Army Values Essay Example for Free

Army Values Essay I am writing an RBI on Respect and Disrespect. Respect is one of the seven army values. It is the third army value. AS an NCO I should live up to all army values at a standard higher then soldiers. The first army value is Loyalty means to bear true faith and allegiance to the U. S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. To be loyal to the nation and its heritage. I seen boxes on the side of the road, I did not think and took them. I was not loyal to me fellow soldiers that where in need of the boxes. By wearing the uniform you are expressing your loyalty an by doing your share, you show your loyalty to your unit. I did not do by share by helping the storm victims. The second army value is Duty it means to fulfill your obligations. Accept responsibility for your own actions and those entrusted to your care. Find opportunities to improve oneself for the good of the group. I accept my responsibility for taking the boxes. I know I was wrong and may have cause a family to not have the means to move their belonging because I was only thinking of myself. The third army value is Respect means to rely upon the golden rule. Do unto other as you would have them do unto you. It also means how we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional organization. When I took the boxes I did not treat the soldiers that lost belongings as I would have like to be treated. If what happen to them happen to me I would have thought the world was coming to an end. The decision I made shown that I had respect for them, myself or the military. My actions were disrespectfully to my unit and the military. The actions that I took that day will not happen again. I will think of others before I think of myself. Webster defines respect as an act of giving particular attention and consideration. I did not consider the wellbeing of the people that was affected by the storm or how others would view my actions. I know that I failed my soldiers and all the people that were affected by the storm. The fourth army value is selfless service it means to put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service leads to organizational teamwork and encompasses discipline, self-control and faith in the system. I did not follow the fourth army value. I did put the needs of the storm victims before my needs. I must always that of others before I think of myself. The fifth army value is honor it means to live to all the Army values. I did not live up to any of the army values and I have failed as a NCO. The sixth army value is Integrity it means to do what is right, legally and morally. Be willing to do what is right even when no one is looking. It is our moral compass an inner voice. I did not do what was morally right. My actions caused others to call my integrity into play. Soldiers now believe that I want do things that are right, because I did something wrong. Now I need to show soldiers that I do have integrity. The last army value is personal courage it means how we use our ability to face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral courage. I have no personal courage. I would not have been able to move on if I lost what the soldiers lost in the storm. I know now what the army values are and understand how I did not act as a soldier or an NCO. I should live by the army values when I am in uniform and when I am not in uniform. I army values should be used when make all decision military and personal.

Psychosocial Resources in a Therapeutic Relationship

Psychosocial Resources in a Therapeutic Relationship This essay considers the psychosocial resources implicated in a successful therapeutic relationship. Several fundamental theses seem to emerge from a review of the literature. Firstly, there is an abundance of relevant psychosocial factors, and these seem to vary across different settings. Secondly, factors such as empathy, trust, and warmth, seem crucial in most scenarios. Thirdly, the assumptions and beliefs of both therapists and patients regarding the therapeutic alliance need to be identified, and if necessary remedied, to achieve a successful interaction. The terms ‘patient’ and ‘therapist’ may denote slightly different things, depending on whether the scenario is medical (Douglass et al, 2003) or psychological (or psychiatric) (Johansson Elkund, 2004; Haarhoff, 2006). Psychosocial resources may play a much more important role where the therapy is psychological (e.g. psychoanalysis) and the therapist a psychologist or professional which similar training (e.g. social worker, counsellor). Peplau’s theory of the nurse-patient relationship provides a useful basis for conceptualising the role of psychosocial resources in successful therapeutic relationships (Peplau, 1965, 1974a, 1974b; Douglass et al, 2003). Although Peplau focused primarily on nursing care, her model seems applicable to most therapist/carer-patient scenarios. According to Peplau a favourable therapeutic relationship is essential for successful treatment outcomes. She identifies several psychosocial variables that are pertinent. These incl ude trust, interpersonal skills, effective communication, and anxiety. Crucially, these processes work gradually rather than abruptly as the patient and therapist develop a rapport, but what about empirical research? Studies suggest that basic psychosocial resources such as warmth, empathy, trust, and good communication, are integral to a successful therapeutic relationship (Lambert Barley, 2001). Hewitt and Coffey (2005) carried out a review of the relevant literature that highlighted several themes. Firstly, there is a plethora of psychological variables that seem essential to a successful therapeutic relationship. These include having a carer or patient that exudes trust, respect, sensitivity, warmth, is approachable and likeable, and has a sense of fair-play. It is important for the carer to show empathy, listen, tell the truth, share personal information, be supportive, explain professional jargon concerning treatment