Strategies to Prevent Child Injuries

Strategies to Prevent Child Injuries Table of Contents CHILDHOOD INJURIES Introduction The significance of child injury Health education strategies Strategy 1: to Educate the general public regarding risks of injury and the effective methods to avoid child injuries Strategy 2: to Develop new venues for imparting child injury awareness programs in schools, communities and professionals Strengths: Weaknesses: Social change strategies Strategy 1: Legislation and enforcement Strategy 2: modification of products Strengths: Weaknesses: Strategies that reflect either the medical, behavioral and/or empowerment Approach. Strategy 1: rehabilitation and Care Strategy 2: Health Care and Health Systems Strengths: Weaknesses: Recommendations for future health promotion Conclusion References CHILDHOOD INJURIES Introduction Urgent consideration is needed to handle the issue of child injuries over the world. There have been extensive shifts in the epidemiological examples of child demise; while incredible advancement has been made in counteracting infectious illnesses, the introduction of children and teenagers to the dangers of injury seem, by all accounts, to be increasing and will keep on doing so in the near future (Hyder, 2003). The global focus of children well being interventions’ has been on decreasing mortality of kids less than 5 years to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals. This has implied that the 5-18-year age bunch, in which injuries make up an incredible weight, has received less consideration. Without a doubt over the entire age range of children, the issue of child injuries is almost always absent from talks and is generally imperceptible in policies. In the December of 2008, WHO along with the United Nations Children’s Fund, published the first of its kind World report on child injury prevention, stressing the problem internationally (Sminkey, 2008). The significance of child injury Injury is a leading cause of death and misery among children aged one, and rises to become the main cause of demise among children in the age group of 10 to 19 years. Every year, nearly 950 000 young children less than 18 years of age die as a consequence of an injury. Almost 90% of these, i.e., around 830 000 die because of accidental injuries which is about the same count that pass away from measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus and polio consolidated (Meddings, 2011). A large portion of these accidental wounds is the aftereffect of street car accidents, drowns, burns, falls and poisoning, with the most noteworthy rates happening in low-wage and middle wage nations (Lewit Baker, 1995). The significance of child injury can be concealed by an emphasis on the significant concerns for mortality of young children who are under 5 years of age, which in many countries do not add to the injury. In fact, even in areas where deaths due to injuries are known to be under reported and child survival is decided basically by perinatal reasons, lower respiratory tract infections, measles, stomach ailments and malaria, child injury has an effect on death rates of kids under 5 years and includes a large extent of children passings after the age of 5 years (Smith Pless, 1994). In nations that have gained significant progress in wiping out or decreasing child deaths from different other reasons, nonetheless, child injury obviously arises as a major issue (Johnston, 2008). For instance, in high-salaried nations, accidental injuries represent about 40% of all young deaths, despite the fact that these nations for the most part have generously lower child injury casualty rates than low- and middle income nations. Health education strategies Instruction, development of skills and behavior modification programs for children and their parents ought to be consolidated as one part of a varied child injury avoidance system, yet ought not be utilized as stand-alone measures as there is no confirmation that this sort of project decreases risk of injury in the absence of any other safety measures. Strategy 1: to Educate the general public regarding risks of injury and the effective methods to avoid child injuries Education is an establishment to help, coach and guide parents, guardians, and organizations to settle on better decisions for childrens health and security. Formal training can prepare the general population with tools to diminish injuries to children. Also, along with increasing the knowledge aptitudes, child injury training can help parents, caregivers and the public make the fundamental moves to make more secure situations at home, at play, and even while the child is out on the roads. Knowledge about child injury avoidance can serve as a premise for enhancing safety gadgets and changing approach and practices in the communities at large. Actions that can be taken for this include- Integration of child injury prevention education into various efforts for child health promotion like- infant and early childhood programs. This can also be incorporated into maternal programs. General education to the decision makers of the society like the lawmakers, administration of the school and various business leaders should be provided about the burdens child injuries can have, the need for prevention, how it can save money and what are its health benefits publically. The knowledge imparted should be put to practice by making or strengthening associations with research organizations, individuals working in injury prevention and with all those working with children and their families directly. Textbooks, periodicals and newspapers should contain information regarding the importance of prevention of child injuries. Strategy 2: to Develop new venues for imparting child injury awareness programs in schools, communities and professionals Educational material regarding Child injury prevention should occupy an important place in educational curriculum and even in the training and practice to professionals. Prevention of Injury can be coordinated into numerous courses and settings and ought not be constrained to education on health and the promotion of safety. Education pertaining to child injury can take place in parenting classes, language training classes, vocational training, etc. to achieve this certain action can be taken like- Internship opportunities for child injury prevention can be established at agencies and other organizations are various levels –local, state and national level. Training modules on how child injury programs can be implemented should be developed. This should include evaluation, communication, risks and ways to advocate them. The internet and other technology should be used to improve the access to the training for child injury prevention. Training which pertains to child injury in fields like science, engineering, transportation and architecture should be provided. All mothers who are expecting and their families should be educated and trained in child injury and emergency response in case of an injury. Strengths: Education and training are a crosscutting strategy that can impact other facets of injury prevention. It is considered to have a more formal connection, with the plan to propel change. Child injury prevention training should be integrated into more extensive educational projects, creating powerful, instructive materials, cataloging and offering what