Cultural Feminism Essay

Feminism is a movement that is constituted of social, political and cultural perspective. Feminism per se has several forms in various disciplines that changed the facade of women in the western hemisphere, and the entire planet. Feminism roots to the oppression of women in different aspects of humanity. Basically the Feminist cause fights for equality of genders. Feminism Activists began to concern themselves in resolving social and domestic issues and throughout history, as society provided women with opportunities, it it broadened its scope and now tackles a variety of issues which includes gender matters , thus, Cultural Feminism was coined . Rationale Cultural Feminism, sometimes noted as Differential Feminism, is an orientation in Feminist Discipline whose aim is to address on women’s issues that were swept under the rug. This form of Feminism praises the positive qualities which a woman possess. The term Cultural Feminism tackles on the general and specific distinctions between man and woman, the theory also covers differences in the biological view (Balbert, 1989). Cultural Feminism’s intentions is to associate the application of women’s point of view in a world of male supremacy, which would likely lessen brutality in every sense. The core theoretics of Cultural Feminism is attributed to gendered Essentialism. Cultural Feminists tend to apply a non-progressive and Victorian approach, this disturbing take on issues urge the development between genders through the implications of a woman’s nature, tying up to the belief that the women’s methods are more efficient (Moore, 1952). In addition, Cultural Feminism claims that the world is obese of brute male power and needs diet via injection female perspectives. Cultural Feminism 2 Origin Cultural Feminism Jane Addams and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were credited as two of the earliest theorists in the dimensions of cultural Feminism. The two women are prominent to have Cultural Feminism in their literary works. These women suggested that state governance, cooperation, compassion and non-violence as a means to settle social disputes. They also insisted that women’s virtues were the beacon of hope in a divided society. Jane Addams, in her article â€Å"Cultural Feminism†, often utilized women as a source of her ideas and subject of her analysis. She altered the foundations of values and other moral principles of society in attempt to increase the diversity of womanly activities. Driven by the goal to generalize her approach, Addams examined prostitutes, market vendors, corporate women and the principles of non-violence. On the other hand, Charlotte Perkins Gilman voiced out her Cultural Feminist intentions in her book Herland. Gilman’s book contains fictitious approach to Cultural Feminism. The book expresses her ambition of a society of strong women under the guidance of pacifism and cooperation(Ritzer, 2006). Journalist, Critic and activist Margaret Fuller is also a major contributor of Cultural Feminism. Her article Woman in the 19th Century pioneered the Cultural Feminist Movement. Fuller contended that women should be independent and that inequalities in gender are uncalled for in societies of her time. Woman stressed the emotional, spontaneous side of knowledge and insinuated a person to person perspective on the aspects of life and the world which is in contrast with the progressive sense of men during that time. Cultural Feminism 3 Modern Cultural Feminism Modern Cultural Feminists believe that the conventional nature of a woman is concrete among humans and their views of the world in general. A nature that is capable of making changes if not amendments to demoralizing male orientation that consume the whole world. These women explain that the sexist matters of modern society lies in the manner of how men view women. On that statement, the term men is defined as a group of males, and the whole statement claims that how women are perceived by men who have varying opinion on women, which also incorporates fear and anguish towards women. The innovation of passive methods for conflict resolutions is still an on-going trend. Contemporary Cultural Feminists raise the argument on caring and attention become catalysts of woman’s consciousness and how it is based as a standard of ethical judgment. Modern conformists of Cultural Feminism also indict the idea of a woman’s grounds for various achievement motivation patterns, communication forms, the reception capacity to emotional concerns, sexuality and intimacy, less aggressive approaches and their principles of peaceful co-existence. All aspects are given convulsive approaches by their male counterparts. Modern Cultural Feminism is also concerned on the undying result of male dominance. Because of the masculine rule, the characteristics of woman and their femininity have been tinged and depreciated. According to them, the only effective way to correct this problem is the conveying a definition of the essence of a woman in a more legitimate, feminist way (Alcoff, 1988). This new definition that modern Cultural Feminism Conformists imply is a re-incarnation of a woman’s peacefulness through non-violence, their emotional nature as their means to foster, ability to assert herself well through subjectiveness. Furthermore, they contend that they did not re-invent the meaning of a woman and her essence, they are just teaching men the non-biased definition. Cultural Feminism 4 Cultural Criticism Modern Cultural Feminists are patiently making advancements in a gradual manner because of their knowledge that a huge metamorphosis on cultural inclination does not happen overnight. These modern conformist of the female advocation deny the claims that the difference between man and woman are merely biological. However, groups that adhere to men’s rights address Cultural Feminism as a propaganda and a political advocacy. These men’s rights’ sects claim that the woman’s way is as competent as a man’s. The male detractors state that the basis of Cultural Feminism is placed on an essentialist view of differences between genders and promotes independence and institutionalizing The masculine group adds that these Cultural Feminists’ fighting spirit have deteriorated since their political agenda is now a lifestyle. Other critics even integrate that Cultural Feminism is nothing than a twisted form of Radical Feminism(Autumn, 1993). There are certain social, cultural or historical events that surrounds Cultural Feminism, these essential differences between men and women are generated through the years. One great example is when dealing culturally about the views on women in the society. At some pint, gender issues are touched because at certain circumstances,Ridicule from older boys causes boys around the age of five to stop using woman talk and adopt a masculine language. While girls stick to the old language and are discourage from using masculine language. Because if we refuse to do such thing and does not want to speak and ladylike, we are ridiculed to the extent. Therefore the over all effect of woman’s talk is to submerge a woman’s personal identity and her ideas and to deny her access to positions of power. In some culture, understanding the communication between men and women is complicated. Crossing cultures in addition to communicating gender lines makes understanding each other correctly even more difficult, Hence making socialization more difficult. Some historical Cultural Feminism 5 events makes cultural feminism a hot topic because at some point women is set really different from men when it comes to leadership. Female species are always doubted in terms of leadership and hard work. Sexism and gender issues is really rampant throughout the history of the acculturation process of feminism. Talking about businesses and personal relationships, problem occurs when a woman grows old and still inclined socially with other people. Because here there’s a different phase talking about the manner of speaking. If they refuse to talk like ladies, they are ridiculed for being masculine, but they are also ridiculed when they use feminine language because they are seen as unable to speak forcefully. Male dominance in the society is there since childhood by using strong expressions while women have had to adapt depending on the environment whether it’s for business or personal. Women have little or no power in our society and that their language reflects their status in the society. The counterargument claims that women are group oriented and supportive of others. Their language reflects the values and attitudes of their culture and therefore is powerful and cooperative. The issue is not whether the language forms themselves are good or bad but whether we attach good or bad social values to them Historically speaking, unmasked assumptions that a history is determined by great wars and great men whereas feminists have demonstrated the extent to which male bias has determined the normative assumptions of the social, natural and behavioral sciences. In the arts, literary and artistic canons are no loner restricted to the work of men which allows females to excel and develop culturally. Cultural Feminism 6 Cultural Feminism Feminism’s relation to political liberation has always been an element of its self understanding, feminism through the years has been increasingly exposed as beholden to a pernicious set of assumptions about class,race, sexuality, ethnicity and nationality. Whatever its fragmentation, within those arenas where it has a relatively secure footing, feminism can be credited with effecting profound changes in the ideological construction of womanhood, not only in the US and Europe, but more globally. The issue of women’s autonomy in relation to reproduction and to work, and the issue of women’s health more generally, have found themselves on the global political and cultural stage. Feminism continues in its struggle to establish itself as the ground for women’s political, economic, and cultural ascendancy in the face of its own internal debates about the significance of differences among women. References Balbert, P. (1989). Lawrence and the Phallic Imagination. Hong Kong: The Macmillan P. Humm, M. (1990). The Dictionary of Feminist Theory. Great Britain: Ohio State UP. Ritzer, G. (2007). Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots. McGraw-Hill: New York Wilson, E. (1977)Margaret Fuller: Bluestocking, romantic, revolutionary. Farrah, Strauss and Giroux: New York

Research in Motion Limited Essay

In early 2002, Chris Wornald, as the director of strategic alliances for RIM, believed the tremendous synergy value offered from the acquisition of Slangsoft and its importance for RIM’s future Asian market. However, after his successful presentation on the deal to senior executives, one piece of archived news on Jerusalem Post got the attention from RIM’s director of legal affairs. The widespread panic and paranoia among Slangsoft employees, unrealized revenue from HP and multiple registrations became a great concern. Thus, Chris Wornald had to accurately measure the benefits RIM would gain from Slangsoft and the risks associated with its operation and corporate culture. Moreover, it is significant to draft a detailed action plan to help RIM capture all the synergy if deal is set. In this case, four categories are detailed analyzed; RIM itself, Slangsoft itself, three alternatives and the detailed plan of action. Research in Motion Limited (RIM) Firm and its products: Research in Motion Limited (RIM), trading as BlackBerry, was â€Å"a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Immediacy, security and ease-of-use were its pillar of competitive strategies. In early 2002, RIM and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa announced the commercial launch of BlackBerry operating in Hong Kong. To date, RIM’s development tendency focused on expanding the global reach of the BlackBerry solution, especially into the rapidly growing Asian markets where no such solution yet existed. In term of its products (exhibit 1), the best-known and most profitable product was its Blackberry wireless solution, and another 45% of its revenue mix came from RIM wireless handhelds, software development tools and embedded wireless technologies. To date, RIM’s target customer had been focused on enterprises, not individuals. As the pioneer in the filed of wireless data communication, RIM’s products have the great features of â€Å"small size, long battery life, easy-to-use, reasonable pricing, flexible architecture and a data security plan† In order to maintain its leadership, RIM focused on the innovation of two-way wireless technologies and applications, adoption of its platform by wireless network service providers globally, and protect its intellectual property. Throughout the operation, RIM remained responsive to end-user needs and continue to develop and market leading edge hardware and applications. Moreover, in order to extend and develop its capacities, RIM had broadened the strategic alliances and relationship in order to enhance its competitive position. But, to date, the most emergent wireless capacity it needed was support of localized Chinese input and display. Finance From 2000 to 2001 (exhibit 2), RIM’s revenue grew 160% from $85 million to $221 million. RIM has an extremely strong balance sheet after completing a follow-on equity offering in November 2000 that raised $ 590 million. Therefore, RIM has very strong financial assets for financing their growing opportunities. In term of one single item on balance sheet, RIM has $50.8 million liquid asset to finance any small valued opportunities, and the sales of new equity indicates the investors’ confidence towards RIM. People and Culture Mike Lazaridis, RIM’s CO-Chief Executive Officer, was a passionate advocate for the power of basis science to improve and transform the world. With his engineering degree, Lazaridis is responsible for product strategy, research and development, product development and manufacturing. Jim Balsillie with more charismatic and outgoing personality brought his wealth of business knowledge to RIM. With such strong leading executive team, RIM had achieved a great employee growth by department from Fiscal 1999 to 2001. (exhibit 3) Moreover, RIM has a well-developed corporate culture that celebrates achievement, creativity, and risk taking. Employees at RIM were well compensated and motivated by various benefits, at the meanwhile, RIM is also famous for its corporate giving to the communities. Slangsoft Inc. (Slangsoft) Slangsoft, headquartered in Boston, was a small Israel-based company with majority of employees in Jerusalem. It had three main products: a core keyboard mapping engine, 52 language scalable vector fonts and a predictive input engine. Its well-developed Intelligent Text Input and Display (iTID) technology was essential for RIM’s entry into Asian market. Many RIM competitors also desired this technology. Slangsoft has signed licensing deals with nine companies and was in the stage of negotiation with one cellphone company. Arie Mazur, CEO and president of Slangsoft, showed his welcome towards building a closer relationship with RIM. However, former Slangsoft employees had or were considering sue the company for unpaid salaries, and alleged physical and personal abuse. Creditors also claimed their trouble collecting receivables. It also has problem in term of transferred intellectual property and deal issues with HP (one of RIM’s competitors) Three Alternatives There are three main alternatives for RIM at current: acquisition of Slangsoft, acquisition of Slangsoft’s competitors and outsourcing or developing own input and font display technology. Before analyzing the advantages and drawbacks of those three alternatives, we needed to firstly assess RIM’s current performance and the moving direction this year, in three years and ten years, then visualize the business strategy in terms of goals, product market focus, value proposition and core activities, and lastly apply strategic models to position RIM’s needs from the deal. Assessment We used the performance matrix (exhibit 5) to classify RIM’s current position of the business and the direction it targeted towards. In the current market, RIM had very good organizational health and operating performance. Therefore, RIM was in quadrant 1 and the strategy review will be a question of fine-tuning and taking a farther than usual look into the future. This specific direction demonstrated the importance of RIM’s sustainable future operational plan, both in short term and long term. Thus, RIM not only had to enhance its operation in order to maintain its position within a year, but also needed to develop non-existing market in this rapid-paced industry in a short term (3 years) and capture the future market share with developed technology in a long term (10 years) Goals Besides the operational direction goals, RIM had its specific business goals. In terms of hard goals, RIM still wanted to enhance their competitiveness as the leader in the market, at the same time of developing wealth for stakeholders. In terms of soft goals, RIM was willing to create opportunities for employee to advance while benefit society through innovation. Product market focus In this case, RIM’s board of directors had agreed to penetrate the new Asian market with its BlackBerry solution, which contains the new technology of input and font displays. Therefore, firm chose to have a diversification market focus on both product and market. Value proposition In order to gain the most market share in Asia and win against other competitors that are interested at the growing Asia market, RIM presented its value proposition in term of execution such as availability and intensity. To be specific, RIM had to find the way to get the font and display technology as soon as possible. With sales hustle and rapid timing, RIM could gain the leadership position in Asian market and capture most of the growing markets to become sustainable. Core activities RIM’s determination of its core activities was a critical aspect of its strategy since these choices would have a fundamental impact on its market and operations control, cost structure, capacities and flexibility. As demonstrated in this case, RIM was reaching out for a vertical integration in order to maintain the control of font and input technology, while limited its competitors’ abilities of expanding their market share in Asian market. Moreover, there are eight specific tasks RIM set for fiscal 2012. The ones we need to focus on in this specific case are to continue to substantially increase BlackBerry user base, launch new market and maintain the culture. Since the main strategy RIM utilized was strategic alliance (exhibit 4), it became more obvious that RIM would continue its acquisition on small technologies. Acquiring Slangsoft or its competitors or outsourcing/developing own? After assessing RIM’s performance and position, it was defined that RIM took great consideration on maintaining its leading position and kept innovating and gaining new market shares. Specifically, by looking carefully at the business strategy components, it was even clearer that RIM is unable to wait for Slangsoft’s competitors (Zi and Tegic) to get rid of the lawsuits. Also Slangsoft’s iTID platform had better functionality, performance and architecture compared to all four of competitors. Therefore, Chris’s decision on quickly moving on to due diligence and negotiate an acceptable offers is a wise for RIM in the short term. After gaining the market share in the large Asian market, developing own text input and font technology might be an optimal solution, but it is not short-term solution. Therefore, in order to win Asian market place with a possible past pace and save time for other sustainability plans, RIM should acquire Slangsoft as soon as possible. However, the specific requests and changes can be made through due diligence, as indicated in the plan of action.

