Perception on the functionality of the school library Essay

Chapter I Background of the Study A school library is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public (state) or private (fee paying) school have access to a variety of resources. The goal of the school library is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access â€Å"to books and reading, to information, and to information technology. † A school library â€Å"uses all types of media are automated, and utilize the Internet for information gathering. † School libraries are distinct from public libraries because they serve as â€Å"learner-oriented laboratories which support, extend, and individualize the school’s curriculum. A school library serves as the center and coordinating agency for all material used in the school. † Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized test scores than their peers in schools without libraries. From Alaska to North Carolina, more than 60 studies have shown clear evidence of this connection between student achievement and the presence of school libraries with qualified school library media specialists. In the Philippines there is a severe lack of public libraries. Reading programs are not enough, by themselves alone, to achieve the overall and longer-term objective of making children fall in love with reading and become regular readers for life. Read-along are great in sparking a child’s initial interest in books and reading. But something more is needed to convert that initial interest into a real love of books and a lifetime reading habit. According to experts, children need at least two other things to actually adopt such a habit: (1) As much guidance, encouragement and example as they can get from their usual role models – their parents, teachers, and older siblings — and (2) regular access to books and other reading materials. As far as I know, some of the students of DCHS are using the library for past time and group chatting not for gathering information, references, and researching their homework’s. DCHS library has a low rate of students visited every day because they think reading books is so boring. I conducted this survey to motivate the students to visit the libraries and to improve their reading and writing skills, English language arts, fine arts and etc. This survey will help us to improve the library and improve the interest of the students. Statement of the problem The main purpose of this study was determined the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library. What is the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library? Is there a significant difference in the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library in terms of : section? gender? Null Hypothesis The following null hypothesis had been formulated using 0. 05 level of the significance for the present study: There is no significant difference in the perception on the functionality of the school library in terms of section and gender. Review of Related Literature A significant number of relevant literature and related studies have been compiled in this section by the researcher to provide some general basis of the design and conduct of the study. Bosah L. Eghoso conducted a survey that studied about the Perception of the library by secondary school students in enhancing success in their examinations. After the success of his survey, Bosah found a conclusion that both private and public schools relegated the library to the background in teaching and learning in recent times. Private schools proprietors do not see for expanding their finances in libraries especially when they can make their students pass their examinations through dubious methods. Dr. Zeynep Filiz, said that every two library meet the student’s information. He conducted a survey that studied about the service quality of university: A survey amongst student at Osmangazi University and Anadolu University. A total of 400 usable responses were received. About 70% of the respondents were men and 50% of responses were from Osmangazi University. About 75% of respondents had used the library more than six times, and 51% of respondents indicated they relied on the library staff when using the library. Moreover, about 35 of respondents said they intended to use the library in the future and recommended others to use the library. Sofi Zahoor Ahmad said that more than 89% rural and 90% urban schools claim existence of a library with no standard physical requirements and specifications, She condected a survey entitled A Survey of Senior Secondary School Libraries in Jammu and Kashmir India. This give her a conclusion that 89. 55% are housed in insufficiently spaced single rooms within the schools while 5. 47% are accommodated in principal offices where students always have inhibitions to go. However, a few schools 4. 97% possess separate library blocks, though these also lack the basics of a library design. No significant difference is revealed while assessing the rural-urban statistics relating to the library housing and location. Jerome Idiegbeyan-Ose said that in Benin City, do not have a library period for the students, and as a result students can never be taught how to make use of the library. He conducted a survey entitled â€Å"A survey on the Present State of School Libraries in Benin City majority of the schools investigated†. School libraries in Imo State lack adequate accommodation, materials, and funds, as well as trained staff to manage the libraries in Imo state. These are similar to what is on ground in Benin City where unqualified staff manages the school libraries. Which revealed the various libraries’ staff strength, it can be deduced that all the libraries under investigation are understaffed; Human resources in libraries contribute to the standards of that particular library. This research revealed that all the schools visited are under stocked with library materials. A majority of the schools visited in Benin City have outdated books which are very dusty, where they existed. It is very unfortunate that most of our school libraries in Benin City are staffed by unqualified staff and non-librarians, which fall short of minimum standard of a school library. Emmanuel E. Baro said that only a few library schools offer the course information literacy as a stand-alone course in their curricula. His survey entitled â€Å"A survey of information literacy education in library schools in Africa†. Results from the study revealed that, presently, only a few library schools offer the course IL as a stand-alone course in their curricula. Many library schools have not yet incorporated â€Å"IL† as a stand-alone course in their LIS curricula; rather, it is briefly discussed as a topic in related courses. Although not all the library schools in Africa were examined due to language barrier, more than 60 library schools were investigated, among them 20 institutions were found offering IL courses or a related area. This studies the researcher compiled is related to the researchers’ studies, because it is about a survey of perception on different students towards school library. It is also about enhancing the school libraries to encourage students to visit. It is also to motivate students to make their assignment and gather information in the library because one of the most fundamental areas responsible for the dwindling educational standards and fortunes in our educational system is the area of the library education and library service utilization among students. Significance of the Study The results of this study are generally aimed at providing information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s information and knowledge-based society. The result is deemed significant to the academic community but mostly valuable to these groups of people: 1. Administration. The proposed study helps the institution to be more aware of what the students need in a library to develop and improve students learning progress. It also helps the administration to improve the library in the way the student’s needs. 