McCrae & Costa’s Five-Factor Model Essay

McCrae and Costa’s Five-Factor model of personality is said to be predictive in certain behaviours such as honesty, job performance and procrastination. This Five-Factor model applies to organisational testing because personality is a crucial part in understanding the interests and abilities of an applicant within a business. There have been several criticisms of the Big Five and how accurately it can describe a person’s future performance. These criticisms will be discussed in length in this essay. The essay will also consider the usefulness of the Big Five within psychological assessments. Personality can be defined as â€Å"the dynamic organisation of systems that determine the individual’s characteristic patterns of behaviour, thought, and feeling† (Sibaya & Nicholas, Personality, 2008). Simply put one can describe personality as the aspects of a person which make them unique (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). Personality attributes have successfully been studied over centauries and investigators have concluded that the personality domain can be best described by five â€Å"super ordinate constructs† (Digman, 1990). A personality trait is â€Å"a durable disposition to behave in a particular way† and the five-factor model has become the dominant idea of a personality structure (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model of personality came about as a result of Hans Eysenck’s two dimensions of personality. Eysenck’s theory comprised of neuroticism-stability and extraversion-introversion and he later added the third dimension known as psychoticism (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). Eysenck’s theory also concluded that personality traits could largely be determined by genetics (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). Eysenck’s theory of personality dimensions was a â€Å"precursor of the five-factor model† developed by Costa and McCrae (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). The five-factor model can be seen as the most recent approach to personality and personality traits. Costa and McCrae argue that personality traits derive from five higher order traits. These traits are now known as the â€Å"Big-Five† (Weiten, 2007). Similar to Eysenck’s view on personality traits Costa and McCrae concluded that genetics play a substantial role in personality (Digman, 1990). An example of genetics playing a role in the development in personality traits can be seen in the study of twins. Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were identical twins separated at birth in 1940 (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). These twins were later reunited and research showed that they had similar personality traits. The twins both drove the same model car; they both smoked heavily and liked the same brand of cigarettes (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). A further impact of the five-factor model is that it has shown in studies that this personality study applies across cultures and is widely identifiable in different cultures around the world (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model states that there are five core personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. These form a mnemonic, OCEAN, which is often used for remembering the personality traits (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). Openness applies to the openness one would have to an experience. Openness is often associated with traits such as curiosity, imagination and flexibility (Weiten, 2007). McCrae states that openness can determine one’s political attitudes or ideologies (Weiten, 2007). Conscientiousness relates to traits involving well disciplined and well organised people and is associated with people being diligent within the workplace (Weiten, 2007). Extraversion relates to people who can be categorised as outgoing or sociable people (Weiten, 2007). Agreeableness relates to one’s ability to be sympathetic, trusting and modest (Weiten, 2007). Agreeable personality traits have been known to be associated with a constructive approach to dealing with conflict but agreeable people have also been known to be aggressive (Weiten, 2007). Neuroticism relates to people who are anxious or hostile (Weiten, 2007). People who score high in this personality trait have been known to over re-act to stressful situations (Weiten, 2007). Organisational psychology â€Å"focuses on role related behaviour, group pressure, commitment to organisations and patterns of communication† (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). In order for an organisational psychologist to determine this behaviour certain organisational testing or psychological assessments need to take place. A psychological assessment is a â€Å"standardised measure of a sample of a erson’s behaviour† (Weiten, 2007). Psychological assessment is one of the oldest and most focussed areas of industrial-organisational psychology (Weiten, 2007). Psychological assessment focuses on an individual’s difference in behaviour and their individual job performance and then develops ways in which they can measure or predict such performances. Testing enables psychologists to select people for jobs, assess one’s potential and develop people. Testing can often lead to labelling of people and selection for jobs, promotions or training has often been made in accordance to these labels. The importance of psychological assessments within the workplace is that they enable the perspective employer to have predictions about the applicant’s future performance and how that applicant may behave in the future. An example of how psychological assessments are beneficial and important can be seen in the use of a personality test. A personality test â€Å"measure various aspects of personality, including motives, interests and attitudes† (Weiten, 2007). Personality tests can be helpful because they assist in personnel selection within business and industry (Weiten, 2007). A sub-division of personality tests is ‘interest inventories’ which determine the interest of an individual in relation to the interests needed to do the job. An example of ‘interest inventories’ can be seen in the need for a sales person to have a personality type that is an extrovert. The example of the sales person can also explain the importance of psychological assessments within the work environment because without this form of testing perspective employers would be unable to employ people that are specifically suited to the position on offer, e. . an extrovert. The use of psychological assessment in business begins when the candidate is still in the selection process. The applicant for a perspective job will first consider the job analysis. A job analysis is the process of obtaining information about a job by determining what duties, tasks or activities it entails in order to perform the job successfully (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). Following a job analy sis the applicant would then submit an application and begin the selection process. A selection process can be described as the process of identifying who will be hired from the pool of applicants (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). The applicant will then undergo psychological assessment which involves a prediction of the applicant’s knowledge, abilities, attitudes and personality traits. The way in which these tests help with the selection process are that they are the best predictors of performance and behaviour on the job (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). Now that the selection process has been explained one can similarly link the development and promotion process to psychological assessment. With development or promotion the worker will have to undergo psychological testing to ensure that their abilities and interests fit with the promotion available. The five-factor model applies within the workplace because it enables employers to evaluate employee’s personalities and make use their personality traits to the best of their abilities. Research has indicated that the Big Five traits are able to predict specific behaviour (Weiten, 2007). The Big Five’s ability to predict this behaviour can be seen as beneficial in the workplace. An example of how the Big Five can benefit an industry can be seen in the personality trait ‘conscientiousness’ because it has been said that conscientiousness correlates with honesty, higher job performance and a lower alcohol consumption (Weiten, 2007). This being said one can understand that the Big Five traits allow a perspective employer the ability to employ conscientious workers. Many of the Big Five traits are related to career success (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model can be used in the selection, development and promotion of employees because it allows the employer to predict what qualities the applicant has. The example used previously about the sales rep needing to be an extrovert is a perfect example of how the Big Five apply to selection, development and promotion. The five-factor model would allow the employer of such sales rep to be able to select candidates that fit the personality type that is required for the job at hand. Similar to this the employer could use the five-factor traits to determine whether an existing employee fits the personality required in a job opening and therefore the five-factor model applies to promotions within business as well. A further benefit to the Big Five is that an employer can determine an employee’s weak traits and develop them further thus improving the workforce. The use of the Big Five within occupational testing has been criticised by many psychologists and researchers as they feel nit does not adequately determine one’s ability to perform a task. A common criticism is that there is a fundamental need for more than five traits (Weiten, 2007). An example of this can be seen in recent studies that state that honesty-humility should be a sixth trait. Another criticism is that studies have shown that the five-factor model can discriminate against people. In the case of South Africa this criticism of the five-factor model only improved the outcome of the test because the discrimination led to changes in legislation which protect the rights of people and state that only valid testing may be done (Sibaya & Malcolm, 2003). The legislation protecting people’s rights within organisational tests has encouraged the use of these tests in the selection of new employees. Studies have also shown that the Big Five are not necessarily a reflection of one’s personality but rather a reflection of their â€Å"test-taking skills† (Ones, Reiss, & Viswesvaran, 1996). This criticism states that the results of the five-factor traits test are a reflection of one’s â€Å"cognitive ability and years of education† (Ones, Reiss, & Viswesvaran, 1996). This criticism is not necessarily a negative aspect as it only ensures better use of the Big Five within organisational testing because education is an important aspect to one’s personality. There are two main criticisms of the five-factor model. These are the â€Å"frame of reference effect† and â€Å"socially desirable responding† (Hanges, Dickson, & Smith, 2001). Critics argue that the five-factor model is not useful because it is too broad to be applied to psychological assessment (Schmit & Ryan, 1993). The first criticism is the frame of reference effect which states that the image the average job applicant would like to convey will have an effect on the psychological assessment (Hanges, Dickson, & Smith, 2001). The frame of reference effect can be explained better if one considers that a job applicant will be guided by their self-presentation (Schmit & Ryan, 1993). An employee will stand to gain or lose from the results of the psychological assessment and will therefore may alter their response to be in line with what would be considered the correct response (Hanges, Dickson, & Smith, 2001). This ‘altered response’ by the job applicant can be seen as a â€Å"ideal-employee† frame of reference where as the response given by a volunteer would be seen as a â€Å"stranger-description† frame of mind (Schmit & Ryan, 1993). The second criticism of the five-factor model is the socially desirable response. The â€Å"socially desirable response† can be divided into two sub-groups. Firstly there is â€Å"self-deception† which is the â€Å"unconscious tendency to see oneself in a favourable light† (Schmit & Ryan, 1993). Secondly, there is the theory of â€Å"impression management† where a person is consciously aware that they are putting up a false front in order to create a better impression (Schmit & Ryan, 1993). The concept of socially desirable responses has undergone three studies which examined the effect of the socially desirable response. The result of these three studies found that in a test of â€Å"fake good vs. honest responses† the personality reliabilities were higher in the fake good (Hanges, Dickson, & Smith, 2001). A further study was done on socially desirability consisting of three sample groups. The sample groups were the job applicant, the job incumbent and the student (Hanges, Dickson, & Smith, 2001). The results of this study much like the results of other studies showed that the job applicant showed more socially desirable responses than the job incumbent (Hanges, Dickson, & Smith, 2001). When defining personality some may argue with Freud’s opinion that personality is largely hidden and unknown. This definition of personality would parallel the argument that the five-factor model is a poor predictor of job success as well as suggesting that it is unethical to use the five-factor model within employment procedures (Hogan, Hogan, & Roberts, 1996). This argument could stem from criticisms such as the effect of socially desirable responses, the frame of reference effect and the thought that the five-factor model is limited by only considering five traits. Although these criticisms all have a valid argument one cannot help but believe the evidence that a well-constructed personality assessment is a valid predictor of job performance and it enhances fairness in the employment process (Hogan, Hogan, & Roberts, 1996).