Effectiveness of the Leadership Styles at Wal-Mart Coursework

Effectiveness of the Leadership Styles at Wal-Mart - Coursework Example Paternalistic and Democratic are flexible style of leadership and they are being used by Wal-Mart since many years. Wal-Mart takes care of its employees by practicing the paternalistic style of leadership. Wal-Mart tries to supply concern for their employees and in return they gain trust and loyalty of the staff. Through democratic leadership Wal-Mart gives the decision making power to the employees, which promotes the interest of the employees towards the betterment of the organization. However Wal-Mart does not seem keen to practice laissez-faire leadership style, as it wants to restricts the decision making power of the employees. The transactional leadership style is however used by Wal-Mart at times when the find the emotional level of the employees low (5 Different Leadership Styles That All Work!, 2011). The most common and effective leadership style that is being used by Unilever is the transactional style of leadership, which is based on providing materialistic and psychological rewards to the employees on their good performance and also to keep them motivated. This style of leadership is being used through the entire organization. The leaders analyze the cause of the poor performance of the employees and then take corrective actions. The end result of this leadership style have been effective for Unilever, as it helps them reach goal setting, maturity, increase productivity and efficiency of operations. Other leadership styles such as transformational and laissez-faire have not been quite successful at Unilever. However paternalistic and democratic leadership styles have been effective for gaining the trust of the employees and keeping them devoted towards the organization.

Business Writing week one discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Writing week one discussion - Assignment Example Listening with an open mind isnt always easy, but its the only way to make sure you really hear what people are telling you† (Bovee 38). Rather than approaching the communication situation with an open mind, they brought in preconceived notions. The conversation advanced with them continuing to advance the narrative that they had devised in their minds. The text indicates that communication prominently involves listening, as it is impossible to properly disseminate information without having a back and forth discussion. Ultimately, the communication event would have been more successful if my supervisor had been a more active listener and constructed her knowledge based on the conversation. My name is Birgit. I have a large number of hobbies. Undoubtedly, one of my most frequent hobbies is personal fitness. Throughout high school, I participated in a number of team sports and sort of got in the habit of being physically active. Since graduating from high school, I’ve kept up my physical activity through running every day. I also occasionally play basketball and volleyball with friends. In addition to physical activity, I am an active reader. I recently purchased an iPad so I would have to stop buying so many print books; so far I’ve read the Hunger Games trilogy and the latest Harry Potter novel. I also regularly enjoy cooking, particularly pasta. My greatest communication challenge would definitely have to be public speaking. While in front of certain audiences I am able to be engaging, in most instances I find that I am incredibly shy and slightly anxious. Another communication challenge I face is verbal tests; similar to my fear of public speaking, these instances make me highly nervous. The most effective communicator I know is my uncle. Currently, he is the general manager of a hotel in Los Angeles, California. I have visited him and witnessed how he interacts

Biofuel production from waste wood - (Product Life Cycle Assessment Coursework

Biofuel production from waste wood - (Product Life Cycle Assessment (PLCA)) - Coursework Example However, wood pellets have drawbacks including requirement for large storage facilities and continuous removal and control of ashes (Chen, 2009, p 2). It is indispensable to comprehend that use of wood pellets as a substitute energy source to fossil fuels remains essential in significant reduction of global warming effects and minimal emissions of green gases. The report aims at understanding the life cycle of wood pellets and its contribution to environmental degradations. In addition, the report provides an assessment of wood pellets life cycle in relation to its human effects. Besides, the fundamental objective of the report is to assist wood pellets producers in communicating with customers. Moreover, the producers would also ensure better environmental management. Life cycle assessment (LCA) relates to an environmental evaluation device that focuses on analyzing environmental impacts associated with use of a process or product within its entire duration or life. The inherent assessment remains achievable through creation of a systematic model that can carry out quantification of energy and materials consumption and calculation of released wastes and emissions (Manyele, 2007, p 142). Such computation of effects occurs of life cycle of the process or product from raw materials extraction, production, transportation, reuse and use phases, and consequent recycling stage. Therefore, there exist four significant steps in performing LCA including last step called interpretation, life cycle impact assessment, inventory analysis, and the first step being goal and scope definition. Assessment of wood pellets life cycle is domineering in quantifying and analyzing its global warming potentials in comparison to fossil fuels. Moreover, the assessment remai ns vital in communicating with customers that constantly uses fuels and more importantly to investigate impacts of the energy on the environment. The diagram below illustrates the

Why do people want to work in Bloomberg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why do people want to work in Bloomberg - Essay Example Firstly, as mentioned, due to the fact that Bloomberg is so diverse and represents so many different specializations, there are opportunities for a wide array of individuals that are interested in the many fields in which this firm covers. Rather than merely being a financial analyst’s tool, Bloomberg has a presence in fields as diverse as television and environmental sustainment. In short, Bloomberg has over 427 different publications, its television station reaches more than 310 million people, and the firm tracks over 1.1 million different indices on a daily basis (Bloomberg 1). In this way, it is easy to see how many diverse fields are covered by Bloomberg and how many different types of people with diverse backgrounds in finance, economics, business, investment, law, and an array of other majors. Similarly, as with many large multinational companies, the attraction of working for Bloomberg cannot always be discussed as a function of overall salary. Due to the name recognition and the power and strength that such a position holds with reference to a resume, many individuals are willing to sacrifice an even larger salary at a different firm in order to work for Bloomberg. Although this may seem short-sighted, this ias due to the fact that people often are of the opinion that such a resume builder will be worth it in terms of their overall long-term career

In what ways do social factors shape our identities Essay

In what ways do social factors shape our identities - Essay Example Each one of us is known for our own qualities we have. In shaping our identity society plays a major role. This paper discusses some of the social factors that influence or shape our identities. There are several questions that rise in our minds. How are we put together physically How were we formed How do we relate biologically to other life forms and to our ancestors How are we as individuals like or unlike other humans What are the factors that influence us while developing our personality What would be our state of well being if we are not linked to a society Much of the scientific and social groups attempt focuses on such questions. Though every human have the same basic structure in terms of internal organs, we are different in terms of size and shape, skin color, body proportions, body hair, facial features, muscle strength, handedness, and so on. Similarly we are different in our personalities. Moreover, cultural differences between groups of people seem to be, their complex languages, technologies, spirituality, education and arts distinguish each individual. If we take the case of a child born in a family, the first and foremost social factor that will influence the child is its immediate family then comes the friends and relatives.

Race in Turn of the Century America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Race in Turn of the Century America - Essay Example The racial discrimination has been in the society and continues to be the main problem in the society. Racial discrimination is still prevalent in the American society as witnessed by some of the comments aired after the re-election of president Obama. Discrimination may not be at a high magnitude as it as in the 1900s, but still exists in the society in a minimal form (University, US Immigration). Discrimination and immigrants The slavery and colonial era led to the development of the legally sanctioned racism which impacted negatively in the society especially on the African American, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Latin American. The law offered the privilege to the Europeans Americans in issues of education, immigration, citizenship and voting rights. Additionally, the ownership rights were also a privilege for the European Americans. The legal protection led to increased discrimination of population based on race. The criminal procedures over the 17th century to the 20th century treated the Anglo European American better while discriminating other races. Many races suffered xenophobic exclusion and segregation in the American society. The laws encourage the discrimination based on the race by treating the white or Anglo European immigrants as better citizens than the natives. These laws made it impossible for immigrant of other descend to obtain the necessary services that they require, leading to a serious problem in the process especially when handling issues of equity in the population. The failure to address the various issues was spearheaded by the discriminatory laws developed to protect the right of the Anglo European Americans (University, Imperialism, 2010). The role of the bill of rights The bill of rights was initially applied to the federal government, but has been held to apply to the other states. The change was achieved through the fourteenth amendment. 10 amendments of the constitution that is collective referred to the bill of right s occurred in December 15th 1791. The amendments captured issues of freedom of speech religion and association, rights to keep and bear arms, and conditions for quarters among of the soldiers. Rights of search and seizure was also regulated (Burgan, 2006). The unnecessary searches by police and arrests were regulated by the amendments of the bill of rights. Additionally, the amendments were influential in the defining the bill of rights of the citizens. Initially, the bill protected only the American white farmers, by offering protection to their land and property until amended by James Madison and the United States Congress. The ten amendments helped in the development of the new way of protecting citizens rights (Patterson, 2004). An amendment to be evaluated is the provisions concerning prosecution, right to a speedy trial, right to trial by a jury, excessive bail and cruel punishment, rule of construction of the constitution and Rights of states under the constitution. The role of unions in equity development The formation of workers union and the relationship with the employers has changed significantly. During the 1900s, when the book was written, employers would shut down their plan if workers chose to unionize. Employers could make it difficult for those individuals to get work or even get hours during the work. Had Wagner Act existed, the problem could have been solved through empowering the unions