2. Teachers. The proposed study helps the teachers in preparing classroom curriculum or seeking professional development resources. It also helps the teachers in their research to improve their visual aids. 3. Parents. The proposed study helps the parents to have a small library at home to improve the basic needs of their child. 4. Students. The proposed study helps the student to have very good concentration in their study. It also helps the students know the lesson in advance by searching the book in the library. CHAPTER II METHOD This chapter presents the research design, research subject, sampling method, research instrument, data gathering procedure and statistical treatment of the data. Research Design Descriptive research is a research that provides an accurate portrayal of characteristics of a particular individual, situation, or group. These studies are a means of discovering new meaning, describing what exists, determining the frequency with which something occurs, and categorizing information. May be used to reveal summary statistics by showing responses to all possible questionnaire items. It can provide leads in identifying needed changes and it may be used to explore relationships between two or more variables. In this research study, it intends to describe the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library through conducting this study and by having a survey on how useful a library is. In this study, the researcher will attempt to describe how students find the functionality of the school library behind the difference between the gender and section of the respondents. Research Subject This study gathered the percentage of students of the fourth year level of the Davao Central High School in relation with their perception on the functionality of the school library. The actual population of these students is seventy-five, due to a limited time and resources, by using the Slovin’s formula, the researcher would only take nineteen respondents from Confucius; twenty-four respondents from Mencius and twenty respondents from Lao Tzu to have a total of sixty-three respondents. Solution: n=N/-(1+Ne^2 ), where N(75) is the actual population, e is the percent error (5%) † =† â€Å"75† /-(â€Å"1+75† (? â€Å"0. 05† ? ^†2†³ ) ) =63 In table 1, it is indicated that the actual population of 75 (100%) is divided into two clusters which consists of 14 (19%) females and 9 (12%) males in Confucius; 16 (21%) females and 12 (16%) males in Mencius; 14 (19%) females and 10 (13%) males in Lao Tzu and a total of 44 (59%) females and 31 (41%) males. Using the Slovin’s formula, the number of samples decreased into 63 (100%) which now consists of 12 (19%) females and 7 (11%) males in Confucius; 14 (22%) females and 10(16%) males in Mencius; 12(19%) females and 8(13%) males in Lao Tzu and a total of 38 (60%) females and 25 (40%) males. Sampling Procedure In this research study, the researcher will use the systematic random sampling method. In systematic random sampling method, the researcher will conduct a survey through selecting sample members from the population according to a random starting point and a fixed, periodic interval. Typically, every ninth member is selected from the total population for inclusion in the sample population. The researcher chose this since that based in the researcher’s estimation, there are sixty percent in the fourth year level students are using the library every day. Thus, the researcher comes up with an idea on using the systematic random sampling method in conducting this research study. The researchers wrote all the names of the fourth year students in a paper and arranged by section. The researchers selected a number that he/she likes; and lastly the researcher selected the respondents every â€Å"ninth† of the names until he gets 63 respondents. Table 1. Distribution of Respondents Section ClustersPopulationSample Number NPercent (%)Number nPercent (%) ConfuciusFemale1461%1261% Male939%739% Total2331%1931% MenciusFemale 1657%1457% Male1243%1043% Total2837%2437%. Lao TzuFemale1458%1258% Male1042%842% Total2432%2032% OverallFemale4459%3859% Male3141%2541% Total75100%63100% Research Instrument The research instrument consisted of fifteen-item questionnaires that are divided into two categories (students and library) on whether the library is functional to the fourth yr. students. The respondents will respond to a five-point scale ranging from very positive, positive, fair, negative and very negative. Items on the questionnaire were drawn from literature on the normal reasons for answering the question on what is the perception on the functionality of the school library. The proposed survey questionnaire is self-constructed. In order to interpret the response of the research subjects, Table 2 will be used as basis. Table 2. Quality Index Mean ScoreQualitative Description 4. 20 – 5. 00Very Positive 3. 40 – 4. 19Positive 2. 60 – 3. 39Fair 1. 80 – 2. 59 Negative 1. 00 – 1. 79Very Negative Data Gathering Procedure This research survey had been conducted by the use of systematic random sampling method. Through this, the first 65 students in the fourth year level will serve as the respondents for this research survey. The procedure of conducting this research survey is as follows: The researchers distributed the survey questionnaire to the 63 students that has been randomly selected and ask to answer the survey. After the student had answered the questionnaire, the researchers gathered the entire survey questionnaire and thanking the students who had answered the following survey questionnaire. Statistical Treatment In this survey, the researcher used the following statistical tool to analyze the gathered data of this study: Mean. By using the mean, the researcher had been able to get the average of students’ sample population which is using the school library. Since, that the respondents are divided into two clusters, the researcher also get the average percentage of every male and female respondents of this survey. Standard Deviation. In standard deviation, it showed how much variation exists from the average mean. In short, this measured the confidence of the respondents in statistical conclusions. t-test. The t-test assesses whether the means of two groups are statistically different from each other. This analysis is appropriate whenever you want to compare the means of two groups. Through the use of t-test, the researcher had been able to distinguish the difference on the perception on the functionality of the students on the school library in terms of their gender and section. Chapter III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter presents the data obtained through the survey conducted, and the analysis of the data using the appropriate statistical treatment and the interpretation of the results obtained. Problem No. 1 What is the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library? Table 3 Perception of the Students on the Functionality of the School Library by Gender GenderMeanStandard DeviationQualitative Description Male2. 