Explore the way Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks present the physical and mental suffering of soldiers in the First World War Essay Example

Explore the way Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks present the physical and mental suffering of soldiers in the First World War Essay Both Sebastian Faulks in his novel Birdsong and Wilfred Owen present suffering in soldiers fighting in the First World War in both physical and psychological ways. They present the discomforts that came from everyday living conditions in the trenches, they both present the serious physical injuries produced by the war and the haunting effect this has on them in the short and long term. Both writers present these things in a vivid and poignant style. The living conditions in the trenches were extremely poor, wet weather led to men living in deep mud and contracting trench foot. The soldiers in the trenches would have had to live with constant shellfire; this could result in shell shock where the untiring bombardment had worn away their nerves to the point of insanity. We can see an example of this in Birdsong when Faulks is talking about the spasmodic explosion of shells. We can see from the use of language here that Faulks relates to the shelling as insanity. As if the spasmodic explosions are not only the explosions but also fits of the men themselves. Owen also talks about the effects of shelling in his poetry. We can see an example of this in Dulce Et Decorum Est when Owen talks about an attack; stating; Deaf even to the hoots, of gas-shells dropping softly behind We will write a custom essay sample on Explore the way Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks present the physical and mental suffering of soldiers in the First World War specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Explore the way Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks present the physical and mental suffering of soldiers in the First World War specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Explore the way Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks present the physical and mental suffering of soldiers in the First World War specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Owens use of the word deaf brings a sense of irony to his writing. It shows that the incessant shelling has destroyed them emotionally and physically as if there exposure to war has dulled their senses. Both writers present fatigue in their works. The character Jack Firebrace is marching: Twice he jerked awake, realizing he had been walking in his sleep. Wilfred Owen presents a very similar incident in the poem Dulcà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ et decorum est: Men marched asleep All went lame, all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf. It appears that the exhausting life they lead has dulled their usual senses to the extent of seeming intoxication. This is shown again in Birdsong with a description of the character Wrayford: His movements had a dreamlike quality, as though the air about him were very thick and had to be pushed slowly back. Faulks also presents the unclean lifestyle they were living; He thought of the stench of his clothes and the immovable lice among the seams. Wilfred Owen also comments on the environment theyre in: frost will fasten on this mud and us, shrivelling many hands, puckering foreheads crisp (from the poem Exposure). Faulks and Owen present serious physical harm in a particularly graphic way, presumably to inform the reader of the severity of the situation the soldiers were in. They both write about victims of gas attack, they write about their injuries in detail. The effect of the gas seems to be that of burning or quickly dissolving the flesh that comes into contact with it. In Dulcà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ et decorum est; And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, his hanging face like a devils sick of sin blood came gargling from the froth corrupted lungs. Whereas Owen uses a simile to describe the extent of injury sustained, Faulks uses a straightforward comparison; he is clinical in his descriptions. Faulks writes about gas victims in a French hospital; when they unplugged his dressings, fluid leapt from his flesh His body was decomposing as he lay there, like those who hung on the wire going from red to black before they crumbled into earth leaving septic spores. They seem to want to sicken the rea der into realisation and its very effective. Sebastian Faulks produces some of the most disturbing physical situations imaginable; Brennan anxiously stripping a torso with no head. He clasped it with both hands, dragged legless up from the crater, his fingers vanishing into buttered green flesh. It was his brother. Faulks often writes about physical injuries sustained with such an obvious style but apart from in Dulcà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ et decorum est Owen tends not to. This could be because Owen had actually seen such horrific scenes and had become less sensitive to them. The physical destruction may have become less significant and so he did not include it in his poems. Or perhaps he repressed gory memories and subconsciously avoided writing about them. Owen also writes of long-term injuries being sustained but is generally much less graphic and makes the same point in a subtler way. In the poem Disabled Owen describes how a soldier has been so seriously injured that he shall never regain good health: Hes lost his colour very far from here, poured it down shell-holes till the veins ran dry. If Faulks wished to convey the intensity of an injury sustained hed be more likely to write he thought of the hole in Douglass shoulder where he had pressed his hand through almost to the lung. Owen seems to be a more creative and subtle writer whereas Faulks seems more obvious and graphic. This might come about merely because Faulks is writing a novel and Owen poetry. Owen might have to be more creative to convey the same meaning in fewer words. Poetry being a condensed emotional form of language. He uses metaphors and similes to help us understand without explaining every detail. However Faulks does not have to be as creative and isnt as he wrote a five hundred and three page novel. To live under the extreme circumstances that the soldiers do both writers explain that the soldiers build up psychological defences. The ability is grown to numb their emotions and adapt so as to be able to cope with seeing the death of men everyday, some of which were friends. Faulks explains how the process might happen using his character Stephen Wrayford as an example he watched the machine gunners pouring bullets into the lines of advancing Germans as though there was no longer any value accorded to a more human life He grew used to the sight and smell of torn human flesh. Owen describes much the same thing himself, though once again without the need of graphic descriptions; Dullness best solves the tease and doubt of shelling Their hearts remain small-drawn. Can laugh among the dying concerned. Nor sad, nor proud, nor curious at all By choice they made themselves immune. (from the poem Insensibility). Faulks wrote a prime example of this insensibility: A boy lay without legs wh ere the men took their tea from the cooker. They stepped over him. If the soldiers do not build up some emotional defence mechanism then Faulks and Owen show that the soldiers cannot handle stress and it leads to emotional breakdowns. Owen tried to describe what this breakdown/madness is in The Chances; wounded, killed and prisner, all the lot, the bloody lot all rolled in one. Jims mad. I think he means that to be insane is like being wounded and to be a prisoner of your own mind. They both explain how the haunting scenes send men this way from Birdsong; There was an arm with corporals stripes on it near his feet, but most of the mens bodies had been blown into the moist earth. Owen also reports of the haunting scenes hes seen in Dulcà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ et decorum est; In all my dreams before my helpless sight. He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. Also in the Sentry: Always they must see these things; Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles. Faulks presents one of his characters being haunted. As the character is so tormented his mental state is obviously seriously affected. He spends two years in silence; His life became grey and thin, like a light that at any moment be extinguished; it was filled with quietness. Both writers describe the insanity caused by life at the front line. They describe the disorientated and debilitating symptoms. From the poem Mental Cases: Who are these? Why sit here in twilight? Wherefore rock they drooping tongues from jaws that slobthese are men whos minds the dead have ravished. Faulks also shows the results of these breakdowns in the long term with the character Brennan: Brennan began to talk again, looping from one random recollection to another they put him in the loony bin. They bring me this tea. My brothers good to me though. You should have seen the fireworks'. This being an example of the insane ramblings produced. Faulks presentation of death is obviously far less sensitive than Owenss. The deaths presented in Birdsong appear quick and meaningless whereas Owen shows the opposite, being far romantic and sentimental. Captain Weir is one of the main characters in the novel. We learn of his relationship with his parents, hi sex life, his superstitiousness and his friendship with character Stephen Wrayford. We become intimately acquainted with him. However, his death is presented suddenly and completely without compassion; A snipers bullet entered his head above the eye causing trails of his brain to loop out onto the sandbags of the parados behind him Owen presents death romantically trying to provoke sympathetic feelings. Move him into the sun-, gently its touch awoke him once, At home, whispering of fields unsown(Futility). Owens language coveys a sense of emotional turmoil. By his use of words like gentle he emphasises his emotional sympathy for this mans death, making the body have a sense of fragility. Owen refers to home to heighten the emotional significance and sadness in order to convey the significance of his death. In conclusion, it is my opinion that Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks write quite differently about the suffering of soldiers in the First World War. Owen seems to write more poetically and spiritually. This could be because he knew the people who dyed or were mutilated and so was more sensitive around the subject. Also he was writing poetry so he would have had to convey more sentiment or information in a smaller amount of text. Owen could have been more sentimental because of the closed-off position he was in. Whereas Faulks wrote retrospectively, knowing what happened throughout the war. He wrote more objectively and less personally. Faulks could not relate in the same way and so tends to write more obviously and graphically.