Exploring Causes And Effects Of Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

The epoch of cunctation, of half steps, of comforting and perplexing expedients of hold are coming to a stopping point. In its topographic point, we are come ining a period of effects. Winston Churchill The overpowering bulk of scientists agree that our Earth is undergoing major clime alteration. They besides agree that the degree of C dioxide in the ambiance is lifting significantly. With planetary warming on the addition and species and their home grounds on the lessening, opportunities for ecosystems to accommodate of course are diminishing.Recent old ages show increasing temperatures in assorted parts, and/or increasing appendages in conditions forms. Research has shown that air pollutants from dodo fuel usage make clouds reflect more of the Sun s rays back into infinite. This leads to an consequence known as planetary diping whereby less heat and energy reaches the Earth. It is believed that planetary dimming caused the drouths in Ethiopia in the 1970s and 80s where 1000000s died, because the northern hemisphere oceans were non warm plenty to let rain formation. Global dimming is besides concealing the true power of planetary heating. By cleaning up planetary dimming-causing pollutants without undertaking nursery gas emanations, rapid heating has been observed, and assorted human wellness and ecological catastrophes have resulted, as witnessed during the European heat moving ridge in 2003, which saw 1000s of people die. It can be seen through satellite images and research that the ice caps are runing faster, our sea degrees are lifting, and conditions forms are altering. We are sing more H2O deficits and we will see hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones increasing in fierceness and frequence. The comeuppances will spread out and the universe will finally hold trouble turning adequate nutrient. One of the World Resources Institute, Forest Frontier Regions, found that 80 per centum of the woods that originally covered the Earth have been cleared, fragmented, or otherwise degraded. And, over the past 150 old ages, deforestation has contributed an estimated 30 per centum of the atmospheric build-up of CO2. It is besides a important drive force behind the loss of cistrons, species, and critical ecosystem services. However, in the international policy sphere, biodiversity loss and clime alteration have frequently moved in entirely unconnected spheres. Forests are critical parts of many ecosystems. Guaranting a healthy ecosystem that includes woods besides means sustainable saving of other species that dwell in woods. As portion of a life system, forests rely on these assorted species, and the assorted species rely on woods. A mechanism suggested for undertaking clime alteration and heating has been the thought of utilizing â€Å" Carbon Sinks † to soak up C dioxide. It seems there has been a recent involvement in tie ining clime change/global warming with over population and that states such as China and India have to make more to assist incorporate planetary heating. Yet rich states have a batch to make themselves. There were agreed grounds why developing states were exempt from initial nursery gas emanation marks: it was the emanations from rich states that accumulated in the ambiance for so long to trip climate alteration. Burning coal, oil and natural gas releases C dioxide gas into the ambiance. On norm, this may warm the Earth and alter the clime in other ways. For illustration, it might alter the badness and continuance of storms or drouths. Other human activities, such as cutting down woods, and turning rice, and raising cowss, may hold the same consequence, but are less of import. If the clime alterations heating, chilling, H2O usage, and sea degree will be affected. In affluent states, the mean cost would likely be little, although some people and parts might hold high costs and others might have big benefits. In some hapless states, the cost could be really high. A big or fast alteration in clime will hold a large consequence on workss and animate beings in the natural environment. Very rapid clime alteration is improbable, but could be black, even for affluent states. We could cut down the rate at which we add carbon dioxide to the ambiance by firing less coal, oil and natural gas. If climate alterations, we could accommodate by altering agribusiness and other human activities. Many workss and animate beings in the natural environment might be unable to adapt.If heating is big and dearly-won, some people might desire to do alterations to the ambiance or oceans in order to chill the Earth. This is really controversial. A mechanism suggested for undertaking clime alteration and heating has been the thought of utilizing â€Å" Carbon Sinks † to soak up C dioxide. To assistance in this, re-afforestation, or seting of new woods, have been suggested. This is a popular scheme for the logging industry and states with big woods involvements, such as Canada, the United States, assorted Latin American states, and some Asiatic states such as Indonesia.Creating new forest countries would necessitate the creative activity of full ecosystems. Climate alteration, holding an impact on biodiversity is projected to go a increasingly more important menace in the coming decennaries. Loss of Arctic sea ice threatens biodiversity across an full biome and beyond. The related force per unit area of ocean acidification, ensuing from higher concentrations of C dioxide in the ambiance, is besides already being observed. Ecosystems are already demoing negative impacts under current degrees of clime alteration which is modest compared to future projected alterations. In add-on to warming temperatures, more frequent extreme conditions events and altering forms of rainfall and drouth can be expected to hold important impacts on biodiversity. The Arctic, Antarctic and high latitudes have had the highest rates of heating, and this tendency is projected to go on. In the Arctic, it is non merely a decrease in the extent of sea ice, but its thickness and age. Less ice agencies less brooding surface intending more rapid thaw. The ice in the Arctic does dissolve and refreeze each twelvemonth, but it is that form which has changed a batch in recent old ages as shown by this graph: It is besides of import to observe that loss of sea ice has deductions on biodiversity beyond the Arctic, as the Global Biodiversity Outlook study besides summarizes: Bright white ice reflects sunlight. When it is replaced by darker H2O, the ocean and the air heat much faster, a feedback that accelerates ice thaw and warming of surface air inland, with attendant loss of tundra. Less sea ice leads to alterations in saltwater temperature and salt, taking to alterations in primary productiveness and species composing of plankton and fish, every bit good as large-scale alterations in ocean circulation, impacting biodiversity good beyond the Arctic. As clime alteration warms the oceans, the heater H2O ( which is lighter ) tends to remain on top of what is so a bed of colder water.This affects bantam floating marine beings known as phytoplankton. Though little, Phytoplankton are a critical portion of our planetal life support system. They produce half of the O we breathe, draw down surface CO2, and finally back up all of our piscaries, says Boris Worm of Canada s Dalhousie University and one of the universe s taking experts on the planetary oceans ( quoted by Inter Press Service IPS. ) Around the universe, coral reefs have been deceasing mostly due to climate alteration. Coral reefs provide many ecosystem services to worlds as good, for free.

Plan for Establishing a Career Development Function in an Organization Research Paper

Plan for Establishing a Career Development Function in an Organization - Research Paper Example Specifically, this paper shall be divided into three parts: firstly, a discussion on the essence of organizational and employee management as defined and explained by National Career Development Organization or NCDO; secondly, an in-depth analysis of the contents of career development and its role in attaining business objectives; and lastly, a conclusion that will synthesize all the key learning points gleaned. The National Career Development Organization (2012) claimed that the organizational and employee management had emerged as a discipline that involved â€Å"the overall arrangement of the organization and its functions, including both the long-term and short-tem identification and development of its human resources†. In this regard, all of its plans, processes, and models are in line with providing the necessary skills that its employees need to meet the current and future job demands. Thus, it could be stated that organizational and employee management is similar to strategic talent management, which aims at creating job functions that help the company realize its maximum potential. From a historical point of view, it could be said that the inception of organizational and employee management has been heavily influenced by factors such as â€Å"Increased competition for promotion, constant innovation in technology, pressures for equal employment opportunities, corporate rightsizing and restructuring, globalization of our economy, and employees’ desire to get the most out of their careers† (Powell, 2003). From a workforce perspective, it could be claimed that strategic talent management was also a product of the employer’s desire to harness their employees’ knowledge and skills, and keep those that are most valuable to the company. At this point, National Career Development Organization (2012) also wanted to emphasize the difference between career management and career development.