950. 39Fair Female2. 960. 52Fair Overall2. 960. 46Fair Table 3 summarizes the perception of the fourth year students on the functionality of the school library when classified according to gender. The data shows that the mean of male students is 2. 95 with a standard deviation of 0. 39 which is interpreted as fair. Moreover, the female students obtained a mean of 2. 96 with a standard deviation of 0. 52 that can  be interpreted as fair. Comparatively, it can be generalized that 4th year females are more aware of the functionality of the school library than 4th year boys. The table explains that the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library has an overall mean of 2. 96 in terms of gender that can also be interpreted as fair. The female students of all 4th year are aware of the functionality of the school library than the male, because the female students obtained a mean of 2. 96 and a 0. 52 standard deviation that can also be interpreted as fair. Table 4  Perception of the Students on the Functionality of the School Library by Section SectionMeanStandard DeviationQualitative Description Confucius2. 910. 46Fair Mencius2. 990. 45Fair Lao Tzu2. 970. 49Fair Overall2. 960. 46Fair Table 4 presents the perception of fourth year students on the functionality of the school library when categorized according to section. The data shows that the mean of Confucius students is 2. 91 with a standard deviation of 0. 46 which is interpreted as fair. Furthermore, Mencius students obtained a mean of 2. 99 with a standard deviation of 0. 45 that is interpreted fair. The mean of Lao Tzu is 2. 97 with a standard deviation of 0. 49 that is interpreted as fair. It can be generalized from the data that the Mencius students are more aware of the functionality school library than the other two sections. As a whole, the mean of all the 4th year students who were chosen as the respondents for this study is 2. 96 with a standard deviation of 0. 46 which indicates that the overall level of usage of the school library is fair. The table explains that the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library has an overall mean of 2. 96 in terms of section that can also be interpreted as fair. The 4th year Mencius students are more aware of the functionality of the school library than the two other 4th year sections because the 4th year Confucius students obtained a mean of 2. 91 and a 0. 46 standard deviation that can also be interpreted as fair. The 4th year Lao Tzu students obtained a mean of 2. 97 and a 0. 49 standard deviation that can also be interpreted as fair. Problem 2. Is there a significant difference in the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library in terms of gender and section? Table 5 Gender and Perception of the Students GenderMeanMean DifferenceComputed t-valueTabular t-valueDecisionConclusion Male2. 95-0. 01-0. 011. 99Accept NullThere is no significant difference Female2. 96 Table 5 shows the results of the t-test between the level of awareness of the parents and their gender. As presented on the table, the mean difference of the male and female respondents is -0. 01. Since the computed t-value of -0. 01 is lesser than the tabular value of 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significance with 61 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of the students of the functionality on the school library in terms of their gender. The table explains that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of the students of the functionality on the school library in terms of their gender because of the mean of the males is lesser than the mean of the females it also apply on the computed t-value and tabular t-value. The data shows that the mean of 4th year male students are 2. 95 while the 4th year female students are 2. 96 with a mean difference of -0. 01, a computed t-value of -0. 01, and a tabular table of 1. 99. Table 6 Section and Perception of the Students SectionMeanMean DifferenceComputed t-valueTabular t-valueDecisionConclusion Confucius2. 91-0. 08-0. 112. 02Accept NullThere is no significant difference Mencius2. 99 Confucius2. 91-0. 06-0. 082. 03Accept NullThere is no significant difference Lao Tzu2. 97 Mencius2. 990. 020. 032. 02Accept NullThere is no significant difference Lao Tzu2. 97 Table 6 shows the results of the t-test between the perceptions of the respondents and their section. As presented on the table, the mean difference of the Confucius and Mencius respondents is -0. 08. Since the computed t-value of -0. 11 is lesser than the tabular value of 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significance with 41 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of Confucius and Mencius students on the functionality of the school library. . On the other hand, the mean difference of the Confucius and Lao Tzu respondents is -0. 06. Since the computed t-value of -0. 08 is less than the tabular value of 2. 03 at 0. 05 level of significance with 37 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of Confucius and Lao Tzu students on the functionality of the school library. Moreover, the mean difference of the Mencius and Lao Tzu respondents is 0. 02. Since the computed t-value of 0. 03 is less than the tabular value of 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significance with 42 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of Mencius and Lao Tzu students on the functionality of the school library. As a whole, it can be generalized that the perceptions of the 4th year students are aware of the functionality of the school library. Chapter IV SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary The study is about the functionality of the school library based on the students’ perception. The respondents in the study are the selected 4th year student of Davao Central High School. The method used in this study is the systematic random sampling wherein the researcher would pick out members from population according to the random starting point. The researchers choose this kind of sampling due to the researchers’ estimation that there will be about sixty percent of 4th year student who are using the school’s library every day. Thus, the researchers will be writing all the names of the students in a paper then he/she will pick a number that the researcher likes and lastly the researcher selects the respondents every â€Å"ninth† of the names until the researcher will get 63 respondents. Conclusion After the careful analysis of the data gathered, the researchers reached the following conclusions: 1. The level of perception on the functionality of the school library is fair. Female is more aware of the functionality of the school library than male. Section Mencius has the highest mean followed by section Lao Tzu and section Confucius. 2. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of the students on the functionality of the school library in terms of their gender. Recommendation The administration should improve the library in the way the students’ needs. The teachers should give the students an assignments or projects that can be found able at the library. The parents should have their own mini-library at hone to improve the basic needs of their child. The researchers would like to recommend to the future researchers to do some related studies about the school libraries. The researchers would like to propose some that they could also conduct a study about the usefulness of the diff. facilities, and the completeness of the references of the library.

