Methods Of Educational Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Methods Of Educational Research - Essay Example Questionnaire Questionnaires are defined as formulated questions that are structured for collecting primary data. These questions are written down for the respondent to provide answers. Questionnaires are also defined as techniques in which different people are supposed to answer the same questions (Beiske, 2007). Researchers should be extremely careful before creating questioners. This is because, questionnaires can be written in understandable English but they are not sufficient for providing the needed data. When a questionnaire is well premeditated, it induces the respondents to give correct and accurate information. Questioners are used for inducting the respondent, thus they come up with new theories. Questionnaires use open-ended questions that explore substantive areas. Some researchers use questionnaires as methods of obtaining reliable information. This is accomplished through deductive approach for testing other theories. Questionnaires help researchers to use deductive or inductive approach or even a combination of the two approaches. Three types of questions are available to the researcher when using questionnaires (Boyce, & Neale, 2006). There are the open-ended questions, which have a wide scope of response and they help to capture the interests of peoples answer. This type of questions does not influence the outcome of questions by deciding the possible responses. The other type of questions is the close-ended type, which are used for questions that require two different answers. The responses required are ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with the intention of making the questionnaire process easy. Strengths of Questionnaires Questionnaires allow a researcher to contact many people easily and quickly. The researcher has a chance to post questions to the group he has targeted. They are easy to create and interpret especially if close-ended questions are used (Boyce, & Neale, 2006). The respondent is left with the time consuming part of ans wering the questions but the researcher does not have this burden. Questionnaires are easily standardized because all respondents are asked the same questions. As every respondent answers the same questions, this makes the questionnaire process extremely reliable. Researchers are able to tackle embarrassing areas like sex and criminal matters more than any other method. The questionnaires can be completed in privacy, and they are anonymous. Respondents are able to answer questions honestly without being intimidated by the researcher’s presence. Limitations of Questionnaires It is difficult for the researcher to identify complex issues because of the questionnaire’s design. Even if, the researcher uses open-ended questions, the respondent will not answer the questions extensively like in other research methods (Ross, 2005). This usually limits a researcher to get detailed information. When a researcher sends postal questions, he is not sure whether the respondent will f ill in the questionnaire. For instance, when a researcher wants to gather information on women opinions, the questionnaire is not useful if answered by men. It is extremely difficult to determine whether the respondent has understood the questions when the researcher is not around. A researcher has to hope that the questions he has presented to the respondents mean the same to all respondents as they mean to him. The numbers

The Modernist Theater’s Departure from the Romantic Theater Essay Example for Free

The Modernist Theater’s Departure from the Romantic Theater Essay From the early theater of the Greeks to Broadway, theater had definitely evolved to one of the most accepted and highly communicated form of art. After all, everything is subject to change, the world of theater is no exception. The theater that we know today had undergone heavy changes. In those stages of changes, it had seemed that just after a type of theater has been accepted by the public, another type of theater will arise. It also seems that the following type of theater intentionally digresses from its predecessor just like in the case of the shift from theater of the Romantic period to the Modernist Theater. Much of the theater that our generation experiences (this type of theater can be categorized as post-modern) owes much from Modernist Theater. With that taken into account, Modern theater also owes much from its forerunner Romantic Theater even though Modern Theater intentionally defies the convention set by the theater of the Romantic period. To start off, we will have a brief background of the kind of theater in the Romantic period. The Romantic period followed after period Neoclassical had receded. Perhaps the best and concise way of theater of the Romantic period could be described is with the name of probably one greatest playwright that had ever written, William Shakespeare. He is considered as an immortal in the world of literature simply because his works are still the most popular of plays even if it has been generations since he had wrought it. Other famous playwrights during this time are Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, and Victor Hugo among many others. They plays of William Shakespeare and his fellow playwrights during the Romantic period are usually written in poetic language. This poetic language could also be called as â€Å"elevated language† that is seemingly too complicated to be used in conversations of our generation. The plays during this time were mostly plot driven. The theater of the Romantic period is often criticized as appealing more to the emotion and not to the intellect. It is also a convention that the characters of the plays were of noble status in the society. The plays were designed to be long that they could run for several long acts. Moreover, one their theater many practices is having the audiences distributed within the theater according to the amount that they had paid. (Kermode 2005) All of those conventions and practices were intentionally defied by the Modernist Theater. The language that they used is prosaic, imitating the way people normally speak in casual conversations. The plays are also centering on the characters themselves rather than the plot. Modernist Theater also gave way to the rise of one-act plays that would run for just minutes as opposed to hours in Romantic plays. The plays of Modernist Theater is appealing more to the intellect rather than the emotion, thus they can be called intelligent plays. The seats for the audience are fashioned in