Cultural and Cross Cultural Psychology Essay

Cultural psychology and cross-cultural psychology is no more new, as it has had its momentum picked up for the past few decades. Developmental psychology is something of the same kind and it was a buzzword in between at the turn of the century. The question is how is it possible to study human’s development though we intend to study. Human development is also reflected from the repeated efforts and interests on culture analysis in getting to know the interpretation of signals, code words and gestures. When it comes to testing, research and analysis in psychology related subjects it is quite difficult to understand the significant relation between the test samples and the findings. As there is never a reliable empirical formula. Cross cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, including both their variability and invariance, under diverse cultural condition. It’s primary aims are to investigate a) systematic relations between behavioral variables and ethnic-cultural variables, and generalizations of psychological principles. Cross cultural psychology is the science by virtue of the scientific principles and methods it employs. Cross cultural psychology is not primarily concerned with the comparative study of culture, that si the enduring characteristics that mark a culture apart from other countries. (Leonore Loeb Adler, Uwe P. Gieglen, Florence L. Denmark. Cross cultural topics in psychology – Second edition) â€Å"Cross-cultural psychology is the empirical study of members of various culture groups who have had different experience that lead to predictable and significant differences in behavior. In the majority of such studies, the groups under study speak different languages and are governed by different political units† (British, Lonner, Thorndike, 1973, p. 5 – John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) â€Å"Cultural Psycology is the study of the culture’s role in the mental life of human beings† (Cole, 1996, p. 1- John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) Cultural psychology is the study to examine ethnic and cultural sources of psychological diversity in emotional, social cognition and human development. (Richard A. Shweder, Maria A. Sullivan. Cultural Psychology: Who needs it? 1993 – Internet edition Cultural psychology is nothing but the practices, customs and beliefs we follow differs from place to place and ethnicity to ethnicity. It is the study of various cultural practices, customary traditions and beliefs that influence a particular sector of people, who decides to improve their society by improvising the existing practices and trying to reason few satisfactory logic to get convinced with the practices. The degree of variance is sometimes measurable and sometimes not. The most interesting part is to analyze how and to what extent the traditions, customs, practices and beliefs developed in a region based on something are made use in favor of personal purposes. Whereas cross-cultural psychology is the effort to establish a connection between psychology that is being framed on the basis of the customs and traditions practiced. It simply deals with the different set of experiences and different set of environment which shows a significant influence on the behavior of the person in a place. The cultural psychology stops with the traditions, customs, beliefs and practices in a system whereas cross-cultural psychology is deep about analyzing the effect of these cultural practices in the behavior and thought process of an individual in the system. For eg, the traditional practice of Sati (burning a woman alive after her husband’s death) was followed in India. Learning the practice and the origin of Sati and analyzing its logic, superstitious beliefs is the cultural psychology. Cross cultural psychology tends to explain why women in India are able to accept the practice and get convinced when it is not possible with the other women in the rest of the world. Critical thinking in the cross cultural psychology Cross cultural psychology is interesting to deal with, but actually speaking is highly uninteresting when it comes to experiment and research. It is difficult to format a methodology and bring it in practice, even if brought into practice it is not all that easy to interpret the results of the psychological tests and tasks. How can researchers make out the differences between the results obtained for the same tests from different groups though the questions are same and the groups are different based on the brought up and experience. Is it possible to exhibit a connection between the psychology and the culture with just the interpretation of the results of the tests conducted, and the fact being no one knows to what extent the interpretation falls right. The difference in the thinking may occur due to the difference in the culture influenced thought process, still it is difficult as there is no concrete or empirical formula formulated to decide on it. There is no assurance that the difference in thought process is because of the cultural difference, as there could also be reasons such as bewildered nature of the question, the puzzling nature of the tests, the mood and ignorance of the people and the literacy rate and understanding power of an individual. It does not stop with cross cultural psychology as developmental psychology also faced the similar kind of problem in formatting the research to get to know the exact demand of the scientists and the researchers from the test samples. In addition to that few man made minor errors in the research and process leads to an unexpected and unwanted finding and the errors are sometimes left undetected too. The methodology associated with cross cultural research When it comes to methodology of cross cultural psychology, it involves the qualitative methodology to analyze the practices, customs and habits of different cultures, on the other hand it requires quantitative methodology to compare, analyze and juxtapose the difference in psychology of different individuals influenced by the cultures and practices they follow. Psychological and cultural psychology experiments always require the need of qualitative analysis, as the cross cultural psychology is all about analyzing a huge mass of test sample quantitative analysis also comes into picture, perhaps the problem is sometimes the methods are treated mutually exclusive and the results are not compatible all the time. In addition to this, there is a report that researchers employ artificial and unfamiliar methods leading to ambiguous results. The issue is research is done based on the questions answered by individuals in a society rather than the collective answer from a society, that makes the major difference and inconvenience. Conclusion Though the subject is interesting, it is poignant to know the investigation methods have not taken the right direction. Conventional methods and sampling techniques are most desired all the times, perhaps when it comes to bringing out the difference between two cultures and the influence on the thought process of an individual because of the culture, it is advisable not to stop with these conventional techniques, as even previous literature works, media interviews, assumptions can be taken into significant consideration. Apart from all these standard quantitative techniques should be given the appropriate attention too, the results from the conventional sampling techniques and the standard quantitative techniques can be compared and related. This way a convincing analysis can be expected. Reference: Richard A Shweder. Thinking through cultures – Expeditions in cultural psychology John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen . Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition James W. Stigler, Richard A. Shweder, Gilbert Herdt. Cultural Psychology- Essays on comparative human development. Lumei Hui. (2003)Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross-Cultural Psychology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition

Reasearch metods

Your mission is to apply tools of financial analysis to determine the major causes of Grant's financial problems. If you had been performing this analysis contemporaneously with the release of publicly reported information, when would you have become skeptical of the ability of Grant to continue as a viable going concern? One of the major causes of Grant's financial problem, Is regarding the credit extension and credit terms.These credit terms let consumers only pay $1 for their minimum monthly payments, regardless of the total amount of purchases. This caused Grant to obtain a short-term loan of $600 million to cover the credit of consumer purchases. Another major cause of Grant's financial problem, would be the new product line that he wanted to Implement and It being eliminated from the stores. In addition, numerous stores were also closing which diminished their revenues and chances In reaping the benefit of opening new stores to accommodate the middle-income consumers.From the p ublicly reported Information, I would have become skeptical of the ability f Grant to continue as a viable concern when he Implemented the new strategy of credit extension. The new strategy put W. T. Grant In a position to procure finances from several different banks to absorb the credit from purchases. With the short- term loan not being significant enough to overcome those events, the company had to close a number of stores that were not profitable. The short-term debt Increased almost $20,000 from 1966 to 1967 because of the credit extension to customers and not collecting accounts receivable.Even with the customer Installment receivable Increasing from 1967 to 1968 by almost $30,000, the credit Limit for customer purchases were not being paid fully so the company had to take out more short-term loans. They also had to pull the strategy of Introducing a new product line, which Included furniture and private-brand appliances. The closing of numerous stores would also bring a subs tantial loss of $177 million and a decreases In credit operations accounting. Another problem of Grant continuing as a viable going concern would be the ability for Grant to pay for merchandise.Having a problem tit paying for merchandise will also show a tremendous loss In sales and revenue. This can be seen In the Income statement from sales Increasing, but the net Income decreasing every year since 1972 and having a negative value of 177,340 In year 1975. The retained earnings can also show that In year 1975 the decrease was over $200,000. Research methods By bladderwort One of the major causes of Grant's financial problem, is regarding the credit the new product line that he wanted to implement and it being eliminated from the revenues and chances in reaping the benefit of opening new stores to accommodateFrom the publicly reported information, I would have become skeptical of the ability of Grant to continue as a viable concern when he implemented the new strategy of credit exte nsion. The new strategy put W. T. Grant in a position to procure finances to close a number of stores that were not profitable. The short-term debt increased not collecting accounts receivable. Even with the customer installment receivable increasing from 1967 to 1968 by almost $30,000, the credit limit for customer loans. They also had to pull the strategy of introducing a new product line, which included furniture and private-brand appliances.The closing of numerous stores would also bring a substantial loss of $177 million and a decreases in credit concern would be the ability for Grant to pay for merchandise. Having a problem with paying for merchandise will also show a tremendous loss in sales and revenue. This can be seen in the income statement from sales increasing, but the net income decreasing every year since 1972 and having a negative value of 177,340 in year 1975. The retained earnings can also show that in year 1975 the decrease was over

North American Studies - Borders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