A Grain of Wheat Essay

A Grain of Wheat is a novel by Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o. The novel weaves several stories together during the state of emergency in Kenya’s struggle for independence (1952–1959), focusing on the quiet Mugo, whose life is ruled by a dark secret. The plot revolves around his home village’s preparations for Kenya’s independence day celebration (Uhuru day). Former resistance fighters General R and Koinandu plan on publicly executing the traitor who betrayed Kihika (a heroic resistance fighter hailing from the village) on that day. First of all, Ngugi use many characters to express the aim of the story as an African man the protagonist of this story is the loner Mugo, a hero of the British concentration camps where he led a hunger strike and he also tried to stop a village guard from beating a pregnant woman to death. Although he is thought to be a hero through the whole book, he is the traitor of Kihika betraying him to the British in a selfish act to save himself. Also Gikonyo, an ambitious carpenter and business man who’s married to Mumbi. He confessed to taking the oath of the resistance while in a concentration camp, securing an early release only to find that his wife had borne a child with his hated rival Karanja while he was away. another character is Mumbi, the wife of Gikonyo and sister of Kihika. While Gikonyo was imprisoned she slept with Karanja who had been appointed village chief by the colonial power. Also, Karanja, a collaborator with the British and widely suspected to be the traitor who betrayed Kihika. In addition toKihika, a resistance fighter who conquered a police station and killed the hated District Officer Robson before being caught and hanged after being betrayed by Mugo. and John Thompson, an early British settler and administrator of Thabai, who believes in the ideals of colonial imperialism and persecutes black Africans. A Grain of Wheat is about the events that lead up to the Kenyan independence, or Uruhu. The setting is a Kenyan village. When the characters Gikonyo and Mumbi get married, are in love and just started their lives, Gikonyo is sent to detention. When he comes back after six years, Mumbi had his rival’s child. They cannot find the words to talk about the past, and a wall is created between them. Mumbi’s brother gets captured and hanged and after loads of events, the town realize that the one they thought to be the hero, was actually the betrayer.

Hcs 465 Week 1

Literature Review in Research: An Annotated Bibliography University of Phoenix, HCS 465 March 4, 2013 Strunk, J. (2008). The effect of school-based health clinics on teenage pregnancy and parenting outcomes: An integrated literature review. The Journal of School Nursing, 24(1), Retrieved from: http://dx. doi. org. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/10. 1177/10598405080240010301 This research study was conducted to determine if school-based health clinics in the United States can provide effective support and guidance needed to avoid negative outcomes of pregnancy (such as low birth weight) and parenting (such as poor academic performance).Data for this research were based from five studies, which had suggested that school-based clinics had a positive effect on the pregnancy outcomes for teenagers for both pregnancy as well as parenting. According to EBSCO Host, this is a peer-reviewed article. Whitehead, E. (2008). Exploring relationships in teenage pregnancy. International Journal Of Nursi ng Practice, 14(4), 292-295. Retrieved from: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? id=17602d6e-13b6-4776-8cc8-48f3b164c515%40sessionmgr113&vid=4&hid=127 This research study was used to explore relationships of teenage pregnant women and father’s of the unborn child in the United Kingdom to determine if they maintain the relationship they had after the pregnancy. 47 teenage pregnant women were interviewed, ages 16-19 years old over a period of 15 months, with focus on the age of the baby’s father, education and employment of the baby’s father and the ability for the baby’s father to provide financial support.According to EBSCO Host, this is a peer-reviewed article. Tabi, M. (2002). Community perspective on a model to reduce teenage pregnancy. The Journal of Advanced Nursing, 40(3), 275-284. Retrieved from http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ehost/detail? vid=5&sid=17602d6e-13b6-4776-8cc8-48f3 b164c515%40sessionmgr113&hid=127&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2003014853 This

The book Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The book Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson - Essay Example However, the outcome is never attractive for either them, or the civilians who fall victims. Whenever there is war in a country and there are battles between the state soldiers and the rebels, the people who suffer most will be the civilians (Johnson 80). There are many reasons for such results. For example; some soldiers end up going against their respectful duties. Civilians fully depend on their soldiers to protect and fight for them, but in some cases, it is not quiet clear why the very soldiers end up turning against the helpless civilians. In this book the Tree of Smoke, as the American soldiers set out for the famous Vietnam War. Many people suffer the consequences and instead of solving the problem, the wars ends up affecting the same victims of the war (Johnson 300). This is seen when women are rapes, and other civilians short to death. Soldiers in the wars are meant to attack the enemy and not the victim. But in this case, soldiers are seen to change course and turn on thei r dependents. The relationship between the soldiers and the civilian is expected to be a fair one as the civilians safety only depends on the soldiers. This relationship in Tree of Smoke does not last when soldiers turn against their dependants and perform actions of violence against them including rape (Johnson 250). This picture gives a very negative view towards the soldiers, and it leaves a person wondering what kind of world we live in. In as much as soldiers like in this situation may be get frustrated, it is still not acceptable the way the can behave (Johnson p.250). The behaviors are truly pathetic and unacceptable. It is even sadder when such incidences occur and yet nothing is done about them. The relationship between them and the victimized civilians is ruined completely. This situations doubles the victimization of the civilians as they are fall both victims of war and their supposedly saviors. We all know that the soldiers in war are human (Johnson 179); they may end u p using such stuff like drugs and alcohol. Consequently, most of the time this would make them change their attitude to that of â€Å"who cares† when their minds are set in that manner. Those who depend on their protections become very vulnerable to them. Sometimes there are cases where soldiers break in people houses harassing them severely and looting their property, or misusing them. It is not clear to me what causes this kind of behavior in this people. I presume that as soldiers they have the capability to use the authority, they have to punish civilians under their mercy. The soldiers in Vietnam War are also seen in the story to portray misconduct when they still the puppies from the Vietnamese homes and smuggled them to their homes. This is harassment towards the same civilians who innocently depend on them (Johnson 220). The civilians have no power over the soldiers and they suffer so much lose in the hands. Soldiers were viewed to be merciless during the time when th ey raided houses of the victims blowing them using the grenades. Many innocent civilians died in the process, with so much confusion being experienced by the Vietnamese (Johnson 234). The confusion arose because the victimized civilians had no idea who was on their side because they were being attacked from all sides. In the Long run, this book does not really show a positive effect from the war, as those people who expected to benefit from it suffered even worse situations. The story clearly states the evil