and value the patient, for example by involving them in decision-making (Barker et al, 1999). These psychosocial resources can be negated if the carer has a negative attitude towards the patient. This is particularly the case with mental health patients, for example those who commit deliberate self-harm. If a therapist believes that a patient is too disturbed or ill to participate in/contribute to his or her own treatment then the therapeutic relationship is bound to suffer (Repper, 2002). Above all, the personal qualities (i.e. personality characteristics) of the practitioner are paramount. Patients need to view the therapist as trustworthy, able to identify deeply with their problem, and keen to engage in conversation at a deep emotional level (Paulson et al, 1999; Gamble, 2002). Psychosocial factors are especially pertinent in psychotherapies, especially cognitive therapy. A successful therapeutic relationship is heavily influenced by what is referred to as a â€Å"therapeutic belief system† (Beck Beck, 1995; Rudd Joiner, 1997; Leah, 2001; Haarhoff, 2006). Both patient and therapist may have particular beliefs or assumptions about the course of treatment, themselves, and each other, which may trigger different emotional and behavioural responses. Consider for example a patient who perceives his therapist as impatient and overbearing. This negative thought may generate unfavourable emotions such as dislike and resentment. The patient may also become unnecessarily reluctant to follow psychological advice. The possibility of premature termination of treatment is increased, with detrimental consequences for the patients’ psychological health. Similarly, a therapist who views a patient as lazy and dishonest, may dislike the individual as a result, and be less enthusiastic in administering therapy. Haarhoff (2006) recently conducted a study that demonstrated the intricacies of such beliefs, and the potential impact they may have on the therapeutic relationship. Therapists enrolled in a cognitive behaviour therapy program were administered a ‘Therapist’s Schema Questionnaire’, which measures fourteen typical mindsets therapists may hold about therapy, themselves, or their patients, including ‘demanding standards’, ‘special superior person’, ‘excessive self-sacrifice’, ‘rejection sensitive’, ‘abandonment’, ‘autonomy’, ‘control judgement’, ‘need for approval’, ‘need to like others’, and ‘emotional inhibition’. Participants were required to indicate the extent to which specific assumptions within each domain applied to them. The most commonly identified assumptions were ‘demanding standards’, ‘special superior perso n’, and ‘excessive self-sacrifice’. The first item denotes a view that there is a correct way of doing things. This may be triggered by a patients’ slow progress, or non-compliance. The therapist may regard the patient negatively (e.g. lazy, irresponsible), believe that treatment should ‘work’, if only it were properly assimilated by the patient, and hence become overly demanding and controlling. The ‘special superior person’ mindset sees therapy as an opportunity to demonstrate ones excellence. The therapist feels special, unique, and superior to the patient. The result is a tendency to become overly close and idealise a patient who is improving, or distance oneself from patients who make little or no progress. ‘Self-sacrifice’ assumptions place too much emphasis on the patient-therapist relationship, leaving the practitioner perceiving the patient as needy and vulnerable, and bending over backwards to meet patient demands. Treatment boundaries aren’t set, or if the y are, aren’t adhered to, resulting in prolonged treatment session, lack of structure, and other laxities. Overall, Haarhoffs (2006) study illuminates important psychological processes that may enhance or taint relations. Crucially, therapists may be unaware of their beliefs or assumptions, let alone how these may affect relations with their patients. Patients perceptions matter a great deal. Since it is the patients’ (rather than the therapists) recovery that is the primary treatment objective, the success or failure of a therapeutic relationship is heavily dependent on the patients’ own appraisals of the interaction. This view is consistent with existential (Cooper, 1999) and phenomenological (Dermot, 2000) philosophies, which define reality as viewed by an individual rather than observers or objective inquiry. Like therapists, patients retain beliefs and assumptions about the therapeutic relationship, with potential implications for treatment outcomes. This is supported by some empirical evidence. Johansson and Eklund (2004) conducted a study to assess how psychiatric patients in an in-patient ward appraise the therapeutic relationship, and other related clinical characteristics (e.g. perceived ward atmosphere). Patients suffered from a range of mental health problems including behavioural disorders, schizophrenia , affective disorders, mental retardation, and neurotic, stress-related and psychosomatic problems. They received supportive therapy, social skills training and other interventions. All participants completed one questionnaire assessing the strength of patient-therapist relationship (Luborsky et al, 1996) and another assessing their perceptions of therapeutic relationships, specifically ‘involvement’, ‘support’, and spontaneity (Moos, 1974). Data analysis revealed that perceived support and spontaneity were strongly correlated with the strength of therapeutic relations: the greater the level of support and spontaneity perceived the more successful the patient-therapist alliance. Clearly, this study demonstrates the importance of psychosocial factors, as perceived by the patient. Unfortunately, the correlational design precludes any inferences about causality. Thus, while it seems commonsensical that perceived support may strengthen relations with a therapis t, a successful therapeutic relationship may also engender greater levels of support (e.g. a therapist may be more supportive of a patient