North American Studies - Borders - Essay Example Ed Tom Bell, Anton Chighur and Llewelyn Moss are the three central characters upon which the events of the story revolve. The three characters present the first feature of border fiction in McCarthy’s story. The first is Sheriff Ed, the existentially bemused man. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell tries to make sense of the mayhem that originates from his square presence in the corridor of cross-border drug trade. The other character is a Vietnam vet called Llewellyn Moss. Moss skirts between amorality and morality. He is the first to appear at the novel scene by first taking advantage of valuables he tumbles across in his hunting escapades. Upon returning home with the collected $2 million, Moss goes back to the wilderness to offer help to the wounded man he had left pleading for water (Sanborn, 2009). The chase for Moss begins here and the rest of the book centers on his search and pursuit. The third character in the novel is Anton Chirugh, a ruthless murderer whose actions are motivated b y a mixture of probabilistic chance and psychotic fury. Upon the chase of Moss, the novel tests the moral sense of all the people involved in Moss’ life. The borderline between the United States becomes a mere symbol of sovereignty discontinuation. The principles and values of living within the two countries become merged and seems one in the novel. There is no much distinction in character traits of the people involved in the story. Moss becomes increasingly desperate as the drug barons intensify his search. He senses that the rugged, tough life he experienced during the Vietnamese war might not be sufficient o see him through the pursuit of the drug masters (Worthington, 2009). His wife, Carla Jean, is torn between her desire to protect her husband and loyalty to him and her vague sense that her husband might have been overpowered and outwitted. Although the thought of Chirugh outmatching her husband was still alien to her, Cara becomes intense at the thought of the indiscr iminate killings and decisions of one’s fate by the toss of a coin in the event that he could find her husband. She also gets weary that Sheriff Ed had become incessantly appalled at the depravity and started to feel pained helplessness (King, Rick & Jim, 2010). Sheriff Ed Bell continually meets actions or circumstances on part of other characters that serve to upend or underline his moral sense. This alternately narrates and soliloquizes the story and themes without clear construction and pattern. No Country for Old Men portrays more than just borderline of sovereignties between Mexico and United States. The narrative tells of the stereotype of traditional western hero in Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. The novel says much of the life of the Sheriff in the West. He says he was a sheriff of the United States at the age of 25 years. He says, contrary to what many people would think that his father too was in the same line of profession, Sheriff Ed’s father and grandfather were law yers. In this part of the novel, the Sheriff acknowledges that he is part of tradition, the tradition of lawmen in his family. Through the Sheriff, the author brings about three significant changes in community perspectives. First, 1980s saw a change of Western frontier from a traditional view as the Wild West to a tamed modern West where power was no longer fought for by angry tycoons, was settled and populated, and legal order was already established. Secondly,

Reasons to Attend to University of the Arts in London Essay

Reasons to Attend to University of the Arts in London - Essay Example This institution (UAL) is not only one of the strongest school for art in UK but also the life in the nation especially in London and it is an ideal complementary to education.   In fact, London is considered as one of the most creative capitals in the entire world. The capital is renowned for its exhibition spaces that are of artistic runs, galleries, museums, landmarks of international standards, as well as rich history (UAL Para 1). The location is near perfect to be considered as a world class learning environment. I think it will help me in the development of my art skills. Furthermore, I feel settled in my choice of course, as well as, the institution since it is evident that the institution has significantly helped its students in achieving their dreams. Moreover, there are wide ranges of opportunities for development through their programs (UAL Para 2). I hope studying this course can improve myself and in my future career. Apparently, this learning institution has the larg est network for creativity in the globe. For an instant, the Alumni Association amounts to approximately 200,000 alumni inclusive of its former staff in about 148 countries. Moreover, they are also partnered and affiliated with agencies all over the world. In turn, it enables the institution and its stakeholders to share its passion for arts (UAL Para 3). I have not yet really known what I am choosing to do in the future but I am absolutely certain that I like design and architecture. However, my choice for settling for design and architecture is driven by several factors. The perception out there is that architecture is viewed as a life style and not a job besides individuals having respect for architects. Architects are perceived to be responsible and ethical since they often endeavor to make informed decision even if it is to their detriment. Besides, the tasks involved in architecture have been constantly evolving with time (Henderson 19).   Interestingly, the career is also c haracterized by longevity since individual have the leverage of practicing the profession for as long as they desire. In addition, a career in this field enables individuals to positively impact on the lives of individuals. This is because it tends to be rewarding when an individual has the leverage of developing a relationship with the client. If I pronounce that I have a particular design that affects me then it will be a white lie. In fact, I do not know of any architectural design that influences me. However, there are two type of architect design I have developed a liking for. They are green building and postmodernism. Green building (or green construction) is referred to the structure and the utilization of processes that are not only resource efficient but also environmentally responsible in the entire lifestyle of a building. It encompasses balancing the construction of a structure and ensuring that the processes are environmentally sustainable (Henderson 23). On the other h and, postmodernism architecture is a type of architecture that began in the mid 20th century but picked up in the 70s and has continued to influence architecture to the present day (Jencks 55).

Family concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family concept - Essay Example Even today, a large number of sick people choose to recuperate from their illnesses at home. It is only when they develop severe symptoms that they feel compelled to visit hospitals. According to Berbiglia (2011) only 5% of all the elderly people are permanent members of institutions. Families are also in the best position to nurse their sick. This is because most people live with at least one family member. This means that family members are in the best position to provide care since there is no cost involved. Families readily accept responsibilities for realizing the self-care of different family members who may fall ill (Casida, Peters and Magnan, 2009). Governmental as well as non-governmental organizations also realize the significance of families in dispensing healthcare services as they often invest resources in them that allow for the family members to be able to conduct self-care responsibilities. A family in any community is responsible for supplying its individual members with certain resources that are necessary for healthy living such as security, clothing, food, shelter, and the right to medical care. Additionally, family-centered health care is based on the notion that the family is the sick person’s main source of support as well as strength. ... Is it the most helpful concept for considering family in nursing practice? Why? Nurses can utilize family strengths as a basic system to encourage the formation of healthy and strong relationships between family care takers and patients. Some of the strong family –related attributes include appreciation and affection, communication, strong spiritual counseling and support, and psychological support when dealing with mental or physical illnesses. With these types of family strengths, nurses can assist a family’s members to identify their hopes and visions for the future and concentrate on them instead of pondering over the issues that likely led to family problems (Casida, Peters and Magnan, 2009). Orem’s theory of self care is a theory that addresses the different types of care that can be provided for a sick person by his or her family. Which of the theories presented in your readings this week is conducive to your area of practice and why? There are three syste ms that are found in the Orem theory: the compensatory structure, in which the nurse is completely in charge of all the care activities associated with the patient, the partial compensatory model, where the patient is able to be responsible for self-administering some care options, and the educative-development model, in which the whole responsibility of overseeing care options falls on the patient and the nurse merely acts in the capacity of a consultant. In Orem's theory of nursing, the family is conceptualized from three perspectives: a) as a dynamic that conditions a person's need for care and capacity to provide care for him or herself b) as a dependent unit of care c) as a service unit. In this theory, nurses recognize that the

Qualitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Qualitative Research - Essay Example In most cases, qualitative research depends on small samples or focus groups. One of the most important elements of a growing and sustainable economy is by far the definition of its healthcare system among other important aspects. The purpose of this study is to reveal the missing link in the US healthcare system, which makes the status of the country to paradoxically perform poorly despite massive economic muscle. Among the best run healthcare systems in the world today, it has been demonstrated that the financial element of the industry implicates the type of service provided. It therefore implies that the financial and economic decisions made by the government and policy makers determine the level of quality in the service provision. In this study, the American healthcare system is considered in determining why it is among the most expensive in the world yet the quality of delivery is negatively related to this financial fact (Chantrill, 2011). The significance of this study is to demonstrate that the quality of healthcare provision is determined by a combination of healthcare decision making stakeholders in a balanced input. Without inclusion of the right contributors in the decision making, huge industries as the US healthcare system are deemed faulty and ironically incompetently run. The reason for using qualitative approach in definition of the research problem is in the need to give an answer to the question; why the American healthcare case can be likened to deficiency amidst plenty. The qualitative resolution to this case rolls back on the quality of comprehensive decision and policy making (Johnson, 2010). Qualitative methodology of choice in the study was case study comparisons for simple indicators of performance and the state of healthcare in the UK and in the US. The choice of these two countries was perhaps arrived at due to the many aspects of excellent standards in

Mobilising Creativity and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Mobilising Creativity and Innovation - Essay Example 1996). In my previous work experience, I was a support worker in customer service, handling customer orders and fielding customer complaints. My domain-relevant skills were proficiency in utilising the electronic computer systems at the firm and excellence at understanding the procurement process along the value chain. In the creative process, I was able to draw on these talents and knowledge bases to come up with innovative service solutions. In this organisation, the service team was not provided with a well-developed training model illustrating best practices for handling customer support issues. Hence, the management team relied on our own creative ideas to ensure that customer’s perceived a rapid response, quality of service, and ability to fulfil their service needs. When first working within the organisation, I was substantially motivated through intrinsic factors, with a genuine enjoyment for the work and the challenge of dealing with diverse and sometimes difficult customer segments. However, over time, with a track record of providing creative solutions to customers, my motivation for creative output began to deteriorate and I was unable to come up with imaginative solutions in difficult service situations. The problem was that I was receiving no external accolades for superior performance and a track record of customer satisfaction. Careful self-reflection indicated a substantial problem: I was heavily reliant on extrinsic motivators to remain motivated toward the creative task in the long-term. The organisation maintained a social norm where it was commonplace for managers to criticise new ideas and there were ample political problems throughout the organisational model, which was identified by Woodman, Sawyer and Griffin (1993) as being barriers to the creative process. However, having been initially motivated intrinsically, I should have been able to overcome these social and organizational-environmental problems

Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Death - Essay Example The hospitals and health care systems have become such an all-encompassing establishment that â€Å"personally witnessed death has become an uncommon event in many Western countries† (Aiken, 2001, p.6). This phenomenon has been viewed as an attempt to â€Å"deny the reality of death† (Aiken, 2001, p.6). All the same, media, especially visual media have been showing vivid pictures and scenes of death so enthusiastically that death has become a daily affair for the viewers (Aiken, 2001, p.6). In this way, death has become a fearsome taboo as well as an enjoyable spectacle, on two extremes of our modern times. In medical terms, it can be said that: When the body dies, cells in the higher brain centers, which are very susceptible to oxygen deprivation, die first. This usually occurs between 5 to 10 min after the supply of oxygen is cut off. Next to die are the cells in the lower brain centers, including those in the medulla oblongata, which is the regulator of respiration, heartbeat and other vital reflexes (Aiken, 2001, p.7). There are other perspectives on death as described by different branches of human thought.

Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final - Assignment Example These children are aged from kindergarten to the fifth grade and are hence divided accordingly into three different groups, (kindergarten and first, second and third, and the fourth and fifth grades). Both the school and the program is largely white, with one of the larger Jewish populations in San Diego being represented. As reported before, the program, unlike the one at Cadman is not structured with a formalistic rigor and hence children can leave at their convenience, and not at the end of the day. In fact, over the duration of my visit, there was a constant stream of parents arriving to pick up their children. As there are three different age groups to deal with, the program tries to use distinct areas within the school for each of the groups. The school auditorium is used as the homework area for the first group [K/1], whereas the cafeteria and school library serve as the homework rooms for the second [2/3] and third [4/5] groups respectively. Besides, the auditorium also serve s as the main activity and meeting room for the entire program, and access to the library’s computers are provided during library and club activity time. Other outside activities are conducted in the school’s playground. ... Next, the groups split and are lead out for different fitness activities, which typically last for about half an hour. The emphasis here seems to be on teamwork, but I perceived that it involved a lot of standing around, especially when the children had to wait their turn at certain games. This could be eliminated by increasing the number of games or by decreasing the size of the groups. In case of a difficulty in doing either, the time allotted to the different groups could differ based on their age differences. After the fitness workouts, the children prepare for snack. Preparation entails a proper cleaning of hands. All snacks are provided by SAY, and are healthy choices that consist of a full serving from at least two of the food groups. After snack, the children prepare for homework time, which seems to be the main focus of the program. Every child in the program is guaranteed thirty minutes of homework time, with a minimum of two teachers present to help tutor each group. The s chedule provides for an hour of homework time, especially for students with tough or lengthy assignments. Children who have finished their homework are allowed to have free play time on the school playground. This is done to ensure that children with difficult or longer assignments get adequate attention. The ratio for the program entails a maximum of 14 students to each supervising teacher. This ratio is not much different from the maximum of 12 in the Cadman program. Considering that the Cadman program requires more guidance and observation, the ratio is very good at Phoebe. As mentioned earlier, the children leave at different times. Hence, after the scheduled homework hour, children still attending the program will work on an art program. This

The Major Competitors for the Digital Television Communication Case Study

The Major Competitors for the Digital Television Communication - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that the rapid advancement of the communication technology is bringing a number of advantages to the users of the improved technology. One of such advanced development is the digital television. While the consumers generally recognize the benefits of the advanced technology, they are also aware of the complexities and other disadvantages of the intrusion and other anti-social incidents. The major objective of technology today is to align itself with the preferences of the consumers as to the ways in which they would like to enjoy their leisure time. This is becoming increasingly important as the customers depend on the improvements in technology for their day to day needs. In this context, the Digital Television technology is offering a wide range of benefits to the consumers. At the same time, the technology is not left without competition both in terms of the hardware and also from other kinds of service providers in the visual communicat ion media. The three different digital delivery platforms - terrestrial, cable and satellite - have operated as a potential hindrance to the growth of the digital TV market in the UK. The early market entrants have created proprietary systems that have affected the growth of the digital TV. "The competition between the satellite and terrestrial platforms is such that set-top boxes are now being provided free to digital subscribers." However out of this IPTV is not likely to pose any stiff competition presently to Digital TV despite the support from the service providers. "IPTV is primarily a defensive move by the major service providers rolling out services. While they have the potential to generate additional revenues for operators, the key driver of deployment - in the short-term at least - will be improving customer loyalty and adding greater depth to the services provided to consumers over ADSL networks." (CBR) But in future, this particular segment is sure to act as a major com petitor for digital TV. Â  Personal Video Recorder (PVR): Â  Being an additional service offered by the Pay-TV operators the penetration level of PVR is not that significant in the UK context. Since PVR represents a time-shifted viewing this segment may develop into a powerful competitor in the future as in the US already 18 percent of the households were having a PVR at the end of 2006 through the development in Europe is not that significant which remained at 2 percent of the household having a PVR. High Definition TV: Even though there is no potential threat of competition from the HD TV presently due to lack of HD programming in the UK the likelihood of this segment becoming a major development in the digital technology area is imminent. The promotion of free set-top boxes from the Pay TV operators has seriously affected the integration of the digital TV market. On the service side, there are various service providers providing different forms of services to attract the consum ers. Â  'Freeview' has an important role to play in the Television market offering over 40 channels delivering digital television through a standard antenna. All entertainment avenues in the form of music, news, sport, and films are available free to the customers and Freeview is in hot demand with 'no price' as its selling point. "Sky provides a service for which people are willing to pay. Its base package alone provides a far greater choice than its free competitor, while those who wish to broaden this foundation are free to select from packages that will deliver everything from the latest blockbusters to live premiership football.

Nursing Education and Competency Essay Example for Free

Nursing Education and Competency Essay Nursing Education and Competency The purpose of this paper is to explore the different paths of education to become a registered nurse. Specially, to examine the educational tracks of the Associate Degree nurse and the Baccalaureate Degree nurse. The question at hand is how do these educational paths differ in the level of competency? First, I will show the difference in educational structure and then examine how these relate to the competency of the nurse following completion of each program. The Associate Degree in nursing came about during the 1950s in an effort to combat a nursing shortage in the Unites States following World War II. An Associate Degree nursing program is a two-year program that is typically affordable and offered at a junior or community college. The focus of this program is â€Å"on the basic sciences and theoretical and clinical courses related to the practice of nursing† (Potter Perry, 2005, p. 16). It prepares the student for â€Å"competent technical bedside† nursing in â€Å"secondary care settings† (Cresia Friberg, 2011, p. 33). Following completion of the two-year program, the student is eligible to take the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination) and can achieve a license as a registered nurse. The first Baccalaureate Degree in nursing was â€Å"established in the United States at the University of Minnesota in 1909† (Cresia Friberg, 2011, p. 25). It consists of a four-year program on a university or college campus with a larger financial attachment. There are typically two years of general education requirements followed by two years of upper-level nursing education courses. In addition to the basic science, theory and clinical education the program â€Å"include courses in community and public health, beginning research, management and leadership (Cherry Jacob, 2005, p. 81). It prepares the student to become a â€Å"professional nurse generalists for acute care settings, community-based practice, and beginning leadership/management positions† (Cresia Friberg, 2011, p. 33). Following the completion of the program, the student is also eligible to take the NCLEX-RN to receive licensure. Do these two years of additional education make a more competent nurse? â€Å"Over the past several years, policy makers, researchers, and practice leaders have identified that education does make a difference in how nurses practice† (Johnston, 2009). The University of Pennsylvania in an issue of Medical Care released one such  study that supports this in October, 2012 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). It states that: surgical patients in Magnet hospitals had 14% lower odds of inpatient death within 30 days and 12% lower odds of failure-to-rescue compared with patients cared for in non-Magnet hospitals. The study authors conclude that these better outcomes were attributed in large part to investments in highly qualified and educated nurses, including a higher proportion of baccalaureate prepared nurses. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012) The current healthcare environment is changing through federal policy, technological advancements, and a growing global multicultural population. These additional years of education are believed to â€Å"enhance the students professional development, prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice, and provides the nurse with a better understanding of the cultural, political, economic, and social issues that affect patients and influence† (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). The four-year baccalaureate program offers more education to develop these skills giving the nurse the ability to adapt and contribute to these continual changes. Let us now use the following patient care situation of a newly diagnosed patient with Diabetes Mellitus Type II to explore the differences of an Associate Degree nurse (ADN) and Baccalaureate Degree nurse (BNS). A newly diagnosed diabetic needs teaching, the focus of this example will be on how the AND verses a BSN would approach teaching. As stated previously the ADN is prepared at a more technical level, although they share the same basic science and theory as a BSN. After explaining the basics of disease process to the patient, the ADN primary focus may be on the methods of testing blood glucose levels, the correct techniques for drawing up insulin and administration. This is due to the fact that the bulk of their educational training encompassed technical nursing. They would consider proper aseptic techniques for finger stick testing while teaching. Interrupting the results and applying it to a sliding scale of insulin related to food intake and activity. Then teaching the method of drawing up insulin, administration, and sharps disposal. A BSN nurse would teach the basics of the disease process taking the patient’s learning modality into consideration before starting. What is the patient’s ability to learn? Is the patient ready to learn? What is the best method for teaching (audio, visual, written material, or discussion)? What is the  family dynamic and should the family be involved in the teaching? Are there any cultural considerations? The BSN nurse might be inclined to research the topic of teaching new diabetics and find some current evidence based literature to assist in providing the best possible care for this patient. All of these items would have to be taken into consideration before moving onto the task of blood glucose testing, interpreting results and administering insulin. The example above is just a brief look into the thought process that comes with the different tracks of nursing education. A BNS nurse has a larger knowledge base to work from applying critical thinking, evidence based research and cultural consideration into their daily practice. They also possess some of the qualifications to move toward nursing positions in leadership and management. Research is leaning toward the idea that a nurse that has received a Baccalaureate Degree makes for a more competent nurse. National nursing associations support this thought. Policy makers are privy to this information as well. What seems to be a topic of debate now could soon become a reality and change how we educate future nurses. References American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2012, October 24). The impact of education on nursing practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education. Cherry, B., Jacob, S. R. (2005). Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, and Management (3 rd ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier, Inc. Cresia, J. L., Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice, (5 th ed.). http://dx.doi.org/. Johnston, K. A. (2009). The Importance of Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Education. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from http://www.peoriamagazines.com/ibi/2009/apr/importance-baccalaureate-degree-nursing-education Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G. (2005). Fundementals of Nursing (6 th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby, Inc.