Clean room assignment engineering practice Lab Report

Clean room assignment engineering practice - Lab Report Example The next step in the fabrication process is to create the buried channels by implanting phosphorous ions in areas that will eventually be covered by polysilicon gate electrodes. The n-type semiconductor formed by phosphorus contains negatively charged electrons as the primary charge carriers and forms a pn-type diode structure, which serves to localize potential wells deep beneath the silicon/silicon dioxide interface. The potential well illustrated in the central portion of Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of the diode structure. The primary function of the buried channel is to localize integrated electrons away from the silicon/silicon dioxide interface, where they can become trapped during charge transfer. By localizing charge deep within the p-type silicon substrate, transfer of charge occurs more efficiently with a minimum of residual charge remaining in the gate. After the buried channels are formed within the silicon substrate, a layer of silicon dioxide is thermally grown on the silicon wafer surface to provide an insulating base for the gate electrodes. Next, a phosphorous-doped layer of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) about 5,000 angstroms thick is grown on top of the oxide layer. This layer of polysilicon comprises the gate electrodes (see Figure 1) and is transparent to visible light, making it an ideal substance for use in CCDs. Although, the fabrication of a complete CCD takes additional steps, the basics of the MOS capacitor assembly have been completed at this point." I Vs V Characteristics (According to M.Aceves, O.Malik, V. Grimalsky V.5 No. 2 (2004) P. 236-237), National Institute for Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics ( INAOE), Electronics Department.) The dynamic I-V characteristics of these MOS structures when linear voltage sweep (60 v/ sec) was applied to the metallic semitransparent gate is shown in the diagrams below. Dynamic I-V Characteristics of fabricated MOS capacitor with silicon dioxide as insulator with positive (above) and negative (below) charge recorded when a triangular sweep voltage ( 60 v/s) was applied to the gate. References Process specialities Inc Davidson Michael - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory,1800 East Paul Dirac Dr, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310 Aceves, Malik, Grimalsky - National Institute for Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics ( INAOE), Electronics Department, P.O 51 AND 216, Puebla, Pue, Mexico. Physics and

Women and Health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women and Health - Assignment Example However, maybe due to the fact that they often compete with the opposite sex to be treated as equal, women of recent generations have neglected their well-being. Changed lifestyle has contributed a number of ailments to women that could affect their health during their childbearing years. There are prenatal screenings being offered to pregnant women to ensure the health and well-being of the child they are carrying. Also, couples are being offered screenings to know their so-called genetic compatibility or incompatibility to know the ratio of having a healthy and normal child. There would be instances that screenings would be disregarded by parents at some point and say that they would accept their child in whatever health condition they might be in whether at birth or at the course of their lives. What parents or future parents should consider is that, if they would not undergo screenings and their child would be suffering from a certain ailment, they as parents are disregarding the right of a child to grow up with a healthy body and be accepted in the society. One should accept that though as advanced and liberal the society might be there are still instances that physically and/or mentally challenged children suffer from discrimination almost their whole lifetime ( South-Paul, et al., 2004; Karpin & Savell, 2012). Another hindrance that might occur for prenatal screenings would be culture. There are aspects of the beliefs of ethnic groups and population where pregnancy or the child that is still in the womb is considered as sacred or should not be disturbed. This is an aspect which can be the topic of debates for years and decades, however, would still end up into nothingness. However, this should not be the case. There should be scholars from the medical field to address or enlighten these ethnic groups. Prenatal and even newborn screenings are not done to step on their traditions and cultures; these are done to ensure the future and well-being of the next generations and the generations to come after them.  Ã‚  

The Benefits of Having a Good Boss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Benefits of Having a Good Boss - Essay Example A good boss increases productivity and promotes healthy working relationship while a bad boss hampers the growth of a company. The two kinds of boss are similar in terms of their professional roles in an organization. Both have people working under them, possess power over others, work towards the success of the company, and implement rules of the company. In an organization, employees look up to their bosses and make them the role model. Serving as role models, bosses should possess admirable qualities that others may imitate. In particular, the boss should behave according to the mission and goals of the company. He should have ideal professional qualities and imbibe the principles of goodwill, justice, and honesty in his profession. However, personal qualities are as important as professional ones to promote good-working relationship with employees. According to Brusman (2), the way a boss treats people is what differentiates him from others. It is the aspect in which many bosses commit mistakes, thus it is one aspect that easily distinguishes a good boss from a bad one. Another aspect is decision-making strategy. As the superior, a boss holds the highest power in an organization but such power may be equally divided among employees if a boss wishes to. Furthermore, the life goals of a boss differentiate a good one from a bad one. Life goals include those accomplishments that a boss wants to attain for himself, his employees, and organization. Treating employees positively is one of the characteristics of a good boss. Positive treatment of employees may be challenging especially with the presence of tension and pressure from work. Deadlines, work quality, and other factors may affect the way a boss deals and treats his employees, thus they can serve as the real margin to distinguish a good boss from a bad one. Despite pressure, a good boss shows good examples that others imitate while a bad one acts in the dismay of his subordinates. A good boss is friendly and deals nicely with others. He is neither feared nor avoided. Rather, subordinates work freely in his presence. In the morning, employees wait for him to arrive and wish to see him in the meeting to discuss issues that need to be resolved. In contrast, a bad boss terrorizes his employees with his presence alone. Subordinates do not feel comfortable when he is around. They are alarmed by his presence, and sometimes pretend to be busy when the boss is around. Likewise, in a meeting, employees do not wish to see the boss, but they still attend because they are afraid of being scolded at. Moreover, employees talk behind the back of a bad boss. They make fun of him and draw funny caricatures, and laugh at his mistakes. In sum, the friendly boss causes a positive atmosphere in the office while the terror boss brings about a negative climate. Athough the bad boss may decrease cases of absenteeism due to the fear of employees to be reprimanded, he may in turn increase employee turnover be cause subordinates could have a hard time dealing with him. A good boss knows how to sympathize with others while a bad one does not care about others’ feelings. As a leader, a boss acts as the parent of the organization. Therefore, he should be concerned of all employees, eventhough they are not directly under them. As such, he should know show sympathy when they need it. Showing sympathy to others could be as simple as giving condolences to bereaved employees, sending get-well-soon cards, calling up employees to check why they are absent, and so on. Likewise, a good boss knows how to appreciate the efforts of his people. He says â€Å"thank you† for favors done for him, greets people on their birthdays, and celebrates birthdays with them. However, a bad boss lacks all the