if he/she gets on well with the individual). Treatment models such as Peplau’s theory (1965, 1974a) conceptualise psychosocial variables as precursors and hence determinants of a successful therapeutic relationship. So, for example, trust and empathy purportedly lead to a favourable rapport between patient and practitioner. Unfortunately, a paucity of randomised controlled trials negates any conclusive inferences about direction of causality. It is entirely plausible that an initially favourable interaction between a patient and carer improves the patients psychosocial functioning, which in turn further enhances the therapeutic relationship, and crucially improves treatment outcomes. Simpson and Joe (2004) conducted a comprehensive longitudinal study in which the quality of therapeutic relationships at one point in time was used to predict psychosocial functioning and treatment outcomes after one month, as well as treatment retention after a year. The setting for this study was a community based outpatient methadone trea tment program in two urban areas. Participants were users of opiates/cocaine admitted to the program, and subjected to various treatments and follow-up assessments. The favourableness of the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and patient was assessed using a scale that gauged six perceptions counsellors may have about their patients: â€Å"easy to talk to†, â€Å"warmth and caring†, â€Å"honest and sincere†, â€Å"understanding†, â€Å"not suspicious†, and â€Å"not in denial about problems†. Favourable psychosocial functioning was conceptualised as high self-esteem, social conformity and decision making, and low depression, anxiety, and risk-taking. Analysis revealed that a favourable therapeutic relationship predicted positive psychosocial functioning and improved treatment outcomes (no drug use) after four weeks. All in all it is essential for practitioners to identify the system or beliefs and assumptions they have about their patients (Rudd Joiner, 1997). This can be achieved through self-administered questionnaires, such as the ‘personal belief questionnaire’ (Beck Beck, 1995; Leahy, 2001). Hewitt and Coffey (2005) highlight the importance of equipping therapists with the necessary skills to develop successful therapeutic relationships. But perhaps it is Haarhoff (2006) who offers recommendations specifically relevant to psychosocial factors. She highlights the importance of practitioners not blaming patients, loosing interest, getting bored, making too many demands, or being overly structured in the approach. Instead, therapists must try to develop more empathy, identify/challenge assumptions about treatment, themselves, and the patient, and allow patients take the lead in making decisions. References Barker, P., Jackson, S. Stevenson, C. (1999) What are psychiatric nurses needed for? Developing a theory of essential nursing practice. Journal of Psychiatric   Mental Health Nursing, 6, pp.273-282. Beck, A. Beck, J. (1991) The Personality Belief Questionnaire. Bala Cynwyd, PA:  Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research. Cooper, D. E. (1999). Existentialism: A Reconstruction, 2nd ed., Oxford, UK:  Blackwell. Dermot, M. (2000) Introduction to Phenomenology. Oxford: Routledge. Douglass, J.J., Sowell, R.L. Phillips, K.D. (2003) Using Peplau’s theory to examine  the psychosocial factors associated with HIV-infected women’s difficulty in  taking their medications. The Journal of Theory Construction and Testing, 7,  pp.10-17. Gamble, C. (2000) Using a low expressed emotion approach to develop therapeutic  alliances. In Working with Serious Mental Illness: A Manual for Clinical  Practice (Gamble C. Brennan G., eds), Balliere Tindall, London, pp.115-  123. Haarhoff, B. A. (2006) The importance of identifying and understanding therapist  schema in cognitive therapy training and supervision. New Zealand Journal of  Psychology, 35, pp.126-131. Hewitt, J. Coffey, M. (2005) Therapeutic working relationships with people with  schizophrenia: literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52, pp.561-570. Johansson, H. Eklund, M. (2004) Helping alliance and ward atmosphere in  psychiatric in-patient care. Psychology Psychotherapy: Theory, Research,   Practice, 77, pp.511-523. Lambert, M.J. Barley, D.E. (2001) Research summary on the therapeutic  relationship and psychotherapy outcome. Psychotherapy: Theory/ Research/Practice/ Training. 38, pp.357-361. Leahy, R.L. (2001) Overcoming resistance in Cognitive therapy. New York: The  Guildford Press. Luborsky, L., Barber, J.P., Siqueland, L., Johnson, S., Najavits, L.M., Frank, A. Daley, D. (1996). The revised Helping Alliance questionnaire (HAq-II): Psychometric properties. Journal of Psychotherapy, Practice and  Research, 5, pp.260-271. Moos, R.H. (1974) Community-oriented Programs Environment Scale. Palo Alto, CA:  Consulting Psychologists Press. Paulson, B.L., Truscott, , D. Stuart, J. (1999) Client’s perceptions of helpful  experiences in counselling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, pp.317-324. Peplau. H.E. (1965) The heart of nursing: Interpersonal relations. Canadian Nurse 61,  p.273. Peplau, H.E. (1974a) Concept of Psychotherapy. San Antonio. Texas: RES.  Productions. Peplau. H. E. (1974a) Criteria for a Working Relationship. San Antonio, Texas: RES.  Productions. Pinikahana, J., Happell, B., Taylor, M. Keks, N.A. (2002) Exploring the  complexity of compliance in schizophrenia. Issues in Mental Health Nursing,  23, pp.513-528. Repper, J. (2002) The helping relationship. In Psychosocial interventions for People  with Schizophrenia (Harris N., Williams, S. Bradshaw, T., eds), Palgrave,  Hampshire, pp.39-52. Rudd, M. Joiner, T. (1997) Counter-transference and the therapeutic relationship: A  cognitive perspective. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International  Quarterly, 11, pp.231-249.   Simpson, D.D. Joe, G.W. (2004) A longitudinal evaluation of treatment  engagement and recovery stages. Journal of Substance Abuse and Treatment,  27, pp.89-97.