Factors That Influence Consumer Behaviour Patterns

Factors That Influence Consumer Behaviour Patterns Introduction Consumer behaviour is a complicated and diverse area of study. Since marketing is based on identifying, anticipating and providing customer needs it is important to understand them. There are two predominant types of buying: consumer buying, which consists of buying products for personal use, and organisational buying, which involves buying for organisational purposes. For marketers to satisfy consumer needs more fully than competitors it is important to recognise the elements that influence buying. This report will identify the main factors influencing consumer behaviour patterns, particularly when purchasing fashion items. It will examine how buyer characteristics influence buyer behaviour and also how retailers react to such characteristics. In particular this report will look at the cultural factors, demographic factors and psychological factors that influence consumer buying. Contents 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Methodology 2 3.0 Cultural Factors 3 3.1 Reference groups 4 3.2 Sub-culture 5 3.3 Social class 6 4.0 Demographical Factors 7 4.1 The Life Cycle Stage 8 5.0 Psychological Factors 9 5.1 Lifestyle Variables 10 5.2 Perception and Motivation 11 5.3 Personality 12 6.0 Market Segmentation, Target Marketing and Product Positioning 13 7.0 Conclusion 14 8.0 Appendix 1 15, 16 8.1 Appendix 2 17 8.2 Appendix 3 18 9.0 References 19 10.0 Bibliography 20 2.0 Methodology All research undertaken for this was is secondary. It was conducted between the dates of Monday 16th February 2004 and Thursday 11th March 2004. The main research databases used were: Mintel Emerald The main books used were: Lancaster, G, Massingham, L, and Ashford, R (2002). Essentials of Marketing: Understanding the Behaviour of Customers. 4th edition. McGraw-Hill Education. Chisnall, P (1975). Marketing: A Behavioural Analysis. 1st edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK) Limited. Williams, K (1981). Behavioural Aspects of Marketing. 1st edition. Butterworth Heinemann. The Internet and databases used were accessed privately and also from the University of East London library, Docklands campus. Books were borrowed from this library as well. 3.0 Cultural Factors Culture affects consumer behaviour in a variety of ways. It relates to customs and beliefs that are learned from the society in which an individual grows up. Culture is a huge area of study that often has unclear boundaries and fluctuates in degree of influencing consumers. Aspects of our socio-culture, such as sub-culture, social class and reference groups play different roles in influencing consumers. A common pattern of behaviour can be observed within groups. Cultural change occurs at a very slow pace and can be seen to marketers as threats or opportunities. Cultural elements that influence consumer behaviour can also be said to be environmental influences. 3.1 Reference groups A reference group is one that the individual tends to use as the anchor point for evaluating his/her own beliefs and attitudes, (American Marketing Association, 2004) There are many different types of reference groups, which may have a direct or an indirect influence on attitudes, behaviour and self-image. Primary reference groups are those that an individual has continuous contact with, they may consist of family, friends, colleagues etc, and they hold the strongest influence over the individual. In secondary reference groups the individual has less contact, such as an activities club, but still feels pressure to conform. Aspirational groups have the least contact with the individual, but the individual still strives to become similar. Celebrity endorsements could be said to be aspirational groups. Regardless as to whether an individual is, or seeks to become a member of a particular group, the group can still influence the individuals values, attitudes and behavioural patterns. The influence a reference group holds on an individual can be seen as positive, negative or both. A good example of primary reference groups is the street gangs in Manchester. Moran (2004) writes of the gangs of youths in which members must dress according to the code of their gang. The gangs can be identified through wearing hooded tops, bandanas, balaclavas and gold chains. However, the Manchester Magistrates Court has banned four members of a gang from wearing hooded tops, bandanas and balaclavas in an attempt to make them look less threatening and dilute the gang dress codes. Members and individuals who are influenced by the gangs are in an attempt to conform, more likely purchase items of clothing such as hooded tops and bandanas. Figure 1 demonstrates the appearance of a typical gang member. Sub-culture A sub-culture could be defined as a group of individuals whose beliefs, values and behaviour differ from that of the predominant culture. There are many different sub cultures that are often referred to as segments. Some examples of subcultures include: nationality groups, religious groups, geographic groups and age groups. Sub-culture plays an important part to marketers because of their influence on brands and types of product and services demanded by their members. Chisnall (1975) p.98. Mintel (2003) reports of an emerging fashionable youth sub-culture, in which extreme sports is the focal point. This culture is rebelling away from long working hours and heavy television watching lifestyle. In this alternative culture the interest and participation of extreme sports has merged with music and clothing. A strong emphasis of this culture can be seen through clothing and footwear in particular. Baggy clothing is a dominant dress code. (See figure 2) Mintel estimates that consumers spent  £4.5 billion on extreme sports goods in 2003, an increase of 29% on 1998. (See appendix 1, figure 3) Mintel also reports that levels of disposable incomes have influenced the rise in extreme sports. Between 1998 and 2003 disposable incomes have increased by 21%. (See appendix 1, figure 4) korn 3.3 Social Class Within every society there exists a class structure. This refers to individuals who share certain similar characteristics, such as occupation, socialisation, education and income. The rigidity of the class structure varies greatly in different societies. England could be said to have an open society, within which it is easy to move from one class to another. However, less developed countries such as Cambodia, where there is very little chance of social mobility, could be said to be a closed society. Since members from the same social class have alike characteristics they will also exhibit a similar pattern of behaviour. Social class plays a very big role in consumer behaviour. It can influence where an individual shops, such as market stalls, shopping malls or online, when and how often an individual shops, such as every day, weekly or monthly and what an individual shops for. The National Readership Survey has determined a popular and effective classification of social groups. (See appendix 2, figure 5). Williams, T (2002) examines consumer behaviour in relation to social class. In a study involving 612 respondents it was found that income doesnt have a direct relationship with class because there are huge overlaps between incomes of different classes. For example a doctor earning  £30,000 a year would be middle class while a brick layer earning  £50,000 a year would remain working class. However it was found that income does influence consumer behaviour within the context of social class. It was also found that education has a large bearing on consumer information processing and decision-making. More educated consumers; such as university graduates tend to be knowledgeable of market forces and opportunities than the school leaver. They read more, read different magazines, spend less time watching television, rely less on well know brands and put more time and effort into purchasing decisions. Varying levels of knowledge and comprehension lead to different behavioural patterns in decision making processes. 4.0 Demographical Factors Demographic elements, such as: age, sex, income, education and occupation are all individual factors that can significantly affect consumer behaviour. These elements influence the type of product an individual may want, where the individual may shop and also the purchase evaluation process. Demographic variables are some of the major factors targeted in market segmentation. As an individuals stage of life progresses, so the will needs and wants of a product. To help marketers make a clearer distinction between demographic groups for market segmentation classification bases have been developed. A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods (ACORN) is a popular geo-demographic technique used as a segmentation base. ACORN maps geographically the concentrations of a particular type of individual and can be useful for helping marketers decide upon store locations and targeting direct mailing. The American Marketing Association (2004) looks at of the spending habits amongst teenagers. From surveys carried out in America its said that increasing amounts of teenagers are trying to look more trendy and fashionable. As a result they are becoming more responsive to marketing and spending more money than ever on clothing. American youths aged 12 19 spent $175 billion in 2003 on clothes, which is an increase of $20 from 2000. Marketers have become aware of how impressionable teenagers are. They have reacted by segmenting the youth and marketing directly to them. Shops such as Urban Outfitters target the youth market by watching their choices carefully to set the trends. 4.1 The Life Cycle Stage An individual goes through various stages throughout their life. Each stage of life will affect what the consumer needs and wants, the purchase evaluation process and volumes of expenditure. Consumer behaviour of a single individual will vary greatly for that of an individual who is married with children. For a marketer to successfully target a market it is important to identify the main stages in an individuals life. Lansing, J and Morgan, J (1955) have devised a popular and successful break down of the life cycle of families. Each stage influences consumer behaviour in a different way. The stages are as follows: Bachelor stage; young single people. Newly married couples; young, no children. The full nest 1; young married couple with dependent children. The full nest 2; older married couples with dependent children. The empty nest; older married couples with no children living with them. The solitary survivor; older single people. Mintel (2001) reports that the greatest time of expenditure for a women in the AB social grade is during the bachelor stage. During this period 56% of women spent more than  £500 on clothes in a year. However, during the newly married couples, full nest 1 and full nest 2 periods the percentage of women that spends  £500 a year on clothes decreases to 35%. This percentage increases at the empty nest stage to 46%. (See appendix 3, figure 6) 5.0 Psychological Factors Psychological factors are related to perceptions, motivations, attitudes and personality of a consumer. These are all individual elements that can affect consumer behaviour. Although demographical research and the life cycle stage help to classify and quantify consumers it is necessary to have a broader view, which will help to explain how life patterns influence purchasing decisions. Psychographics are usually based on demographic information as well as ratings of consumers activities, interests and opinions. Williams, K (1981) pg.91 5.1 Lifestyle Variables Lifestyles and patterns have strong influences on consumer behaviour. Figure 7 illustrates the main factors that form a lifestyle. 5.2 Perception and Motivation Perception relates to an individuals interpretation of a product and company. An individual will subconsciously select and organise information presented by a company. As well as direct experience of sensory data, perception is also influenced by learning, attitudes and past experiences. It is important for a marketer to convey good brand awareness. Maslow recognises that people have varying needs and if the need is intense then they are motivated to purchase the goods that will satisfy it. To illustrated this a hierarchy of needs has been created. Lancaster, G, Massingham, L, and Ashford, R (2002) pg. 80. Goldsmiths, R (2002) examines the personal characteristics of frequent buyers. From a survey involving 533 consumers a link was found between that of frequent clothing buyers and similar psychological and motivational traits. The survey concluded that frequent clothing buyers were more likely to buy fashion items and were more susceptible to marketing efforts. Personality The subject of personality is a very complicated area. There are many variables that must be taken into account when trying to obtain a comprehensive view of a personality. This makes it difficult for marketers to understand the link personality has with consumer behaviour. Williams, K (1981) pg.133. 6.0 Market Segmentation, Target Marketing and Product Positioning. For a marketer to satisfy customer needs efficiently and lucratively, understanding consumer behaviour is essential. Research into consumer behaviour has allowed the marketer to create target groups of people with common interests, values, beliefs and patterns of behaviour. Once a market segment has been identified, marketers can research the target market more thoroughly and the marketing mix, product, price, promotion and place can be adjusted to ensure the product position is correct. Batista (2004) reports of the clothing manufacturer Benetton who plans to weave radio frequency ID chips into its garments to track its clothes worldwide. Having the ability to track a customer would give the company extremely detailed information on customer buying habits. Benetton would then have a much better understanding of their target market, and be able to manipulate elements of the marketing mix, such as price, product, place and promotion for effectively. The clothing manufacturer Prada already embeds RFID chips into its clothes. 7.0 Conclusion To conclude it is evident that consumer behaviour, in relation to buyer fashion items, is influenced by a huge array of factors. To grasp a more complete and accurate understanding consumer behaviour needs to be examined more thoroughly. This report has identified the basic factors that influence consumer, including: culture, socio-culture, demographical, and psychological variables. Designers and retailers react to such behavioural characteristics by trying to break down and identify what causes them. It is important to investigate whether consumers can be grouped by similar patterns of behaviour. Once a market has been segmented through geographic, demographic, psychological, psychographic and socio-cultural variables the retailer can focus a particular product to a particular type of person. The marketing mix is used to manipulate the product, place, price and promotion. Examples of retailers aiming at different segments of the market include Gucci and TopShop. While Gucci captures a more wealthy, professional and elite market, TopShop aims at a much larger and more varied market.