IT Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IT Project Management - Assignment Example Besides being a way of reducing costs for organizations, outsourcing is a crucial aspect of growth and a strategic service. Basically, outsourcing comprises of reassigning at least one business process to an external vendor or service provider. Often, organizations outsource specific functions that were originally part of organizational departments. The specified functions focus on business core competencies with good and clear reasons driving such actions. The four key reasons for outsourcing are outlined by Axelrod. Cost efficiency is associated with saving money and reducing operating costs. Outsourcing grants organizations access to world class skills and capabilities that enable them to tap from the best examples within their industry translating to low costs and high quality. Additionally, reduction of operating costs eliminate debts, falling profitability, and low expansion opportunities. Secondly, outsourcing allows business to utilize shared knowledge accumulated by the IT s ervice provider over years of experience in the field. Additionally, the service provider has a unique mix of skills and talent that can successfully manage a project, unlike in-house department. Thirdly, outsourcing controls legal risk or improves compliance since the service provider assumes and manages some of the risks of the business. Additionally, a service provider understands the industry requirements in and out and these assists prevent instances of costly mistakes resulting in an agile, dynamic, and flexible business.

Designs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Designs - Essay Example Giles Colborne uses the design of small and commonly used gadgets to explain how simplicity can be used in the design. The example of the bicycle design seemed exciting to me. At first, I thought that any new design of a bicycle, whether simple or complex, should include the gearing system; Giles challenged me when he said that a design of a bicycle can be made simple by removing the gearing system and the front wheel. My excitement was lowered when he said that the design might be simple to the one designing bicycle but complex and difficult to the one using it (Colborne, 2010). His example of design made me learn that I should consider the user anytime I choose to use simplicity in any design. In his explanation on how to use the simplicity he employs four designs of a remote control; these four designs make use of organizing, removing, hiding or displacing strategy. Looking at the four designs, I was fascinated by designs which used organizing, removing and displacing strategies. The organizing strategy is a strategy everyone employs at least once a day; we use it every day to make what we have usable, therefore, this strategy is familiar to everyone. The strategy of organizing does not need extra costs because it uses what is already available (Colborne, 2010); therefore, it is low on costs. In addition, since the components of the gadget have only been rearranged, the user will not have difficulties adjusting to the new design; he or she will only need to master the new positions of the components which are placed in positions that are convenient to the user. The design that uses the strategy of removing is also interesting, there are some things which might not be useful to the user and just as we get rid of things we do not need from our houses, we can also get rid of the components that are no longer useful in a gadget. This design is challenging because of its counterintuitive nature (Colborne, 2010). However, it is quite effective in terms of cost as it does not require extra materials. This design works with different applications; it has been used in designing of products, websites, as well as mobile applications. This design is also user-friendly; the user is not going to have too many components on the gadget, which are not important for the use of the gadget. The design that uses displacing is intriguing; the user does not need to operate all the components using the remote control, some components can be displaced from the remote control to the television screen (Colborne, 2010). With this design, the user has a remote control that is more easy to use because most times the user will be scrolling down the menu and stop worrying of what each button on the remote control means. I realized that this design has been applied in designing the radio changer; the button for selecting whether to play music using CD, FM radio, AUX or USB is only one, and the user scrolls down the menu on the screen to find his or her choice at the m oment. This design makes the user feel as part of the system, and this helps him or her to know the operation of the system, and gives the user satisfaction while operating the gadget. Question 2 Isaacson in his book titled as â€Å"Steve Jobs† presents the biography of a computer revolutionist Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs’ life history is like a summary of good designs in the digital world; it describes the designs pioneered by Steve Jobs and their success, which led to the change of people’s lives and the way they do things. Through Apple, a company he headed, he was able to come up with designs such as Macintosh operating software, ipad, iPod, and iphone; with these designs the world was able to do things in a different way (Isaackson, 2011). Among his designs, iPad, iPod

Various Ethical Considerations in Education Essay

Various Ethical Considerations in Education - Essay Example There are certainly ethical issues that education stakeholders need to keep in mind and ponder over time so that they will be able to assess the impact of education on the society. Ethical issues in education encompass issues like teacher evaluation, value education, sex education and random drug tests. This paper analyses various ethical considerations in education, and how these considerations are important to the success of education. Education is an ongoing process in our lives. As we grow older, we receive new education and we keep passing the education that we have to others. Ethical considerations are expected to streamline the operation and success of education in people’s lives. These considerations are also aimed at regulating the distribution and exchange of education. These ethical considerations apply to both the receivers and givers of education, education institutes, management bodies, parents or even guardians of students. In many instances, educators and other stakeholders in education will be faced with decisions that are normally not in tandem with the organization’s policies and values. This is referred to as an ethical dilemma, and in these circumstances, one would be forced to make a decision that does not contravene the values of the organization. There are many ethical issues in education, and in all these issues, educators ought to be guided by appropriate and noteworthy decision-making strategies. The educator needs to evaluate various issues affecting an organization, and from this, he may be able to address all challenges facing the organization. The first step in addressing ethical issues in education is an acknowledgment of ethical issues and dilemmas. After this, the nature of the conflict needs to be clarified by the educators. Then, educators need to identify the involved processes in the conflict.  