ESL Writing Achievement and Grades

ESL Writing Achievement and Grades STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD WRITING ESL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS PEER RESPONSE Graham, Berninger, and Fan (2007) emphasized that attitude is an effective component of motivation. Concerning (Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Cook (1993) elaborated on the Affective Filter Hypothesis proposed by Krashen’s 1982 theory of second language acquisition. Cook (1993) stated that Krashen theorized that motivation is an essential variable that has a facilitative, affective role in L2 (second language) learning. Cook (1993) explained that Krashen claimed that Language learners who are highly motivated are more inclined to acquire the target language. Unmotivated learners who are highly anxious on the other hand, usually have difficulty understanding the target language because of a high â€Å"affective filter† which results in a â€Å"mental block† that hinders â€Å"comprehensible input† from being acquired. The question here is; how about peer reviewers’ affective state? More critically, and in direct relation with (ESL) writing, Anderman and Wolters (2006) indicated that the affective states may influence the different types of strategies which are utilized by students while writing (as cited in Graham et al., 2007). Along similar lines, Isen (1990) stipulated that students with negative affect tend to use obsolete and dead-end writing strategies whereas students who are characterized by an affirmative and more encouraging attitude towards writing tend to get engaged in more flexible and adaptive self-regulated strategies which help them be cognitively engaged to the writing task (as cited in Graham et al., 2007). According to Graham, Berninger, and Fan (2007) the sole researcher who investigated students’ attitude towards writing in a systematic way during the 90s was Knudson (1992, 1993, 1995) whose main area of focus was elementary age children. Kear, Coffman, McKenna, and Ambrosio (2000) found out that children’s attitude toward writing actually worsens as they move to upper grades. Same results were reported in earlier research done by Knudson (1991, 1992, 1993) who also found out that older students tend to have less positive attitudes towards writing that younger ones (as cited in Kear et al., 2000). Therefore, Knudson (1995) insisted that since research indicates that writing anxiety and apprehension have a negative effect on students’ success in school, practitioners should be more involves in research that has to do with writers’ attitudes towards writing and how it evolved in school environment. Knudson (1995) also emphasized that educators should be know ledgeable about their students’ understanding of the writing tasks so that they would be better able to assess their students’ engagement, involvement, and interest. Knudson (1995) conducted a field study which examined how writing attitude and achievement are correlated in addition to the correlational relationship between writing attitude and grade level in addition to gender. The participants were 430 students enrolled in an elementary school in the USA / English language native speakers who came from either low or lower socio-economic status. The researcher administered a questionnaire for each student grade level. Hence, students in grades (1-3) responded to the writing Attitude Survey for Primary grade students; whereas older students in grades (4-8) responded to the Writing Attitude Survey for Children. It must further be noted that the aforementioned attitude scales were both developed by the researcher. In addition to the questionnaires, students were asked to respond to a given prompt. Each essay written by students was read and graded by two raters who had achieved acceptable terms of inter- rater reliability. Knudson (1995) triangulated her data collection procedures by randomly selecting 12 students from all grade levels and interviewed them to elaborate on their answers they have given in the writing attitude survey . The children were also interviewed to elaborate on their beliefs towards the writing tasks done at school and how they were directly related to their achievement as well as to explain how they perceived writing to be important. The interview contained 10 open –ended questions which provided the researcher more insights about students’ understanding of writing tasks and activities at different grade levels as well as more explanations on students’ responses given in the questionnaires administered earlier. Results indicated that writing achievement was directly related to students’ grade level as well as their perceptions and attitudes towards writing. Hence, Knudson (1995) reported that students who have positive attitudes towards writing regardless of age and gender tend to be better writers. On the other hand, concerning grade level and gender and their relation to writing achievement, the researcher also reported that older students and females in particular have a better inclination towards becoming proficient writers that younger writers and males in particular. What is interesting is that Knudson (1995) claimed that the questionnaires and interviews she conducted also measured how students’ attitudes towards writing changes as a result of specific writing strategies they learner in class. Hence, students in grade 4 for example were able to verbalize the process strategies they used in writing such as planning, organizing, and goal setting. So, the researcher conclu ded that the process writing approach became more prevalent in writing instruction where students engage in prewriting activities and this strategy was verbalized by the participants as â€Å"planning the entire composition†, drafting which was voiced by the interviewed students as â€Å"thinking what to include and leave out†, in addition to revising which was verbalized by Knudson’s participants as â€Å"being sure they stayed on topic† (Knudson, 1995, p. 94). These results are consistent with what Knudson (1991) suggested when she was in the process of developing her writing attitude scales back then. Hence, she recommended that â€Å"it is useful for researchers, program evaluators, and researchers to assess children’s attitudes towards writing and the effect of instruction on their attitudes, including treatment, grade, and times