works, and paying consideration on instructive needs and services at all levels from essential instruction to expert proceeding with training. Weaknesses: Not all people can be educated at once and this will require a continuous effort. Social change strategies Unplanned and Fast urbanization keeps on creating comps, casual urban settlements and slums, which pose as high dangers of child injuries all across the world. Motorization likewise influences child injury hazard. Streets have dependably been risky spots for children, yet the development rate of traffic, and the overall change in transport frameworks to the streets, implies that the issue is progressively squeezing (Executive summary: reducing childhood pedestrian injuries, 2002). Street injuries as of now are the main reason for death in the age group of 15–19 years and the second driving reason for death among children aged 10–14 year. Injuries and deaths from street car accidents are estimated to rise drastically over the world in the advancing decades (Chalmers, 2010). Ecological change might likewise have an effect on child injury rates. Young children can be presented to injury hazards either through an increase in extreme occasions that pose dangers straightforwardly, for example, flooding or mud streams, dry spells, rise in sea level, etc. Poor kids in low- and middle wage nations, who frequently stay in over burdened casual urban settlements or underestimated country zones, are particularly defenseless against the negative impacts of procedures, for example, urbanization, mechanization and ecological change (Gracey, 2003). These major worldwide techniques may have a huge impact on child injury study and preventive action, and child injury in a quickly changing world needs to be at the heart of future general health strategy and practice. Strategy 1: Legislation and enforcement Legislation obliging the utilization of protective equipments, for example, protective helmets, child traveler restrictions, safety belts, smoke cautions, and fencing around swimming pools can prompt expanded use of such gear and in this manner decrease the danger of injuries and their seriousness (Education and legislation are key to preventing child injuries, 2009). Compulsory standards for different products and services (e.g. Play area gear, security equipment, toys, furniture and handling) additionally indicate duty to safety for children and can decrease injury (Ramagoni, Shetty Hegde, 2007). To be successful, obviously, enactment and regulations must be implemented. As a rule the level of authorization decides the viability of these prevention measures. Strategy 2: modification of products Modification of items, for example, cooking stoves, lights, play area surfaces, furniture and decorations (e.g. Bunks, stairway railings) and adjustment of item package can act as successful prevention methods by decreasing the danger of injury, diminishing access to a risk and/or by lessening the severity of injury. The count of stairs, the direction in which windows open, and how galleries are planned are extremely critical cases (Martin, 2012). Child injuries can likewise be prevented by features, for example, low level handrails on stairs (Kim, 2008). Homes are regularly outlined with the needs of grownups as opposed to children as a top priority. Strengths: Society has a great role to play in the health of an individual. Individuals can make a great change in the degree of child injuries from trying to create a safe environment for children. Weaknesses: Increase in traffic influences how individuals use the road as pedestrians. Perhaps, the most important aspect related to child injuries is deprivation. The standard of living and the way it is distributed plays a vital role in peoples health. Strategies that reflect either the medical, behavioral and/or empowerment Approach. Safety of children as a general health concern has picked up momentum and a solid research establishment over the past decade (Child safety programs, 1982)s. To attain big gains up in the safety of children, prevention of child injuries information and practice should now be incorporated into standard child and juvenile health activities. From the health perspective of a child, this integration is vital, given the weight of child injuries. Such reconciliation is expected to overcome hindrances to kid damage aversion from the safety perspectives of children. Injury prevention must be incorporated in child wellbeing examination motivation and as a component of kid and juvenile health advancement and practice. A few steps may be taken to start this reconciliation. Strategy 1: rehabilitation and Care Improvement should me made in the quality and access of first aid and vital trauma care. Rehabilitation of the injured child is an important step to reduce the severity of injuries and their aftereffects. This will help to reduce the severity and frequency of disability related to injury and will improve outcomes for children with disability. Strategy 2: Health Care and Health Systems Medical services providers treat injuries, however, they are likewise accomplices in counteractive action through social insurance systems. While reacting to and treating injury, health care providers are basic for precisely reporting external reasons for wounds and injuries. Past the clinical setting, human health suppliers are sound promoters for child health and can encourage change in groups and families (Keyes, 1999). Strengths: Health care providers can educate and promote the prevention of child injuries, both at an individual level and at community level. Weaknesses: There are people living in the under-privileged sector who cannot reach out for the health service providers. The rate of child injuries in the poor socio economic class ig comparatively higher than the urban sector. Recommendations for future health promotion Both nonfatal and fatal injuries of children are expensive from numerous points of view. Notwithstanding the significant burden of death and handicap, injuries to children can likewise bring about generous financial expenses, including medical care facilities to the injured child and lost profitability for his or her guardians. The vision ought to be to anticipate injuries to children where they live, work, learn, play, and go by setting a national vital heading for moving from attention to the activity. This could be possible by illuminating activities cutting over all manifestations of youngster inadvertent damage and can be utilized to outline more particular activities by harm sort. this can be achieved by- Creating awareness about the degree, risks and effects of injuries in children as compared to other health issues. Drawing attention towards the ways of prevention of child injuries. Recommendations can be provided to increase the efforts for prevention of child injuries by improving data, research, education, communication and training. A plan of action should be outlined for organizing and then implementing child injury preventive actions. Conclusion Children have the privilege of health, a protected environment and protection from damage (Childrens Health And Health Care, 2007). Nations are obliged to take administrative, authoritative, social and instructive measures to guarantee the maximum extent of safety and development of the child. This commitment incorporates shielding children from injury. Unless