The Myths of Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Myths of Marijuana - Essay Example The purpose of the essay is to shed light on the mystified shell of Marijuana and reinvents its real essence which is absolutely harmful. Moreover, the essay would examine the conditions in which such mystification of Marijuana and its use takes place and reveal the channels and agencies through which the myths of Marijuana are propagated. It is an irony that both the proponents and opponents of marijuana are part of the great debate on the myths of marijuana. Curiously, each side accuses the other of creating myths about marijuana. However, the present essay does not attempt balance between the contesting perspectives on the myths of marijuana, rather, challenges the myths which are favoring marijuana and exposes not only the myths but also the way such myths came to existence. Office of National Drug Control Policy, in the document- 'Marijuana Myths and Facts: The Truth Behind 10 popular misconceptions', points out that 'Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States' (2005, p.4). The crumbling fact is that Marijuana is the most popular narcotic drug among the majority of illicit drug users. There is a growing number of people in the United States who have at least once used Marijuana. ... Historically speaking, it is important to note that the youth started to become attracted into marijuana by the tumultuous 60s and 70s. The insecurities of modern life in general and the anti-establishment feelings in particular created a kind of social vacuum or a moral anomaly which tempted the people to cut their roots from traditional forms grievance addressable channels such as religious authorities, community organizations and family. On the other hand, the empty promises of a brave new world were thick in the air. The youth who were looking forward to get out of the rotten system found their easy solace in Marijuana along with Beatles and rock music. It all indicates that socio economic conditions play a vital role in the production, distributions and consumption of narcotic drugs in general and marijuana in particular as it has a carefully crafted cultural aura around it. However, the youth of 60s and 70s did not live much with their illusions. The reality was striking and naturally they came out of the grip of marijuana to perceive the reality as reality. In addition, the first time users were mostly above 19 and the potency of the available variety of marijuana was considerably less in 60s and 70s. And, the use of Marijuana was a time bound fashion than a concrete lifestyle. On the contrary, the globalized world in twenty first century is strikingly different in regards to marijuana and its marketing, propaganda, trade routes and use. The "weed" of the so called Woodstock era has paved way for new generation marijuana which is greatly stronger than the old ones. Most strikingly, the first use age is dramatically dropped into 17. In other

To live a purposeful life, you need a clear VISION Essay Example for Free

To live a purposeful life, you need a clear VISION Essay If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll certainly be right†¦ (Steve Jobs) †¢If today was my last day in my life, would I do what I am about to do today? †¢If the answer is â€Å"NO† for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. †¢All external expectation, fear, pride, embarrassment and almost everything falls away in the face of the ending of a life, leaving what is truly important †¢No one wants to die,†¦but even if I lived, I live as if this life is a gift lent to me, which I shall someday exchange for another purer life †¢Do not shrink your inner voice at the altar of others’ noise and false reports†¦somewhere in your heart, God has placed a treasure which only you can dig out and benefit from. †¢To dig this treasure will take you a while. You will have to plan to know exactly what it is, and exactly where it is. You’ll have to have the right crew by your side. †¢This treasure, planning, journey and digging is what I am calling VISION†¦ Vision is not only the power to see, but also of foresight and imagination. Even the visually impaired have this power†¦the ability to see and comprehend beyond what their brains could interpret as optical data. Human beings have the ability to translate words and instructions imaginatively. We are able to draw mental pictures more clearly than we can even draw on paper or explain verbally. The greatest gift is not the ability to see, but this ability of vision. God put dreams where we cannot miss them. Because of vision, I am the best raw material to myself. A vision is a supernatural appearance, which only a supernatural ability can make comprehendible and tangible. †¢Where there is no vision, people perish†¦Prov 29:18 †¢My people perish because of lack of knowledge†¦Hosea 4:6 †¢Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us†¦Ephesians 3:20 †¢Prov 1:7 and 9:10†¦The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/ wisdom. †¢Habakkuk 2:2†¦write the vision down†¦though it tarry’s, it shall come to pass †¢Do not despise the days of your humble beginnings†¦Job 8:7 VISION PART II By Dominic Khaemba From: The Ageless Note-book Teach me oh Lord to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom and lead a fulfilling life to you, myself, family and friends†¦Psalms 90:12 This section will make a stronger connection if you read it as a follow-up to part I. You can never remember what you never knew, and you can never apply what you cannot remember. As the world changes and perfects the struggles and the suffering that we face; as the world changes and justifies the insignificance of individual strength by being too complicated and fast; many people find themselves feeling impatient, hopeless and unworthy: When this happens, you need a reminder that you are still on a journey, and that your best days are ahead. But you cannot tell if you’re your best days are ahead if you have nothing to look forward to. This is where a vision for your life comes in as the ability to anticipate future events, touch them and believe in them as if they were real. Also, you will need a reminder of what your future plans are†¦but since you cannot remember what you never knew, you therefore come back to Knowledge as; a clear awareness and information gained through devoted study and Experience. This knowledge is what you shall apply in preparing for your future and this preparedness is what keeps us from despairing too quickly when overwhelmed by circumstances around us. Our creative imagination also plays a big part in determining how far God chooses to bless us. If we do not use this faculty to envision better lives for ourselves in the future, we limit God in terms of how much He also decides to bestow on us. Eph 3:20. Knowledge does two important things. It distinguishes us from fools and it is a sure preservative of our lives. But the knowledge acquired in the boundaries of God’s instruction is the one that is able to do this. Otherwise, this knowledge is useless†¦and can quickly turn our hearts into pride. Pride goes before a fall. From the verses above, without knowledge and vision, we perish. Without creative imagination, we receive little from God. It is only in the fear of the Lord that our knowledge can begin to yield better lives for us and the people around us. Living as you move towards your dreams is a life full of joy and peace in dimensions and depths one can never experience otherwise. With a sense of calling, †¢MY VISION IS ENLARGED THROUGH IMAGINATION and this way, †¢I won’t MIND THE SMALL SACRIFICES that I have to make as part of the journey. Personal inventory A personal inventory is a way to store up our vision. Habakkuk 2:2 says write the vision down. Though it tarry’s, it shall surely come to pass. Write it so that whoever reads it may run with it/ facilitate your attaining of that vision. Keep a personal inventory in a journal. This is among the questions you may ask yourself as you do so. 1.What is my calling? †¢The thing is to find ideas which allow me to power all my experiences, gifts and talents, all my wisdom and knowledge A calling is a duty to which one attaches special importance and devotes special care. It must be strong enough to allow me to combine a)Talent harnessed by discipline b)Passion paired with hard work c)Love united with commitment d)Consistency which wipes away complacency If you are leaving your calling, you exude an enjoyment and connection to the gifts that transcends the recognition, fame and fortune you may receive for expressing those talents. †¢If you find the thing which you can do for free, simply for the fulfillment of doing it, you have found your calling.

An Analysis Of Woman Hollering Creek English Literature Essay

An Analysis Of Woman Hollering Creek English Literature Essay Thesis: Sandra Cisneross Woman Hollering Creek is an excellent example of a conflict with a family that has to endure a family member is abuse. This short story begins with vision of Cleofilas Father want his only daughter to marry and be happy for the rest of her life. Although she is apprehensive to begin what she thinks will be a happy, successful life, her father is far more reasonable about his daughters husband. He reminds Cleofilas that he is her father and that he will never throw away her. This is his way of letting her know that she will always be able to come home. Woman Hollering Creek An analysis of Sandra Cisneross Woman Hollering Creek is not often that a person is given an assignment that reflects many similar inadequacies of their own families. After reading Woman Hollering Creek it was instantly clear that this would be an interesting story to write about. Therefore, without knowing which way this story would go or even what direction it would even head in or even to understand how it would affect your relationship with your family members. In the story Woman Hollering Creek Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through her character Cleofilas; this character married a man who was very physically and mentally abusive. Cisneross will reveal within her writing how men are more dominate then women within the Hispanic culture. In most of Cisneross writing she has been well known for her writings about the Hispanic culture and how they treat there women; she explain what the women have to go through during there childhood, teen and even when they get married; the women are always dominated by men because of the way the culture is they has to just to that take of life. Woman Hollering Creek is one of the most excellent examples, to where a character has to live without a mother that cant give any direct or advice about everyday life or even how to be a wife and mother. This is a great story; it will give provide you with vivid detail of the life of a Mexican immigrants its not just about their struggle to make a better life for themselves but also about there culture in how it make it possible for this type of dreadful life. In reading Women Hollering Creek there is no way for the reading not to understand and feel for Cleofilas and empathize with her situation, praying she would find a way to escape from her bad marriage. The character Cleofilas is base on a family of a six brothers and a dad and without a mom, to share her most intimacy secrets. Although, there is discrimination and conflict in this story rather than love and it is there way of living. However, within her character as Cleofilas she found a way to gain knowledge of her feminine attributes, through watching television, and dreaming of a life as she in vision on television, which she watched religiously. In this story there can be many way to see how you can develop compassion with the victim of domestic violence. We can see how the life of Cleofilas has unfolds, the readers will learn about the isolation, hopeless and denial of someone who is in an abusive relationship. The reader will appreciated the educational factors of immigrate will include depth to the readers approval of the obstacle of this disparaging life style. In the Hispanic cultural it is know that young girl marry at an early age and Cleofilas situation is no difference. However, for Cleofilas to leave and marry a man she hardly know as well as she thinks she dose, sooner or later she will find out that her life is nothing like television. In the mean time the man she will marry will be began to hit her and become even more abusive and as time goes on. The reader in this story will discover how Cleofilas, will leave her surrounding that she has know for many years to marry a complete stranger. Cleofilas imaged her li fe to be like the soap operas she watches, and she then realize she would has to face a life of poverty, abuse, and an alcoholism husband. The storys main character, Cleofilas, is usually an illustration of Latina women, and how non-Latinos recognize them. They are raised and groomed, in households mainly controlled by men their fathers and brothers, with the anticipation that they may someday find the right men who would decide to take them as a wives. In the Latina world women are always consideration to be just someones wife and with hardly a chance to say no. However, she discovered that life in the new world with her new husband was unlike the romantic plot of fiction truth set in immediately when she had to care for her son, their home that always seemed to be in need of repair, and her husband, who wants to be served on hand and foot . However, within the story there is a lot of abuse that plays a major role on the familys relationship and how it has affected on her life. It is often that you find this type of behavior within this Spanish cultural most women in this type of situation really have no way out other then to run away. Cleofilas had to deal with the pain and suffering in a patriarchal world and a male dominated, society. The issues of gender and prejudice are present in the story, from the beginning, as Cleofilas decides to leave her town to accomplish her dreams of a better lifestyle. Her understanding of images on TV gave her the impression that here, life is much better and would perhaps untie her from the conventions of the world she grew up in. The final resolution in this story is left to the readers imagination. It does not state what happened to Cleofilas and her husband after she attempted to leave her husband. The life that Cleofilas had was faced with many experienced and all types of hardships, Cleofilas thought her life would be like that, of the telenovela, only now the episode got sadder and sadder to believe that she could stay no matter what happens she started to realize what the most important thing in life. Work Cited Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. New York: Random House, 1991. SHEET 1-PLOT 1. THE ROLE-PLAYED BY EACH OF THE MAJOR CHARACTERS. The story is been narrator in the three person. Cleofilas is the main reason for the story. Her father wants her to marry Juan Pedro Martinez Sanchez. The protagonist in this situation would be Cleofilas. The antagonists would be her Father and her Husband. 2. THE NATURE OF THE CONFLICT. The story is about a father wanting his daughter to get married and the conflict of the story is the abuse that she went through and trying to find a way out. Cleofilas vs. Father Cleofilas vs. Husband Cleofilas vs. Family Cleofilas vs. Friends 3. IDENTIFY ONE OF MORE OBSTACLES PLACED IN THE WAY OF CLEOFILAS. Cleofilas biggest obstacle in this story is the abuse she went through with her husband and she try to find a way out this marriage in wish she thought it would be the marriage of her life. 2- PLOT STRUCTURE The early part of the story provides setting and introduction about the characters, and it creates an atmosphere and describes the setting. In this story it Cleofilas believes she is about to marriage the man of her dream with her father consent to marriage Juan Pedro. The time has come for her to leave her father and her six brothers in Mexico to go to El otro lado with Juan Pedro and, begin a new life as his wife in a small shackle. Cleofilas would soon find out that the life she knew with her and her brothers would be over as she knew it. The new life she was to supposed to have that was to be filled with passion as she seen on TV, as she watches the soap operas. While been married to Juan Pedro, she had two children and was trying to hide her bruises from her abusive marriage. She was looking for away out. She didnt even speak English and she was cut off from her family. The final part of this story is to fill the reader imagination. SHEET 3-CHARACTERIZATION The storys main character is Cleofilas and she is a representation of Latino women and how non-Latinos, perceive them, more Latino women are raised in predominantly controlled by men. Sheet 4- Setting Place- The place in this story was very important. It was the direction of the story to reach it to Cleofilas. It was a long road there and everything that happened along the way had meaning. Time- Woman Hollering Creek is the center of the borderland in which the story unfolds. Cleofilas Mexican town of gossips . . . of dust and despair on the one side is not so different from Seguin, Texas, another town of gossips on the other side, except that in her fathers town she is safe from physical harm. Mood- was kind of emotional. The majority of the time Cleofilas was sad. She was abuse and tired and she was looking for some she could trust. Sheet 5 Symbolism Cisneros employs much symbolism in the characters she chooses. Especially, Cleofilas the neighbors on both side of her are widowed women named Dolores and Soledad. Cleofilass name is clarified by a friend of hers, who tries to explain it to Felice over the phone: The Mexican culture reveres women who suffer, as Cleofilas admires the tortured souls on the telenovelas. Sheet 6-Theme It seen as if it is clearly an issue of gender and abuse in this story, Cleofilas decides to leave her home town and get marriage to fulfill her dreams of a more wonder life style in the United States. Cleofilas had this images of what her life would be like from watching the soap operas on TV, and it gave her this impression of life. The man she would marriage would be the ticket out of a bad situation or to a new life. While living in Mexico she had family and friend she could turn to once she move she would not have that anymore. Sheet 7 I found the most interesting aspect of the story to be the behavior of how Hispanics women are treated. 1. I am your father, I will never abandon you. Cisneros-43 2. And without even a mama to advise her on things like her wedding night. 45 3. How could Cleofilas explain to a woman like this why the Woman Hollering Creek fascinated her? 46 4. But how could she go back there? 50 5. And her family all in Mexico. 54 6. Cleofilas thought her life would have to be like that, like a telenovela, only now the episodes of sadder and sadder. QUOTATIONS Cisneros states You or No One Has experienced all types of hardships, but believes that staying kind and loving no matter what happens is the most important thing in life. (Cisneros 45) Note: You are no one and you will never be anyone. Cisneros states What do you want to know for? (Cisneros 46) Note: Why should I tell you anything, you dont want to know anyway? Cisneros suggested Did you ever notice how nothing around here is named after a woman? Really. Unless shes virgin. I guess youre only famous if youre virgin (Cisneros 55) Cisneros states the moment came, and he slapped her once, and then again, again, until the lip split and bled an orchid of blood (Cisneros 50) Cisneros offers her reader this idea Sometimes she thinks of her fathers house. But how could she go back there? (Cisneros 50) Work Cited Cisneros, Sandra (1991), Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, New York: Random House.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun :: essays research papers

