GCCA) considers students perceptions of curriculum, instruction and assessment as key determinants of their approach to learning and the quality of the outcomes of that learning. The CEQ is considered a valuable instrument for the purpose of improving the quality of teaching in universities and also for informing student choice, managing institutional performance and promoting accountability of the higher education sector (McInnis, Griffin, Jame s Coates, 2001). A synthesis of the literature from the above section shows that students self reported surveys and questionnaires are the most commonly used method for getting feedback from students and evaluating their experiences of learning. Self report questionnaires are considered to be very useful for assessing those outcomes of higher education that can not be measured by achievement tests (Kuh Vesper, 1997, Watson, 2003). Further Pike (1995) has argued that self reports of experiences were found to be highly correlated with relevant achievement test scores. The literature shows that student evaluation of teaching quality in higher education is a well-recognised practice in the developed countries. There has been growing support for the use of student satisfaction surveys as an indicator of teaching quality (Alridge Rowley, 1998). Furthermore, Murray (1997) reports that the use of these surveys has led to measurable improvements in teaching quality. As such, student feedback can be used as an effective tool for quality enhancement. Harvey (1995) also emphasised that student satisfaction goes hand in hand with the development of a culture of continuous quality improvement. In contrast to developed countries the concept of inclusion of the students in the mechanisms of quality improvement is comparatively new to the developing countries like Pakistan. Currently students evaluations of the individual teachers at the University of the Punjab, Pakistan are generally used as a means of providing feedback to the teachers rather than as means o f improving the quality of student learning. According to Byrne and Flood (2004) the evaluation of teaching at the course level (i.e. full course of study such as degree program) rather than at individual unit/module level is more positively accepted by staff and is considered to be more appropriate for maintaining and enhancing quality at institution level .My study of students experiences of learning may provide basis for the development of a systematic way of obtaining student feedback at the level of whole course/degree, on regular basis and to use it as a means for the improvement of quality of student learning at University of the Punjab. The Contemporary Perspectives on Learning Experiences The experience of joining an institution of higher education is a significant event or turning point for an individual (Wintage, 2007), in that it provides for a transition to another stage of education and life experiences. Research indicates that the early experiences of students in higher education systems are vital in establishing attitudes and outlooks that are carried forward throughout the course and that these views and beliefs are critical to success (Wintage, 2007). However, these effects sometimes do not show themselves until the second year of a program of study or even later (Wright, 1982). Most of the research on learning in higher education has been focused on the undergraduate students, while postgraduate students have been a comparatively neglected group (Lindsay, Breen Jenkins, 2002). Although a substantial number of studies (see Schevens, 2003; Meyer Kiley; 1998; Rowley Slack, 1998; Haggis, 2002) have been conducted with postgraduate research students and intern ational postgraduate students exploring the issues of cultural and academic adjustment in international universities, it is hard to find studies specifically conducted to explore the experiences of postgraduate students enrolled in taught degrees which is the case in Pakistan. However the research on various aspects of higher education has lead to a better understanding of student experiences of learning (i.e students needs, problems, preferences and choices) in higher education. Learning in higher education is considered to be complex and multidimensional in nature and it has been viewed from various perspectives as discussed in the following section. Approaches to Learning Perspective The origins of approaches to learning perspective can be traced back to a series of studies conducted by Marton and Sà ¤ljà ¶ in the late 1970s (Cuthbert, 2005). Using phenomenography, these researchers looked at the qualitative aspects of the university students learning. The group of researchers under this perspective focused on the outcomes of learning and described different categories of learning outcomes in terms of the intentions of the students in starting a learning task and the process used to carry out those tasks. Originally two approaches i.e. deep and surface were formulated by Marton and Saljo (1976) and subsequent research by Entwistle and Ramsden (1983) added to this pair the strategic approach. This perspective has provided an explanation of various outcomes exhibited by students. For example, a surface approach to learning was associated with a focus on rote learning, memorisation and reproduction, a lack of reflection, a preoccupation with completing the task an d extrinsic value, whereas a deep approach was associated with holistic style with an intention to understand, the use of a wide variety of information and intrinsic value (Entwistle Tait, 1990). Approaches to learning comprise both what students do (when learning) and why they do it. After the qualitative and experimental work carried out by Marton and Saljo in 1976, Entwisle and Ramsden (1983) and Biggs (1987) were considered to be among the first to develop quantitative tools such as Course Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ), Approaches to Study Inventory (ASI) and the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) for looking at a broader sample of university students approaches to learning. According to Entwistle (1997) the approaches to learning perspective drew attention to the outcomes of learning, which are congruent with the aims of teaching and made us think about the quality of learning in higher education. This perspective is also considered to have provided a great deal of knowledge about leaning in higher education (Case, 2008). Whereas Cuthbert (2005) says that the approaches to learning perspective provided knowledge about differences in the quality of engagement of the learner such as, learning for understanding, learning for reproduction or learning for achievement and that the learners approach to the learning task is dependent upon his/her conscious choices for learning. He further says that intentions