Personal Experience What I Know and What I Want to Learn...

What I Know/ What I Want to Find Out A couple weeks ago, in science class, we started talking about Earth and space systems. Ms. Stephenson told us to make a chart about what we knew about Earth and the space systems. Next, I drew out the chart and tried to think of what I knew about the topic. I couldn’t think of anything! The only part of Earth and space I knew were the basics. I knew that the sun is a star, the planets orbit around it, and Earth’s axis is at a tilt. I also knew that Earth is lopsided and that Pluto is a dwarf planet. That was about all I knew about Earth and space systems. I wanted to know more about Earth and space. How do the planets orbit? What makes the planets and other objects move? Are there any other galaxies out there? Does the sun affect any planets and how? I wrote all the questions I had under the â€Å"What I Want to Know† column. After writing some of my questions down I realized I was most interested in how the sun affected Earth and other planets. Finally, I formed the question: â€Å"How do the surface features of the sun affect Earth and other planets?† After much research I found out the answer. The Story of My Search I started my research on March 10th, so it took about three weeks. First, I went to the Gale database and typed in the key words â€Å" Sun affect Earth.† I scrolled down and found two articles that were about my topic and one academic journal. The first article I read was very helpful. It had plenty of informationShow MoreRelatedMy Breaching Social Norm Experiment921 Words   |  4 Pagesbreaching social norm experiment, I was determined to do something I would never do even if it was a dare, especially since my ability to interact with strangers is not what I consider advanced. So, I decided to make people feel uncomfortable by holding their hand. What I would do is walk up to the person from behind and slowly make my way to their hand to make them feel even more uncomfortable. People normally hold hands with their significant other, or with someone they know, like a friend or family memberRead MoreBreaching Social Norm Experiment922 Words   |  4 Pagesmy breaching s ocial norm experiment I was determined to do something I would never do even if it was a dare, especially since my ability to interact with strangers is not the best. So, I decided to make people feel uncomfortable by holding their hand. What I would do is walk up to the person from behind and slowly make my way to their hand to make them feel even more uncomfortable. People normally hold hands with their significant other, or with someone they know like a friend or family member, soRead MoreThe Learning Environments Of Children1496 Words   |  6 Pageson in my career as an early childhood teacher or the field I end up choosing I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of young children. 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Furthermore, making your classroom inviting and comfortable to helpRead MoreCustomer Complaints And Why It Is Important For Improving Customer Experience For The Future1738 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: I have chosen to write my reflective essay on customer complaints and why it is important to handle them effectively, how to learn from complaints and how my workplace can use a complaint as a way of improving customer experience for the future. Reflective learning encourages development and new approaches to learning (Brockbank et al, 2002). From what I understand, the purpose of reflective writing is to help us recognise the way we work at a deeper level. It is a process in whichRead MoreI Am An Undergraduate College Student924 Words   |  4 PagesWhen I was an undergraduate college student, studying required much more effort. Despite a strong desire to learn, and a passion for biology, my educational experiences was not ideal. During my sophomore year in college I started teaching my peers to test myself if I knew core concepts. This is where I developed a love for anatomy and physiology as well as a desire to teach. I chose to further this love through the Anatomy Program through Wright State University. Progressing through graduate schoolRead MoreCulture And Identity Of A Refugee Living Essay1613 Words   |  7 PagesIn this paper, I will discuss the importance of culture and identity of a refugee living in Canada, and how her experiences shaped her as a person and her future. I have interviewed a friend and colleague, named Elodie Bambuzuke who was born in Rwanda. Throughout this paper, I will also reflect on course material and various articles of interpersonal culture and how it relates to newcomers to Canada. My plan in this interview is to learn more about Elodie’s culture, her immigration to Canada, her

Summary of The Archers Tale Essay - 1145 Words

The Archer’s Tale Alvin E. Nix III The novel begins in the English village of Hookton, where a boy named Thomas is growing up under the parenthood of his father, who is also the village priest. Thomas has great skill with a bow, but he trains secretly because his father does not allow him to use it. On the morning of Easter in 1342, a French party of raiders arrive under the command of Sir Guillaume dEvecque, a French Knight. In his party of raiders is a warrior dressed all in black, known simply as the Harlequin, who has hired Sir Guillaume to carry out the raid to steal Hooktons treasure, the Lance of St. George. During the raid The Harlequin kills Thomas father, and the lance is stolen from the village. With his bow†¦show more content†¦As the days go by, the men conduct a many raids on nearby French villages. A small French force from Lannion who are commanded by Sir Geoffrey de Pont Blanc, attempts to stop the onslaught of Skeats army, but Skeat refuses to engage him in battle. Jekyll, however, is eager for a fight, so he and his men battle Sir Geoffreys soldiers. Jekyll loses the battle despite his soldier’s powerful defense, and Geoffrey attempts to charge Skeats archers. His troops are shot down by the English longbows, and he is captured by Thomas. But to Jekylls fury, Thomas lets him go free. That night, Thomas is ambushed by Jekylls men and is severly beaten. He is saved by Father Hobbe, a friend who constantly reminds him of his vow of revenge. Thomas then becomes friends with Jeanette and the two plot to take revenge on Jekyll. Skeat and his men then move to attack Lannion, that has been weakened by the loss of Geoffreys force. During the attack on Lannion, Geoffrey is killed by Thomas. A French relief force attempts to destroy the English, but they are destroyed by Skeats archers. \ Thomas and Jeanette can no longer stay at La Roche-Derrien, because Jekyll wishes to kill them both, so they decide to take refuge with the Duke of Brittany. He takes them in because he is related to Jeanettes husband. The Duke, however, is not very hospitable. He rapes Jeanette and kidnaps her son, but Jeanette escapes with Thomas. She is traumatized by the event, but ThomasShow MoreRelatedS by Doug Dorst844 Words   |  3 Pagesare filled with scribbles, writings, notes, clues, musings and revelations from two readers, Jen and Eric. Jen, a college senior, and Eric, a former grad student and Straka researcher. Because of the nature of the presentation of this book, the summary will need to be separated into two distinct sections: The first section will cover the plot and events of the book Ship of Theseus, while the second section will cover the plot and events of the real life story taking place in the margins. In Ship

Leading and Managing Innovation Evaluate

Question: Discuss about the Leading and Managing Innovation Evaluate. Answer: Introduction The aim of this document is to critically evaluate and analyze the selected business case Sharing Better Practice with better overview. The critical analysis is performed to identify possible alternatives available for the selected business case. Moreover, the critical analysis aims to evaluate the alternative options regarding the benefits, costs, and risks aspects. After these aspects consideration, this document provides a preferred solution over the business case (Bresnen 2016). In order to analyze the above-mentioned points, the essay considers some methods such as need analysis, cause-effect analysis, and cost-benefit analysis to emphasize over the effectiveness of the business case. The first phase of the Sharing Better Practice project is initiated in October 2003 approved by the Steering Committee (Newman 2016; Archibald Archibald 2016). In this business case, the second phase is demonstrated based on outputs of first phase. In first phase, the definition of good practice is depicted as to capture and share better ideas for improving the business requirements and entire work process. Business Case Critical Analysis The project initiated with Department of Premier and Cabinets draft Corporate Plan 2002-2005 for identification of major addressed issues from IAPPU in the year span 2003 to 2004 (Turner 2016). The issues included facilitation of good practices and development of an appropriate methodology to support significant Government information management and systems activities. As the good practice definition is stated as the capture, sharing and subsequent implementation of good ideas i.e. innovations or lessons learnt about what works and what does not in Government business activities. This is aimed at improving the way we do business both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency (Kuryl 2004). The second phase business plan is prepared for establishing appropriate business process structure within IAPPU and in other agencies (Mazzei, Flynn Haynie 2016). This plan is incorporated with detailed implementation planning as well. Business Case Problem Statement First phase of Sharing Better Practice business case stated problem statement as to facilitate better ideas and concepts to address better effectiveness in business processes. Currently, in business processes such as project, systems and information management, lack of new ideas and better practice issue persists. Hence, this project is considered to put on improvements regarding the efficiency in process implementation. Therefore, the identified outcomes from this project are following: Possible Alternatives In this business case, possible alternatives are identified in form of some projects that are reliant over second phase. The capturing and sharing of better practice information undertaken by IAAPU staffs with their responsibilities. The related alternatives are: These identified alternative projects that can be utilized in the current scenario for improvement of the information sharing over new ideas and practice concepts. Moreover, the alternatives are addressed for evaluating the cost, benefits, and risks. Further, the financial summary is presented to emphasize over the policy, guidelines, and project unit cost assessment. This project business case is demonstrated with rationale of the preferred solution to identify why preferences are placed. Evaluation of the Benefit, Cost and Risk of Alternative Options For better financial support, internal capital will be supplied from Inter Agency Policy and Projects Unit, Department of Premier and Cabinet. Risks are addressed with Tasmanian Government Project management guidelines (Silvius 2016; Wittmayer Loorbach 2016). In first phase of the project, the risks are included as following: Strong reliance over capturing information concerning good practices in Tasmanian Government agencies guidelines Several obstacles and hindrances over good practice information sharing within government agencies Reluctance over implementation of agreed practices for business units Stakeholders aiming for identification of existing poor areas where practices are not utilized In aspects of these risks, the business case provided some mitigation strategies; the strategies are relevant in those aspects. Moreover, the business case should identify those risks in terms of likelihood, severity, and impact; so that risks can be prioritized for elimination (Ben Mahmoud?Jouini, Midler Silberzahn 2016). In current second phase business case, the risks are mitigated taking all of them catastrophic or major. Risk assessment and management is considered as major activity in business planning with initiatives of examining the risk register and contingency planning. Risk status is used in risk register for reporting to the Steering Committee with status incorporation (Binder 2016). Issues register is another method that was included in quality management and risk management planning with regular frequency. Quality management planning is prepared taking Project Management Methodology, Output Development Methodology, output quality, performance measures, and standards. Reporting, monitoring, assessment, and risk registers are adhered in this planning with information management (Lee 2016; Yahiaoui, Chebbi Weber 2016). Quality management planning should be conducted with procurement planning as well. Procurement of quality ensures assessment of quality in terms of improving further processes as well. Project management methodology is mentioned in the project as Tasmanian Government Project guidelines version 5.0; the business case is relevant as the guideline is specific for application (Rekonen Bjorklund 2016). Again, output development methodology is mentioned to be following project management information and resources project (PMIRP). For appropriate output quality, the project is designed to incorporate IASC, IAPPU, and management groups in consultancy with purpose of initial outpu ts (Pugh 2016; Qin Chen 2016). Focus groups are important for appropriate demonstration of new ideas and practice in project. Performance measures should be estimated based on key performance indicators in project standards and completion constraints. Moreover, the performance measures that are selected as baseline data, outcome realization plan and existing performance measurement factors (Coates 2016). Successful and fulfilling project business case should include appropriate standards, in this business plan; Tasmanian Government Web Publishing Standards are employed with information and resources. Along with standards, the reporting requirements are considered in the project for better progress reports and outcomes listing. The project development planning is prepared with appropriate schedules along with timeline for first phase project execution. The schedule is presented with detailed milestones and activities (Bresnen 2016). However, the scheduling should be prepared with suitable duration setting for specifically identifying the duration of the entire project and appropriate completion time. Therefore, the outcome realization planning is prepared for progressive management for IAPPU. Above-mentioned governance model is essential for monitoring and assessing the project activities with quality management planning. Monitoring employs regular or frequent revision of progress reports for adoption of changes in planning (Newman 2016). As per necessary data and information management, the TRIM file system is used in the project. Moreover, outcome realization planning is prepared in the business case for designated and ongoing management process with reporting certain achievement (Archibald Archibald 2016). The outcome realization planning is quite similar to post-implementation reviewing procedure for most projects. Rationale of the Preferred Solution Rationale of the preferred solution suggests the major points that can be considered in the project as scope of work, communication tools, stakeholder management planning, and project management planning as well. Second phase of the project includes scope of the work in terms of in-scope, out-of-scope, and uncertain or unresolved work (Turner 2016; Mazzei, Flynn Haynie 2016). In-scope work is included in business plan showing important and appropriate activities in the project. Implementation of essential business process is important in the project for supporting better practices in system. However, the architectural principles will not be accepted as in-scope project work (Silvius 2016). On the other hand, the communication should be aimed at establishment of IAPPU for central driver to support better practices. Quality management process is readied taking Project Management Methodology, Output Development Methodology, outcome quality, execution measures, and models. Reporting, observing, appraisal, and hazard registers are followed in this arranging with data administration (Wittmayer Loorbach 2016; Ben Mahmoud?Jouini, Midler Silberzahn 2016). Quality administration arranging ought to be directed with acquisition arranging too. Obtainment of value guarantees evaluation of value as far as enhancing further procedures too. Project administration strategy is said in the project as Tasmanian Government Project guidelines; the business case is important, as the strategy is particular for application (Binder 2016). Once more, yield improvement procedure is said to take after project administration data and assets extend (PMIRP). For fitting yield quality, the project is intended to join IASC, IAPPU, and administration assembles in consultancy with reason for beginning yields (Lee 2016). In addi tion, the execution measures that are chosen as gauge information, result acknowledgment arrange and existing execution estimation elements (Yahiaoui, Chebbi Weber 2016). Fruitful and satisfying project business case ought to incorporate suitable norms, in this strategy for success; Tasmanian Government Web Publishing Standards are utilized with data and assets. The project improvement arranging is set up with suitable timetables alongside course of events for first stage extends execution. The timetable is given significant turning points and exercises (Rekonen Bjorklund 2016). In spite of, the booking ought to be set up with reasonable length setting for particularly recognizing the term of the whole project and suitable consummation time. Monitoring includes regular or frequent changes of progress reports for adoption of changes in planning (Pugh 2016). According to vital information and data administration, the TRIM record framework is utilized as a part of the project. Additionally, result acknowledgment arranging is set up in the business case for assigned and progressing administration handle with reporting certain accomplishment (Qin Chen 2016; Coates 2016). The result acknowledgment arranging is very like post-execution exploring method for generally extends. Chance appraisal and administration is considered as significant movemen t in business arranging with activities of inspecting the hazard enlist and possibility arranging. Progress and project status is utilized as a part of risk register for answering to the Steering Committee with status joining (Yahiaoui, Chebbi Weber 2016). Risk Register is another strategy that was incorporated into quality administration and hazard administration arranging with standard recurrence. Conclusion Meetings with project stakeholder are essential for proper exhibit of new thoughts and practice in project. Execution measures ought to be evaluated in light of key execution markers in project gauges and finishing imperatives. Alongside models, the reporting prerequisites are considered in the project for better advance reports and results posting. Along these lines, the result acknowledgment arranging is set up for dynamic administration for IAPPU. The project is conducted to improve the information sharing and capturing in form of ideas realization and implementation in appropriate manner. The project requires benefit planning to continue the analysis process aligned with resource utilization. Major limitation in the business case is identified as period estimation without duration identification. Most of the project fails due to unidentified duration of activities; the activities tend to take more lengthy duration than usual making entire project longer than planned. In this long er schedule, the project takes expenditure more than planned value in the project causing significant adjustments in the budget. Therefore, the recommended steps should be incorporated as; To include durations for the activities in the entire project To add essential severity and impact in risk identification process To assess risks based on scoring of consequences and impact on project References Archibald, R.D. Archibald, S., 2016.Leading Managing Innovation: What Every Executive Team Must Know about Project, Program, Portfolio Management(Vol. 22). CRC Press. Ben Mahmoud?Jouini, S., Midler, C. Silberzahn, P., 2016. Contributions of Design Thinking to Project Management in an Innovation Context.Project Management Journal,47(2), pp.144-156. Binder, J., 2016.Global project management: communication, collaboration management across borders. CRC Press. Bresnen, M., 2016. Institutional development, divergence change in the discipline of project management.International Journal of Project Management,34(2), pp.328-338. Coates, H.L., 2016. Training researchers how to manage data to produce better results, enable reuse, provide for long-term access. Kuryl, K., 2004. Sharing Better Practice Project Business Plan Phase 2: Inter Agency Policy Projects Unit, DEPARTMENT OF PREMIER CABINET. Lee, M.C., 2016. Knowledge management innovation management: best practices in knowledge sharing knowledge value chain.International Journal of Innovation Learning,19(2), pp.206-226. Mazzei, M.J., Flynn, C.B. Haynie, J.J., 2016. Moving beyond initial success: Promoting innovation in small businesses through high-performance work practices.Business Horizons,59(1), pp.51-60. Newman, V., 2016. Mapping Innovation Practice Among Practitioners.InImpact: The Journal of Innovation Impact,7(1), p.1. Pugh, L., 2016.Change management in information services. Routledge. Qin, F. Chen, P., 2016. Knowledge Management of Project Team Based on Life Cycle Theory. InProceedings of the 6th International Asia Conference on Industrial Engineering Management Innovation(pp. 645-652). Atlantis Press. Rekonen, S. Bjorklund, T.A., 2016. Adapting to the changing needs of managing innovative projects.European Journal of Innovation Management,19(1), pp.111-132. Silvius, A.J.G., 2016. Strategic Integration of Social Media into Project Management Practice. Turner, R., 2016.Gower handbook of project management. Routledge. Wittmayer, J.M. Loorbach, D., 2016. Governing Transitions in Cities: Fostering Alternative Ideas, Practices, Social Relations Through Transition Management. InGovernance of Urban Sustainability Transitions(pp. 13-32). Springer Japan. Yahiaoui, D., Chebbi, H. Weber, Y., 2016. HR practices, context knowledge transfer in MA.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,27(20), pp.2415-2435.