Compare and contrast software analysis techniques Essay

Compare and contrast software analysis techniques - Essay Example After the detection of that fault in the fifth month, a software programmer was contacted and briefed with the entire story. Even a small miscalculation can lead to a bad reputation and penalties from regulatory authorities that may lead to business loss. Similarly, a software malfunction was detected in November 1979, where the strategic air commander receives an alert scramble. The scramble alarm indicated that the Worldwide military Command and Control System (WWMCCS) reported that the Soviet Union has launched missiles that are moving towards the United States of America (Software engineering (sie) 7E). Likewise, later it was found that the simulated attack was considered as a real attack, however, the U.S department of defense has not provided the details of that incident as it was marked as confidential. Conclusively, it was also a software fault that may have intimated U.S to launch a counter attack. With these two examples of billing a customer or getting false alarms in air defense, the completion time of software is always late, over budgeted or with many faults and may not cope with clients requirements. To overcome, these issues, software engineering methods are invented. Likewise, it is an attempt to provide a solution of these problems. In this brief, we will discuss two software engineering techniques i.e. formal software engineering and semi-formal software engineering. 2 Formal Software Engineering Techniques There are various formal software engineering techniques available; however, they are exceedingly diverse. For instance, Anna is considered to be a formal specification language pertaining to Ada (Luckham, von Henke, Krieg-Brueckner, & Owe, 1987). Likewise, some of the formal techniques are based on knowledge such as Gist, as it was designed for describing processes aligned with user friendliness i.e. the closest alignment of describing the process. Likewise, this is only achievable by formulating the constructs that are utilized in natura l languages. The Gist specifications are very difficult to read in practice, a separate paraphrasing tool has been deployed from Gist to English. Moreover, one more formal software engineering technique known as (Schach, 1993) Vienna definition method (VDM) is also invented. Likewise, this technique is based on DE notational semantics (Fitzgerald & Larsen, 2009). Moreover, one remarkable factor of this technique encompasses not only on the application but the design and deployment, as well. The VDM technique has been successfully applied in many projects, most amazingly on the ‘Datamatik Center development’ that was integrated with DDC AdaCompiler System (Diaz & Orejas, 1989). A unique perspective of reviewing specifications is to analyze them in the context of sequences of events. Likewise, an event can be an ordinary action or a communication signal that transmits data inward or outward of the system. For instance, a case study related to an elevator, where one event comprises of pressing the button of the elevator for floor f on elevator e along with its consequential illumination. Similarly, another event comprises of elevator e that is leaving the floor f downwards along with cancellation of illumination that is associated with conforming floor button. The CSP language abbreviated as the Communication Sequential Processes (CSP) is invented by Hoare in

How the same economies of scale that work domestically also work Research Paper

How the same economies of scale that work domestically also work internationally - Research Paper Example Selling products cheaper enables the products to have ready market and are bought in large quantities than those that are expensive (Sowell, 2010). The term capitalism in the economic sense of view means that it is an economic system that has been accepted by economists as one which is the quick method to gaining wealth. It is based on the privately possessing merchandizes, and also the means of production which leads to the creation of products that serve as goods and services. All this is done with the intention of gaining profit. There are certain elements that are associated with capitalism such as the accumulation of capital, market competitiveness and a price system (Sowell, 2010). To the Biblical worldview individuals, capitalism is seen as a means to quick wealth and immoral since it brings about conflicts. Such individuals view capitalism as not looking out for the best interests and the common good of the people. With the passing on of capitalism in the economic market, it brings about inequality, waste, anti-socialism, lack of democracy, dictatorship, war and pollution. Biblical individuals see that as long as capitalism is present, then the above factors will continue to exist in society (Sowell,

Dunkins brands strategic performance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dunkins brands strategic performance - Article Example Dunkin Brands Group is the parent company of Dunkin Donuts (DD) and Baskin-Robbins (BR) that has its headquarters in, Massachusetts in the United States. Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins were initially owned by a French multinational corporation that was known as Pernod Ricard and afterwards they were bought purchased by the American Multinational company that is known as Dunkin’ Brands. Its history of offering breakfast meals that is supposed to be simple and straightforward has given it an edge over the competitors that are in the same industry such as Starbucks since the company targets the people who are modest and mind about how they spend their money. The company tries to grow in all the aspects so that it can be able to reach as many customers as possible and develop more products that will appeal to these clients in an effort to achieve proper retail placement which normally can be a delicate balance. The company partners with several grocery retailers but does not put its business in the store within a store concept that will include a grocery since they want to be within big places that are frequented by more consumers as the target more people. Dunkin’ donuts has not been left behind as far a technology is concerned since the have employed the use of software that if adopted is able to tell the location of their different stores that are to come up as the software called iSite from geoVue helps the company to analyze where it can put more restaurants that will better serve the people. In the fourth quarter of 2012 Dunkin’ Brands had a variety of highlights that included a 3.2 percent growth in the sales of its Donuts compared to the other stores that are in the United States. In the rest of the world the brand also posted significant success that was exhibited by the opening of 256 new restaurants that included 149 Dunkin Donut restaurants

Article Summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Summary - Article Example ng strategy with segmentation and positioning, and final consumer and their buying behavior, the book is overly influential to marketing (Perreault et al. 15). In addition, this is a new edition which has been significantly revised, rewritten and updated to echo new concepts, new cases, up to date practices, and to firmly incorporate the best technical tools in the industry for making sure that learners are ready to engage in classroom lectures and chase future marketing and business careers. This is relevant to the marketing course. The student will be updated on basically everything that revolves around marketing that will make him or her ready for the job market and drive the firm they work for to success. I learnt many things from this book such as how to maintain a positive client relationship by dictating their behavior. I also learnt the marketing value to consumers firms and society and the influence technology has of the business environment today. All these are factors that can make it easier for any person or business to succeed in the business world. Therefore, I would recommend the source to anyone willing to study the business field from a marketing perspective. Perreault, William, Cannon, Joseph and McCarthy, Jerome E. Basic Marketing: A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach, 19th edition. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2014. Web.

Taking a Community Sociolgical Inventory Coursework

Taking a Community Sociolgical Inventory - Coursework Example I would therefore like to seek your opinion regarding it. Kindly let me know what you think of the contributions of individuals, federal and the Arizona state governments on the educational provisions by the Liberty Elementary School and the Paradise Valley Unified School District at large (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). As a course mentor, I would like to seek your opinion regarding my list of social inventory. Having conducted an extensive on the educational climate of Liberty Elementary School, I came up with the following list (in order of priority): This paper is mainly based on the research conducted about Liberty Elementary School and its immediate surrounding. As a matter of fact, the prosperity of education in a school relies on both internal and external factors. A part from the school set up, the immediate community in which it is located, great determine its success. Liberty Elementary School is located within Paradise Valley Unified School District, Arizona State (Button, H. Warren & Provenzo, E.F., Jr., 2009). The 1977 established institution offers preschool through sixth grade. Currently, it has a total population of 600 pupils. Evidently, Liberty Elementary School was founded in 1877. As an institution, it has undergone a lot of changes in its growth. Initially, it had a total population of 30 learners (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). This number significantly increased as it expanded and grew over the years. According to the latest school records, it currently has a total population of 600 pupils. This number has been steadily increasing over the years. By 2004, it had only 390 pupils. This increased to 500 in 2008 before increasing to 520, 550, 570, 580, and 600 in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively (U.S, Census Bureau data, 2013). According to the school administration, it is a policy to provide quality education to the learners. This has been accomplished through

History wk 12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History wk 12 - Essay Example They showed what other studies have shown, that there are spatial differences between men and women and that women are better in verbal skills. What I wonder, is whether these are different because of the way that children are trained. Do boy children tend to be trained to see things more spatially than girls are shown? Do women spend more time talking and by doing so, increasing their verbal skills? Is this why many men find talking about problems etc., too difficult because they have not been trained in that way? Schultz and Schultz (2008) suggest that that there is bias and discrimination still going on when people come together. In psychology, I have seen this become a problem, especially with some students who may be from the Middle East or other countries at times when the United States feels threatened. Although this may not be what we want to see in psychology, I think it still exists and that we need. The idea of gender intrigues me because today, there is so much going on w ith it. Some people are changing their genders, feeling they were born into the wrong one. There is an ongoing debate about whether gays and lesbians should be able to marry. Although this may not directly take a look at gender, it does apply in that often gays and lesbians transcend the gender they were born into. ... When I first came into this course, I had some idea of the various areas of psychology because I received them from different courses taken before this course. I think my personal view of psychology would be that it is the study of how people deal with the world around them. I believe that it is more than just a study of the mind, because there are so many different aspects of it. As an example, we brought up the idea of â€Å"The Secret† in this class and I believe that it is part of what people are studying today. Those who are following this are attempting to understand a different way of behavior that will help them move forward. It is a belief system that many have adopted and made work for them. I think that counseling has to take into consideration a client’s belief system and the fact that it will not necessarily be the same as that of the counselor. In fact, the counselor may be opposed to the client’s belief system and/or lifestyle, but they may need to have a way of dealing with it anyway or to refer the client to someone else. As a counselor who is a scholar-practitioner, I believe that it is important to continue to read in my field after I leave college and to interact with other scholar-practitioners. I do not believe that we can work in a vacuum and sometimes, realistically, many of us tend to get a degree and then work in an agency for many years without more development. I believe it is important to understand the stressors that people are dealing with on a day to day basis, and to study those areas that we are going to work with clients in. As an example, the world is seeing major stress related to PTSD coming from the war. Because of this, a scholar practitioner is going to need to understand PTSD and the types of things that work well with