the multi-sectoral activities depicted above are spread and executed in an auspicious way around the world, the weight of injury on childrens health and survival will rise and a percentage of the interest won through kid survival activities will be dissolved as children lose their lives and health to injury later in youth (Miller, Romano Spicer, 2000). The hindrances that at present thwart advances in prevention of child injury can be somewhat overcome by coordinating child injuries in the teenage and adult health motivation, both in arrangement and practically speaking (Alonge Hyder, 2013). On the other hand, advancement in child health will be constrained if child injuries-are not tended to methodically. References Alonge, O., Hyder, A. (2013). Reducing the global burden of childhood unintentional injuries. Archives Of Disease In Childhood, 99(1), 62-69. Chalmers, E. (2010). Review of child road injury prevention initiatives. Injury Prevention, 16(Supplement 1), A8-A9 Child safety programs. (1982). Journal Of Safety Research, 13(4), 177. Childrens Health And Health Care. (2007). Health Affairs, 26(2), 314-314. Education and legislation are key to preventing child injuries. (2009). Bulletin Of The World Health Organization, 87(5), 334-335. Executive summary: reducing childhood pedestrian injuries. (2002). Injury Prevention, 8(90001), 3i-8. Gracey, M. (2003). Child Health Implications of Worldwide Urbanization. Reviews On Environmental Health, 18(1). Hyder, A. (2003). Childhood injuries. Injury Prevention, 9(4), 292-292. Johnston, B. (2008). Child injury in the spotlight. Injury Prevention, 14(6), 345-345. Keyes, C. (1999). Communication and coordination of care among providers. International Journal For Quality In Health Care, 11(2), 169-170. Kim, K. (2008). Child Injury Prevention: Home Injuries and Bicycle Injuries. Journal Of The Korean Medical Association, 51(3), 230. Lewit, E., Baker, L. (1995). Unintentional Injuries. The Future Of Children, 5(1), 214. Martin, R. (2012). Product safetyso who is responsible?. Injury Prevention, 18(Supplement 1), A126-A126. Meddings, D. (2011). Child injury prevention and child survival. Injury Prevention, 17(3), 145-146. Miller, T., Romano, E., Spicer, R. (2000). The Cost of Childhood Unintentional Injuries and the Value of Prevention. The Future Of Children, 10(1), 137. Ramagoni, N., Shetty, Y., Hegde, A. (2007). Do Our Children Play Safe?. Journal Of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 31(3), 160-163. Sminkey, L. (2008). World report on child injury prevention. Injury Prevention, 14(1), 69-69. Smith, R., Pless, I. (1994). Preventing injuries in childhood. BMJ, 308(6940), 1312-13.

Silk - Research Method :: essays research papers

Do you know the process that goes into making silk? Many people over look this fine, luxurious garment. When I first heard that we had to do an I-search, I was overwhelmed by the choices. I made many changes before finally settling on this topic. When I first though of how to make silk, I didn't think that it would be that hard with the right tools. Although I knew that the fibers came from the silk worm's cocoon I still didn't know how they got it unraveled. I also thought that they only made silk in China. There are many things that I didn't know about making silk. When I thought of doing this topic I didn't think that it would be to easy either. I thought that I would have to go to more than one source to get the answer.I have one main goal for writing this I-search. That is because it is an assignment. If I wanted to know about this topic I wouldn't spend this much time on it.In the begging I wanted to do the topic "Is biological weapons worth the destruction that they cause on the planet?". Then I thought to myself, "There isn't a really right answer because everyone will have a different P.O.V. Now I had to come up with a better question, on that has a true answer. Then I thought to myself again, "Do you know how monorails work?". I didn't answer myself because then I would be crazy. But the first book I looked in I found the answer, so I dropped that idea. My last and final I-search topic would be, "How is silk made?". I think that that answer may be fairly easy to find, but it's a topic that interested me because my grandma has been to China and has seen that places where they (The Chinese) make the silk. She also showed me the cocoons that they take the thread from. On the first day that I started looking for the answer my English class went to the library. From there I combed the library for the answer. My first stop was an encyclopedia. The first random book that I pulled from the shelf was called Encyclopedia America. That one wasn't much help. It only told me how silk worms are cultivated. That didn't bother me much, because I was confident that I would find the answer still.

Book Review of Business Policy and Strategy: An Action Guide :: Accounting Finances Businesses Essays

Book Review of Business Policy and Strategy: An Action Guide Business Policy and Strategy: An Action Guide, by Robert Murdick, R. Carl Moor and Richard H. Eckhouse, attempts to tie together the broad policies and interrelationships that exist among the many functional areas which undergraduate students typically study. The authors intend the text to supplement the typical case book and/or computer simulations used in teaching business strategy (ix). Situational analysis is presented, as is a structure for developing strategy. Practicality and real world experience is combined with educational theory to provide as complete a picture as possible of strategy in business. The authors have divided the text into 15 chapters with no further subdivisions. It is possible, however, to group the chapters into specific areas of study. For example, the first chapter, "Business Failure -- Business Success," examines why businesses fail, and provides the reason for continuing with the remainder of the text. The next two chapters focus on the "field of action," including the business environment and the business system. The fourth and fifth chapters introduce strategic management (chapter 4) and the struggle not only to survive, but to prosper using strategic management (chapter 5). Chapters Six through Nine address specific functional areas (marketing, accounting/finance, production, and engineering/research and development). Chapters 10 and 11 introduce the reader to the problems of managing human resources (chapter 10) and data processing resources (chapter 11). The last four chapters discuss the issues involved with analyzing business situations. Multinational business analysis is the subject of chapter 12, while chapter 13 turns the reader's attention to how to conduct an industry study. Chapters 14 and 15 focus on how to analyze a case and illustrations of case analysis, respectively. The text concludes with an appendix of symbols used by those who evaluate reports and a general index to topics within the book. The authors make good and frequent use of charts, graphs, forms and other graphic techniques to illustrate their points. Each chapter concludes with a selected bibliography that the student may use for additional research. The book is printed entirely in black ink; the use of color for key concepts would have enhanced the book's value as a teaching text. Visually, the book is crowded without much white space for readers to make notes. Key concepts could also have been separated from supporting text in a more clear manner. While each chapter has a summary, they do not have an introduction or a listing of key words of concepts that the student should learn as a result of studying each chapter. Such aids would make