The Emotion of Sports Performance and Motivation free essay sample

The field of psychology is increasingly expanding and becoming incorporated into other fields of study. From the study of behavioral economics to the burgeoning field of media psychology (with its emphasis on the effects of advertising, especially on children), literally anything that can be thought of is a possible venue for the probing, empirical analysis of various strains of psychological theory. And why not? There are currently 54 different divisions of the American Psychological Association. Not all are actual theoretical perspectives posited by psychology—such as behaviorism or social psychology—some are merely fields of interest within which a psychological focus has been found to be academically useful, or clinically rewarding, or medically necessary. Such is the case with sports and exercise psychology (division 47). For a variety of reasons—the economic impact of the billions of dollars a year professional sports industry, the growth of empirical evidence suggesting exercise is good for us (both physically and psychologically), as well as the influence of sports on childhood development and academic achievement and socialization (as a negative correlation to school violence)—sports and psychology are increasingly mixing. We will write a custom essay sample on The Emotion of Sports Performance and Motivation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This paper will take a look at the theoretical and scientific ways psychology is being used to explain and enhance sports performance from the parallel points of view of personality, motivational theory, emotion, and social cognition; all under the watchful eye of Freudian psychoanalysis. There is, of course, a reciprocal relationship between the reasons for, or why we need sports activity, and the motivation towards a qualitatively enhanced sports performance. The initial impetus for man to engage in sports may have been be to simply play at sports for leisure or diversion, but upon closer examination its clear there’s something more which drives our seeming obsession for sports (and this includes the growing fanaticism of spectating, as well). Freud looked at sports during his time from his by then typical psychoanalytical point of view and found, what else (? ), sex†¦; or at least what he felt were the attempts by education institutions to curb the urge in children by substituting repetitive play (Holowchak, p. 697). This repetitive play serves as the foundation for the more formal adult world of competitive sports which then becomes standardized (though at lesser levels of difficulty) for children in a full circle process that, curiously, blurs the line between origins and necessity. Nonetheless, Freud believes this sort of adult play (sport) is at once an attempt to relive the unfettered, carefree days of childhood, while simultaneously using them (games) as a way of releasing pent up tensions and anxieties—both from sexual repression and the conscious seeking out of the pleasure principle. Play is pleasurable because it essentially mimics sexual movement while substituting for it in a socially acceptable way. Play becomes sport when the obstacles introduced by the participants are re-imposed repeatedly in order to allow for their usurpation in order to increase the psychic energy being built up solely for its ultimate—and very pleasurable—release (Holowchak, p. 698-99). Regarding the motivational forces that compel us to turn play into competition and equally—and instinctively—strive for greater and greater rewards (measurable goals and feelings related to victory and status), Freud believed in certain â€Å"drives† (Holowchak, p. 701) that serve as a spark and a conduit for, ultimately, all human behavior—including the play/sport dialectic. As with all psychoanalytic theory, the basis of drives is compelling (fascinating), but nebulous, to say the least. Unless, of course, one views those drives through an evolutionary prism. I’ve always had the gut feeling that many of Freud’s ideas piggybacked—to one extent or another—on the backs of Darwinian evolutionary theory and biology. In this case, the drives Freud speaks of are what Darwin would more simply refer to as survival mechanisms. Those mechanisms run the gamut from reproductive instincts to psychic survival processes which, in the latter, take the form of play, games, and ultimately, sport. I recently watched an episode of a program on Animal Planet detailing the attempts of an animal biologist to get two orphaned lion cubs to hunt by using a rag doll version of a mammal of some kind as substitute prey. He would drag the doll around the yard and the cubs would chase after it and pounce in playful abandon. He then took a piece of meat and dragged it around the yard—when the cubs were good and hungry—in the same fashion in an attempt at operant conditioning that, hopefully, would transfer to the wild (the goal was to eventually release the cubs). Similarly, human beings play games that serve multiple functions which are equally necessitated by basic needs (in the case of the cubs, hunger and survival). For human beings those needs are as complex as the human mind itself and every bit as deserving of study—even if it is just a game. Martin Luther said, â€Å"Feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving†¦;† and feelings—emotions—are also supremely multifaceted, slippery, transient, and as predictable as they are unpredictable. Feelings register virtually instantly through our autonomic nervous system which includes virtually every major organ in the body and leads to everything from clenched jaws to hairs standing up on the back of your neck. In any sort of performance—specifically sports—these physiological markers are many times kicked into high gear and being able to control and funnel them into an appropriate response that maximizes that performance takes skill learned through practice. But not all negative emotions hinder performance, just as not all positive emotions enhance it (Kouli, Bebestos, Kamperis Papaioannou, p. 108). Similarly, studies have shown that despite repetition of a particular task in a sports setting, being able to demonstrate fluency—even supremacy—of that task in a non-competitive situation (i. e. , practice) is no predictor of the athlete’s triumphalism in a real game situation. As Philadelphia 76er guard Allen Iverson once said emphatically, sarcastically, and repeatedly (ad nausea), â€Å"I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and yet we’re in here talking about practice. Not the game, but practice. Not the actual game that I go out and die for†¦and play every game like it’s my last, but practice. Practice. We’re talking about practice. Not a game, but practice†¦. † When dealing with the emotions evoked by the sometimes high drama of athletic competition, another factor must also be kept in mind: the context of an actual game and its attendant emotions are a two-way street. Emotions are a factor both before and during a game, and during a game the roller coaster of emotions can mediate and facilitate either failure or success because your emotions are not only having an internal biological effect on you, they are having a reciprocal social effect on your teammates, the other team, and the crowd (which is either magnified or diluted depending on whether you’re playing a home or away game—the infamous â€Å"12th man† at Qwest Field in Seattle, WA is a case in point). The key emotion that comes into play in most studies of athletic competition—be they individual sports like tennis, or a team sport like soccer—is confidence. But even confidence has subjective determinants and modifiers that ultimately show it has only a moderate, though positive, relationship to winning (Kouli, Bebestos, Kamperis Papaioannou, p. 108). When measured after a game, barometers for confidence are typically higher than when measured before a game. This brings up the two-way street concept again; it seems as though, when it comes to confidence, success on the pitch influences state of mind much more than that same state of mind acts as a predictor of the aforementioned success (Kouli, Bebestos, Kamperis Papaioannou, p. 108). Also, as the KBK P study points out, again, on p. 108, the specific kind of emotions, such as optimal-pleasant, optimal-unpleasant, and dysfunctional-pleasant, actually have a positive correlation on confidence, and only dysfunctional-unpleasant have a negative effect. Moreover, confidence can lead to cockiness, which can also lead to a state of mind whereby the athlete doesn’t take his or her opponent seriously. This can result in â€Å"lack of alertness, focus, and/or carelessness. † The trick then, is to harness the optimum performance enhancing states of mind (while avoiding physical injury, of course) on your own so as to block out other negative performance modifiers; to get in the zone, so to speak (Harmison, p. 5). The cognitive and behavioral skills needed to accomplish this task can be learned (also according to Harmison). The type of sport being engaged in also has a mediating impact. Individual sports, like extreme sports, for example, typically appeal to performers that are extroverts who have a high degree of openness to experience (Tok, p. 1106). So here we see that personality plays a key role in both the absorption and application of the specific emotions needed to maintain optimal performance standards. As Harmison points out, p. 8, â€Å"†¦emotion serves two primary functions: mobilizing and organizing energy. † Again, this is a dual process. Emotions can help or hinder in the mobilizing/organizing process. Players who already have a leg up on mastering that skill—by virtue of their personalities—will be better able to focus on this learned task; as well, they will be able to better gage and apply the required amount of intensity needed to complete the assignment. Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis is another elite athlete who comes to mind when thinking about this phenomenon. If you’ve ever seen Lewis’s pregame ritual, you know it hasn’t changed in close to 15 years of NFL competition. He literally works himself, and more importantly—for this ultimate team sport—his teammates into a quasi-religious/spiritual frenzy (indeed, Lewis is an ordained minister) that has made the Ravens pro football’s top defensive team (along with the equally mighty Pittsburgh Steelers) over the past decade—and got them a Lombardi Super Bowl trophy in 2001. The Tok study also verified that when it comes to personality, those who score higher on the neuroticism scale of the Big Five personality traits were less likely to participate in individual extreme sports. This suggests that people with a greater ability to stay calm, cool, and collected in the eye of the storm are also the people who can summon the needed winning states of mind and keep control over them in order to accomplish their goals. External factors (crowd, noise, internal mind frame, social connections to teammates—if applicable, among others) are all part and parcel of the endeavor of athletic competition. But one key motivating factor for performance hasn’t yet been mentioned. Simply put, coaching has been found to be a correlational factor in the success and continuation of performers in athletics—especially team sports. And the younger the athlete, the more, it would seem, because of developmental issues as well, a coach would have an impact on his/her players. As David McClelland has pointed out, â€Å"The need for achievement is the spark that ignites economic growth, scientific progress, inspirational leadership, and masterpieces in the creative arts (from Weiten, p. 315). † McClelland could also easily have included elite sports in that pantheon of human creation. Sports are above all, a metaphor for the human struggle in all of those other areas. And nowhere does that metaphor hit closer to home than in the hierarchical, yet symbiotic relationship between a player and his/her coach. The perceptions an athlete has of the job being done by their coach in creating the optimal practice and game environment is a key—but certainly not the only—component of victory in athletic competition (Ntoumanis, Taylor Thorgersen-Ntoumani, p. 213). The reason coaches get fired many times has more to do with these perceptions than with actually winning. The level of talent on the team, and the coach’s perceived ability to harness that talent as well as bring out the latent talent in a team and fuse it into a cohesive unit that functions as one is constantly being evaluated—by peer coaches, management, and, most importantly, the team itself. One component of that constant evaluative process is measurement of players’ â€Å"behavioral investment† in the game, practice, and the team. This is the social-cognitive view of motivation used by Ntoumanis, Taylor Thorgersen-Ntoumani in their study.

