Gender Stereotype

Stereotyping was an act of generalizing a group by observation of some group members, but later it becomes a popular belief and assumption to certain groups. Although sometimes these assumption made by stereotyping can be correct but most of the time it affects our judgment by oversimplifying our further observation on the others. People sometimes rationalize their stereotyping by ignoring evidence that contradicts the stereotype, thus created unconscious stereotype. Unconscious stereotype can lead to discrimination, under performance, and false understanding to certain groups. One of the unconscious stereotypes we hardly notice in our everyday life is the gender stereotype. Ever since we were kids, boys are socialized to be tough, aggressive, loud, and athletic; girls are socialized to be sensitive, passive, quiet, and nonathletic. â€Å"Parents encourage their sons and daughters to participate in sex-typed activities, including doll playing and engaging in housekeeping for girls and playing with trucks and engaging in sports activities for boy. † said by Susan D. Witt in â€Å"Parental Influence on Children’s Socialization to Gender Roles†. And because of this, boys tend to stand out more than girls, and girls did not usually speak out in public. Although it was only an issue of being passive or aggressive, but it had lead most male to stereotype female as less intelligent because of how most female did not speak out their opinions; so did I. And because of this stereotype, most men believe that women are not competent to work in a po sition higher than men and women are expected by men to be housewife. According to Chang Tianle, â€Å"If a successful woman does not assume traditional duties at home, she will probably be accused of being selfish and concentrating too much on her career and neglecting her family. † Women would get blamed if not doing most of the housework at home even though they are making the major earning for the family. As a male myself, I have thought that female were less intelligent and athletic than male. The main reason is because of the way media have portrayed female. In movies and TV shows, female were hardly the main haracters. In news, the important figures such as politicians were usually male. Even in a family, male usually seems to be the one that was supporting it. Later, there had been some false scientific belief that supports gender bias. According to Caryl Rivers and Rosalid C. Barnett in â€Å"The Difference Myth†, â€Å"Victorian-era scientists generally accepted as fact that larger brains of men made them intellectually superior; women’s smaller brains made them closer to children than to mature adults. But this had proven to be wrong; the brain size has now proven to be proportional to the body size and does not determine intelligence. But most false beliefs are still widespread and had lead to so many people believing that female were inferior to male, and I was just like most average male, believed that female were less intelligent, athletic, and not as worthy as male in the society. This unconscious bias created a world with most men having a higher status than women. According to J. D. Nordell in â€Å"Position of Power†, â€Å"women need to be 2. 5 more productive than men to be judged equally competent. It created an unequal work environment for women and took away their opportunities . Although now I try not to stereotype female as less intelligent, sometimes my judgments are still unconsciously affected by this idea of stereotype. In my biology lab, there is a girl in my group. At the first day of the lab, she was very talkative but slow on her work, so I unconsciously assumed that she might need my help in the following labs. But later I observed that she was actually doing better than me on lecture and had answered most questions that I did not know. It turned out that she does not need help at all. So I conclude that the reason why she was slow in lab was because she was being too talkative and was not focusing in the lab, and because of this, I had unconsciously labeling her with the stereotype of being less intelligent. The idea of stereotype affected my judgment while I was not aware of it. â€Å"Even though formal barriers to women’s workplace advancement have been dismantled, unconscious bias continues to interfere. †Said by J. D. Nordell in â€Å"Position of Power†. I agree with his statement because of a lot of phenomenon of unconscious gender bias still exist in our everyday life just like the experience I had in biology lab. People are too used to linking people to certain groups but not fully observing them, thus stereotyping occurred. As of now, I try not to let the thought of stereotype affect my judgment. But I believe that in some scale, stereotype has become a habit for me and also for most people. Although I try not to stereotype others, it still unconsciously affects my daily judgment. Being the same to aversive racism, unconscious stereotype is also hard to be eliminated. The reason of it is that people are not aware of it and they think that they are making rational judgment. And the self-fulfilling prophecies then lead the stereotyped to act in a way to confirm the stereotype. â€Å"If others perceive you as talented, you become more talented. If you are perceive as less able, your ability shrinks. † Said by J. D. Nordell. This unconscious bias then becomes a cycle. We perceive most women as passive, thus leading more of them not to speak up. Gender stereotype had made a great impact on people’s expectation on different gender. When we speak of stereotyping, we usually think of racism, but forgetting how it affects gender. And because of this, gender stereotype become so subtle. We usually do not realize it when we are stereotyping other gender. And sometimes the self-fulfilling prophecy can support our stereotyping. Stereotype then becomes a habit. Stereotyping not only affects the victim, it also affects the stereotyper. When we get used to stereotyping others, we eventually weaken our observation and reasoning skills. Gender Stereotype Stereotyping was an act of generalizing a group by observation of some group members, but later it becomes a popular belief and assumption to certain groups. Although sometimes these assumption made by stereotyping can be correct but most of the time it affects our judgment by oversimplifying our further observation on the others. People sometimes rationalize their stereotyping by ignoring evidence that contradicts the stereotype, thus created unconscious stereotype. Unconscious stereotype can lead to discrimination, under performance, and false understanding to certain groups. One of the unconscious stereotypes we hardly notice in our everyday life is the gender stereotype. Ever since we were kids, boys are socialized to be tough, aggressive, loud, and athletic; girls are socialized to be sensitive, passive, quiet, and nonathletic. â€Å"Parents encourage their sons and daughters to participate in sex-typed activities, including doll playing and engaging in housekeeping for girls and playing with trucks and engaging in sports activities for boy. † said by Susan D. Witt in â€Å"Parental Influence on Children’s Socialization to Gender Roles†. And because of this, boys tend to stand out more than girls, and girls did not usually speak out in public. Although it was only an issue of being passive or aggressive, but it had lead most male to stereotype female as less intelligent because of how most female did not speak out their opinions; so did I. And because of this stereotype, most men believe that women are not competent to work in a po sition higher than men and women are expected by men to be housewife. According to Chang Tianle, â€Å"If a successful woman does not assume traditional duties at home, she will probably be accused of being selfish and concentrating too much on her career and neglecting her family. † Women would get blamed if not doing most of the housework at home even though they are making the major earning for the family. As a male myself, I have thought that female were less intelligent and athletic than male. The main reason is because of the way media have portrayed female. In movies and TV shows, female were hardly the main haracters. In news, the important figures such as politicians were usually male. Even in a family, male usually seems to be the one that was supporting it. Later, there had been some false scientific belief that supports gender bias. According to Caryl Rivers and Rosalid C. Barnett in â€Å"The Difference Myth†, â€Å"Victorian-era scientists generally accepted as fact that larger brains of men made them intellectually superior; women’s smaller brains made them closer to children than to mature adults. But this had proven to be wrong; the brain size has now proven to be proportional to the body size and does not determine intelligence. But most false beliefs are still widespread and had lead to so many people believing that female were inferior to male, and I was just like most average male, believed that female were less intelligent, athletic, and not as worthy as male in the society. This unconscious bias created a world with most men having a higher status than women. According to J. D. Nordell in â€Å"Position of Power†, â€Å"women need to be 2. 5 more productive than men to be judged equally competent. It created an unequal work environment for women and took away their opportunities . Although now I try not to stereotype female as less intelligent, sometimes my judgments are still unconsciously affected by this idea of stereotype. In my biology lab, there is a girl in my group. At the first day of the lab, she was very talkative but slow on her work, so I unconsciously assumed that she might need my help in the following labs. But later I observed that she was actually doing better than me on lecture and had answered most questions that I did not know. It turned out that she does not need help at all. So I conclude that the reason why she was slow in lab was because she was being too talkative and was not focusing in the lab, and because of this, I had unconsciously labeling her with the stereotype of being less intelligent. The idea of stereotype affected my judgment while I was not aware of it. â€Å"Even though formal barriers to women’s workplace advancement have been dismantled, unconscious bias continues to interfere. †Said by J. D. Nordell in â€Å"Position of Power†. I agree with his statement because of a lot of phenomenon of unconscious gender bias still exist in our everyday life just like the experience I had in biology lab. People are too used to linking people to certain groups but not fully observing them, thus stereotyping occurred. As of now, I try not to let the thought of stereotype affect my judgment. But I believe that in some scale, stereotype has become a habit for me and also for most people. Although I try not to stereotype others, it still unconsciously affects my daily judgment. Being the same to aversive racism, unconscious stereotype is also hard to be eliminated. The reason of it is that people are not aware of it and they think that they are making rational judgment. And the self-fulfilling prophecies then lead the stereotyped to act in a way to confirm the stereotype. â€Å"If others perceive you as talented, you become more talented. If you are perceive as less able, your ability shrinks. † Said by J. D. Nordell. This unconscious bias then becomes a cycle. We perceive most women as passive, thus leading more of them not to speak up. Gender stereotype had made a great impact on people’s expectation on different gender. When we speak of stereotyping, we usually think of racism, but forgetting how it affects gender. And because of this, gender stereotype become so subtle. We usually do not realize it when we are stereotyping other gender. And sometimes the self-fulfilling prophecy can support our stereotyping. Stereotype then becomes a habit. Stereotyping not only affects the victim, it also affects the stereotyper. When we get used to stereotyping others, we eventually weaken our observation and reasoning skills.

Magazines

1. What is the origin of the word `magazine? The etymology of the word ‘magazine’ goes back to Arabic mahazin from the word hazana, which meant to store, French magasin, which meant a storehouse, from Old French magazin (possibly via Old Italian magazzino). As we saw, in both cases the stem store was meant.[1] 2. Name 3 general interest magazines and 3 special interest magazines. General interest magazines are â€Å"Newsweek†, â€Å"People†, and â€Å"the Time†. For special interest magazines I would point out â€Å"Car and Driver†, â€Å"Science Magazine†, â€Å"Molecular Medicine†. 3. What is a muckraker? Name 2 and their most famous stories. is an American English term for one who investigates and exposes issues of corruption that violate widely held values, such as political corruption, corporate crime, child labor, conditions in slums and prisons. The most important muckraker work was Ralf Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed, which let to stop production of the Chevrolet Corvair in 1965. Wayne Barrett, investigative journalist, senior editor of the Village Voice; wrote on mystique and misdeeds in Rudy Giuliani's conduct as mayor of New York City, Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 (2006). 4. What is 2nd class postage? Why is it so important to magazines? Second class postage stamp is a low cost solution for the mailing service. It allows full compensation if the product is lost or damaged and allows delivering large magazine sized items, the last advantage is that by second class posting the magazines will be delivered in three days.[2] 5. Think of a particular segment of the mass audience that could be served by a magazine but doesn’t seem to be. Describe the audience and the sort of magazine that would appeal to this collection of readers. On a separate piece of paper, prepare a mock-up of the cover for your new magazine. There is a massive need among people to â€Å"Mind the danger!† I would call my magazine in this way. This would be a magazine which warns people of different dangers in using, e.g. electricity, gas, vehicles, electrical equipment, all types of equipment, devices and materials that may be dangerous for a man, a child, anyone. I suppose that this segment, which is a huge segment and by its nature the magazine would be classified as a â€Å"general [1] http://www.bartleby.com/61/44/M0024400.html [2] http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=400030;mediaId=3500019

Changing Parental Participation in a Primary School

RESEARCH PROPOSAL . 2010 AN ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL In Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Masters in Teaching University of Fiji LECTURER: ASS. PROF. MR. KENNETH NOBIN HEAD OF DEPARTMENT EDUCATION THE UNIVERSITY OF FIJI SAWENI, LAUTOKA. ‘You never come in an isolated way; you always come with pieces of the world attached to you’. (Malaguzzi, 1994) NAVEEN KUMAR (ID: S100150) EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 AB S T R AC T Participatory action research will be conducted to determine whether or not teacherinitiated, regular communication with parents makes an impact on parents’ participation in school activities, helping children show effectiveness towards teaching and learning outcomes. The goal of me as a teacher researcher is to communicate in native language about school activities and diminish the ‘barrier’ that limits the teacher parent interaction. The feeling of much poor participation towards Gandhi Bhawan Primary School has been the poor communication. The purpose is to better the line of communication between home and school. This study will focus on Class 8 students and their parents employing instrumental qualitative research tools that are home visits (interviews), class meetings (focus group) and case study. The challenge is to provide an atmosphere that is user friendly and if parents were struggling with how to best support in school activities they could feel free to contact me. It is my belief that positive and consistent communication between home and school is important for student transitioning into adulthood. However, the challenges and possibilities faced in the core of the research will be discussed further after its implementation. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 T AB L E O F CO N TE N TS 1. 0 Abstract Background of the Problem 1. 1 Personal Motivation 1. 2 Need for Study 1. Description of Community 1. 4 Description of Work Setting 1. 5 Researcher’s Role Purpose of Study 2. 1 Purpose 2. 2 Aim 2. 3 Research Question Theoretical Framework 3. 1 Defining Parental Involvement 3. 2 Why Parental Involvement 3. 3 Frequency of Parent-Teacher Interaction 3. 4 Type of Parent Involvement 3. 4. 1 Parent in Involvement Process 3. 4. 1. 1 Parent as Audience 3. 4. 1. 2 Parent as Volunteer 3. 4. 1. 3 Parent as Paraprofessional 3. 4. 1. 4 Parent as a teacher of own child 3. 4. 1. 5 Teacher as Decision Maker 3. Significance of Parental Participation 3. 6 Barriers to Parental Involvement 3. 6. 1 Socio economic background 3. 6. 2 Language 3. 6. 3 Parent Literacy 3. 6. 4 Literacy 3. 6. 5 Family Structure 3. 6. 6 Working Parents 3. 6. 7 Teacher Attitude 3. 6. 8 Parents The Possibilities 3. 7 Research Design 4. 1 Rationale 4. 2 Study Design 4. 3 Data Collection 4. 4 Data Analysis 4. 5 Delimitation 4. 6 Participants Research Timeframe Proposed Thesis Structure Significance / Expected Outcome of Study Reference Appendices Page No. 4 4 4 5 6 7 8 8 8 9 10 10 11 13 14 17 17 17 18 18 18 20 23 23 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 34 35 36 38 39 41 2. 0 3. 0 4. 0 5. 0 6. 0 7. 0 8. 0 9. 0 _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 1. 0 B AC K G R O UND O F P RO B LE M 1 . 1 Personal Motivation The social and educational cont ext of this research proposal is directed towards increasing parent-teacher-child interactions and changing parental participation towards educational requirements of the child. Very few of the parents of the students in my class participated in the school-related activities which I experienced at the first year of transfer to this school. The parental participation was very limited to report signing. As a new ‘recruit’ to this organisation, I anticipated for parental participation as compared to the previous school. The parental ‘touch’ which I felt at previous school was somehow missing in the current location. As such, the need for this study will ‘open the door’ to the community interaction. The action process will journey through the challenges and possibilities. While no single meeting is especially memorable, I have noted several recurring problems: (1) parents do not attend scheduled meetings; (2) parents appear to be unaware of the purpose of Community Parent Support (CAPS) working; (3) parents only ask questions; (4) parents ask others to make decisions on their behalf; (5) parents rarely refute statements made by educators; and (6) parents seldom ask for services. 1 . 2 Need for Study Rather to give perception on parental participation, the study is much needed in providing naturalistic approach to understand ‘real world setting’ where the phenomenon of interest unfolds naturally. Though the research does not compare between two different settings preferably rural and urban community however through personal experience as a teacher in both settings primarily differences can be identified. In addition, communication is a key to any relationship and so is the case with parents and teachers. The parent and the _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 teacher relationship are dynamic. Therefore, what one does affects the other, but in any educational community the most impacted is the child. As Class 8 is a transition point from primary school to high school, parental participation is a must to enable them better understand the reforms in education from 2011. Most parents are quite unfamiliar on its implementation of internal assessment and school zoning and requirements and through this research intervention; parents can be made more aware of their roles and responsibilities. However, internal assessment and school zoning can be taken account into another research finding. Parents need to be facilitated and challenged to ‘shift’ their thinking from ‘exams results’ to child-centred learning. Moreover, the absence of Parent Teacher Association was largely felt this year as ‘bulk’ of burden lies on our shoulders rather than having a shared responsibility. In a much more holistic term, parents are to be made aware to taking ‘ownership’ of the school in their community. 1. 3 Description of the Community The setting where the study will take place is urban community about 4 kilometres from Lautoka City and it largely consists of Indo-Fijian and Fijian ethnic groups. It is densely populated housing area adjacent to the Tavakubu Industrial Area. The residents range from low-income earners to moderate income earners. Public services (transport, health care) are easily accessible along with shops, religious centres, Public Park, and police post. In each household, at least a member is self employed, part time employee or full time employee. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 1. 4 Description of the Work Setting The Vision Statement of the school is; To provide wholesome holistic education in partnership with the community. The Mission Statement of the school is; To educate the students holistically to become directed, lifelong learners who can create a positive future for themselves, . the community and the nation. School Annual Plan (2010) The primary school where this research will be conducted is classified as follows: CLASS KINDERGARTEN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NUMBER OF STREAMS 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 The school in which research will be conducted is Gandhi Bhawan Primary School in Lautoka with 384 students enrolled as of 2010. Due to increasing number, plans for building extension are in the pipeline. See Appendix for School Location as in Home Zone Classification School Ethnic Classification. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 1. 5 Researcher’s Role I, as the teacher researcher graduated from Lautoka Teachers College in November, 2001. This is my ninth year as a teacher. Currently, teaching Class 8 and got posted to the school in Week 8, Term I 2010. First year, I taught in a remotely located rural school (Bulabula Indian School), seven years in another rural school (Teidamu Primary School) and a year in urban school (Arya Samaj Primary School). During this year, I have held responsibilities, as Athletics Coordinator, Quiz Coordinator, Scouts Leader and Coordinating School Based Programmes as delegated by the Head Teacher. Because of these activities, I was able to interact with few parents and the in many cases poor responds has ignited the quest to pursue with this study. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 2. 0 P UR POSE AN D AI M O F S T U D Y 2 . 1 Purpose The intended purpose of this study is examine how parental participation changes to school-related activities (such as reviving of Parent Teacher Association, attending to family support programs, volunteering and involving in general obligations at home includi ng school supplies, general support and supervision at home) through home visits, class meetings and family support programs. The strategies defining ways to change parental participation in this study to some extent runs parallel to the developed framework of defining six different types of parental involvement by Epstein (1995, p. 703). It also intends to help parents understand that the school desires their participation. Finally, by having parents involved in school-related activities, it is hoped that there will be lot of challenges. 2 . 2 Aim The present study aims; ? ? To see how parental participation to school activities change through processes of increased parent-teacher interactions. To identify the challenges and possibilities towards achieving increased parental participation. To achieve this twofold aim, the study will consider the extent to which parental involvement is maximized in relation to school related activities. The study will involve qualitative case study of naturally occurring events during parentteacher and parent-teacher-child interactions at a primary school environment in Fiji. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 8 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 2 . 3 Research Question The compelling issue guiding this case study mirrors in some respects to Greenwood Hickman’s (1991, p. 279) idea of six types of parental involvement: (1) Parent as a volunteer What do parents contribute towards the success of school events? (2) Parent as an audience How well do parents meet the basic obligations at home? (3) Parent as decision maker How does PTA participate in decision making about schools program and activities? (4) Parent as a learner How do the parents value the family support programs? ____________________________________________________________________________________ 9 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 3. 0 T HE RE OTI C AL F R AME WO R K 3. 1 Defining Parental Involvement â€Å"Parent involvement† and â€Å"parent participation† are nebulous terms because there is an array of parent behaviors that these could include. As Carol Ascher (1986, p. 109) has stated, â€Å"Of all education issues, parent involvement is one of the vaguest and most shifting in its meanings. Parent involvement may easily mean quite different things to different people†. To define parent involvement more operationally, Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, and Brissie (1987) theorized a two-way breakdown into home-based activities (e. g. , parent home tutoring) and school based parent involvement activities (e. g. , parent volunteering, attendance at parent-teacher conferences). Adding to this distinction, Ascher (1988) finds that â€Å"the meaning of parent involvement in this new era [the 1980’s] has shifted from the affairs of the school to the home site. † (p. 120). In his journal, Smith (n. d, p. 44) discusses parental involvement relating to Lareau (1987) as an integration of home and school. He continues to define it as a practice that encourages parents to participate in the life of the school, as well as attend to the learning of their children at home with respect to the work of Epstein, Sanders, Simon, Salinas, Jansorn, Van Voorhis, 2002. He elaborated that many educators believe that creating a community of families, students, teachers, and school administrators provides additional support for children’s learning. Furthermore, evidence suggests that academic success may be predicted by the quality of these connections (Booth Dunn, 1996. The work of Comer and Haynes (1991), Epstein (1995), and other researchers’ points out that family, school, and community are three major interrelated spheres of influence on a child’s life. They are parts of a larger whole that can either work toward academic success or, conversely, can impede progress. Because they are part of a larger whole, these spheres are themselves influenced by societal factors, such a s cultural values and economic conditions. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 10 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 The following figure shows how the three components interrelate. It is based on the concepts of Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979) and their subsequent adaptation by James Garbarino (1992). As discussed by Onikarna, Harnmond Koki. the inner most core is the individual child. The child has face-to-face interactions with those most influential in his or her life, including parents, other family members, teachers and church members. There are also important interactions between home and school, school and community, and community and home. These are strongly influential in the life of a child, depending on the frequency and quality of the interconnections. Negative or conflicting relationships may place a child at risk in all three settings. 3. 2 Why Parental Involvement In an article titled, â€Å"Listening to Parents’ Voices: Participatory Action Research in the school† by Christine Ditrano, the author stated, â€Å"Family-school collaboration is an approach that virtually everyone supports but few know to implement successfully. † School and parents will need to assess the best avenues to take in maintaining a positive, consistent interaction between the two entities. Gandhi Bhawan Primary School took some steps to improve parent interaction in Term 2 when Community Parent Support Workshop (CAPS) was held. Teachers were located their classrooms to discuss with parents on the pertaining issues. As suggested by Ditrano (n. d, p. 7) an open parent-teacher conference night can be held where parents can move freely from one teacher-to-teacher. As responded by parents in this situation that this was first time they had seen their child’s teacher in four years (Ditrano n. d, p. 8), a totally opposite _____________________________________________________________________________________ 1 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 had been responded by teachers at Gandhi Bhawan Primary School, some parents hardly turn up to school activities. Besides, the ideas presented in the article supports it is vital for schools and parents to develop a community of learners to best serve their students. Ideas for teachers to support parent al involvement include keeping parents informed and call home immediately when academic problems appears; send home a newsletter telling parents of class activities and deadlines; and give parents valuable study ips (McDonald, 2007. ) Though McDonalds above perspective is quite influential in parental participation, however, the study will look into home visits as to get face-to-face contact with the parent so that first hand information is sought. In their article, Avvisati, Besbas Guyon (2010, p. 3) states, â€Å"we review about levels, determinants and effects of parental involvement in school, and what we could learn from the current wave of reforms. † They tend to elaborate further on parental involvement being instrumental to student achievement. It is quite remarkable how they discussed on the influences that make parents get involved. These influences include parents’ understanding of their roles in the child’s life, parents’ sense of efficacy for helping their child succeed in school and general invitations, demands and opportunities for parental involvement by both the child and the child’s school. These arguments were also milestone to developing the current research questions. â€Å"Parental involvement practices also vary with the child characteristics† Avvisati et al. (2010, p. 3) explains on study by Muller (1998) in his data from the US National Educational Longitudinal Study showed that parents are involved slightly differently in their sons’ and daughter’s school life, in ways which are consistent with the general literature on gendered education. That is, parents are more nurturing and restrictive towards their daughters but may discipline their sons more. During h ome visits, class meeting, this trend be argued further as agreeable or disagreeable from personal observation, reflection and interactions. However, to Ostby (2010) at the launch of the Millennium Development Goals Second Report 1990-2009 for Fiji Islands revealed that Fiji has succeeded in achieving gender equality in primary and secondary school _____________________________________________________________________________________ 12 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 enrolments but is lagging behind in empowering women in decision making and professional jobs. Besides these impact of gender of parental participation can be taken as separate piece of study with detailed findings. One of studies that have assessed the relationship between parental involvement and school performance longitudinally was by (Izzo, Weissberg, Kasprow and Fendrich 1999, p. 387). This research is greatest contribution to current study as it provided additional evidence that parental involvement is worth pursuing and may actually yield measurable improvements in children’s school functioning. They later recommended on experimental and quasi-experimental studies in order to move from basic research about school-family collaboration to assessing their impact directly on children’s school performance. . 3 Frequency of Parent-Teacher Interactions A significant study that examined the ways in which parental involvement in children’s education changes over time and how it relates to children’s social and academic functioning in school was carried out by Charles V. Izzo, Roger P. Weissberg, Wesley J. Kasprow and Michael Fendrich in Chicago. For the purpose of this study teachers provided information on parental involvement and school performance for 1,205 urban, kindergarten through third grade children for 3 consecutive years. As predicted and results suggested the frequency of parent-teacher contacts, quality of parent-teacher interactions, and parent participation at school declined from Years 1 to 3. While discussing their research, Izzo et al (1999, p. 833) explained that the study explored three important issues regarding school-family partnerships: current practices of parental involvement in children’s education, changes in parental involvement over time, and the relationship between parental involvement and children’s later school performance. They also found partial support for their hypothesis that parental involvement declines over time. There were small, but significant declines in the number of parent-teacher contacts and parents’ participation in school activities. Declines were also found for quality of parent-teacher interactions. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 13 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 As related to current study parental participation needs to be increased in relation to school activities. The frequency of parent-teacher interaction at the school concerned will also be outcome to reflect upon. Though the research will look into a particular class involving 26 parents, the frequency at which this interaction changes will be a matter of concern. 3. 4 Type of Parental Involvement Some researchers’ views on types of Parental Involvement include; ? Although most parents do not know how to help their children with their education, with guidance and support, they may become increasingly involved in home learning activities and find themselves with opportunities to teach, to be models for and to guide their children. (Roberts, 1992) ? When schools encourage children to practice reading at home with parents, the children make significant gains in reading achievement compared to those who only practice at school. (Tizard, Schofield Hewison, 1982) ? Parents, who read to their children, have books available, take trips, guide TV watching, and provide stimulating experiences contribute to student achievement. (Sattes, n. d) According to Henderson (1983), families whose children are doing well in school exhibits the following characteristics. ? Establish a daily family routine. Provide time and a quiet place to study, assigning responsibility for household chores, being firm about bedtime and having dinner together. ? Monitor out-of-school activities. Setting limits on TV watching, checking up on children when parents are not home, arranging for after-school activities and supervised care. ? Model the value of learning, self-discipline, and hard work. Communicating through questioning and conversation, demonstrating that achievement comes from working hard. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 14 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 ? Express high but realistic expectations for achievement. Setting goals and standards that are appropriate for children’s age and maturity, recognizing and encouraging special talents, informing friends and families about successes. ? Encourage children’s development/progress in school. Maintaining a warm and supportive home, showing interest in children’s progress at school, helping with homework, discussing the value of good education and possible career options, staying in touch with teachers and school staff. Encourage reading, writing, and discussion among family members. Reading, listening to children read and talking about what is being read. Existing programmes to better teacher-parent-child interaction can be classified along a variety of dimensions and differ in many ways from each other. An influential classification distinguishes programmes according to the type of involvement that schools try to foster. Avvisati, Besbas and Guyon (2010, p. 14) refers to Joyce. L. Epstein’s (1991) as a frequently cited scholar in this area distinguished six types of involvement from parents. Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University has developed a framework for defining six different types of parent involvement. This framework assists educators in developing school and family partnership programs. â€Å"There are many reasons for developing school, family, and community partnerships,† she writes. â€Å"The main reason to create such partnerships is to help all youngsters succeed in school and in later life. † Epstein’s framework defines the six types of involvement and lists sample practices or activities to describe the involvement more fully. Her work also describes the challenges inherent in fostering each type of parent involvement as well as the expected results of implementing them for students, parents, and teachers. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 15 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Involvement Type I Parenting Help all families establish home environments to support children as students. E. g. Family support programs to assist families with health, nutrition, and other services. Type II Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school Communicating communications about school programs and children’s progress. Such as conferences with every parent at least once year. Language translators to assist families as needed. Type III Volunteering Recruit and organize parent help and support. Such as school and classroom volunteer program to help teachers, administrators, students, and other parents. Parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings, and resources for families. Provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning. Such include Information on homework policies and how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home. Involvement in school decision-making, governance and advocacy. Includes active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, advisory councils, or committees for parent leadership and participation. Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development. Such as Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support, and other programs/services. Type IV Learning at Home Type V Decision Making Type VI Collaborating with community Izzo et al. (1999, p. 817) also rated the following four dimensions of parental involvement: frequency of parent-teacher contact, quality of the parent-teacher interaction, participation in educational activities at home, and participation in school activities. In addition, these distinguished participation mirrors in some respects to teacher’s role, particularly in the primary school, interacting with 6 types of parental involvement: (1) parent as audience, (2) parent as volunteer, (3) parent as paraprofessional, (4) parent as teacher of own child, (5) parent as learner and (6) parent as decision maker. Greenwood, G and Hickman, K (1991, p. 279). By developing awareness of the levels _____________________________________________________________________________________ 16 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 of family involvement, schools can let family members know that there are many different ways in which they can participate in the education of their children. 3. 4. 1 Parent in ‘Involvement’ Process The subtitles later follow integrated educationists view on different types of parental involvement as discussed earlier in detail. 3. 4. 1. 1 Parent as audience As Chavkin (1993, p. 76) defines, â€Å"parent as audience supports child by going to school performances, open houses and so on. † The parent as supporter of child’s activities gets involved. Active parents may be more likely to have active children because they encourage that behavior through the use of support systems and opportunities for physical activity, but there is no statistical evidence that a child is active simply because they see that their parents exercise,† said Trost. (2010). Activities that may see parent as audience annual functions, school athletics and sports and other school based competitive or participatory events. 3. 4. 1. 2 Parent as volunteer School-program supporter can be involved by parents coming to school to ssist in events. Volunteering in school enables to contribute towards progress and development of the school and its pupils and this brings happiness and satisfaction. Brinton, B. (1991) in an article ‘Parents’ Source’ shared reflected on her experience as parent volunteer. Her duties varied according to the needs and styles of the teacher. Assistance were in forms of supervising art projects, signing out homework books, running off copies, and working one on one with students who might need a little extra help with a certain subject. As for qualifications for parent volunteers, the NEA recommended that parents enjoy working with children, have an interest in education and the community, feel committed to the goals of parent involvement, have the desire to help, and are dependable and in good health. Based on her observations, she also recommend that a parent volunteer be flexible, and expect the unexpected. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 17 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 Parents can volunteer in our local schools through organizing and arrangements for religious festivals, fund raising drives, school development projects, school outings and assist in meeting educational meets of extremely needy students in class. 3. 4. 1. 3 Parent as paraprofessional Paraprofessionals have many different roles, duties and responsibilities, and expectations that often vary among individuals who work as the same school. Paraprofessionals provide aides and support to teachers in classrooms and colleges. Even without being lead teachers, paraprofessionals work responsibly assisting head of departments and senior teachers. In the recent years, owing to stress and pressure on teachers in schools and colleges, paraprofessionals have been recruited to provide assistance in variety of educational set ups. As discussed by Hankerson (1983, p. 75), this development incorporated many concepts: (1) new careers, (2) growth of educational technology, (3) cultural assimilation and diversity, (4) team teaching, (5) personal improvement of teacher aides, (6) parents as partners, and (7) home and school focus on achievement. The research findings on teacher aides and parent involvement in early childhood and elementary school programs showed that with this additional support, children make significant cognitive gains. In his ‘The Urban Review’ he summed up relating to the work action theorists (Mead, 1934; Brookover, 1959; Smith, 1978; Smith and Brache, 1963) have postulated that, â€Å"the child’s motivation and achievement performances are influenced by his/her primary interactions with parents and ‘significant others’. Smith defines â€Å"significant other† as persons (such as teachers, teacher aides, community members) other than natural parents who are important to the individual. Thus, with parents serving as teachers aides, both motivating factors are met. 3. 4. 1. 4 Parent as a Teacher of Own Child Homework can be an effective way for students to improve their learning and for parents to communicate their appreciation of schooling. In the article, No Child Left _____________________________________________________________________________________ 18 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 Behind Report 2003 states that, â€Å"research shows that if a child is having difficulty with homework, parents should become involved by paying close attention. † Furthermore, it argues that parents’ interference in learning can confuse child such as completing tasks that the child is capable of completing along. Peterson (1989) states, â€Å"children spend much more time at home than at school. Their parents know them intimately, interact with them one-to-one, and do not expect to be paid to help their children succeed. The home environment, more familiar and less structured than the classroom, offers what Dorothy Rich (1985) calls â€Å"‘teachable moments’ that teachers can only dream about. † 3. 4. 1. 5 Parent as Decision Maker This fifth type of parental involvement as explained by Epstein (n. d) stated that parents’ voices must be heard when it comes to decision making at the school. This enables families to participate in decisions about the school’s programs and activities that will impact their own and other children’s educational experiences. All parents must be given opportunities to offer ideas and suggestions on ways to improve their schools. Having families as true stakeholders in the school creates feelings of ownership of the school’s programs and activities. Sample Activities Examples of activities schools could conduct to promote decision making include, but are not limited to:




Encouraging parents to attend school improvement team meetings. Assigning staff members to help parents address concerns or complaints. Inviting staff and parent groups to meet collaboratively, providing space and time to do so. Helping families advocate for each other. Involving parents in: o planning orientation programs for new families, o developing parenting skills programs, and o hiring staff members. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 19 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 This current research on ‘Changing parental participation in a primary school in Fiji’ will give critical insight into ‘Parent as volunteer’, ‘Parent as an audience’, Parent as a decision maker’, and ‘Parent as a learner. Epstein’s (1995) and Greenwood Hickman’s (1991) distinguished parental involvement will be well challenged in the sense the settings and time factor being a variable. As related to current education system in Fiji what impact it has and doors of possibilities can be looked into. Engaging as a reflective practitioner will be very vital tool to analyse and discuss the researc h findings. 3. 5 Significance of the Parental Participation Constructive interactions as recommended earlier in Izzo et al findings is well supported by the article, ‘Parents and Learning’ by Dr. Sam Redding who is the president of Academic Development Institute. Dr. Redding’s article (n. d. p. 7-27) under each chapter is summarized as following; ? ? ? Identifiable patterns of family life contribute to a child’s ability to learn in school. Children benefit from parent / child relationship that is verbally rich and emotionally supportive. Children do the best in school when parents provide predictable boundaries for their lives, encourage productive use of time, and provide learning experiences as a regular part of family life. ? ? Parents set standards for their children, and these standards determine what children view as important. Students learn best when homework is assigned regularly, graded, returned promptly and used primarily to rehearse material first presented by the teacher at school. ? ? Children benefit from communication between their parents and their teachers that flows in both directions. Parental involvement includes parents’ involvement with their own children, involvement with parents of other children, and involvement with their children’s school. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 20 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 ? Programmes to teach parents to enhance the home environment in ways that benefit their children’s learning take a variety of forms and may produce substantial outcomes. ? ? Because families vary in their relationship to schools, schools must use different strategies to engage all families in the learning lives of their children. When the families of children in a school associate with one another, social capita is increased, children are watched over by a large number of caring adults, and parents share standards, norms and the experiences of child-rearing. On the same context, Dr. Redding’s integrates and states a commonly accepted typology into categories as it was discussed by Joyce. L Epstein’s (1991) distinguished types. As mentioned earlier, this current research will focus on these types. Dr. Redding (n. d. p. 18-19) provides a selection of communication examples between school and homes. These include parent-teacher-student conferences, report cards, school newsletter, happy-grams (complementing students for specific achievement and behaviour), open day parent / teacher conferences, parent bulletin board, home links from classroom and assignment notebooks. Dr. Redding’s principles as discussed herein needs to be assessed with reference to local conditions and adapted accordingly. Leaping into local context, parental participation in school management in most countries, including Fiji, generally lies between consultation/pseudo-participation and involvement / partial participation levels. This is mainly because the statutory power in most schools lies largely with school heads and they determine the types of parental participation in their schools as viewed by Dr. Sharma (n. d. p. 60). Furthermore, Sharma (n. d. p. 61) noted, The Fiji school curriculum is based on the centre-periphery model, and it is designed largely to secure the passing of external examinations. It is inevitable that in such a system of education, preparation of examination becomes the preoccupation of pupils, teachers and parents. As a result, there is little concern for parental participation in school management and curriculum development because of the fear of not completing the syllabuses. ______________________________________________________________________________ _______ 21 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 However, the shift from exam oriented curriculum to internal assessment as of 2011 which also marks the new era in Education System in Fiji by introducing 12 year basic education (as circulated through EDU Gazette, Term 1, 2010) calls for great challenges and possibilities on teachers and parents role. This current study on parental participation at Class Level will integrate the shift to assessment procedures and implications. The research shall address on this issue also. In addition to this, Sharma (n. d. p. 70) concluded that the parental participation is central to democracy, strengths parents-autonomy and welfare of child. He also emphasized that parent involvement in management helps improve pupils’ learning environment and prepares them for a democratic society. In addition another challenging issue raised by Koki Lee (1998) argued on perceived value of parental involvement in the Pacific. According to their perspective as Education Program Specialists discussed a fundamental barrier to increasing family involvement in the Pacific education is that it is not closely aligned with Pacific cultures. They pointed out that attending school functions is of considerably less social value than holding titles and receiving public recognition and that participation in school activities does not carry as much credence as attendance at a village feast, where participation is expected. It also compares private and public schools in view point that parents who pay tuition for private education assume greater responsibility for their children’s education and play more active role. Because public schooling is not an inherent part of the traditional culture, many parents now see themselves as outsiders, rather than as significant stakeholders in the school. The challenging question posed at Pacific Resources for Education and Learning centre was, â€Å"Is there a Pacific way of involving parents in their children’s education? † This question was investigated the uestion by surveying Pacific educators in order to develop parental involvement profile and identify promising practices. Three successful practices identified were Hawaii Parent-Community Networking Centre (PCNC) Program, Belau Family School Community Association (BFSCA) and Chuuk Teacher, Child, Parent and Community (TCPC) Project. _________________________________________________________ ____________________________ 22 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 Applicable observable facts though with different names were discussed based on the three successful practices. PCNCDeveloped a sense of community in and among the home, classroom, school. and neighbourhood, so that supportive networks of personal development and student academic achievement and performance are created and nurtured. The program followed a four-phase sequence. BFSCARepresented a partnership among individuals and organisations – school, families, community, and students – in order to improve education and the quality of life for future generations of Palauns. The association worked to assertive parenting skills, and make parents comfortable in reinforcing school policies at home. TCPC The project demonstrated a strategy often overlooked by Pacific schools in parental involvement – first involve traditional leaders, and get their support. Then parental involvement in schools will become a reality. Koki Lee (1998) recommended the intent of their paper was not be exhaustive, but rather to feature promising practices and a successful mean in bringing parents and schools together. They advised on adapting it to other areas of Pacific in order to increase parent’s involvement in education. 3. 6 Barriers to Parental Involvement in Schools 3. 6. 1 Socioeconomic status Socioeconomic status has been recognized as an nfluential factor concerning parental involvement. â€Å"The Coleman (1966) report, which stated that the best predictor of student achievement is the socioeconomic status of the parents, led to a flurry of investigations on student achievement† (Bulach, et al. , 1995) Muller(1991), in Schneider and Coleman, (1993) stated that several researchers have found that parent qualities typically associated with socioeconomic status are positively related to parental involvement. For example, Lareau (1987) found that upper middle class parents were _____________________________________________________________________________________ 23 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 typically engaged in school activities and influential in school decision, while working class parents took on a more supportive role with respect to their involvement with their children’s school. As a result of his personal experiences, reading, and research, Motsinger (1990) asserted that â€Å"the developers of Teacher Expectation Student Achievement (TESA) workshops found that teachers do tend to give high achieving students more attention than those who lag behind† (p. 5). Underachieving children feel disliked by the instructor. Parents then feel, â€Å"it is because we are poor (p. ). † and resentment grows. According to Brantliner and Guskin (1987), some low income parents feel schools discourage their involvement and view them as the problem, and they believe that stereotypes of poor parents as inadequate care givers and uninterested in their children’s education persist among educators . Although low income families may feel unneeded or unable to be involved with their children’s school, Henderson (1988) states that children of low income families benefit the most when parents are involved in the schools and parents do not have to be well educated to make a difference. . 6. 2 Cultural background The cultural background affects the relationship between home and school. As cited in Rudnitski (1992), Litwak and Meyer (1974) found that â€Å"parents from racial, ethnic and cultural minorities, especially those of low socioeconomic status, tend to feel less affinity for the school than those in the mainstream middle class† (p. 15). This shows that schools in the United States have different values than those of the family as well as inability to communicate with culturally diverse families effectively. Also in Rudnitski (1992), Liontos (1991) writes that: Low income, culturally different parents have traditionally been marginalized through an inability to communicate with schools and through the inflexibility of the school as an institution. This tradition has fostered the feelings of inadequacy, failure, and poor self-worth which are cited as reasons for low participation of parents from marginalized groups (p. 15). _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 It is proven in this research that these traditions of ineffective communication and cultural differences are the factors that prevent parents from becoming involved in their children’s education. 3. 6. 3 Language A language barrier happens when a lack of English proficiency prevents communication between immigrant families and the school system. Ascher’s (1988) work discussed the language barrier that affec ts Asian/Pacific American parents. Since English is not the native language of this group, parents think their language skills are so poor that they cannot be useful as participants in assisting their child in school. â€Å"Involving parents from any background is no easy task and in light of cultural and language differences, linguistic minority parents present a special challenge† (Constantino, et al. , 1995, p. 19). In a study by Zelazo (1995) it was found that more English than Spanish speaking parents are involved at the school site as volunteers and in attending school meetings. Parents whose English proficiency is limited may find it difficult or intimidating to communicate with school staff or to help in school activities without bilingual support in the school or community† (Violand-Sanchez, 1993, p. 20). Lack of language skills became an intimidating factor when parents and schools could not communicate effectively. 3. 6. 4 Parent literacy Students cannot expect parental support in their home sc hooling when their parents are not literate. As stated by Liu (1996), â€Å"Students’ academic performance at school is closely related to the family literacy environment and their parents’ educational levels† (p. 20). Children need families that can provide literacy rich environments that often foster readers in the school (Edwards, 1995). Unfortunately, not all students can have literacy rich environment at home because many parents did not receive an adequate education and therefore are unable to provide academic support for their children. This issue is severe with many parents whose English proficiency and education level is low (Liu, 1996). Parents who dropped out of school needed to support the family or care for _____________________________________________________________________________________ 25 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 siblings. Limited schooling impaired parental help on homework beyond the primary level. A compound problem exists when the dominant language in the home conflicts with assignments in English (Finders and Lewis, 1994). If parents are not literate, they cannot assist their children with school work at home. 3. 6. Family structure These days, the changing structure of the family affects parental involvement and student achievement. According to Lee (1991) the structure of the American family has undergone significant changes over the past thirty years, and as a result of this, it is clear that many children experience multiple family compositions resulting from the transitory nature of the modern family. Students who have complete families may have problems that e ffect parental involvement, but according to Motsinger (1990), â€Å"having two parents will give a student a 200% better chance at success in school. This does not mean that students who do not have two parents cannot succeed, but they have a more difficult time or have to struggle harder to succeed. 3. 6. 6 Working parents I found that working parents can still participate in parental involvement programs, but it is harder than those who do not have a job. Unfortunately, many parents hold down two or three jobs in order to cope with economic realities, and quite frequently work schedules prevent these parents from attending meetings and other events at the school (Onikama, 1998). According to King(1990), â€Å"in the United States, more than half of the women with children under six years of age are in the labor force† (Onikama, 1998, p. 21). How can educators effectively involve working parents in children’s education, especially in families where both parents are working, is a major issue today. As stated by Onikama (1998), working class parents want their children to do well, but tend to give educational responsibility to the teacher. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 26 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 3. 6. 7 Teacher attitudes Teacher attitudes can be one of the barriers in parental involvement. According to the State of Iowa Department of Education (1996), â€Å"School staff interest may vary in terms of commitment to family involvement, and may generate mixed messages to parents† (Onikama, 1998, p. 2). Many schools believe that classroom learning is best left to the professors. They also argue that involving parents is a time consuming â€Å"luxury† that places yet another burden on already overworked teachers and principals (Henderson, 1988). These worries make parents feel that the teachers don’t want them around, which drops off the level of parental involvement. 3. 6. 8 Parents When discussing parental involvement, the most commonly appearing-word will be â€Å"parents†. Before introducing parental participation strategies, it is necessary to define the meaning of â€Å"parents†. As Lockette (1999) mentions, â€Å"When we use the term Lunts (2003) includes parents, ‘parents’ involvement, we need to remember that ‘parent’ can also mean other adults who play an important role in a child’s life† (p. 1). uardians, stepparents, siblings, members of extended family, and any other adults who might carry the primary responsibilities for a child’s health, development and education into the meaning of â€Å"parents†. In the article by Bal and Goc (1999), they indicate that: Numerous methods to increase parent involvement have been suggested. Such strategi es include increasing communication between teacher and parents, involving parents with limited English proficiency, providing information regarding how parents can enhance learning at home, and encouraging parental academic engagement at home (p. 7). In spite of this fact, many teachers still show their concerns about the lack of parental involvement at schools and its negative effects on students’ academic performances on grades. Parents are also dissatisfied that they are not well informed about their students’ behaviors or test grades conducted in the classroom and admit that they are not actively involved in these school activities and it affects on their own students’ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 7 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 performance. Knowing about the most state-of-the-art strategies of parental involvement and taking them into practical actions are essential no t only for parents and their students but also for everybody who is involved in education such as teachers, educators, practitioners, and community. Onikarna et al in a promising article based on ‘A synthesis of Research for Pacific Educators,’ stated specific barriers to effective family involvement dentified by case studies and these included; ? Lack of time — Many parents hold down two or three jobs in order to cope with economic realities. Work schedules prevent these parents from attending meetings and other events at the school. ? Language barrier — Lack of English proficiency often hampers communication between immigrant families. Cultural differences — Differences in cultural values affect family involvement. In some cultures, family involvement at school is valued; in others, its priority is lower. ? ? English as a second language — In immigrant families as well as among the local population, lack of English proficiency often makes it difficult for parents to read with their children at home. ? Student attitude — Students, especially at the secondary level, may not welcome their parents’ presence at the school and may discourage their parents’ participation in school activities. Other researchers that identified some barriers to family involvement in education across all cultures and groups are cited as below; ? Families may lack the means to help their children learn and become socialized. They may not know how to approach schools in order to become involved (Mannan Blackwell, 1992). ? Schools may not know how to effectively encourage families to participate (Ortner, 1994). _____________________________________________________________________________________ 28 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER ? THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 School staff interest may vary in terms of commitment to family involvement, and may generate mixed messages to parents (State of Iowa Department of Education, 1996). Outreach procedures that are not sensitive to community values can hinder participation (Ortner, 1994). Changing school system policies may create instability in the area of soliciting family involvement (Mannan Blackwell, 1992). ? Events outside the home, school, and community are also important in a child’s life as emphasized by Onikarna et al. Examples include parents’ work obligations, s chool board priorities, recreational pursuits, and religious activities. A decision made by a school board might directly affect the school curriculum. If it conflicts with family values and beliefs, then the support a family gives to education might be decreased. As Pacific educators look at barriers to family involvement, they must acknowledge the complexities of home, school, and community interactions and realize that events at all levels can and do affect the lives of children, directly or indirectly. This article is quite remarkably summed up with the statement, ‘as barriers are overcome, school, home, and community can once again find common ground. They can be woven together, like pandanus mats, into a foundation that supports and fosters student learning. † 3. 7 The Possibilities There are many parents who want to become involved but do not know how to translate that desire into effective involvement. (Baker, 2000b; Eccles Harold,1993; Epstein Connors, 1992). They may feel they lack the skills to participate in such activities as school advisory councils or classroom volunteering (Greenwood Hickman). This is an unfortunate state of affairs given that it has been suggested that parent involvement programs will meet with limited success unless they address parental efficacy for helping their children succeed in school (Hoover-Dempsey Sandler, 1997). Teachers need to be informed of the importance of parental efficacy for involvement, and they need to have some understanding of communication and parent involvement strategies that will increase such efficacy. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 29 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 Finally, yet more than thirty years before Ramirez’ research in 1999, the Plowden Report in1967stated: â€Å"What matters most are the attitudes of teachers to parents and parents to teachers whether there is genuine mutual respect, whether parents understand what the schools are doing for their individual children and teachers realize how dependent they are on parental support. † 4. 0 RESE AR C H DES IG N 4. 1 Rationale The approach of this research study is on changing parental participation to school activities. ‘School activities’ in this approach is defined as ocial, educational, physical and spiritual development through teaching and learning in collaboration with its stakeholders particularly the parents. The participation of parents, teachers and students makes it more of participatory in nature. As such, Participatory Action Research (PAR) or Action Research, as it is sometimes known, will be implemented for the action pu rpose. Lewin (1946), as a social psychologist, felt ‘that the best way to move people forward was to engage them in their own enquiries into their own lives’. The other difficult issue for PAR is the research end date. Unlike most other research methods, which tend to be timed undertakings with clear start and stop periods, the iterations of PAR continue until the problem is resolved. In addition, contextual findings will emerge after close observation, careful documentation, and thoughtful analysis of the research topic. This inquiry process will be more of qualitative research approach. Denzin and Lincoln (1994) defined qualitative research: Qualitative research is multi-method in focus, involving an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of or interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Qualitative research involves the studied use and collection of a variety of empirical materials case study, personal experience, introspective, life story interview, observational, historical, interactional, and visual textsthat describe routine and problematic moments and meaning in individuals’ lives. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 0 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 4. 2 Study Design The methods and strategies used in this research process need triangulation to maintain validity and reliability of research and findings. Mathison (1988, p. 13) elaborates this by saying: â€Å"Triangulation has risen an important methodological issue in naturalistic and qualitative approaches to evaluation [in order to] control bias a nd establishing valid propositions because traditional scientific techniques are incompatible with this alternate epistemology. The proposed methodology for this study is illustrated as follows: Action Research Methods Putting PAR into Place Home Visits Meetings Family Support Programs Strategies to Promote School/Home Interaction The iterative cycle of participatory action research Observation Observation Observation Cycle continues until issue is resolved or agreed by all parties Action Action Action ISSUE Initial Planning Reflection Informed Planning Reflection Informed Planning (Adapted from Wadsworth, 1998) _____________________________________________________________________________________ 1 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 4. 3 Data Collection In order to maximize validity of findings, the data collection process will involve:  · Data triangulation (Collecting accounts from different participants involved in the chosen setting, from different s tages in the activity of the setting and †¦ from different sites of the setting’, Tindall, 1994, p. 146) Participants in each case will be ? Children ? Teachers ? Parents  · Method triangulation (The use of different methods to collect information’, Tindall, 1994, p. 47) This will include; Naturalistic Observation – will entail the collection of field notes and will include a focus on the interactions occurring parent – teacher – children towards school activities. Digital photographs – will similarly focus on the interactions occurring between parents, teachers and children around notes and audio-recordings. Naturally occurring conversations with adults and children – These conversations are intended as those spontaneously occurring (unplanned and unstructured) between myself and adults and children. Selected conversations will focus on the experience and interpretation of documentation, and will be taped and transcribed in full. Interviews with children, other staff and parents – This semi-structured format is the most appropriate to ensure that significant questions posed by the study are addressed, while allowing for participants’ views and perspectives to be revealed through an open-ended documentation. facilitation of discussion. Interviews with both adults and children will occur in small groups, and will focus on uses and interpretations of the processes of collecting, observing, and interpreting documentation. Photos will be collected to supplement and extend field _____________________________________________________________________________________ 32 EDU 410: THE TEACHER AS RESEARCHER THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2010 Researcher’s reflective journal – The reflexive journal will focus on recording my feelings, perspectives and experiences within the context, in order to assess how these may have influenced data collection and analysis. Case Study – a qualitative descriptive research approach that will look at parent participants using interviews, conversations and direct observations. Theoretical triangulation (The embracement of multi-theories, Tindall, 1994) The study is not locked in one theoretical tradition, but instead it develops and relates insights from: educational theory, research, and practice and developmental theory. In addition, the study interprets and integrates scholarly and practitioner theory, research and practice from the diverse sources. 4. 4 Data Anal ysis It is predicted that data will be divided into five subgroups according to its nature: 1. Sub-group 1 will include data from: observations and digital photographs. The data collected through these methods is considered to be closely related, due to its naturalistic essence and to the focus on processes of documentation (audiorecordings and photographs supplement field notes). 2. Sub-group 2 will include data from: naturally occurring conversations and interviews. The data collected through these methods is considered to be closely related, due to my own involvement in questioning and in facilitating discussion. 3. Sub-group 3 will include data from reflective journal. The data collected through this method is considered to be closely related, due to its narrative and ‘documentative’ nature. . Sub-group 4 will include data analyzed from questionnaires. The data will be derived from other staff members at the school. 5. Sub-group 5 Analyzing the case through the following steps; 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Defini

Critically evaluate the above statement, referring to the case law of Essay

Critically evaluate the above statement, referring to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, that of the national courts in the UK, and two other Member States - Essay Example The central issue circles around the interpersonal relationship between the European Court of Justice and the national courts related to supremacy claim over the national law that is embedded in the ECJ’s jurisdiction. At the base level, clashes between the community laws along with the national law are readily apparent. It has also been observed that according to the ECJ, it has decided that the law associated with the European Community (EC) must be supreme related to any kind of conflict that might arise in the decisions of the community and the national courts. On the basis of the new regulations, it has been observed that the principle of ECJ’s supremacy over the rulings of the national courts has been well recognised in the case of Costa v. ENEL among others2. This study intends to discuss the relevant gaps between the decisions of the European Court of Justice and the national courts. The presented views include the internal authority of the EU law that essential ly places the national constitutions and the EU legal order on a collision course. ECJ had been established in the year 1952 with a view to mitigate the three roles that are associated with the member states that frame the part of the European Community (EC). One of the three major roles includes laying a constant check upon the EC’s legislative and the executive bodies. Another key role depicts clarifying along with interpreting the indefinite EC’s law. The last vital role entails the implementation of non-compliance of the EC jurisdiction by the member States3. The development of the jurisdiction under the ‘European Legal System’ has enabled to enlighten certain flaws associated with the system. It has been observed that the member States have apparently supported the ‘European Legal System’. Member States have readily passed on the authority to the ECJ for carrying out the judicial

Jean Yip International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Jean Yip International Marketing - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  Jean Yip group started as a Jean Yip Salon Limited in the year 1982, and Ms. Jean Yip was its founder. Through her exemplary leadership, the company has outspread from a single outlet in Katong Plaza to more than 60 hairdressing, beauty and slimming outlets today. The outlets in key locations all over Singapore. The company has also expanded regionally in cities of Malaysia, Indonesia and China. The group has a brilliant team of more of more than 800 creative hairstylists and professional beauty therapists making it the leading hair and beauty group in Singapore.   This study declares that  Jean Yip provides a wide range of hairdressing services with a little bit over 400 gifted and professional artistic hairstylists who can provide; super shine hair treatment services, super silk hair treatment services and amber duo color services. The company also provides face treatment services. Jean Yip has qualified employees who can perform skin lighten ing, black spot removal, pimple control among many others. The employees of this company are well equipped to perform R6 skin revolution facial treatment.  In terms of boy treatment, Jean Yip can conduct a series of treatments that include; Slimming, permanent hair removal and stretch mark removal services.  Nail care is another service that Jean Yip offers. The company produces brands that are top notch service such as manicured and pedicured nails are some.  

Sickle cell disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sickle cell disease - Essay Example The chance of one of her parents being a carrier is 1 in 2 (1/2). Assuming that one of her parents had normal copies of CFTR and the other parent was a carrier, the chances of their siblings being a carrier is 1 in 2 (1/2). So the chances of my friend being a carrier is x , i.e , one out of four. Assuming that both my friend and her fianc are carriers, the chances of their baby having the disease are 1 in 4. Therefore, the overall chance of their baby having cystic fibrosis is x x . 1/32, one in a 32. Sickle cell disease: Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder caused by mutations of the -globin gene. There is a mutation of one single nucleotide from A to T, which results in a glutamic acid being replaced by valine at position 6 of the -globin gene. GAG, a codon, which codes for glutamic acid is changed to GUG resulting in replacement with valine (Pauling et al., 1949). In several forms of this disease, the red blood cells (RBC's) change their shape (Herrick, JB., 1910), upon deoxygenation caused by polymerization of abnormal sickle hemoglobin (Hanh and Gillespie, 1927). This results in the damage of the RBC's and can lead to these cells getting stuck in capillaries. The downstream tissues that are supplied by these capillaries are deprived of oxygen causing ischemia, leading to organ damage, as in stroke.

The Veteran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Veteran - Essay Example The novice writer also thinks for him or herself thus, the tendency to create works that are primarily meant and suitable for the novice writer. With this information in mind, the novice writer is more of a narcissist or egocentric being, of which the writer remains unaware. The works remain difficult for the reader, as the information presented is well known to the writer; thus, there is no need to explain the ideas and terms used. This way, the novice creates compositions that leave out crucial information that includes footnotes and punctuations. The sentence structure does not vary much given that the goal is to generate and put ideas to paper for nearly personal consumption. It is from the above that the novice is termed as an unconscious writer creating compositions almost aimlessly and for egocentric satisfaction. In addition, ignorance plays a crucial role in defining a novice writer. This is in regard to structuring in compositions, such as paragraphs, which only feature non-strategically. Failure to proofread one’s works is also common, which puts the writer in a position where one is not even writing but holding a conversation with oneself, only with no form of feedback. On the other hand, a veteran writer bears the ability to reflect to conceive a situation in writing. In this regard, the writer’s compositions are meant for communication and have a deeper meaning. The inner meaning is meant to draw out the reaction of the reader, which brings out the difference between novice and veteran writers. This is due to their intentions and goal in writing, as well as the skill. The main goals for veteran writers are to communicate with readers and win them over by creating convincing ideas enough to capture attention, strong, concrete arguments and confident language. The above is as opposed to the writing behavior exhibited by novices. A veteran writer meets the desires of readers by giving making the time spent

How do UK companies' Mechanisms Affect and Help their Corporate Dissertation

How do UK companies' Mechanisms Affect and Help their Corporate Governance - Dissertation Example Throughout the entire period in fulfilling the objectives of this dissertation, I was greatly blessed with his extensive guidance and supervision over my work. I cannot complete this part without saying ‘thank you, sir’. Subsequent to that, my colleagues and friends who also played their part have extended their hand for my project; the successful culmination of this dissertation has also observed the role of my friends. For such contribution, I am also indebted to them. Abstract The purpose of this paper was to understand and highlight corporate governance mechanisms pursued by the different organizations. For this purpose, the annual reports were used to extract the relevant information. Subsequently, the empirical analysis was carried out the understand interplay between the financial performance and the corporate governance mechanisms. The results indicate that the strongly established corporate governance mechanisms considerably improve the financial performance. Th e results indicate that the companies having strong corporate governance mechanisms were experiencing strong financial performance. However, more focus should be given to cooperation and coordination between executive and non-executive directors. Table of Content Introduction 5 Literature Review 8 Methodology 11 UNILEVER PLC 13 TATE & LYLE PLC 18 TESCO PLC 21 THORNTONS PLC 24 SAINSBURY PLC 27 SABMILLER PLC 32 MORRISON PLC 35 MARKS & SPENCER PLC 38 DIAGEO PLC 41 DIARY CREST GROUP PLC 44 CRANSWICK PLC 47 BRITVIC PLC 51 BOOKER GROUP PLC 55 ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS PLC 61 A.G. BARR PLC 65 Conclusion and Recommendation 70 Bibliography 77 Appendices Introduction Board governance mechanism haves experienced the focus of a range of reports in the United Kingdom, especially the Cadbury Report (1992)1 and the Hampel Report (1998)2. However, from these reports along with the support of Green bury Report (1996)3 came the Combined Code of best practice.4 In the United Kingdom, companies are expe cted to understand and implement board structures in accordance with the principles and provisions of the Combined Code. As a prerequisite of listing on the London Stock Exchange, firms are required to include a corporate governance statement in their annual reports. The purpose of this inclusion is to mention the ways in which companies apply the principles and provisions of the Combined Code. Subsequently, this elaborates the concept of the ‘comply or explain’ rule for the companies registered in the United Kingdom. In this regard, it has been provided that the Combined Code mentions three significant corporate governance mechanisms: duality and setting up of board sub-committees and the number of Non-Executive Directors. A considerable amount of literature is available to highlight that boards should include and ensure a balance of Non-Executive and Executive Directors. In this regard, Raheja contended that Executive Directors provide benefit to companies because of the extent of their company-related information.5 In addition to that, various studies provide that Non-Executive Directors have a constructive and positive effect and studies find that boards dominated by the Non-Executive Directors have more tendencies to act in the best interests of the shareholders.6 The UK Combined Code of best practice have recommended that Non-Executive Directors should make up at least one-third of the Board and consequently there have been

Why It Was Not Possible for the Catholic Church To Stamp out Heresy Essay

Why It Was Not Possible for the Catholic Church To Stamp out Heresy During the 16th Century - Essay Example Heresy, being a deadly poison generated within the organism of the Church, must be ejected if she is to live and perform her task of continuing Christ's work of salvation. Each pastor in his parish, each bishop in his diocese, is in duty bound to keep the faith of his flock untainted; to the supreme pastor of all the Churches is given the office of feeding the whole Christian flock (Wilhelm). The power granted to the Catholic Church of expelling heresy is an important factor in the constitution of the Church. The power of rejecting heresy however needs to adapt into the social and political circumstances of the time. In the beginning, the Catholic Church exercises its power without an organization. The bishops were able to find heresies in their congregation and checking the progress with all its power vested upon it by the hierarchy. When a heresy gathered support and proved a danger to the Church, the bishops assembled in councils, provincial, metropolitan, national, or ecumenical to discuss the matter (Wilhelm). In the early church, heresies were sometimes determined by a selected council of bishops, or ecumenical council, such as the First Council of Nicaea. Actually, the Catholic Church had little power to punish heretics in the early years, other than by excommunication, a spiritual punishment. Excommunication was the worst form of punishment possible because it separated the believer from the body of Christ or the Church. Excommunication, or even the threat of excommunication, was enough to convince many a heretic to renounce his views (Heresy).In the years that followed, the Catholic Church instituted the Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis Sanctum Officium), an office of the Roman Catholic Church charged with suppressing heresy. The Inquisition was a permanent institution in the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresies (Inquisition). The Inquisition was active in several nations of Europe, particularly where it had fervent support from the civil author ity (Heresy).The Catholic Church however, never had executed anyone for heresy. Rather, the Church turned over heretics to the respective governments for execution. Thus making heresy a part of political self-definition and exclusion (Bambrick et al). When Constantine had taken upon himself the office of lay bishop, episcopus externus, and put the secular arm at the service of the Church, the laws against heretics became more and more rigorous. Under the purely ecclesiastical discipline no temporal punishment could be inflicted on the obstinate heretic, except the damage which might arise to his personal dignity through being deprived of all intercourse with his former brethren (Wilhelm). Why it was not possible for the Catholic Church to stamp out heresyDuring the 16th century During the 16th century, stamping out heresy became more difficult due to varied reasons such as the Black Death, changes in the society, especially the corruption and moral decay within the Catholic Church. The 16th century is the period in which the medieval Church was defining itself and unifying its identity (Bambrick et al). The Catholic Chur

Evaluate the application of revenue management practice in the hotel Essay

Evaluate the application of revenue management practice in the hotel industry and discuss its impact on customers in the hotel industry; - Essay Example dification in the general handling of revenue management, inventory allocation, pricing strategy, use of information and channel management as concerns to revenue management tend to redefine the field. Similarly to how detailed past analysis might have a representation of the best pricing practice during the 1990s, apparently, the stock market-impacted algorithms exist in the cutting edge of modern pricing thought. Comparably, the highlighting on occupancy or average day to day rate, which might have dominion over revenue managers’ outlook over two decades ago has led to the dominance of revenue per available room i.e. RevPAR. Instances like this abound hence this article will endeavor to share all of the revenue management expertise with readers, in a series examining the modern revenue management’s best practices (Kimberley, Trevor & Juston 2008, p.12). Pricing tends to a feature of revenue management, which features a number of intriguing, as well as innovative developments recently. Whereas pricing has continues to be a significant driver having an effect on both occupancy, along with RevPAR, in the present environment surrounded by exceptional price transparency, rates have taken an even bigger role. Ascertaining the optimal rate to give to a potential customer tends to be one of the most significant concepts of revenue management. The basic fact that the appropriate rate- one that achieves the balance between replicating enough demand in maximizing occupancy, while at the same time, not deserting money on the table within the form of low down ADR turns out to be the key to a profitable revenue management strategy causing pricing perhaps the most significant concept of revenue management. Then how is a hotel capable of determining what the best rate has to be any time? In the past, this would center on historical analysis, while , at the same time, computed by the application of a discount to a fixed rack rate. In this case, there is no achievement of

Economic Experience of Mexico since North American Free

Economic Experience of Mexico since North American Free Trade Agreement Essay The Mexican automotive industry has undergone a lot of changes since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Initially this industry was dominated by US assemblers and parts producers. Policies instituted by the Mexican government affected the industry. US automakers in Mexico purchased large quantities of raw materials for vehicle manufacturing from Mexican owned suppliers. These in many times did not meet internationally set standards in terms of quality and price. Many companies therefore like Acme motors operated inefficiently producing substandard vehicles. These constrained the export of vehicles to the US. (World Bank, 2000) NAFTA helped change the setup to rescue the automotive industry in Mexico. This benefited Acme motor company. The highly protected automotive market opened up allowing Acme to consolidate production across borders. The industrial restructuring has permitted Acme to enhance its competitiveness directing its massive production to meet the ever growing market abroad especially in North America. NAFTA has therefore enabled Acme to identify production sites based on business factors rather than trade barriers. (Adkisson, 2000). Since the industrial streamlining in Mexico, Acme has adopted new millennium vision to become an international firm and the world’s lowest-cost volume producer of super-quality vehicles. The company’s management strategy has enabled production of better vehicles, increase in global market share, increased profits and developed reputations internationally. Acme has since reduced its engineering personnel by over 29% decreasing the labor costs. The company also currently uses one process to develop cars. This is a different strategy since initially different engineering centers operated under varied processes. (Randall, 1996) From the year 2000, Acme has constructed an over 5 billion dollars facility in Mexico. The firm produces a new line of engines with high performance ratings for their efficient power train system. They include Auto turbo engines and V-8 Quattro engines. The company produces around half a million engines per year each type. This has enabled the company to increase efficiency and reduce freight cost per unit by over 50% . Industrial growth contributes to around 25% of Mexico’s GDP. Acme motors contributes a lot to the country’s economy. Mexico has since become one of the most open countries in the world of trade allowing access from various countries like USA, Canada, Europe and others. The trade liberalization has enabled the industry to grow and Acme has benefited much. The good relationship that Mexico enjoys with international organizations like IMF and World Bank has helped to develop various economic sectors like industrialization. The World Bank stands ready always to assist Mexican authority in implementing their policies. The Bank mobilizes resources to support Mexico’s effort in policy design and implementation and Acme is a beneficiary. There is more trade liberalization in Mexico and workers’ rights are protected. Acme has been in the forefront in implementing the workers rights leading to improved productivity. The country has a close relationship with members of World Trade Organization. This offers more economic grounds for Acme to find ready market for its products. Acme’s economic contribution has been instrumental in Mexico. NAFTA has therefore led to massive economic transformation in Mexico. The Mexican industrial set up led by Acme motor company has since grown to greater heights. This has led to a general development of the country’s economy. Acme is the major economic contributor in Mexico.

Unit 1 Assignment †an Introduction to Working with Children Essay Example for Free

Unit 1 Assignment – an Introduction to Working with Children Essay Nursery schools are a statutory setting for children under five. The main purpose of them is to provide pre-school education and sessional care for children aged 2-4. They are entitled to 15 hours free each week at a nursery school. Nursery schools are usually open from 9am 12pm and 1pm 3pm and most are attached to a primary school. They follow a curriculum, the EYFS, to educate the children. Nursery school are also a valuable provision because going to nursery can provide children with many different experiences and can help them to develop their social skills and begin forming relationships with other children. A statutory setting for over fives is primary school. Primary schools provide education for children aged between 4 and 11 years old. They are usually open from 9am 3pm. Primary schools follow a curriculum which covers, the EYFS in reception class and also Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, from year 1 to year 6. Children can also further develop key social skills, in primary school, through the interactions and relationships they have with other children. D2 One provision in the private sector, for children under five, are nannies. Nannies provide childcare within the family’s home. A nanny will often live with the family, depending on the individual circumstances, allowing 24hour care to be provided. Nannies may care for children of any age, although maternity nannies or night nannies, will generally only provide care for children from newborn to five years old. After school clubs are one childcare setting, in the private sector, for children aged between five and seven. Often parents working hours will not coincide with the school hours of the children, in that case after school clubs are a very useful provision. An after school club provides care for school age children, from the end of the school day, usually 3pm up until 6pm at the latest. They will usually be based in or near schools and provide a variety of activities, including sports, arts and crafts and many others. D3 Play specialists work with children, of all ages, and their families, within the family’s home or with children in hospital. They can provide advice and ideas for parents on ways to engage their children in play, if parents are experiencing difficulties. They aim to provide children with a variety of play activities to meet the child’s individual play needs. Both therapeutic and developmental activities for the children can be provided by play therapists, to help explore existing problems and provide coping strategies for children and their families, keeping in mind the individual emotional, physical, developmental and social needs of the child. Within a hospital setting they can help children to feel more comfortable and at home, by helping them to cope with the separation from their family and prepare them for the stress and difficulties the child might face during their treatment. D4 + C1 + A + D8. One of your professional responsibilities within a childcare setting is to keep information about children and their families confidential. All confidential information that the setting holds should be kept in a locked filing cabinet. As well as this all staff, volunteers and students must read and sign the setting’s confidentiality policy. ‘Information that you learn during the course of your work is confidential and you must be careful not to discuss it outside of the workplace or with anyone who does not have direct involvement,’ page 315, Child Care and Education, Penny Tassoni. This means that staff members and students on placement in a childcare setting must not discuss any information they have been told, outside of the setting or even in the setting’s staffroom, as they could be overheard, by people who do not need to know that information and should not know about it. Care must be taken at all times by staff that they do not gossip or accidentally let slip about any information they know to staff or anyone else, who does not need to know that information. The parents or guardians of the children, in the setting, must always be informed of what information is held about them, in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This is also important in building trust between you and the parents, for example if you did let slip a piece of confidential information about a child, outside of the setting and the parents found out about it, you would loose their trust in you and in future they may be far more reluctant to tell you information about the child and their home life, which could actually be very important for you to know. However, there are some instances in which you should refer information about children and families to other professionals in the setting. For example, if you notice a child coming into the setting, with unexplained injuries, such as cuts and bruises and are concerned that this could indicate possible abuse, this should be reported to your supervisor, so they can pass this information onto the appropriate professionals and the matter can be investigated further. Also if a child tells you something or you notice unusual changes in their behaviour, which leads you to believe that child could be a victim of abuse, this should also be reported to your supervisor, as the health and safety of the children in your care should always be put first. Another example of this could be if a child presents particularly challenging behaviour, which begins to be a worry. In this case the parents should be notified of the problem and it may also be necessary to refer the child to a specialist. D5 + B1 When preparing to work in a placement it is important to first find out about the placement. If the setting has a website, it may be a good idea to look it up and read through the information on there, so you know a little bit more about how they work, what exactly they do their and what they provide. It is also essential that you get in contact with the placement yourself, either by writing them a letter, calling them on the phone or sending an e-mail, so you can ask them what they expect you to wear, what time you should arrive, what time you will finish, who your supervisor will be and if there is anything you will need to bring with you. The placement should provide you with a copy of their rules and policies, when you start. However, if they don’t you should ask them for a copy as it is vital you read these. First impressions are very important, so on arrival at your placement it is important that you maintain a certain standard of behaviour, making sure you know how you will get to the placement and how long it will take you is a good start, so that you can ensure you will be punctual. Also making sure you are dressed smartly and well prepared. This shows the placement that you respect them, that you want to be there and that you are taking it seriously. It is very important to give a good impression on placement, as this will help build their trust in you. First impressions also tend to stick in the mind and the impression you give could affect their view of you for the remainder of the time you spend there and how likely they would be to accept you for another placement there in future or even a job. D6 + D7 Having a variety of dolls, within a childcare setting, that show diversity, for example dolls with different coloured skin or dolls that are depicted with a disability, such as being in a wheelchair, is a good and easy way of catering to the individual children in your care. For example, having a doll that resembles themself may help a child of a different race feel more relaxed and less out of place, in a setting, where perhaps there are very few or no other children of their race. Also this can help children begin to learn about diversity and get used to the fact that other people may look very different to themselves and may have disabilities. Another good way of showing the value of each individual is to show an awareness of different cultures within the setting. One way of doing this could be by teaching the children songs and dances from different countries. The children can begin to learn from this that everyone likes to sing and dance, but different cultures have their own special ways of doing this. Also to expand on this activity you could also provide instruments from different countries for the children to experiment with as well or even ask parents if they have instruments that the children could bring in to listen to or try out. B2 + D8 It is important to always show a positive attitude to work while in a childcare setting and you can demonstrate this in many ways. ‘Always remember to say please and thank you even if you are in a rush,’ page 316 Child Care and Education, Penny Tassoni. Saying please and thank you is an example of basic courtesy, you do not want to appear rude or ungrateful and so it is very important that you are careful to use proper manners anywhere you work. You should also always try to remain non-judgemental and not allow your own prejudices or personal feelings to influence how you treat your colleagues, the children and parents of the children. Showing that you respect the parents is also very important. If you need to speak to a parent or a parent wishes to speak to you about something confidential, you should  take them to the office or another room where it will be private, if at all possible, as this is a good way to show that you respect the parent. Teamwork, communication skills and showing some initiative are also very important. When given a task, always make sure you fully understand it and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure about anything, you should always ask for help when you need it. If you have a lot of tasks to complete, figure out which are the most essential and do those first before carrying out the less important tasks, this is one way to show your initiative. You can also demonstrate a positive attitude through using positive, open body language and smiling, by doing this people will feel more comfortable around you and more able to approach you. A* There are three different learning styles, auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. Recognising your preferred learning style can be very useful in planning your studies and revising. For example, an auditory learner could benefit from listening to a recording of important points as they go to sleep, while a visual learner would probably benefit more from highlighting different key words in their notes. I am predominantly a visual learner and there are many ways I could use this knowledge to aid in my learning. While taking notes during class for instance, I could draw diagrams and sketches that illustrate the topic and relate to specific paragraphs, which would make the information a lot easier to remember and would help find the key points quicker when revising. Also drawing flowcharts, where applicable, and using mind maps would be useful to help me study and would also be very valuable to revise from later on. The visual journey or story technique could also be a good way to remember things for a visual learner, such as myself, as this technique links information you need to remember to a visual journey or story, which helps when trying to memorize something that you can’t necessarily ‘see. ’ It could also be useful for me to think about the way I layout my notes as the organization and layout of notes, could help to make them more visual and therefore easier to remember and revise from. D8 Bibliography Tassoni, Penny. 12th October 2000, Certificate in Childcare and Education, Heinemann 1st edition.