Individual Reflection on Group

The group was able to work together adequately. The group defines the objectives of the project as well as the approaches that would be used to accomplish them.  Individual’s ideas were considered to ensure that conflict or miscommunication did not occur which would destroy relations.  Everyone was punctual and very reliable in all the situated group meetings. Each member was allocated with different roles and responsibility which included researching and coordinating individuals.  Everyone had a role to play in research and this therefore implied that the detailed information that was generated was then analyzed to develop a proper analysis of the research subject.

Communication was conducted through texts, calls, and even emails. This helped in increasing the level of confidence in the entire group as well as accuracy.  However based on the fact that some members hold more researching expertise than others they contributed more in terms or ideas and skills.  This, therefore, acted as a source of knowledge for some individuals which helped as a motivating factor of working together.  The group members were very cooperative and willing to make their contributions and this helped in increasing reliability of the generated information.

The working of the group was effective and everyone worked to accomplish their given goals and agreements of various issues were achieved adequately.  It is clear that group was an effective strategy for gathering information in a short period (Frey, Fisher, & Everlove, 2009).  With the definition of the group's objectives, we managed to match the aims of individuals with those of the groups. Decision making was managed through a thorough consulting every member. This helped to ensure that there was no occurrence of miscommunication.

Reference

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Everlove, S. (2009). Productive group work: How to engage students,      build teamwork, and promote understanding. Alexandria, Va: ASCD.

Single Sex Education

Single sex education is not beneficial to both the students and the teachers as they both lose important elements of education compared to mixed sex education. This is because with the same sex education system students are not well prepared for real world experiences as they are contained in an environment that experiences certain problems that are completely different from the other gender schools (Ivinson  & Murphy, 2007). Teachers are also limited to apply certain teaching technique towards the gender inhibiting their diverse teaching techniques. The problem associated with such an education system revolves around civil rights, socioeconomic, political and legal concerns.

Same sex education system conflicts nature verse nurture such as the factors that relate to gender, temperament, intelligence, abilities and disabilities. The other influence is the way of life of parents and how the society nurtures the child. According to Leonard Sax when boys and girls are together they are a reflection of the larger society they live in (Stanberry, 2016). parents argue that opposite sex to students is a distraction which is a reason enough to why they prefer single sex education. Teachers in such facilities adapt very specific training techniques in relation to the gender. This is quite disadvantageous compared to the teachers in the mixed gender classroom as they adapt various teaching styles (Ivinson  & Murphy, 2007).

The problem of teaching single-sex students extends along the continuum of what is considered to be normal. This may affect the sensitive students such as a boy who is intimidated by a teacher who believes that he should learn and that is what he needs by speaking loudly to his face. It also creates a problem of segmenting the genders away from each other and yet they will work with each other with members of the opposite sex limiting the change of interacting, working cooperatively and existing successfully with each other (Spielhagen, 2013).

The problems that arise as a result of the single-sex education should be addressed as it is bound to be consequences if the problems persist. The consequences may include poor communication between the two genders that may limit their interaction and communication when they are together on various occasions (Spielhagen, 2013). The two genders may not be able to understand each other as they have been brought up in a different schooling environment. Despite the high performance in this school they are a chance of discrimination as they are no equal chances. There is a huge impact on the system whereby there is a less academic disparity between both genders creating an ethnic, racial and socioeconomic difference (Ivinson  & Murphy, 2007).

The problem is relevant to the audience beyond me as it includes the teachers, parents, legal advisers and the government. This is because of they out ways the importance of such a system and the implication it has the both genders students and how it is going to affect theirs after school life (Ivinson  & Murphy, 2007). This makes them more cautious in choosing the schools that they children will ripe maximum benefits apart from academic excellence.

References

Spielhagen, F. R. (2013). Debating single-sex education: Separate and equal?. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Ivinson, G., & Murphy, P. (2007). Rethinking single-sex teaching. Maidenhead, England: Open   University Press.

Stanberry, K. (2016). Single sex education: the pros and cons. Retrieved from;             http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons/

Unhealthy School Lunch

Unhealthy school lunch is the lunch that contains approximately third of daily recommended values for nutrients which tend to contain ample of calories, fat, and salt. The most important issue I think is facing America today basing of unhealthy school lunch is obesity. Obesity is a condition of where a person gains much body weight which brings negativity to the health. Obesity in America is bringing students’ self-esteem low whereby a student cannot be able to express his or herself which lead many students in America to complicate with diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention stated that children and adolescent between 2 to 19 years old are estimated to be 17% who have obesity due to unhealthy school lunch. In America, health issues have been highly increased by the Unhealthy school lunch which has tended to increase the rate of obesity to the students (Luppino et al 2010).

The reason why I think obesity as an important issue in America is because students who consume a lot of food with fats can proceed to develop serious health problems in future. These health problems may include heart diseases, diabetes, and even cancer. When fats, calories, and salt are high, they tend to lower the intake of minerals and vitamin in the student’s body whereby a student may end up getting tired which can even cause low performance in his or her education. The body requires vitamins and minerals than fats so as it can function well without overweighting the body. When a student continues eating unhealthy food, he or she can suffer from unnecessary diseases because the body tissue is covered by fat and he or she is lacking enough vitamins and minerals in the body (Luppino et al 2010).