Everyone is entitled to privacy, so should celebrities be given more privacy free essay sample

The right to a private life means that you have the right to carry on your life privately, without government interference, as long as you also respect the rights of other people. The courts have interpreted the concept of ‘private life’ in a very broad way. It covers things like your right to choose your sexual identity, your lifestyle, and the way you look and dress. The concept of private life also covers your right to develop your personality and to develop friendships and other relationships. This includes a right to participate in essential economic, social, cultural and recreational activities of the community. In some circumstances, public authorities may need to take steps to support you to realise your right to a private life, including your ability to participate in society. The right to private life means that the media and others can be prevented from interfering in your life. It also means that personal information about you (including official records, photographs, letters, diaries and medical records), should be kept securely and not shared without your permission, except in certain circumstances. We will write a custom essay sample on Everyone is entitled to privacy, so should celebrities be given more privacy? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I think that the media do not respect celebrity’s private lives. As human beings, we all deserve some level of privacy. But when youre a celebrity, privacy holds another meaning. Most celebrities accept the fact that they will be followed by paparazzi the minute they step out their doors; after all, it does come with the territory. Celebrities spend a significant amount of time in front of the cameras, so it seems inevitable that some parts of their private lives will get out. However, it isnt impossible for a celebrity to keep their private lives private. There are plenty of celebrities that seem to keep a low profile, yet still remain famous. Stars like Adele can keep their private lives private. So private that the media don’t even know the name of her child. Stars like Britney Spears tend to end up in the tabloids more because of the things that they allow the public to see, yet they cry invasion of privacy when everyone knows their business. The whole world only knows their business because they put it out there. It is not very hard to keep yourself  from being photographed with barely any clothes on or vomiting on a public street after leaving a club. I understand that its very easy for famous people to crack under pressure and start to spiral out of control, but allowing the public to see their breakdown is only more embarrassing for them and entertaining for us. So, can celebrities lead private lives out of the media spotlight? The answer is yes they can. Celebrities deserve to have as much privacy as anyone else. If I was to get out get drunk and be stupid then no one would care. But these are CELEBRITIES we are talking about. I think that the media do not respect celebrity’s private lives. The paparazzi are just ordinary people trying to earn a living. So it’s not entirely this fault. However, celebrities also have a responsibility to maintain a clean public image. When they allow their images to be tainted in a very public way, they deserve whatever loss of privacy that the tabloids take from them.

Free Essays on The Lady Of Shalott

Tennyson wrote The Lady of Shalott in 1832. An example of Arthurian literature, it tells the story of a woman who lives in isolation in a tower on an island called Shalott. In this poem, Tennyson is very much the Romantic poet he admired in Keats and Shelley. The Lady, who could not be more unattainable, perfectly embodies the Victorian image of the ideal woman, virginal, mysterious and dedicated to her womanly tasks. A curse has been put upon her meaning that she must stay in the tower and not look down to the nearby town of Camelot. The Lady of Shalott contains various different themes and ideas, which I feel that Tennyson conveys to the reader through the vivid descriptions and images that he uses. His keen interest in narrative is displayed in his poems, which tend to be romantic and provide an escape to a simpler, happier world. The Lady of Shalott and the poems within Idylls of the King take place in medieval England and capture a world of knights in shining armour and their da msels in distress. The Lady of Shalott is a 180 line narrative poem divided into four sections of nine-line stanzas. The four sections separate the important developments of the narrative making it easier to understand because it is set out more like chapters of a story. The rhyme scheme of the poem is aaaabcccb. It is almost entirely composed in iambic tetrameter, except for the last line of each stanza, which is written in iambic trimeter. The fifth and ninth lines of almost every stanza end with Camelot and Shalott respectively. This constant repetition helps to establish the monotony of the Lady's weaving. This repetition is only interrupted twice by the word Lancelot (in the fifth line of the ninth stanza and the ninth line of the twelfth stanza). I feel that this is meant to symbolise how the Lady's new-found love for him brings to an end her task and allows her to escape the tower. I will now go on to discuss the themes within the poem and how the... Free Essays on The Lady Of Shalott Free Essays on The Lady Of Shalott Tennyson wrote The Lady of Shalott in 1832. An example of Arthurian literature, it tells the story of a woman who lives in isolation in a tower on an island called Shalott. In this poem, Tennyson is very much the Romantic poet he admired in Keats and Shelley. The Lady, who could not be more unattainable, perfectly embodies the Victorian image of the ideal woman, virginal, mysterious and dedicated to her womanly tasks. A curse has been put upon her meaning that she must stay in the tower and not look down to the nearby town of Camelot. The Lady of Shalott contains various different themes and ideas, which I feel that Tennyson conveys to the reader through the vivid descriptions and images that he uses. His keen interest in narrative is displayed in his poems, which tend to be romantic and provide an escape to a simpler, happier world. The Lady of Shalott and the poems within Idylls of the King take place in medieval England and capture a world of knights in shining armour and their da msels in distress. The Lady of Shalott is a 180 line narrative poem divided into four sections of nine-line stanzas. The four sections separate the important developments of the narrative making it easier to understand because it is set out more like chapters of a story. The rhyme scheme of the poem is aaaabcccb. It is almost entirely composed in iambic tetrameter, except for the last line of each stanza, which is written in iambic trimeter. The fifth and ninth lines of almost every stanza end with Camelot and Shalott respectively. This constant repetition helps to establish the monotony of the Lady's weaving. This repetition is only interrupted twice by the word Lancelot (in the fifth line of the ninth stanza and the ninth line of the twelfth stanza). I feel that this is meant to symbolise how the Lady's new-found love for him brings to an end her task and allows her to escape the tower. I will now go on to discuss the themes within the poem and how the...

Preparation for Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Preparation for Work - Essay Example We came out with flying colors at the end since each one of us knew beforehand what we needed to do. Teamwork pays and this is absolutely true in the time and age of today. I learned this from experience with the help of my remaining team members that unity and discipline within a team are important aspects which need to be understood right from the onset of instituting a team. Since I understood the complexities involved with the moods and personalities of different team members, we decided right from the start that any grievances with one another could be settled once we are through with out assigned presentation. As a team, we made sure that there would not be any rifts amongst us but we compromised on having minor arguments which would lead us towards creative solutions as per the successful completion of our group presentation. We learned this with the passage of time that working as a team could mean so much more than just working for one another. It could mean that the collective results are more significant than an individual's achievement and that a team knows how to celebrate in a proper and befitting manner - a fact that is not so common when an individual attains success. As for the interpersonal skills, we guaranteed to one another that each of the team member's strengths as well as weaknesses would be analyzed in the light of the successful completion of the task at hand, which indeed was the completion of the group presentation. We appreciated the fact that judgments would not make the rounds of our team and thus we centered our attention on the premise of hard work, commitment, dedication and complete adherence to the rules laid down when the team was formed in the beginning. I am pretty contented to speak for my own self that I have felt a difference in my personality basis after the successful completion of the group presentation. I now feel that my personal development has been helped immensely by being a part of this team. Interacting with the team members and getting to know about each other's interpersonal skills is a definitive plus for me. 2- Verbal Communication I have understood during my graduate study regimes that intercultural communication is essential to understand since it is the form of communication that happens across cultural boundaries and transmits meaningful and unambiguous information. This process of exchanging the same preserves mutual trust and minimizes the element of aggression amongst my fellow colleagues. I have comprehended long and hard that a culture is indeed a shared system comprising of different beliefs, values, expectations, attitudes, norms, symbols, etc and thus it becomes all the more necessary in the present times to get the hang of such elements within the cultural contexts of a particular area, region or territory. I have tried my best to respect the intercultural faith whereby this has meant that this form of communication would indeed be successful with the people who matter within its cultural tenets. Similarly verbal communication is dependent a great deal on the intricacies entailed with the phenomen on of globalization and thus cultural diversity has reduced as a result of the very same. In order to understand oral, verbal and