Ammonia Treatment in Textile Processing Essay Example for Free

Ammonia Treatment in Textile Processing Essay Ammonia Treatment in Textile Processing BY Mrzatnqazt Ammonia Treatment in Textile Processing Before Studding Ammonia Treatment we have to know about the Pretreatments in textile processing. Why we do Pre-Treatments? Pretreatment is the heart of processing of textile. Grey cloth after weaving is quite unattractive and contains numerous natural as well as added impurities which hinder the successful carrying out of subsequent step like dyeing, printing and finishing. What are Pre-Treatments? In Pretreatment, all these impurities are removed and fabric is brought to a stage here it is more absorbent and white and can be easily processed further. In other words Pretreatment process could be defined as procedures concerning about the removal of natural and added impurities in the fabric to an optimum level that can provide good whiteness and absorbency by utilizing minimum time, energy and chemicals as well as water. Major steps involved in textile pretreatment are: De-sizing, Scouring, Bleaching and Mercerization or Ammonia Treatment In every step, different chemicals are involved which are: ? » Wetting Scoring Agents, ? » Sequestering Agents, ? » Mercerizing Agents or Liquid Ammonia, nd ? » Hydrogen Peroxide Stabilizers Pretreatment is important!!! 70% of problems during dyeing and finishing are caused by pretreatment. Now What is Mercerization? Mercerization is a method for processing cellulose fibers by alkalis. This processing makes the inside of the fibers swell to exploit new fiber properties beyond their original feel or physical properties. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and ammonia (NH3) are used as the alkaline chemicals for mercerization. Ammonia Mercerizing of cellulose fibers History: The use of ammonia in mercerization has been known since the 1930s and was eveloped commercially for fabric processing around 1970 in what was originally known as the Tedesco process, which was subsequently acquired by the Sanforized company and made well-known as the Sanfor-Set process. The fashion appeal of so-called flat-finish denim resulting from Japanese ammonia-finished denim that many companies substituted caustic-mercerized fabrics, often presenting them as ammonia finished. Working: By combining ammonia mercerization and Sanforizing in a single step shrinkage control is greatly improved in denim. In contrast to caustic mercerization, the fabric is ofter, semi-permanent press properties result and in the case of twill fabrics, there is less seam-puckering in garments, less leg- twist and edge-fraying. Unlike caustic mercerization, the fabric is not degraded, avoiding a harsh hand even after multiple washings. The resistances to abrasion tear and tensile is significantly improved. The original process consisted of passing the fabric though a bath of liquid ammonia with 100% pickup for approximately 10 seconds. The ammonia was removed with dry heat applied by passing over blanketed, steam heated dry cans which removed about 90% f the ammonia which was then recovered by a recovery plant consisting of large, pressurized towers and made available for recycling. The rest of the ammonia, which chemically bonded to the cellulose, was removed by light steaming. Effects ; Defects: The difference in effect as opposed to caustic mercerization is because with ammonia, there is less fiber-swelling, therefore the fibers are more pliable, which Additionally, unlike standard wet-finishing of denim, the ammonia penetrates completely into yarns and fibers, resulting in complete wetting, which is necessary for lasticizing the cotton for consistent shrinkage and elongation. In garments that are fabricated from ammonia treated-fabrics, the garment life is longer after long periods of wear and repeated washings, improving sustainability. Penetration: The much smaller molecular size of ammonia allows it to penetrate completely into every fiber of the fabric, unlike caustic which causes such rapid fiber- swelling that the caustic is blocked at the surface of yarns, preventing further penetration. The surface tension of ammonia at 26 dynes/cm is a third that of caustic (NaOH). The ower surface tension overcomes the enormous resistance of air trapped in the fabric which is a characteristic of heavy cotton fabrics. Additionally, at normal mercerization concentrations of caustic (23%/30 Baume), sodium hydroxide forms a hepta-hydrate with water (NaOH7H20), which results in a slow-moving, bulky group. Permanent- press effects: The permanent-press effects are achieved without the use of cross-linking resins, however, the commonly-used resins are soluble in ammonia and a combination resin finish and mercerizing, plus Sanforizing can be achieved if a soluble catalyst is mployed. Additionally, ammonia acts as a formaldehyde-scavenger and resin- treated fabrics that are ammonia treated will produce no free-formaldehyde. Shrinkage: As a rule, fabric shrinkage depends on the time of exposure to the ammonia, with 80% of the shrinkage occurring in the initial 6 seconds. Very close control of final shrinkage is achieved by fabric tension in the ammonia application in combination with compressive shrinkage. By 1974, the primary application of ammonia mercerization was for treatment of heavy-weight cotton fabrics such as denim and orduroy, which are difficult to properly mercerize with traditional caustic treatments. The ammonia process was intended as a replacement for conventional mercerizing for both fabrics and in mercerizing sewing threads (Petrograd process). Ammonia Recovery: The original ammonia recovery methods required a large capital investment which limited acceptance in the textile industry, however, a more recent design has adopted patented seals that totally isolates the dry and steam process sections in order to avoid ammonia from coming into contact with water and air subsequently liminating the need for an expensive distillation and recovery operation. Furthermore the seals also isolate the machine from the outside environment so that there are absolutely no ammonia odors in the room where the equipment is operating. This unit also does not employ a felt calendar, which can also transfer allowing denim to be processed on the same machine without contamination of non- denim fabrics as well as reducing the problem of back staining with denim that occurs in caustic mercerization, since no water is required for washing.. All the imited residues of non-recyclable ammonia are completely neutralized and can be safely sent to the water treatment plant, so together with the significant reduction in water usage, this newer ammonia process can actually be considered environmentally friendlier than conventional caustic mercerization. Dry-crease recovery: Ammonia- mercerization provides a higher dry-crease recovery and higher shrinkage consistency than caustic mercerization, especially with the dry-steam method of recovery. However, caustic mercerization still has an advantage with regard to luster nd improved depth of color in dyeing, although the uniformity of dyeing after mercerization is significantly improved with ammonia. Ammonia treatment results in a more rounded cotton fiber, which scatters light more, in turn resulting in a luster that is less bright. An additional advantage of ammonia mercerization is the absence of alkaline oxy-cellulose that results with caustic treatments, which is evidenced by strength-losses and dyeing variation. The lower pH of ammonia allows safe treatment of more sensitive fibers like linen (flax) or silk. With caustic treatments of fabrics like enim, the elimination of washing required in caustic mercerization avoids the problems with removing caustic. Mercerizes are not normally equipped with drum washers for removal of caustic from heavy cotton fabrics and contamination remains on the fabric at the time of drying which results in damage to cotton. The use of acetic acid to neutralize creates a problem with the formation of sodium acetate, which produces a very harsh feel. The ammonia process on denims also produces a much flatter, richer appearance and improves the performance on stretch denim improving fit. Tension control: Tension control is important in both ammonia and caustic mercerization for improved fabric tenacity and elongation. Moisture regain is improved in both if tension is applied prior to fiber swelling.

What Are the Reflective Practices of Teachers?