According to Luppino et al. (2010) obesity give student low self-esteem where a student is not confident which give sense negatively impact due to unhealthy lunch school. Obesity can potentially lead to consequences like depression to the student which is very dangerous to students because it brings negative impacts on growth and development. Obesity can lower social relationships of a student which is likely to lead to ultimately suicide. Obesity is considered as an important issue because students who eat unhealthy school lunch they never do sporting activities which they can help to lower the fat, salt and calories in their body thus building the risks of obesity in their body. Obesity is considered as an important issue in America because it results in disability and premature death to students who are taking unhealthy lunches in school.

Holzman (2010) implies that the first lady Michelle Obama is a person who also thinks obesity is an important issue that is brought by unhealthy lunch in schools. The first lady Michelle Obama has come up with five pillars which are showing how obesity important issues to her. These five pillars comprise of empowering parents and the guardians, creating a healthy start for education, providing health food in schools, improving access to affordable food and increasing physical activity. These pillars are helping very resident in America to play part in reducing the obesity in the country. The Michele think obesity as an important issue in America because approximately 17% of children and 30% of adults are currently considered as obese who are at a high risk of health which is focusing on empowering parents and guardians. Empowering of parents and guardians will create awareness of improving the healthy food and therefore minimize the risk of obesity to both children and adults.

Michelle also thinks obesity is an important issue because the government is allocating billion of dollars so as to prevent the obesity in America. Finance which is allocated by the government on obesity will enable to create a health start of education which will help to lower the risks of obesity to the students. According to Michelle, she thinks obesity is an important issue since it made most of America residents to remain poor due to the process of curing and preventing the rate of obesity. By the dollars that have been allocated by the America government, it will be easy to provide healthy food in the schools so as to reduce the obesity to the students. Michelle Obama thinks obesity as an important issue because the healthy food is sold at a high amount whereby many people are not affording to buy due to lack of finance. The first lady Michelle Obama has come up with a pillar of improving access to affordable food which will enable many people to buy at a low rate cost hence obesity will lower in the America (Holzman, 2010).

The government is doing something about obesity issue for the reason given that the government has allocated billion of dollars so as to prevent obesity. Also, the federal government has come with rules and regulations that are to be applied to school lunches in order to minimize the rate of obesity to school amongst the student who are taking unhealthy lunches. These rules and regulations are making sure that healthy lunches are available in schools this shows that the government is doing something on this important issue. The federal government has taken an important role in launching a campaign in America as a major way of improving the prevention and treatment of obesity (Gortmaker et al., 2011).

According to Gortmaker et al. (2011), government policies have implemented wide range programs of developing clinical guidelines, nutrition labeling of healthy foods, and education of social market among others. These programs are helping to fight obesity in schools and even in the whole country as well. Another reason that shows that government is doing something about obesity issue is bringing programs of Weight-Control Information Network.  Weight-Control Information Network mission is providing the evidence that is based on information about obesity and also gives a way to control the weight.

My recommendations for getting other people in our country aware that obesity is such an important issue is by developing community programs of combat obesity. By developing these programs it will be able to help people who are away from obesity in a way such that ensuring obesity prevention. Another recommendation for making people in our country to be aware of obesity is by advertising the prevention of the obesity all over the country so as to make people be aware. Organizing development and training to the people in my country is another recommendation which can help me to create awareness of and prevention and cure of obesity. By creating campaigns in schools can bring awareness of prevention and cure of obesity hence saving many lives of students who are aware of this important issue.

References

Gortmaker, S. L, Swinburn, B. A, Levy, D., Carter, R., Mabry, P. L., Finegood, D.             T., Huang, T., Marsh, T. & Moodie, M. L. (2011). Changing the future of obesity:             science, policy, and action. Lancet. 378:838–847

Holzman, D. C. (2010). White House proposes healthy food financing initiative. Environ Health             Perspect. 118:156

Luppino, F. S., et al. (2010). Overweight, obesity, and depression: a systematic review and meta- analysis of longitudinal studies. Archives of general psychiatry 67(3), 220-229

Introduction to Australian Children's Literature

‘We are defined by our relationships with other people: they challenge and change us and so make us what we are.’

Introduction

Relationship has a big impact in our life as it portrays a vivid picture of our character.  In human development, social relationship is vital in creating a happy and a meaningful life.  Relationship matters in life as they can reinforce positive self-views or negative self-views. This means that social interaction has both positive and negative influence in creating self-identity. Various studies assert that many people develop their self-identity during the adolescent age.  During this critical time, people view different pictures in life with respect their connection with family and peers. The interaction with different friends is associated with cognitive, physical and social changes which creates a complex process in creating self-identity.  People need close interaction for them to solve problems, share responsibilities and reach into their destiny. The important thing is to understand each other, learn new behaviors and gain mutual empowerment.  Human life is sustained by interpersonal relationships which influences behavior and changes the way of doing things. Relationship completely changes our behavior and defines our positive or negative self-identity.  