for different tasks depend upon the nature of the task and the context; therefore it is possible to manipulate students intentions and achievement by manipulating the task and the context of learning. There have also been several criticisms of the approaches to learning perspective. One argument is that this perspective pays too much attention to the learning context and too little attention to the importance of student context such as cognitive issues, gender and past experience (Cuthbert, 2005). Therefore it is considered to have greater impact on teachers to improve their practice (Prosser Trigwell, 1997). Similarly the recent longitudinal study conducted by Case and Gunstone, (2006) pointed out the limitations of the approaches to learning perspective in ignoring the influence of students emotional condition, awareness, control, motivation, and end goals. Similarly, I am concerned about the limitations of our understanding that result from these studies that rather narrowly conceive of the students learning experiences. My study is designed to explore how students perceive their learning experiences taking into account personal factors such as gender, motivational beliefs, personal goals and career aspirations. Alienation and Engagement Perspective In response to the criticism of the limited scope of the approaches to learning perspective, Mann (2001) proposed the concepts of alienation and engagement and argued that these provide a broader and more contextualized picture of the learning experience. The concept of alienation has been very narrowly defined in the literature. Several authors (Mann, 2001; Case, 2008) have referred the concept of alienation as the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved (Oxford English Dictionary). In explaining the concept of alienation Mann (2001) has pointed out that several factors, such as current socio-cultural conditions, pre-existing experiences, cost to individual, loss of creativity, distribution of power, and assessment practices lead to student alienation while learning in higher education. He argued that we should reframe our view of students experiences of learning, from a focus on surface/strategi c/deep approaches to learning to a focus on alienated or engaged experiences of learning in higher education. In contrast to alienation, engagement is concerned with point of intersection between individuals and things that are critical for learning (Coates, 2006). While discussing the concept of engagement Fredricks, Blumenfeld Paris (2004) refer to three types of engagement: behavioral engagement, emotional engagement and cognitive engagement with each type being associated with positive academic outcomes and persistence in education. Several factors such as classroom structure, relationship with peers and teachers, nature of task, assessment type, autonomy and support in learning, previous grades, family background and available facilities are considered to have an impact on the nature and quality of engagement in learning (Fredricks et al, 2004; Case, 2008). The concept of student engagement is considered to be a useful means for assessing and responding to the significant dynamics, challenges and opportunities facing higher education institutions (AUSSE, 2008). This concept has recently gained considerable significance in the discussions about quality in education (Fredricks et al, 2004; AUSSE, 2008) and important reflections of this are to be found in the USA National Survey of student Engagement (NSSE) (NSSE, 2003) which started in 1999 and Australian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE, 2008) conducted for the first time in 2007. Although AUSSE and NSSE provide an insight in to the student learning in higher education by evaluating the experiences of academic challenge, active learning, relationships with staff, learning support and work integrated learning, they do not take account of motivational beliefs of the students, and how these impact on the students experience of learning in higher education. Though the concepts of alienation and engagement as discussed above and provide a useful picture of aspects of student learning in higher education, the critical dimension of how the students experience is formed and the students motivational profiles are not taken into account. Despite a great deal of knowledge and research about engagement there are several gaps in the literature and the definitions of the construct, measures and designs do not capitalize on what the concept of engagement can offer about learning (Fredricks et al, 2004). Therefore students experiences of learning and motivational beliefs need further exploration. The role of motivation in learning has been well established through extensive research at almost all educational levels (Schunk, 1982; Pintrich De Groot, 1990; Eccles, Wigfield, Harold Bluemenfeld, 1993). Motivation is the process by which goal-directed activity is instigated and sustained (Schunk,et al, 2008). Motivation can influence what, when and how we learn (Schunk et al, 2008) and it bears a reciprocal relationship to learning and performance (Pintrich, 2003; Shunck, 1995). Though the perspectives discussed above take into consideration the various aspects of learning higher education, the impact of motivational factors on the experiences of learning in higher education needs further exploration and research. Experiences of Learning from the Perspective of Motivational Beliefs In higher education, the experiences of learning can only be partially understood if the motivational beliefs of the students are not taken into account. There is thus a need to explore students experiences of learning in the context of motivation for learning. There have been several interpretations of the motivational beliefs of students, however in the literature on student motivation three motivational constructs of expectancy, value and effect are most widely referred to (Bandura, 1997; Pintrich and De Groot, 1990; Pintrich and Schunk, 2002; Wigfield and Eccles, 2000). These constructs have their roots in the social cognitive theory and work on the postulate that motivational processes influence both learning and performance (Schunk, 1995). Several achievement motivation theorists have attempted to explain peoples choice of achievement tasks, persistence on those tasks, vigor in carrying them out and performance on them (Eccles et al, 1998; Pintrich Schunk, 1996). One longstanding perspective on motivation is expectancy-value theory. In general expectancy-value theorists consider behavior choice, persistence and performance to be a function of the degree to which individuals judge their capabilities to perform designated courses of action (expectancy) and how they value these activities. According to expectancy-value theory three motivational components are very signifi