such way that there will be no marginalization of the poor and the rich. That is because Modernists wanted to have what they call a â€Å"classless† theater. Aside from the direct deviations from the Romantic Theater, Modernists also gave way for revolutions in the theater world. They had formulated plots that can be considered contemporary so the audience could relate more to the play. Modernists Theater also gave way to a new kind of conflict for plays that they call as â€Å"inner conflict. † (Wainscott 1997) All in all, the Modernist Theater had surfaced because (just like how the Romantic period had replaced the Neoclassical period) the context of theater in general is changed through time. The times are changing and so are the demands of the new audience. Modernist Theater had defied the theater of the Romantic period not because the former has no respect to the latter. It just because some things are not fitting anymore, and the new generations requires changes. Reference Kermode, F. 2005. The Age of Shakespeare. Random House Publishing Group: Ontario Wainscott, R. H. 1997. The Emergence of the Modern American Theater, 1914-1929. Yale University Press

Atmospheric Circulation And More :: essays research papers

The global energy balance and atmospheric motion mainly determine the circulation of the earth's atmosphere. There is a hierarchy of motion in atmospheric circulation. Each control can be broken down into smaller controlling factors. The global energy balance is an equal balance of short-wave radiation coming into the atmosphere and long-wave radiation going out of the atmosphere. This is called thermal equilibrium. The earth is at thermal equilibrium; however, there can have a surplus or deficit of energy in parts of the heat budget. If you have a net radiation surplus warm air will rise, and a net radiation deficit will make the air cool an fall. Air gets heated at the equator because of the inter tropical convergence zone and rises to the poles. There the air is cooled and it floats back down to the equator where the process is repeated. Another major contributing factor to the circulation of the air is due to the subtropical highs. These highs like the ITCZ migrate during the different seasons. The idealized belt model is a great representation of the general circulation of the atmosphere. The equatorial belt of variable winds and calms ranges from 5 degrees north to 5 degrees south. This wind belt is characterized by weak winds and low pressure from the inter tropical convergence zone. As you go further north or south you encounter the Hadley Cells. Hadley cell circulation is caused by the movement of high pressure from the latitudes at 5 to 30 degrees north and 5 to 30 degrees south to low pressure areas around the equator. The movement of air from high pressure to low pressure causes convergence. This convergence generates the production of wind. The winds that are produced from this are the trade winds. The winds blow from a northwest direction in the northern hemisphere, and in the southern hemisphere the winds blow from a southeast direction. The trade winds are the largest wind belt. The westerlies, they lie between 35 and 60 degrees north and south latitude. The wind blows from the west , thus their name. The westerlies are in the Ferrell cell. Cold air from the polar regions falls down and then is heated up and pushed upward with the westerlies. >From 65 to 90 degrees north and south lie the polar easterlies. It exists because of the pressure gradient that is created by the temperatures.

Steel and Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement as a business strategy Introduction The steel manufacturing company Corus focuses on meeting the needs of its worldwide customers and providing innovative solutions. It manufactures, processes and distributes steel and aluminium products worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, part of the giant Indian conglomerate. Tata Group includes businesses in many industries – for example, chemicals, automotive, telecommunications, leisure and consumer goods (such as Tetley Tea). Tata Steel acquired Corus in 2007 as part of a strategy of international expansion.Steel is everywhere in our homes and all around us. Corus Construction & Industrial (CCI), a business unit of Corus, has steel manufacturing facilities in Scunthorpe, Teesside, Scotland and France. The key markets for CCI include construction, energy and renewables, engineering and machinery, mining and earthmoving equipment, shipbuilding, fastenings and rail. The principle manufacturing site at Scun thorpe covers 2,000 acres and employs 5,500 people. The site consumes 6. 5 million tonnes of iron ore and 2 million tonnes of coal each year to produce 4. 3 million tonnes of steel products.CCI products go into a range of leading edge developments: Rail Steel Sections Main supplier to Network Rail, SNCF (French railways) and Metronet (London Underground) Wide ranging construction projects – e. g. warehousing, shopping centres, hospitals, tower blocks (Canary Wharf), bridge components, stadia, machinery (bulldozer track shoes, fork lift trucks) Everything from paperclips to bolts, to bed springs, bridge wire (for suspension bridges), tyre cord (to strengthen vehicles tyres) Ships, construction and mining machinery, wind towers, oil rigs, bridges, (e. g. the Humber Bridge), major construction projects, tanks and pressure vessels.Steel plate is also used in harnessing renewable energy such as in wind turbine towers. CURRICULUM TOPICS †¢ Continuous improvement †¢ Empowe rment †¢ Target setting †¢ Changing culture GLOSSARY Subsidiary: an organisation that is part of a larger company. Sections: H or I cross-section steel beams and columns in various lengths and thicknesses. Rods: long lengths of generally round (typically 5-15mm diameter) cross-section steel supplied in coils. Plates: large area flat steel. A typical ordered size is 10m long x 2. 