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

Land Law - Essay Example A 2002 being to create a land registration system that is an accurate reflection of the true state of title to a registered estate of land at any time. As such, it is arguable that the narrow system implemented by the LRA 2002 renders the unregistered system a more useful tool to protect legal interests against purchasers of the legal estate. Furthermore, one of the central purposes of the 2002 Act was â€Å"to reduce the number of overriding interests which are binding upon a purchaser of a registered title† (Sexton 122). However, Sexton argues that the â€Å"2002 Act achieves this purpose only to a very limited degree† (122). Accordingly, whilst the overall intention of the 2002 Act is to reduce the number of third party equitable interests which are binding on a purchaser, it is questionable how far the LRA 2002 has gone to achieve this. The focus of this analysis is to evaluate whether the unregistered system facilitates the protection of legal interests against a purchaser of the legal estate with a comparative analysis of the registered land system particularly in context of the overhaul implemented by the LRA 2002. Additionally, this paper will consider whether it is easier for third party equitable interests to be protected where title is registered particularly in context of the LRA 2002. With regard to unregistered land, the general principle is that all legal interests against an unregistered title will be binding on a purchaser (Smith). As such, this general principle would appear to support the statement that it is easier to protect legal interests against a purchaser of the legal estate in unregistered land; as with registered land, legal interests are required to be registered unless they fall within the category of overriding interests (Dixon). Moreover, the system of overriding interests has been inherently complex, creating uncertainty for the purchaser vis-à  -vis registered titles. Alternatively, the wider scope for protection of proprietary

The value of communication skills in the workplace Research Paper

The value of communication skills in the workplace - Research Paper Example o and Sanchez believe that â€Å"if the idea received is not the one intended, communication has not taken place; the sender has merely spoken or written† (Guo & Sanchez, 2005, p.78). The present study focuses on the skills of communication that are necessary within an organization for achieving successful communication between the organizational employees. As Guffey & Loewy reflect in their views, effective communication is essential within an organization for advancements of the organization. Organizational members including leaders, managers, supervisors and employees need to communicate well among themselves. Proper skills of communication are hence necessary both within the organization as well as outside. Excellent communication skills enable an organization to advance more than others. In today’s organizations there is a greater need to understand different data, figures and words where written communications also prove to be highly significant (Guffey & Loewy, 2010, p.30). It can thus be said that communication in any form proves significant in order to pass any message internal or external to an organization. Guffey & Loewy also mentioned that today’s business organizations reflect dynamic trends where there is tremendous need for excellent communication. This is accompanied by flattened hierarchies of the organizational managements, expansion of the management based on teams, use of innovative technologies for the purpose of communication particularly where the office works occur anywhere and at anytime, diverse workforce, as well as enhanced focus on business ethics (Guffey & Loewy, 2010, p.30). Hence it can be realized that modifications in businesses in the present times require that organizational members are strong in their communication capabilities. This would enable messages to be communicated effectively. Effective decision-making may be obtained in this way with exchange of needful information. Also, effective communication would allow

Case Study: Urbanisation In Nairobi

Case Study: Urbanisation In Nairobi With an ever-growing global population have come changes in the way that cities emerge and develop, with urbanization being one of the most prominent. While only 10% of the worlds population lived in cities in 1900, this percentage has now ballooned to over 50% (Benton-Short Short, 2008, p. 66). During this period of urbanization, trends characterizing urbanizing cities have developed, each posing their own unique challenges for urban planners. These trends include: the emergence of predominant age groups, variations in the size and distribution of cities, environmental degradation, the introduction of institutional changes and participatory planning, and changes due to poor economic conditions. A city is largely defined by its residents. While developed and transitional countries are characterized by aging populations, it is estimated that 60% of residents in urban areas of developing countries will be under the age of 18 by the year 2030 (United Nations Human Settlements Programme [UN-Habitat], 2009, p. 10). These countries will also see their young urban populations grow by 50% within the next 40 years (ibid, p. 10). A country defined by older citizens and a declining or negative growth rate has different priorities and needs than a rapidly growing country with a young populace. These distinctions create different challenges for urban planners. Urban planners of developed and transitional countries are faced with the problem of renewing cities now in their deindustrialization phase. They have to transform areas and structures that have been abandoned by redeveloping waterfronts and brownfields, supported by programs such as the Brownfields Initiative in the United States, so that these areas can contribute to the future growth of the city (Benton-Short Short, 2008, p. 83). They also need to consider how current health systems and facilities for the elderly population can be updated and expanded to accommodate the aging baby boom population. Urban planners in the global south, however, are tasked with developing infrastructures to supply rapidly growing populations with housing, water, and sanitation. Systems need to be developed that will support the surge in young residents, providing facilities and programs that will serve this age group as they begin to shape the future of the city. The emergence of predominant age groups challenges planners to consider the specific needs of that age group. As cities grow in population, they also tend to grow in physical size and expand outwards. This expansion is apparent as the majority of the worlds urban population lives in cities and towns of less than 500,000 people rather than in megacities, which are home to populations of at least 10 million (Benton-Short Short, 2008, p. 73; UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 11). In developed countries like Canada and the United States, this growth has manifested itself in the form of sprawl, creating suburbs that are made up of homogeneous segregated uses: housing subdivisions, shopping centers, office/business parks, large civic institutions, and roadways heavily dependant on collector roads (Randolph, 2004, p. 37). These suburbs are auto-centric, characterized by their residents tendency to travel by personal vehicle. Planners must consider how to guide a citys growth and maintain its sustainability in the midst of the air pollution and high energy consumption associated with automobiles. Unlike these d eveloped countries, Hostovsky (2010b) notes that growth in the developing world has manifested itself as over-urbanization rather than sprawl (p. 19). Huge populations form cities in these countries, which are then surrounded by informal housing areas known as shantytowns or slums. Since shantytowns are considered illegal, there is often no government support to provide the infrastructure necessary for adequate water supply, sanitation, electricity, trash collection, etc. (Benton-Short Short, 2008, p. 90). Planners are challenged to consider how to approach these underserved communities as previous attempts to formalize these areas have resulted in further deterioration in quality of life (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 12). Urban planners must consider how sprawl and over-urbanization affect the countries in which they occur, and ensure that infrastructures reach the necessary distances and serve the huge numbers of underprivileged citizens that they need to. There is also an alarming trend of environmental degradation and an increasing frequency of natural disasters. Climate change is soon expected to affect the worlds ability to access water, produce food, and maintain healthy populations (ibid, p. 2). Exacerbating this issue of climate change is the proliferation of suburbs and industries that rely on oil as an energy source, leading to significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions (ibid, p. 3). The climate change issue is one that all countries must consider, be they developed, transitional, or developing. Countries are faced with the challenge of supplying their populations with access to food and water in an environment that will no longer be able to sustain such large populations and rapid growth. If the entire globe were to live at the same standards as North Americans, two additional planets would be required to accommodate the increase in ecological load (Hostovsky, 2010a, p. 35). In addition to the degradation of the natura l environment, has come an increase in the frequency of natural disasters. The global rate of occurrence has increased fourfold since 1975, with a threefold increase in Africa in the past 10 years (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 14). Of particular concern is the fact that disasters have the greatest impact on the poorest of the poor. Of the 270 million people affected by disasters in 2002, 98% of those people were residents of low-income countries (Benton-Short Short, 2008, p. 125). This can be charged to the fact that these low-income countries simply do not have the financial capability to implement disaster preparedness programs like developed countries. Planners will need to use innovative ways to build infrastructures that will be able to withstand these natural disasters and mitigate the economic and human life losses that ensue. By mitigating climate change and planning for natural disasters, urban planners have a significant role in ensuring that the expected population growth is sus tainable with one planet. The trends of urbanizing cities are occurring not only amidst changes in the natural environment, but also changes in the political environment. Governments are no longer in the same form as when these cities were first founded. Citizens are demanding participatory approach to planning, no longer willing to merely accept the planning decisions of their leaders (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 3). Planners will need to recognize that public consultations will partially guide their work and that their work will only be effective in a political environment that is stable (ibid, p. 3). All of the trends discussed above exist in an economic context, one that has changed significantly over the past century. Economies of the world have become integrated through the process of economic globalization. As a result of this globalization, all countries are feeling the effects of the current recession. This recession is expected to decrease the amount of funding available for urban development projects, increase unemployment rates, and exacerbate current poverty levels (ibid, p. 12). All countries, regardless of whether they are developed, transitional, or developing, will have to face these financial issues. Planners will be faced with the challenge of developing sustainable urban centres with limited budgets. With the trends associated with urbanizing cities (the emergence of predominant age groups, variations in the size and distribution of cities, environmental degradation, the introduction of institutional changes and participatory planning, and changes due to poor economic conditions) come unique challenges for urban planners to ensure that this rapid urbanization is successful and sustainable. Part 2 A Global City: Nairobi, Kenya Overview Located in eastern Africa, Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya (see Figure 1). With 3 million residents, the citys population is growing at a rate of 3.8% per year (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2007). The majority of the residents are between 15-64 years of age, with a median age of 18.7 (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2010). Nairobi was founded in 1902 by the British colonial government and informal housing has been developing there ever since (Warah, 2001, p. 1). The colonial government believed that Africans did not need, nor deserve, accommodation as they were the source of disease (Republic of Kenya, 2005, p. 4). Strict regulations and planning laws restricted the Africans access to urban land in order to isolate them from the Europeans and as a result, informal housing began being built on the perimeter of the cities (ibid, p. 4). These areas were soon destroyed and the residents were forced to return to rural areas. When Kenya achieved independence in 1963, new legislation was introduced that provided subsidized housing, but these subsidies favoured middle and upper income groups even though 70% of the demand for this housing came from the poor (ibid, p. 4). In the 1970s to early 1980s, the government provided minimal services to the slum communities, but when Structural Adjustment Programmes were introduced in 1986, the government no longer provided subsidies, causing life in the shantytowns to further deteriorate (Warah, 2001, p. 2). In the past, there have been attempts to upgrade these shantytowns but lack of affordability, high standards for infrastructure, land tenure complication, misallocation and administrative inefficiency have caused mixed results (Republic of Kenya, 2005, p. 5). The Republic of Kenya and United Nations came together in 2000 to develop the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) which is in the process of implemented (ibid, p. 5). Sixty-percent of Nairobis population lives in slums that cover 5% of the citys land (UN-Habitat, 2010). In these slums, only 20% of residents are connected to electricity and 4% have water connections, while solid waste disposal services are nearly nonexistent (ibid). Economy Nairobi began as a stop on the Kenya Uganda Railway (Mitullah, 2003, p. 1). Although it used to be a mere stop on the route, the city became a centre for commercial trade and business when the railways headquarters were moved from Mombasa to Nairobi in 1899 (ibid, p. 1). Today, over 86% of Nairobis residents participate in the citys economy (ibid, p. 4). The citys labour force is comprised of 67,900 individuals in[the] manufacturing industry, 39,700 in building and construction; 57,300 in trade, restaurants, and hotels, 42,200 in finance, insurance, real estate and business services; while community, social, and personal services [employ] 155,900 people (ibid, p. 4). Although so many residents are employed in these formal industries, the majority of people still engage in informal economic activities such as small trade because employment in the informal sector has grown by 176% while formal sector employment has contracted by 0.43% (ibid, p. 4, see Figure 3). As Kenyas capital city, Nairobi also plays a large role in the countrys economy, serving as the regional core for trade and finance (CIA, 2010). It is through this trading capability that Kenya can export almost $4.5 billion worth of tea, coffee, petroleum products, fish and cement to the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Uganda, Tanzania, the United States and Uganda (ibid) per year. Social Issues Nairobi is home to one of the largest slums in the world, Kibera (see Figure 2), which has a population of over 1 million residents (Amnesty International, 2009). Kibera is plagued by social inequities and issues, some of the most prominent being the high rate of HIV/AIDS, the high levels of youth crime, and inequality for women. Youth in Kenya usually only receive ten years of schooling (CIA, 2010). With the lowest literacy rate in the country, Nairobi youth are not empowered to solve their own problems and problems of the community (City Council of Nairobi, 2009, p. 7). This lack of education continues with them and affects the quality of decisions that they make in the future. For example, leaders failed to recognize the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment programs in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and it is estimated that their delay in making these programs available led to 3.8 million person-years lost in South Africa from 2000-2005 (Harvard School of Public Health, 2008). Over 1.2 million of the countrys population is estimated to be living with this disease with 150,000 dying each year, making Kenya 4th in the world in terms of the number of deaths attributed to this disease (CIA, 2010). There is a lack of education and social stigma surrounding this disease that prevents the country f rom mitigating its horrible effects. Crime is another issue that proliferates throughout Kenya and Nairobi. The frequency of crimes such as armed robbery, murder, mugging, car-jacking, housebreaking, physical and sexual assault have all been increasing (UN-Habitat, 2007, p. 1). A trend is also occurring where the majority of crimes are committed by youth. In fact, over 50% of convicted prisoners are between the ages of 16 to 25 (ibid, p. 1). The Mungiki movement is a key case of this. The movement is considered the most organized criminal group in the country. They are responsible for the death of 23 residents in 2002, imposing illegal taxes, and controlling the security, water and electricity in slums (ibid, p. 1). Although the residents of Kibera are all exposed to the issues that face the shantytown, women are particularly affected by this negative environment. They are not given the same access to education, they are expected to care for their families, and they are not protected by the police force. Although women are given access to an education, they are often so burdened with home responsibilities that they drop out of school. They feel this burden because they not only take care of their own siblings and children, but they often end up caring for orphans whose parents passed away from HIV. As a teacher in the area notes, [Girls] are not given time to learn and study at home. So that means they will eventually fail (Amnesty International, 2009). These women are not only underprivileged but they are also invisible to the systems that should be meant to protect them. The corridors of these slums are unsafe, especially at night. Should a woman be raped, her report to the police would be use less unless she herself can find the perpetrator herself (ibid). As a result, fewer reports are filed and the vicious cycle that allows these acts to occur continues on. Nairobi residents, especially those of slums like Kibera, are often uneducated, without the knowledge to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and the growing rates of youth crime. Women and girls are often the greatest impacted due to the social inequality towards women, without the opportunity to receive a proper education and subject to the apathy of the police force. Environmental Issues and Infrastructure As mentioned previously, Nairobi is home to Kibera, one of the largest shantytowns in the world (Amnesty International, 2009). These areas of informal housing are exposed to the environmental issues. Residents are plagued by issues in air pollution, solid waste management, and potable water supply and sanitation. Like many cities in North America, increased use of personal vehicles has caused an increase in air pollution in Nairobi. The pollution is also created from industries, charcoal fire, and the incineration of waste in open pits (City of Nairobi, 2007, p. 8). This air pollution has already led to a loss of biodiversity, an increase in acid rain and climate change (ibid, p. 8). Nairobi only has one solid waste disposal dump at Dandora, which is believed to have already reached full capacity (City of Nairobi, 2007, p. 9). With nowhere to dispose of their waste, residents of Nairobi slums have resorted to illegal dump yards, residential backyards and commercial property (ibid, p. 9). Over 50% of the wastes are organic (ibid, p. 9), and when these materials decompose, residents are exposed to high levels of bacteria and vector borne diseases such as malaria and Rift Valley fever (CIA, 2010). The most evident environmental issue in Nairobi is related to its water supply and sanitation. Water is crucial to the survival of all living things, and yet, only 42% of Nairobi households have access to clean water (City Council of Nairobi, 2007, p. 11). Further exacerbating this issue of lack of clean water is the fact that contaminated water is not always treated. In fact, only two-thirds of Nairobi residents have access to sanitation, with many slum residents using a pit latrine that is shared by many people (ibid, p. 12). Forced to fetch potentially unclean water from other sources, residents are exposed to dangerous water-borne diseases which are responsible for 30% of deaths in the global south (Benton-Short Short, 2008, p. 163). Residents are at a high degree of risk for waterborne diseases such as bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and schistosomiasis (CIA, 2010). Part 3 Conclusions Africa is one of the regions experiencing the greatest rate of urbanization in the world (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 10). Although this urbanization provides new opportunities for economic and social growth, it also poses unique challenges and issues for the development of cities such as Nairobi. Planners need to consider trends that are true of most urbanizing cities (the emergence of predominant age groups, variations in the size and distribution of cities, changes due to poor economic conditions, and an increasing susceptibility to disasters), but also focus on the issues that are specific to Nairobi. Nairobi has a growing population of young people. With the lowest literacy rate in the country, Nairobi youth are not empowered to solve their own problems and problems of the community (City Council of Nairobi, 2009, p. 7). These youth are also at a high risk for HIV/AIDS and are susceptible to being influenced by organized crime groups. If planners manage to develop systems that will educate and protect these young residents, they may reduce the risk of contracting such a deadly disease and the crime rate. Like other urbanizing cities, Nairobi is growing in size as its population increases. However, unlike North America where this growth has been characterized by the emergence of suburbs, Nairobi has been over-urbanized. Since Africa is dominated by a few key cities, planners must be prepared to deal with the sprawl, congestion and environmental effects that are often associated with urban primacy (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 12). While the entire world is experiencing more natural disasters, Africa is at the peak of this, experiencing a three-fold increase in the past 10 years alone (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 14). Since lower-income countries are more susceptible to both capital and human loss due to the lack of disaster recovery programs, Nairobi will be faced with the challenge of building infrastructures and implementing programs that will help in the mitigation of loss during these disasters. Finally, these trends and issues faced by Nairobi are occurring in the worst economic recession since 1945 (UN-Habitat, 2009, p. 12). Planners will be faced with the task of building new infrastructures and implementing new programs with less financial support, and in an environment where unemployment and poverty levels are rising. Nairobi will encounter a long journey before it can become an ideal model of a global urbanizing city. Its greatest weakness is its lack of an official plan. The latest approved city plan was developed in 1948, with a revised version submitted in 1973 that was never approved (City of Nairobi, 2007, p. 3). Without a plan, leaders and citizens can never expect to develop a city that is successful and sustainable. Figure 1 Map of Kenya (CIA, 2010) Figure 2 Kibera, a slum in Nairobi (Amnesty International, 2010) Figure 3 Comparison of formal and informal sectors (Mitullah, 2003, p. 4)