Social Mobility essays

Social Mobility essays In a world where it is hard to get ahead, some people do manage to do it. Most of us spend our lives within our strata in the stratifications system because it is very difficult to move up in the world, as we know it today. While it is quite easy to move down a strata it can also require some effort to just maintain a strata. But for some people, moving up a strata is bound to happen, whether it is a result of structural mobility, or just positional mobility as read about in Chapter 5, they seem able to accomplish a surmountable wall in search of the American dream. Although moving up a strata is very rare in today's society it can be done. A good example is Steve Case, a CEO for America Online, who happens to be the subject of a Newsweek article called Case Study by Jared Sandberg. Steve Case grew up with his family in Honolulu in part of the old white Anglo establishment. Some of his earliest marketing experiments included the Case Company in which he used his paper route to gain access to his neighbors' houses so he could sell them anything from seeds, to personalized Christmas cards. In college he kept it up with anything for limos to rock concert tickets. Now he is CEO for one of the World's largest Internet access companies while it deals with Time-Warner in a possible merger of the two companies. Making him worth an estimated $1.4 billion. Social mobility is defined as movement through the stratification system, particularly as a result of changes in occupation, wealth or income. There are two types of social mobility; there is intergenerational mobility and intragenerational mobility. In this article over Steve Case, his is a case of intragenerational mobility, because it has happened within his lifetime, as defined by the definition of intragenerational mobility. Steve Case obtained his strata jump as a result of both structural mobility and positional mobility. Structural mobi ...

Key elements from the philosophies of Hegel and Husserl Essay

Key elements from the philosophies of Hegel and Husserl - Essay Example According to existentialism, existence comes before the essence of life. Hegel was also of the same opinion albeit he put forth certain conditions or situations when human beings have this kind of free will. According to his ‘Philosophy of Right’, human beings are free to act or decide for themselves only if they are part of any particular system or area concerning the free will. According to Hegel, freedom should not be linked with arbitrariness (doing whatever one pleases). Hegel believes that, â€Å"We are free only when we overcome ‘particularity’ and act ‘universally’ or ‘objectively’, according to the concept of the will† (Wood, 2003). Usually people misinterpret the meaning of freedom; they feel that freedom means nonexistence of hurdles in doing anything of one’s choice. But when we view it with practicality, the situation is somewhat different. on the contrary, Hegel feels that human beings cannot be said to b e free â€Å"unless social institutions provide considerable scope and protection for arbitrary freedom† (Woods, 2003). Another element of Hegel’s philosophy relates to the civil society. Hegel says that human beings are free to decide what work they choose for their livelihood but they cannot completely deny the fact that their actions will not affect the society. It should be a give and take system where individuals contribute towards the society and in turn the society looks after the broader interests of all human beings. Any work that we do indirectly helps the society as a whole; â€Å"As members of this society, individuals have the duty to support themselves through labor which benefits the whole, while civil society as a whole owes each individual the opportunity to labor in a way which provides a secure, respected and self-fulfilling mode of life† (Woods, 2003). Philosophy of Phenomenology Edmund Husserl was the founded the ‘Philosophy of Phenome nology’. He was a mathematician and all his anticipations and explanations were based on mathematic calculations or to be more precise, the inferential system. The motive of Husserl’s Theory of Phenomenology, â€Å"is to study the units of consciousness that the respective speaker presents himself as having – that he gives voice to – in expressing the proposition in question (for instance, while writing a mathematical textbook or giving a lecture)† (Beyer, 2011). Husserl relates the actions of human beings to their perceptions. According to him, it is quite possible that while performing any action, a person is hallucinating. Means that he/she may think he/she is being watched while doing the act. Also, â€Å"from a first-person point of view, one cannot, of course, decide whether in a case of what one takes to be, say, an act of perception one is currently performing, there actually is an object that one is perceptually confronted with† (Be yer, 2011). In Tel Asiado’s words Husserl’s philosophy claims that ‘consciousness is ‘directedness towards an object.’ The mental state and the object of the state exist together in consciousness without implying that there is any ‘material’ object answering to the call† (Asiado, 2009). Husserl’s apprehensions are more towards the doubts on the ‘information about self’ rather than the ‘information about things’. Husserl’s philosophy can be summarized to be â€Å"as both an early direct reference theorist (headword:

If they dont read much Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

If they dont read much - Essay Example ' and the 'Accelerated Reader' program in place, However, these incentive programs have not had the desired effect of turning children into avid and motivated readers. They are on the contrary according to the author, quite 'de-motivating', as also borne out by research on the same subject by Fawson and Moore (1999). Keeping this in mind, the author has offered some suggestions, which teachers could implement should they feel that their struggling readers are not motivated enough by whatever their respective schools are currently doing to motivate the children to read. Some of the suggestions put forth by the author are as follows: - Revisit teacher read aloud practices. The best way of motivating children to read is to read aloud to the class. When elementary grade students were asked what motivated them to read particular texts, the response in most cases was, "My teacher read it in the class". The same response was equally forthcoming when the same question was put to college students. This is very important when one considers that motivation to read declines as students make the transition from elementary to middle school since "students are more oriented to grades, competition, and their own competence than elementary education" (Guthrie and Davis).

How Lack of Education Affects Children in India Research Paper

How Lack of Education Affects Children in India - Research Paper Example Education in India is catered for in most cases by the government through public schools and by private providers under the umbrella of private schools (Chamberlain, 2000). Funding for education, in this case, comes from three distinct sources namely the federal, state and local governments in respective areas. Both Union and state government have control over education in the country with a clear division of roles that are to be performed by each division of the government. Access to basic education is one of the fundamental rights that have been entrenched in the constitution of India where it is clearly stated that every citizen has a right to getting access to quality education in the country. Statistics indicate that for the past two decades, India has made tremendous progress in terms of access to primary education (Chamberlain, 2000). However, there have been areas where access to education has been hindered by several factors that have affected children in one way or the othe r. Despite a lot of developments in areas that of innovation and accessibility, India continues to face several challenges in terms of access to basic education especially to children in remote areas. Research shows that despite continued investment in education, at least 25% of school-age children in India are still illiterate. The government of India has placed a lot of emphasis on primary school education which is popularly referred to as elementary education in India. In an effort to ensure high levels of turnout at elementary levels, the government of India has moved to ensure that child labor in the country has been banned and that no school-age child is left behind.  Ã‚     