5m wider. Thicknesses range from 6mm to 80mm. Plant: buildings or machines used in industry.Differentiate: to distinguish a business from its competitors. Steel Rods Steel Plates Modern steel production is a large scale operation dealing in huge quantities of materials and products. The process of steel plate production has several stages: †¢ receipt of pre-cut steel slabs from the steel plant †¢ reheating of slabs †¢ rolling to achieve required dimension and mechanical properties †¢ initial inspection for surface or quality defects †¢ cutting to order size †¢ marking with unique identities †¢ cold levelling to agreed flatness standard †¢ final inspection †¢ loading and despatch to customer.Producing large volumes helps to drive down the costs of running huge and expensive steel plant. Overall, this results in steel being a relatively inexpensive product, typically around 50 pence per kilogram, about the same as a kilogram of potatoes. In a major building project, such as a shopping complex, the cost of the steel can be as little as 5% of the overall cost of the project. Because of these issues, CCI needs to differentiate its business from its competitors in order to continue to grow. 57 CORUS www. thetimes100. co. ukGLOSSARY Greenfield site: land not yet built on or buildings on land that has not been used for building before. Continuous Improvement (CI): continuous incremental improvements in manufacturing and other processes. Inventory: a stockpile of goods. Lean production: an approach to production that looks to minimise waste and inefficiency. Scheduling: planning activities showing the times or dates when they are intended to happen. Takt time: the maximum time allowed to produce a product to meet demand. Taken from German ‘taktzeit’ – ‘clock cycle’.Culture: the typical pattern of doing things in an organisation. Facilitate: make possible or easier. Engagement: people being committed and involved with ideas or activities. CCI’s business strategy is to produce quality steel to satisfy customer requirements, focusing on delivering products at the right time in order to secure profitable business. A key challenge is to meet the increasing demands for more steel, at increasing levels of quality and to comply with more demanding delivery requirements. It would be straightforward to meet these challenges using brand-new facilities.However, a new ‘greenfield site’ steel mill could cost more than ? 300 million to build. CCI therefore needs to make process ef ficiencies and quality and delivery improvements with its existing manufacturing plant. This presents challenges when older facilities are not well structured to use modern manufacturing techniques and processes. This case study focuses on the process of Continuous Improvement (CI) at the CCI steel plate manufacturing mill at Scunthorpe. It will show how Corus is finding new ways of achieving its objectives from existing resources.Continuous Improvement Continuous Improvement is often referred to by the Japanese word ‘Kaizen’. Kaizen means ‘change for the better’ and covers all processes in an organisation. These include engineering, IT, financial, commercial and customer service processes, as well as manufacturing. CI involves making continual small improvements to a process rather than big changes at irregular intervals. This requires close monitoring and control, changes to the uses of manpower, machinery, methods, materials and money to improve business efficiency.Continuous Improvement starts with management and under their leadership works down through the organisation. The underlying theme is that everyone is responsible and has a part to play in making improvements. All employees must work together to identify the steps needed to improve working practices. Planning meetings help teams to focus on satisfying customer needs. Visual management techniques, such as flow charts and wall charts make clear what resources are necessary and who is responsible for each part in the process. Everyone has the opportunity to eliminate waste.This is any activity or process that does not add value. A key question to define waste is ‘would a customer pay for that process? ’ There are seven main areas of waste for any business: †¢ transportation – moving materials or products about †¢ inventory – keeping too much or the wrong stock †¢ motion – people moving or travelling excessively †¢ waitin g times – allowing products to wait for processing †¢ overproduction – making too much †¢ over processing – doing too many processes during manufacture †¢ defects – errors or flaws in the product causing rework or needing to be scrapped.Production processes that minimise waste are referred to as ‘lean production’. In these processes, the aim is to use less of everything, for example, space, materials or time. CCI in Scunthorpe is looking to reduce waste in its plate manufacturing process. It has adopted the concept of ‘flow’. This means that the products are ‘pulled’ through the process according to customer demand. All parts of the production process, from the supply of raw steel (slab) to the finished steel plate, are carefully planned.Scheduling for each element of the process ensures that bottlenecks are kept to a minimum. Each process is paced (known as ‘takt’ time) to control the amo unt of product in each stage of the process. This ensures that processes operate smoothly without overload or delay and keep the desired output and quality. Tonnage was the traditional key measure of productivity for CCI. For employees to work to a smooth paced process needed a significant culture change. Implementing a Continuous Improvement culture CI needs team work. In Scunthorpe, a CI manager coordinates the process. 0 CI Coaches chosen from the workforce received training to facilitate improvements. CCI has put together a ‘toolbox’ of techniques which the coaches use with managers, employees and operators. These help everyone understand where and how they can improve their work. A CI culture means that everyone can put forward ideas and have a say in how processes can change for the better. This is known as engagement. 58 An organisation needs to know where it is going in order to be able to put in place the resources it needs to achieve its plans.This is set out in a vision. Scunthorpe plate mill has set out a 5-year vision improvement plan which will help in the process of developing a CI culture for the business. Everyone in the organisation has to understand and actively support the plan. Workshops for all employees have taken place to explain the vision and why the change is necessary if CCI is to remain competitive. www. thetimes100. co. uk GLOSSARY Vision: a concise summary in words, setting out what an organisation is striving to achieve. Stock rotation: keeping goods moving in order.Feedstock: material supplied into the start of the process, eg steel slab prepared for subsequent rolling to steel plate. Empowered: authorised to take decisions. Helped by the CI Coaches, workers have drawn maps of their processes. These show the links between the stages of manufacturing as well what information flow is needed. The maps show: †¢ details of tonnages †¢ number of products †¢ rework cycles †¢ inspection points †¢ s tocks †¢ delays †¢ costs. The first part of this process is a ‘current state value stream map’. This