A Raisin in the Sun is a classic tragedy. Through struggle the Younger’s all experience some hardship in learning the value of money and equality. I will have to say that the play was very interesting yet hard to watch. My first impression was that the stage was slanted. I’m still not sure why the stage was slanted and would love to ask the director of why it was slanted. Secondly, the actors were very hard to hear due to their soft speaking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the play I received two major underlying messages. First was from Mama’s plant. This plant symbolized all that the Younger family was; a half alive plant that is growing in all direction waiting for the spring to bloom. This is the perfect description of the Younger’s. The family is struggling with what to do with the insurance check and finally realize that by equality they will bloom into what they truly desire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly I saw that the Younger’s are a family of routine. It seems that each member is caught in their own struggle and can’t break the cycle they are caught in. It is not until someone makes a sacrifice that the family is able to flourish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The lighting made a favorable impression. The blue at the beginning sets the â€Å"blue† mood that wonders over most of the family. The soft white that lights the house for the rest of the play was perfect since the family has a dim mood cast over them. As far as overall lighting scheme goes I would give the play a solid A.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My next impression came from the props in the house. The bed, couch, and chair were all but falling apart. There was no doubt that the family had little as far as possession but what they had they were proud of. They were not a family of pride but they took joy in what they had worked hard for. I was given a feeling of a family struggling to make it in the world but determined to reach the top of the mountain. Overall I would give the props a B   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The costumes of the actors also made an impact. Walter Lee was always wearing formal, expensive looking clothing. His clothes went along with his ambitions of wealth and high rank. Mama’s clothes were always simply and barley of higher quality than rags. These clothes also go a long way to represent those philosophies that she lived by.

Emily Bronte :: Essays Papers

Emily Bronte Emily Bronte was born on July 30th, 1818, the 5th child of the Reverend Patrick Bronte, a stern Evangelical curate, and his wife Maria. When Emily was three years old, her mother died of cancer, and her Aunt Branwell, a strict Calvinist, moved in to help raise the children. They lived in a parsonage in Haworth with the bleak moors of Yorkshire on one side and the parish graveyard on the other. When Emily was 6 years old she went to a boarding school run by charity. The students were kept hungry, cold, tired, and often ill. In 1825 Maria and Elizabeth both died of tuberculosis, the disease that was later to claim Emily's own life, and that of her younger sister Anne. Following these new bereavements, the surviving sisters Charlotte and Emily were taken home, but they would never forget the terrors and the hardship of their lives at school. Life at home was much better for Emily and her siblings. In their isolated childhood on the moors, they developed an extremely close relationship partly based on their mutual participation in a vibrant game of make-believe. They developed two empires. They were Angria and Gondal. She left home to be a governess in 1837 and to study in Belgium in 1842, but both times she found she was unable to bear being away from home and her beloved, wild countryside. In 1845 Charlotte, Emily, and Anne published a book of poetry under the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. They sold only two copies, but did not give up writing. Wuthering Heights was probably written in 1845. Wuthering Heights (by Ellis Bell), was published in 1847, and attracted considerable critical attention. Many people were shocked and horrified by sheer violence of Emily's novel. Emily Bronte :: Essays Papers Emily Bronte Emily Bronte was born on July 30th, 1818, the 5th child of the Reverend Patrick Bronte, a stern Evangelical curate, and his wife Maria. When Emily was three years old, her mother died of cancer, and her Aunt Branwell, a strict Calvinist, moved in to help raise the children. They lived in a parsonage in Haworth with the bleak moors of Yorkshire on one side and the parish graveyard on the other. When Emily was 6 years old she went to a boarding school run by charity. The students were kept hungry, cold, tired, and often ill. In 1825 Maria and Elizabeth both died of tuberculosis, the disease that was later to claim Emily's own life, and that of her younger sister Anne. Following these new bereavements, the surviving sisters Charlotte and Emily were taken home, but they would never forget the terrors and the hardship of their lives at school. Life at home was much better for Emily and her siblings. In their isolated childhood on the moors, they developed an extremely close relationship partly based on their mutual participation in a vibrant game of make-believe. They developed two empires. They were Angria and Gondal. She left home to be a governess in 1837 and to study in Belgium in 1842, but both times she found she was unable to bear being away from home and her beloved, wild countryside. In 1845 Charlotte, Emily, and Anne published a book of poetry under the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. They sold only two copies, but did not give up writing. Wuthering Heights was probably written in 1845. Wuthering Heights (by Ellis Bell), was published in 1847, and attracted considerable critical attention. Many people were shocked and horrified by sheer violence of Emily's novel.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Essay -- essays research paper

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Madeleine L’Engle uses a creative mixture of three different story-book motifs for building the story line in her book A Wrinkle in Time. From beginning to end Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin go through adventure after adventure bursting with animated fairy-tale characteristics, a model preteen coming-of-age theme, and a subtle Christian suggestion. The three are intertwined naturally, and work well within the science-fiction twist of this very believable fantasy tale. The main character Meg Murry is the perfect innocent child turned heroine. As in the typical coming-of-age theme, the beginning of the story presents 13 year old Meg as young, and terribly dependent on others. Constantly wallowing in self-pity, Meg enters the first chapter emotionally immature with a dismal self-centered â€Å"why-must-everything-happen-to-me† attitude [P.7]. Although her five year old younger brother Charles Wallace is â€Å"rumored to be not quite bright† [P.9], he is actually extremely advanced for his age and Meg’s main caretaker. â€Å"How did Charles Wallace always know about her? How could he always†¦probe (and understand) with frightening accuracy† [P.8]? The two are remarkably close, and whenever life becomes too much for Meg, Charles Wallace reaches out to comfort her. All three—Meg, Charles Wallace, and their new found friend, 14 year old Calvin O’keefe—fit the average misunderstood characteristics found in many fairy-tale and preteen stories. While both Calvin and Charles Wallace are misunderstood by most, Charles Wallace at least has the support of a loving home, with dysfunctional preoccupied parents, Calvin, on the contrary, has no one to understand and appreciate him. â€Å"The funny part of it† he says, â€Å"(is that) I love them all and they don’t give a hoot about me†¦I care, (but) nobody else does† [P.40]. All three children, each with his own special individual qualities, strive to get along in their everyday world. The boys don’t seem to care much what others think, only Meg, with her many temperamental imperfections, flounders from day to day. Mixed in with this is a hint of an orphaned-child theme. Although none of the children are actual orphans, the thought is implied first through Mr. Murry’s absents, and Meg’s constant wish of â€Å"if only father (were here)† [P.4]; and then with Calvin’s horribly neglectful family—he is, in essen... ...er to her caretaker, while she challenges It in an attempt to save her brother. In the grand finale, love concurs the incredibly evil force. Love—the one thing Meg possesses that It doesn’t†¦Ã¢â‚¬ I love you Charles Wallace† she cries, â€Å"My baby brother who always takes care of me. Come back to me†¦come away from It, come back, come home. I love you† [P.208] The message is written all through the text. God is stronger than Satan. God is love, and love is stronger than It. Once again â€Å"winning is everything† and the story finds a way of â€Å"making everything work out†[class lecture]. Charles Wallace is free, the Murry children have their father back, and Mrs. Murry has her husband back. Calvin has new friends and family with the Murrys. Meg, who has undergone her right of passage, finds friendship and self-confidence, is sure to return to daily life with a different more assertive and positive attitude. After the dark spiritual fight against It, Meg returns with a spiritual healing, and the absence of anger and resentment. Like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the group returns at the exact moment they had departed on the quest, ready to take up where they left off—one big happy family.