What Are the Reflective Practices of Teachers? Teachers play a significant role in shaping the quality and effectiveness of the teaching and learning practices. Research on effective teaching has shown that effective practice is linked to inquiry, reflection, and continuous professional growth (Harris, 1998). The professional development of teachers takes many forms ranging from activities set by school administration to personal reflective practices about classroom experiences. Schon (1996) defined reflective practice as thoughtfully considering ones own experiences in applying knowledge to practice while being coached by professionals in the discipline. For teaching, reflective practice refers to the process of the teacher studying his or her own teaching methods and determining what works best for the students. Thus, teachers reflective practices are necessary to teach effectively and they address an important issue in providing meaningful lessons to students. Elementary teachers as well as the teachers of other grades can be supported to be involved in reflective practices on their own experiences. 1.1 Rationale The classroom realization of curriculum reform comes about through the actions of individual teachers (Christou et all, 2004). Teachers beliefs, practices, and working environment shape and direct their implementation. Teachers should be able to understand and appreciate the changes that the curriculum is attempting to implement and not otherwise. (Zanzali, 2003) There is a literature which presents the processes and barriers involved in the implementation of curricular change (e.g. Fullan, 1991; Macnab, 2003). Romberg (1997) showed that the use of a new curriculum in the classroom could create disjunctions between the teachers former knowledge and practice, which require resolution. The development and implementation of any curriculum will affect teachers in significant ways and if teachers are not helped in coping with demands brought about by changes in the content, pedagogical and psychological considerations, the implementation process will not be effective. Experience around the world in developing, industrialized, and information-based countries has shown that professional development is the key determining factor for improved classroom performance. Effective professional development experiences are designed to help teachers build new understanding of teaching and learning (Hea-Jin Lee, 2001). According to Baird and Rowsy (1989), high quality in-service program should be designed if teachers were to benefit from it. Regardless of particular circumstances, an effective curriculum development process usually entails a structured professional development program in order to guide the curriculum development process. The aim of this study is to investigate elementary teachers reflective practices on their mathematics teaching as they are involved in a continuing mathematics teaching professional development program as a consequence of a two mathematics education program integration process at a private elementary school in Ankara. In this study, two elementary teachers will participate in the study and they will be interviewed in order to get information about their reflective practices on their teaching. In addition to this, those teachers lessons will be observed in their classes through the professional development program in order to see their implementation. The participants will also keep reflective journal on their mathematics teaching practices. The findings will contribute to the future in-service training programs in Turkey. 1.2 My motivation for the study As a mathematics teacher teaching grades from 6 to 8, I realized that students have some problems related to mathematics learning and some of these problems are related to their previous learning experiences in early grades. These problems are brought to the upper grades if they were not solved in the earlier grades. It can be said that, students do not learn well and as we desire and I believe that some of these problems are related to the teaching, in other words, it is directly related to the way we teach the mathematics topics. In our country, elementary school teachers are responsible for teaching mathematics as well as teaching other subjects. As far as I am concerned, teaching mathematics especially to 4th and 5th grades is difficult for many elementary school teachers. In this respect, teachers, who are teaching in these levels should be supported by means of continuous program that involves several different components such as seminars, lesson observations, interviews, and reflective practices. By seeing the potential sources of the problem and having some solution ideas, as a mathematics teacher I can provide support for elementary school teachers in my school. Thats why, from my point of view, this study will serve a valuable information in order to understand elementary school teachers way of thinking in teaching mathematics by means of their reflective practices. 1.3 Research Question The research question related to this study is as follows: What are the elementary teachers reflective practices on their mathematics teaching as they are involved in a continuing mathematics teaching professional development program which is developed as a consequence of a two mathematics education program integration process at a private school in Ankara? CHAPTER II:  REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The goal of this study is to investigate elementary teachers reflective practices on their mathematics teaching as they are involved in a continuing mathematics teaching professional development program as a consequence of a two mathematics education program integration process. This chapter is devoted to the review of literature related to this study. The issues that will be covered in this chapter are the term reflection, reflective practices, and studies on reflection and reflective practice. What you need is a theory which underlines the reflection. Not for this assignment, but for your TIK and dissertation. 2.1 The term reflection: Although the term reflection became popular after the studies of Schon, the roots of the term extend to John Dewey. Dewey (1933) claimed the importance of active and deliberate engagement with problematic situations in providing development. He defined reflection as an Active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends constitutes reflective thought (p. 9). According to Dewey (1933), reflection does not consist of a series of steps or procedures to be used by teachers. Rather, it is a holistic way of meeting and responding to problems, a way of being as a teacher. As he stated, reflection involves intuition, emotion, and passion and is not something that can be neatly packaged as a set of techniques for teachers to use (p.9 you give the page number what where is the quote?). Dewey (1933) believed that an individual should to have three profiles in order to r eflect; being open-minded, responsible and whole-hearted. These imply openness to new ideas and thoughts, being aware of the meaning and consequences of ones actions and the capacity to fully engage with new ideas and actively seek them out respectively. He further stated the four-part experiential-reflective cycle showing the relationship between experience, description, interpretation, and action. Rodgers (2002, p. 845 as cited in Lee, 2005) characterized Deweys four criteria for reflection as follows: Did you take this directly from your second reference? Or did you paraphrase them? Is a meaning-making process that moves a learner from one experience into the next with deeper understanding of its relationships with and connections to other experiences and ideas. Is a systematic, rigorous, disciplined way of thinking, with its roots in scientific inquiry. Needs to happen in community, in interaction with others. Requires attitudes that value the personal and intellectual growth of oneself and of others. Deweys ideas and the idea of professional reflection were developed in the 1980s with the Schons (1983) new concepts of reflection-in-action and reflection on action. Schon stressed the relationship between reflection and experience and distinguished between `reflection-on- action and `reflection-in-action. While reflection in action can be described as the reflection done during the action, reflection on action is done after the action. Griffiths (2000) stated that, reflection both in and after action is important in order to evaluate and moderate intuitive practice. Another distinction about the types of reflection is done by Van Manen (1995). He stated that the simplest forms of reflection that regularly occur in teacher education take place before, during, and after teaching, and Van Manen defines them as anticipatory, contemporaneous, and retrospective types of reflection. 2.2 Reflective Practice Jaworski (1998) defined reflective practice as a rather thoughtful way of teaching, evaluating what occurs and feeding into future planning without a demand for overt, critical, knowledgeable action (p.7). Similarly, Schon (1983) defined reflective practice as thoughtfully considering ones own experiences in applying knowledge to practice while being coached by professionals in the discipline. According to Pollard (2005), reflective teaching implies an active concern with aims and consequences as well as means and technical competence (p15). He stated the seven main characteristics of reflective practices as follows: I think instead of listing them in this way, you should combine these in a paragraph. You may use most of your expressions below, but put them through a flow in the paragraph. Reflective teaching implies an active concern with aims and consequences, as well as means and technical efficiency. Reflective teaching is applied in a cyclical or spiraling process, in which teachers monitor, evaluate and revise their own practice continuously. Reflective teaching requires competence in methods of evidence-based classroom enquiry, to support the progressive development of higher standards of teaching. Reflective teaching requires attitudes of open-mindedness, responsibility and wholeheartedness. Reflective teaching is based on teacher judgment, informed by evidence- based enquiry and insights from other research. Reflective teaching, professional learning and personal fulfillment are enhanced by dialogue with colleagues. Reflective teaching enables teachers to creatively mediate externally developed frameworks for teaching and learning. McKenna (1999 as cited in Jay and Johnson, 2002) listed the characteristics of practitioner who is reflective by saying he; focuses on some dimension of their pedagogy; sees that dimension from a variety of perspectives using techniques of reframing and reflective listening; and engages in dialogue with their peers in order to illuminate the boundaries and frames of thought which limited their current perspective, with the goal being to take action based on a thorough and reflective understanding of events, alternatives, and ethics (p. 13). Again, you have page number but where the quote begins and ends (quotation marks) is missing. Instead, you should write these in your own words in a paragraph. 2.3 Studies on reflection and reflective practice Try to avoid talking about the article. Instead, talk about the study or the ideas presented. Griffiths (2000), discussed the term reflection as it relates to teachers and teacher education. She drew particularly on Schons (YEAR) definitions of two types of reflection, which are reflection-in-action and refection-on-action. In the article, differing definitions of reflection and their inter-relationship are explored, and how these relate to courses of initial teacher education in a variety of countries and cultural contexts is discussed. In addition to this, questions about the value and purpose of reflection were also raised, especially in the context of its practical relevance to teacher education. Another study is done by Jay and Johnson (2002) who explored the facets of reflection. They provided a typology designed to guide teacher educators in teaching reflection to pre-service teachers. After a short review on reflection, they defined the term reflection, reflection process and its content, and the typology of reflection is presented. The profile of typology consisted of three dimensions of reflective thought which are descriptive, comparative, and critical. In her article Frid (2000) discussed that although it has framed many mathematics teacher education practices in the last decade, it has ultimately not had substantial impact on classroom practices yet. Therefore she examined some reasons for this lack of impact. In the article, the stages and foci of teacher development are underlined from the stage of beginning student teacher to an autonomous teacher. In this paper the importance of broadening and embracing constructivist pedagogy more fully were mentioned in order to provide ways for the development of student teachers as professionals who have technical knowledge and skills as well as capacities for life long learning, flexibility and autonomy. Jaworski (2006) defined teaching as learning practice and she addressed the challenge of developing theory in relation to the practices of mathematics teaching and its development. She specially dealt with inquiry in mathematics learning, mathematics teaching and the development of practices of teaching in communities involving teachers and educators. Jaworski handle the inquiry as a tool which can lead to developing inquiry as a way of being when practiced as part of a community, in which members collaborate, as learners to develop their practice. The paper offered some ways for mathematics teaching development. In his writing, Farell (2008) described the foundations and components of reflective practice to facilitate the use of this approach among educators who work with adult English language learners. He firstly defined the reflective practice by giving briefly the related research and then he mentioned about practice, by discussing some techniques and tools such as action research, teaching journals, teaching development groups. He further discussed the continuum of reflection and how can teachers engage in the reflective practices in order to make continuous development in their career. As Frid (2000) and Jaworski (2006) mentioned, it is easy to set relationship between constructivism, inquiry method and reflective practices. The importance of reflective teaching is a central component for designing teaching and learning experiences for teachers. (Lowery, 2003, p.23). According to Van Manen (1995) in everyday life, the practice of pedagogy can only be reflective in a qualified and circumscribed sense (p.35). Reflective practice occurs when teachers consciously take on the role of reflective practitioner, subject their own beliefs about teaching and learning to critical analysis, take full responsibility for their actions in the classroom, and continue to improve their teaching practice (Farrell, 2008; Jay Johnson, 2002). Teachers can engage in these reflective practices in a constructivist manner in any time they need to develop themselves. 2.4. Developing a reflective practice-empirical research studies It is evident that there is an emphasis on the literature that reflection is strongly related with experience, in other words practice. Van Manen (1995) raised some questions about the meaning and place of practical reflection in teaching and about the relation between knowledge and action in teaching. He underlined the importance of reflective thinking which has a complex array of cognitively and philosophically distinct methods and attitudes. He defined different reflection profiles namely retrospective reflection on (past) experiences, anticipatory reflection on (future) experiences, and contemporaneous reflection. He raised the questions considering different cases, such as for novice teachers, experienced teachers, and explains the different findings in different occasions. In her article Lowery (2003) mentioned the importance of reflective teaching in providing development in teacher knowledge and research results that defines the reflective thinking as distinguishing strategy between experienced and novice teachers. She discussed the importance of teacher reflection; she describes the three-level plan to promote reflective teaching, which are understanding the importance of reflective thinking, implementing reflective strategies the reflective cycle and developing a reflective venue. Another study was performed by Loughran. Loughran (2002) examined the nature of reflection and to suggest how it might become effective reflective practice that can be developed and enhanced through teacher preparation programs, He underlined the inefficiency of experience alone is mentioned and importance of reflection for learning. The main message he gave in the article that, if learning through practice matters, then reflection on practice is crucial, and teacher preparation is the obvious place for it to be initiated and nurtured (p.42). 2.4.1. Reflective Practice among Preservice Teachers In their article, Harford and MacRuairc (2008) reported on the study they performed among twenty preservice teachers with the aim of examining the use of peer-videoing in the classroom as a tool to promote reflective practice among student teachers. The pre-service teachers who were participated in the study were from a variety of subject disciplines participating in a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education program in an Irish university. They defined the purpose of this paper as to contribute to the international debate over best practice in supporting, encouraging and scaffolding reflective practice. The findings of the study indicated that the use of peer videoing in the classroom has a powerful function as a catalyst for reflection and critical dialogue among teachers. In another study, Kullman (1998) focused on what transpired during a mentor training course in Hungary. This mentor training course involved prospective mentors and student English Language teachers. In the course, role plays proved to be the stimulus for an exploration of how far the model of mentoring commonly promoted takes sufficient account of contextual factors. He discussed the mentors roles, the ways in helping student teachers reflect on their classroom experience and how to promote reflection in relation with the contextual factors. The study of Lee (2005) has the purpose of investigating how the process of reflective thinking develops in preservice teachers and reviewing the criteria for assessing reflective thinking. Lee performed the study with the participants who enrolled as juniors in a secondary mathematics program in Korea. The data were collected by interviews, observations and written documents such as survey questionnaires and journal entries. Reflections of preservice teachers are assessed from two perspectives, one of them is content and the other one is depth. In the study, it is found that reflective thinking depends on personal background, field experience contexts, and the mode of communication. The criteria for depth of reflection are defined as recall, rationalization and reflective levels. In her article McDuffie (2004) reported on the study which has the aim of investigating the pre-service teachers thinking with regard to reflective processes and how they use their pedagogical content knowledge in their practices. The case study was done with two elementary preservice teachers during their student teaching internship program. She found that the pre-service teachers use their pedagogical content knowledge in anticipating problematic events and in reflecting on problematic events in instruction. She further founded that the limited amount of pedagogical content knowledge and lack of confidence had effect on the pre-service teachers reflection while in the act of teaching; therefore they were more likely to reflect on their practices outside of the act of teaching. 2.4.2. Reflective Practice among Novice Teachers In the literature, the amount of studies done with expert teachers and preservice teachers is greater than that of novice teachers. In one of these studies Roehrig et. al. (2008) conducted a grounded theory analysis in order to explore the potential for mentoring to support novice teachers use of effective teaching practices. The study was conducted with six beginning primary teachers in the US, and with their mentors. The data were collected by means of survey, interview, and observation. The results of data analysis revealed that some factors, other than type of mentoring program were related to beginning teachers success in improving classroom practices. It was found that more effective beginning teachers mentors had more experience as mentors and were more effective teachers than other mentors. In addition to this, more effective beginning teachers communicated more with mentors, more accurately self-reported use of effective teaching practices, and were more open to mentoring. Another study with novice teachers was performed by Cavanagh and Prescott (2010). They reported on their study that was conducted with three beginning secondary mathematics teachers. The aim of the study was to interpret how beginning teachers reflective practices developed during a one-year university teacher education program and concurrent professional fieldwork experience or practicum. The data were collected through the interviews during the practicum and once more in their first year. A three-stage, hierarchical model of reflective practice of Lee was used to interpret the interview responses. Results of the study revealed that the participants showed improvement in their ability to reflect on their teaching during the practicum. 