shows what the systems and processes are like now.The next stage considers what the ‘future state map’ would look like. This highlights what CCI needs to do to achieve this state, for example, investing in new processes, equipment or additional staffing. Scunthorpe plate mill has 16 system maps. These link to each other to give an overview of the whole process. For each of the 16 systems, a number of rules about stock levels and stock rotation have been set up: †¢ Stock rotation ensures that the plates for one customer do not become buried beneath others and therefore delayed. The required amount of slab steel (‘feedstock’) must be in front of the mill by the Tuesday of the week in which the material is to be rolled. †¢ By rolling plates in the planned week, the mill is properly paced and all ‘downstream’ process es (such as cutting, levelling and inspection) can be scheduled accordingly. Using the value stream maps has helped CCI to improve process flows and the working environment. It has also reduced unnecessary motion, transport and processing.By taking these small steps and involving everyone in the vision, the delivery of product has increased from 70% of plates on time to 92% on time. Target setting CI working requires everyone to think differently about the way they work. It was recognised that people might be resistant and cling on to old ways of working. The key was getting all workers to see change as their responsibility. The CI coaches support the teams and individuals and promote or ‘champion’ new ways of working. Over time, the team and individuals are empowered to take responsibility and make decisions for themselves.To help workers accept the changes, the 5-year plan established a timeline for the programme of introducing change. Year Nature of attitudes to chan ge within the organisation Expertise and responsibility for CI 2007 Resistant (workers resist change) 2008 Adaptive (workers begin to adjust to new ideas) Champions and change managers 2009 Accepting (workers start to apply new methods) Manufacturing and process managers 2010 Embracing (workers recognise the benefits of change) Team leaders 2011 Performing (new ideas are fully adopted by the workers) The team CORUS CI coaches 59An important part of the Continuous Improvement programme was the creation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Previously, measures at Corus were largely based on tonnes of steel rolled. This did not show whether it met customers’ needs or whether the steel needed rework because it didn’t meet customer requirements. www. thetimes100. co. uk Corus has set new KPIs which focus on meeting customer deadlines, such as: †¢ a zero backlog of customer orders – this means customers always get their deliveries on time †¢ meeting targets for rolling steel plate in its allotted week.Corus monitors and measures how its operations compare with other producers and competitors in the steel industry. This process of benchmarking means that Corus is continually reviewing its activities to achieve best practice. Corus shares relevant information both within and across Corus to drive improvement. It also spreads appropriate technical knowledge and information across the steel industry through international groups such as the International Iron and Steel Institute.GLOSSARY Key performance indicators: criteria against which the success of an individual or organisation is measured. Benchmarking: using an index, standard or point of reference to measure or judge a quality or value. Best practice: the development of performance standards based upon the most efficient practices within an organisation. Lead time: the time taken from receipt of order details from the customer to receipt of the ordered goods at the customer. The ben efits of Continuous ImprovementThere are significant costs involved in setting up a Continuous Improvement programme, including: †¢ allocating employee time to participate in group work †¢ training coaches †¢ setting up a manual of tools and techniques. However, Corus is already seeing the benefits of CI with: †¢ reduced waste through lean production †¢ improved product quality †¢ reduced rework time †¢ faster response times, giving more customers their orders on time †¢ becoming more competitive by driving down costs †¢ retaining/gaining customers through innovative products and services.KPIs show that the Scunthorpe mill is achieving its targets for rolling steel in planned weeks and is delivering almost 100% of customers’ orders complete and on time. Scunthorpe Plate Mill aims to have all orders complete and on time by March 2009, while at the same time reducing lead time. The principles of team working help to create a more fle xible workforce. This gives Corus the capacity to increase or change production when necessary. In addition, Corus employees are more likely to be satisfied and motivated when they feel that they are making a contribution.They can see their expertise helps to create a more effective company. By empowering its workers, Corus gains a more committed workforce which helps to drive further improvement. The Times Newspaper Limited and  ©MBA Publishing Ltd 2008. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, neither the publisher nor the client can be held responsible for errors of omission or commission. Conclusion Corus is transforming production at its Scunthorpe plate mill through Continuous Improvement.This way of working encourages all employees to behave as team members to identify and support work improvement opportunities. Increasingly employees at every level are making improvement their responsibility, which provides employee job satisfaction. Continuous Improvement helps Corus to provide quality products and services for customers with on time delivery. CI supports Corus’ aim to achieve satisfied customers and secure repeat sales and longer term orders. It is part of a long term strategy based on service to develop the business.It aims to improve operational demands to fulfil customer expectations and out-perform competitors. Questions 1. What is Continuous Improvement? Who would be involved in this process and what would they be doing to enable improvements? 2. Describe the type of culture Corus is developing. How will the vision plan help to develop this culture? 3. Analyse how achieving its KPIs will help Corus to give its customers satisfaction. 4. Evaluate the key benefits of CI in helping Corus to become a more innovative and customer focused organisation. www. corusgroup. com 60

Healthy Cell Phone Essay