Relationships define who we are in that through our behaviors, people can understand the family as well as the society we grew in.  For example, individuals create the first interaction and relationship with their families and other people are able to identify your character focusing on your family, society and culture (HUMBERD & ROUSE, 2016).  Family relationship makes a person to have a self-identity either positive or negative.  For example, if a person is rejected by the family, he or she can change the behavior, lack self-worth, become desperate   and live a less meaningful life.  A clear demonstration on effect of relationship in person identity is portrayed in the novel “The Ruins of Gorlan”.  Will is a character who is about to lose hope but his life is changed completely by a relationship.  The character is a protagonist and he is raised by Baron Arald in the Castle Redmont with other orphan children like Alyss, Jenny and George.  Since his father died as a hero, Will has a dream of following his father’s footsteps and become a hero (Flanagan, 2006).  At the age 15, orphan children in Castle Redmont are chosen to be apprenticed but Will is humiliated by his friends as he is under age and he cannot enter in the Battle school.  Halt asserts that "The boy has the potential to be trained as a Ranger. I will accept him as my apprentice (Flanagan, 2006 Pg. 41). Though he is not matured like others, Battle master (Halt) notices that he is agile, curious, brave and honest. Halt and Willy creates a relationship to an extent that he is trained on how to enter in the Battle. Shortly, Will enters in the Kalkara Battle and destroys the devil.  This clearly shows that Will forms a meaningful relationship with Halt and the relationship defines his self-identity in becoming a hero.

As human beings, we make strong friendship with important people and family members with an aim that they will change our behaviors and if possible become like them.  It is important to understand that relationship has two purposes either to strengthen or to weaken our identity.  In the novel, “The Ruins of Gorlan”, Will is influenced and transformed and his self-identity is strengthened. He is distrustful with Halt and views him as strange and upsetting. Later, he comes to know that he is not   only the best friend but also a mentor and a father. They create a strong relationship to an extent that Will is determined to copy Halt’s character and become like him.  Halt not only acts like a mentor toward Will but also like a father.  Will develop being respectful, loyal and champion and these qualities are as a result of their meaningful relationship with Halt. This clearly shows that a person creates a positive character out of the kind of relationship he or she engages in (Flanagan, 2006.

 In the entire life span, peer influence is interrelated with personality development.  People meet different friends from community, school, and working places and other places. In life, people tend to maintain a dyadic relationship with people who later change the character and define who you are. The researchers on relationship influence of self-identity have found that relationship with others is interconnected with feelings, behaviors and feelings (Kiran-Esen, 2012). In the social environment, people understand the identity of others and the interaction play role in personality maturation.  The personality development which a person gains from peer at young age becomes a greater determinant of the self-identity a person will have in adolescents. For example, ‘Rowan of Rin’ is a novel which shows that Rin is a young person who is despised by the community because he is weak and coward. A time comes when the stream of water which is used by the community dries up. Seven Villagers have to go to the mountain to find out the cause of the problem so that they can save the bukshah. When they arrive there, they find a dragon.  They lack power to kill the dragon and finally they decree that “The smallest and weakest of us proved the strongest and bravest in the end” (Rodda, 2001 pg 56). The villagers consider him as useless and weak but finally he is brave, courageous and becomes a hero.

Relationship defines the self-identity as it has an impact on personal recognition and hence identity construction. Relationship is an important factor in social life as it provides valued norms and behaviors to follow.  In cognitive psychology, causal relationship represents the personal identity (HUMBERD & ROUSE, 2016). Research shows that there is a reciprocal relationship between society and personal behavior and the self-identity is created   the societal interaction. In adolescents’ age, friendship matters in that this is the age in which many people tend to define their identity and so they engage in meaningful relationship to avoid identity confusion. The author asserts that physiological development of a person is influenced by peers, family, school and these factors playa great role in shaping identity. According to the theory of identity development, peer pressures have both positive and negative influence in identity development or else it contributes to both identity and identity confusion (Kiran-Esen, 2012). For example, it contributes to negative identity in that a person can be engaged in drug abuse. At adolescent, friends engages in similar behaviors and their strengthen each other to break the rule and act against the parents and society regulations so that they can gain self-esteem and fulfill their needs (Kiran-Esen, 2012).

Focusing on negative effective of relationship on self-identity, the story on Hitler’s Daughter by Jackie French show that self-identity is defined by relationship. This is story within a story where the young students waiting for the school bus learns that Heidi is the daughter of Hitler and she lives with her guardian Fraulein Gelber. Heidi lives a secret life and she does not disclose that her father is a killer. Mark is affected by this story as he cannot imagine that Heidi has a close relationship with a killer father.  He asks that “If everyone…thinks something is right, but you know it is wrong, what do you do then? (French, 2000, pg 116).  This shows that family relationship affects their children and defines their self-identity. Mark believes that there is a moral dilemma as parents do engage their children to wrong behaviors. As his father has evil acts, his child Heidi also inherits the acts and follows her father’s footsteps. Therefore, relationship changes behavior and people acts in a way which will fulfill their friends’ needs.  According to the nature of friendship, some friends are unreliable and they do not influence the self-worth.  They make life to be difficult as they shape the personality through negativity (French, 2000).