Disabled by Wilfred Owen Essay

When you hear ‘death’ you think of pain and suffering. The poem Disabled by Wilfred Owen shows that he regrets some major decisions he made in his very short life; such as going to war. Throughout the poem he states how much he regret going to war. He used lots of terms to describe his pain and suffering in the war and also after coming home from the war. How he is against all wars. He informs young men on how the war really is. Another source I looked at was the movie Gallipoli. The protagonist was so eager to go to war. He was so excited thinking it was going to be fun and above all he was out into the light horse category. He was constantly saying that he wanted to get home and share his experiences with his family, only little did he know that is was the last time he was going to see them. Good afternoon fellow students and Ms Dadd/Fegatilli. We have all been studying war stories for a week or two. The 2 forms of writing we have been studying are Disabled by Wilfred Owen and some of us have been studying the movie Gallipoli. The protagonist in â€Å"Disabled† speaks about how he misses all of the wonderful memories that he had only last year, before he lied his way to go to war underage to show off, only to lose limbs and become an old man who is only about 19 and has aged as though until he looks and feels elderly. He has lived in an institute for most of his life after he came back from the war. This teaches us that you must cherish what you have and not to show of how good you can be. You never know when you suddenly lose important things to you because of the decisions you have made before. Wilfred Owen uses repetition throughout the poem to try and bring these messages of regret across, such as â€Å"Now he will never feel again† and â€Å"Now, he is old; his back will never brace;† to emphasis what he will never have again and how much he has lost. Wilfred Owen sets the mood to match the theme. The theme of this poem is a look at what has become of a man who made wrong choices in life then to later regret it. In Disabled, he has used emotive language and powerful words to emphasize the theme. The second source I looked at was the movies Gallipoli. The protagonist is so keen of the idea to go to war, that he doesn’t think of how it will affect others and how it will affect himself. So he signs the form; which proudly states his is over 21. The film Gallipoli shows that men back in those days didn’t take it seriously. They thought it was all fun and games right until they were in the trenches about to shoot people or possibly even go over when they were commanded to. So as you can see, not many people made it out alive. They thought it was going to be all fun and games but they were very mistaken. So throughout this speech I have mentioned the effects that both protagonists have to deal with. Death brings pain and suffering but in this case it was the war. Thank you for listening to my speech.

Joys of Motherhood Essay

Though many themes and poignant arguments arise in Buchi Emecheta’s Joys of Motherhood, the most bold of these is the impact of colonial rule on traditional African society and its ambiguous affects thereafter. These themes specifically come about in the text as the clash between colonialists and Africans and how colonial occupation comes to alter the natural development of African cities and villages. It becomes obvious that the influences of colonial presence in Africa are and will continue to be disruptive and detrimental to the lives of Africans. Though this colonial disruption is highlighted immensely, the oppressed people continually move to sidestep the obstructions placed within their society. Even with the oppression of colonial rule upon them, Emecheta’s characters manage to create insular communities to maintain both dignity and tradition. Nnu Ego returns to her father’s house and is again married off, but this time to a fellow Ibo working in Lagos as a domestic for British colonials. The arranged marriage between Nnaife and Nnu Ego is never smooth, and indeed from her first sight of her husband on their wedding day in Lagos, Nnu Ego is disillusioned, though willing to follow custom and fulfill her duties as a wife (Emecheta, 43). Though Nnu Ego is unhappy with Nnaife’s duties as a domestic servant, she stays positive in the marriage in the hopes that her chi will bless the union by allowing her to become a mother. Though her first child dies, Nnu Ego eventually goes on to mother eight children. Despite his less than desirable position as a British domestic servant, Nnaife fully assumes his position as the male head-of-household in his home in accordance with Ibo custom (Emecheta, 47-48). As the eldest son of his family, upon his younger brother’s death, Nnaife marries his two sisters-in-law and brings one of them to Lagos and incorporates her and her children into the household with his family with Nnu Ego (Emecheta, 120). The marriage of Nnu Ego and Nnaife contain many examples of the endurance of traditional African culture throughout colonial rule. As an Ibo minority in Lagos among Yorubas and British imperialists, Nnu Ego and her family struggle and live below the poverty line. One of the main conflicts depicted for Nnu Ego, her family, and society is the navigation of the British imperialistic order. United against a common adversary, the Ibos and Yorubas in The Joys of Motherhood forge a loose knit community and rely on each other during hard times. This alliance between Ibo and Yorubas is especially apparent in the relationships between the women. For instance, as a new wife in Lagos, neighboring women show Nnu Ego the best places to market for cheap, fresh foods (Emecheta, 52). When Nnaife loses his job, the neighboring women help Nnu Ego find cigarettes and other goods to stock a roadside retail stand in order for her to earn extra money (Emecheta,103). Through these hard economic times under colonial rule, the enduring principle of African community values emerges strong as ever. The women of the town especially rely on each other when the men work away from home and during the war when many are drafted into the British army. When the British army commandeers her living quarters, Cordelia helps Nnu Ego move her children and belongings into new housing (Emecheta, 98). When Nniafe is drafted and Nnu Ego is unable to read his letters, Mama Abby helps to read the letters and deposit his allotment checks into the bank (Emecheta, 149-150). Though these allotment checks from the British are extremely useful in caring for the household, Nnu Ego is working constantly and not knowing when Nnaife will return. Though it seemed that colonialism provided new opportunities for the poor to improve their economic woes, would they have been as poor to begin with if colonialism was not the rule of the land? The separating aspect of taking the men from Africa was extremely detrimental not only to those left behind but also to those who go to war. Many return mentally scarred or are ostracized for their involvement with Europeans (Lunn, 45-46) Nnu Ego and her fellow neighbors experience