Sociology Essays Researcher Power Relations

Sociology Essays Researcher Power Relations How do power relations challenge us to re-think the issue of dialogue in research, ethicsand critical urban ethnography? Sociological research is not theclearly defined process that the textbooks would have us believe. It can be amessy business and is fraught with pitfalls so the researcher needs to beflexible in his/her approach to the project. Power relationships emerge as anissue right from the beginning. There are the power relations contained within social institutions and in personal relationships. The relationship between theresearcher and the researched is generally thought of as one of unequal powerrelations where the researcher is the custodian of expertise concerning themeaning of a research subjects experiences. The balance of power may not,however, be in the researchers hands at the beginning of a project, if theresearcher needs to gain access to a setting then he/she may be subject to thewhims of gatekeepers. Gatekeepers have the power to say no the researchersrequest and if you do manage to gain entry it is often at the end of a longslow process. Lofland and Lofland (1984) say that feelings of anxiety when aresearcher first encounters gate keepers, is not unusual because they hold thereins of power. Bogdan and Taylor (1984) write about problems with gatekeepers.They argue that there are those professionals in charge of establishments suchas retirement homes or womens refuges, who exercise their power by monitoringwho should and should not visit. In this way they retain control of the spaceoccupied by the people they care for and in controlling their space alsocontrol the influences of and within that space. Giddens 2001 has argued that thechanges in modern society have, in their turn, brought vast changes to the waywe live our lives: The development ofmodern cities has had an enormous impact, not only on habits and modes ofbehaviour, but on patterns of thought and feeling. >From the time whenlarge urban agglomerations first formed, in the eighteenth century, views aboutthe effects of cities on social life have been polarized (Giddens,2001:573). Hammersley (2000) has argued that social research cannot be understood outside of the social world that itstudies. It does not exist in some autonomous realm, but affects, and isaffected by other factors in society. Beginning with a brief explanation of keyterms this paper will give a brief description of the long and hotly contesteddebate that frames the quantitative/qualitative divide within researchdiscourse. This should demonstrate that even before a researcher frames aresearch question they have to contend with the powerful discourse that says social research should be undertaken in a scientific manner if it is to producemeaningful data. The paper will examine the question of how power relationschallenge us to re-think the issue of dialogue in research, ethics and criticalurban ethnography. The main focus with regard to how knowledge is acquired, andhow, like research, it is intimately connected with relations of power, will beon feminist work. The final part of the paper will d eal with power relations,dialogue and ethics in the context of critical urban ethnography. Epistemology An epistemological concern is onethat raises the question of what might be regarded as acceptable knowledge in adiscipline. Central to this point is whether it is feasible to study the socialworld in the same way and using the same principles as science (Bryman, 2004).Research undertaken in this way is generally associated with a positivistparadigm of research. Positivism Positivism is most closelyassociated with the work of Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim. Positivism is anepistemological standpoint that argues for the application of the scientificmethod to the social world. It is usually (though not always) associated withquantitative research and the collection of statistics. Positivism is,therefore, very closely associated with the scientific method which, looselyput, is based around the laws of cause and effect. Bryman (2004) identifies theaspects of positivism in the following ways, only those things that we canobserve through our senses can really be known. Theory (speculations about whatmight be the case) is used to generate hypotheses (general statements) that canbe tested and from which laws can be derived. The hypothesis is subjected toquestions e.g. who, what, when, where and data gathered either throughinterviews, observation, or using existing data such as crime statistics. Ifthe findings confirm the hypothesis then laws are derived, if not then the hypothesishas to be modified. This process continues until a suitable conclusion isreached that confirms the modified hypothesis. Positivists state that sciencemust be objective and value free (Bryman, A. 2004).Durkheim argued that in order to be scientific and to obtain objectiveknowledge, social facts should be counted as things, and that allpreconceptions must be eradicated (Durkheim, E, 1938:31).Scientific statements should be the interest of the scientist because they arethe only statements that can be confirmed by the senses i.e. science proceedsthrough observable, repeatable experiments.. It is this form of research in particularthat feminists have dubbed malestream research (Abbott and Wallace,1997) they argue that: Many malestream sociologistsare resistant to the view that there is a need for a reconceptualisation.Nevertheless, this is the position that w accept and while we recognise thatthis is an uphill struggle we think that it is a necessary one if we are toachieve an adequate sociology (Abbott and Wallace, 1997:13). Interpretivism This is the opposite view topositivism where a research strategy is needed that respects the fact thatthere is a difference between the physical world and people. The scientificmethods that are used to study the physical world may not be appropriate tostudying the social world where the sociologist is trying to understand the meaningsthat people give to their actions. Interpretivists most often use qualitativeresearch methods consisting of unstructured interviews and participantobservation. Positivists criticise research data gained in this way asunscientific and subjective. They argue that the findings from such research donot have the same validity or reliability as data collected in a scientificmanner (Bryman, 2004). Researchers who use qualitative methods tend to maketheir research process as transparent as possible and will often ask theirresearch subjects to check the findings to see whether they are an accuraterepresentation of the persons life. Both types of researchers want toknow what is happening in society but interpretivists also attempt tounderstand. Weber (1947) maintained that sociology is a Science which attempts theinterpretive understanding of social action in order to arrive at a causalexplanation of its cause and effects (Weber, 1947:88). Qualitative researchers tend tomake use of unstructured interviews, case study research and participantobservation. Ethnographic methods such as in-depth interviews and prolongedparticipant observation are also favoured methods. These last tend to be usedmore often by those who are engaged in critical research. Hammersley (1992)criticises the use of ethnographic methods because he believes that this typeof research is less able to produce data that will result in useful theoreticalinsights. Participant observation is regarded by positivists as unscientificand not rigorous enough they regard it as subjective. Hammersley (1992) hasargued that because ethnographers can produce different accounts of the samesetting then the results of such research might be said to reflect a purelypersonal perspective rather than a scientific and reliable account.Yet anothercriticism of this type of method is that the ensuing account is the result ofhighly selective methods of data collection (Hammersley , 1992). This isarguably a nonsensical criticism as all research is the result of a set ofselection processes. The researcher constantly has to decide what is the bestway of collecting the information that will answer the research question. Thishappens in what is regarded as scientific and value free social research justas much as it does in social research that does not claim to be objective andvalue free. All researchers, as Gouldner (1971) points out have to make choicesabout their domain of enquiry i.e. when, where, how, and from whom they aregoing to obtain their data. There is a clear difference betweenscience and the scientific method and the methods that are needed toinvestigate the social world. For human beings, human action is meaningful andthey act on the basis of that meaning. The sociologists job is to interpretthe social world from the research subjects point of view. What this means isthat far from research being objective and knowledge being objective and valuefree, they are in fact marked by the stamp of their producers. Marx recognisedthis in his analysis of capitalism and feminists have recognised this in theiranalysis of patriarchy and of an epistemological stance that bears the stampand is endowed with the power of the white western male. Thus power relationsare evident even before we begin on the actual research process. Knowledge and Power The rationalistattitudes towards knowledge that developed during the Enlightenment remaineddominant until well into the nineteenth century. They were, as many feministshave argued (Abbott and Wallace, 1997), a powerful force in determining whatconstituted knowledge and have had considerable effect on the structures ofmodern society. A similar critique of knowledge has also been mounted by theFrench philosopher Michel Foucault (1966). The work ofthinkers such as Nietzsche (1886) and Foucault (1966) has emphasised the factthat knowledge is intimately tied to structures of power and domination.Foucault argues that it is power which produces and sustains knowledge.Anything that contradicts the authorised view of what counts as knowledge isseen as deviant and transgressional. Thus, he argues, Power isthat which says no. Any confrontation with power thus conceived appears only astransgression (1966: 53). Feministcriticisms of knowledge and the way that knowledge is produced are aconfrontation with power and authority. The tendency of many thinkers toneglect class, race, gender, and economic factors contributes to the exclusionof oppressed and marginal viewpoints thus further reinforcing bothuniversalistic and objective models of knowledge and the power structures associatedwith this view. Foucault has argued that the enlightenment model of scientificreason only existed through the will to objectify and dominate. For Foucault,this kind of knowledge is inseparable from the desire for power. He argues thatresearch into criminality or mental illness is often undertaken for the expresspurposes of legislation, and not for a desire for improvement in these areas(1966). These critiques of the structures of power have meant thatepistemological questions are now a central issue within contemporary culture(Lennon and Whitford, 1994). The writings of Marx (1970), Foucault (1966), andmembers of t he Frankfurt school (and in a different context liberationtheologians) emphasise the fact knowledge claims are a reflection of theinterests of those with economic power. More recently, black scholars andscholars from the third world have also indicated the Eurocentric and racistnature of most knowledge production (Lennon and Whitford, 1994). The separationof fact from value in knowledge production is not appropriate, that is to sayknowledge is not objective and neutral. Rather, knowledge bears the stamp ofits producers and is affected by their value systems. It is through thisunderstanding that feminist and other forms of critical research developed. Critical Research Carspecken(1996) maintains that critical research is aimed at exposing the powerrelationships at work in society particularly as they relate to social inequalities. The researcher studies this from the viewpoint of the oppressedin the hope of achieving social change. Critical research is informed by thecritical theory of the Frankfurt School. Critical social research does not fitwell into either the positivist camp or the interpretive one but embraces allthose approaches which tend to criticise society (in terms of its powerrelationships for example) in order to transform it. Hammersley (1995) hasargued that the growing influence of qualitative research and most particularlyof the type of research that is critical of power structures and of theinequalities that exist within society has meant that increasingly the basisfor seeing social research as scientific has been undermined. Harvey (1990) hassaid of critical research that: critiqueis an integral part of the processA critical research process involves morethan appending critique to an accumulation of fact or theory gathered throughsome mechanical process, rather it denies the objective status of knowledge (Harvey,1990 quoted in Haralambos et al, 2000:982). Knowledge inthese terms is a process that is never finished because the social world isconstantly changing. Knowledge is inseparable from the values of the socialcontext in which it emerged, the research participants, and most importantly,the researcher. The knowers always affect what is known as Ely et al (1996)argue: Researchlike all other knowing, is a transactional process the knower and the knownboth act upon each other (Ely, et al, 1996:196 ibid.). Criticalresearch is primarily concerned with uncovering oppression and oppressivestructures and by that action transforming them. By uncovering these structureswithin social accounts the critical researcher can then link these with widersocial processes and structures. Thus Oakleys analysis of housework and howwomen bear the brunt of it links back to industrialisation and the rise ofcapitalism and womens removal from the public world of work to the privatesphere of the home, this also links with the growth of patriarchal oppressionof women (Harvey, 1990). Thus a critical analysis such as this can uncover thebasis of some of the power relationships that exist within society andeventually to change them. Harvey (1990) says of this process that it: ..involvesa constant questioning of the perspective and analysis the researcher isbuilding up. It is a process of gradually, and critically, coming to knowthrough constant reconceptualisation. This means that the selection of a coreconcept for analysis is not a once and for all affair (Harvey, 1990:30). Harvey (1990)maintains that critical research does not depend on any one method becauseresearchers may often use a variety of methods in ensuring that they have madethe connections with wider social processes such as the structures of power,and also to increase the reliability of their findings. Feminist research alsooperates by the use of a number of different research methods, feminists are moreconcerned with improving womens lives and with the non-exploitation of thosewho are researched, than they are with the commitment to any one set of methods.Some (primarily male) researchers argue against feminist research because theysay that it is subjective and partisan. They argue that research should neverbe partisan and that it is impossible for everyone to be equally free, theremust always be some hierarchy. Thus Geuss (1981) contends that: It seems unrealistic underpresent conditions of human life to assume that any and every preference humanagents might have can be satisfied, or to assume that all conflict between thepreferences of different agents will be peacefully and rationally resolved.Some