In showing how people’s behaviors are defined by relationship, many authors’ focuses on self and identity from young age to adolescence. Young children aged 4-5 start to develop social skills and new abilities which helps in creating self-identity.  In development, children move through transition process of social exterior and physiological exterior (Kornienko et al, 2016). A difference in self construction occurs when children focus on global construct where self-identity formation becomes multidimensional and complexities in defining one’s real and idea selves.  In global construct, there is an increase in differentiation and at adolescence, children develops a high level of reasoning in creating self-identity and behaviors.  In early adolescent, children focus on psychological aspects in creating self identity and overlook the physical aspects.  At this time, they tend to take concern on their inner life so that they can set a realistic self-system (Kornienko et al, 2016). The author points out that, the adolescence age is a period of self-evaluation and the behaviors which are created at this age are defined by the type of relationship. The latter at this point play a significant role in shaping behavior in that it contributes to social changes.  In the cognitive shift from childhood to adulthood, social relationship has a great effect on children lives. During social interaction, many children focus on external standards and responds to other people’s reactions.  At this age, they are unable to value their personal lives or to apply comparison skills. They are influenced by social-comparison and so they develop their self-identify with respect to the social context.  Their self-identity is defined by peer relations because by being disconnected with their families, they engage in social environment which shapes their behaviors and defines who they are (Kornienko et al, 2016).

In cognitive development, parental relationship with children defines their self-identity in adulthood. This means that the cognitive development is an important state which children gains self-esteem and self-identity. For example, if children experiences corporal punishment, at young age, Oates 2011 asserts that at their adult age, they will develop aggressive behaviors (HUMBER & ROUSE, 2016). This shows that the relationship between a child and parents determines the character which the child will follow in adult life. Other relationship which can define the self-identity is the relationship with social media. The latter influences the social psychology and interpersonal relationship. It is important to note that psychological functions provides inner self-identity and develops the process of individuation. Children use the internet as a self-motivator of meeting their psychological needs. During this process, a large number increases role confusion’ as they are unable to measure the quality of identity (HUMBER & ROUSE, 2016).

Conclusion

Friendship is an important aspect in people’s live.  In essence, many people value friendship at adolescence age. This is a critical time in which social interaction is valued in sharing ideas, making decisions and more important shaping behaviors. However relationship is associated with positive and negative aspects as it has a strong influence in self-definition. It can either create a high self- esteem and positive self-exploration and it can also contribute to low self-esteem and negative self-exploration. All these are determined by the type of friendship a child or an adult engages in.  Relationship play role in creation self-identity and the latter defines who we are in terms of behavior and culture. Social interaction influences self-identify and people tend to understand others by looking on their social connections.  Researchers on relationship and its effect on self-identity states that, the latter is influenced by social interaction in terms of shared believes and practices. Life becomes meaningful through distinct elements of interaction   such as class, race, age and more. Through interaction, people develop new ways of life and create self-identity.

References

Flanagan, J. (2006). The ruins of gorlan: Ranger's Apprentice Series, Book 1.

Rodda, E. (2001). Rowan of Rin. New York: HarperCollins.

French, J. (2000). Hitler's daughter. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.

HUMBERD, B. K., & ROUSE, E. D. (2016). SEEING YOU IN ME AND ME IN YOU: PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION

IN THE PHASES OF MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS. Academy Of Management Review, 41(3), 435-

455. doi:10.5465/amr.2013.0203

Kiran-Esen, B. (2012). ANALYZING PEER PRESSURE AND SELF-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS AMONG

ADOLESCENTS. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 40(8), 1301-1309.

Kornienko, O., Santos, C. E., Martin, C. L., & Granger, K. L. (2016). Peer Influence on Gender Identity

Development in Adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 52(10), 1578-1592.

doi:10.1037/dev0000200

Al Musawi, A., Ambusaidi, A., Al-Balushi, S., Al-Balushi, K. Effect of Using 3-D Lab on Omani Science Students’ Achievement. Sultan Qaboos University.

The aim of the study was to examine how 3-D can be applied in science education and help students gain high achievements and develop metacognitive abilities (Musawi et al, n.d).   Due to the technological advance, researchers have found that it is important to implement technological applications such as E-learning in the education system, in order to connect teachers and students and achieve education effectiveness. When 3-D is applied in science education, researchers found that it deals with difficult scientific phenomena and it provides simulation method of conducting difficult experiments (Musawi et al, n.d).  In conducting the study, Al Musawi et al used quantitative method and ‘Pre-Post Test Control Group Design’ and 30 students were involved. In conducting experiment, the different groups of students connected e-lab software and network and all were using computer tablets. Students conducted the experiment and findings were analyzed with respect to the achievement tests.

The findings showed that there were a significant difference between students who used 3-D and those who did not use. There was a high level of memorization and understand in the experimental group.  A statistical difference was also observation in that students who used 3-D had a high achievement test in terms of cognitive abilities. As a result of using simulation software, students gained instructional objectives as well as laboratory skills. Students developed a positive attitude   in virtual labs. However, the level of application did not show any statistical difference (Musawi et al, n.d).