Citizenship

The issue that we have been researching and investigating in class is alcohol education in school, so that we can campaign and raise some kind of awareness for alcohol education as a regular lesson in all schools throughout Britain. The reason for this is because we feel and have noticed that young adults in their teen years are drinking regularly on a daily basis and a part of that main reason might actually be the fact that we don't have any real education to teach us about the dangerous effects of alcohol and this leaves them vulnerable when drinking.Robert Prefer, under of the rehab centre Sober College, said,† Vive seen an increase in risky behavior in young adults over the last year, I think that alcohol education programs should be introduced â€Å". Alcohol abuse is becoming an increasing important topic among teenage school students. Although we try to teach students to not to EVER start drinking and that it's illegal to for a minor to consume alcohol, the reality is that they will be likely to try it before they finish secondary school college. â€Å"Let's pay Dry.Curry, who is the dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. You may want to take a look at how you are drinking. If it escalates, you're at risk, but you can change that now. † I know what most young adults drink for social reasons or because they want to ‘impress' some people they may know, but they don't know any of the negative effects that can happen afterwards. Drinking today is much more open than it has been years ago. It's only because of the numerous equipments that have access to the media and advertisements.Whilst researching the current law regarding alcohol I found out that the teen must be 18 or up before he or she can u or drink alcohol beverages. Lastly, it is against the law for your teenager/sees to possess alcohol on any street, highway, or public place, carry alcohol in a car, or be a passenger in carrying alcohol unless accompani ed by parent of legal guardian. The problems that can arise from drinking, can involve around sicknesses, addiction, social behavior and even death!When we buy alcohol we have the responsibility to look after ourselves and not drink way too much but then again we have the right to purchase alcohol at the age of 18. My first argument is about getting behind the wheel while being drunk. Statistics suggest that 60 percent of teenage deaths in car accidents are related to alcohol. Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among teens aged 1 5 to 20. A few reasons why a drunk teenager might get behind the wheel is not wanting to get in trouble by calling parents, friends, etc.Another reason can be that the teenage boy or girl might feel that there isn't another way to get home. I'm pretty sure that teens that get behind the wheel after consuming major amounts of alcohol don't even think about any of the consequences that can occur. They might also think that is not a big deal and that it's alright to do if other teens do the same. For all teens, the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle accident is greater than it is for older drivers. Teens that drink and drive are more likely to get into an accident than if their parents drink and drive.In fact, a teenage boy with a . 05 blood alcohol concentration is 18 times more likely to suffer an accident than a teen that does not drink. Also three out of four teen drivers that were killed in a crash as a result from drinking and riving were not wearing their stables. Teens, such as African Americans, are even less likely to wear their settable in the car than their Caucasian friends are. Teens are more likely to participate in dangerous situations and terrible circumstances. I also read studies by SAD that found out 28. Percent of teens from the age of 14-19, rode one or more times in a car with someone who had been drinking as the driver. Half of teen deaths from motor vehicle accidents happen between 3:0 0 P. M. And midnight. Moreover, 54 percent happen on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Eight teens ii daily as the result of an alcohol related car accident. 1,500 teens, ages 15-20 die in car accidents every year. There is no reason why a teen should drink and drive. We shouldn't let teenage peer pressure or other influences affect the decision to not drink and drive.Being part of a teenager is making mistakes and growing up; drunk driving is a mistake that someone may have to carry with themselves for the rest of their life. ‘There is no reason why a teen should drink and drive. There are always other things that can be done rather than getting behind the wheel† says Dry. Tania Doorman from the University of Bath. This argument is telling us we need alcohol education because teenagers from our school shouldn't be dieing in car accidents, because they weren't taught anything about risks.Also we need to be more positive and stress that most our of students are responsible a nd that we are are not worried about them drinking and driving when we really are. Research shows that 1 out of 8 people have sex under the influence of alcohol. Mixing sex with too much alcohol could leave you with more than you earned for. The SE of alcohol can affect anything and it's very easy to forget about using a condom or taking the pill which could leave you vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, an unwanted pregnancy or a night you regret with someone that you're not even attracted to.Choosing to have sex for the first time can make you feel different kinds of emotions. You might feel excited, stressed, scared and nervous all at once. Drinking to deal with these conflicting feelings may be an important factor when people lose their virginity. Like other drugs, alcohol drinking can seem like a good dead if you're nervous about being naked in front of another person, or worried about ‘getting it right' in bed. But studies show that nearly one third of teens sa id they were unhappy with the way they lost their virginity, because they were too drunk.It also doesn't help that too much alcohol can affect men's sexual performance. Dry. Joyce Bam of INCH commented on the â€Å"increased and intensified† message in schools concerning the down side of teen sex: â€Å"Given how many of those efforts are going on,† Bam said, â€Å"it is probably making an impact on both abstinence and responsible sexual behavior. † Also, the consequence of not using some kind of birth control pills is that you or your partner could get pregnant. The I-J currently has one of the highest teenage pregnancies.Not using a condom because you've been drinking could mean facing parenthood longing before you feel ready. Also, a SACS reporter stated, â€Å"60 percent of college women, who have acquired sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS and genital herpes, were under the influence of alcohol at the time they had intercourse. Planning ahead is a good idea. If you think hat you're likely to have sex, stay away from too much alcohol. † This is telling us we need alcohol education because we could warn students about the effects of sex that I have listed above.Another reason why we need alcohol education for this argument is to keep our students safe, make them not do decisions they will regret in the future. They might not have support at home from their parents or guardians but they could rely on us if we had these types of organizations. We could either protect a female student from getting pregnant while alcohol education in BECK is formed or to which would then make us really weak and no one would support our campaign. Adolescents should be the healthiest people on the planet, the â€Å"almost grown ups† still young and full of dreams for the future.But today's adolescents are a troubled generation. Far from being the healthiest time of life, adolescence is instead a period of risk and vulnerability. Accor ding to scientists, bodies that are still growing and undeveloped are the ones that get involved with drinking, drugs and sex. And evidence shows British teenagers are among those exposed to the greatest threats. While puberty takes adolescents into a period of risky behavior powered by their hormones, their brains are still vulnerable to the effects of activities such as drinking and drug taking.Scientist, Jay Square said â€Å"the adolescent brain is handicapped in the rational assessment of risk and prone to â€Å"hot cognitions†. These decisions are influenced by exciting or stressful conditions which adults are better able to get rid of than teens. The modern teenager is taking longer than ever to grow up as social changes have added years to education and delayed marriage. Or basically the average teen is taking longer to ‘settle down'. Eighteen years of age is no longer regarded as the start of adulthood.Fifty years ago, people married and started families at th is age. Today over three times more young people are in further education and most spend years in work before marrying and ‘settling down'. US researchers warned I-J researchers last year that heavy drinking during the teenage years, when the brain is still growing, can affect the brain, particularly the development of memory and the ability to tell what is on a map. Adolescents should vive life, and have fun.Diseases from drinking alcohol need to be mentioned in alcohol education, not to scare the students and never make them drink alcohol but to let them know they're responsible for how much they want to drink and when they feel like doing it. Alcohol metabolism could be explained later on how the body breaks down and eliminates alcohol from the body because everyone's bodies are different. Our Job would be to let them know everything about what happens after you drink alcohol under-age when you're brain and other parts of your body are still developing.My last argument is a bout what happens to your body after you drink a few glasses or shots of alcohol and if you really want all that to happen to you. When you take a drink, about 20 percent of the alcohol is absorbed in your stomach and the remaining 80 percent is absorbed in your small intestine. But usually after the alcohol is absorbed, it enters your bloodstream and is carried throughout your body. As the alcohol acts upon the body, the body is working really hard to remove it. The kidneys and lungs remove about 10 percent of the alcohol in the urine and the Citizenship This part of the essay will focus on why citizenship has become such a significant political issue in the UK. It will highlight what citizenship Is, who gets the citizenship and what the problems are that are affecting the country. Citizenship Is about being actively Involved In society; It Is a clear concept concerning migration and legal status which Is formed of having the rights to stay In the country, rights to enter freely and rights to welfare and education.Citizenship has become a significant political issue in the UK because of the mass majority of people who grant here from their countries in order to build a life in the I-J. The country is getting over populated with immigrants and eastern European people, these individuals are coming to the country and are taking on work which pays less than the minimum wage which can at times deprive citizens getting Jobs.Doing the life In the UK test to qualify for citizenship has proven to be insignificant due to the Inconsistency of t he questions one ought to study: The report Is endorsed by the Revered. Lord Roberts, the Vice-Chalk of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration quote ‘examining the test and Its role In British Immigration policy. My report concluded that the test Is impractical;' published the first independent and comprehensive report examining the test and its role in British immigration policy.My report concluded that the test is impractical, inconsistent and contains serious gender imbalance rendering it unfit for purpose' (migrants rights). Furthermore less than the majority even knows how to fluently speak English which invalidates how or what the questions on the SOL version of the life in the UK test teaches, although the government introduced these test to enforce migrants to participate in society it isn't worked well, these people are studying for the test in order to pass and benefit from what the country has to offer to those who are British citizens.Although the governmen t has been reinforcing new rules and regulation that makes It hard for immigrants to obtain visas and are tougher on Asylum seekers now days, the country Is still growing In migrants who either come and do labor work for low wages which impacts on those skilled workers getting good paid work and those migrants have no sense of dependency, they come to the UK expecting a better life for no hard work NY type of work at all, this is where the political problem occurs. Citizenship By Loretta political issue in the I-J.It will highlight what citizenship is, who gets the citizenship Citizenship is about being actively involved in society; it is a clear concept concerning migration and legal status which is formed of having the rights to stay in the country, significant political issue in the I-J because of the mass majority of people who Doing the life in the UK test to qualify for citizenship has proven to be insignificant due to the inconsistency of the questions one ought to study: The report is endorsed y the Revered.Lord Roberts, the Vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration quote ‘examining the test and its role in British immigration policy. My report concluded that the test is impractical;' published the first independent and what the questions on the SOL version of the life in the I-J test teaches, although government has been reinforcing new rules and regulation that makes it hard for is still growing in migrants who either come and do labor work for low wages which sense of dependency, they come to the I-J expecting a better life for no hard work. Citizenship Citizenship and Friendship is a piece from †Habits of the Heart’, which is written by Robert N. Bellah and associates. This passage talks about how the definition of friendship changes over time in American communities. Bellah says that classical ideas of friendship in early America contains three important elements that †Friends must enjoy one another’s company, friends must be useful to one another, and friends must share a common commitment to the good†. According to Bellah, the first two elements still exist at present days, but the third component seems being abandoned by people today.I disagree with Bellah’s idea because I think the third component, sharing a common commitment to the good, is still regarded as an important part of friendship. People reveal the third trait by donating, by volunteering and by agreeing to political stands. (T) Many people donate funds to foreign countries for helping them, and therefore, they establish an int ernational friendship. (R) According to the passage, traditional view of friendship is â€Å"not merely private: they are public, even political,for a civic order†. E)Like Bellah mentions, some people combine resources with only one goal and that is to help others, regardless their backgrounds. (E)For example, in the earthquake in 2008 in China, Japanese Government donated 5,300,000,000 Yen(approximately 5000,000 USD) to the earthquake. It was the second largest donation from all of the foreign countries. As we all know, Japan had aggressed China in World War II. These two countries had a really bad relationship in recent hundred years. However, Japan gave such a great help regardless the political disagreements, when China suffered disasters.Besides Japan donating money, they also sent volunteers , food supplies, shelters and medical attentions. (A) Japan placed the public good ahead of its political conflicts. They developed a friendship by providing resources such as money and volunteers to help china to recover from the earthquake. (C) The third element of friendship is maintained by providing helps without politics standing in the way. (T) People who work together for volunteer can establish a strong friendship. R) †But friendships were by no means confined to local communities in early American society,† Bellah says, â€Å"Particularly where a common cause united them, people of quire different backgrounds could become friends. † (E) The friendship derived from volunteering has a great strength because those volunteers are sharing the common goal, which is to serve for the society. (E)Tracing back to my high school year, I had an experience to be a volunteer to teach kids who could not afford the tuition. At that time, I met one of my best friends. We worked together for several weeks, but we seldom talked to each other.Until one day, we were assigned a work, which was designing an activity for children’s day. We became c lose through discussing and working on the assignment. We started chatting about the reason we came for the volunteer and the view for the future. Surprisingly, she understand my thought better than any of my friends. I felt our heart was so close in touch. We kept contacting each other after the volunteer and exchanged our views frequently. She was acting like a soulmate in life. (A)I think the reason we can be so close is because we have the same value and same concern to the public good. Volunteer is the linkage bind us together. C)Volunteering shows that the third component of friendship is important for people to establish a friendship and maintain the strength of that friendship. (T) In front of political disagreement, people choose to put common concern for the public good ahead of any individual conflicts. (R)The passage says †Their reconciliation after a period of bitter estrangement illustrates their capacity to put their common concern for the public good ahead of t heir Partisan disagreements† (e) Some people choose to abandon their original political stand and put the common concern on the first place for benefiting the nation. E)Here, I want to talk about Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton. This two people were both candidates for the election five years ago. Even though they were both in Democratic party, they emphasized the different point of views. Obama and Clinton disagreed on few issues since 2005. For instance, Obama voted the Mandate, which forces automaker to achieve 40 mile-per-gallon average fuel economy by the year 2017. Meanwhile, Clinton rejected it. Moreover, Clinton voted for using force in Iraq. However, Obama fought against Wars. Cliton and Obama became friends after they work together. I consider Hillary a strong friend. † Obama said in CBS 60’ minutes. (A) Clinton put away her original view and functioned as a coherent unit with Obama for benefiting the people in America. (C)As a result, Obama and Clinton developed their friendship because they worked for the same goal for their nation. Overall, the third component can be shown by donating, volunteering, and agreeing to political stands. Sharing the same commitment to the good are still one of the most important elements of friendship today. It’s the key of establishing and maintaining a true friendship.