2.4.3 Reflective Practice among Expert teachers One of the studies performed with expert teachers is done by Curtis and Szestay (2005). They reported on the learning outcomes of experienced teachers who attended a program designed to enable them to come together and engage in professional development through structured and systematic reflective practice. They used both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. As a quantitative data collection method, they used questionnaire and as qualitative methods, they used one-to- one, face-to-face audio recorded interviews. They interviewed with seven past seminar participants, three primary school teachers, three high school teachers and one middle school teacher. Six themes emerged from the teacher responses. These are, renewed enthusiasm for teaching, looking at teaching with fresh eyes, shifts in understanding teaching, becoming more reflective and aware as teachers, enhancing the quality of student learning and building professional communities. As another study, Jaworski (1998) discussed the study of teacher researchers undertaking research into their own mathematics teaching at the secondary level. The study used qualitative methods to explore the processes and practices of Mathematics Teacher Enquiry (MTE) project research. Two important considerations were the special nature of mathematics in this research, and the role of external researchers in the MTE project. In this study, the teachers were seen as reflective practitioners, who develop knowledge and awareness through enhanced metacognitive activity. Their research was characterized as evolutionary, in contrast with established patterns of action research. This study reveals the fact that, teachers researches have commonalities and some differences, and these results provide potential for the development of mathematics teaching. In her article, Walshaw (2010) dealt with the ways of understanding what structures a teachers narrative about his practice. This study was a part of the larger project that represented the New Zealand component of the international Learners Perspective Study (LPS) and on one teachers reflections on a sequence of algebra lessons at the secondary school level, in a larger project. The data were collected through classroom video records, interviews with and classroom researcher observations. As a result of the project, Walshaw pointed out that reflections are more than instruments of change; they are also instruments of social reproduction. Zaslavsky and Leikin (2004) performed a study with junior and senior high school mathematics teachers with the aim of analyzing the processes encountered by the teacher educators, as members of a community of practice, which contributed to their growth as teacher educators. In addition to this, thy aimed at testing their theoretical three-layer model of growth through practice in special context, which is professional development of mathematics teacher educators. The study was conducted as grounded theory approach within in-service professional development program. In another study, Farell (2001) reported on the study that he performed with one non-native speaker, a teacher of English as a foreign language in Korea, during a 16-week period with the aim of understanding what the teacher talked about in the three modes of reflection: group meetings, individual meetings and what she wrote about in her journal; and what was the level of her reflection in each activity: descriptive or critical. The results of the study revealed that the teacher shows a clear preference for group discussions as her method of reflection over the other two activities: journal writing and classroom observations. 2.4.4 Summary of literature review on teachers reflection and reflective practice From the literature review, we can summarize the following statements. To begin with, the theory and practice division is dominant in the literature related to the reflection and reflective practice. Secondly, it is learned from literature that, reflective practice is a valuable and important component in teacher development. It is promoted to be included in preservice teachers education program as well as in-service teacher development programs. Thirdly, when we look at the literature from the aspects of tools and methods in order to promote reflective practices, we see that reflective journal writing, use of videos, observations, peer observations, reflective dialogue are the most common preferred ways. Another thing that attracts our attention in the literature review is that it relates constructivism and inquiry with reflective practices of teachers. As a last statement, we can mention on the literature which emphasize on the social aspect of reflections. The literature review on reflective practices of teachers revealed some further research needs. First of all, studies are needed regarding how the incorporation of effective ways in a continuous development program be achieved so that teachers benefits from these practices. In addition to this, some research would be beneficial on collaborative reflective practices of teachers on their teaching area as well as on teaching in general. Further, the role of scaffolding in developing teachers reflective practices can also be a study area. Some research on assessing the effectiveness of reflective practices would be beneficial. From the literature review it is seen that that reflection is a hallmark for development of teachers and for providing quality in teaching; it should be given importance to provide development of teachers both in undergraduate programs and continuous education programs. CHAPTER III:  METHODOLOGY 3.1 The research site The present research is a qualitative study using elementary teachers reflective practices. The study will be conducted with two elementary teachers in one private elementary school in Ankara. Two mathematics programs, namely Primary Years Math Program (PYP-math) and mathematics program designed by Ministry of National Education (MoNE) have been integrated in this school in 2010. There are approximately 100 staff including coordinator, principle and vice principals, teachers, counselors, program development expert, and measurement and evaluation expert in this school. The school has approximately 700 students from kindergarten to 8th grade. There are four sections at each grade level. The school starts at 8.30 in the morning and finishes at 15.35 and teachers are to be at school during whole week between these hours except for one half day in a week. In addition to these, for Tuesdays and Thursdays the working time extends to 17.00 and all the meetings and workshops are planned in this period. The school is implementing a new program for two years for K5 grades. This program is called Primary Years Program (PYP), which is a part of International Baccalaureate Program (IB) developed by International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) was established in 1968 and is a non-profit, international educational foundation registered in Switzerland. The PYP is based on the inquiry and thematic in nature. Teachers teaching the same grade level come together and develop six transdisciplinary thematic units to be covered during whole year. 3.2 The Overall Research Design of the Study The data will be collected by means of reflective journals, in-depth interviews and lesson observations. When we look at the literature from the aspects of methods in order to be used for data collection for teachers reflective practices, we see that observations and interviews are very commonly preferred (Cavanagh and Prescott, 2010; Curtis and Szestay, 2005; Lee, 2005, Roehrig et. al., 2008). In addition to this, journal writing is found a valuable tool in the literature to promote teachers reflective practices. (Farell, 2001, 2008; Lee, 2005) 3.3 The Participants Two elementary teachers will participate in the study. In the school, one group of elementary teachers teaches to the grades 1-3 and the other group teaches to the grades 4 and 5. The participants of the study will be selected from those who generally teach to 4th and 5th grades since in these grade levels, mathematics content is more intensive when compared to lower grade levels. The participants will be selected according to number of years in teaching in school and teaching experience overall. Teachers having five to fifteen years of experience will be preferred as participants. Classroom teachers are all female in this school; therefore the participants will be female. 3.4 Data Collection Procedure The participants will be interviewed in the beginning of the process in order to gather general information about them as teachers. After that, their lessons will be observed within at least five whole observation cycles, including five pre-interview sessions, five lesson observations and five post-interview sessions. The lessons will be video-taped and participants will be provided a copy of each observed lesson video in order to make reflection on it before coming to the post-interview session. Each of the observation cycles will be completed in two weeks, therefore the observation cycle process will last about ten weeks. In addition to this, the participants will keep reflective journal during these ten weeks and the journal entries will be checked at the end of each observation period. The general design of the data collection procedure is in the Table 3.1. Table 3.1 Data collection procedure Week 1 Initial General Interview Week 2 3 Observation Cycle 1 Reflective Journal Entries Literature Review: Medical Research on Schizophrenia Literature Review: Medical Research on Schizophrenia Research is a way of developing a better understanding of a specific chosen area which can help improve further studies within the chosen subject. An interesting subject to research is a mental health condition known as schizophrenia and how it affects people within modern society. This specific mental health topic was chosen due to personal reasons and also as a professional interest. This research paper will help gather more information and knowledge toward the understanding of the illness to help progress further within the mental health care industry. In an article published by Medical News Today (2014) Nordqvist (2014) it describes schizophrenia as a mental health disorder which affects the brain and causes delusions, confusions, social withdrawal, psychosis, loss of personality and can also cause the patient to portray some unusually bizarre behaviour. MNT (2014) also states that this disease of the brain will normally hit a person during their late adolescent years or early adulthood years, but goes on to stress that it can affect anyone at any given time of their life. According to research gathered by the National Institute of Mental Health (2014) a person suffering with schizophrenia will have to cope with the symptoms for life but, treatment can relieve many of these symptoms. The research information that was published by NIMH (2014) was secondary data founded and collected by medical professionals that study and research schizophrenia as a profession. The study that was conducted is known as an epidemiology study (a study of patterns of disease within the community or population) and was used to collect the primary data through participant observation and surveys (patient 2014). In recent research studies it is suggested that one in three people to every 100 in the UK suffer with schizophrenia according to statistics provided by Mind (2014). This works out around 220,000 people living in Wales and England and around 24,000,000 worldwide suffer with this illness (RC Psych 2012). These figures founded for this particular research paper are qualitative (open questionnaires) and quantitative (numerical information collected through closed questions) based as they were done through doing surveys and questionnaires on the population of the UK society having home treatment and therapies to help deal with their mental health condition. They are also only based on people living at home with the condition so it excludes people who are confined to prison or within a mental health hospital so as one could imagine the statistics will be much larger in numbers than this. All these statistics come from reliable sources as the figures come from the amount of patients that a re being treated by medical professionals, and they are then reported back to the government so that they are able to collect this information and record the figures accurately through the quantitative data gathered by the researches. In 2009 Gattaz (2009) did a study examining the link between schizophrenia and the sufferer’s urbanicity. This study was carried out during 20 different studies (known as a systematic review, where more than one case is studied, Saha et al 2005) in Western Europe and at the end of it Gattaz (2009) came to the conclusion that the longer a person living in that kind of environment is exposed to urban residence the higher their risk of developing schizophrenia was. This study was ethical in its research as the subjects were all demographically similar with their age, gender, sex and migrant status being within the same range. However during this investigation one of the major methodological (which is the way the researcher would go about discovering the knowledge in a systematic way) (Killam, 2013) implications of conducting the study into the relationship between the neighbourhood and schizophrenia was the timing of the individuals exposure. This was discovered when March et al (2008) assessed and reviewed the study and looked into the validity and the reliability of the study (the quality and the accuracy of the results). This study then becomes unreliable and inconclusive due to the unethical approach which means the hypothesis to this research can be researched again through a more in-depth approach. Kelly et al (2009) conducted research in order to find if there is a link between schizophrenia and urbanity. This was a longitude study spanning over several years. The subjects were identified by attending psychiatric services within an urban catchment of Dublin during the period of 1995 – 1998 where subjects from North East Ireland were also identified. The population used was 171 during the period of 1995 – 1998 and 153 subjects during the period of 1995 – 2001. All cases bar one were ethically Irish and all were male. The researchers collected qualitative data by means of face to face interviews. The research found that males were almost twice as likely to suffer from schizophrenia in urban areas, in comparison to males in rural areas. However, incidences of psychosis were lower in urban areas in comparison to the rural counterparts. This research found that the results suggested that males were 48% more like to suffer from schizophrenia This research did highlight the risks of schizophrenia when living in urban areas. However, this study gives a biased conclusion as all subjects were male and Irish. This research could not be used to generalise the risk cross culturally. Research involving an even ratio of male and female, also an even ratio of ethnicity would probably give a less biased result. One website named as Schizophrenia (2010) Dr Ira Glick breaks down the etiologic pathway to explain the way that schizophrenia sets in. Etiologic is a medical research term, it is important as the collected information gathers evidence for the investigation into the causes of such illnesses and diseases (Miettinen 2011). The research described on the website schizophrenia (2010) goes on to suggest that schizophrenia starts with the early environmental insults which is the genetic predisposition where, this will then lead onto the neurodevelopmental abnormalities and target features. The later environmental insults start with the further brain dysfunction and schizophrenia which will then lead to the onset of psychosis which is the neurodegeneration and schizophrenia. The study shows that ever growing research suggests that schizophrenia could possibly be prevented whilst the mother is pregnant with their child or, in the early stages of childhood. This could be a good thing because a s many other research studies suggest, schizophrenia runs in the family and that deformed genes are passed down hereditary through the family (NHS 2012). RC Psych (2014) online research website has recently been looking into research suggesting that schizophrenia is linked with the misuse of the illegal drug known as cannabis. These studies suggested that there is a clear strong link between the two with the early use of cannabis and the later mental health issues in those with a genetic vulnerability. Not only was it found that schizophrenia is linked with cannabis misuse but also another mental health issue known as bipolar disorder. According to RC Psych (2014) there is now sufficient evidence that the younger the person is misusing cannabis the higher the chances are of developing the condition later on in life. So in other words they are stating that the more cannabis smoked by an individual the more susceptible the individual is in developing the illness. Another research that has been studied between people who suffer with schizophrenia and healthy individuals asks the question ‘Is there a difference between the perception of emotional and non-emotional facial expression affected the same within healthy individuals and those who suffer with the mental health illness?’ The results from this study showed that patients suffering with schizophrenia showed impairments in the recognition of identity compared to the groups of young and old healthy individuals. Similarly though it found that old healthy individuals have the impairment of learning new faces the same as experienced in the ability of patients with schizophrenia recognising the learning of new faces (Silver 2014). The method used in this research was through direct observation where the participant’s behaviour was observed by the person conducting the research. In one of the largest studies to ever be undertaken, scientists believe they are closer than ever before in understanding the complex interplay between a person’s upbringing and their genes that can result in schizophrenia (independent 2014). Within this study the group of Psychiatrists analysed the DNA of 37,000 schizophrenic patients with completely different backgrounds and found that 128 independent genes located at 108 different locations in the human chromosomes significantly contribute the susceptibility of developing schizophrenia, whereas before 83 of these have never been previously linked to the condition. This research study will hopefully prove to be a breakthrough in understanding and hopefully finding a cure one day for the illness. Larsson et al (2012) conducted research into the use of counselling for individuals suffering from schizophrenia. The research methodology was analysing how eight psychologists talk about and around the topic of schizophrenia to patients by using semi structured interviews. This allowed the researchers to gather qualitative data. Each participant signed a consent form to and were fully briefed in regards to what date was being collected for research. This ensured that all research methods were completed ethically. Larsson et al (2012) concluded that the use of psychology in diagnosing schizophrenia is heavily underrated, The diagnosis of schizophrenia is almost unheard of in counselling psychology literature. Researchers stated that â€Å"conflicting, theories about the cause and nature of schizophrenia have arisen as outlined by Geekie and Read (2009). These include evolutionary theories, psychodynamic and psychoanalytical, life event theories, sociological and anthropological and philosophical and existential theories.† The research concluded that counselling along with medication brought something different to the treatment of schizophrenia. However, there was a danger of counselling pathologising the individual further. Counselling has been identified as being underepresented in the treatment of schizophrenia. Counselling was identified as being underrepresented within the NHS in general. Further research using counselling and medication for individuals with schizophrenia could prove to be very informative in treating an individual. However, with NHS budgets getting cut, this could prove to be a barrier in effectively treating individuals with schizophrenia. In the conclusion to the researches named above the most important thing is finding the key main factor that causes the illness to help in finding a treatment to try and prevent it, keep it at bay or possibly cure it. As research is put into place to help improve a better quality of life for persons suffering with conditions such as schizophrenia all the individuals taking part need to be treated equally therefore these studies need to be ethical in their research to help get a better understanding. Correct training of staff in hospitals, institutes, and self help groups would be of a beneficial factor but these are not cost effective and will cause the government to be paying out expenses for all aspects of the path that needs to be taken in getting there. On the other hand if a better understanding and knowledge of the condition was available to the sufferers then this could keep the cost down as the patients may not be afraid to seek help which can result in them leading a normal and healthy life the same as the next person, being able to get an education behind them, work, get a social life without feeling out casted due to the ignorance of mental health within society (Kings College London 2009). There are so many different theories in the causes and implications on schizophrenia there will be researches going on for a very long time in trying to establish the true cause of the condition. From the research gathered above if society and medical professionals were more educated on mental health illnesses such as schizophrenia then there wouldn’t be as many problems and research into the condition would become easier as sufferers won’t feel as though they are being judged because of the condition but will feel more that there is help out there for them. References: Cannabis and Mental health (2014) Available online at: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabisandmentalhealth.aspx Accessed on 24/11/2014 Causes of schizophrenia (2012) Available online at: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Causes.aspx Accessed on 25/11/2014 Crawford et al (2012) Report of the National Audit of Schizophrenia (NAS), RCP: London DNA hope on schizophrenia: Research breakthrough points at over 100 genes (20143) http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/dna-hope-on-schizophrenia-research-breakthrough-points-at-over-100-genes-9619638.html Accessed on 27/11/2014 Epidemiology (2014) Available online at: http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/schizophrenia-pro Accessed on 27/11/2014 Kelly, B. OCallaghan, E. Waddington, J. Feeney, L. Browne, S. Scully, P. and Clarke, M. et al (2010) Schizophrenia and the City: A Review of Literature and Prospective Study of Psychosis and Urbanicity in Ireland: Schizophrenia Research 116(1), pp. 75-89. Killam, L (2013) Research Terminology simplified: Paradigms, Axiology, Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology, Sudbury: Author Kings College London (2009) Excellence in Mental Health Care: Putting Evidence into Practice, Achievement of Excellence, London: Kings Health Partners, pp. 1 Larsson, P. Loewenthal, D and Brooks, O. (2012) Counselling psychology and schizophrenia: A critical discursive account. Counselling Psychology Quarterly 25(1), pp. 31-47. Meittinen, O.S (2011) Epidemiological Research: Terms and Concepts, London: Springer Mental Health Problems (2014) Available online at: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems Accessed on 26/11/2014 Nordqvist, C (2014) What is schizophrenia. Available online at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/36942.php Accessed on 27/11/2014 Saha, S (2005) Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Schizophrenia. Available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0020141 Accessed on 25/11/2014 Silver, H. Bilker, W (2014) Social Cognition in Schizophrenia and Healthy Aging: Differences and Similarities The path to Schizophrenia (2010) Available online at: http://schizophrenia.com/hypo.php Accessed on 25/11/2014 What is schizophrenia (2014) Available online at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml Accessed on 27/11/2014