frustration-even some imposed frustration-of some human preferences mustbe legitimate and unexceptionable (Guess, 1981:16). Presumably thelegitimate and unexceptionable preferences are the prerogative of the male, whofor centuries has had some much power over womens lives. It is this kind ofpower that feminists are keen to expose, they are also concerned about thepower relationships which exist between the researcher and the researched, andwhich have sometimes been exploited by (male) researchers. In view of this somefeminists argue that participatory research, where the researcher and theresearched work together on a project, should be a defining feature of feministresearch. Abbott and Wallace (1997) argue however, that this is not often donebecause, it is notpossible for the researcher to share her knowledge and expertise, and to implythat she is sharing them conceals a power relationship rather than overcomingit (Abbott and Wallace, 1997:288). Feminists who douse these methods argue that participatory research not only gives women a moreactive role in knowledge production but further increases the validity of theresearch findings. McGuire (1987), has this to say Participatoryresearch proposes returning to ordinary people the power to participate inknowledge creation, the power that results from such creation, and the power toutilize knowledge (Maguire, 1987:39). Even this statement isproblematic because the researcher has at least some training in how researchmight be said to proceed and this is not easily passed on to those who are nottrained (Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Mies, 1983 has this to say: the study of an oppressivereality is not carried out by experts but by the objects of the oppression.People who were before objects of research become subjects of their ownresearch and action. This implies that scientists who participate in this studyof the conditions of oppression must give their research tools to the people (Mies,1983:16). Shared experiences, it might beargued, help to balance out the power relationships that feminists such asAbbott and Wallace (1997) contend, inevitably exist between a researcher andthose who are researched. One way in which the researcher may try to lessen thepower differential is through self-disclosure. Thus recovering alcoholics whoare researching alcohol misuse or women who have survived domestic violenceinterviewing women who are being abused would make the interviewee aware of thefact. While it maybe impossible to do away with the power differentialaltogether, it does make it less problematic. Ann Oakley (1982) has writtenthat, the goal of finding outabout people through interviewing is best achieved when the relationship ofinterviewer and interviewee is non- hierarchical and when the interviewer isprepared to invest his or her own personal identity in the relationship (Oakley,1982:41). This power differential thatexists in the research relationship may also colour what is found because datais never free of the influence of the person who gathered it. Carspecken (1996)believes that although critical researchers may have a value commitment that isnot to say that the research needs to be biased providing it is systematic andcareful. Stanley and Wise have this to say, .the recognition that whoa researcher is, in terms of their sex, race, class, and sexuality, affectswhat they find in research and is as true of feminists as of any other researchers(Stanley and Wise, 1993:228). This power differential willalso affect, and may distort the dialogue between the researcher and theresearched. Abbott and Wallace (1997) argue that because the researcher willnecessarily involve herself with the women she is studying then she needs to beaware of this. Constant reflexivity is required if the research is to beconsidered valid. The researcher must be aware that because she is a part ofwhat is going on this inevitably affects what is going on and there needs to bea continual taking stock of how personal values, attitudes and perceptions areinfluencing the research process. A feministinterviewing women is by definition both inside the culture andparticipating in that which she is observingpersonal involvement is morethan dangerous bias it is the condition under which people come to know eachother and to admit others into their lives (Oakley,1982:58). Aronson (1992) has pointedout that the ethnographic interview is a common method of gathering data inqualitative research. Interviewing is also a method which is favoured byfeminist researchers (Oakley, 1982; Stanley and Wise, 1993). The interviewprocess should be such that women feel at ease and can relate their experiencesas they see them. The interviewer should encourage the participation of theinterviewee, the aim of which is to conduct research with women rather than onwomen. In this way it is thought that a fuller picture of womens experiencesemerges (Oakley, 1981 et al). Carspecken (1996) argues that one way ofminimising any distortions that may arise due to the power differential betweenresearcher and researched is to check out your findings with the researchparticipants. Differences may also arise here if the dialogue between theresearcher and the research participants has been awkward or untruthful in anyway there may be objections when the participant sees what has been wr itten.Seeing this distorted dialogue in print may increase any feelings ofpowerlessness that the participant might have and thus renegotiating thedialogue may prove difficult. Ethics At the very least ethics areconcerned with protecting the anonymity of those who are participating in theresearch. This is vital if for example the participants are women who haveexperienced rape or domestic abuse as any such exposure of their true identitycould put them at further risk. Many researchers, not just feministresearchers, also regard the use of non-sexist language as an ethicalprinciple. Sexist language is exclusionary and denotes the power relationshipsthat have for centuries existed in patriarchal society. Relationships that arein some way based on power are prone distortions in communication and it is upto the critical researcher to be aware of these sources of distortion as amatter of ethical principle. Carpecken (1996) thus believes that researchersshould: Establish supportive,non-authoritarian relationships with the participants in your study. Activelyencourage them to question your own perceptions. Be sure that participants areprotected from any harm that your study could produce, and be sure that theyknow they are protected (Carpecken, 1996:90). There isconsiderable contemporary debate about what constitutes ethical research. Thisis particularly the case with sensitive areas and with feminist methodologies(Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Feminist researchers are concerned with the ideathat the people who are the major part of many research undertakings should notbe exploited. As I have stated previously, feminist researchers are concernedwith the researched. Relationships between researchers and their human subjectsare often continued long after work in the field has finished (Ely et al,1996). The majority of feminists are conscious that the research relationshipis a two-way process. Researchlike all other knowing, is a transactional process the knower and the knownboth act upon each other (Ely, et al, 1996:196 ibid.). Many feministsregard it as crucially important that women who are more oppressed andmarginalised than they themselves are given a voice for their experiences. Theyargue that some, (predominantly male) researchers have used respondents asobjects to be worked on (Reinharz, 1983; Abbott and Wallace, 1997). In manycases there is no further contact with the people they have worked with oncethe research process is finished. Feminists have said that this kind of researchis conducted on a rape model. The researcherstake, hit, and run, with a total disregard for the needs of the researched.They intrude into their subjects privacy, disrupt their perceptions, utilisefalse pretences, manipulate the relationships, and give little or nothing inreturn. When the needs of the researchers are satisfied, they break off contactwith the subjects (Reinharz, 1983:80). The issue of giving oppressed andmarginalised women a voice has been identified by black feminists, as anethical matter. This is because black womens voices are the most marginal ofall womens voices in the academy, and the current educational systemreinforces the values and culture of the dominant classes, thereby ensuringtheir continued domination and the covert exercise of power (Hill-Collins, P,1990). In view of these ethical questions, many feminists are conscious of theneed to put something back in, whether by the payment of a fee, or ofcontributing to work in the community. More recently however ethical questionshave also concerned researcher safety. Is it ethical to allow a lone (possiblyfemale) researcher to venture into settings where the power relationships thatpertain in such a setting may put that researcher at risk. Power and ethics areclosely entertwined. Covert participant observation (whereby the researcherdoes not disclose their true role and reasons for being in the setting) isoften regarded as unethical and a misuse of researcher power becauseparticipants are not given the chance to give their informed consent to the research.It is also regarded as privacy violation (Bryman, 2004). Thus the powerrelationships that are, or might be at work in the research relationship needto be acknowledged at all stages of the research process and before decisionsabout how the research is undertaken are formalised. Research, particularly qualitative research is not just composed of a setof facts drawn from a number of suitably phrased questions. It is madeup of all the seemingly unrelated bits and pieces that are part of humanrelationships (Ely et al, 1996). Critical Urban Research The most famous urban research is that of the Chicago school in the 1920sand 30s. Robert Park was the central figure here and his main concerns werewith the effects of social and cultural forces on human nature. Park and hiscolleagues recognised two levels of behaviour the biotic and the cultural. Thebiotic level concerned mechanisms of survival and competition and the culturalwas concerned with how the human subject was constituted (Dickens, 1990). Urbanresearch is concerned with how the city influences those who inhabit it and howit shapes their lives. Giddens has argued that the space people occupy has tobe taken into account when studying social life because social interaction isnot aspatial, it has to take place somewhere. This somewhere Giddens designatesa locale. Localesrange from a room in a house, or street corner, the shopfloor of a factory,towns and cities to the territorially demarcated areas occupied by regionstates. But they are typically internally regionalised (Giddens, 1984). The Chicago school was highly influential on the way in which streetsociety was studied. Jacobs (1961) undertook what became a classical study ofGreenwich Village when she studied the everyday behaviour and relationships ofpeople on the sidewalk. In the nineteen-ninetees Duneier (1999) wanted todiscover how sidewalk life had changed in the intervening years. He studied thelife of pan handlers and street vendors to see whether and in what ways itscharacter might have changed. Duneier started out as a voyeur and customer at abookstall in Greenwich Village and it was there that he noticed the tenor ofsidewalk life. His primary informant was the bookseller who at first wasreluctant to take part in the research. When he eventually wrote up hisfindings and submitted the manuscript for publication he was not comfortableeven though he had invited his informant to read the manuscript and comment onit. He eventually co-opted the informant to co-teach with him about life on thestreet for a Blac k American. Duneier believed that not only would this adjustthe imbalance in power relationships in research more adequately but thatstudent feedback and comments on the course might allow him to remedy anyshortcomings of the original research. Duneier had faced a number of challenges during the course of researchsuch as gaining access to the culture and the confidence of those who lived andworked on the streets. He had trouble fitting in because of the obvious powerdifferentials of class and race as well as the inequality of the researchrelationship (adapted from Giddens, 2001 pps 652-655). Duneiers researchparticipants were among the least powerful of society. The way in which modernsocieties operate what Giddens (2001) has called a geography of centrality andmarginality where affluence and abject poverty co-exist made the lives ofDuneiers research participants unliveable. He was worried whether he wasimposing an agenda on his research participants that would make their liveseven more problematic. What Duneiers research revealed was that the socialresearcher has to take account of the wider social context and processes ofwhich he/she is a themselves a part. Mac an Ghaills critical ethnography ofheterosexual and homosexual young men also tries to reduce the powerdifferential between researcher and research participants and to be as open andethically aware as possible though collaboration, reciprocity and reflexivity(Haralambos et al, 2000). Conclusion This paper has examined how power relationships in research impact at alllevels of the research process and affect the dialogue between the researcherand the research participants and the ethical considerations that are part ofsocial research. It has also attempted to show how these processes can severelyaffect the undertaking of critical urban ethnography. Duneiers work inparticular demonstrates how power relationships operate at all levels inresearch and how decisions that have been made (for example the changinggeography of the urban environment) which neither the researcher nor researchparticipants have any control over can affect the outcomes of the research anda researchers own sense of his personal ethical commitment to the people whomay have participated in the research. There are a number of reasons why thisis important. Those scholars who are critical of this type of research oftenfail to acknowledge that the scientific paradigm is also beset with these kindsof issues and p roblems but fails to take them into account. This is what Popper(1992) called the theory of demarcation whereby any variables that do not fitwith the theory are ruled out of the equation. Duneier and others explicitrecounting of the problematic nature of undertaking social research thatcontributes to knowledge, is committed to social transformation, and at thesame time is aware the pitfalls that can occur when researching the lives ofthose who are already disenfranchised by society. There may never be a completeanswer to addressing the issue of power relationships in social research but Iwould wish to argue that the researcher who neglects the fact that such thingsexist and influence all research is failing to give an accurate account of thesocial reality that he/she is investigating. 5000 words Bibliography Abbott, P andWallace, C (1997) An Introduction to Sociology, Feminist Perspectives Routledge,London. Aronson, J. (1992). Theinterface of family therapy and a juvenile arbitration and mediation program,.Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, FortLauderdale, FL . Bilton, T. etal, 1996. Introductory Sociology, London, Macmillan (Ch. 13). Bogdan, R andBilklen, S (1982) Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction toTheory and Methods, Allyn and Bacon, Boston Bogdan, R andTaylor, S (1984) Introduction to Qualita