Teenagers and The Over Use of Cell Phones The use of cell phones should be banned for teenagers. Similar to the legal age of purchasing alcohol and tobacco, the same law should be enforced when it comes to the use of cell phones among teenagers. Although the thought of this may sound insane to most adolescence, it maybe the solution to limiting and promoting healthy cell phone use amongst todays youth. The following solution would also be in their best interest without them even realizing it. The over use of cell phones by teenagers will have a negative effect on their academic, social, and mental development. Teenagers who use their cellphones very often will have their academic progress negatively affected due to being distracted. It is not a rare occurrence for teenagers to have their phones with them while they are in class, but that is mainly because many of them do not realize the impact it is having on their grades. Researchers, Christian M. End, Shaye Worthman, Mary Bridget Matthews, and Katharina Wetterau at Xavier University did a study about the impact of cell phone rings on academic performance. After completing the study they said, â€Å"Findings indicated that cell phone rings during a video presentation impaired academic performance. Specifically, participants in the ringing condition performed worse on disrupted test items and were less likely to have recorded pertinent test information† (End, Worthman, Matthews, & Wetterau, 2010, p. 55-57). The study shows that Just the ringer on a cell phone alone can have an impact on how a student takes notes. However, not everyone thinks that cell phones are a bad idea. Authors Kevin Thomas and Blanche Obannon wrote an article titled ‘Cell Phones In The Classroom: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions’, which talks about cell phone use in the class room and how it would be beneficial to students. Mentioning that by 201 5 two-thirds of all suggest that this can be a positive thing with the use of tools provided by cell phones for content creation, student centered learning, authentic learning, differentiation of instruction, assessment, and reflection (Thomas ; Obannon, 2013). Given that cell phones can be used as a tool to better educate; it still would not be a good idea because studies prove that a ringer alone can distract a student. Also that text messages and social media cites such a Facebook and Twitter will also be a distraction away from school work. If students were openly able to utilize their cell hones while in class this would cause a distraction and decrease in their grades. A teenager who pays more attention to their phone while in school can cause them to not be academically successful. When a teenager depends solely on communicating through their cell phone it will cause them to have a difficult time with face-to-face interactions. Many teens would prefer to send a text message or make a phone call to their friend in the next room rather than Just walking over and talking to them. Not only does this encourage laziness but it also affects their social skills. An Article in the Washington Post by Masuma Ahuja called ‘Teens are spending more time consuming social media, on mobile devices’, which talks about teens spending a long amount of time on social media and how it effects their social skills. Ahuja says, â€Å"Teens spend so much time interacting with each other on social networks and phones that they are growing less comfortable with in-person interactions and not developing essential social skills† (Ahuja, 2013). It is clear that teenagers who prefer talking on a cell phone, sending a Facebook message or sending a text message are more likely to have trouble in a social setting. Cell phones have also made a great impact with the way families interact with one another. It causes teenagers to subconsciously disrespect their parents by using their cellphones while at the dinner table or picking up a phone call while being spoken to by their parents. An article called ‘The Cell Phone as an Agent of Social Change’ written by Abu Sadat Nurulla from the University of Alberta talks about the effect that cellphones have on the way youth interact with family and their peers. Nurulla says that cell phones cannot solve ongoing child and parent communication issues, such as quality and flow of communication (Nurulla, p. 1). Although a teenager having a cell phone may help with keeping in touch with their parents for emergencies, but it does not otherwise benefit the relationship due. Teenagers seem to not be aware of the effect of being overly indulged with communicating on cell phones; it can seriously hinder their ability to socialize because they are use to sitting behind a phone. Teenagers over dependence and use of their cell phone can lead to depression. Something as minor as falling asleep with their phone beside them can cause lack of sleep due to the phone going off in the middle of the night, which will cause lack of leep and could lead to the teenager having a bad day. An article called â€Å"How Mobile Phones Affect Sleep’ in the Huffington Post talks about how mobile phones affect a good nights sleep, while making reference to a study funded by a major mobile phone maker. It says, â€Å"People exposed to major radiation took longer to fall asleep and spent less time in deep sleep† (Huffington Post, 2013). So it is clear that cell phones can be linked to teens not sleeping well at night. Also in the Medical Post an about a study done to link the over use of cell phones by teen to depression. The tudy showed that compared to teens in the lower scoring group than the group of adolescence that used their phones more often had significantly higher scores in the depression inventory scale and interpersonal anxiety scale, as well as scoring low on the self-esteem scale (Hodges, 2006). These results reflect that teenagers are very likely to suffer from depression if they continue to spend too much time in their cell phones. Depression and lack of sleep will lead to severe mental issues if not sustained at an early stage. Youth today are overly dependent on cell phones. So dependent that many of hem seem to be out of touch with reality. Due to the mental, social, and academic effects of cell phones, teenagers are being sent down the wrong path. These three aspects are very important to human development as a whole. They are more critical at the adolescent stage, where teenagers should be attempting to reach their full potential without the distraction of cell phones. A teenager should be able to sleep well in order to go to school, be attentive, and be able to socialize with their peers and teachers without the interruption of receiving a text message or a phone call.