Nuclear Power Plants :: essays research papers

Nuclear Plants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question of whether the U.S. should have nuclear power plants is very controversial. There are two sides that one can take; however, both sides have their own share of problems. If you chose to not have nuclear plants, then eventually all natural resources will run out. The oil supply will run out relatively soon, and all other sources will run out too. The natural resources that we have now are still harmful to the earth however. The gas which we use for our cars pollutes the air and considering the amount of cars the are driven each day, it is ripping apart the o-zone layer. However, if the U.S. does decide to use nuclear plants, then there is a great danger of toxic waste invading our rivers, and also the chance of a spill similar to Chernobyl. As we saw in the Chernobyl video, there is great danger when using nuclear energy. If this were to happen is the United States, the risk of mortality is much higher because the area’s in which there would be a plant such as a big city are very densely populated. Because of these facts, I do not think that the U.S. should renew its efforts to develop more nuclear plants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States should put the money which they would have used in order to renew their power plants, and use it to research others ways of receiving power. For example, if the U.S. developed solar power more and made it less costly, as well are more convenient for the average person, then there would be no more problems. In the past century many advances have been made in terms of energy. Power plants became the main source of energy, and towards the end of the century, new advances have been made such as solar power. I predict that in the upcoming century, many new advances will be made which will benefit the human race enormously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If these advances are made, than the U.S. will not have to spend billions of dollars towards building plants but rather use the money for more global issues.