Unemployment in Rwanda

Unemployment in Rwanda Rwanda is one of the smallest low income African countries and a post- conflict country that shares boundaries with Uganda in north, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in west, Burundi in south and Tanzania in east, Having emerged from the 1994 genocide and civil conflict and wars which claimed over one million people dead and left the socio-economic infrastructure completely smashed. The country suffered from harsh deficits which includes skilled human capital and this is largely for technical professions (RoR: 2008). According to the 2002 census of Population and Housing, Rwanda`s Population was estimated at 10,4 million and with the population density of 321 persons per square kilometre. The country`s Population grew rapidly from a small size Population of 2 million in 1962 to over 10 million in 2010. The country has a relatively high rate population growth of 2.9% which could carry on the population to sixteen million in the year 2020, if this pace or speed is maintained. The population is predominately young with an average age of about 20 years of old with about 60% of the total population less than 19 years old with significant implications for young people `s unemployment (RoR:2002). The young people in Rwanda represents hope for the future as a resource that holds a big reserve of human energy, and they can play a big role particularly in developing the economy. Rwanda being one of the poorest countries in the world and much of her population is largely dependent on subsistence farming or agriculture in general. The formal industrial and employment is slightly developed and nearly non-existent outside the few larger urban areas basically Kigali main capital city, followed by smaller cities such as Huye, Cyangugu, Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibuye and Rwamagana. Over the past decades ,the youth in Rwanda have depended so much on employment generated by the Public Sector as the sole employer mainly due to ineffective policy framework that would facilitate the processes of generating employment ( RoR: 2005 ). Lack of active government input and facilitation has been one of the top most challenging factors among others. In the process of improving the lives and the standards of the population in Rwanda, the country has embarked on supporting and facilitating the informal sector as a means to generate more employment opportunities to vulnerable people especially the youth and has implemented policies to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other Rural Development Programmes like Vision Umurenge, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) and the Vision 2020 as a framework to achieve the overall development in Rwanda ( RoR: 1999). Rwanda is trying to change from an aid dependent country into a middle income country by developing its human capital with skills in different capacities to enhance employment creation for the entire population which is dominated by the youth. The Government of Rwanda established five year action plan for youth employment promotion and the strategies which is meant to help in developing her human capital by empowering the young people in the labour market so as to get decent jobs (RoR:2008). It is in this regard that, the government has developed a number of vocational training institutions in all five Provinces (that makes up Rwanda) purposely to help the young people to gain certain level of skills to enable them become self-employed and make use of their effort in development. Nicola, (2005), argues that vocational education normally is projected to make young people become self reliant. This supports the argument that vocational education for young people is to become creative with necessary skills that enables them to start their own undertakings. However, many studies in developing countries show numerous constraints in vocational training institutions, a situation whereby vocational training graduates hardly succeed when trying to seek economic activities or create employment, (Haan,2006).Yet the main goal of vocational training institutions is to prepare young people to fit in the labour market. Based on the above views, this will necessitate the researcher to draw attention to the perceptions of the trainees from vocational institutions. The case of Rwanda`s vocational education system which lacks a sound and stable standard setting in place, this has created problems of low quality education that is somewhat not relevant to the current labour market which is competitive and tight as a result of large labour force supply in the country. 1.2 Statement of the problem It is claimed that, young people always consider gaining skills as sole source of solving the unemployment problem for them and it is regarded as a form of transition for them to join the independent life style. Sen.(1997), argues that skills and knowledge can enhance human capability, a situation whereby young people can be able to make their own choices to lead lives they have reason to value. A recent initiative of the government of Rwanda to address the rampant unemployment trend in the labour market among the young people is the setting up of Workforce Development Authority (WDA). This institution was set up to improve the standards of vocational institutions in a country and play a regulatory role and working under the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Service and Labour but still a lot is missing due to; limited qualified personnel in training programmes, lack of experience for young people seeking employment, Inadequate skills to prepare the young people with enoug h capability upon the labour market standards , poor education system (RoR: 2010). The high rate of unemployment in Rwanda is a result of poor education system which prepares young people basically for white collar jobs which have been declining across time.( RoR: 2002). The country`s formal unemployment rate is 15.5% and this impacts on nearly 696,260 persons (RoR:2005). The government of Rwanda has embarked on increasing expenditure on education sector and this has led to increased labour force supply from vocational training institutions. This has also led to increased demand for jobs within a tight labour market of Rwanda that is actually dependent on public jobs. This has led to a large crowd of unemployed young people based on the fact that the labour force supply exceeded the labour demands in the labour market and as a result of poor education system ,there is often smaller number of young graduates who are able to create their own employment. In Rwanda, the private sector is mainly underdeveloped and this is also one of the major cause of a large crowd of unemployed young people in a country. In this case, the public sector remains the principal employer compared to the formal private sector (segment) yet public sector employs a small fraction of the employable inhabitants (RoR: 2007). The agricultural sector is the largest employer among the sectors in the country, but this sector is largely less productive and this is due to smaller range (size) of land share as per-person in the country, the land is often very small with less than 1 (one) hectare per-person/ inhabitant. This contributes to low output and low incomes to the rural dwellers, who are the majority of whom the young people and women, such people would be employed in other sectors ( RoR: 2002). The economically active and dynamic population that is active is estimated at 4,493,000 and among those 45% are men and 55% are women counter- parts. out of the above population, 2,334,000 are in the age bracket of young people in the country ranging from 15-29 years of age, where as 1,153,000 are under 20 years of age (RoR:2004). Besides that, because of poor education and curriculum systems, the skills and competencies acquired by the young people from the vocational training institutions do not match with the requirements of labour market mainly because VET graduates often lack some confidence to stand on their own capabilities to start self-employment. The issue of self-employment has been worsened by the general lack of active labour market policies in place to facilitate the creation of employment for young people and active youth employment promotion policies in place which can also influence the decisions to avail credits and information pertaining job opportunities for unemployed young people from vocational training who may be troubled by the lack of initial capital to start the entrepreneurship businesses (RoR: 2008). As it was suggested and adopted by UNESCO (1974) in a vital recommendation that, technical and vocational education is an essential component of general education and as a system of preparing for occupational-workers and as a mechanism to shrink the mismatches involving trainings and employment. Many young people are said to be trapped-up and hardly make it to start self-employment in the labour market. Thus, this study seeks to assess the effectiveness of vocational training institutions in building human capital as well as their capabilities in terms of giving the necessary skills and competencies required by young people to be self-employed in the labour market and the necessary strategies to alleviate the above constraints faced by the young people in the labour market. 1.3 Research objective and research questions 1.3.1 Main objective of the research The objective of this research paper is to assess the labour market situation for the young people in Rwanda with reference of Gasabo District in Kigali-City. Emphasis is given to young people who graduate from vocational education and training going into self-employment. It tries to discover the mismatch between skills young people have and the desired competencies for self-employment in the current labour market. 1.3.2 Specific objectives of the research To identify the journeys into self-employment taken by young people from vocational education and training in Rwanda, To find out the perceptions of young people over the challenges they face during the course of training and how well education and training has prepared them for those challenges, To analyse the major challenges the young people encounter when taking their journeys to self- employment, To suggest policy recommendations to be adopted so as to improve the labour market situations for the young people in Rwanda. 1.3.3 Research Questions What are the economic journeys taken by young people from vocational training into self-employment in Rwanda? What are the perceptions of young people over the challenges they face during the course of training and how well education and training has prepared them for those challenges? What are the major constraints the young people encounter when taking their journeys to self-employment? What policy recommendations should be made to encourage an environment of adequate skills and capability desired in the labour market? 1.4 Relevance and justification of the research study The research study is relevant as it tries to make a good understanding of the concepts of self-employment developed by training and a labour market concept which is rather weak among several vocational training institutions in Rwanda. This paper provides response to the common mismatch of skills acquired from vocational institutions that impinges so much on the position of young people in Rwanda`s current labour market. It will also enable the concerned parties to recognize whether self-employment policies and programmes in place are relevant towards addressing the high rate of unemployment among the young people in Rwanda. It will create a platform to initiate debates on youth employment promotion policies which might be useful in addressing the unemployment problem which has affected the young people in Rwanda`s labour market and the world of work in a global perspective. Besides that, this research provides useful literature and knowledge for future reviews based on the theoretical views and opinions of several cited authors from the world of academia that are included in this research paper. This research study is also relevant especially when it seeks to make policy recommendations as an aspect that will help in building institutional capacities and as well as building human capabilities. 1.5 Research Methodology and sources of data. The research is based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected from respondents from the chosen area of study comprising of the beneficiaries of training programmes. The researcher identified young individuals who are graduates from vocational training institutions. The total number of interviewee was thirty five (35) respondents from Gasabo District and Government officials. This helped the researcher to collect data on the quality of the education system provided by the vocational training education institutions in Rwanda and was able to capture information on the perceptions of young people on the standards of the education system provided to them, after they graduate and how it is helpful or inadequate in as far as labour market is concerned. 1.5.1 Sample size and sampling procedures The ideal exercise in a research study is to find data from the whole population. This would guarantee maximum coverage/ treatment of population concerned in the research study. However, due to lack of resources, it was not feasible to study the whole population; In this case, a sample size was then deemed necessary and essential to satisfy the researcher`s study. With the use of purposive sampling method, respondents presumed to have clear/understandable and enough information concerning the economic journeys of the young people into self-employment were consulted. To get rich and enough information about young peoples transition into self employment, I purposively selected thirty (30) self-employed young respondents. For better understanding what the government is doing / planning to encourage self employment to young people in Rwanda, I selected 5 Government officials, two from the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, one official from the Ministry of Youth and two officials from the Ministry of Education and were interviewed. Thus, the sample size of the study totalled to 35 respondents. The selection of 30 young respondents that were interviewed fell in age range of 15-35 years old as being stipulated by Rwandan constitution of 2003-2004 determining who the youth are. 1.5.2 Research techniques Interviews To get primary data, it was decided to interview 35 respondents. Before holding interviews with respondents, the researcher had first to make contacts with the help of telephones calls. Using interview guide, the researcher interviewed 30 young self-employed people in Gasabo District. To know what the government is doing or planning for self employment for young people in Rwanda, 2 officials from the Ministry of Public Services and Labour, 2 officials from the Ministry of Education and 1 official from the Ministry of Youth were also interviewed. Semi-structured interviews each lasting for up 30-35 minutes were conducted. The interview questions varied in form and emphasis based on the interviewee but were based on the research questions mentioned above. In some cases, some prompts were incorporated, for example, around the nature of self-employment and the transition of young people as a starting point for informants giving their views about self-employment as a form of employment in the labour market. With respect to the qualitative practice (Davies: 1997), a mostly unrestricted/open-ended interview timetable was used to guide the conversation and discussion. The interview calendar was purposefully considered to allow informants to articulate/express themselves unreservedly and to raise their personal issues and concerns relating to the transition of young people towards self- employment in the real world of work. The interview schedules helped very the researcher to understand as well as studying the attitudes, values, beliefs and motives the young people have in as far as self-employment is concerned. The study interviews were conducted in English, but in some cases Kinyarwanda (local language) was used, with the interview transcripts which was translated into English afterwards. Desk study For the concern of secondary data collection, a desk study was used. The study concentrated on secondary data from diverse sources, but mainly from the ISS/Erasmus University library, official government publications/documents from Rwanda related to the issue of investigation, Internet sources was very crucial among other sources, Many reports and other relevant sources were also consulted during the research paper writing period. 