Evironmentalism Essays - Energy Development, Energy Economics

Evironmentalism Essays - Energy Development, Energy Economics Evironmentalism Evironmentalism: The Next Step Broad Social Change Through Personal Commitment Introduction In the last thirty years, America has witnessed an environmental revolution. New laws like the 1963 Clean Air Act and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act forged new ground in political environmentalism. Social phenomena like Earth Day, organized by Dennis Hayes in 1970, and the beginning of large-scale recycling, marked by Oregon's 1972 Bottle Bill, have help change the way Americans think about the environment. As we approach the third millennium, however, we must reconsider our place on the planet and reflect on our efforts and progress towards a sustainable society. As global warming becomes a scientific reality, natural disasters make monthly appearances in the headlines, and communities continue to find their ground-water contaminated by industrial and nuclear waste, we must ask ourselves: are we doing enough? The environmental movement in the past has largely been a social and political phe nomenon. While many of us recycle (yet still only 35 percent of us) and take dead batteries to our town's Hazardous Waste Day, most Americans have not made the environment a personal issue. Very few of us have taken the kind of personal life-changing steps that are necessary to create an environmentally sustainable society. It is simply naive to believe that America's present rates of consumption, waste production, and environmental contamination are sustainable. The kind of social change required can only happen when we as individuals embrace the effort in our everyday lives. Only then will corporate America and the government realize that they too must change to maintain their customer base and public support. This kind of personal commitment to change would also create a new social ethic based on the environment under which people and companies who do not care for the earth would be held socially and financially responsible. In six parts, this article will re-examine our place in the environmental movement and investigate exactly what changes we can make in our personal lives to bring about positive change. These areas are transportation, energy, recycling and waste management, toxins and pollution, food, and water. Some of the changes discussed will require sacrifice. But, more important, these changes will often simplify our lives, bring our families and communities closer together, and help us to better understand, revere, and coexist with the world upon which each of us is directly dependent. Transportation The invention of the automobile is one of history's greatest environmental disasters. The automobile decentralized our society. People with cars moved out of the city and drove to work from their suburban homes. Before the automobile, agriculture was local. Food was grown by farmers living in what was soon to be the suburbs, and delivered fresh to markets in the cities. Because of the short distance food had to travel, farmers didn't need to add pres ervatives or other additives to maintain freshness. Clearly, the automobile, like other harmful inventions, makes our lives easier in many ways, but how often do we consider the environment when weighing these benefits? Fossil fuels account for the automobile's most significant effect on the environment. Not only are the emissions from cars and trucks toxic to every air-breathing organism, but every step of the fossil fuel process, from extraction to disposal, is bad for the environment. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), millions of gallons of untreated water contaminated by the drilling processes are dumped into waterways and oceans annually. Once extracted, fossil fuels are frequently refined on site, burying 179 million tons of toxic waste annually. During transport, an average of 1 million gallons of oil is spilled into the ocean each month. Upon arrival, fossil fuels are usually burned in automobiles or power plants. The average coal-burning power pla nt burns about 10,000 tons of coal in a single day. With even a low estimate of five per cent waste, that leaves 500 tons of toxic waste produced each day by a single power plant. If used in cars, oil must be refined further, wasting more energy and creating more toxic waste before drivers purchase it. The combustion engines used in cars and trucks emit toxic gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect and acid rain, deplete the ozone

buy custom Ritalin for Whom essay

buy custom Ritalin for Whom essay Ritalin is a drug for individuals with a disorder or a deficit called Attention Deficit-hyperactivity disorder. (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The drug has been found to be helpful in treating the above said conditions; however, every drug can be abused depending on the availability and perceived other conditions it can treat. Therefore, all the stakeholders starting from parents, teachers, counselors and other people who might handle the drug should know the facts about it, the safe and unsafe use of the drug Ritalin. Its therapeutic and non-therapeutic nature. The paper therefore, focus on the nature of the drug, who should it be administered to and what are the effects of the drug to people of different ages. Ritalin is a drug that has flooded many American families, and now it is found elsewhere in the world. It is often used to reduce the patients anxieties, conflicts and exasperations at different times in their lives. The paper therefore, looks at the long- term s ide effects of the drug and its usefulness in the therapeutic purposes. Discussion. The use of the drug combined with other forms of therapy such as behavioral therapy, individual psychotherapy for children and adults and the people in their families. The combination of pharmacological and psychological therapies is useful foe the treatment of children and adults psychiatric disorders. The disconcerting and worrying factor in the use of the drug, its diagnostic and lack of knowledge is a worrying trend. There is still lack of knowledge and the clarity of ADHD and the side effects of the Ritalin, but the drug is always prescribed to children below the age of 6. Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity have been around for a very long period of time. A study that was done by Eric Taylor in 1991 advocated for the clinical distinction of the lot of children with the presence of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder from the group with antisocial conducts and behaviors and hyperactivity. Hyperkinesis is a disorder caused by the structural damage of the brain or psycho-social problems, and when is combined with co-morbidity many of the symptoms found in the ADHD, this can explain why the ADHD is over diagnosed leading to other disorders. Despite all the studies done on the investigations. Research, and elaborate diagnostic criteria, differences in culture and history in thinking about the behaviors still disturbs the range of therapeutic initiatives to contain ADHD. ADHD is still a debatable disorder whose nature regarding the etiology, prevalence, diagnostic and conceptualization not clearly defined. With regard to the twin studies of the ADHD and its etiology indicating the genetic component of hyperactivity has revealed that the genetic component of the disorder still not known and what is exactly inherited. Another disconcerting fact about ADHD and Ritalin is that the drug is not licensed for young children, yet it is administered to an increasing number of children below age 6. This poses one question as to who should Ritalin be administered to? For pre-shooters only or for all the people who may be suffering from the ADHD disorder! Procedure of the study A random sampling of the students attending large universities in the southwestern universities, in the United States, was invited for the study. They participated in the internet based research in order to establish college achievement, lifestyle and alcohol and drug abuse and drug behavior. The participants could link directly to study in the internet through the link that was provided for the study. The link contained the instructions and the special pin number for the students registration so that each respondent could only participate in the surrey once. The survey was open for all the participants for three weeks. The participants were provided with the consent pad with the information that required them to consent for the study for ethical reasons. Following the consent form, participants completed a series of demographic and college regulated items like sorority and fraternity measures as well as questions regarding the alcohol use, illegal and prescription of the drug, ciga rette use. The measures of the study were approved by the San Diego State University Institutional Review Board. A total of 6,150 undergraduate students participated in the survey and approximately 32% completed the survey. The analysis and the survey focused on the Ritalin use among the typical college students between the ages of 18 and 24. The demographic items included questions about respondents gender, age, race, committed relationship, religious service attendance in days, months, years eat, GPA for the previous semester, type of residence, alcohol consumption in terms of the frequency of drinking, how many bottles per day, per week and per month. The survey also queried he participants smoking status as in never smoked, experimented, current smokers. Additional survey was on the use of illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine and the use of prescription drugs like Ritalin. The participants were asked as in how many occasions in their lives have they use Ritalin without prescription for the last twelve months, for the past thirty days, and they were allowed to select frequencies like never used, used it occasionally, used it frequently, used it more occasionally etc. Data analysis The bivariate relationship between the Ritalin use and the participant demographics, college related variables, cigarette use, alcohol use and illegal and prescription use of drugs. Past year and past thirty days use of the Ritalin without the prescription served as the dependent variables for the analysis. The respondents who reported the use of one or more illegal substances or one or more prescription drugs in the past one year or in the past thirty days were recorded as having used one or more substances. Variables with the significant bivariate relationship to Ritalin use were included in the logistic regression analyses distinctively to model the past one year and the past thirty days use of the illegal drugs and the subscription drugs. Cases with missing data were deleted from the multivariate analyses list wise. Bivariate and the multivariate analyses were weighted to account for the overrepresentation of any gender since out of the sample study subjects female gender was ov errepresented. Results The bivariate associations between past year and past thirty days Ritalin use and the participants demographics, college related differences, cigarette use, alcohol use and drug use showed great and significant correlation with the participants age, last semester GPA, drinking occasionally and 9in the maximum number of drinks in the past two weeks, Alcohol consumption was positively related to the use of Ritalin, a prescribed drug. The respondent gender and race were elaborately associated with the use of the Ritalin drug in the past one year and the past one month. The participants class standing was also significantly associated with the past one month and the past one year use of the Ritalin drug. The college senior reported the lowest use of the Ritalin as compared to college sophomore and freshmen were much likely to report more to the Ritalin use. The smokers and the individuals experimenting with tobacco reported the significant use of the Ritalin in the past one year and the past one month. The past one month and the past one year use of illegal drugs and one or more related prescription drugs also showed the significant use of Ritalin. Presentation Ritalin is the most widely used drug in the prescribed stimulant medication for ADHD. Good proportions in number of college students in the United States are prescribed the drug. Similar number of the students has reported to be diverting the drug, Ritalin for selling, sharing or giving it away. The study focused on the risk