Educational Play: Theories, Perspectives, and Proposals

Educational Play: Theory, Programs, & Perspectives Abstract The following play program educational survey and observation details the educator and administrator perspectives on performance outcomes in four Virginia Beach schools. The use of play as an effective educational method is supported by the comprehensive literature review on the topic which discusses the major theories of Piaget, Erikson, and Vygotsky as the foundation for concluding how to best utilize play in the formal elementary education segment. The data provides a look into the primary factors driving play program success as well as hurdles to program effectiveness. Further research is needed to substantiate the solidification of play programs as empirically-supported components of successful education initiatives. Insert Title Page1 Abstract2 Introduction: Literature Review4 Literature Review5 Method8 Participants8 Instruments8 Process9 Issues and Considerations11 Data Analysis12 Results14 Group A16 Group B18 Group C19 Group D21 Discussion: Use and Limitations22 References:25 Appendices:27 Table 1. Total Respondents Breakdown27 Table 2. Survey Race and Gender Demographic Breakdown27 Table 3. Top Suggested Improvements for Play Program Effectiveness27 Appendix 1. The Play Curriculum Teacher Questionnaire28 Introduction: Literature Review In childhood education, the theory of play is of major importance to actualizing learning despite increasing administrator and educator focus on testing scores and performance outcomes. Theorists have posed a number of perspectives that address the importance and role of play in the primary education sector. Hymes (1981) contends that play is a solid foundation for teaching children as well as an insightful tool through which educators can accurately observe and assess student learning. Erikson’s (1950) theory of psychosocial development posits that play in not only helpful, but essential to childhood development. The psychologist states that play creates a safe space in which children can work out their conflicts. The imagination, when allowed to run free, facilitates self-exploration and autonomy. An environment can be deliberately designed to initiate play without personalizing the child’s engagement and interaction, thereby supporting freedom. Piaget (1962) expands play theory from the individual education to social interaction learning and development. Play and imitation become critical elements to learning and adapting to an external environment as the child learns about their world and self within this context. This hands-on involvement allows the child to experiment with symbols and self. According to Vygotsky (1978), play is also pertinent to developing the ability to defer immediate gratification as fantasy play assists the child in adapting to their circumstances and experiences through more mature means. For the purpose of this study, Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories of play will be used o evaluate the use of play in the primary education environment for self and social teaching; this will be achieved through a comprehensive review of current literature in conjunction with a play program survey to connect the theoretical foundation of play theory with the practical application of play in the classroom. Using four primary play programs in the Virginia Beach school district, the author examines play promotion and hindranc e to outline avenues for improving the use of play in the elementary education environment. Literature Review The United States school systems have moved away from the integration of play in primary education despite the extensive theories and research supporting the importance and use of play to childhood education and development. Even recess has been reduced as administrator and educator focus has been forcibly shifted to core education activities and test score outcomes (Stokes-Guinan, 2009; Smith & McKnight, 2009) with 40% of school districts having eliminated – or nearly eliminated – recess altogether (Zygmunt-Fillwalk & Bilello, 2005). However, while less students are receiving play opportunities in their structured school curriculum, this does not negate the wealth of research evidencing the social, emotional, and physical benefits of research and play (Stokes-Guinan, 2009). The U. S. system’s prioritization of student achievement is short-sighted in its scores-focus, failing to comprehend the building blocks that allow for students to build and sustain the capacity for greater individual and social learning success, thus improving academic advantage. Play assists children in navigating the real world through fantasy by empowering decision-making, initiative, rules, consequences, and uncertainty (Annetta, et al. , 2009). Research concludes that play is both imaginative and symbolic (Galvez-Martin, 1997). Bronson (1995) states that play is crucial to human existence and that this need extends into human learning as it is maintained and utilized throughout the individual’s lifespan (Galvez-Martin, 1997). Additionally, play is both an educational experience and a learning process s children engage their internal and external environments. According to Isenberg and Jacob (1982), in play, children learn how to learn. â€Å"When children play, they learn† (Annetta, et al. , 2009, p. 1091). This translates into the idea that, while playing, children are learning new methods, techniques, and skills through incidental ways. Researches often quote Piaget, Erikson, and Vygotsky’s theories of play in which play facilitate s intellectual, psychological, linguistic, and social growth through cognitive and symbolic exploration (Rivera, 2009). Fein (1985) examples the powerful creative component of play; however, the author also upholds play’s vital contribution to the development of language, memory, and problem solving (Galvez-Martin, 1997). A majority of modern education is defined by a rule-oriented realism in which play is, at best, compartmentalized. In 1987, Bergen contended that empowering academic achievement and cognitive capacity required the introduction and encouragement of play, stating that mastery of such skills would result in more sophisticated problem-solving and ingenuity. Play is a realm that fosters more in-depth understanding of environment, interpretation, and response; this definition speaks to the individual play perspective. However, there is also a social sphere wherein groups participate in this same development but through social role-playing and collaboration (Stokes-Guinan, 2009). As toys act as symbols, they can be insightfully used to teach fundamental principles and reinforce factual comprehension (O’Brien, 1993; Galvez-Martin, 1997). In any activity where mastery is the intended goal, play is the means for reaching this destination (Rivera, 2009). A wealth of perspectives on defining play and its impact exist; however, researchers have reached consensus on the integral importance of play in early childhood development and education programs using the theoretical foundations of Piaget (1962) and Vygotsky (1978). Each of the quoted authors cites various researchers, programs, and theorists in the goal of substantiating play as a plausible method for educational outcomes. The largest points of contention concern the definition of play and the exact cognitive connections. For example, Piaget’s (1962) assimilation theory does not necessarily equate to Vgotsky’s (1978) theory of cognitive development (Fox, n. d. ). While these divergences exist, there is little debate concerning the fundamental importance of play as the majority of researchers corroborate the vital need for play as a crucial framework for childhood education. Another point of divergence is the practical application of play in the classroom. The researchers offer a wealth of methods yet fail to construct a best practices model for play program development in elementary education. Furthermore, measuring the outcomes of these programs is a difficult task as it is challenging to isolate variables and validate causation. There are an extensive number of factors engaged in the creation of play programs, including government, administrator, educator, parent, and student influence and involvement. The necessity in research is to move beyond these limitations and reliance on theory, reaching empirically-based evidence for the use of play programs in public and private education forums. This is a difficult task for the academic research community. The theoretical framework for logically grasping the importance and role of play in learning is rooted in qualitative measures of study, exampled by surveys, observations, and other perception analyses. There are ways of comparing educational outcomes using strict tactics of methods separation to delineate the most effective techniques by their correlating outcomes; but again, it is important to highlight that the primary causation remains elusive as each child’s learning style, capacity, and conditioning are uniquely derived and affecting. Therefore, research in this field is likely to continue it trajectory of working from a sound theory context by aligning educational tactics to fit this construct. Method Participants The Virginia Beach School District has a total of seven schools (public and private) who have some form of official play program currently in place. The focus of this study is in detailing the success of implemented programs that have been operating these programs for a minimum of two years. In meeting this criterion, two schools were eliminated as possibilities and another denied an offer of participation through omission of response. Therefore, the survey sample population was reduced to four school groups, two private and two public, who qualified and accepted study inclusion. Prior to receiving the survey, each of the four school groups were contacted and the purpose of the study was discussed with the administration. After receiving agreement to allow their programs to be evaluated for this project, the participating staff received a preliminary email explaining the process and intent of the study which is to gain more in-depth understanding of factors that contribute to and factors that harm play program success. Administrators and educators were encouraged to submit any questions or concerns in response to the email; however, no further clarification was needed. Initial confirmation was received from 29 faculty members; but this number decreased to 27 as the final count of total survey completion upon commencement of the survey process. The sample qualifies as random in that the researcher set the criteria of the study population and both the schools and the staff members then determined participation voluntarily. Instruments The study instruments are two-fold. The first and major source of data collection is the play program questionnaire. The questionnaire includes a number of areas pertinent to further understanding the construct of the play programs, the participant or leaders backgrounds, the makeup of the professional and student body, and the perceived outcomes of the play program implementation. Additionally, respondents were asked to communicate in open-ended question format for a number of items to gain more specific feedback regarding their program achievements and pitfalls. The second arm of analysis is the on-site visitation and observation. Each of the four schools allowed the researcher to sit in on play program class times. This observation relies on the researcher’s perception and evaluation. In preparation for the analysis, an observation format checklist and focal point document was created to guide the researcher. Particular attention was directed at classroom engagement, learning outcomes, student interactivity, faculty attitudes, play duration, and play activities. The observation period additionally acts as an open-ended question response as the researcher aimed to incorporate as much information as possible regarding the design, delivery, and success of these individual programs. During this day period, the researcher optimized any opportunity for individual discussion with faculty members. Given the age of the students, it was determined unnecessary to include them in the evaluation at this time other than observing their perceived connection, response, and learning during the play period. Each program differed greatly; therefore, the researcher, after meeting the written document guide points of consideration, recorded observations freely in an attempt to eliminate preconceived analysis or areas of importance. Process The survey invitations were sent out on the same day; seven days after this, each of the five possible candidate schools were contacted via telephone. During this call, the researcher spoke to the Principle or Program Director. Within three days, four of the five candidates confirmed their commitment to the project, understanding the survey and the observation period framework of the study. The fifth institution was contacted twice more; however, after failing to obtain confirmation, the school was eliminated from participation. The questionnaire was then sent out to a total of 29 potential respondents who were identified by the school administrators as having direct involvement in the play program although in varying degrees. Participants received the survey via email at their school accounts. The questionnaires were then either mailed or emailed to the researcher. Within a ten-day period, 27 questionnaires were received and two administrators reported they were no longer involved significantly in the programs and could not honestly add to the survey. Upon receipt of the results, using the devised coding system, the researcher recorded replies in the research database. The surveys protected anonymity; the only identifying factor was the institution. The purpose of this distinction was for comparison of institutions as well as the difference between private and public school programs. After each of the surveys was properly coded, the observation period was conducted. Unfortunately, given each school’s constraints in procedure, it was impossible to replicate the observation at each of the schools. For example, School A included a four-hour total observation of the play program activities, five brief staff interviews, and a one hour interview session with the Play Program Director. School B’s observation was solely comprised of three hours of direct program observation. Each of the observation periods allowed for total checklist completion; however, the results were undeniably weaker in those periods where the researcher was not able to conduct interviews. After completion of the four observations, the researcher then applied a similar coding structure and documented these results in the study database. Patterns and insights were recorded as well. Interview responses were compartmentalized, coded, and quoted according to the devised system and to the perceived importance of input or reply. Results were then compiled and analyzed as outlined in the data analysis. During this procedure, the researcher identified patterns of similarity and differentiation as well as exacted a number of factors that seemed to have little relevance given the diversity of the results. Issues and Considerations The selection of the survey method is due mainly to ease of use, time constraints, and cost limitations; however, the questionnaire also aligns with study intention in its qualitative efforts of delineating factors of successful play programs. The survey structure also allows for a flexibility in data analysis as the results facilitate multivariate assessment. The standardization of the survey further provides an economy of analysis as the researcher determines the questions, and responses to be asked, recorded, coded, and analyzed. The disadvantages of this method of data collection are primarily linked to the study’s limited capacity for analysis through more scientific and mathematic modes of date correlation. Another consideration is the weakened validity of these results given the reliance on close-ended questions. The greatest area of concern, however, is both the human element of the respondents and the researcher. Reporting accuracy is difficult to ascertain and may be largely dependent upon circumstances, attitudes, and beliefs that have no direct connection to the program or study direction. The