Persuasive Essay: Football :: Persuasive Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once again, after a successful season, Shadle Park was defeated by a Big 9 school in the first game of the regional tournament. This reoccurring event has led many to believe that the four year football program puts GSL students at a disadvantage compared to other districts. A junior high school football program would not only increase the competitiveness of the students but also have more important consequences. As far as football goes, the GSL has become the laughing stock of the state. No team in the entire GSL has entered into the state tournament more than ten times. Shadle Park has only gone to the state tournament a few times in the school’s history. So why is the GSL performing so poorly in relation to the other school districts? The GSL students lack experience. The GSL has no football program for junior high students, while its competition, the Big 9, does. The majority of the GSL cannot play football until their first year of high school. The Big 9 districts fund and support junior high football programs in their schools. This gives the players of the Big 9 a two year advantage over the GSL schools. Players need more time to attain the knowledge and skills needed to play the complicated game of football. Learning the plays alone can take most of a player’s first season. Beginning this challenge in high school when competition is at an extreme can be very discouraging to new players. The GSL must start up a publicly ran junior high school football team so that it can regain its honor and enter its position as a strong competitor. Improving competitiveness is not the only advantage to beginning a football program two years earlier. Junior high is a time when many young people reach a crossroads between the innocence of elementary school and the complicated choices that come with the independence of high school. These are the years that young people begin making life changing choices in their search to identify who they are in this new world of leaving childhood behind. Many middle schoolers choose paths that do not lead to positive results. Some students during this time begin the illegal use of drugs and alcohol as well as other delinquent behaviors. Sports are a proven deterrent to these types of decisions. Studies reveal the number of athletes that become involved with drugs and alcohol is a significantly lower percentage than that of non-athletes.