factors associated with the use of nonprescribed Ritalin. As the findings have shown, there is the high rate of Ritalin use by the students at the college level with the figures declining with the level of seniority. The respondents reported the high rate of Ritalin use in the past one year and the past one month. Compared with the national figures of the Ritalin use, the percentage was high in the South California University where the research was conducted. This could be attributed to the overrepresentation of students who use the substance. Whether the overall population estimates of the Ritalin are anomalous, the main focus of the study was to examine the co rrelation of the Ritalin use as opposed to documenting the population estimates. The findings represented the facts as other college research on use of prescription stimulants. Other research has found the positive association between the Ritalin use and the use of other drugs. The students with lower GPAs are more likely to use Ritalin. The research also revealed that both the experimental smokers and the regular smokers were more likely to report the use of Ritalin in the past one year and the past one month as compared to nonsmokers. The experimenters in the smoking scene had the great likelihood of reporting the Ritalin use iin the past one month relative to nonsmokers One may then speculate that the effects of nicotine in the cigarette functions the same as the Ritalin. Perhaps they used the same drugs to cope with the academic stress and other related factors. Students who belonged to a fraternity or sorority reported the high rate of Ritalin use; a member was more likely to report seven times the use of Ritalin compared to nonmember. Again the sorority members were more likely to report seven times higher the presence of Ritalin in the past one month as compared to the nonmember. The study also focused on the relationships and the use of Ritalin. Those in the relationship reported past one year use of Ritalin and past one month use of the Ritalin drug whether the relationship was protective or non protective. Ritalin ADHD and children ADHD affects many children in the United States three to five percent of children suffer from ADHD. When looking at the long term consequences of ADHD, one third to one half of the children will outgrow their behavior. In many children, the symptoms of ADHD especially hyperactivity decrease with time, impulsivity may persist till adulthood. The diagnostic and treatment of the disorder has been empirical with no objective confirmation to date from the laboratory measures. The ADHD diagnostic should focus on the three major factors like impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention based on the childs family history, physical examination and the developmental and the psychological evaluation. Other diagnostic measures may look at the childs chronic fear to mild seizure making the child to be overactive, quarrelsome, over reactive and not attentive. Repeated middle ear complication also makes the child appear withdrawn and non cooperative. When it comes to the treatment of the ADHD, counselors elaborate physical education, psychology education, physiological education and family appraisal must be done to avoid misdiagnosis. Management must also involve the equal treatment plan of pharmacological procedures together with the behavioral shifting therapies. Ecological management and educational ways that could help the individuals suffering from ADHD so that they can focus their work on their self esteem and operate in different ways. Multidisciplinary approach is also important in the treatment of ADHD. Parents, children and the school work together in order to formulate the educational methods suitable for the development of children suffering from the disorder. The developed academic goals and the activities must also incorporate the needs of the child with the problem. The current drug therapy that has been developed to cope with the ADHD disorder is the stimulant like methylphenidate (Ritalin). Additionally, patient s and their families are advised to seek group and individual and other integrated therapies for the suitable and the best therapy. The use of Ritalin is widespread and calls for further studies in order to develop targeted intervention plans. The use of the drug as a stimulant and as a therapeutic substance presents an array of complicated topics that must be analyzed in more detailed manner. The age factor and the complications caused by the ADHD and the use of Ritalin as reported by respondents in the study showed that the drug is not only used to treat the disorder but also as a stimulant for various purposes. When the respondents reported to have used the Ritalin both consciously and unconsciously, having sold it out to other students or given it out freely is also another topic of discussion. The use of the drug and other related functions as in the complications that the drug could help the victims to overcome like poor performances in class work, the use of the drug together with other substances like alcohol, nonprescriptive substances, tobacco and cigarette also showed that the drug is a stimulant like any other drug consumed by individuals to feel high, become intoxicated ant to feel relieved from the problems of the world. Conclusion ADHD is a disorder affecting children mostly but the condition may be carried to adulthood if not properly diagnosed and proper therapeutic measure taken to treat the complication. The best therapeutic measure to be taken when dealing with the complication is all encompassing thereby involving both the stakeholders from the parents of the individuals suffering from the disorder to the teachers at the school where these individuals learn and society as a whole. The currently used drug for the treatment of ADHD is called Ritalin. The drug has been abused by individuals to whom it is prescribed; they give it away to their colleagues either by selling it, giving it out freely. The drug is mostly abused in High schools by the students; the statistics show that the ages of drug user in the high schools decreases with age and seniority as sophomores and the freshmen reported to be using the Ritalin more than the seniors. Buy custom Ritalin for Whom essay