1.6 Scope and limitations of the research study This research study focuses on the young self-employed people, and who have above average levels of education in Rwanda taking Gasabo District in Kigali-City as a case study. Due to time restriction and inadequate resources/funds, the research study could not cover the entire country, the research was conducted in Gasabo District in Kigali- City. Gasabo District being surrounded by the three Districts that constitute Kigali-City Mayor ship was considered because of the following reasons: Gasabo District is situated in the centre of Kigali-city where most of the commercial activities and many businesses takes palace, and as well government administrative offices and none governmental organization offices are located. The district is presumed to be having somewhat/ fairly well developed infrastructures in place as well as road networks, water, electricity with the planned settlements and more easily reached communities and this can facilitate those who seek self-employment and as well as employment creation per se. In this case the young people after their training may decide to stay around with their relatives while trying to find what to do in their bid to seek self-employment in tight labour market. Gasabo District was chosen because the district is presumed with a big number of young people that are self-employed relatively bigger compared to Nyarugenge and Kicukiro Districts that also make up Kigali-City. Gasabo Districts takes a bigger part of Kigali-city. Pertaining to the limitations, the researcher came across quite a lot of challenges. Which created some unexpected inconvenience in the field during data collection and they may included; Bureaucratic tendencies from some of the selected interviewees especially government officials was the most problem that frustrated the researcher so much. The scheduling of appointments with the respondents was proved to be time consuming and took most of the researchers time. However, to overcome this, several appointments were made and this pro-longed the time of data collection than the earlier planned time. Further to that, with the introductory letter from ISS/Erasmus university stating the intention of the research, several respondents started welcoming the researcher and they could spare 20-35 minutes for discussion during interviews. Language problem also delayed the progress of data collection in the field at several instances. This is mainly for the reason that most of the Official documents are prepared in French and the responses of the young people were given in Kinyarwanda Language. Irrespective of such difficulties and challenges the researcher encountered in the process of data collection, on the other hand, the data collection went well because some friends of mine helped me in translating a number of helpful related materials such as policy documents from French to English and some from Kinyarwanda into English. Samer and Bennell (2001:7) pointed out that there are generally serious inconveniences with the way in which persons are selected and traced, This implies that, the samples size were biased and not really representative of the whole population size of the young self-employed people under investigation. In this case, there could be many other young people who might have come up with different views and responses during data collection. 1.7 The organization of the research paper This research paper is structured into five chapters. Chapter 1 presents a general idea of what this research paper expected to find out and how to tackle it. It includes the general introduction of the research, problem statement of the research, the relevance and justification of the research study, objectives and research questions of the research study. It also highlights the scope and limitations of the research, the research methods and the research techniques that were used in collecting the desired data. Chapter 2 is made up of the conceptual and theoretical framework of the research. This section presents in length and gives a discussion on the concepts used according to a number of scholars. Basically this chapter concentrates rigorously on the associated concepts like: youth, transition from school-to-work, self-employment, competencies, skills, determinants of self-employment, social networks, importance of self-employment and limitations/ barriers that self-employed young people are troubled with and employment search theory. Chapter 3 presents an overview of VET programmes in the Rwandan context by giving the general picture of TVET education system pertaining to vocational education and training provided to the young people in Rwanda (TVET as an umbrella for VET programmes). Chapter 4 presents research findings and interpretations. It starts by presenting the general profile and the structure of Gasabo District as the case study for this research. It evidently shows how the collected data was analysed in connection to research questions, the economic journeys young people take to become self-employed, perceptions and expectations of the young people, forms of economic activities being done by the young people in the context of Rwanda`s labour market, factors contributing to long duration of transition to self-employment among the young people in Gasabo District. Chapter 5 offers some of the critical reflections on the research findings and recommendations and general conclusion that covers a summary of responses to the research questions and objectives of this research study. Chapter 2: Conceptual and Theoretical Framework 2.1 Introduction This chapter presents the conceptual and theoretical frameworks and which also provides a basis for this research. It covers concepts such as; youth in other words who are the young people?, Skills, competencies, self-employment, wage employment, determinants of self-employment, social-networks, importance of self-employment, limitations/ barriers of self-employment and that is also followed be the employment search theory. 2.2 Working concepts and definitions 2.2.1 Youth The concept of youth/ young people varies from one community to another, depending on customs and traditions, social behaviour and location (Curtain: 2001). According to the United Nations (UN), the standard clarity of youth comprises of people aged between 15-24 years old. However, In Rwandan context, with reference to the current constitution version 2003-2004, it defines youth as a fraction of people aged between15-35 year old. 2.2.2 Skills As cited by Awortwe-Abban (2009) in the words of Nelson and Winter in their perspective of evolutionary theory, they defined the concept of skill as a capability for smooth progression of coordinated performance that is normally effective relatively to its objectives, given the context in which it often occurs (Awortwe-Abban: 2009). In this case, individuals or young people may be able to engage themselves in different undertakings whereby, they can be able to discover, consider and at the same time evaluate possible likely changes in their ways of doing things. This concept of skill is applicable to this research study mainly because without provision of proper and adequate skills such as technical skills, business skills and many other skills to young people, entering the labour market could be difficult. This could also be a hindrance to labour supply in any labour market and self-employment opportunities per se. thus, many opportunities could remain idle and untapped mainly not b ecause of restrictions but due of lack of skills desired in the labour market. 2.2.3 Competence This concept of competence refers to a certain level of standardized requirement for an individual to practically perform a specific occupation or a task in a world of work. However, competencies are often judged as a combination of knowledge and skills required for an individual to perform a specific role adequately and professionally (Raven and Stephenson: 2001). This concept is applicable in this research study because, it is part of the training output acquired during the period of career training from vocational training institutions. And once young people are not given chance to learn some of the desired competences which would make them ready to be self-employed, they can always remain unemployed and dependants on the existing employers of the formal sector and informal sector. According to Eraut (2003), competence is defined as; the ability of individuals to perform errands and roles necessary and obligatory to the expected standards while Mandon et al (1998) admittedly, pointed out that, competence refers to the capacity of a person to do something. It should however be noted that competence is viewed as being holistic because it is comprised of the subject matter of knowledge, abilities and qualities of doing work or any activity in a diverse manner. However, for purposes of this study, the concept of competence could imply as the capability to apply knowledge and skills in practice. In this case, lack of vocational based training competencies could hinder the economic journeys that young people make to start self-employment in a tight in labour market. In other words, why the very people who are prepared for self-employment find it so cumbersome join the labour market. In this case, the research findings will provide suitable answers to such alarming is sues. 2.2.4 Self-employment From economic perspective, self-employment is a form of economic activity that provides the opportunity for individuals to improve their quality of life and/or for exploring creative entrepreneurial opportunities (Bryson and White: 1996). They argue that self-employment especially among the young people is considered mostly to be economically vulnerable and this could be a result of lack of improved economic policies and programmes that promote and facilitate self- employment amongst the young people through the provision of access to credit and business development services, networking as well as other forms of support. The young people consider self-employment as their best preference. This is based on the competencies they are given from the training which also allows them to venture into new small economic activities or entrepreneurial activities . There is also a range of motivating factors such as; the desire for self-expression and independence (Bryson and White: 1996 ). The purpose of self-employment as a concept in this study is to address the journeys and transitions that young people take in order to start their own employment that is related to their professions, skills and competences they possess as VET graduates. Despite the fact that, all VET young graduates are trained to be in specific occupations many fail to become self-employed rapidly. This will be evidenced in the subsequent chapters. 2.2.5 Wage employment This is a form of employment where a person receives wages in return for selling his/her own labour. Wage employment also occurs in both the formal and informal economy. Blanchflower (2000) pointed out that, many young people start out in wage employment and switch to self-employment at some point in their career. this could be a reason of financial constraints and it happens when your entrepreneurs wants to build up savings in their first job/employment. The difference of wage employment and self-employment is that wage employment involves less risks than self-employment in the labour market. 2.3 Transition from school-to-work/ labour market Conceptually, the transition from school-to-work is considered as a new development which is associated with change of life in development. In addition to that, it is also seen as a period where by individuals leave formal education and join the labour market. This form of transition takes place at any level of education. The school-to-work agenda gives chance to a number of long standing issues concerning schooling, employment creation and training programmes. These issues are now seen as part of a distinct practice and process. According to (OECD, 1998) the transition from school to work is defined as that period between the end of compulsory education and accomplishment of steady employment opportunity. The success of transition from school-to-work for young people highly depend on how such young people are able to secure economic activities and any other form of employment occupation in world of work that is gainful, which is the principal aim for young people when they finish formal education. For the case of developing countries like Rwanda respectively, the possibilities of employment opportunities are largely embedded in the informal sector, which is predominant in the labour market of Rwanda and this is because there are few opportunities in the formal sector of the economy (Nwuke: 2002). The young people often desire to be helped in taking helpful actions when they are to discover how to make satisfying lives on their own sake. In this case, the school-to-work transition for young people requires steady forms of mentoring and apprenticeship programs to become the core practices in the whole process which pertains school-to-work- transition in the labour market. Active labour market policies can also play an essential role in facilitating the transition school to the world of work. These policies mainly include formal employment and self-employment policies (Higgins, 2001: 110). The relevance of such policies is that they play an imperative role by incorporating the needy young people who fails to be absorbed into the labour market with some skills which enables young people to be more active. Such policies would include individuals capabilities. Blackely, (1990) pointed out that, such policies can facilitate the process of economic journeys by leading to programmes which makes economic journeys for young people successful and productive. 2.4 Determinants of self-employment for the young people Different factors determine self-employment outcomes for young people in both formal and informal sectors in developing countries. For self-employment to prevail in any economic situation, the following factors seem to be crucial: Access to credit and business development services such as basic business skills, business experience and availability of market opportunities play a fundamental role in the establishment and exploitation of gainful employment to young people (Chigunta et al. 2002: 25). Access to finances is a decisive factor for the creation of self-employment to the young people. However, young men and women often faced with the general lack to access credit in order to start their own entrepreneurial businesses and often they do not have collateral securities to have access to credits from formal financial institutions. This has been the case in many countries including the common wealth