primary challenges included properly coding responses and determining study significance. In asserting correlations or points of interest, the researcher is met with questions of causation. The survey results yield useful information regarding play program design, delivery, assessment, and improvement; however, the reliance on qualitative data undermines the validity and generalization of the study. Instead, the study reveals a strong comparison within this small sample population but lacks quantitative empirical support through student performance assessments and comparison to prior to and following play program introduction. Understanding the realistic perimeters of the study is necessary for comprehending the actual and applicable usage of the results. For the participating institutions, the study builds a solid foundation for present and future objectives by taking the temperature of the current program faculty and educator perceptions. This microcosm perspective may be applied to other school districts where researchers seek similar comparison. On the macrocosmic scale, the results are guideposts in play program implementation and suggest future avenues of study in this field. Anonymity did not prove to be an ethical necessity for this study. Participants were willing and open to interdepartmental discussion; 85% of respondents included their names despite the lack of request. Data security was therefore unsubstantiated in this study sample. Despite the limitations of the questionnaire, the method of study aligns with research intent. Acknowledging analysis barriers offers a lens for grasping the integrity of the results as well as in understanding the importance of the human element in any organization initiative. With this clarity of mind, the study reveals useful data for the play program community as a whole. Data Analysis Data analysis is the process of data evaluation in which data is logically and mathematically deconstructed. In this project, the data was collected from the selected sample populations which consisted of both public and private primary education sites. In total, 27 participants committed to the project. Data preparation in this process involved logging the survey results, checking for accuracy, entering the data into the computer system, and developing a document database structure for examining various data measures and outcomes. Along with the survey, the researcher conducted four on-site observation periods, which included discussions with administrators and educators concerning student progress and implication. This data source serves to create a more comprehensive context for data and program comparison. The data collection is fundamentally qualitative. The main body of data collection is the questionnaire, which predominantly contains Likert scale reporting, short answer input, short response, and short answer questions. The first portion of the questionnaire collects demographic data relaying the respondents’ personal and professional history. This data was recorded and analyzed as it correlates with the specific play programs in question and the sample segment as a whole. Teacher age, education, sex, language fluency, race, profession, experience, and subject are outlined in this section and are analyzed for correlations, dependences, and relationships. The compilation of this raw data was used in relation to the Likert scale results to identify underlying trends, similarities, or dissimilarities in the reporting. The classroom portion is additionally intended to assist the researcher in differentiating results and relationships. The Diversity Item grouping allows the respondent to give more detailed observations of the student group and the diversity of the student make-up. This information may prove useful is comparing play program design and outcomes in accordance with student body profiles. Following this section, the questionnaire moves into the specific element breakdowns in the play curriculum. These ratings and measures provided the framework in which all other gathered data was integrated, compartmentalized, and correlated. Finally, the last part of the questionnaire provides space for personal reflection and response in open-ended answer format. The researcher has to use judgment in the identification and evidencing of the significance of these similarities; coded interview process was utilized, but the researcher is paramount in this stage of evaluation given the heavy reliance on personal perception and data interpretation. This questionnaire is a hand-written response format. Therefore, checking for accuracy is necessary part of the data review process. Major concerns are: legibility, complete response, and answer quality. Scale totals and categories will then be established to quantify survey results. In analyzing the data inputs, the researcher uses both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics are employed to directly describe what the data shows whereas inferential statistics aim to intelligently reach conclusions existing outside of this base reading of the data. Univariate analysis is central as single variables will be compared across the section using: distribution and central tendency; dispersion and standard variation will not be used for this study. Simple distribution lists each variable value and the respondent number or percentage. Central tendency includes the three major types of estimates of: mean, median, and mode. Using inferential statistics, the researcher will simply compare different group segments performance outcomes and offer conclusions and recommendations based on these measurements. This discussion will incorporate the administrator and educator responses, in hopes of determining how play programs designs, outcomes, and perspectives can be maximized according to class, teacher, and institution profiles. Results The survey results were successfully collected from 27 respondents in 4 school groups (Table 1). The private school groups are divided into Group A and Group B while the public schools are denoted as Group C and Group D. Group A consists of a total of 6 participants – four educators and two administrators. Group B consists of 9 participants – 6 educators and 3 administrators. In total, the Private School Group (PRSG) is comprised of 10 educators and 5 administrators. Group C consists of 8 participants – 5 educators and 3 administrators while Group D consists of 4 respondents, all of which are educators. In total, the Public School Group (PUSG) is comprised of 12 participants – 9 educators and 3 administrators. Logically, the educator class had greater representation due to the fact that this group is simply larger and responsible for implementing the programs within the schools; however, little information is derived concerning the degree of authority and influence yielded by these different sects. It seems practical that the administration would have a larger affect on bureaucratic measures such as funding while the educator sect is of greater impact on actual student outcomes. It is necessary for future research to examine the weight of these different groups to generate more accurate analysis of the results. Approximately 78% of all survey respondents were female; the 22% (6) male group all fell into the administrative categorization, 50% of which (3) were employed within the public school sector. However, this gender representation does not reflect the entire school faculty community but speaks only of the play program participants. As such, we conclude that play program implementation in this population is female driven. The demographic profile of the groups did not reveal any significant correlations to the data in terms of race in relation to the play program outcomes; however, it is interesting to note that the PRSG was predominantly Caucasian. In Group A, 83% (5) identified as White and one member identified as Hispanic. In Group B, 78% (7) were Caucasian and two respondents were African-American. The PRSG is therefore 80% White. In the PUSG, the racial profile was more diversified. In Group C, 3 (37%) were Caucasian, 3 (37%) were African-American, and 2 (25%) were Hispanic. In Group D, 2 (50%) were Caucasian, 1 (25%) was African-American and 1 (25%) was Asian-American. In total, PUSG is racially divided as: 5 (42%) were Caucasian, 4 (33%) were African-American, 2 (17%) were Hispanic, and 1 (8%) were Asian-American. The total survey race demographic is summarized in Table 2. Analysis did not reveal any significance difference in program outcome report and demographics. Again, the most relevant information is the lack of male representation and the lack of racial differentiation within the play programs, especially within the private school sector. However, further inquiry into each school’s total demographic makeup shows that there is no need for concern regarding play program disparity as the numbers are within range in reference to race. This point is not true when investigating gender. For example, in Groups A, B, and D, the total institutional presence of male educators and administrators was higher than the presence of male participation in the play program; for Group C, the gender split was relatively similar in total. All of the play program respondents taught between the 1st and 3rd grade range. Group B reported the greatest number of years in both the school system and the particular school of study, ranking them as the first in regards to experience and play program delivery duration. Group A’s program has been active for 2 school years. Group B’s program is 5 years old. Group C has 3 years and Group D estimates 4 years, however, the respondents do not have a clearly articulated program and have instead been trying to apply the theories to their lesson plans. The results demonstrate that each school was significantly different than the others in play program approach. The study is limited in that the particular differences are not clearly defined. Therefore, each school will be examined separately prior to making conclusive remarks about the play programs. Group A The play program has been active for two years. The program has a total of 4 educator participants with students ranging between 1st and 3rd grades. The 6 respondents indicated an average program satisfaction score of 6. The educators reported significantly lower ratings regarding the organization’s prioritization of the program and a low (4) average rating of the program’s improvement since inception. The administrators, however, were more highly satisfied, reporting an average rating of 8 for overall program satisfaction and a score of 7 for program prioritization. The educators and administrators were largely in agreement with the clarity of the program’s expectations. The following factors were rated as poor to fair by the educators, suggesting the source causes of this disconnect in program perception: 1) Administrator Involvement, 2) Student Learning, 3) Student Feedback, 4) Student Outcomes, and 5) Curriculum Depth. Therefore, the educator consensus was that the program was of fair benefit to the students but the effectiveness was rated as poor amongst the team. There was some differentiation of opinion amongst the two administrator respondents with one reporting that Program Achievements were excellent and the other rating these as satisfactory; however, the more useful data came from the educators who mirrored each others’ discontent. The three primary obstacle identified by the participants were: 1) funding, 2) time for planning, and 3) administration support. The short answer component revealed that the educator team was dissatisfied by the time and resources allotted to the program, stating that they were unable to successfully integrate their ideas and knowledge due to the lack of administrator support and access to needed resources. The observation period demonstrated that the program was not strongly structured. Instead, the educators loosely integrated periods of play throughout their instruction. The largest observed block of consistent time was 15 minutes and the educator did not have a curriculum guiding the process. Students were allowed to free play under the theme of letters. Some students (2nd grade) took turns acting out letters while others colored pictures and seemed to wander throughout the room. However, after this period was finished, the students did appear better able to focus on their studies. The interviews portion further outlined a division between the administration and the staff. It was evident that clear sides had been drawn although the administration was not aware of the degree of teacher dissatisfaction. Both of the administrators were male. In speaking of the play program, the language used centered on the connecting the program to the school’s overall superiority to the public school system. The educators were more interested specifically in the outcomes of the play program and required assistance with design and delivery of the program. The loosely appointed director of the program had only 3 years experience, most of which was in play program theory; her reported comfort level was a 6. In interview, she stated, â€Å"I don’t really know how to connect play to our curriculum. It is hard to balance my daily duties and research†¦. I really could use some more help. † Group B Group B had the longest running program at 5 years. Survey participants’ responses to the likert scale ratings were consistently close, depicting cohesion in performance, vision, and perception. This group reported the highest years of experience as well as the highest levels of comfort, affect, prioritization, and satisfaction. The program specifically focused on 3rd grade students. In observation, the team was highly structured in their intention and structuring of play activities. For example, one class spent an entire hour and a half period engaged in dramatic theater as part of their study of significant Americans. The teacher had devised a game where each of the students was given a role to play and allowed time to research their role/character as well as to dress in costume. The students were then invited to a party where they acted their parts as they interacted with each other. After this period, the class guessed what each student was acting. On every category, the program was rated in the Good to Excellent range by all participants. The survey showed that 7 of the team members had been involved since the program’s launch and the other 2 had at least one year’s background of active play theory experience in their prior employment institutions. The survey concluded a unanimous report of â€Å"Excellent† across the organizational team on the categories of: 1) Integration with Core Curriculum, 2) Administrator, Teacher, and Student Involvement, 3) Student Engagement, 4) Benefit to Students, 5) Program Outcomes, 6) Usefulness, and 7) Effectiveness. Additionally, the program was rated above an 8 by all participants on the topics of: 1) improvement since program launch, 2) personal involvement with the program, 3) confidence in implementation, and 4) overall experience with the program. The only significant point of dissatisfaction relates to Parent Involvement with 78% of respondents rating this item as poor to satisfactory. This factor was similarly reported as a means of improving the program’s effectiveness. The top three enhancement strategies were (in order of importance): 1) Increased Parent Involvement/Funding, 2) Access to Experts, and 3) Professional Development Courses. The core components of the program were collaboration, innovation, and accountability. Furthermore, seven of the nine participants state that the most significant point for integrating a successful play program is â€Å"Collaboration between the administration and educator team. † This finding is significant especially in comparison to Group A results and observation where this disconnect is having impact on the program’s performance and perceptions. Group C This group was the most diverse in opinion. The average rating for overall experience with the program was a 6; however, the mean rating was a 7. Approximately 60% stated they had clear expectations of the program’s expectations and initiatives; but the remaining three participants had barely any knowledge whatsoever (1 to 3). Similarly, these respondents reported significantly low confidence scores and personal involvement. On the remaining items of the