Factors Related to Student’s Performance in Nat

Chapter I INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The National Achievement Test (NAT) is an examination given annually to assess the competency of both public and private school students. The students’ knowledge and skills are tested in the subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, Filipino, and HEKASI for grade school and Mathematics, English, Science, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan for high school. The test is administered by the Department of Education's National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC).The results are intended to guide the Department of Education in its efforts towards the improvement of the quality of education in public schools and to provide appropriate intervention for the students. A score of 75% and up indicates mastery of the subject and 50% to less than 75%, near mastery; while a score of below 50% indicates low mastery. The NAT results guide decision makers in formulating policies relative to progression and promotion of students, especially in the public school system. These will also determine the deficiencies of students that need further intervention. According to DepEd Secretary Brother Armin A.Luistro, NAT is just a part of the report card of DepEd and the whole education system. Results of this indicator will help them formulate appropriate interventions that aimed improvement of the education system. (Philippine Star, January 07, 2010) Calls for educational reforms to address the needs of students are frequent. Their focus has been primarily on the content — what students should learn, context — the circumstances students should be learning in, and outcomes — the knowledge and skills students should acquire. Important changes have come about as educational reform efforts focused on the needs of students.The researcher believes that the profile of the students and school climate conditions greatly affect the students’ performance in the National Achievement Test. Students may not only provide a rigid classroom instruction but the school must provide them a good physical environment, physical facilities that is free from risks and a well-sounded classroom instructions. Researchers will examine relationships between several variables and students’ performance. For students’ demographic profile those are age, gender, birth order, monthly income of the family, parents’ educational attainment, and average grade for the last school year attended.Secondly, the researcher will also examine the school climate condition that will carefully examine the school physical facilities, instructional focus and physical environment. Unfortunately, accompanying the calls for reform in school systems is an underlying assumption that the leadership needed to execute these changes will somehow emerge. The information will be useful to practitioners attempting to implement an educational innovation or a system wide change at the school or secondary level. In additio n, this information may be useful for professional development.The information might also be useful for the evaluation of school climate condition that may affect the students’ performance. This also helps administrators’ to carefully examine school rules and policies on executing the designed curriculum for each learning area. In addition, this may help the secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City to focus also in the school climate conditions. Finally, this paper attempts to raise awareness to internal and external stakeholders who wanted to promote educational transformation. Education literature has often pointed to the importance of student support services in promoting learning.This is usually true in the field of basic education. Unlike in the traditional education delivery, learners tested in national achievement must be given enough attention by teachers, stakeholders and the principal itself. Low rating result in NAT is often blamed to the basic educ ation services that were given to them and to the ability of the teachers. This is true in the eight (8) public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City who could not achieve the 75% passing rate in the consecutive NAT test results for school for numerous years that the NAT was implemented.While there are lots of interventions to meet the national academic standard, best practices to improve NAT performance of second year students in the public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City, there are comprehensive student support system developed and implemented in Calapan City Division. More importantly, the National Achievement Test is not just a test for students but also for the principal leadership skills that promotes a positive school climate condition that can affect the student’s academic performance.According to the Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (SERCE), in order to promote learning among students it is essential to provide a welcomi ng and warm environment based on mutual respect. In this line, there is a need to evaluate the level of profile of the students and school climate condition to assess the needs of the students. The purpose of this study is to identify the students’ profile in terms of age, gender, family income, parents’ educational attainment, and grades for the last school year attended.It also needs to identify the school climate condition that provides school to understand the working condition and leadership, instructional focus and physical environment. It will also investigate students’ perspective, questions concerning the school climate condition in response to the result of their National Achievement Test. The ultimate goal of this research is to aid the Public Secondary Schools in the Division of Calapan City for the improvement of students’ services academic program that would result to the increase of NAT against national standard. Statement of the ProblemThi s study aimed to determine the Factors Related toStudents’ Performance in the National Achievement Test in the Public Secondary Schools in the Division of Calapan City. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: 1. 1 age 1. 2 gender 1. 3parents’ educational attainment 1. 3. 1 mother 1. 3. 2 father 1. 4monthly income of the family 1. 5 average rating for the last school year attended? 2. What is the extent of the school climate conditions as perceived by student respondents in terms of: 2. school facilities 2. 2instructional focus 2. 3physical environment? 3. What is the level of performance of students in the National Achievement Test in the public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City in: 3. 1English 3. 2Math 3. 3Science 3. 4AP 5. Filipino 4. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and students’ achievement in NAT in terms of: 4. 1age 4. 2gender 4. 3parents’ educational attainment 4. 3. 1 mother 4. 3. 2 father 4. 4monthly income of the family 4. 5average rating for the last school year attended? 5.Is there a significant relationship between the school climate conditions and students’ performance in NAT as perceived by the student’ respondents in terms of: 5. 1 school facilities 5. 2 instructional focus 3. physical environment? 6. Is there a significant difference in the school climate conditions as perceived by student respondents in terms of: 6. 1school facilities 6. 2instructional focus 6. 3 physical environment? Hypotheses of the Study 1. There is no significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and students’ achievement in NAT in terms of: 1. age 1. 2gender 1. 3parents’ educational attainment 1. 3. 1 mother 1. 3. 2 father 1. 4monthly Income of the family 1. 5average rating for the last school year attended? 2. There is no significant relationship between the school c limate conditions and students’ performance in NAT in terms of: 2. 1 school facilities 2. 2 instructional focus 2. 3 physical environment? 3. There is no significant difference in the school climate conditions as perceived by student respondents in terms of: 3. 1school facilities 3. instructional focus 3. 3 physical environment? Significance of the Study Findings of this study provided vital information regarding the factors affecting the students’ performance in the National Achievement Test (NAT) in terms of students’ profile and school climate condition. The findings of this study will benefit the following: Superintendent. It may help the superintendent to identify the needs of the school and to plan for the support system that the school leaders need to prioritize when it comes to students’ performance.It can also identify the critical gaps and weaknesses of the nine public secondary schools in the division when it comes to students’ learning and school climate conditions. Principal. The result of this study may also serve as framework for various programs and strategies to be employed on the school improvement planning. School climate condition assessment may use as data inputs on the reality check matters of school academic performance. Thus, appropriate programs and thrusts may be formulated and provided with appropriate budget for the improvement of the students’ performance.It is also possible to have a rigid monitoring of monthly result of students’ mean percentage score (MPS) in their chapter test to be posted using graphical representation to easily identify the competencies that needs enough attention in classroom instruction. With the help of graphs, the principal can help and assist teachers in uplifting the performance of the students. Teachers. The result of this finding is of value to teachers because it will provide an overview of the needs analysis of the school.They may be guided from the l evel of assistance the school and the principal may need and may help them to work cooperatively in order for them to attain success in the national achievement test. By means of carefully recorded grades of the student, the teacher and principal can work collaboratively to identify the competencies the students had mastered, not mastered and needs mastery. With this, teachers can be guided to the lesson that he needs to give more emphasis for students. Students. The improvement of school climate condition will be beneficial for the students.A favorable school climate condition may serve as students’ motivation in improving their academic performance. The motivating factors that will start from the initiative of the school principal may help the students to be more enthusiastic in learning process. Future researchers. This study will help to encourage future researchers to conduct the most vital part of the school progress in terms of academic. The study may propel them to go into related area or they may study further school academic achievement for other perspective. This may also provide data bases for further innovation of this research study.Scope and Limitations of the Study This study answered the factors related to students’ performance in the national achievement test given last school year 2010-2011 in the eight (8) public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City. The major task of this research is to answer the specific questions presented in the statement of the problem. This is limited to its complete reliance on the self-made questionnaire of the researcher as the primary instrument for answering the factors related to students’ performance in National Achievement Test in terms of students’ profile and school climate condition.The result of this study will be limited on the perception of 276 student respondents from the eight (8) public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City namely; Bucayao National High School, Canubing National High School, Ceriaco A. Abes National High School, Community Vocational High School, Managpi National High School, Mamerta G. Tolentino National High School, Nag-Iba National High School and Pedro V. Panaligan National High School. Jose J. Leido Jr.Memorial National High School will not be included in the study because it dominates the number of student respondents in this study for, it is the biggest public high school in the Division of Calapan City. Definition of Terms To facilitate better understanding of this research, the following terms were defined conceptually and operationally: Age – refers to the respondents’ age in the public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City. Average rating – refers to the average rating obtained by the student’ respondents in the last school year attended.Instructional Focus – refers to the classroom instruction offered and teachers’ competence in the delivery of instruction. Monthly Income – refers to the income or financial status of student respondent’s family that may affect performance in school. Parents’ Educational Attainment – refers to the educational status of parents both father and mother of student’ respondents. Physical Environment – refers to the condition of school building and its surrounding area, any biological or chemical agent that is detrimental to health and physical conditions, such as temperature, noise and lighting. Source: www. Wikipedia. org) School Climate Condition – refers to the health of the learning environment that it is a multi-dimensional influences to many individuals such as students, parents, school personnel, and the community(source: www. wikipedia. org) School Facilities – refer to the availabilities of classrooms and laboratory and other buildings in school for effective classroom instruction. Theoretical Framework A theory without facts becom es fantasy, uncontrolled imagination, a reverie. Based on these requirements, several theories are presented.This study can be associated to Social systems model theory (Waller, 1932) according to him every institution is a system of social interaction; it is organized whole comprising of interacting personalities bound together in an organic relationship. Further, the school is characterized by an interdependence of parts, a clearly defined population, and differentiation from its environment, a complex network of social relationships, and its own unique culture. The model suggests that a school consists of a number of important elements or subsystems that affect the organizational behavior.Also this can also be patterned to Social systems (Scott, 2003) consist of independent parts, characteristics and activities that contribute to form the whole. The school consists of a number of important elements or subsystems that affect organizational behavior. The individual or members of an organization have their own individual needs, beliefs and cognitive perceptions of their environment and job. Further, the social systems model gives a dynamic view of the school, with the feedback mechanisms and elements providing the action of the components.This study is also linked with invitational theory (Myers and Monson, 1992). The main tenant of invitational theory is to revitalize schools and to encourage students to want to go to school. According to the advocates of the theory, there are five factors that affect the appeal of schools; people, places, policies, programs, and processes. Invitational theory claims that these five factors make schools more socially appealing and safe. To create a more positive learning environment, school administrators must provide programs which are attractive for the students and teachers.Programs, policies, curriculum supervision, human resource management, school climate condition must provide a positive impact for teachers and learner s in order for them to uplift the school academic standards. A democratic leadership with an open system to stakeholders can create an increased performance. Furthermore, research from Sternberg (2000) which is Theory of Mental Self-Government emphasized that students' learning and thinking styles (which are usually ignored), together with their ability levels, play an important role in student performance. TheTheory of Mental Self-Government refers to an inventory of different thinking styles that gives an indication of people's preference of thinking patterns. Where the Triarchic Theory focuses on the ability itself, the theory of Mental Self-Government refers to different thinking styles which constitutes preference in the use of abilities. According to the Theory of Intellectual Abilities, three kinds of intellectual abilities exist, namely analytical, creative and practical abilities. Measures of abilities tend to focus mainly on analytical abilities, whereas all the three type s of abilities need to be regarded as equally important.Research done by Sternberg showed: The more we teach and assess students based on a broader set of abilities, the more racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse our achievers will be. From Wikipedia (2011) Theory of relative weight of Nature and Nurture is a basis of this study about gender influences of pupils on their academic achievement. The biological differences between males and females – sexual differences – account for a relatively small part of the actual differences between men and women.Most of these differences are matters not of sex but of gender which, unlike sex, is socially formed and cultivated. Differences of gender, however, are used to justify inequalities between the sexes and the appropriation by males of the major part of power, leisure, time and property. CONCEPTUAL MODEL Figure 1 Figure 1 showed the hypothesized relationship between profile of the respondents and school climate condition to the students’ performance in the National Achievement Test.The dependent variable consists of the students’ performance in the National Achievement Test in five learning areas such as English, Science, Math, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. The independent variables such as profile of the respondents which comprises the age, gender, birth order, monthly income of the family, parents’ educational attainment, and average grade for the last school year attended and the next independent variable consists of school climate condition comprises of school facilities, instructional focus and school physical nvironment. The arrows from the two independent variables show the hypothesized relationship between them. The respondents of the study are third year students in the nine public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City. The two-tailed arrow in the independent variable which is the school climate conditions will be used to test the hypothesized d ifference among each variable such as school facilities, instructional focus and physical environment. Chapter II RELATED LITERATURE AND RELATED STUDIESThis chapter presented the reading surveyed on and database documents which are significant research materials in this study. The purpose is shown that the content of the subject matter in this study are supported by the authorities. Local Related Literature From the interview of Bulatlat Magazine dated June 2006 to the Chairman of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Mr. Jerry Tinio said that public school students do poorly in diagnostic and achievement tests. Last June 2002, the overall performance score of Grade IV pupils who took the national diagnostic test (NDT) was 39. 