Comparing Dreams in Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the Sun :: comparison compare contrast essays

Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the Sun   Dreams Make What Life Is    In the novels Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and the novel Out of the dust by Karen Hesse, dreams are viewed in different perspectives. John Stenbeck is telling you to strive for your goals and to work towards them because your dreams can get deferred and destroyed. When the opinion of Hansberry is implying that dreams can come true if you try hard, even if you're going through tough times. Karen Hesse is reiterating that you should not let anything interfere with accomplishing your goals.    Dreams deferred usually end up being diminished from existence. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the characters dreams, which are put on, hold all get destroyed. Lennie's dream was to live on the land in which he owned and to tend the rabbits (pg.14). He finally was almost about to achieve his dream in a month but after working in a ranch for a few days he killed Curly's wife by accident (pg.94) so he dies and also loses all his dreams so his dreams are pessimistic. Also with Lennie's dream being destroyed also George's dream was which was also to live on a ranch so (pg.7). This happens because he can't make his dream reality without Lennie showing pessimistic out view on dreams. Dreams only can bring you so far it all depends on what your destiny is. This is because even though Lennie and George's dreams were crushed even though they tried there hardest to reach them also Candy, Crooks and Curly's wife dreams were ruined too.    Candy didn't have anything so he wanted grow old on the ranch with George and Lennie (pg59-60) but then Lennie kills Curly's Wife and his dream dies (pg.94). Candy's dreams end in a pessimistic outlook because all he wanted got destroyed leaving him with nothing. Crooks dream was to be respected and not looked at for his color and wanted to live on the ranch with Curly Lennie and George (pg.64). Even though he wanted this he noticed by what Curly's wife said to him that his dream will never be achieved, so he changes his mind (pg.