of measurement† (Knudson, 1991, p. 814). Of direct relevancy, Graham, Berninger, and Fan, (2007) investigate d one aspect of motivation; specifically, attitudes of young, beginning writers. The participants were 128 first grade level students (70 females and 58 males) and 113 third grade level students (57 females and 56 males) who were English language native speakers. The educational level of the parents was used as a socioeconomic status as well. The participants’ writing proficiency was average ranged. To begin with, each student wrote a composition and three measurements were conducted for each written composition. The first measure aimed at assessing the sophistication of vocabulary use by students. Therefore, two scorers counted 7- letters or more vocabulary words and transformed into portions (based on TOWL-2). The second measure was the average length of the right word sequence. The average length was measured by obtaining the â€Å"average length and correct word sequences that occurred in sequence before an incorrect word sequence occurred† (Graham, Berninger, and Fan, 2007, p. 525). Two scorers revised and discussed the rules for obtaining a correct word sequence and inter-rater reliability coefficient was 0.85.The overall quality of written essays was calculated by the third measure which was a holistic rating scale based on (Cooper 1977) . The papers were scored on a 7-point Likert scale, 1 being the lowest quality of writing and 7 being the highest by two former e lementary grade school teachers (inter-rater reliability coefficient was 0.93). As for students’ attitude towards writing, students had to cater to seven questions which measured their attitudes toward writing. The researchers used the Garfield the cat scale developed by McKenna et al. (1995). Hence, students chose images ranging from the image of a very happy Garfield the cat (score of 4) and ending up with a score of 1 that is the very unhappy or sad Garfield. Later on, structural equality modeling (SEM) approaches based on (Bollen, 1989, and Kline, 1998) were used to identify the structural relationship between attitude and achievement. It should be noted that in addition to examining the structural relationship between attitude and achievement, the researchers examined age differences (younger / older) and gender differences (male/ female). Results indicated that writing attitude does influence writing achievement because the relationship between them was found to be statistically significant. Moreover, girls were found to have more positive attitudes toward writing and therefore favored writing more than boys did. However, no statistical difference was reported concerning the writing achievement variable. Interestingly enough, Musgrove (1999) conducted a different kind of study concerning students’ attitudes toward writing. The researcher had her students write self-evaluative narratives that reflect how writing attitudes are usually shaped by how successful students’ writing experiences are. The participants were English majors prospective secondary teachers and college students registered in a first-year writing class. At the beginning of the term, Musgrove (1998) identified for her students what is meant by attitude â€Å"one’s predispositions toward particular tasks, ideas, or people† and provided them with lexical terms of attitude. Then, in a series of mini-lessons, she provided her students with literary works which demonstrated particular attitudes (positive and negative critical attitudes) which were discussed by students. The researcher then asked students to track down how their attitudes towards writing developed by keeping records and compiling portfolios. Musgrove (1999) announced that the portfolios included â€Å" a resume, an initial attitudinal survey, learning goals, personal grammar and usage handbook, in class writing, homework assignments, essays, and portfolio self-evaluations written at midterm and end of semester† (p. 5). Musgrove (1998) concluded that drawing students’ attention to their attitudes gave them the opportunity to examine how their beliefs and what they bring to their writing definitely affects their writing achievement. Moreover, the self-evaluations written by students helped them connect to their backgrounds as writers because their writing background actually directly affects their attitudes towards writing. However, Katstra, Tollefson, and Gilbert’s (1987) study was the only study; to my knowledge, that examined the effect of peer response on students’ attitudes toward writing. To elaborate, the study was conducted to investigate whether peer response in a process approach to writing environment could yield to positive attitudes towards writing along increased fluency. The participants were ninth grade native speakers in the USA who registered in seven English classes which were taught by three teachers. The subjects were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups in such a way that each teacher had a control group and an experimental group to teach. Both the control groups and the experimental groups responded to two attitude instruments before treatment. Then, both groups wrote the first draft of a personal narrative. The first drafts’ word number was tallied and recorded as a pretest measure for fluency in writing. The treatment was introduced over a pe riod of four days. First, the experimental group explicitly received training in peer response and participants rewrote their second drafts according to comments suggested by the peers in each response group. The students in the control group on the other hand, wrote their second drafts based on assistance offered by the teacher due to specific questions asked by students in the control group. The two groups then counted the number of words they had written in their second drafts and this became the post-test measure of writing fluency. Finally, the two attitude instruments which were administered to both groups as pertest were administered again as post-tests measures. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was administered in order to measure the three – way interaction between the independent variables which were (1) teachers (three levels) (2) gender of students (3) and treatment condition. Results indicated an increased positive attitude towards writing on behalf of the experim ental group. However, no significant differences were noticed in post-test writing fluency. Therefore, peer evaluation does not affect students’ writing fluency. Some studies tackling the affective benefits of peer response examined students’ perceptions toward peer feedback. Chong (2010) examined student teachers’ perceptions and attitudes toward peer response and the likelihood to how they are willing to use the aforementioned approach in L2 writing classes. Results indicated that student teachers did not favor the usage of peer response in their classes due to â€Å"external reasons such as class size, time restrictions, authority control, as well as internal factors such as inability to see the benefits of peer response, insufficient experience or training in using this technique† (p. 58). As for the affective factor of peer feedback of ESL university students, Zhang (1995) made it clear the majority of his 81 ESL students (75%) who were enrolled at a university in USA actually favored feedback provided by teachers as opposed to feedback provided by peers.. The findings coincide with Nelson and Carson (1998) whose ESL college students expressed their tendency to favor teachers’ feedback rather than their peers’ feedback. Moreover, cultural differences were perceived to negatively affect peer response as some of the participants’ goal in peer review sessions particularly Chinese students was mainly maintaining good harmony by refraining from providing their pees with critical peer response. However, another study actually contradicted Nelson and Carson’s (1998) findings concerning the Chinese group’s perception of peer response. Hence, Roskams (1999) who examined Chinese EFL learners’ perceptions toward peer response. The univer sity –bound Chinese students actually reported their openness to engage in peer response and expressed that this approach could be beneficial to their ESL language learning. Hence, participants generally perceived peer feedback as useful. However, only 5 % of participants did not enjoy the collaborative learning arrangement. Therefore, many studies revealed conflicting results which reported inconsistency in findings which reflected that peer response is problematic due to students’ cultural schemata, their ability to review their peers; work and their attitudes towards peer response. However, Hu (2005) indicates that these problems are not inherent in peer response as research literature suggests that carefully designed training in peer response can help assist L2 writing students as well as their teachers gain understanding of the benefits of peer response (Berg, 1999; Min, 2006; Ting and Qian; 2010). THE ROLE OF THE COMPUTER IN CONVEYING MEDIATED FEEDBACK The role of computers in conveying mediating feedback in L2 (second langue) settings has become central for research concerned with technology-enhanced peer response lately. However, the results on the effects of integrating computer-mediated communication (CMC) into peer response have been conflicting, mixed, and even inconsistent (Schultz, 2000; Hu, 2005; Liu and Sadler, 2003; Tuzi, 2004; DiGiovanni and Nagaswami, 2001). Hence, many researchers (Braine, 1997; Leh, 1999; Biesenbach-Lucas and Weasenforth, 2001; Liu and Sadler, 2003) have expressed concerns about using computer-mediated communication as a substitute for the face-to-face venue of peer response, especially that its ultimate benefits for ESL learners have not been yet established fully by researchers. However, consensus have been researched among researchers that CMC-based peer response should be seriously blended with face-to-face communication in the peer response process (Schultz, 2000; Hu, 2005; Liu and Sadler, 2003; Tuzi, 2004; DiGiovanni and Nagaswami, 2001).

A Very Warm Mountain Essay -- Ursula K. Le Guin A Very Warm Mountain E

A Very Warm Mountain Have you ever thought of something having human like emotions such as trees or animals? In the essay â€Å"A Very Warm Mountain,† Ursula K. Le Guin offers a whole new angle to look at mountains. Through the use of examples and detailed description Le Guin creates a new perspective on mountains giving then human like qualities. The author discusses the reactions that the person had to the eruption. She writes down journal entrees detailing the explosion day to day and uses some of the entrees in the essay. The author uses entrees as throughout the essay in an effort to give a more realistic view. The more real it seems the easier it is to convince you of her train of thought. She thinks that a mountain should be seen as a person with a personality. In giving examples of the how the mountain has characteristics of emotion. The author is trying to win you over by example after example of how the mountain could be looked at as having the qualities giving in the examples. â€Å"She [the volcano] put on hats of cloud and took them off again, and tried a different shape, and sent them all skimming off across the sky†(p.178). It is in this last statement the author puts the mountain in a view of being able to put on cloths. In doing that the mountain could be looked at in some kind of humanistic way. The author’s thesis is the idea that a mountain can be looked at as having emotions and feelings of its surroundings. The author uses many ways of proving this theory. â€Å"She [the volcano] lay and watched her forests being cut and her elk being hunted†¦ it was time to teach the White Man’s Children a lesson†(p.175). In the quote the author makes the volcano look to have some kind of way of dealing with the problem t... ...ted her life and how she did things. Relating the mountain to a human was the most logical way to say it. The author was able to see many ways that the mountain could have be compared to a person. In saying that the mountain really did start reacting to something that might never be explained to us. The only reassurance we get from some expert is to say that it could happen again or never happen again we can not tell, till it is about to happen. The author is able to relax about what happened with the answer she has given to herself and the reader. She is merely trying to help you see that a mountain can be looked at as a person and has characteristics of a person. Works Cited Le Guin, Ursula K. A Very Warm Mountain. In J. Ackerman, (Ed.), A Sense of Place: Physical, Natural, and Cultural Environment (pp.175-180) New York, NY: Forbes Custom Publishing.