My Philosophy of Education :: Teaching Teachers Essays

My Philosophy of Education As a military wife, I have had the experience of working in several different school systems. I was a substitute teacher and a teaching assistant for four years. I started my college education right after high school. However, I halted my studies when my ex-husband and I were stationed in Germany. Soon after, my children came and consumed most of my time. If I was asked the question now about my career choice at 18, I would have to say that I am glad I got to experience the world first. I have enjoyed raising my children and working in the school system. I am now back in college after a 16-year break. I am more prepared mentally and I am focused and determined to reach my goals of becoming a teacher. I know that being a teacher is my true calling in life. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with ten different teachers. I have considered their examples to be exceptional reference material. I see things that have worked and things I can relate to. I have also seen things that didn’t work. I have been very fortunate to be able to give my profession of choice a trial run before spending this time getting prepared for a career in teaching. An eclectic approach to teaching and learning is what I would like to have in my classroom. I would draw my practices from progressivism, essentialism, existentialism and realism. I also understand that some things will work with one class but may not work well with another. I know that I will need to be flexible when working with a diverse number of individuals. With progressivism, I believe that there should be instruction where students participate in critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making. These exercises help children to survive in the real world. I think cooperative learning will teach children to work well with others but also draw off each other’s ideas. Applying essentialism in the classroom is where the basic core curriculum will come in. There will be standards that need to be met in these areas. This will be where creativity needs to be implemented to get the material that is required across to the children. I believe in time-on-task emphasis as well as modeling appropriate behavior.

The Theme of Masks :: essays research papers

Have you ever worn a mask before? Maybe the mask wasn't a costume mask, but it was a mask to make you seem happy, or seem cool, or anything that made you feel like something than you are not normally. Chances are you have. Trying to fit in with the crowd, a mask is used to obtain the things we cannot reach on our own. Masks are especially common today because of the pressures to belong to the 'in'; group, or the pressures to succeed. Books, using masks, commonly show the many connotations of masks. They are used to find out what people are for real, on the inside of the mask. The imagery of masks is used throughout the book of Twelfth Night. Shakespeare uses the imagery of masks to reveal characters true emotions and to express the power of raw beauty. Shakespeare uses this imagery through all of his characters in the play, but especially the two characters of Viola and Feste. The perfect example of the use of the masking imagery can be seen through Feste. Acting as a wiseman and not the fool, Feste shows the development of masks. Feste tries to 'conceal [him] for what [he] is';(1.2) because he knows that if the people knew that he was a wiseman, than he would not be called upon to sing his songs, symbols of what is right. Also, the people would not come to him for the advice he gives them in his songs and speeches. This is a strong example of masking imagery because it shows of what the character might be like without his mask, and what he might be treated as if he wasn't the fool. In the play, full of masking imagery, Feste shows his many personalities. He shows the 'devil man';(4.2) in himself when talking to Malvolio. This is shown as a mask to the audience because it shows that not only is Feste a wiseman and a fool, but he is also a mean and tricky person. This shows that the masks of Feste are shown in many different cases, causing them to be very w ell developed. Feste's masks tend to show what everyone wants at that time. Feste acts as 'an ass';(5.1) for his friends. Pleasing the people, the masks show that Feste can be more liked and more used for all purposes. But the identity of Feste can always be revealed through eyes.