the variations of a changing society but manage to do so without losing the essence of their traditions. As had become custom of imperialism, Africans suffered many hardships under colonial rule for the most part without knowing what the conflicts of the â€Å"Western powers† were about. Asks Nnu Ego of her friend, â€Å"But, Ato, on whose side are we? Are we for the Germans or the Japanese, or the other one, the British? † Ato answers back, â€Å"I think we are on the side of the British. They own Nigeria you know. † Nnu Ego responds back, â€Å"And Ibuza too? † â€Å"I don’t know about that,† Ato states (Emecheta, 98). The implication of this exchange demonstrates that while the British may have political and economic control over the country, the cultural essence of the people cannot be owned. According to Lunn, most African communities were staunch in asserting tradition and sticking to it in these colonial times, showing a strength that Europeans undoubtedly were not expecting (Lunn, 46). The Joys of Motherhood portrays a distance between the generations in the relationship between Nnu Ego and her children, and in particular, the relationship Nnu Ego has with her oldest son, Oshia. In keeping with tradtion, the family invests in Oshia by providing him with the best education, and respecting his status as an elder male, and in return he is expected to take care of the family (Emecheta, 190-191). As a product of an imperialist society, Oshia is educated in a British school system and goes abroad to college where he learns the western value of self-reliance and making his own fortune independently out in the world (Emecheta, 200-201). His selfishness is borne from two both traditional and colonial influences. The fact that he’s the first-born son grants him privileges and honor from the first day he is born along with his association with wealthy students at school teaches him to expect more from life. However, in the end it is the dissociating factor of colonialism and individualism that pulls Oshia away from his family duties. The demonstration of how Nnu Ego, Nnaife, and their neighbors maintain their traditions is embodied by the numerous celebrations they have throughout the novel. Although money and power are in short supply, the African society continues to celebrate births, homecomings, and marriages. The hosts of each party are certain to have large supplies of palm wine and food for everyone, even if they cannot afford it. Upon his mother’s death, Oshia returns to the village and throws a costly funeral celebration. The funeral puts him into debt which would take three years to pay off, but there is a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that an expected ritual has been performed to honor the dead (Emecheta, 224). The new colonial economic order impacts cultural customs is always present, though. When Nnu Ego returns to Ibuza to visit her father, she is happy and becomes comfortable with the ease of being at home and surrounded with fellow villagers (Emecheta,156). However, a grand-aunt admonishes her to return back to Lagos and not to shame the family by failing to live up to her responsibilities as wife (Emecheta, 159). In this respect, tradition is extremely limiting, in that Nnu Ego’s life and her children’s lives would be much easier in Ibuza than in Lagos. Though traditions can be limiting, especially in the case of a traditional marriage such as Nnu Ego’s, the traditional bond is what links and sustains the community in Lagos. What on the one hand undermines tradition as limiting can also be seen as the thread of continuity necessary for the cultural health and identity of people. The issues about traditions that Emecheta raises stem from the dilemma of how a society reconciles and develops when ideals between cultures clash. British colonial rule certainly made life more difficult and even began to chip away at certain norms and traditions such as familial duty and class systems. The individuality espoused by British culture was in direct violation of the Ibo culture of Nnu Ego. A certainty represented in The Joys of Motherhood is when the community and family worked together, they would thrive. The individual must look to find acceptance in ways that merge into the larger cultural community and that are mutually beneficial to the traditional culture that remained steadfast and a rock during the tumultuous days of colonial rule.

Free Education Essay

Performance of students is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. Education plays a significant role in political, economic and social realms of development. Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on the achievement in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in standard eight. This study aimed at finding out factors that contribute to poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in public day primary schools in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used and a sample of 6 head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. The study realized the following as factors contributing to poor performance in primary national examination; inadequate learning resources, inadequate monitoring by head teachers, understaffing, high teacher turnover rate, inadequate prior preparation, lack of motivation for teachers, large workload, absenteeism by both teachers and pupils, pupils lateness, lack of support from parents. The following recommendations were made; more teachers to be employed to reduce workload, Ministry of Education to organize induction courses for head teachers to equip them with managerial skills, parents to be educated on the importance of basic education for their children, mode of rewarding teachers to be established. The study is expected to give insight reference to policy makers, scholars and researchers in order to improve the weak areas. Key terms: Examination, Factors, Performance, Primary Schools 1. Introduction The development of the education sector has been a long standing objective of the Government of Kenya since independence in 1963. Education is considered by various stakeholders and players as a basic need and a basic right. Performance ranks high on the national agenda, with educators and policymakers focusing on testing, accountability, curriculum reform, and teacher quality, school choice and related concerns. Conspicuously absent has been an examination of how school conditions affect teaching and  learning, even though extensive literature exists that links school facilities to the quality of education and to teacher morale and teacher productivity (Mark, 2003). This study documents factors in school and in the community that affects teaching and learning negatively to an extent of poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division of Maara District.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com. The introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) in January 2003, following the passing of the Children’s Act in 2001, has led to vital educational achievements. Enrolments in public schools increased significantly from 5.9 million in 2002 to 6. 