Why Some Forms of Opposition Were More Successful than Others in the Pe

Why Some Forms of Opposition Were More Successful than Others in the Period 1798-1921 The Act of Union, 1801. Ireland was to be joined to Great Britain into a single kingdom, the Dublin parliament was to be abolished. Ireland was to be represented at Westminster (all were Anglicans), the Anglican Church was to be recognised as the official Church of Ireland, no Catholics were to be allowed to hold public office and there was to be no Catholic Emancipation. Immediately we can see from this that any form of opposition would be to destroy this act. Fundamentally it destroyed all catholic rights and forced them to renounce their Catholic faith and take on a Protestant one. In Ireland Daniel O'Connell developed a reputation for his radical political views. By the early 1920's the Irish people started to listen to O'Connell's views and he gathered a large group of supporters. O'Connell had many aims in his political career. O'Connell's goal was to repeal against the act of union. When the Act of Union was passed in 1801 it did not help the Irish. It simply brought problems and distrust to the Irish people. O'Connell organised a meeting to discuss the repeal of the Act of Union, three quarters of a million Irish turned up. They were known as 'Monster Meetings'. We can see that O'Connell successfully created an Irish nation movement and completely changed the British view of the Irish. The British now had a certain amount of respect for the Irish and even feared and threatened their movement. This support from the people could show us the later success that O'Connell has in his opposition, as a movement without opposition would ultimately ... ...d in the cruellest yet effective way possible. Collins achievements were many: he helped fight the British to a stalemate by changing the rules of warfare and setting up an intelligence network to rival the Empire's. He helped negotiate a treaty, which gave Ireland the first stepping stone to become a Republic, and oversaw Ireland's turbulent transition to democracy. His achievements were, however, not without a price. He precipitated the bloody War of Independence against the British and the treaty deal brought back from London split the country into two fiercely opposing halves and plunged the country into the throes of a traumatic civil war. Thus ultimately opposition needed to be well organised and have enough support to succeed, constitutional nationalism had this through its methods of working through the system.

Meaning of life †Question Essay

Freud, like Newton and Darwin, did not consider himself to be a philosopher but had an enormous influence over philosophy, he believed that to consider the question: â€Å"what is the meaning of life? † is a waste of time. The question, he thought, is rather meaningless and has no ultimate answer, asking it is being somewhat like asking what the color of time is (Mason). There are serious arguments that can be advanced in support of this point of view, especially if we agree that meaning is not something inherent to events, things, and other processes and so on, but something we ascribe to them (Mason). To think otherwise would involve ascribing them something that is a product of our intellect and consciousness. The meaning of X, whether X is an event, a thing, or a process, is actually the connection or a set of those connections X has with other events, things, and processes and so on, which we choose to consider to be of particularly importance to us (Mason). This is why the same events have different meaning for different people. For a Chinese, be he a Communist or an anti-Communist, the meaning of the war in Korea is that it marks the end of a century of national humiliation and a permanent threat of devastation through a long series of military defeats by foreign powers; for an American, the meaning of that very same war is that it put an end to the attempts to expand by direct military invasion the influence of Chinese Communism (Adams). There are undoubtedly countless amounts of explanations to this riddle, and there are many circumstances that can change one’s perspective towards this problem, but ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer. Paragraph 2: Everything changes radically, of course, if we belong to a Church. Everything is noted under God’s eye For believers, their life long goal is to sustain God’s knowledge and go his way. Go to the right passage and obey his â€Å"laws† Their passage of life consists of saving one’s immortal soul. Duty of life makes up the meaning of life. Paragraph 3: The practical Romans grasped something that over the head of two millennia of Christianity resonates with contemporary pragmatism, and with the life philosophy resumed in the dictum â€Å"the meaning of life is life itself† Meaning of life is life itself Living the life in happiness is the meaning of life. Anything that fits you the best will become your meaning of life. Find out your goals, what you want to achieve life, and that will become your meaning of life ultimately. Limitations will apply. Paragraph 4: Living your life according to this life philosophy, which is the most commonly chosen among the life philosophies derived from the answer â€Å"the meaning of life consists in living life†, is usually not too difficult for a â€Å"normal† person living under â€Å"normal† circumstances. Meaning of life depended on the status of the person. Meaning of life is to live a good life. Do not know what exactly is a good life but a good life will be noted. Everyone has different meanings to life. Paragraph 5 (Conclusion): But be it Confucius, Aristotle or even Kant with his theory of being impossible to achieve moral perfection or any other of the great minds each of whom spent years of their lives trying to provide humanity with an answer to the fatal question, essentially, they trying to tell us what to live for and how to live. Namely, almost all the answers they offered have the same basic flaw: when they are workable at all, they work only for very few exceptional individuals and are way beyond the reach for the rest of us (Shields); us, those weak, silly and prone to sin creatures that make up the vast majority of humankind. Luckily, this vast majority do not worry too much about what great minds have in mind, but just live their lives as they best can according to their own, petty, senseless wishes and notions (Metz): work their gardens, even if they never heard of Voltaire, and whether they know that Freud existed or not, do not waste their humble intellectual potential trying to answer a question that has no answer (Metz). The rest is a senseless waste of time, â€Å"Primum vivere, deindre filosofare†, and if you spend too much time and effort philophizing, you will have no time nor energy to live, which involves earning money to pay the bills. As to the great eternal and fundamental questions, let’s leave them to professional philosophers whom society pays to do this specific job, as it pays plumbers to do the plumbing, scientists to explore nature, nurses to help the sick, the clowns to entertain us.