In conclusion, the authors stated that 3-d is effective in teaching   in that there was a higher level of achievement.  They pointed out that the use of 3-D in Omani school could influence students’ achievement and add great value to the science education.  Thus, they recommended that the 3-D lab technologies should be applied in science education so that students’ achievement can be improved (Musawi et al, n.d).

Reference

Al Musawi, A., Ambusaidi, A., Al-Balushi, S., Al-Balushi, K. Effect of Using 3-D Lab on Omani Science Students’ Achievement. Sultan Qaboos University.

Discussion Assignment: W03a03

            Response 1

The white paper by Kline can be described as an external white paper. This is because the paper is aimed at providing knowledge through awareness creation.  The paper demonstrates an analysis of the distinct types of white papers and how it should be developed. In addition, the paper describes the characteristics of a well-developed research paper and how to distinguish between an internal and an external white paper.  The paper is designed for the purpose of informing the concept of white paper to the public and the particular audiences are the students or researchers (Kline, 2013).

Response 2

This type of paper can be described as an external white paper because it is aimed at informing and creating awareness to the public.  The paper takes a particular and a unique strategy in addressing the issue of school libraries thus providing an updated research (MSL, 2014).  The research is additionally written in addressing a particular set of audience who are the students. This is accomplished through the generation of claims, arguments as well as  data that collaborates best in  creating awareness to the public  of the discussion  topic with regard to school libraries that the authors wish to convey.  The paper additionally provides detailed and well-developed research which is the inclusion of numerous resources which assist in showing the credibility of the conducted research (MSL, 2014).  Through the use of different resources that includes books, articles as well as the internet.

The research offers recommendation which begins with an abstract to inform the audiences of what the research is about.  It is then followed by an introduction which introduces the subject and ends with a conclusion after a detailed analysis of data (MSL, 2014).

References

Kline A. (2013). White papers: an introduction to genre and its expectations. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgJTQiv7wQ

MSL. (2014). Casualty: school libraries and students success. American  association of school librarians.

The Talent Pipeline and Executive On boarding

Talent pipeline refers to group of candidates who are considered qualified to occupy newly created positions or those left vacant due to promotion or retirement (Caplan, 2011). Executive On boarding is a process put in place by an organization to have new executive integrated in such a manner that they get full acceptance and successfully assume their roles (Oakes & Galagan, 2011). This process is critical in organization since it assist in defining, attracting and developing the appropriate mix of needed talent which offers support and growth in organization.  Talent pipeline assist in coming up with skills and qualifications required for a certain role and identifying individuals who strongly fit the position (Caplan, 2011). An executive On boarding plan assist in identifying the required leader characteristics and thus provide the human resource expert such information before potential candidates are searched (Oakes & Galagan, 2011). The two aspects help in the interview process where the recruiter and recruited can honestly assess personalities and the right match or work specific styles. A direct outreach can be an appropriate way of accessing talent pipeline through the use of personal information in platforms such as LinkedIn. There is a need to include changes in the way in which pipelines match the future employer needs. Such changes include developing a proactive talent pipeline that can also capture passive talents. This is based on the need for indentifying the talent early and thus minimizes the time for filling future positions(Caplan, 2011).   

Checklist

• Have well prepared well come letters
• Prepare necessary stationeries for new executives
• Notify the participants in the organization of the arrival date for new executive
• Work with other various departments such as IT to have a coordinated work space for the executive
• Corporate with security to have a clearance process that is timely
• Provide the executive with the necessary information such as list of stakeholders, leaders of various agencies and contact details on the first day.
• Assign an individual to serve as a mentor to orient the executive into the organizational culture.

Reference

Oakes, K., & Galagan, P. (2011). The executive guide to integrated talent management. Alexandria, Va: ASTD Press. 4

Caplan, J. (2011). The value of talent: Promoting talent management across the organization. London: Kogan Page. 64

 Impacts of academic stress on students

Students in Shanghai, China have been ranked as top performers on various occasions when it comes to math, science and reading compared to student in other countries ranked by the international Program for International Student Assessment. When compared, American students in elementary and junior high ranked lower especially in math when the international standardized test was conducted. Despite the good performance levels portrayed by students in the junior high and elementary levels in China, the education system in the country has come under intense criticism by parents, educators and the students themselves. Even though Chinese students are seen to be performing well, the amount of stress they endure to achieve this performance is unhealthy and causes various issues for the students among which is curvature of the spine.

            In America, educators have been known to complain about the way students in elementary and junior high levels perform in international education contests. While they are busy trying to attain the level of success that students in China achieve, the Chinese are busy battling the issue of the stress that the students are forced to endure in pursuit of the high levels of achievement the country has been associated with. Although the Americans are yet to figure out the main reasons behind the low performance, the Chinese have pin pointed the Gaokao as the cause of most, if not all, of the stress that students experience (Zhao, 2015). The Gaokao is a national college entrance exam in china that is conducted annually in June. It determines whether the students will qualify to join college and pursue higher learning depending on how they will perform in the exam. Due to the important role it plays in determining the students’ academic future, those in elementary and junior high spend most of their time planning and learning so that they will do well in the exam when the time comes (Zhao, 2015). As a result, they adopt negative study habits that end up having negative repercussions for the students in the long run.