Self Concept Paper

Self Concept Paper Although, many people like and dislike many of their physical appearances they have to cope with the fact that they can not change them and that their unique characteristics make them who they are. My favorite characteristic is my hair; I like my hair because it is long and curly. I can do a number of different styles with my hair such as straightening it, making it wavy or leaving it curly. I’ve never been bothered with my hair because my hair is unique and not many people have the type of curls that I do. Another one of my favorite characteristics is my eyes and eyelashes. I like my eyes because they have a nice shape; like an almond their not to big nor are they too small. My eyelashes are super long, I cut them in fourth grade because I thought they were too long but luckily they grew back at a good length. I also like my legs; I like my legs because they have a nice muscle tone and their not to big. One of my traits that I don’t like is my teeth. I don’t like my teeth because I have a gap. They’re not that bad because they’re all straight but my gap irritates me bad. My feet is another characteristic that I don’t like about myself, the reason I don’t like my feet is because is because they’re too wide and my toes are chunky. Even though, we like to think we don’t relate to anyone and we’re our own person; the truth is that we do, humans share many traits with each other. I like to think that I am caring, hardworking and honest. I’m thoughtful because I care for other people; I like to know what’s going on with people and if something is on their mind. I’m a hard worker because I strive to do my best at anything I do, I don’t like to see myself fail at any goal I’m trying to accomplish. I’m truthful because I’ve been lied to as a child and in the past. The feeling of being lied to hurts, it makes someone feel as though their feelings or emotions don’t matter and that their not strong enough to handle the truth. Me personally, I would never want to lie to someone and put them through anything they shouldn’t have to go through. One bad thing about me is that I’m judgmental, I judge people before I even get the chance to meet them or even know what their like. If I see someone I stereotype them and until I really get to know the person well, I always just have those thoughts. Another thing about me is that I’m naive. I believe anything anyone tells me; someone can tell me there’s a fire in my house while I’m in it and ill say â€Å"where? † The worst thing about me is my attitude. I have a bad attitude and if I don’t like someone it definitely shows, but I have frequent mood swings. If I’m having a bad day or someone frustrated me, half my day will be ruined and ill take it out on everyone else but not intentionally. I have a well rounded personality, I feel as though I’m a easy person to get along with; I’m helpful, friendly, and trustworthy. I like to be beneficial to anyone who needs it, everyone needs a helping hand every once in a while and need someone to help them get on their feet; I like to be that person. I’m extremely outgoing I like to have a good time and enjoy myself know matter where I’m at. I don’t like anyone feeling left out so I always try to make the person I’m with have as much as a good time I’m having. Having someone who is dependable is important. Everyone needs that one friend who they can run to and tell all there secrets to and not second guess them even telling a soul, I feel as though I’m very reliable. A few negative personality traits I have are being shy, stubborn and not talkative. I’m very timid around people I don’t know or around people I feel uncomfortable with, but once I get to know you very welcoming and outgoing. If I don’t know you, I wont talk to you or try to conversate with you, I’m not talkative to people I’m not familiar with. The worst personality trait I have is being stubborn. If I could change me being stubborn I definitely would. Being obstinate can cause a lot of conflict especially with other obstinate people; if things don’t go my way I become highly frustrated very fast. I interviewed three people and how they view me as an individual, I wasn’t too surprise with the responses I received because I can see why they would think that way about me. Some positive things that were said about me are that I’m very responsible, dependable and hardworking. I, myself had also thought I was hardworking; I like to achieve all my goals and get everything done. I’m reliable because everyone knows if they ask me to do something and I’m able to do it, it will get done. That’s sort of where my perfectionist kicks in, where everything has to be done right and in order. A few negative things that my family thought was being hardheaded, impatient and having a bad attitude. I admit that I’m hardheaded because I don’t listen to what people tell me even if they know for a fact it’s a bad decision. I like to make my own mistakes and learn from them because if you don’t learn from your mistakes you’re going to keep making them. I also agree that I’m intolerant because I have no patience to wait for anything. I get easily frustrated when something takes longer than it has to. I take my school work and jobs very seriously, so when it comes to school I work I don’t play around and try my hardest to do everything the way it’s suppose to be and to do everything on time. I’m extremely hard working; I strive to do my best in any and everything I do so I can make something out of myself. I’m a very driven person when it comes to something important because if you loose sight of the big picture, your goals or ambitions you will be lost in the long run and it will take you longer to get to where you want to be. I’m so determined to make something of myself because my whole life I’ve seen my family struggling just to make ends meet and I don’t want to see myself in their shoes, I want to succeed and be someone in the future. I do have a few negative attribute when it comes to performance at school or work, just like everyone else. I’m easily sidetracked because when I’m focused on something I want done and another thing pops up or needs to be done such as cleaning, phone calls or picking up my sister I’ll do it with out finishing the first thing I was doing. I’m most distracted when I’m in school because if I get a text message or phone call while taking notes or listening to a lecture I loose concentration. Being a procrastinator is the worst trait I think I could have picked up on because I throw important things to the backburner, thinking I will do it when I’m ready or when I’m finished with something and I end up forgetting about it all together. I’m often sluggish because I go to school Monday through Thursdays and work everyday, so sometimes I won’t finish or accomplish many things such as homework, projects or studying because I just want sit around, rest or sleep all day. Throughout the day, I’m a pretty laid back relaxed person. I get things done in that process though. I keep myself motivated because if I’m not motivated I won’t succeed but I’m a very organized person and that shows that I care about my priorities. My biggest problem that I’ve dealt with my whole life is waking up late. I tend to sleep in or over sleep most of the time, that’s not a good attribute because I waste my entire day by sleeping and sometimes I’m late to class and miss parts of a lectures. Throughout the day I find myself cleaning up after my self and other all the time. I’m too much of a clean freak, I usually annoy people who are with or around me and because I’m always straightening up the house. A non-clean person irritates me to death, it makes me mad when people don’t clean up after their selves. When it comes to mental functioning I like to think of myself as a multitasked person, very curious and spontaneous, independent, antagonistic, horrible at math and having a bad memory. Being able to do a lot of things at once is a positive attribute to me as long as your doing all the things correct; I can get many things done at one time while doing an impressive job. I like the fact that I’m curious and spontaneous, I like to discover and try new things because we only live once. My friends love hanging out with me and anyways ask me about things to do. I’m a very independent person who doesn’t like to seek help from others, I like to do things on my own and provide for myself, it makes me feel good. I feel as though I need to work for what I want because nothing is ever given to you. Math is my worst subject and I’ve always struggled with it throughout my life, but I’ve come to realize that I am not the only person with that problem. Now that I am in college and need to take 3 more semesters of math I seek help from the math tutors and by doing that I have learned a great amount, math is beginning to become understanding instead of stressful. Having a bad memory is a bad attribute that I have I can never remember important things that I’m suppose to remember. If I’m having a conversation with someone and I get sidetracked I’ll forget my entire train of thought. My friends and family get frustrated with me when I forget things.

The emergence and social impact of the internet on primary school education The WritePass Journal