Research report assisting a client in a career choice Proposal

Report assisting a client in a career choice - Research Proposal Example Following is a report of the interview that was carried out in response to his order. The main aim of this interview was to help the client follow the correct path in developing his career. The report covers a large scope including his personality and skills suitability, alternatives available to him, the constraint which may deter him from achieving his career and the value that the client would like to obtain from the choice of his career. Sources of the information that were used in giving advice to the client embody records of previous works with some of our clients, career books, and other web sites that cover issues on career alternatives. The report covers the information obtained from the client through an interview, opportunities available for the client, a recommendation of the best choice for him and a conclusion. The interview I carried out with the client was designed with the aim of enquiring on the issues he wanted tackled. The client explained that he needed the help of the firm in developing the correct path for his career. He explained that he needed to have a good understanding on the best career that suited him, the pay and how he could possibly develop it to greater heights. The client is an 18 year old, Black-American boy whose parents do no have access to unaffordable counseling service. He is an 11th grader learning at an English high school in a traditionally advantaged area. The school is dominated by white teachers. The client’s language preference is English with French as a second choice. He is the only child from his family. His parents were divorced and now both married. He has a half sister and three half brothers who are all younger than him. His father is self trained auto-mechanic who runs an own business from his house. His mother, a ninth grader, works as a ho usekeeper in a white’s home. Although the father and the mother are in disagreement on the field that their son should

Language Arts with an emphasis on Writing Essay Example for Free

Language Arts with an emphasis on Writing Essay First grade students will use technology to complete a report about a farm animal. A visit to a local farm will provide students with hands on demonstrations of farm animals and how they live. Students will learn in depth facts about one specific animal by conducting research online. Students will improve writing and typing skills by composing their animal report using the computer. Students will gain further practice with the writing process during center time when they will write a letter to their chosen animal. Finally, students will gain presentation skills by presenting their animal findings to the class through oral presentations. These skills will be gained by meeting the following lesson objectives: 1. Students will identify farm animals. 2. Students will identify what their chosen farm animal eats. 3. Students will research and identify the name of the animal’s offspring. 4. Students will research and explain what resource their animal provides to humans. 5. Students will compile their research by using the computer. 6. Students will present their findings orally. Brief Description of the Task: Students will record four important facts about their chosen animal during a visit to a farm. Students will learn about what their animal eats and what its offspring is called. Students will ask the farmer questions in order to learn more about their animal. Students will have their drawing and writing materials with them in order to record what they see while at the farm. These recordings and observations will be taken back to the classroom and used to conduct research and write a report about their animal. After the reports are presented orally, they will be made into a class book for students to read during center time. Steps of the Lesson: 1. Visit the farm. Ask the farmer questions. Draw and write observations. 2. Find a picture of chosen animal on the computer via the Internet. 3. Find important facts about chosen animal and record them. 4. Glue the animal picture to a piece of writing paper. 5. Write down facts researched on the computer including name of animal, what the animal eats and what it provides for humans. Other important facts will be included. 6. Present the report orally to the rest of the class. 7. During center time, read the reports that have been made into a class book. 8. During center time, write a letter to chosen animal telling their animal about what they eat and where they live. A question for the chosen animal will also be included. Instructional Strategies Used: Sometimes summarizing and note taking are considered only â€Å"study skills† but they are two of the most powerful skills students can acquire (Marzano, et al, 2001). Summarizing and note taking give students the opportunity to identify and understand what they are learning (Marzano, et al, 2001). When students take notes through their drawings and observations while at the farm, they will be making identifications of different farm animals and will be gaining an understanding of farm animals. In order to include the most useful information in their animal report, students will analyze the information they are receiving in order to decide what will need to be included in their report. Summary frames will be used while students are at the farm as students develop a series of questions for the farmer that will highlight the critical elements in order to learn specific types of information (Marzano, et al, 2001). In this case, summary frames will allow students to learn about where their animal lives, what it eats and what it provides for humans. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition can push students to make an extra effort when they don’t feel like doing schoolwork or when the work is challenging. It is important for teachers to show students the connection between effort and achievement (Marzano, et al, 2001). The visit to the farm will be a fun activity for students and they will excited about doing something different so they will all most likely complete their note taking well. However, computers can cause frustration, particularly for first graders who are still emerging readers and have a hard time navigating the Internet. Therefore, the Pause, Prompt and Praise strategy will be useful. When students get frustrated or discouraged while using the computer, the teacher can initiate a short pause so the student can collect his or her thoughts. Next, the teacher can give specific suggestions to help the student complete the assigned task. Last, the teacher can praise the student for correcting his or her error as well as completing the task (Marzano, et al, 2001). Nonlinguistic representations will be included in this lesson plan. Students will include drawings of farm animals in their original note taking and research done while at the farm. These drawings will elaborate on the information that students are learning (Marzano, et al, 2001). Therefore, students will need to include pictures of the animal, details about where it lives and pictures of what it eats. Further, graphic organizers are useful for students when organizing information in a coherent way (Marzano, et al, 2001). Providing students with graphical organizers as an option while conducting research will enable visual learners to organize their material in a way that will help them make the most sense of it. Not all students will need to use a graphical organizer but they will be made available to students who would like to use one. Marzano, R. J. , Pickering, D. J. , Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Analysis Of The God Delusion Debate