The Real Monster in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Who is the Tr

Frankenstein is a classic horror novel, but with a twist of many other genres. Written by Mary Shelley, it was a novel which mixed many exciting elements, such as horror, drama and romance. The story follows a young doctor named Victor Frankenstein, who has an obsession to reincarnate the dead, but his attempts at this fail horribly, and Victor finds himself in deep peril, as the monster stalks him throughout the world. I aim to investigate the issue, however, of who is the true monster in Frankenstein. The monster or Frankenstein himself? Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein, was a highly intellectual and creative woman, one of the elite writers in Britain. Her inspiration for Frankenstein was taken from several things. The plan itself for Frankenstein was taken from a dream, but her theories of life and explanation of the human anatomy came from noted scientists, philosophers and alchemists from Europe. This spawned the seed of the monster of Frankenstein, an intellectual creature, a lover of music, poetry and other such sophisticated occupancies. The basis of the whole story in itself, however, is a result of a visit to the country and place where the actual book was based in itself. In the summer of 1816, nineteen-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover, the poet Percy Shelley (whom she married later that year), visited the poet Lord Byron at his villa beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Normally, poor weather conditions would entreat them to go into the house, where they would often entertain each other with a volume of ghost stories Lord Byron held in his possession. . One particularly stormy evening, Byron challenged his guests to each write one themselves. Mary's story, inspired by... ... the monster with less than basic human emotions; he spurned it, and hoped never to see it again. This is an extremely irresponsible decision. It is evident that Frankenstein did not realize that, even though his â€Å"specimen† was defective on the outside, it was still a living, breathing, thinking being. A being which needed love, care and tutoring. In his misguided and blind attempts to cheat death, Frankenstein has in fact brought death on others, which is a despicable act. Some may argue that Frankenstein had no choice, but I believe that is inaccurate. He had a choice. He could have stayed, tutored the monster, and tutor it as an equal, in matters of logic and science, and given it as normal a life as it could have. Or, he could have chosen the path that he did, that path Mary Shelley laid out for this book, one which inevitably led to pain and chaos.

The Earth

1.   Generally, atmosphere layers are hot if they contain gases that absorb some of the light that penetrates to that depth. Transparent layers are cool. The temperature of a layer is generally found by the balance between absorption of solar radiation (heating) and the emission of radiation (cooling). A planet reaches a temperature at which there is a balance between absorption of solar radiation and the emission of infrared radiation by the planet’s surface.The material in the atmosphere, which absorbs solar radiation most actively in ozone. Ozone absorbs electromagnetic waves in the ultra-violet wavelength band. It mainly resides in the stratosphere. Nevertheless, emission and absorption of terrestrial radiation occur at any levels, and the amounts are larger as temperature is higher. Absorption of solar radiation, on the other hand, is mostly limited to the ozone layer. Therefore, resulting equilibrium temperature is high in the ozone layer and low elsewhere.The part of solar radiation that transmit through the ozone layer, though somewhat absorbed in atmospheric constituents and clouds, mostly arrives at the surface (of sea and land) and is absorbed there. In the troposphere, the atmosphere tend to lose energy by radiation alone, but it is compensated by the energy transfer from the surface by means of vertical motion of air (i.e. by convection), and relatively high temperature is maintained. The vertical distribution of temperature in the troposphere is essentially determined as the result of convection.The atmosphere emits terrestrial radiation downward as well as upward. Therefore, terrestrial radiation from the atmosphere arrives at the surface in addition to solar radiation transmitted through the atmosphere. The atmosphere, containing water vapor and carbon dioxide, also absorbs a large part of terrestrial radiation emitted by the surface. The surface air temperature in reality (approximately 287 K) is significantly higher than the temperatu re of the radiation emitted by the earth to space (255 K), because of the effect of the atmosphere absorbing and re-emitting terrestrial radiation. Stratospheric cooling and tropospheric warming are intimately connected, not only through radiative processes, but also through dynamical processes, such as the formation, propagation and absorption of planetary waves. At present not all causes of the observed stratospheric cooling are completely understood.2.   The Earth’s rotational axis is inclined 23.5 degrees from the perpendicular to the plane of the Earth’s orbit. The orientation of the Earth’s axis relative to the Sun and its rays changes continuously as our planet speeds along its orbital path. Twice a year the Earth’s axis is positioned perpendicular to the Sun’s rays, when all places on Earth except the poles experience equal periods of daylight and darkness. These times are the equinoxes, the first days of spring and fall, and they occur o n or about March 21 and September 23, respectively. The Earth’s rotational axis is positioned at the greatest angle from its perpendicular equinox orientation to the Sun’s rays on the solstices – on or about June 21 and December 21.As the Earth orbits the Sun, the inclined axis causes the Northern Hemisphere to tilt towards the Sun for half of the year, i.e. the spring and summer seasons in North America. During this time, more than half of the Northern Hemisphere is in sunlight at any instant of time. During the other half of the year, i.e. the fall and winter seasons in North America, the axis tilts away and less than half of the Northern Hemisphere is in sunlight. The tilting of the Southern Hemisphere relative to the Sun’s rays progresses in opposite fashion, reversing its seasons relative to those in the Northern Hemisphere. The changing orientation of the Earth’s axis to the Sun’s rays determines the length of daylight and the path of the Sun as it passes through the sky at every location on Earth. The continuous change in the angular relationship between the Earth’s axis and the Sun’s rays causes the daily length of daylight to vary throughout the year everywhere on Earth except at the equator.At the equator the daily period of daylight is the same day after day. The changing path of the Sun through the sky produces over the year a cyclical variation in the amounts of solar radiation received that exhibit maximum near the equinoxes and minimum near the solstices. The relatively little variation in the amounts of solar energy received over the year produces seasons quite different from those experienced at higher latitudes. Away from the tropics, the variations in the amounts of solar radiation received over the year increase as latitude increases. The amounts of sunlight received exhibit one minimum and one maximum in their annual swings. The poles have the greatest range since the Sun is in their skies continuously for six months and then below the horizon for the other half year.All seasonal changes are driven by changes in the amount of the Sun’s energy reaching the Earth’s surface (i.e., the amount of insolation). For example, more energy leads to higher temperatures, which results in more evaporation, which produces more rain, which starts plants growing. This sequence describes spring at mid-latitudes. Since visible light is the main form of solar energy reaching Earth, day length is a reasonably accurate way to gauge the level of insolation and has long been used as a way to understand when one season stops and the next one starts.3.   Temperature is a number that is related to the average kinetic energy of the molecules of a substance. If temperature is measured in Kelvin degrees, then this number is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of the molecules. Heat is a measurement of the total energy in a substance. That total energy is made up of not only of the kinetic energies of the molecules of the substance, but total energy is also made up of the potential energies of the molecules. So, temperature is not energy. It is, though, a number that relates to one type of energy possessed by the molecules of a substance.Because adding heat energy usually results in a temperature rise, people often confuse heat and temperature. In common speech, the two terms mean the same: â€Å"I will heat it† means I will add heat; â€Å"I will warm it up† means I will increase the temperature. No one usually bothers to distinguish between these. Adding heat, however, does not always increase the temperature. For instance, when water is boiling, adding heat does not increase its temperature. This happens at the boiling temperature of every substance that can vaporize. At the boiling temperature, adding heat energy converts the liquid into a gas without raising the temperature.When energy is added to a liquid at the boilin g temperature, its converts the liquid into a gas at the same temperature. In this case, the energy added to the liquid goes into breaking the bonds between the liquid molecules without causing the temperature to change. The same thing happens when a solid changes into liquid. For instance, ice and water can exist together at the melting temperature. Adding heat to ice-water slush will convert some of the ice to water without changing the temperature. In general, whenever there is a change of state, such as the solid-liquid or the liquid-gas transition, heat energy can be added without a temperature change. The change of state requires energy; so added energy goes into that instead of increasing the temperature.The Celsius scale has been calibrated to the physical properties of pure water. It illustrates the significance of water as physical matter in all forms. The normal freezing point of water was set as 0  °C and the normal boiling point of water was set at 100  °C.4.   I have picked following atmospheric optical effects to examine and describe.Mirages are optical phenomena produced by refraction of light rays through air layers with large temperature gradients. An inferior mirage (i.e. it appears below its actual position) occurs when the temperature initially decreases rapidly with height. Light rays from the sky moving through the layers will be refracted upward in the less dense air (i.e. bent toward the denser air) giving the appearance of a layer of water. When seen from the ground or water a superior mirage (i.e. it appears above its actual position) occurs when there is a pronounced inversion near the surface, and normally over the sea or a large body of water. A distant object within the inversion layer, even something below the horizon, will appear in the sky above its actual position – possibly totally upside down or the upper portion upside down, but certainly distorted and wavering.A rainbow is the atmospheric optical phenomenon o bserved by solar light’s being reflected and refracted by the round water drops floating in the air. Because the refraction angle varies in the wavelength of the light, rainbow seems divided into seven colors from inside blue to outer red. The observer will see this concentration of reflected light rays as an intensified colored light band. This band consists of the first reflection rays from all the raindrops which lie on the surface of a cone, subtended at the observers eye, with an angular radius of 42 ° from an axis line drawn from the sun (directly behind the observer) through the observer’s head and extended down-sun to the antisolar point i.e. below the horizon where the shadow of the observer’s head might be.The Parhelia. When ice crystals are distributed on some condition in the sky, we can observe the lumps of light like the two suns in both sides of real sun. In case that ice crystals are distributing at random, the refracted light of 22 degrees by the solar light forms the â€Å"22 degrees halo†. But when crystal distributed being their bottom plate paralleling to the ground is superior, only refracted solar light on the right and left of the sun 22 degrees apart reaches observer. These refracted lights are detected as the Parhelia. It sometimes seems that some colors are separated like a rainbow.Circumzenithal arc. Refraction through the edges of plate crystals with nearly horizontal bases may produce a circumzenithal arc which is part of a circle, possibly one third, centered directly above the observer’s head and above the sun, just outside the 46 ° halo position. The halo may also be visible. The circumzenithal arc cannot occur when the sun’s elevation exceeds 32 °.Wave clouds. When air is lofted over a mountain range, it cools, saturates and condenses a windward-side cloud. The air surmounting the summit is just about at saturation, sometimes with respect to ice and at other times with respect to water, depending on the temperature and the height of the mountain barrier. Forcing air up over the overlying atmosphere causes a spring-like rebound and so the air stream downwind from the mountain barrier often undergoes an undulatory wave-like motion. At the crest of such waves, the airmass is supersaturated and a â€Å"wave-cloud† condenses out.