The emergence and social impact of the internet on primary school education Introduction The emergence and social impact of the internet on primary school education IntroductionReferencesRelated Introduction The computer and its related technology such as the internet are increasingly used in society today, impacting various systems including classrooms in primary schools across the world. There has been an increase in use and emphasis of information and communication technology (ICT) in educational activities, to aid teaching and to enhance learning. Primary schools have been encouraged to integrate ICT into the curriculum and to provide not only access, but also knowledge and skills to prepare students for life in a modern society. Several western countries throughout the globe such as the United Kingdom and the United States have prioritized the use of ICT in education through policy development and the allocation of funds for the endeavour (US Department of Education, 2004; Labour Party, 1997). The No Child Left Behind Act announced by the US government in 2001 and its constituent subsection Enhancing Education through the Technology Act of 2001, provided for the evaluation of technology and its significance to teaching and learning in the long term. In the UK, access to computer technology was prioritized in the National Grid for Learning providing access to essential education materials of high quality (Labour Party, 1997). The British government made huge investments in creating initiatives such as ‘UK online’- networked online centres, the ‘National Grid for Learning’ initiative – the connection of 30,000 public schools to the internet by 2002, as well as the ‘New Opportunities Fund’ to train teachers in the use of technology (Selwyn, 2002). To support the strategic use of ICT in UK’s four education departments, BECTA (the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency was established (BECTA, 2006). It serves to provide insight from research and analysis of ICT as a strategic advisor and coordinator of e-strategy. It also works with relevant partners to enable the strategic delivery of e-strategy (BECTA, 2006). In the US, the Department of Education’s Office of Educational technology (OET) seeks to maximize the contribution of technology towards the improvement of education (US Department of Education, 2004; 48). These policy initiatives, in addition to those of other stakeholders such as school’s management and boards, parents, as well as the ICT and other industry, have served as catalysts for the development of new standards, enhancing the use of ICT tools and the internet in primary schools (Prior and Hall, 2004). Discussing the all-round internet use by children, Livingstone (2003) distinguished three major categories including: entertainment, education and edutainment. This variance in usage can both be beneficial in improving learning outcomes with the enhancement of engagement, and challenging outcomes, where the children have difficulty in withdrawing from the desire for entertainment provided through ICT. For instance, regarding the use of ICT for leisure purposes (especially game-playing), there is significant evidence linking to the hindrance of progress to target attainment. The more time in leisure activities such as on games, the less is available for study Lankshear and Knobel, 2003). A study conducted by Passey et al., 2004 made the finding that pupil’s learning with the use of ICT was characterized by greater motivation levels towards the achievement of personal learning goals, which is a desirable outcome in education, but less desirable was their increased motivation towards gaining positive feedback on their individual competence. This latter trait had its evidence in the concern among pupils of failure in front of others, especially the teacher. Other studies (Passey et al., 2004, HMIE, 2005; Livingstone and Condie, 2003) also support the view that these technologies and their visual nature – animations, simulations and moving imagery, enhanced the engagement of learners through the employment of varying approaches to teaching, and enhanced their conceptual understanding. With regard to ICT and attainment, an extensive review of literature by Cox et al., 2003 found in a survey of almost all National curriculum subjects, that ICT had a positive effect on pupil attainment, marked in core subject areas in which investment on specific ICT resources to support teaching and learning has been greater such as English, Mathematics and Science. These technologies were specifically found to generally support language development, especially at early stages, on word recognition and vocabulary building which are essential sub-skills (Lankshear and knobel, 2003). The internet has significantly enhanced the support and stimulation of education activities across the curriculum with the increased range of resources. Engagement with teachers was also improved, with the teachers having positive responses to the use of learning objects in their classrooms, as well as their competence and ability to integrate technology into the learning environment and process (Saude et al., 2005). These benefits have enhanced change and innovation in primary school education increasing access to and the use of technologies (Ofsted, 2004). Williams, 2005 reported that ICT had particular positive effect for pupils with special needs enabling them to rise above their unique barriers to learning and, in as well, leading to their greater achievement, improvement in self-esteem and confidence, as well as enabling greater participation in their present work. Partly due to its support of a student-centred learning environment, the use of the internet in teaching is growing exponentially (Hill et al., 2004). The interactive technologies offered by ICT allow for teachers to capture materials digitally from a variety of sources, which are cut and pasted to create new and exciting teaching materials relevant to the context and the young students learning needs. Valentine et al., 2005 in a survey of parent and pupil perceptions of ICT found that these stakeholders believed that the internet and ICT tools made schoolwork more enjoyable and improved achievement, as well as improving motivation and confidence of the pupils. Saude et al., (2005); Plowman and Harlen, (2000); and Cox et al., (2003) note that teachers often encounter challenges in the integration of ICT and the internet into primary school education programs. In primary school, pedagogy is invariably given greater attention and the traditional focus on the child, as opposed to process skills or specific subject knowledge in the higher levels of learning. The teacher’s role has, however, changed especially in situations of more extensive ICT use in classrooms and e-learning contexts, becoming more of a facilitator, offering support and mediation. This changed role, Reeves (2008) notes, encourages a predominantly instructivist pedagogical culture rather than constructivist, where the learner is often viewed as a passive recipient of instruction receiving little emphasis. Inequality in access, especially with regard to ICT tools for home use, is a major challenge impeding participation for the disadvantaged and therefore challenging their outcomes. This inequality could be due to numerous factors including socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, etc. (John and Sutherland, 2005). There is also a challenge in technologys unintended promotion of segmented learning as opposed to group learning. The internet and ICT technologies and especially the use of laptops and personal computers encourage stationary operations and individuality opposed to the mobility and sociability of students characteristic in a traditional primary school classroom. Children are often swept off by the immense opportunities afforded including the use of various media, and are difficult to control as a group. It would be hard in such instances of drift to revert back to the whiteboard or chalkboard, and the controlled learning process (Cox et al., 2003). The use of interactive whi teboards, however, mirrors the traditional setting and control and enables greater involvement and participation, with the teacher at the front and engaging the whole classroom. With the internet making available tons of information with dedicated search engines providing ease of search, it is characteristic for the primary school students to scan for bits of information in rapid fashion rather than spend time to increased concentration on the context, thereby minimizing their acquisition of the content of information (Cox et al., 2003). E-learning has also been increasingly questioned over issues such as the loss of the traditional opportunity to think out loud, to engage in working through problems, and to engage in the constitution and articulation of new ideas. These could be a hindrance to the desired outcome and the development of social skills (Hill et al., 2003). In the traditional setting, students are able to see their peers in action with everyone wanting to put up their best work. There are concerns over Child Safety with the availability of the internet. It is essential to have child safety in all its forms and various countries have, in light of such concerns, instituted protection measures for children. The US government through the Childrens Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2001, for instance, sought to enforce the introduction of policies for internet safety for students in primary schools. In this endeavour, procedures and technologies to hinder access to inappropriate sites, such as teacher monitoring, blocking software or filters, as well as contracts with both parents and students have been instituted in various primary school systems and settings (Barrow, C., and G., Heywood-Everett, 2006). In the UK, internet safety is also a pressing issue, and various filtering strategies and safety policies, including the employment of an internet safety coordinator (BECTA, 2002). However, a research study made the finding that Year 6, 10 and 11 students were more likely, due to internet usage at home, to access unsuitable sites in breach of set-out policy (Barrow and Heywood-Everett, 2006). Risk areas associated with the internet can be distinguished including cyber-crime (bullying or stalking), its negative effect on social relations, and negative emotional impact due to exposure to pornography, violence and explicit language. Studies also indicate negative impacts on time management, with the neglect of school tasks drawn away by internet addiction (BECTA, 2002). The internet also seems to cause reduced concentration with intense use due to its offer of a plethora of infinite opportunities. It is also linked to physical impacts on health such as obesity and muscle pain (Barrow an d Heywood-Everett, 2006.). With the increased use of technology and especially the internet in society today, there has been an increase in use of such technologies in primary school educational activities across the globe. The benefits conferred by ICT use include enhanced interest and engagement in the school curriculum, improvement of basic skills, lessened disengagement of students and the improvement of learning outcomes. Its negative impacts include the consequent lack of concentration, challenges in time management, hindrance of socialization and concerns of child safety from risks of cyber-crime and exposure to inappropriate content. References Barrow, C., and G., Heywood-Everett, 2006. E-safety: The experience in English educational establishments: An audit of e-safety practices; 2005. Viewed from: http://partners.becta.org.uk/index. BECTA, 2002. Internet Safety. Viewed from: http://partners.becta.org.uk/index. BECTA, 2006. About BECTA. Viewed from: http://about.becta.org.uk/display Cox, M., C., Abbott, M., Webb, B., Blakeley, T., Beauchamp, and V., Rhodes, 2003. ICT and Pedagogy: A Review of the Research Literature. ICT in Schools Research and Evaluation Series No.18. Coventry/London: Becta/DfES becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/ict_pedagogy_summary.pdf Hill, J., D., Wiley, L., Nelson, and S., Hans, 2004. Exploring research on Internet-based learning: From infrastructure to interactions. In: D.H. Jonassen (ed.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (2nd ed. Pp. 433-460). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. HMIE, 2005. The Integration of Information and Communications Technologies in Scottish Schools. An interim report by HM Inspectors of Education. John, P., and R., Sutherland, 2005. â€Å"Affordance, opportunity and the pedagogical implications of ICT.† In: Educational Review, 57 (4) 405–413 Labour Party, 1997. New Labour: Because Britain deserves better. Viewed from: psr.keele.ac.uk/man/lab97.htm. Lankshear, C., and M., Knobel, 2003. â€Å"New technologies in early childhood literacy research: A review of research.† In: Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 3 (1) 59–82 Livingstone, S., 2003. Children’s Use of the Internet: Reflections on the Emerging Research Agenda. New Media Society, 5(2), 147-166. Livingston, K., and R., Condie 2003. Evaluation of the SCHOLAR Programme. Final report for the Scottish Executive Education Department. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive flatprojects.org.uk/evaluations/evaluationreports/scholarreport.asp Ofsted, 2004. Report: ICT in schools – the impact of Government initiatives: Primary Schools. London: Ofsted ofsted.gov.uk/publications/index. Passey, D., and C., Rogers, with J., Machell, and G., McHugh, 2004. The Motivational effect of ICT on pupils. England: DfES/University of Lancaster. Plowman, L., A., Leakey, and W., Harlen, 2000. Using ICT to support teachers in primary schools. 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Most Common Italian Words