9 million in 2003- a 17% increase; representing a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of 99% (102% girls and 97% boys). The Government provides funds, through both the School Instructional Management Book Account (SIMBA) and the General Purpose Account (GPA) to procure need based materials and improve on some infrastructure, thereby raising the quality of education. The Kenya’s education system is dominated by examination-oriented teaching, where passing examinations is the only benchmark for performance because there is no internal system of monitoring learning achievements at other levels within an education cycle. It is generally agreed that the most important manifestations of quality education have to do with literacy, cognitive abilities, performance and progression to higher levels of learning. There is reliance on scores and transition rates as core measures of achievement. In Kenya, examinations are generally acceptable as valid measures of achievement (Maiyo, 2009). Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in standard eight (Michael, Miguel & Rebecca, 2004). Although the government has channeled funds into basic education, performance at KCPE shows that most of the students making transition to top schools are from private schools; this creates inequality to access of opportunities to national and top performing provincial schools (Ngugi, 2007). In 2009 KCPE results out of 1374 candidates who sat for the examination in public day primary schools, none gained admission to the well endowed national schools in the country. The KCPE examination is marked out of a maximum mark of 500. Information on Table 1 shows the mean score for some schools from 2005 to 2009 in Mwimbi Division. Table 1: KCPE Mean Grades from 2005 to 2009Public Primary School 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Mutindwa 213. 24 210. 44 214. 11 200. 67 178. 75Wiru 222. 08 203. 79 219. 47 212. 04 198. 08 Ndunguri 195. 54 223. 94 213. 69 208. 41 199. 57Kirumi 228. 04 217. 17 187. 30 193. 74 200. 91 Source: DEO Maara District (2011)Results on Table1 indicate that KCPE performance in the public day primary schools is poor. Pupils may not be admitted to national schools or provincial schools with this kind of performance as it is too low. Therefore, these trends needs reversing and improve performance in national examinations by day public primary schools. 2. Statement of the Problem Performance in national examinations by day primary schools has been poor. Therefore, this study sought to establish factors that contribute to thier poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. 3. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study on factors that contribute to poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division were to:- i. Investigate the school based factors ii. Find out teacher based factors iii. Determine the community based factors iv. Establish the pupil based factors 4. Methodology. Descriptive survey design was used in conducting the study. The participants were six head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils. Questionnaires for the head teachers, teachers and pupils were used to provide the needed data. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics. 5. Results The following results were obtained from the study; 5. 1 School-Based Factors that Contribute to Poor Performance in KCPE Various school based factors were identified as contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 129 a) Commencement of Learning The time allocated for teaching and learning is a factor influencing pupils’ academic performance. There are three school terms every year with holidays in between in the months of April, August and December. The study therefore sought to find out when learning begins after a holiday. Results obtained indicate that majority of pupils (55. 5%) start learning in the second week after school opens and 43. 8% indicated that they start learning after the first week of the school term. This indicates that there is a lot of time wastage before learning begins. Eshiwani (1983) noted that most schools loose many teaching/ learning hours at the beginning of the term, this wastage leads to less work being covered and syllabi not being completed on time hence, contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. b) Adequacy of Learning Resources The adequacy and use of teaching and learning materials affects the effectiveness of a teacher’s lesson. Teaching and learning resources enhances understanding of abstract ideas and improves performance. The study sought adequacy of learning resources like text books, library books, wall maps and the exercise books. Data on Table 2 shows that text books provided in class and exercise books are adequate to but library books and wall maps are not adequate. Table 2: Adequacy of Learning Resources Learning Resource Adequate F % Inadequate F % Text Books Provided in the Class 80 54. 8 66 45. 2 Library Books 14 9. 6 132 90. 4 Wall Maps 11 7. 5 135 92. 5 Exercise Books 121 82. 9 25 17. 1 This makes learning of subjects like Social Studies very abstract to the pupils and could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. Schneider (2003) found out that school facilities have a direct effect on teaching and learning. Text books enable the pupils to follow the teacher’s sequence of presentation and aids in understanding of lessons (Ubogu, 2004). c) School Administration The quality of school administration plays a vital role in academic performance as it is concerned with pupils, teachers, rules, regulations and policies that govern the school system. In analyzing the efficiency of school administration, the following aspects were looked into: Frequency of staff meetings, frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans, adequacy of teachers’ prior preparation, frequency of class observation by the head teacher.i. Frequency of Staff Meetings in a Term Data obtained shows that majority of the respondents (64. 7%) indicated that staff meetings are held twice a term, 19. 6% indicated once only in a term and 15. 7% indicated that they hold staff meetings more than twice in a term. Few staff meetings may lead to less co-ordination of curriculum implementation. Findings by Kathuri (1986) asserted that the first aspect of administration is staff meetings as they facilitate co-ordination of various activities in the school. This implies that there was less monitoring and reporting of the progress of the schools activities to the teachers and this could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Schemes of work The responsibility of checking the professional documents like teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans lies in the hands of the head teacher. This may be done in person or he may delegate to the deputy head teacher or the senior teacher. Preparation and use of schemes of work by the teachers enhances sequential teaching and results to improved achievement. The frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work was therefore looked into and allhead teachers (100%) indicated that they randomly check the teachers’ schemes of work only once a term. This reflects that head teachers do not do any follow up on curriculum implementation during the course of the term. Checking of teachers schemes of work should be done frequently to allow the head teacher monitor curriculum implementation. Lack of this close monitoring could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com iii. Frequency of Checking the Teachers’ Lessons Plans Teachers’ lesson plan is a professional document prepared by teachers for the purpose of presentation of a lesson. The teacher indicates whether the lesson has been taught and objectives achieved; if the lesson is not taught, then the teacher indicates the reason why and when he intends to cover it; if the lesson objectives are not achieved, the teacher plans for remedial lesson in order to make the concept understood by the pupils. Table 3: Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Lesson Plans Number of Times Percent Once a month 83. 