Motivation for pursuing a graduate degree Essay

Instructional perspective The philosophy of education that I ascribe to has been the primary tool motivating my pursuit of a graduate degree in special education. My instructional philosophy has tended to focus mainly on hands on instruction where participants get involved directly in and take responsibility for their own learning. Much like the constructivist theorists and thinkers I believe that this active participation in learning is what makes learning more meaningful and that would produce the greatest successes in the classroom. As a general education teacher I have therefore tended to adopt instructional strategies and learning activities that are reflective of this outlook and have attempted as far as possible to ensure that the learners in my classroom are given the relevant life experiences with which they can interact and which they can utilize in constructing their own meanings and understanding of the things around them. I firmly believe that proper planning is the key to success in the classroom. Planning does not only involve preparing a lesson plan, but psychologically preparing for the learners and their needs in the classroom, understanding each learner and being willing to accommodate all, as far as possible, in the learning process. It is through such detailed planning that the correct activities will be designed for an interactive, constructive and cooperative classroom. Reflection on practice Considerable work has been done in the field of cognitive psychology by numerous theorists and researchers. Much of the research has been focused on trying to understand the characteristics of learners, the optimal age and conditions for particular types of learning, the most appropriate teaching and learning strategies and generally and understanding of how learning takes place. Several theorists have attempted to describe the characteristics of learners. Among them Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Albert Bandura and Jerome Bruner and some of the most noted forefathers of thought in this areas. Having worked as a teacher for the some years now, the theorist that has been the most influential on my practice is Jerome Bruner. Bruner’s philosophy emphasizes the concept of discovery learning and simulation. He posits that learning is most effective and meaningful when the learners actively explores issues as opposed to reading from textbooks or lectured to by the teacher (Good & Brophy, 1995). Simulation activities, Bruner suggests, are useful tools for promoting forms of discovery learning. I have found that the use of role-play and skits as simulation activities, have helped me deliver learning targets better than traditional lecture-type methods. Given the nature of the classroom and the variety of abilities and learning styles, I have found that the use of role-play and similar cooperative activities have helped me ensure that all learners are actively involved in the learning process. However, throughout my teaching character I have noticed some deficiencies in my teaching methodology, particularly as it relates to meeting the needs of all the learners in the classroom. I have noticed that while I am able to adequately motivate a portion of the class in each year, I have often been unable to fully motivate the entire class of learners or to introduce activities and strategies that are attractive to all the learners in the classroom. I believe in reflective practice so I often review my teaching methodology, with the help of relevant research and theoretical foundations. I have made whatever adjustments possible as I notice my deficiencies and have consistently been involved in improving my teaching strategies. However, despite my best efforts I have continued to face considerable obstacles in reaching out to some students in my classroom. Often these students were those who could be classified as at risk. They were sometimes from single-parent homes, students with tendencies towards delinquent behaviors and other similar students. There have also been students with noted cognitive or other physical difficulties, for whom the general education classroom, as is, was not adequate. More and more it became evident to me that within the general education classroom there is a diverse mix of students of different socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore they had a range of abilities and performed to varying degrees of competence. I have acknowledged that, to some extent, I have contributed to the inability of some students to perform as well as others, as a result of my failure to effectively orient lessons to meet the needs of all learners. Another occurrence that has compounded this issue is the new move towards inclusion in the general education classroom. Increasingly more students with learning disabilities are being incorporated into the general education classroom. These changes in the educational framework has meant that needs have to modify their strategies to ensure that the needs of these diverse sets of learners are adequately met within their classroom and that students from all ability levels, achieve prescribed standards. Evolution With the coming on stream of the NCLB act, more attention is being placed on ensuring that classrooms are inclusive and that each learner is allowed to achieve his/her full potential based on individual abilities. The NCLB is a formidable demonstration of the particular interest that the federal government places on education. This issue presents several challenges for teachers in both the general education and the special education classrooms. Special education students are now being incorporated into the general education classroom and even where they remain in special education classrooms students are still required to demonstrate progress similar to that being achieved by the peers who do not have these special needs. Therefore teachers are required to ensure that every learner, despite their abilities or disabilities aspire to the same broad reaching goals and objectives as general education students. It is evident that the act, though it may present several benefits for special education, will also have its limitations. Educators are, however, still required to aim for the target of leaving no child behind. I firmly support the overall spirit of the NCLB act. The overriding principle of the NCLB is that each child registered within the school system must be given all opportunities to develop and to achieve and I agree with this position. To ensure the success of every child and to guarantee that no child is left behind, the act holds educators directly accountable for ensuring that each child aims for and achieves the prescribed standards. Having a particular interest in the development of students I was inspired by the newly emphasized principles of the NCLB act to obtain adequate training in special education so that I am equipped to deal with not only special education students, but the range of abilities that will come into the classroom. These broad reaching goals are of relevance to all involved in the education of children. Motivations to change I wish to develop the know-how and the skills that would help me become a dynamic teacher that is able to hone knowledge, skills and attitudes within learners from different socioeconomic backgrounds, with different cognitive capabilities, with varying physical and cognitive challenges or any multiple needs that may arise in the classroom. Teaching today is becoming more and more challenging. The influences of the teacher and what is taught in the classroom are being eroded by the mass media. The teacher has to compete with newly emerging communication technologies and the internet. The skills that were developed yesterday to tackle learner’s needs in the classroom soon become obsolete. I therefore wish to ensure that I remain on top of the game and continue to be a teaching who attempts to meet the needs of all learners. References Good, T.L.& Brophy, J.E. (1995). Contemporary Educational Psychology. (5th ed.). New York: Longman Publishers.