Most Common Italian Words What are the 100 most commonly used Italian words? Its a frequently asked question, usually under the assumption that learning those words first will enable one to begin conversing more quickly in Italian. The following list, generated from subtitles of movies and television series (with a total of about 5.6 million words in 2008), includes the dictionary form where appropriate. 100 Most Common Italian Words RANK WORD LEMMA FORM 1. non non 2. di di 3. che che 4. à ¨ essere 5. e e 6. la la 7. il il 8. un un 9. a a 10. per per 11. in in 12. una una 13. mi mi 14. sono essere 15. ho avere 16. ma ma 17. l' la / lo 18. lo lo 19. ha avere 20. le le 21. si si 22. ti ti 23. i i 24. con con 25. cosa cosa 26. se se 27. io io 28. come come 29. da da 30. ci ci 31. no no 32. questo questo 33. qui qui 34. e' essere 35. hai avere 36. sei essere 37. del di + il 38. bene bene 39. tu tu 40. sà ¬ sà ¬ 41. me me 42. pià ¹ pià ¹ 43. al a + il 44. mio mio 45. c' ci 46. perchà © per + chà © 47. lei lei 48. solo solo 49. te te 50. era essere 51. gli gli 52. tutto tutto 53. della di + la 54. cosà ¬ cosà ¬ 55. mia mia 56. ne ne 57. questa questa 58. fare fare 59. quando quando 60. ora ora 61. fatto fare 62. essere essere 63. so sapere 64. mai mai 65. chi chi 66. o o 67. alla a + la 68. tutti tutto 69. molto molto 70. dei di + i 71. anche anche 72. detto dire 73. quello quello 74. va andare 75. niente niente 76. grazie grazie 77. lui lui 78. voglio volere 79. abbiamo avere 80. stato essere 81. nel in + il 82. suo suo 83. dove dove 84. posso potere 85. oh oh! (interjection) 86. prima prima 87. allora allora 88. siamo essere 89. d' di 90. uno uno 91. un' una 92. sua suo 93. tuo tuo 94. hanno avere 95. noi noi 96. sta stare 97. fa fare 98. due due 99. vuoi volere 100. ancora ancora

A Journey from Paper to Paperless Office Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Journey from Paper to Paperless Office - Essay Example 635- 650; 2005; Dos Santos & Wright, pp.53- 64; 2001; Miesing, pp753-770, 2003; Salmon, pp.491-502, 2000; Scifres et al., pp247-250, 2003). For example, Cohen and Lippert (pp745, 2005) commented that computer-based workflow "may be useful for skills-based training but may not be useful for creative-thinking workflow or general paperless workplace." Thus, several researchers have suggested that rather than replacing traditional with on-line workflow, the benefits of both traditional and paperless techniques could be realized through mixed-mode workflow in which face-to-face business but paperless workflow which is enhanced by using the Web (Bigelow, pp. 635- 650; 2005; Bilimoria, pp.232-243, 2006; Dos Santos & Wright, pp.53- 64; 2001; Human et al., pp.584- 606, 2005; Miesing,pp753-770; 2003; Parikh & Verma, pp. 27- 46, 2002; Salmon, pp. 491-502, 2000). Such a mixed mode of interaction usually consists of traditional workplace workflow augmented by using a web portal that enables emplo yees to--among other things--continue discussion of project concepts and cases outside the workplace (when travelling etc) using a bulletin board; conduct group work on-line through chat rooms; take tests on-line; and access office files, collaborate and communicate, video/voice conference on-line (e.g., Bigelow, pp. 635- 650; 2005; Dos Santos & Wright, pp.53- 64; 2001; Fredickson, pp.67-77, 2005; Shrivastava, pp.691-702, 2005). Specifically, a firm that operates as an intelligent ... services to clients; creates a collaborative culture that encourages sharing and learning; and deploys technology solutions that help eliminate repeatable processes, capture knowledge, enhance client communications, and attract and retain the most talented professionals. Researchers have argued that "paperless workplace in particular, could benefit from the use of some of these technologies" in conjunction with traditional methods (Bilimoria, pp.232-243, 2006; Dos Santos & Wright, pp.53- 64; 2001: 53; Salmon, pp. 491-502, 2000). Transferring administrative and purely informational aspects of workflow to the web portal frees up office time for employees to work on interpersonal and communication skills, which are critical to success in project completion, which have been found to be best developed through face-to-face traditional methods (e.g., Bigelow, pp. 635- 650; 2005; Dos Santos & Wright, pp.53- 64; 2001; Scifres et al., pp. 247-250, 2003). The use of a web portal as a supplement to traditional management projects has also been found to increase employees' participation in discussion of cases and project concepts and to lead to more thorough and higher quality discussion than in traditional workplaces alone (Bilimoria, pp.232-243, 2006; Dos Santo s & Wright, pp.53- 64; 2001). Paperless workplace researchers have also demonstrated that by encouraging an active workplace environment in which employees communicate virtually and asynchronously, the use of a web portal can help develop technological and communications skills that enable employees to increase their productivity and get more comfortable with computers in the workplace" (Meisel & Marx, 2005: 719). A web portal can also be used to reduce the number of in-office lectures and face-to-face group meetings in a

Senior Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Senior Philosophy - Essay Example Aristotle begins by investigating the fundamental purpose of humanity. In doing this, the renowned scholar determines that happiness is not just a feeling or a sensation. According to him, happiness is the ultimate goal of human existence. In his investigation of happiness, he seeks to determine the nature of happiness and its role in the life of an individual. He discovers that happiness is fundamental in the life of every human. Unlike the most prevalent definition of happiness, that attributes happiness to either a feeling or sensation, Aristotle determines that happiness is a prerogative for a successful and fulfilling life. According to him, happiness is a relative concept that means different things to different people. He says, â€Å"Happiness depends on ourselves† (Aristotle 121). In the phrase, Aristotle claims that everyone is everyone’s prerogative. Everyone understands the things that make them happy and in an ideal society one should therefore pursue only s uch. In his foundations of metaphysics, Immanuel Kant begins by defining morality as the personal decision and ability to distinguish between right and wrong. From his definition, Kant understands the relativity of the concept. This implies that morality means different things to different people. This therefore validates the need for base of argument in which everyone counterchecks his or her definition of morality. Morality is behavioral and arises from the traits that one exhibits. The basic definition of either ethics or morality thus rests on the limitation of harm to either self or a third party (Immanuel 61). The social decisions that people make must therefore not harm others. Taking a loan while consciously aware of ones inability to repay is a deliberate cause of harm, which qualifies as both a crime and a sin. The two define unethical conducts that also cause harm to third parties. Question 3 Pleasure is yet another relative concept that means different things to differen t people. Pleasure is an abstract noun and therefore not measurable. However, however, John Stuart Mill sough to develop a concept that would help one measure the quantity of pleasure in an individual and therefore compare the amount of pleasure people feel at different times. The difference in personalities influences the difference in pleasures that people feel. Most people derive pleasure by holding a dominating position (John 66). Whenever people engages in an activity that earns them gratification, they always seek to control such This way, the essence of pleasure sets in thereby fulfilling a previously existing void. However, Stuart explains that it is equally imperative that one concentrates and participate on the activity fully. According to his hypothesis, the level of involvement in the activity is directly proportional to the amount of pleasure that one derives from such. Additionally, pleasure is portrayed in the on both verbal and nonverbal reactions. Through the observ ation of such features as facial expressions and other types of responses as the little gibberish that people make when engaging in such activities, help one determine the amount of pleasure in another. However, the relativity of the concept implies that the level and amount of pleasure depends on the individual and may not correspond with the feelings in another. Question 4 Morality as defined earlier is a behavior determinant that helps people exhibit desirable behaviors. However, the concept is relative as people exhibit various behaviors. Sigmund Freud investigates the concept and determines that morality is social feature that arises from the nature of the society. Coincidentally, Lewis determines that as well. The two psychological scholars agree that morality moderates human behaviors thus limiting harm in the society. Morality as a social concept is therefore relative to the society. This implies that an action considered moral in one society may not be in another. Howe