3 Once a term 16. 7 Total 100. 0. Information on Table 3 shows that majority of the head teachers (83. 3%) check teachers lesson plans once a month and 16. 7% indicated that they are checked once a term. Head teachers should monitor lesson plan preparation frequently; otherwise it may lead to poor performance by in national examinations. iv. Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation Adequate prior preparation before a teacher goes to class leads to good performance by the pupils. This promotes sequential presentation of concepts by the teacher to the learners. Information on Table 4, head teachers indicate that teachers’ prior preparation is fair (66.7%). Table 4: The Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation This is an indication that head teachers are not satisfied with the teachers’ prior preparation. Always, prior preparation by the teachers leads to systematic delivery of concepts to pupils and enhances performance. Therefore, teachers prior preparation was not sufficient and could be a factor leading to poor performance by the pupils. v. Observation of Classes by Head teachers One of the roles of the head teacher is to carry out internal supervision of curriculum implementation in his/her school. This involves physical observation of teachers’ lessons in progress. Results on Table 5 shows the frequency at which the head teachers observed classes conducted by the teachers. Table 5: Observation of Classes by the Head-teachers Number of Times Percent More than twice 33. 3 Not at all 66. 7 Total 100. 0 Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) do not at all observe classes conducted by the teachers in a given term. One of the head teachers’ roles is regular class supervision in order to promote curriculum goals. Failure to do so may lead to poor performance in national examinations. d) Teacher-Based Factors. These are the factors within the teachers that could hinder or promote academic performance of pupils in their schools. The study sought to analyze the following aspects of teacher based factors: teacher commitment, teachers’ frequency of absenteeism, teachers’ motivation and teachers’ work load. i. Teacher Commitment Level Good performance is as a result of high commitment levels by the teachers. All head teachers (100%) indicated teachers’ commitment as moderate. Rating Percent Good 33. 3 Fair 66. 7 Total 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 131. No teacher was rated as having high commitment to their work. Ubogu (2004) asserts that teachers who lack enthusiasm are unable to teach effectively, making pupils not to learn well. This could be a contributing factor to poor performance by the pupils in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Absenteeism among Teachers Teachers’ rate of absenteeism was looked into and majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) rated them as moderate, while 33. 3% indicated their rate of absenteeism as low. When teachers absent themselves from school frequently, pupils go unattended and do not do well in examinations. Absenteeism by teachers reduces the amount of instructional time and this result in the syllabi not being completed. This in return results to lower output of work by the pupils (Ubogu, 2004). iii. Teachers’ Motivation Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) said that teachers were not motivated, while 33. 3% indicated they are. World Bank Report (1986) acknowledges that teacher satisfaction is generally related to achievement†¦ satisfied teachers would concentrate hence enhancing academic performance of their pupils. iv. Teacher Turn-over Rate The teacher turnover rate in the last one year was also looked into. Results obtained indicate that 50% of teachers were transferred once, 33. 3% twice and 16. 7% were transferred five times in a year. This is a factor that contributes to poor performance in examinations. According to Schneider (2003) high teacher turn over forces schools to devote attention, time and financial resources attracting replacement of teachers. v. Teachers’ Workload The number of lessons teachers take per week out of possible 40 lessons was looked into and majority of the teachers (80. 32%) had a work load of between 36 and 40 lessons, 19. 68% had lessons between 31 and 35 lessons out of a possible 40 lessons. This implies that teachers are not overloaded hence; their output in terms of national examinations performance should be good. 5. 2 Pupil-Based Factors These are the factors within the pupils that could enhance or hinder their academic performance. In the pupil based factors; the following aspects were looked into: pupils’ language use, pupils’ rate of absenteeism and pupils’ lateness to school. a) Pupils’ Language Use Data on language used by pupils in class among themselves is indicated on Table 6. Table 6: Pupils’ Language Use. Language Used F % Mother Tongue 18 35. 3 English 5 9. 8 Kiswahili 26 51. 0 English and Kiswahili 2 3. 9 Total 51 100. 0 Majority of the pupils (51%) used Kiswahili to communicate among themselves, 35. 3% use their mother tongue, 9. 8% use English, and 3. 9% use both Kiswahili and English. Pupils who interact using English language tend to understand it better and do well in examinations as all examinations are written in English language; pupils who use mother tongue for interaction are disadvantaged as they end performing poorly in examinations which are written in English. Ubogu (2004) asserts that the prevalence of the use of local language means that pupils would lack a lot of vocabularies in English, which would be needed to understand teachers’ lessons and the textbooks they read. b) Pupils’ Frequency of Absenteeism The aspect of how frequent pupils absented themselves from school was looked into and 41% indicated they moderately miss school, 29. 4% indicated their rate of absenteeism is high and 29. 4% indicated low. When pupils absent themselves from school, they tend to lose many concepts and definitely may not do well in exams.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www.ijhssnet. com 132 The effect of absenteeism and irregular school attendance is that materials taught is difficult to understand when studied on one’s own. Continued loss of classes results to loss of content and knowledge. Assignments and exercises would not be properly and correctly done leading to poor performance (Ubogu, 2004). From the analysis above, quite a number of pupils absent themselves from school and therefore this could be a factor contributing to poor performance. c) Pupils’ Lateness Information on Table 7 shows majority of teachers indicated pupils’ rate of lateness as frequent. This would definitely lead to poor performance in examinations. Table 7: Frequency of Lateness among Pupils Frequency Percent Very Frequent 31 60. 8 Not Frequent 20 39. 2 Total 51 100. 0 5. 