Anchee Mins Katherine: A Lesson In Survival :: Anchee Min Katherine Essays

Anchee Min's Katherine: A Lesson In Survival Born in Shanghai, China, in 1957, under the rule of Chairman Mao, China’s communist leader, Anchee Min followed the teachings of Mao (Book Reporter). In 1974, she worked at a labor camp for some time. In 1984, she came to America, and by 1994 her memoir, Red Azalea, became an international bestseller (book jacket). Katherine, her first novel, was published in 1995. Min’s Katherine has been called by a Vogue reviewer, â€Å"a powerful lesson in survival† (book jacket). We see the central character and narrator, Zebra Wong, face many tribulations and, in the end, come out the survivor. Zebra is twenty-nine years of age, unmarried, and living in Shanghai with her parents and brother. In her native China, the Cultural Revolution has just come to an end, but many of her peers and fellow countrymen are still heavily influenced by the teachings of Chairman Mao Zedong and his administration. Revealing intimate details about her past, piece by piece, Zebra evokes suppressed feelings: â€Å"I didn’t want to take a thing with me, not even my clothes. Anything that could possibly be a reminder of what happened, I discarded†(16). With these vague indications of something horrible having happened to her, slowly Zebra’s past becomes clear. Katherine, the title character, is a teacher from America who has come to China to teach students the English language, and along the way gives Zebra and her classmates a sense of freedom. She is a foreigner referred to by Zebra as â€Å"one of the foreign imperialist we were taught to shoot†(3). Even so, through Katherine’s guidance and benevolence, we learn more about Zebra’s past. Zebra opens up to her in a way she never has before. She tells Katherine that she used to work at Elephant Fields, a dangerous labor camp that frightened Zebra, where she was sent to the work with dynamite. â€Å"I witnessed several fatal accidents on the job and I began to feel very scared†(81). Not only was Elephant Fields a perilous place to work, but her boss â€Å"seduced and raped† her (81). At the labor camp, Zebra discovers that she is carrying the child of the man that abused her. With China’s strict ideas on a pregnant woman’s life without marriage, â€Å"In China, any woman who got pregnant before marriage destroyed her future†(82), Zebra’s strong desire not to bear Mr.

Prejudice Essay -- essays research papers

For this oral history paper I was very excited to find someone with a quite interesting and culturally diverse family background that I think would contribute a lot to the topic of prejudice and stereotype. This paper will discuss the views of stereotype and prejudice of my interviewee and also how the two factors have affected her life. Brown (1995) defines prejudice as a negative attitude, emotion, or behavior towards members of a group as a result of their membership of that group. This negative attitude, emotion, or behavior that we project toward members of a particular group is influenced by the attitudes of others around us and the norms of our ingroup. In this paper I would try to use the interviewee’s stories which in many instances are filled with treatments of prejudices and stereotypes coming from herself and others. The person I interview is FDG, a 23 year-old female college student with a Motion Picture/Movie Production at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. FDG was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her father is Indonesian and her mother is from Turkmenistan (formerly part of the Soviet Union). Her father comes from a very religious (Moslem) family in Sumatra and it was quite a horror to his family when he decided to marry a foreign Jewish girl (her mother then converted to Islam when FDG was 7 years old). FDG comes from a very comfortable economic background, both her parents are chemical engineers. FDG said that she grew up in a very sheltered environment where almost every she needed were provided for. As a child of a mixed raced couple, FDG becomes a member of the minority group in the country she was living in where most couples come from similar economic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. FDG now acknowledges that during her childhood and adolescence she had encountered and experienced stereotyping and prejudice. Because Russian is her first language, in kindergarten she was teased by her friends for not being able to speak Indonesian fluently and looking different than the others. â€Å"I’ve always hated my blonde hair,† says FDG, â€Å"one time a friend accused me of being an albino Indonesian†¦ I guess he couldn’t accept the fact that I had a Russian mother with blonde her too!† In the 4th grade she got into a fight and punched a classmate after he yelled, â€Å"Go back to where you belong†¦ you Russian terrorist!† FDG remarks that looking ba... ... being categorized in the Chinese group. FDG knows what it feels like to be prejudiced against, without realizing it she still cannot help from being a prejudiced person herself towards certain members of one group (Chinese Indonesians). Like many of other native Indonesians, she also has adopted some prejudiced views against Chinese Indonesians. When I ask FDG if she realizes that she is treating this particular group with the same stereotypes and prejudices that she was treated with while she was living in Indonesia, she says yes. FDG said that she acknowledges it but later on comments that she cannot help but be influenced by the perception of the majority. Although FDG may always encounter prejudices and stereotypes in the future, she now know that it is important to get to know a person based on their intelligence and not by their ethnic backgrounds. Now that she is living in a more â€Å"international† environment such as San Francisco, I think FDG is now able to broaden her perception towards prejudices and stereotypes and hopefully she will finally come to terms with her own diverse heritage and not have negative perceptions regarding others that are different from herself.