9%, while the first year high school students had a lower 28. 04 percent. The national achievement test (NAT) given last March 2010 delivered slightly better results, with the fourth graders garnering a 43. 55%, while the first year high school students earned a 36. 13%. Despite the slight improvement, the scores are still way below the 75% passing rate, Tinio said. From the article of of Dr. LeopoldoSichon (2006)in his article entitled Our Schools, Our Teachers, our Students vs. he National Achievement Test concluded that the plight of the school and students is somewhat murky; the goal of having 75 percent and above mastery levels in academic performance in the National Achievement Test does not seem to be in cognizant of the teaching and learning environment that we have. Of course, we do not discount the fact that DepEd is doing what it perceives to be the best- programs and initiatives had been conceptualized and implemented to answer the pressing need for quality education.Somehow we are doing the best we can to bridge the gap between what we have and what we want for our students. Yet, the effort seems futile due to the fact that we still have to reckon with real problems that confront us the system. These problems are more domina nt than achieving higher academic performance alone and we could not just blind ourselves from the fact that when basic needs are not met, all other needs will be just be meaningless. He said that the teachers need greater empowerment.More than just salary increases, educators need the morale boost by knowing that they belong to a truthfully dignified organization whose philosophical foundation, visions and mission statement are in congruence with its built-in processes and mechanisms. We need local leaders who can charter our educational direction through open channels of communication and can guide us through well-planned, needs-based and competency-based programs that will hone teachers’ managerial skills.These teachers will in return become self-managing, self-governing and self-sustaining and without further ado, can mutually exchange expertise with peers both conceptual and technical. He also said that we need to realize also the disparities between our schools, their l ocations as well as the diverse clienteles that we serve. Students from rural areas are different from those in the urban areas. Demographic characteristics such as family background, economic status, school distance, family background, etc. should be considered in formulating the testing materials intended to measure students’ academic performance.There and then in his perspective, that we can truly measure the quality of teaching instruction done in our schools. Lastly, he added that everything will ever be a never-ending cycle, unless the government can come up with a plan that will finally address these problems especially graft and corruption. From the issue of De Guzman (2002) entitled â€Å"Restructured Basic Education Curriculum† stated that whether in high school or in the elementary level, curriculum must be balanced, articulate, sequential, integrative and continuous.The issue of too overcrowded curriculum was answered by the implementation of the 2002 Restr uctured Basic Education Curriculum which offshoot to restructuring the learning areas, integration of values education and related skills within the learning areas, greater emphasis on the learning areas and integrative strategies in teaching, increased time task allocation in major learning areas such as English, Math, Science, Filipino and Makabayan. Experts agree that there is no perfect formula for the solution of problems especially when they involve human feats.Learners are diverse and the tendency of educators to adopt a one-size-fits-all type of teaching is said to be contributory to low performance of students. Curriculum must be flexible and must allow teachers to freely innovate as necessity and propriety dictate. From the manual, School Based Teachers Program (2002) in the article â€Å"Woes of a Teacher† declared that the effectiveness of teachers in delivering the right and proper instruction is another question that must be considered if we are to delve serious ly into the root causes of our students’ academic performance.Salary issues had been answered by the government although some of the recommendations regarding teachers’ benefits was shelved due to lack of government funds. Strategies for reforms in reference to teachers pay were implemented as well as reforms in the processes of promotion. Teachers were encouraged to sustain professional upgrading and development. Principals were tasked to revitalize the school-based instruction program where teachers were taught effective managerial and instructional skills through the SBTP (School Based Teachers Program).He added that if salary issues were somehow met, look then at the actual classroom teaching scenario. Imagine the nightmarish teaching condition where a teacher has to teach 60 to 70 students in a class with only a piece of Manila paper as her instructional material. This is happening and a clear manifestation that the problem of teachers’ effectiveness is als o surrounded by so many intertwining factors aside from salary. Salary alone cannot guarantee effective teaching when the daily travails of teachers show work overload beyond human capacity.From the DepEd report (2010) declared that technology has brought us sophisticated learning tools but textbooks remain to be the most valuable learning reference of teachers and students in the classrooms. However, despite government initiatives to solve the yearly textbook problems, observation shows that textbooks are always lacking and some of them are found to be erroneous. In answer to this, DepEd reported a more stringent evaluation process it did since 2005 in textbook procurement project.Their evaluation on the textbooks focuses on determining the completeness and sufficiency of development of the learning competencies, accuracy and up-to-datedness’ of contents, determining the appropriateness of the materials to society, to target users and to culture and on the language used to e nsure that these are grammatically correct and appropriate to the level of the students. Improvement on this aspect is still not fully realized for we know that students still do not have enough textbooks to meet the demands of their studies.The Internet has become an effective substitute to information getting, however, since access to Internet is still limited in many areas of the country, this does not solve the problem yet. As mentioned by Meinardus (2003) entitled â€Å"Our Students: the Family Level Factors† mentioned that only some of the internal and external environments affecting the quality of education we deliver. He also said that do not forget the economic situation in our country, the income that sustains the family, the family structure in itself and many others.Experts agree that the educational condition attributed to the family is beyond all doubt or discussion, as there is an ever-increasing awareness of the importance of the parents’ role in the pr ogress and educational development of their children. Researchers consider family background the most important factor in determining the academic performance attained by the student; among these factors of greatest influence are socio economic status and the educational environment in the family. With regard to social class, relevant research tells us that one’s results and expectations for the future are better when one belongs to the social ladder.A student who expects to become a doctor like his parents someday shall perform most likely well than a student who has no clear vision of the future because he/she knows very well that his or her parents could not afford to send him/her to school. Also, influence of the family educational climate is defined by the amount and the style of help that children receive from the family; this is determined by elements of the family context, like the dynamics of communication and affective relationships, attitudes towards values, expect ations, etc.Along these same lines, it is also reported that parental expectations have a notable influence on academic results. It is also noted that there are indirect relationships between performance and the student’s perception of how much importance his or her parents assign to study at home. What do we expect about NAT results then after considering all these factors? As mentioned by Meinardus (2003), 95 per cent of all elementary students attend public schools, therefore the educational crisis in the Philippines is basically a crisis of public education.The wealthy can easily send their offspring to private schools, many of which offer first-class education to the privileged class of pupils. Foreign Related Literature Lent (2000) in his toolkit entitled Improving Academic Achievement stated that students’ achievement in basic education has become an index of child’s future in this highly competitive world. For him, academic achievement has been one of th e most important goals of the educational process. It is also a major goal, which every individual is expected to perform in all cultures.Academic achievement is a key mechanism through which adolescents learn about their talents, abilities and competencies which are an important part of developing career aspirations academic achievement and career aspirations in adolescence are often correlated. Crow and Crow (2009), defined â€Å"Academic achievement as the extent to which a learner is profiting from instructions in a given area of learning i. e. , achievement is reflected by the extent to which skill or knowledge has been imparted to him†.Marzano (2005) reviewed in his article entitled Factors influencing Academic achievement that the factors like parent’s education, parental occupation, type of family, family size, ordinal position and even gender and age of the child are found to have their impact on the academic achievement of every student. He stated that the ef fect of family environment on student’s achievement suggest that several characteristics of family life are relevant. Cromwell (2006) from his text titles Study habit: Students’ Role- A question pointed out that the efficient and effective way of learning depends upon the study habits of the students.Study habits are important they influence the academic achievement of students. So parents and teachers must help in improving the study habits of students. Some investigators have sought to determine what study habits are characteristically used by students when left to work by themselves with little or no direction. Teachers in schools should become facilitators of learning. The finite treasure within every learner should be discovered and nurtured for the purpose of improving learning effective study skills have to be taught. Study skills involve reference, reading listening, study habits and strategies.Learning improves with planning of where, when and how much to stud y. Positive attitude, proper physical condition and balanced emotional states are important factors influencing study habits. From the book of Singh (2004) entitled Gender and Academic achievement declared that the performance of every individual is not equal. There is a lot of variability and dispersion. The variability cannot be attributed to a single factor, but it is the outcome of number of factors as intelligence, study habits, self-concept, creativity, aptitude interests, socio economic factors, area etc.Along with these gender of the child is also an influencing factor on Academic achievement of the child. Singh made a survey of the study habits of high, middle and low achieving adolescents in relation to their sex, intelligence and socio economic status and found that study habits of boys and girls differed significantly at different levels of academic achievement. Vijayalaxmi and Natesan (2002) in their article Socio- Economic Status: Factors influencing academic achieveme nt declared that girls had a higher mean academic achievement compared to boys.However, Kaur and Gill (2003) revealed that achievement in English and total achievement was independent of sex, but boys scored higher than girls in achievement in Punjabi, Mathematics and Science. Ahmed (2008) reported in his review entitled â€Å" Achievement Motivation that the influence of sex on achievement motivation was found to be statistically non-significant. He carried out that there are differences among adolescent boys and girls of various ordinal positions.The study was over conducted on sample of one hundred and twenty students belonging to the age group of 13-18 years, studying in co-educated English medium institutions confined to the suburbs of Mumbai city. Local Related Studies From the study of Galih, (2008) entitled â€Å"Extent of Principal Role and School Structure in Students’ Achievement† mentioned that the principal is central to the extent of stakeholders’ involvement, the relationships among the principal’s leadership, student achievement, and school effectiveness are more indirect, both in this study and in the literature.He also found that the principal’s leadership has strong direct effect on in-school processes and only indirect effects on outcomes. The study also found that principals have a key role in the success of schools generally and, especially, in student outcomes. This result is consistent with the later study of he cited from Leithwood and Jantzi which shows that effective leaders have a powerful indirect impact on student achievement and school effectiveness. He also cited the study of Heck et al. oted that â€Å"Principals do not affect individual students directly as teachers do through classroom instruction, but that activities of the Principal directed at school-level performance have trickle-down effects on teachers and students. † This is also consistent with the findings of Gali that the p rincipal’s leadership has a direct effect on school conditions such as school goals, planning, structure, climate, and work conditions which in turn show a direct effect on classroom conditions such as instruction, policies, and procedures.Masi (2008) in his study entitled â€Å"Relationship of leadership style, school climate, and the organizational commitment of teachers in the Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools in the Philippines† explored the relationship of principals’ leadership style, the school climate, and the organizational commitment of teachers in Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools in the Philippines. Major findings in this study lead to the following conclusions: The principal’s leadership style, school climate, and the organizational commitment of teachers are interrelated.Teachers perceive higher commitment under a leadership characterized by high consideration, regardless of the level of initiating structure. Teachers’ org anizational commitment is positively related to climate openness characterized by supportive principal behavior and teacher engagement, intimacy, and low levels of teacher frustration. Furthermore, considerate leadership behavior is positively related to climate openness. Predictive models of organizational commitment, accounting for approximately 25% of the variance, include marital status, consideration leadership behavior, and aspects of school climate.Although the theoretical concept of leadership quadrants was upheld in the study, it appears that leadership behaviors, particularly the consideration dimension, are more useful in relationship to the areas of school climate and organizational commitment. Major implications are that school principals should seek to practice considerate leadership behavior and create an open school climate. School boards and accrediting agencies should include leadership, school climate, and teacher commitment surveys as an integral part of school p rogram evaluation.It may be of value to conduct additional studies to examine other theoretical antecedents as well as expected outcomes of organizational commitment. San Antonio (2006) in his study entitled â€Å"Effective Participatory School Administration, Leadership, and School Climate Management: Does It Affect The Trust Levels of Stakeholders? † reported on his study that the effectiveness of participatory school administration, leadership and management (PSALM) as perceived by 282 stakeholders in one school division in the Philippines.In his study, he also examined the correlation between the indicators of PSALM effectiveness and the trust levels of the stakeholders. The results indicate that the stakeholders found the implementation of PSALM through advisory school councils to be effective. The effectiveness of implementing ASC (Advisory School Council) as perceived by the respondents reinforces the finding that their levels of thrust were also high.Indeed, many fact ors affect the fostering of thrust in the school. However, this study has shown that, to some degree, the adequacy of time for ASC business, the satisfaction with the composition of the ASC, the appreciation for the usefulness of committees, the sharing of information, the perceived influence on teaching and learning, and the overall satisfaction with the operation of the ASC significantly related to the trust levels among the stakeholders.It is therefore suggested that school leaders wishing to enhance the levels of trust among the stakeholders in their schools should endeavor to achieve a balanced representation in the school council, utilize committees appropriately, share more information with other stakeholders, provide adequate time for doing ASC business, and focus on teaching and learning to make the overall functioning of ASC highly effective.Benito (2009) in her the study titled â€Å"Analysis of the Performance in Trigonometry of the First Year College Students of Divine Word College of Viganstated that subject difficulties exist because of its complexity in using symbols and in computations. Hence student finds it as a difficult subject it not properly taught. It exists too because they forget previously learned concepts and skills