            According to a study published on the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China’s website, Chinese students were reported to experience more academic requirements compared to other countries included in the study. For the purpose of the study, students from Japan, Korea, America and China were surveyed to test the type of challenges they encounter in elementary and junior high levels (Alegria et al, 2011). The results revealed almost 90 percent of students in China expressed that they were under very intense pressure to perform academically. Most of them spent over two hours daily after school tackling their homework assignments (Liang et al, 2016). Another study by Hesketh and her colleagues tested 2191 students in china aged between nine and twelve years revealed most of those tested were under some form of stress related to education. Eighty one percent of those surveyed revealed that they constantly worried whether they would be able to pass the exams. Seventy three of those tested feared that they would be feared that they would be physically punished by their parents while 63% feared being punished in school by their teachers for not performing (Liang et al, 2016).

            According to the study by South China Morning Post (2016), more than a third of the students surveyed were reported to have had psychosomatic symptoms on a weekly basis which added on to the stress experienced as a result of education. According to a study conducted by China Youth and Children Research Center in Beijing, 76 percent of the 2,400 students surveyed were often in bad moods influenced by the academic pressure that they were forced to endure and the performance that they were expected to achieve by their parents and educators (Liang et al, 2016). About 9% of the students also expressed feelings of despair which could be the reason behind the high level of suicide and suicide attempts by Chinese students arising from academic pressure. The type of stress that students express as a result of academic pressure is not only on a personal level but also affects how they relate to each other in society. In America and China, academic pressure eventually results to academic competition that becomes so intense that students starts expressing feelings of distrust, jealousy and lack of trust among students. As a result, close friends slowly become competitors and rivals who often begin to drift as they compete to perform better and attain better grades in school (Liang et al, 2016).

            Another effect that comes about as a result of academic pressure is the curvature of the spine among students. Students in kindergarten and junior high are often pressured to perform and also do well so as to pass the Gaokao exam. As a result, they often spend more hours studying and preparing for the exams. While studying is encouraged, the students also have to complete homework and other take-home school assignments (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013). As a result, they end up developing poor study habits such as wrong sitting postures when reading or doing assignments and this often results to curvature of the spine. Curvature of the spine refers to various conditions that affect the spine for various people at different ages. The deformity of the spine has various health repercussions that could affect and individuals’ quality of life such as physical pain, mental health, work capability, self image and disability (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013).

 There are two known factors that may cause curvature of the spine. The first factor is idiopathic where an unknown cause results to the spine becoming deformed with no explanation as to why, this is normally evident in children whose spine becomes deformed at an early age due to a cause or disease that is identified or unknown. The second factor is acquired where the deformation of the spine occurs over a period of time as a result of lifestyle and living habits of an individual (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013). Normally, the spine appears as a gentle S shape when seen from the side and appears straight when it is viewed from the back. The curves that are portrayed by the spine are meant to evenly distribute the stress that the body endures either when the individual is resting or moving. If the normal curvature becomes abnormal, an individual starts to feel some form of discomfort. If severe, the individual feels severe pain and may even end up becoming disabled. Such abnormal curves are often referred to as spinal deformities and they comprise of flatback, kyphosis and scoliosis (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013). Such conditions are caused by various factors among which are the postures that students adopt either at school or at home when studying. If the posture is negative, the student will end up causing more damage to their spines since they spend more time studying so as to cope with the stress brought about by high academic requirements (Fortin et al, 2015).

In a study conducted in Chongming Island, China, 3347 girls and 3477 boys aged between 6 and 17 years were recruited and put through postero anterior radiographic evaluation and Scoliometer measurements to assess the nature of their spines (Liang et al, 2016). The result revealed that 241 girls and 201 boys out of those tested had signs of suffering from scoliosis. A total of 172 children’s spines had a curve of more than 10degrees which proved that they had scoliosis (Liang et al, 2016). The high rates may have been as a result of the pressure that the children exert on their spines while studying especially is they happen to use wrong seating postures while in class or at home when doing homework assignments. Children in elementary and junior high spend a lot of hours every night completing homework assignments. This combined with the long hours they spend in school greatly contributes to the deformation especially in homes that are not equipped with study tables for the students (Selman & Zhao, 2014). 

Other than the effect that it has on the students physically, a lot of homework also results to the disruption of the students’ sleeping patterns. As a result, the student not only lacks adequate sleep but also suffers from stress and their physical health is affected in a way. While the term excess has raised a lot of controversy over the amount of homework that is given to students, the stress it causes will differ depending on the age of the students. Students in elementary and junior high for instance would consider 30 minutes spent doing homework as being stressful (Kelly, 2016). This is especially because it adds more stress to their daily routine, deprives them of their play time and disrupts their sleeping patterns. Although studying is said to be the key to academic success, there is little, if any evidence suggesting that homework and intense study has a positive influence on the academic performance of students in the elementary and junior high levels. This also means that it will have little impact in their futures because it neither adds nor takes away from their academic potential. Instead of helping them to become better students, it may result to them developing a negative attitude towards education especially when it gets them in trouble with their parents or teachers (Kelly, 2016).

While students in higher levels of education may be able to handle the stress that comes about as a result academic requirements, the minds of those in elementary or junior high are still developing and such stress may cause major repercussions. The process occurs whereby the hypothalamus releases a hormone that goes to the pituitary glands when some form of stress is experienced (Pelliser, 2016). This triggers the pituitary glands to produce another form of hormones which travel through the bloodstreams to the adrenal glands located above the kidneys. This leads to the activation of adrenaline which accelerates the rate of the heart and cortisol which elevates the level of the blood sugar in the child’s system thereby increasing their memory and muscle power. While this would normally be ideal to help someone to study, the mind of children at this age is not yet developed because such reactions are meant for reacting to emergency situations (Pellisier, 2016). As a result, children end up reacting negatively and unable to cope with the amount of stress they endure.

Due to the serious consequences that academic stress bears on children, there is a need to find a way to ensure that students, especially those in elementary and junior high do not suffer. Even though an education program to alleviate this issue is lacking in China, there is one used in the United States that could help resolve such issues. The one evidence based approach used in America develops academic programs that are based in schools and help students to not only read and write but also understand complex subjects such as science. The program also encourages students to engage in group discussions and debates as a way of ensuring they work together so as to reduce the workload and in doing so alleviate stress associated with academics.

References

Alegria M, Fortuna R, Lin J and Porche V, (2011) “Childhood trauma and psychiatric disorders   as correlates of school dropout in national sample of young adults” NCBI

Bervern H, Castillo W and Helper D. (2013) “Spinal deformity” retrieved from,             http://www.boneandjointburden.org/2013-report/iii-spine-deformity-and-related-   conditions/iii

Fortin C, Labelle H, May L and Theroux J, (2015) “Prevalence and management of back pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients: A retrospective study” NCBI

Kelly P, (2016) “Homework could have an impact on kids health. Should schools ban it?”            retrieved from, http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/homework-could-have-impact-          kids-health-should-schools-ban-it/

Liang J, Negrini S, Quing D, Sun K, Yang X and Zhou X. (2016) “Scoliosis epidemiology is not similar all over the world: a study from a scoliosis school screening on Chongming    Island(China)” NCBI

Pelliser H, (2016) “Stress and your child’s brain” retrieved from,             http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/how-stress-affects-your-child/

Selman L and Zhao X. (2014) “Combating the effects of academic stress in Chinese schools”       China Outlook

South China Morning Post, (2015) :Students at breaking point: Hong Kong announces      emergency measures after 22 suicides since the start of the academic year” retrieved    from, http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-         environment/article/1923465/students-breaking-point-hong-kong-announces

Zhao X, (2015) “Academic stress in Chinese schools and a proposed preventive intervention        program” Taylor & Francis

Dear future roommate,

They say one can never choose their family; you just have to roll the dice and pray for the best. Well that can also apply in this case and so I thought I should just give you a head start on the person you are likely to spend the next couple of years with. So where do I start? I am a transfer student from UC Santa Cruz University hoping to complete my studies at Pepperdine University. The transfer process has been quite challenging, however I’m still hopeful that once I get there things will be much better.

Back at US Santa Cruz, I was greatly involved in sports and athletics and participated in the school cross-country and was even a member of the badminton team. From this you can easily see that I am a social person who loves to make the best out of college life. Am also very outgoing, as a matter of fact I was the vice president of the Taiwanese Student Association. I am therefore hoping that you will be able to teach me about some of the things that Pepperdine University is famous for. I also love cooking and so if you love eating you are in luck because am a licensed cook!

So far I can say that college life has been both challenging and intriguing, however with the right attitude and the right friends, one is likely to get the desired results. I am therefore hoping to find the right fit in terms of a roommate in order to achieve the optimal balance between my academic life and my student life. I am hoping that as my future roommate you can be both a friend and a mentor in order to make the best out of our time in Pepperdine University. I hope this letter finds you well and I cannot wait to meet you.

Yours sincerely,

State Assessments

Social Study is highly encouraged in my state since it serves an essential part to the society. The study is the only one that makes students understand various fundamental concepts of cultural, monetary as well as economic plus political skills thus; preparing them into polished, prolific citizens. Social Study generates the understanding of how the world works especially on the social levels. The study is possibly tested at all grades simply because it is about memorizing set of dates however, teachers believe that when tested at the master level it motivates as well as motivates student’s interest in the subject. At master level it is genuine that social study is armed with high respect on history thus; students are prepared to avoid mistakes in the past as well as graph a new course for the future.

Reducing the time devoted for social study lessons will be more effective due to various reasons. Firstly most children are brought up without the skills they need to thrive the twenty-first century thereby they require the study to boost their little knowledge. Social study is integrative by nature thereby; it should be strengthened in schools thereby; if the lessons are reduced it would mean reduction of the disciplinary boundaries which are effective in promoting social understanding as well as civil efficiency. Social study needs more lessons as mathematics because it is the only study that integrates knowledge, skills and disposition with genuine actions. Social study is an effective practice which should not be limited thus, teaches opts to guide children in developing it knowledge across the curriculum. Civic capability is not only accountability of social studies nor is it trendy to the pitch; it is more essential to social studies than to any other subject area in school.

References

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-kindergarteners-social-studies

Student’s Guide to Research

            First I would wish to provide a summary of the notions of norms, values, rules, beliefs and taboos.  In general values are thoughts in the context of that thing that are morally right, norms, on the other hand, are the rules that are shared in a culture and are utilized in governing social behaviors which determine what should be done and thought of (Pg. 56).  Folkways are norms violation and mores are the norms that are held strongly by a particular culture and the violation of such norms is considered as a serious community offense (Pg. 56).  Taboos are the norms that are strongly held by a particular culture, the violation is beyond thoughts as it is a high offense to the community.  Laws are the codified norms that are utilized to govern individual behaviors while beliefs are a set of specific thoughts that individuals accept them to be true to them (Pg. 56).

I come from a community that does not believe in the competition of materials and is comprised of human culture development. Religion is highly respected as well as families.  Community norms and cultures are dearly held and offending or acting contrary may result in undesirable consequences.  In this community, our language is American English and individuals will do all it requires to guard the national flag. This community is viewed as conservative and patriotic based on the values and beliefs. One major area that requires further research is in regard to taboos and beliefs.   This is to identify why communities still hold the norms and why they are believed to be essential. This is important as it helps in establishing why individuals from a particular community and characterized with certain beliefs and behaviors.  This will further grow the concepts of values and community laws which are essential in governing a community’s act.

Reference

Culture: concepts and application, non-material and material culture. Pg.55-56. Pdf

Lab Report: Cold tolerance and stress balls

Introduction

The aim of this study is to look into the extent of pain tolerance using the specific aspects of pain measurement procedure done in a lab environment .The studies done on pain have mostly focused on where the pain is located, different pain levels and the use of particular terms for the description of pain. In the clinical area, this dimension has been the most common and relevant approach to the study of pain given that when asked about pain experience, patients use location, quality and intensity to describe it. The studies have thus focused on emotional response to such pain which includes depression anxiety, anger, mood changes and irritability. The research has been done in patient suffering from various chronic diseases such as cancer (McGuire, Yarbro & Ferrell, 1995). The study of pain is important since it helps patients to determine the best measurement methods and the most effective analgesics or surgery and other therapies. Its measurement has been done on various pain scales such as visual analogue, numerical pain, pain faces, descriptive pain scales, questioning and palpation. Such scales are used for pain monitoring and thus fostering communication between health care providers and their patients.  The scales have points ranging from 0 to 10 (Jaywant & Pai, 2003).   The various factors that can alter how pain is altered include beliefs and causal attributions, perceptions of pain control, cognitive errors and expectations about pain. Patients may attribute their pain to organic causes or a belief that external factors are controlling it such as other people’s power and luck. Perception of pain control refers to one’s belief of control they have over their health and pain or a belief that external factors can control pain and health. The other factor involves the results expectation referring to belief that a specific behavior can produce specific consequences and self-efficacy expectations referring to a belief in one’s ability to behave in a way that can lead to desired results. Cognitive errors refer to patient’s biases such as personalization, catastrophizing and overgeneralization (Turk & Gatchel, 2002).

Methods

Participants

The participants in the study were recruited from the population of PSY200 students and great emphasis was placed on those individuals who had a history of anxiety and depressive disorder. At baseline, students with current health complication were excluded so that to obtain uniformity of the participants in terms of pain cognition. The sample selected to be involved in the study comprised of 36 participants.

Materials

The research will utilize a thermometer, an insulated container where ice will be put for purpose of the experiment and a stopwatch that will measure the amount of time which will be used in the experimenting on each individual. The measures to be used in this study include pain intensity which will be indicated by the level of stress that an individual will have before the experiment and after the experiment. The level of stress will be measured by a scale of 1 to 10 through the day, both before and after the experiment. An indication of 1 means there is no stress while 10 is most possible stress.

Design and procedure

Study involved a between subjects study design which manipulated one variable. In the process, some participants were given stress balls which they were to squeeze while their words were still in water and the other group was asked not hold the ball while their hands were in water. The procedure involved calling each participant into a separate room to take part. After leaving the room, another comes in so that they become and experimenter and a subject in rotation. Measurements on temperatures were taken using the thermometer, before and after the putting of hands in water. After the experiment the participants were to take a survey where they were to answer question on the 1-10 scales.

References

Jaywant ,S., Pai,A.(2003).A comparative study of pain measurement scales in acute burn patients. The Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy: Vol. XXXV(3)

McGuire, D. B., Yarbro, C. H., & Ferrell, B. (1995). Cancer pain management. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.6-7

Turk, D. C., & Gatchel, R. J. (2002). Psychological approaches to pain management: A practitioner's handbook. New York: The Guilford Press. 535