3 Community-Based Factors Community based factors are factors within the community that impede or enhance pupils’ academic performance. In analyzing the community based factors, the following aspects were looked into; a) Parents’ Consultation with Teachers Good performance is realized when parents work in consultation with the teachers in order to understand their children better. The study therefore sought to find out how often parents consult the teachers on matters pertaining their children’s education. Data obtained indicate that majority of parents (62%) rarely consult teachers on education matters of their children, 20% indicated they sometimes consult and 8% do often consult but 10% never consulted teachers. This is an indication that most parents were not so much concerned about education of the children. Ubogu (2004) indicated that parents’ interaction with teachers enables them to know what their children are encountering in school and what could be done to deal with the problems. It would also put pupils on alert and study in school as they would know that their parents would inquire about their performance. Parents may not be able to provide much guidance and help their children’s performance improve when they are ignorant of what happens in school. b) Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Results on Table 8 shows, parents’ poor response to provision of learning materials. Table 8: Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Rating F % Good 5 10. 0 Satisfactory 17 34. 0 Poor 28 56. 0 Total 50 100. 0 Ubogu (2004) asserts that lack of basic school needs like learning materials  could not provide a stable mind and conducive environment for the pupils to study. Lack of learning materials contribute to poor performance in national examinations. c) Parents’ Willingness to Participate in School Development Results on Table 9 indicate Parents are not willingness to participate in the general school development. Schools where parents are actively involved in school development do well in exams as pupils are encouraged by both the teachers and the parents. Table 9: Parents Willingness to Participate in School Development F % Willing 2 33. 3 Not willing 4 66. 7 Total 6 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 133 d) Assistance Pupils get at Home Majority of the pupils (69. 2%) did not get assistance to do homework at home, but 30. 8% does. Those students who do not receive assistance at home to do homework end up performing poorly in national examinations. References Eshiwani, G. S. (1983). Factors Influencing Performance among Primary and Secondary School Pupils in Western Kenya Province. A policy study. Bureau of Educational Research, Kenyatta University. Kathuri, M. J. (1986). Factors that Influence the Performance of Pupils in CPE. KERA Research Report. Nairobi: Kenyatta University, Bureau of Educational Research. Maiyo. J. A. & Ashioya, L. A. (2009). Poverty Alleviation: The Educational Planning Perspective. Department of Educational Planning and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Michael, K. Miguel, E. & Rebecca, T. (2004). Incentives to Learn, BREAD working paper Number 086, Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, U. S. A. Ngugi, P. (4th January, 2007). â€Å"400,000 Assured of Places †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In the Daily Nation. Nairobi: Nation Media Group Ltd. Schneider, M. (2003). Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? Washington, D. C. :National Clearing house for Educational Facilities Strategic Public Relations and Research LTD, (2005). Review of the Status of Provision of Education to all Children in Kenya. ANPPCAN. Ubogu, R. E, (2004). The Causes of Absenteeism and Dropout among Secondary School Students in Delta Central Senatorial Districtof Delta State. Unpublished Ph. D Thesis, Delta State University, Nigeria: Abraka. World Bank. (1986). A Report on School Quality and Achievement. Washington DC: World Bank.

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Ethics - Essay Example This level of ethical expectation extends to a great litany of different areas and portends a high level of expectation for the individual educator. As such, the article that will be analyzed â€Å"teaching to the test† reveals the way in which rigid state and federal standards have encouraged many struggling school districts, and individual teachers, to attempt the unethical approach of teaching to the test as a means of passing whatever requirement might exist at the given time. Naturally, this practice in and of itself is troublesome; however, when one considers it from both the standpoint of the utility that the student gains and the ethical ramifications for how the educational process takes shape, a nuanced understanding of the impact of such an approach is able to be understood. The core ethical issue that must be understood is the fact that the educators themselves are encouraging a level of unethical behavior that is both unfair to the educational process as well as u nfair to the end student. In order to understand this unethical behavior, it is necessary to delve in to the motivating factors that encourage it take place initially. Ultimately, the educational system, as it exists today, as both state and federal standards that must be met at multiple times throughout any given school year. As such, teachers are not only required to transmit the information that they are responsible for providing to the students, they must also take a sizable chunk of their time to instruct and prepare the students for taking standardized tests that will not only rank the student as compared to the rest of the students within the state, school system, or nation, they also have a profound impact upon the overall level of school ranking and funding levels that are received in subsequent periods. As such, the overall importance of these standardized tests cannot be understated. Unfortunately, even thus far in my own professional and student development, I have seen this take place. The first time that it was evidenced to me was with regards to taking the PSATs in high school. Rather than using this opportunity to fill in the gaps of any education that the students might have missed out on, the teacher merely hurried to provide a way of what can only be described as â€Å"educated guessing†. The second time this practice was noted it was in an 8th grade classroom that I was observing. The teacher, although highly qualified spent the bulk of her time going through a standardized test and pointing out how to delineate the correct answer; rather than teaching the material and explaining what the rationale behind it was. The third time that this took place was in my final year of high school as state standards of educational attainment from K-12 were being measured. Although the senior year of high school is normally at a slower pace than the other years, the educators cut short much of the information that would otherwise have been presente d as a means of focusing on the standardized test that was of more importance to the local district and the funding levels that the educators would have to divvy up than it was to the individual students. Accordingly, as the article notes, a highly unethical practice has emerged within many of the more troubled school districts throughout the nation. In addition to not spending enough time on the subject at hand, educators throughout the system have been teaching to the test instead of