that are needed for the new skills to be learned. So, a student cannot comprehend higher level of mathematics if one did not understand yesterday’s principles and skills learned.With these difficulties, students always have a negative connotation of the subject matter. These negative attitudes includes: fear of the subject, anxiety in learning the subject, meaningless of the subject and its abstraction. These lead to inability of students to comprehend the subject which further led to low performance in mathematics. The low performance is true not only of high school students. In the National Elementary Achievement Tests (NEAT), administered to sixth graders from 1993 to 1999, science and mathematics ranked the l owest or second lowest among elementary school academic subjects.According to the study of Soriano (2008) â€Å"Teacher-Related Factors Of Sophomore Students’ Achievement In Mathematics In Three (3) National High Schools In Maragondon District† educational researchers have investigated many factors considered to affect student learning. At the heart of this line of inquiry is the core belief that teachers make a difference. Indeed, teacher plays an important role in the intellectual development of the students, using various assessments and teaching styles to improve students’ performance in school subjects.School subjects’ performance is determined by giving an achievement test. The results of which are used to determine their achievement level, strengths and weaknesses in each subject area. Foreign Related Studies Cash (2008) from the study entitled â€Å"Improving Student Achievement and School Facilities in a Time of Limited Funding† pointed ou t that school building condition, attendance, and academic achievement in New York City, found building conditions to be a predictor of student attendance and student achievement on standardized tests.These results were reported after controlling for other possible factors, including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and teacher quality. (Duran-Narucki, 2008) That poorer building condition negatively impacts student attendance and that coming to school is necessary to learning are both logical arguments that continue to be supported by research. The National Summit on School Design (NSSD) reported eight recommendations for school design excellence.These included designs to support a variety of learning styles, and the creation of healthy, comfortable, and flexible learning spaces. These recommendations have several implications for changes in the learning environment (NSSD, 2005). While the cumulative effect of the school facility’s condition has been related to student outcom es, further research has been done to pinpoint several specific factors that contribute to this overall phenomenon. These pecific factors include lighting, building cleanliness, health and safety, painting, and student and teacher morale From the dissertation of Akbari (2004) titled â€Å"Teacher Characteristics as Predictors of Students’ Academic Achievement† declared that there has been a substantial theoretical and practical shift of emphasis, mostly in mainstream education, towards acknowledging that teachers are among the principal components of any pedagogical program.In the past ten years, a burgeoning research base has increasingly shown that teachers are among the most important players influencing student achievement, holding the key to sealing the gaps in students’ achievement outcomes. Sanders (1998), for example, states that the â€Å"single largest factor affecting academic growth of populations of students is differences in effectiveness of indiv idual classroom teachers. He also believed that the â€Å"more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor. Along the same lines, Alexander (2005) argues that â€Å"few educators, economists, or politicians would argue with the contention that all things being equal, highly qualified teachers produce greater student achievement than comparatively less qualified teachers. † From the thesis of Steenson (2006) titled â€Å"The School Size and Its Relationship to Student Outcomes and School Climate: A Review and Analysis of Eight South Carolina State-wide explained what size should a school be to optimize learning and teaching — while striving for cost efficiency in operation.At least in South Carolina, after numerous studies, the answer is yet to be found. While on the surface it first appears that, with rare exception, smaller schools don’t produce better results and cost more to operate, closer obs ervation reveals that the issue is much more complex. In South Carolina smaller middle schools appear to produce better student outcomes. And, at the elementary and high school levels, even where bigger appears better, there is evidence that results can vary significantly depending upon the children served.Further, poverty has such a dramatic effect on school outcomes in South Carolina that possible influences of other variables such as school size are possibly masked. Based on the studies to date the only logical conclusion that can be reached is that finding the â€Å"ideal† school size is at least elusive, and possibly so complex that an â€Å"absolute ideal† does not exist. However, the findings from the South Carolina studies supply sufficiently intriguing data to suggest further study of school size is warranted.Sanders and Harvey (2002) in their study entitled â€Å"Beyond the School Walls: A Case Study of Principal Leadership for School- Community Collaboratio n described how one urban elementary school in a high-reform district and state has been able to develop strong connections with community businesses and organizations as part of its program of school, family, and community partnerships. The case study identifies four factors that allowed the school to build successful bridges to its community.These factors are (1) the school’s commitment to learning; (2) the principal’s support and vision for community involvement; (3) the school’s receptivity and openness to community involvement; and (4) the school’s willingness to engage in two-way communication with potential community partners about their level and kind of involvement. The concluding section of the paper discusses the implications of the study’s findings for school, district, and state educational leaders.The literature and studies reviewed by the researcher will help to understand the interconnection of variables that may affect to the stude nts’ performance in the national achievement test. These literatures will help explain the research – after all, literature review will show what other researchers have done. The review aims to show why the research needs to be carried out, how to choose certain methodologies or theories to work with and how the present study adds to the research already carried out.Chapter III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the methodology of the researcher employed by the researcher in analyzing and interpreting the data pertaining to the variables of this study. Research Design The researcher used the descriptive-correlational method of research that seeks the relationships which exist between different factors of students’ performance in the national achievement test in the public secondary schools in the division of Calapan City.The researcher also used the comparative method of research that aims to make comparisons among different variables in school climate c onditions such as physical facilities, instructional focus and physical environment. Descriptive research involves the description, recording, analysis and interpretation of the present nature, composition or process of phenomenon. It involves some types of comparison or contrasts and may attempt to discover a cause and effect relationship that exists between non-violated variables.Correlational studies are designed to estimate the extent of which the different variables are related to each other in the population of interest. The distinguishing characteristic is the effort to estimate the relationship as distinguished from simple description. Research Locale This study was conducted in the eight (8) public secondary schools in the Division of Calapan City namely; Bucayao National High School located at Bucayao, Calapan City, Canubing National High School at Canubing, Ceriaco A.Abes National High School at Mahal Na Pangalan, Community Vocational High School at Masipit, Mamerta G. To lentino National High School at Parang, Managpi National High School at Managpi, Nag-Iba National High School at Nag Iba I and Pedro V. Panaligan National High School at Comunal. Respondents of the Study The respondents of this study were the 276 third year students for school year 2011-2012 from public high schools in Calapan City. The table shows the distribution of the respondents of the study:Table A. Respondents of the study from eight (8) public high schools at Calapan City Division. | | | | |HIGH SCHOOL |TOTAL NUMBER OF THIRD YEAR STUDENTS |RESPONDENTS | |Managpi National High School |146 |45 | |Mamerta G.Tolentino National High School |115 |36 | |Bucayao NHS |95 |30 | |COMMUNITY VOCATIONAL HS |102 |32 | |Ceriaco A. Abes MNHS |82 |25 | |Pedro V.Panaligan MNHS |118 |37 | |Canubing NHS |152 |47 | |Nag-Iba NHS |78 |24 | |TOTAL |888 |276 | Sampling ProcedureThe respondents were taken from the total population using stratified random sampling at 5% error of tolerance. The sample size was determined with the use of Slovin’s formula: Where:n=sample population N=total number of population e2=Error Formula:n = N 1 + Ne2 n = N 1 + Ne2 n = 888 1 + 888 (. 05)2 n = 276 The sample population of each school is computed using the stratified proportional sampling. Research Instrument The main instrument used in this study was the constructed questionnaire by the researcher. The questionnaire was divided into two parts; the respondents’ profile and the school climate condition.The first part of the questionnaire asked questions pertaining to the students’ profile such as age, gender, birth ordinal position, monthly income of the family, parents’ educational attainment, and average grade for the last school year attended. On its second part, respondents asked about their school climate condition which comprises the school facilities, instructional focus and physical environment of the school. The scale used is as follows: 1-Poor/ Pre-Ba sic 2- Fair/ Basic 3- Good/ Approaching to Proficiency 4- Satisfactory/ Proficient 5-Excellent/ Above Advanced Reliability of the InstrumentTo test the reliability of the instrument, the test retest procedure was used. Ten student respondents who were not included in the study were given the test-retest. After 10 days, the questionnaires were given again to the same respondents. The reliability was computed using Pearson’s r. Table B. Results of test-retest |Variable |R-value |Description | |School Facilities |0. 95 |Very high reliability | |Instructional Focus 0. 92 |Very high reliability | |Physical Environment |0. 90 |Very high reliability | Data Gathering Procedure After finding out the reliability of the research instrument, the researcher requested permission to conduct the study through request letter and asked approval from the Schools Division Superintendent and the eight (8) public secondary school principals in the Division of Calapan City through letter.After the approval of the request, the researcher personally administered the set of questionnaires to the student-respondents. The assistance of the teachers was requested to assist the researchers in administering the instrument to ensure the full cooperation of the respondents. Direction for answering the test was explicitly stated to guide the respondents in answering the test. The researcher saw to it that all instruments was returned completely. After the retrieval of the questionnaire, the researcher tabulated and processed the data manually.Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed and the results were interpreted. Data matrix was based on dummy tables to organize, summarize, and analyze the data how variables differ with each other. Scoring and Quantification of Data A 5-point numerical scale with their description was employed as shown below: Table C. Numerical Scale. |Numerical Scale |Statistical Limit |Verbal Description | |5 |4. 1 – 5 |Excellent | |4 |3. 41  œ 4. 20 |Satisfactory | |3 |2. 61 – 3. 40 |Good | |2 |1. 81 – 2. 60 | Fair | |1 |1. 00 – 1. 80 |Poor Statistical Treatment of Data The data gathered from the questionnaire were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics such as Weighted Mean, Pearson’s r, and Chi Square and ANOVA was used to describe the variables of the stud The following formula was used in this study: 1. Mean X = ? x / n Where: ?x is the sum of all the sample observations n is the number of sample observations x is the mean The formula for mean was used in computation of mean scores of students’ performance in school climate conditions and students’ profile. 2. Pearson’s r: r = n? xy – ( ? x)(? ) v [n(? x2) – (? x)2] [ n (? y2) – (? y)2] Where: r is the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation n is the number of scores x is the first variable y is the second variable ? is the sum of scores or the variable ?x2 is the summation o f squared variable x ?y2 is the summation of squared variable y This formula was used to test the relationship between the students’ performance in NAT in terms of age, monthly income, average grade and the school climate conditions in terms of school facilities, instructional focus and physical environment. 3. Chi-square test statistic X2 = ? (O-E2E Where: X2 is the chi-square statistic, O is the observed frequency ? is the symbol for summation differences of cumulative E is the expected frequency This formula was used to test the relationship between the students’ academic performance and respondents’ profile in terms of gender, parents’ educational attainment to the academic performance of the student’ respondents. 4. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is the statistical procedure that was used to test mean differences between among three variables by comparing variability between groups to variability within groups.TSS = Total sum of square S Sb= sum of squares of each group SSw = sum of squares within groups dfb = degrees of freedom between groups dfw = degrees of freedom within groups k = number of samples n = total of all scores N = total number of samples ?Xi = sum of squares in each group X = individual value in all the groups TSS = ? X2 – (? X)2 ?(X1)2 ? (X2)2 ? (X)2 SSb = + n1 n2 N SSw = TSS – SSb dfb = k – 1 dfw = k (n-1) The formula was used to determine the difference among the school facilities, instructional focus and physical environment. Chapter IVPRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA This chapter presents the discussion of the data gathered by the researcher. These are analyzed and interpreted below. 1. Profile of the Respondents 1. Age As shown on the table, age ranging from 14 to 15 dominates the number of respondents, which is 86. 59 percent of the respondents of the study. This is attributed to the fact that the right age for third year level is this range. On the other hand, as shown in the same table, it could also be noted that only one or 0. 36% falls under the age bracket of 20 and above.This might be because the respondent’s dropped from school for 2-3 beyond the age required in in Grade I. Considering the age bracket ranging from 12-13, the table also reveals that only one falls under it which simply means that the respondent enrolled to Grade I, one year ahead of the required age. Table 1. 1 Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents as to age |Age |Frequency |Percentage | |12-13 |1 |0. 6 | |14-15 |239 |86. 59 | |16-17 |31 |11. 23 | |18-19 |4 |1. 45 | | 20 and above |1 |0. 6 | |TOTAL |276 |100 | 1. 2 Gender Table 1. 2 reveals that female respondents are outnumbered males by 58. This might be attributed to the fact that there are really more females than males. Based on the Philippine Demographic Profile (2011) record from www. indexmundi. com/philippines, as to age structure of male and female from 15-65 years old and ove r, there were 32 980 772 males while female has 33 568 847. Table 1. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents’ as to gender |Gender |Frequency |Percentage | |Male |109 |39. 49 | |Female |167 |60. 51 | |Total |276 |100 | . Parent’s educational attainment 1. 3. 1 Mother As could be gleaned in Table 1. 3. 1, it could be noted that 97 or 35. 14% of the mothers of the respondents are graduates of high school and only 26 or 9. 42 % of them did not finish grade school. This means that mothers of the respondents could assist their children in making assignments and projects at home. Since, all of them have entered schooling they knew how to read and write. The table also shows that there are only two mother who are doctoral degree holder.It is also revealed in the table that all mother respondents have attended schooling. Table 1. 3. 1 Frequency and percentage distribution of Respondents’ as to mother’s educational attainment |Mothers’ Educatio nal Attainment |Frequency |Percentage | |Did not finish grade school |26 |9. 42 | |Graduated from Grade school |42 |15. 2 | |Did not finish high school |44 |15. 94 | |Graduated from High School |97 |35. 14 | |Some College education |26 |9. 42 | |Technical Vocational |21 |7. 1 | |Bachelors’ Degree |14 |5. 07 | |Master’s Degree |4 |1. 45 | |Doctorate Degree |2 |0. 72 | |TOTAL |276 |100 | 1. 3. 2 Father Table 1. 3. presents the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents as to fathers’ educational attainment. It could be noted in table 1. 3. 2 that the highest frequency of 88 or 31. 88% is obtained by those who graduated from high school and the lowest which is 35 or 12. 68% representing those who did not finish grade school. There were also fathers who gained higher education such as college, technical-vocational, bachelors’ degree and master’s degree. This supports that the fathers of the respondents have the capability of assisting their children in doing their homework and projects. Table 1. . 2 Frequency and Percentage distribution of Respondents’ as to father’s educational attainment |Fathers’ Educational Attainment |Frequency |Percentage | |Did not finish grade school |35 |12. 68 | |Graduated from Grade school |50 |18. 12 | |Did not finish high school |40 |14. 9 | |Graduated from High School |88 |31. 88 | | | | | |Some College education |23 |8. 33 | |Technical-Vocational |23 |8. 33 |Bachelors’ Degree |15 |5. 44 | |Master’s Degree |2 |0. 725 | |Doctorate Degree |0 |0 | |TOTAL |276 |100 | 1. 4 Monthly Income of the family Tab