test, the rater spread was such that little data could be meaningfully connected to the scores; instead, there was a wide variety of experience and opinion expressed. When analyzing the minority survey results, a few arguable consistencies were traced. The first was a general agreement that funding was the primary hurdle to the play program; additionally, these teachers tended to remark that the administration was disconnected from the student’s needs and more concerned with test scores and other performance outcome measures. The Caucasian teachers had a different perspective on the underlying problems facing program improvement; all 3 stated that a lack of parent involvement was a major disruption to program progress. The most interesting aspect of this group’s outcome was the prevalence of general agreement on the total benefit to students that held both an average and mean rating of Excellent. The three participants who reported a lack of confidence did not fail to see the benefit provided to the students. During observation, it became clear that the program participants took relaxed approach and the students were moderately to highly engaged in the activities. The student’s appeared to be â€Å"having fun;† the issue of consideration is the degree to which learning is measurably promoted in this relaxed environment. The average overall rating of 6 was connected to ratings of poor to fair in the categories of Program Design, Play Time Allotment, and Curriculum Depth. During interview, one administrator stated, â€Å"The play program allows the opportunity for the students to interact with one another and build learning relationships. † The phrase â€Å"learning relationships† was echoed in both the observation and the survey. When asked to define this concept, one educator summarized, â€Å"The learning relationship creates a social bonding experience for the earner and the educator; the students and the staff become more comfortable sharing through learning. † Another educator exampled this concept, stating that â€Å"her kids†¦openly discuss their challenges and interest† which leads to â€Å"group problem-solving† and â€Å"strong social support in the classroom. † Group D Group D is characterized by the small size of the play program team. The fo ur members, all educators, estimated four years total program implementation and generally remarked that the had been working together to integrate the theories and suggestions into their lesson plans. The lack of administrator involvement, according to the team, did not hinder their performance outcomes. Instead, the participants were strongly aligned in their survey responses. This cohesion advantaged the team. The members worked collaboratively to select and design play activities. These were then modified to fit instructor needs. The teacher’s kept journals tracking their personal observations of the effectiveness of specific activities, even using student feedback (voting) to rate the most enjoyed activities. The teachers also employed learning outcome quizzes to determine the degree of learning retention. Over the four-year period, the teachers concluded that their learning outcomes had improved by 70%, suggesting that these improvements were due to increased experience and understanding in how to effectively use play as a consistent component of a learning environment. The three key point for play program success were noted as: 1) Group Cohesion, 2) Preparation, and 3) Educator Autonomy. The teachers also supplied previous grades and reports as evidence that student performance and involvement had improved since the program’s launch. The observation period revealed that the consistency of the group was integral to determining how to best evolve the program. The teachers also reported experimenting with teacher switch and student led activities as means for spurring interest. The team also used activity split tactics to determine the best approach. In doing so, the group would decide on an activity and possible delivery methods and engagement techniques, selecting the believed best means of teaching from this pool. Two of the educators would represent the first approach and the remaining two would follow the second; there experience and data would then be shared. This team was highly organized. The administration had little input regarding the program design or operation; instead, the school’s principal commented during interview that the teachers were of the highest caliber and that both parents and students where in complete agreement. The teacher’s largest statement of need was funding. They all stated that they could enhance the program and outcomes with revenue backing and expressed a desire to bring it to a school-wide and even district-wide level after they had conclusive evidence of an effective standard program that could work with their curriculum. Discussion: Use and Limitations The survey and observation results help guide play program participants in establishing and monitoring their programs. Each of the four groups studied showed promising educational outcomes; the majority of the discrepancy in reporting is due to individual perceptions regarding how to best oversee the program’s facilitation. The survey results did not yield any conclusive data regarding play program or theory as a whole. Instead, the study in totality exposed some of the trials of program implementations and sustainability. The most significant factors in program success are cohesion, preparation, administrative support, and planned activities. This level of integration is supported in survey consensus and observation reporting. Additionally, each of the studied institutions found their program specific results to be helpful and plan on utilizing the data to drive program changes and generate support. The study is limited in its scope and validity. Likert scaling is built on a bipolar scaling method, based on a range of positive and negative responses. In using this method, the respondents must characterize the variable in question as the questionnaire does not allow for neutral responses. Additionally, the use of a ratings model creates a more broad range of clarification. However, the inherent problems of both methods are in their reliance on the respondents’ perceptions that may be affected by bias, mood, and other external factors that are inappropriate indicators of the play programs’ actual performance. Unfortunately, this ordinal data ystem combines intensity scaled questions, ranking systems, and open-ended questions. Survey reliability is difficult to measure given the sample size and the individual involvement in the development and implementation of the play program. Survey validity is arguably strong given the internal validity achieved in measuring both the educator and administrator participants in each programs’ team. However, external validity is limited. Instead, the results can be used to illu minate play program design challenges and potentialities. The results should also be evaluated from the perspective of construct validity, criterion validity, and predictive validity if the desire is to expand the survey beyond this initial pilot play program measurement approach. This is impractical at this stage of research. Achieving a higher response rate can strengthen reliability. The advantages of the survey include versatility and simplicity. Standard survey challenges of disbursement and collection are overridden by the scale and size of the sample population as well as by the predetermined commitment. As previously stated, the size and specificity of the sample population renders the results not generalizable to the greater population; however, this does not negate the importance of the survey as a contribution to the field of education. The data analysis reveals the following within the sample population: core components of successful play programs, potential diversity impacts on play programs and outcomes, avenues for program improvement, and overall play program satisfaction. Causation remains a hurdle; however, the study does reveal useful data to help guide schools in play program implementation. None of programs surveyed integrated technology into their programs. This may be a necessary direction to pursue considering the changing climate of the educational landscape. There is a strong need for more comprehensive research on this topic to better support future generations of educators in addressing student body learning needs. References: Annetta, L. , Mangrum, J. , Holmes, S. , Collazo, K. , & Cheng, M. (2009). Bridging Realty to Virtual Reality: Investigating gender effect and student engagement on learning through video game play in an elementary school classroom. International Journal of Science Education, 31(8), 1091-1113. doi:10. 1080/09500690801968656 Bergen, D. (1987). Play as a medium for learning and development: A handbook of theory and practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Fox, J. (n. d. ). Back-to-basics: Play in early childhood. In Early Childhood News. Retrieved from http://www. earlychildhoodnews. com/ Galvez-Martin, M. E. (1997, November 20). How to teach social studies with toys. In The Ohio State University. Hymes, J. L. (1981). Teaching children under six. Columbus, OH: Merrill. Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and psychology. New York, NY: Norton. Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams, and imitation in childhood. New York, NY: Norton. Rivera, M. (2009). The Powerful Effect of Play in a Child's Education. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 75(2), 50-52. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Smith, K. , & McKnight, K. S. (2009). Remembering to Laugh and Explore: Improvisational Activities for Literacy Teaching in Urban Classrooms. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 10(12), Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Stokes-Guinan, K. (2009, October). Child's play: Why increasing opportunities to play and be active may improve students' academic and physical outcomes. In Gardner Center. Retrieved from gardnercenter. stanford. edu/docs/Lit-Review_PlayWorks_091027. pdf Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher educational processes (14thth ed. ). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Zygmunt-Fillwalk, E. , & Bilello, T. E. (2005). Parents' victory in reclaiming recess for their children. Childhood Education (Fall), 19-23. Appendices: Table 1. Total Respondents Breakdown |GROUP |Educator # |Administrator # |Total | |A |4 (67%) |2 (33%) |6 | |B |6 (67%) |3 (33%) |9 | |Private |10 (67%) |5 (33%) |15 | C |5 (63%) |3 (37%) |8 | |D |4 (100%) |0 |4 | |Public |9 (75%) |3 (25%) |12 | |TOTAL |19 (70%) |8 (30%) |27 | Table 2. Survey Race and Gender Demographic Breakdown |Group |White |Black |Hispanic |Asian |Male |Female | |PUSG |5 |4 |2 |1 |3 |9 | |Total |17 (63%) |6 (22%) |3 (11%) |1 (4%) |6 (22%) |21 (78%) | Table 3. Top Suggested Improvements for Play Program Effectiveness Top 5 Suggested Improvements for Play Program Effectiveness | |Reported Item: |Reported PRSG Percentage: |Reported PSUG Percentage: | |â€Å"Cohesion/Collaboration† |87% |58% | |â€Å"Administrative Support† |73% |58% | |â€Å"Preparation† |53% |75% | |â€Å"Activities Planning† |47% |66% | |â€Å"Parent Involvement† |47% |50% | Appendix 1. The Play Curriculum Teacher Questionnaire About the Questionnaire The purpose of this questionnaire is to examine the theoretical and practical importance of play in the education environment and curriculum. You have been selected to participate due to your employment in an educational organizational that currently promotes and integrates play integration. Your feedback and observations are essential to determining the present efficacy of play in a primary educational atmosphere. Thank you in advance for your honest contribution. We ask that you answer each question to the best of your ability. Any additional comments, perceptions, or information can be sent back along with the completed questionnaire; however, please refrain form attaching these resources to the actual questionnaire. We assure you that all data and input will be reviewed. Anonymity For the purpose of these results, all administrator and educator names will be protected to safeguard students, school programs, and respondents. School and Professional Background: 1. Name of School: 2. Position at School: 3. Age:years old 4. Educational Background: Last level of Education Completed: Degree Received: 5. Sex: Male or Female (circle one) 6. Languages Spoken (list primary first): 7. Race/Ethnicity: 8. How long have you been working at this particular school? ______ days/months/years Within the education system? _______days/months/years 9. If you are an educator, what subjects do you teach? 10. What grade levels do you teach? 11. If you are an administrator, what are your primary functions within the school? Classroom Profile 1. Number of students total: 2. Gender ratio (Male:Female): ____:____ 3. Age range of students: _____years old to _____years old 4. Number of special education students: Classroom Diversity Assessment: DIVERSITY ITEM Very Somewhat Neutral Little None Racial |( |( |( |( |( | |Gender |( |( |( |( |( | |Learning Abilities |( |( |( |( |( | |Learning Styles |( |( |( |( |( | |Socioeconomic Backgrounds |( |( |( |( |( | Play Curriculum Assessment 1. How long has your institution been formally integrating play into the curriculum? ______days/months/years 2. How much experience do you personally have with implementing and evaluating play program outcomes? ______days/months/years 3. Please rate your Play Theory knowledge on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 minimal, 10 great): 4. Please rate your Play comfort (1 to 10): 5. Rate your satisfaction with your organization’s play program as is (1 to 10): 6. Rate your satisfaction with your organization’s play program progress since inception (1 to 10): 7. How much time per day is devoted to the play program? 8. Time per week? 9. What are the number of staff involved in the Play Program: 10. Rate the organization’s prioritization of the program (1 to 10): 11. Rate your performance in relation to the program (1 to 10): 12. Rate your improvement since the program launched (1 to 10): 13. Rate your ability to comprehend program expectations and initiatives (1 to 10): 14. Rate your personal involvement with the program (1 to 10): 15. Rate your confidence in implementing the program within your class (1 to 10): 16. Rate your overall experience with the program (1 being poor and 10 being excellent): Please rate the following items within the context of your organization’s play program. Insert Heading if Required |Poor |Fair |Satisfactory |Good |Excellent | |1. Program Design |( |( |( |( |( | |2. Play Time Allotment |( |( |( |( |( | |3. Integration w/ Core Curriculum |( |( |( |( |( | |4. Aministrator Involvement |( |( |( |( |( | |5. Administrator Feedback |( |( |( |( |( | |Teacher Involvement |( |( |( |( |( | |Teacher Feedback |( |( |( |( |( | |Program Monitoring |( |( |( |( |( | |Student Learning |( |( |( |( |( | Student Improvement |( |( |( |( |( | |Student Engagement |( |( |( |( |( | |Student Feedback |( |( |( |( |( | |Student Outcomes |( |( |( |( |( | |Parent Involvement |( |( |( |( |( | |Parent Feedback ( |( |( |( |( | |Curriculum Engagement |( |( |( |( |( | |Curriculum Depth |( |( |( |( |( | |Participants Cohesion |( |( |( |( |( | | | | | | | | OVERALL PROGRAM ASSESSMENT: |1. Benefit to Students |( |( |( |( |( | |2. Program Implementation |( |( |( |( |( | |3. Play Time |( |( |( |( |( | |4. Program Achievements |( |( |( |( |( | |5. Program Outcomes |( |( |( |( |( | |Usefulness |( |( |( |( |( | |Effectiveness |( |( |( |( |( | Please briefly delineate the core components of your program: Please briefly identify major obstacles (i. e. administrative support, funding, etc. ): Please briefly comment on your observations regarding student participation and benefit: Please briefly explain your conclusions regarding the effectiveness of your organization’s play program: Offer 5 suggested improvements or changes that would make the play program more effective: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. List three key points for successfully integrating a play program: 1. 2. 3. Please use the below space to include any additional comments you feel necessary to provide a comprehensive and accurate understanding of play programs integration and implementation: