The Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Economic - Essay Example Aside from the education sector, the construction segment also suffered from a major cut due to the slowdown in public construction projects. Irwin also mentions Obama’s response to America’s unemployment problem, which is the $447 billion American Jobs Act. The Act aims to channel money to the state governments to avoid more job cuts (Irwin 2). This Act however is facing a lot of resistance from Congress who deem it unacceptable for the federal government to rescue the state and local governments. This article by Irwin presents a bird’s eye view of the current unemployment situation of the US. It is very informative, citing valuable data on the labor front. One thinks that even if the public sector does not create new jobs or cuts on its employment, the unemployment figure could still improve provided that the private sector is able to take in those who lost their jobs from the state and local governments. The question though that persists in one’s mind is whether the private sector is ready to hire more with the current state of the

Manage IT Security for the London Olympic 2012 games Essay

Manage IT Security for the London Olympic 2012 games - Essay Example A safety and security strategy and security measures have been set up to respond to these. According to BBC News (2011), 13,500 armed forces personnel and 10,000 police officers will be deployed during the Olympics to enforce security. This will be backed by 50 marine officers in fast response boats who will be joined by 100 military personnel (Seida 2012). The structure of the safety and security strategy has been built around strategic objectives and each of these be will be delivered though a special programme headed by a programme manager. The Protect Programme will ensure the safety and security of games sites, infrastructure and venues, and people involved in the Games. The Programme will also consider protecting people travelling to the Games. The Prepare Programme will provide specialist response by ensuring that the necessary contingencies and workforce are in place to manage events that could significantly compromise or disrupt the security of the Games. The Identify and Di srupt Programme will provide the required capacity and capability to identify and disrupt all forms of threats to the Games. Command, Control, Plan and Resource (C2PR) programmes will ensure that required resources are available and can be deployed to the necessary sites to provide safety and security (Home Office 2012). One of the assumptions for this strategy is that the greatest security threat will be terrorism. Despite the above security, the potential IT security vulnerabilities of the event are still high and the major threat is identity theft. Vacca (2003) defines this as a type of crime where someone steals the identity of someone else and poses as that person. This is basically an identify fraud. In true-name ID fraud, the person’s identify information is not modified. Terrorists are also likely to stealing key pieces information from people like driver’s license numbers and social security numbers and combine them with fake information to create new identiti es which they will use to gain entry into the games venues. This is called synthetic ID fraud as noted by McFadden (2010). Criminals could pose as fans, players, visitors and even London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) officials. Once they gain entry into the venues, they commit terrorist attacks. They can also use these IDs to obtain goods and services. ID theft is a form of cyber crime. Giles (2010) explains that hackers access personal information of other people online. To get this information, the terrorists could send messages posing as the official website for LOCOG, trying to sell tickets. As people respond, they get their personal details and use them to make fake IDs. ID theft could also result from phishing attacks like man-in-the-middle phishing. This is where a criminal positions themselves between the legitimate site and the user (Emigh and Labs 2005). In this way, they will save valuable information from different sources and send false messages bet ween LOCOG and its users. To detect this, LOCOG will have to setup a spoof-reporting email address that users will send mails to. This will provide

Six Sensitive Periods Essay Example for Free

Six Sensitive Periods Essay 1. What are the six sensitive periods? Describe each briefly. Sensitivity to order: From the age of one to the age of three, the child expresses their need for stability. At this time the child is extremely sensitive to order. The child will in some cases be distressed or very upset if there is a slight change in the environment, since children is formed by their surroundings they have the need to accuracy and control. Refinement of senses: The young child has a strong desire to know and learn, at this stage the child is beginning to bring the different elements of actions and influence between all his separate senses. During this time the child have to fully apply all the senses in order to develop them as much as possible. From a very young age children will decide what they want to hear, see, touch, taste and smell. Sensitivity to language: From the moment of birth, language plays a vital role in accompanying mental growth. During this phase the child distinguishes the sound of the human voice and is able to recognize the mouth movement. The child continues to learn more sentence structure during primary school years, on condition that basic language has been achieved. If a child is not exposed to language during sensitive period, it can lead to permanent damage. Sensitivity for walking: From the first time the child starts walking, he has a big need to practice and perfect this skill. Once the child starts walking, he is constantly on the move and practicing the movement and control. The child makes great efforts to achieve the quality in his motion capability. Sensitivity to small objects: At around the age of two years children have an urge to pay attention to detail, the child develops the ability to focus on certain tasks. When the child is out for a walk the child will stop numerous times to explore and investigate and examine small objects and his surroundings. Sensitivity to social aspects of life: At this stage, children can develop friendships and learn how to play in groups. It is important to teach them during this phase how to interact and have consideration for others.

Gifted Students In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Education Essay

Gifted Students In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Education Essay Introduction Making proper stipulation for gifted students is significant for the development and growth of ones society. They are considered as valuable future resources. In the year 1998, the interest in supporting gifted children in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia grew. They have established programmes in which they were able to identify gifted children. The General Administration for Gifted Students (GAGS) was established in Saudi Arabias Ministry of Education in the year 2000. (Bondagjy, 2000). There has been not enough research and development in the field of introduction of gifted children in Saudi Arabia. According to Al-Ghamdi, 2007, there are very few programmes for gifted students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that was run by the Ministry of Education. The programmes that do exist are new and in need of evaluation and further development in order to provide maximum benefit for gifted students. The Saudi Arabian government believe that the gifts and talents of the young people in the country are nurtured. At the present time, in Saudi Arabia, gifted students who have special characteristics or abilities qualify for provision at the highest levels of services. Since 1999, the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a strong interest in its gifted students by putting in place programmes that are developed specifically for these students; however, these programmes are rare and new. Therefore I feel it is necessary to carry out an in-depth study of the present state of gifted education, find out what is available and identify the strengths and weaknesses of what is being offered. Objectives of the study From the outset, it is acknowledged that the concept of giftedness and its identification is highly complex. As Gubbins (2002) points out, people all over the world are still asking questions about how we assess and nurture peoples abilities. Whilst there are centres around the world focusing on research and development on gifted education, there are also experts (Borland, 2005) who question the whole concept of identification of gifted students and recommend that what is needed is gifted education without labelling a group as gifted. Borland, however, states that there is agreement amongst experts that high achieving or high-ability students are among those who are the most ill-served when curriculum and instruction are not differentiated.This study aims to make a contribution to the on-going debate in aspects of gifted education. It also hopes to add to the research literature by studying the nature of gifted education in Saudi Arabia, which has a different cultural social and educ ational background to many other countries where gifted programmes exist. More specifically, the aims of this study are: to explore the effectiveness and any possible weaknesses of gifted programmes in Saudi Arabia, by seeking the perspectives of all parties involved; to draw conclusions about the Saudi programmes and make recommendations based on the data collected; to make suggestions based on what is known about gifted programmes in other countries. As previously stated, the study also aims to provide an overview of international literature on gifted education by reviewing gifted education programmes and the range of methods used in other countries. The research questions Based on the aims articulated in the previous section, the following specific research questions have been formulated: How does the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia define gifted students? How does the Ministry identify and support gifted students? What is the nature of programmes for gifted students in the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? How effective are these programmes in terms of making provision in terms of the educational methods and resources for gifted students? In 1969 the Saudi cabinet first recognized the necessity of identifying gifted students -Nafea et all (1992), but no actual steps had been taken for action. Between the years 1990 and 1996, King Abdul Azizs City of Science and Technology, with collaboration from the Ministry of Education and the General Presidency for Girls Education, produced a project for extensive national research. The project titled: identification and care for Gifted Students (Bondagjy, 2000) and consisted of three main aims: To design a programme for identification of gifted students. To design enrichment programme models for mathematics and science curriculum. To enlighten Saudi society about the importance of the identification of gifted pupils and provision for their educational needs. Regarding identification of gifted students, the project employs seven methods, which are: Teachers nomination High academic achievement High achievement in science High achievement in mathematics. IQ test Torrance test for creativity thinking Wechsler IQ test. In 1998, a project (identify and car programme for gifted students) designed for identifying gifted students in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was implemented by the Ministry of Education (Alwasruh, 2005). This programme consists of four units: Identification of gifted students. Care and enrichment programmes for gifted students. Training, planning and organization. Finance and administration services. This project was a very significant one in that it would serve the purpose of identifying and supporting gifted children of the kingdom. Therefore, it represents a landmark in the history of gifted education in Saudi Arabia. It provided the Ministry of Education with the opportunity to start special programmes for gifted students. Gifted Students Care Centres in Saudi Arabia: The gifted students Care Centres are establishments charged with the task of offering educational, social and psychological care for gifted students. Such centres are supervised by the General Administration for Gifted Students. The administration body which controls each of these centres includes a Centre Director, assistants, teachers, behavioural specialists, laboratory technicians, learning sources specialists and general support technicians. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the time of writing this thesis, has 31 Care Centres for boys and 20 for girls (MOE, web, 2007). Care Programmes for Gifted Students in the Schools of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The General Administration for Gifted Students emphasises that all students should be provided with equal opportunities, so that their abilities may be identified and their gifts and talents developed. In order to achieve this goal, the General Administration for Gifted Students provides a programme to train teachers so as to achieve this purpose. The teachers duties include the introduction of a complete gifted programme prepared by the General Administration for Gifted Students. These programmes start at the beginning of every school term. Among the responsibilities of the teacher is the use of modern methods which help to improve students skills of leadership, social and scientific research skills, as well as improving the parents knowledge about the importance of provision for gifted students. The duties of teachers also include the liaison between the various Care Centres of Gifted Students. The number of schools that have had benefited from this programme, between the years 2002 and 2004 was 264 boys schools and 97 girls schools (Alwasruh, 2005). Support for Gifted Education The Foundation provides funds and support to students in the six main centres for gifted education of the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia. These centres are located in Riyadh, Jeddah, Taif, Madinah, Dammam, and Al-Hassa. They work on identifying gifted children and providing them with enriched educational activity. They also assist in the teaching of the whole community about the nature of giftedness and about the role that talents and talented people will play in the future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the Foundation is committed to providing training for all those who interact with the gifted children (KACFG, web, 2007). The KACFG is the first and the biggest foundation to support the education of the gifted and talented in the Saudi Arabia, as it supplies programmes and support with substantial funding. Literature Review This chapter provides a pervasive review of literature relevant to the identification of and provision for gifted students. The contents of this review constitute the basis for the empirical work and the subsequent analysis. It starts with an examination of a range of definitions and conceptions of giftedness. Theories and research relating to various aspects of gifted education are reviewed, accompanied by a critical analysis of various points of view on the complex and contested conceptions of giftedness which provide a theoretical framework for this study. In this section literature on methods of identification of gifted students is reviewed, which will be followed by a review literature on aspects of provision of educational opportunities that will extend and/or enrich the learning of the gifted students. It could be argued that using accurate methods of identification is critical in determining the nature of provision. For example, Gubbins (1995) believes that identifying gifted and talented students is not just about answering the question, who are they? but it must also address the question, how do we find them? and what do we do when we find them? The process of identification may differ from one programme to another. In some programmes, the only means used for identification is the use of standardized tests. In others, the standardized test is only one of the factors in the identification process and in addition to test scores, nominations and recommendations of teachers, parents, staff, and even self-nomination are used (Blackshear 1979; Denton and Postlehwaite, 1984; LPS 1995). ( check spelling of of Post..) Bondagjy (2000) believes that a single test to determine general ability may not be sufficient and that subject specific tests may need to be used: Standardized tests of intelligence offer a good base for staff to identify potential capability, including that of some pupils whose performance is otherwise undistinguished as poor. In a few schools the tests are used in isolation without reference to individual aptitudes in specific areas of the curriculum, either as a short cut for selecting pupils for special enrichment courses, or for determining the composition of teaching groups of. This is less useful than if combined with a subject-specific test. (Bondagjy, 2000, p.20) Standardised tests are used widely by the supporters of the theories of a one-dimensional view of ability, which go back to the first theories of intelligence, such as Spearmans theory ( date) mentioned in the previous section, which has been received with enthusiasm and also with scepticism and rejection. The arguments against this single-dimension view of ability (based on general intelligence that consists of areas that are highly correlated with each other and that are mainly intellectual and tested using IQ tests) led to the creation of multi-dimensional theories of ability, such as that of Renzulli, (1978) Gardner (1983,1993), Sternberg (2000) and others. The multi-faceted theories of giftedness are viewed by many to be more appropriate to define and identify high ability. These authors along with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, ( date ) and Benjamin Bloom (1985) have all made compelling arguments for a much broader conception of giftedness. Chongde Tsingan, (2003) describes the cont ribution to the more liberal conceptions of giftedness as: Many western theories of intelligence focus on its physiological or cognitive components. However, Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences (1983, 1993), Robert Sternbergs triarchic theory of intelligence (1985) and Stephen Cecis bioecological theory of intelligence (1996) are much broader in scope. They combine and extend aspects of the biological, hierarchical and contextual views of intelligence which include interactions between mental processes, contextual influences and multiple abilities. (p.) The following section provides greater detail of the specific models of identification of giftedness and associated views on high ability, which have informed the nature of data collection in the present study. Saudi Arabia has conducted research to find out the best approach to gifted education, but of course for females who are severely restricted in the subjects they are allowed to study, these moves are somewhat academic. An interesting survey of computer use in Arabic countries was made by a Jordanian, Subhi (1997). He recommended that gifted pupils records should be computerised for easier monitoring of their progress, and he has designed a programme to help this. The problem, he found though, is that although there are computers in Jordanian schools, there are very few of them and the teachers do not generally know how to use them. It looks as though most, if not all, Arab countries are willing to recognise and help the gifted, and several have made forays into out-of-school activities, but the overall outcome is still difficult to define. Some authors (such as Sternberg et al., 1986, Ziegler and Heller, 2000) believe that a consensus is yet to be reached on what is meant by the term (gifted), and yet multiple efforts have been made to establish criteria for this, which include components such as motivation, creativity, task commitment, and problem solving. However, personal talent is described by Renzulli (1999a, p.4) as exceptional ability to select and achieve difficult goals that fit ones interests, abilities and social contexts. In his view, personal talent is a capability developed in the field of self-management that is concentrated by the individual in the direction of selected outcomes that contain well-being, happiness, personal relationships, hobbies as well as career achievements. He proposes that personal talent can be referred to as a range where those in the centre of this continuum can be explained as personally competent, while those at the high end of the range can be categorized as personally talente d. On the other hand, Masten et al. (2002) argue that resilient individuals learn how to overcome obstacles in order to achieve their anticipated goals, and that this can be described as personal talent. Also, Bland et al. (1994) refer to specific characteristics of resilience as an indicator of exceptional abilities and talent regarding children from poor backgrounds. In this regard, Marker et al. (1996) propose that numerous of the principles of distinguishing curriculum for gifted and talented learners support the development of personal talent. They refer to learning environments that foster independence, flexibility and high mobility as being potentially more promising for fostering personal talents than the more traditional teacher-centred classrooms that concentrate on lectures with academic content. However, some researchers regret the fact that research on giftedness has been somewhat biased, having mainly concentrated on IQ-related abilities that address academic skills, and b y-passing or simply ignoring other basic skills such as vocational skills (Bals, 1999), practical intelligence in everyday life (Sternberg, 2000), and, most importantly, social skills (Persson, 1997). Motivation is another issue that has been the focus of research with regard to gifted children. According to Sternberg (2000), some theories depict motivation as an assisting internal factor in the expansion of giftedness. One of these theories is Gages dynamic theory of giftedness which depicts motivation, volition and self-management as interpersonal catalysts that help convert gifts into talents. However, these theories have failed to provide guidance in assisting youths of high ability to develop motivation. For this reason, some researchers (for example, Colangelo et al. 2000; Alrasheed, 2001) believe that talented students should be identified and given tasks at a higher level than the normal school curriculum. Renzulli (1999b) is of the opinion that gifted students should be pro ducers of knowledge rather than mere consumers of existing information. He believes that specific programmes and services for the talented and gifted are the only solution to allow them to live up to their potential. This idea is further supported by Reis et al (1995) who argues that it is not fair to make a gifted child sit in a classroom where learning something new will not happen until the second half of the year. Historical review of school counselling in the KSA Initially, in 1981, the Ministry of Education established the General Directorate of Guidance and Counselling. Since that time, guidance and counselling has become formalized and recognized as a profession, and counsellors have been appointed to deal with psychological, social, educational, and vocational problems and deliver protective counselling (Ministry of Education KSA, 1999). It should be mentioned here that the model for and practice of guidance and counselling in SaudiArabian schools was derived from western sources, mainly the United States. More than two decades have passed since the guidance and counselling programme was established in Saudi schools. Its development has progressed at a slow rate and, currently, it faces various problems. The major difficulty relates to the definition of the role and function of the school counsellor (Al-Gamdi, 1999) which is unclear to principals, teachers, parents, students and school counsellors themselves. Due to this problem, counsell ors have found themselves overly involved in paperwork and administrative tasks and duties not related to school counselling. Additionally, counsellors often complain about lack of support and cooperation from others involved in the counselling service, especially parents (Al-rebdi, 2000). In this situation, if school counsellors in Saudi Arabia are to provide better services for students, their role must be clearly defined. It is also necessary for those involved in counselling to have a clear view of what counsellors should and should not do. Added to this, counsellors must choose carefully how they spend their time and energy. As the role and functions of the school counsellors become clearer, they should be able to respond better to the needs of their students. Furthermore, in 1981, following decree number 216/k issued by the Ministry of Education, the Social Educational Administration was replaced by the Student Guidance and Counselling Service, and guidance and counselling in Saudi schools became formalised. That same year, the name was changed again to the General Administration for Guidance and Counselling (Ministry of Education, 1999). The responsibilities of this administration are as follows: 1- To plan, prepare and develop the programme and services of guidance and counselling. 2- To provide professional staff who are capable of delivering such services to all students at various stages of education. 3- To provide students with the appropriate care applicable to their ages and their psychological, educational and social needs. 4- To assist students to develop their capabilities, potentialities and talents, to allow them to face their problems and to help them feel comfortable with themselves and with the community in which they live. 5- To attain a high standard of mental health in a way that reflects the targets and goals sought by educational guidance in general (Ministry of Education, 1999). Saleh (1987) pointed out that, due to the immediate need for professionals to monitor and guide the counselling service in schools, the Ministry of Education sought personnel from among the existing social education supervisors to act as the supervisors; counselling and guidance programmes in addition to carrying out their normal duties. The Ministry of Education also sought personnel from within the existing teaching force, provided they had the relevant experience, to work temporarily as counsellors in schools. To meet the need for school counsellors in all schools, the General Administration for Guidance and Counselling allowed those with a Bachelors degree in psychology, social work or sociology to perform the role of the school counsellor until enough trained professional counsellors could be provided. In order to meet the need for trained full-time counsellors to work in schools, universities in Saudi Arabia were requested to offer guidance and counselling programmes at masters level. Statistical information for the year 2000 shows that there were 229 counselling supervisors and 3381 school counsellors overall (Ministry of Education, 2000). By 2003, the number of counsellors had increased rapidly toabout 4000(Al-Rebdi, 2004). The Ministry of Education (1999) defined the term counselling as the interactive process though which the counsellor assists the student to understand himself and recognise his capabilities and potentialities and gives him a more enlightened approach to his problems and how to face them. Counsellors also help students to enhance their responsible behaviour and to show conformity with their community. Counselling gifted students Landau (1990) noted that gifted students might become isolated and alienated. Moreover, Rogers (1983) pointed out that in an egalitarian system children not only lack the opportunity for confirmation and social acceptance, but they also often lack the freedom to learn. The need for confirmation and emotional support is well known in the literature which focuses on giftedness and talent (Csikszentmilalyi et al., 1993; Kelley, 1999; Stednitz, 1995). Donna (1999) suggests that teachers and counsellors need to encourage minority students to consider a teaching career in general and gifted student education in particular. Ford (1995) however, believes that from an historical point of view, the counselling of gifted students has not been an important part of educational and counselling discourse. He points out that misconceptions and stereotypes of gifted students as being immune to social, emotional, and academic problems have contributed to the lack of counselling for these students, and in cases where counselling is available it is only limited to academic, assessment and placement issues. According to Ford, the fact that more children are entering school with serious personal and academic problems should entail an expansion in the responsibilities and roles of counsellors to meet the needs of all children who seek guidance and assistance. But nonetheless according to Alrasheed, (2001) the limited availability of counselling services has failed to meet the enormous need for counselling services and research regarding gifted individuals. In this respect he endeavoured to provide counsellors, classroom teachers and educationalists as well as parents with advice regarding the understanding of the academic and social needs of gifted and talented students. Persson (2005) considers mentorship as a possible solution to aid the immediate psychological and intellectual needs of gifted individuals, particularly received mentorship. According to Person, mentorship could be direct or indirect by cooperating with the student to find a mentor of his choice, given the fact that not a ll gifted students would be likely to choose their counsellors to be their mentors. Person expresses the conviction that mentorship is the only viable counselling solution in an egalitarian context, which lacks recognition and particular provision for gifted individuals. Ford (1995) outlines the goal of counselling as that of promoting healthy self-concepts and ensuring psychological growth. Bearing that in mind, counsellors must have an awareness and understanding of the many issues that hinder gifted students and affect their psychological, social and emotional well-being. He recognises the role of counsellors in ensuring that such students remain in gifted programmes once identified and placed. Finally the concept of counselling needs to be defined within a context where it is not a task assigned merely to a particular group. Instead, as Brown et al. (1992) suggest the task has expanded from an initial concern with educational and vocational guidance to the remediation and prevention of personal, interpersonal, vocational and educational concerns. Consequently, according to Persson (2005), the aim of the intervention is for the individual to gain an understanding of self and context, in which case individual differences become a sensitive and even problematic issue, particularly in cases where gifted individuals are involved. Research Problem There have been few programmes for gifted students offered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Even though there has been programmes existing, it is new and is for further evaluation to be able to develop it more for the students. It has been believed that if there has been more developed programmes for gifted children then they will be more enhanced and so, benefiting the country. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have put up programmes for gifted students but is new and rare. There has been studies regarding the support of the authorities in the schools on how to support gifted students. The research questions Based on the aims articulated in the previous section, the following specific research questions have been formulated: How does the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia support gifted students? Does the authorities in the schools help in the development of the programmes? How do we determine the effectiveness of the programmes with the school counsellor, principal, and teachers help? Sub-questions Two sub-questions will also be explored: Do the teacher, student counsellor and principal who work with gifted students have special qualifications? What is the level and nature of the response of gifted students to these programmes? Research Design The design of the study is intended to determine: first, the relationship of the roles of student counsellor, teachers, and principals to the performance of the gifted students; second, the effectiveness of the programmes in developing the capacity of the gifted students. Instrumentation and Data Collection The researchers visited the [Insert name of University Library or City Library] for journals, articles and studies needed for the research paper. The researchers gathered time-series data from different physical training institutions to assure of its validity and consistency. The primary data will be gathered using quantitative method, as this is best useful with questionnaires. The use of quantitative method will be appropriate for the research because the results in the questionnaires consist of numerical information, mostly based from the ratings included in the questions. Quantitative methods are used to provide reference to numeric calculations and are often used with questionnaires that have a specific goal and a target to achieve. This is helpful in the research, and its instigation in the process needs to be further culminated so that the problem is solved with efficiency and precision. In gathering data, the researcher would like to clear certain ethical issues that might hinder the processing of data. First, confidentiality will be kept at all costs. As the main reason why questionnaires will be used in the research is for the respondents to feel secure and to be assured that their answers will not be related to who they are. There may be instances wherein the respondent will divulge information that will be detrimental to the company, or to its competitors, depending on the case. Hence, there is a better chance at more responsive respondents if they can be assured of their confidentiality. Second, the Data Protection Act will be followed at all costs. The compliance with the act will be transparently said to the respondents so that they are further assured that anything they say in response to the questions asked them will only be used for the benefit of the research and not in any other practices. It should also be clear to the researcher that any information regarding the respondents cannot be released to anyone who is not immediately connected with the research unless permission from the subject respondent has been secured beforehand. Third, the research must always bear in mind the objectives of the study and never stray away from them. A researcher who has no definite purpose in doing the research is going nowhere and is exerting effort in a research that is not delimited properly and punctually. The purpose of the research is explicitly stated at the beginning of the research and is implied in every step of the realization of the research so as to not delineate the researcher from his goals. Lastly, the researcher must opt to practice objectivity. As the researcher, he is expected to keep an open-minded approach to the topic, keeping from his mind and personal bias in the subject matter or on the people involved. The reason for doing research is to test existing information, validate, prove or disprove existing ideas, or to test the limits of a certain prospect. Given this simple definition, it is clearly seen that in no form is the personal opinions of the researcher expected to hinder in the subject. Any act that might be biased or subjective will hint of the researchs failure to achieve its goals. Planned Method of Analysis The researchers plan to analyze the different test conducted through constant evaluation of the gifted students and how they perform. There will be a weekly evaluation in terms of how the programmes and the role of the authorities, and the effect of it to their performance. The performance in the field will be evaluated by the gifted students progress and development. Conclusion This study adds to a growing body of literature that reinforces the importance of examining the programmes for gifted students adopted by the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for further development. There is no, to the researchers knowledge, research that investigates such programmes. This study is identified as being the first study at the level of a doctorate research project which evaluates the gifted programmes in the Ministry of Education from the point of view of the students, the schools and the workers in such programmes. The study further attempts to use the most effective methods of collecting information, which the researcher obtained data in the form of questionnaires, interviews, observation and documentation. The mixed methods employed in the research made it possible to triangulate both qualitative and quantitative research. Further to these methods, the study used the most popular electronic program (SPSS) to gather and analyse the data as well as to design the tables and diagrams. The study focuses on the research questions at every stage of the research, either theoretically or practically. The researcher also oversaw the validity and procedural aspects of the questionnaire through sitting with students and workers when they answered the questions in order to clarify any ambiguity and confusion on their behalf. In general, the results of the study agree with many of the theoretical studies mentioned in chapter two. Finally, this is a serious explorative study, which has

Cycle of Life Explained in A Vision :: Vision Essays

Cycle of Life Explained in A Vision      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Butler Yeats' accomplishments as a writer are varied. From his in depth and philosophical poetry to his alarming and enlightening A Vision, his work has been widely read by English scholars and religious philosophers. Although A Vision is extremely hard to understand completely, Yeats' overall concept is easy to fathom. What happens where Christianity leaves off? What is the cycle of life, and where does time begin and end? These are all questions that mankind has continually asked since the beginning of recorded time. The "how" and "why" of life and death has intrigued mankind for thousands of years. Always wanting to know more has been the motivating force in the lives of many great philosophers and thinkers since Plato and Aristotle. Yeats, like his predecessors, tries to answer these questions in A Vision. Through the use of the gyres and the notion that time and the elements of time are forever, Yeats successfully conveys his beliefs on t he principles and details of life and death in relation to the ultimate whole of the universe. The cycle of life is explained in excruciating detail, making total comprehension tedious. However, a close look at Yeats and some of his other writings enables the reader to better understand exactly what Yeats tries to say in A Vision.    Simplifying A Vision is no easy task. Yeats himself was a complex man with intricate and different ideas on the existence of man. He was born in Sandymount in 1865 while he was raised in London, Dublin and Sligo. In 1884 Yeats studied painting in Dublin for three years before moving to England to pursue a literary career. He married George Hyde Lees in 1917 after having been in love with the Irish patriot Maude Gonne for over thirteen years. "After her marriage to another Irish political leader, Yeats finally admitted defeat in love and turned his full attention to his work" (English Literature, 641). During this time, Yeats was involved in the Irish National Movement which sought to free Ireland from England's rule. Before his involvement in politics, Yeats founded the Irish Literary Society in 1892. In addition, he founded the Irish National Theatre Society where he wrote several plays based on Irish legends.

Piece Of The Pie :: essays research papers

Piece of the Pie Money is an important issue for almost all college students. Very few are lucky enough not to have the financial burdens of tuition, housing, and food interfere with their academic initiatives. Some students have parents that are wealthy enough to cover all of the costs of college. Other students are given financial aid from the university that they attend. If necessary, students can get jobs to help differ the costs. There are no restrictions put on most students as to where they can work, or how much they can earn. Most students have this freedom, but varsity athletes with scholarships attending Division I schools do not. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body of collegiate athletics, restricts these athletes from having jobs. Even though these athletes would have a hard time make room for a job between practices, meetings and games, they are not even given the opportunity to do so because of the NCAA regulations. These regulations are based on the fear that athletes could be employed by affiliates of the university, who could attract the best athletes by unjustifiably paying them extraordinary salaries. While this may be a valid concern, the regulations are most often carried out to ridiculous lengths which ultimately do not serve the purpose they are intended to have. For example, Northwestern University has an aspiring young actor named Darnell Autry who also happens to be the starting running back for the University's football team. Darnell was offered a role, based entirely on his acting abilities, in a major network's sitcom. The NCAA nearly forbid him from accepting this offer based on the regulations against athlete employment. Darnell was eventually allowed to accept the job, however, the NCAA did not allow him to get paid for his work. They reasoned that the cost of the flight out of Chicago was payment enough for Darnell. As in Darnell's case, the regulations cause more problems then they prevent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The prospect of the money waiting for many athletes, like Darnell, when they leave college, leads them to abandon their education and head straight for the professional leagues. Some athletes, like Shawn Kemp or Kobe Bryant, skip college entirely. Kemp and Bryant both went directly from high school to the National Basketball Association, and are currently making millions of dollars a year. Other athletes, such as Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Terry Glen, and Tim Biakabatuka, all college phenomenons from basketball and football, skip as many as three of their remaining college years. The lure of fame and fortune is making more and more athletes leave college early each year.

The Power of Single Story

A Story Creates a Strong Power: Adichie and King’s Critiques of the Power of the Story, especially the Single Story Many stories matter to our lives and our ways of thinking. A story is the only way to activate part of our brain and then make the listeners turn the story into their own idea and experience (Widrich 4). As we know, our lives and our cultures are composed of many overlapping stories. When we are being told a story, things change dramatically. Once we have heard a story, we may always make it as our own knowledge.Then we would like to retell this story to others by verbal form, or turn it into a show or a movie. Every time we retell a story, we like to change some details into what we want or the way we understand. As a result, after the story has being retold a thousand times, the story may be changed into a different story. If we take in all the stories we have heard, then we might risk a misunderstanding adventure. Think about that: if our president gives a spe ech without any researches and just from others’ stories, then how would people think about him. His speech would just be a joke, and will lose credibility.Therefore, we need to be very careful about the story we heard and the story we are going to tell others, especially if it is a single story. In some cases, the dominant story often becomes a single story, which makes the story be curious and dangerous. Chimamanda Adichie and Thomas King both showed us the importance of the story and the danger of a single story. They showed that the single story makes the differences in people stand out. In Chimamanda Adichie’s Tedtalk, â€Å"The Danger of Single Story,† she begins by telling us a story about what she would think about reading a novel as a child.She would then write stories that were similar to the foreign stories she had read, which contained white skinned children with blue eyes who were nothing like her. Until she found African stories is when she realize d that people like her could be in stories (Adichie). Many times, we would feel the same way as Adichie felt. Stories have a power to set us in a dangerous opinion when we are talking about countries, nationalities, religions or any human group. If we hear or read stories about a part of the world, we would tend to perceive that part of the world as the stories describe the whole orld. For example, Chimamanda Adichie eloquently tells us if she had not grown up in Nigeria and if all she knew about Africa were from popular images, she too would think that Africa was a place of beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals, and incomprehensible people fighting senseless wars, dying of poverty and AIDS, unable to speak for themselves, and waiting to be saved by a kind, white foreigner (Adichie). However, how many of us hold the same definitions and images as Adichie’s story of Africa? Instead, many people continue to be fed the other side of those stories.Those stories describe Arica a s a continent that is full of poverty, disease and the constant fighting. Thus, those stories we receive make us feel certain emotions, like pity, toward the people that live in those places. As Adichie said that stories have been used to â€Å"dispossess and to malign but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of the people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity† (Adichie). A story is endowed with a very story power. Adichie also warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.She said that â€Å"the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story† (Adichie). When hearing a story, the invaluable lesson is that by only hearing a fraction of the truth (whether in the media, in school, or in popular culture), we are creating damaging misr epresentations. The reason is that â€Å"when we show people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again and that is what they become† (Adichie). That is the consequence of the single story about a person, place, or issue.A single story is an incomplete description and it robs people of dignity and emphasizes how different people are. On the contrary, by engaging with all the stories of a person, place, or issue, the trap of a single story can be avoided. Adichie could have looked at the Mexican and the U. S. side of the immigration issue, so she would have balanced the stories and not fallen into the single story trap. Anything we have experienced, we can get others to experience the same. By simply telling as story, the world would plant ideas, thoughts and emotions into people’s mind.That is the reason why story is very powerful and we all need to be careful about every story. In the Truth about Stories, novelist Thomas King explored how stories identify wh o we are and how we understand and interact with other people. From personal experiences to creation stories, King illustrate how stories have shaped and continue to shape our societies, as well as our personal mythologies and therefore our choices in life. He begins with the story about the earth and how it floats in space on the back of a turtle.People was been told that the earth was on the back of a turtle and there were infinite turtles below that turtle (King 1). It is a single story for us, but it is also very powerful for us for the reason that we could never forget this story even though it is not reality for some people, while it is a belief for others. â€Å"The truth about stories is that that’s all we are† (King 2), no matter they are fairy tales or nonfiction. A true story shows us our true world; a fairy tale leaves us with the hope that we can create a better world.King’s mother, for example, was living in an era when women were not welcome in th e workforce. After her husband left their family alone, she had to be â€Å"visible† and self-supporting as a man. She worked very hard among a man’s world, but she was treated unfair. When she went to her supervisor for an answer on unequal treatment, she was told that if her work was good, she would get promoted at the end of the first year. Then she waited and waited for many years, and that year never came up. However she still believed that â€Å"the world as a good place where good deeds should beget good rewards† (King 4) was possible (King 2-4).It is the story that forced her how her life would be. It is also the story that she believed that gave her hope and energy to fight back the unfortunately life. The truth is that every story is endowed with power. As for King’s father, it was another different story. King never knew why his father left his family, but his brother told their family the truth that his father had another family in another pla ce. King would never forgive his father for deserting him and his family, so he told people that his father was dead.As King said, â€Å"a part of [him] had never been able to move past these stories, a part of [him] would be chained to these stories as long as [he lives]† (King 5-9). This story shows us how stories can control our lives and affect our minds. King was chained to this single story of his father and could not move from it. No matter what reasons or other stories he had been told later as to why his father left him, he would not heal his painful heart. Thomas King warns us that we have to be careful with the stories we tell, and we have to watch out for the stories that we are told. Stories are wondrous thing, and they are dangerous† (King 9). Another example, King compares two creation stories: one Native and one the Christian genesis story. The Native story is very animated and full of dialog. King described in detail how the first woman fell from the sk y and created the world by cooperating with other animals. It places us right in the thick of things. The Christian creation story was just told and sterner. However, this Bible creation story has in many ways become the single story. For example, other cultures like mine, we do not think the human was created by Adam and Eve.We believe in another story about how Pangu opened with body made heaven, earth, moon and stars, and how NuWa used soil and water to create man. Most western people do not know the Native creation story and other cultures’ stories, thus see others as less than the Bible story (King 10-22). â€Å"If we believe one story to be sacred, we must see the other as secular† (King 25). We would be less likely to doubt a story that is stranger to us because new things can always attract us and make us feel curious and interested.Nonetheless, we would not believe sometimes sine the stories we learnt before have already rooted in our mind and can never be rep laced. This is the power of a story and how stories create a framework for understanding the world around us. When we tell stories to others that have really helped us shape our thinking and way of life, we can have the same effect on them too. The power of stories identifies who we are and who we are going to be, no matter what cultures we have or what religion we believe. We are not born to know everything. All we know is from many stories that have been told over and over again.The message of seeing a culture or people from many different points of view, or from many different stories, rings true once you spend time actually there in person. We have all experienced this, and might even be unaware of the line between what we believe to be true and what is actually authentic. As educated adults, it is sometimes difficult to get our news from various sources and perspectives. We can seek out stories on-line, speak with people from both sides and analyze issued using various sources to gain understanding of many angles that compose a subject.We all need to open our eyes and look at the whole picture not the single story, since stories can create power that push us into a dangerous situation. Works Cited Adichie, Chimamanda. â€Å"The Danger of the Single Story. † TED Talk, 2008. King, Thomas. â€Å"The truth about Stories. † Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2005. Widrich, Leo. â€Å"The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains. † Communication, what storytelling does to our brains, Dec 5, 2012.