Analysis Of The God Delusion Debate For The God Delusion Debate, Gayathiri and Sandra chose to listen to Dr John Lennox because the two of us personally believe there is a God while Len Jin and Jerome chose to listen to Professor Richard Dawkins because the points brought forth by Dawkins has more relevance to them personally. There were 6 main thesis that was being debated between Lennox and Dawkins: 1. Faith is blind and science is evident based 2. Science supports atheism, not Christianity 3. Design is dead otherwise one must explain who designed the Designer 4. Christianity is dangerous 5. No one needs God to be moral 6. Christian claims about the person Jesus were not true, alleged miracles violates the law of nature The main points of Lennox are summarized as follows: He believes that faith is supported by rational evidence. Science is limited but anything beyond science is not irrational. Religion is the driving force for science. Atheism undermines science. Science is possible is because God is responsible for our mind. Scientist needs faith to believe in the rational intelligibility of the universe. Darwinism does not explain life and the existence of replicator. God is not created because a created God is delusional. Simplicity is not the only criteria of truth. Everything comes from the mind of the planner. Perpetrators disobeyed the explicit command of Christ. Atheism commits intellectual murder. We cannot know the foundations of being good without God. If there is no good and evil, we cannot talk about the good of atheism. Morality obtained elsewhere is of no use. History proves Christianity. Dawkins got his information from an anaesthesiologist and not a theologian. Laws of nature only describe what normally happens. Human beings believed in the existence of science because science also believed in the existence of the universe. From the debate, we think that Dr. John Lennox was an excellent debater based on a few reasons. Firstly, he respects the criticism Dawkins made about Christianity even though he is supporting theism, which is the belief that there is a God in the debate. He listens to all the points that Dawkins has against Christianity with a calm nature. He does not make facial expression that shows he is angry or disturbed even though the some of the comments made by Dawkins were indirectly insulting Christianity. Secondly, most of the points presented by Lennox was very strong, not only in because of how he phrased his points nor the words he use to put forth his points but the points he stated to support Christianity was very logical and is very reasonable. For instance, Lennox made mention that Dawkins denied the concept of good and evil. If what Dawkins believed in was true, there would not be justice and terrorists would escape from punishment! The third supporting statement would be that Dr. Lennox was very familiar with Dawkins literature because he was very confident with each and every argument values that he has given while Dawkins was blabbering to the overall conversation. Dr. Lennox also seemed very prepared with his opposing points toward atheist. Moreover, Dr. Lennox also agreed that science is based on faith at some point and that atheism undermines science. The world needs to believe in faith and religion in order to live morally as religion teaches us to live with moral values. Dr Lennox also gave an overview of both sides and a reasonable conclusion. The existence of the designer is also showed as evidence in the bible and also the creation of beautiful universe for the human beings to live in. And finally we must say that Lennoxs end speech was argumentative and as well as inspiring for the younger generation to have more faith in the existence of god. Dr Lennox gave an expressive and distinct speech on Christian faith. As much as Dr. John Lennox was a good debater, we found a few weaknesses in him during his debate. Firstly, Lennox could not finish putting forth his points in the time given which was 5 minutes. From this we can say that Lennox did not do a very good job in making sure his points were straight to the point so he could make sure that everything he has to say will be able to be presented in the 5 minutes given to him. Secondly, Lennox used the time given for the particular thesis being debated at that time to continue debating in the previous thesis. These are seen as a weakness by us because Lennox has a little time management issue. Lennox also seemed to be going off from his points as he was very much interested in opposing Dawkins points. There were also lack of evidence in Lennox arguments and universe is not evidence due to its existence. Lennox could actually define faith in a more reasonable and elusive manner. In conclusion, Lennoxs statements are much more supported and reli able rather than it was opposed. The main points of Dawkins are as follows: Religion nulls the impulse to understand by putting everything in gods hands. Science is the opposite by explaining how a lot of incidents happen based on hard evidence. Science initially describes that reality is between rationalism and superstition of the existence of god. The idea of science and reality does not overlap with religion. The speculation that god is the designer is flawed. If god was complex enough to design the universe, surely it would require an even more complex design in its own right. Faith is evil as it requires no justification; people can just use faith to justify terrible acts. People should use rationality and common sense instead of blindly following faith. It is unnecessary to distinguish good and evil from the bible, since we already know what is good and evil, and also we are making logical choices of our own. Fundamental incompatibility between complex sciences and some deity that can simply bend the laws of physics at its will. According to the video of debate, Dawkins say that God is merely an illusion and God does not exist. His theory was fully opposed by Lennox who has faith in God. Throughout his debate, the 1st strength that we think Dawkins had is the fact that he stated that sciences are based on evidence while faith is nothing but trust. He stated that We are overwhelmed with beauty and the complexity of the world, and have a desire to worship something. Science emancipates us from this feeling. This point of his is part of his strength because it is true that no one has ever seen nor touched God before. What is God? It is just our beliefs and what can God do if we do not intend to believe in him? During the ancient times, God may just be a highly intelligent being compared to the people then. He may be using the law of sciences to perform miracles. During that time, people would believe in him because people have not yet discovered science. Through the ages as science and technology keeps improvin g, people tend to ignore the existence of God because people now tend to be more civilized and more intelligent. According to the anthropology text book written by ember, God exist because of the fear of human being during the ancient time. They do not know why earthquakes or floods or any other natural disasters happen and hence they think that there is a God which is controlling all these things because God is angry. For the second strength, Dawkins stated that If God made everything, who made God? A designer god cannot be used to explain organized complexity because any god complex enough to design anything would require a complex design in his own right. Or could it be other things that created us rather than God? As stated above, God exist because we are uneducated. When science comes alive, everything just seems to have a way. Everything needs proof and evidence. What is the Galaxy? Has anyone even experience it? Somehow science came out with the width of the Milky Way but still they are not 100% sure because its just one of a theory. Apparently everyone refers God to a human being. Why? God could be in various forms. God could look like a handicap person. Who knows? And when they ask who made God? It means that everyone refers that God is also merely a creature being created. And if he is created, is he still God? For the 3rd strength, Dawkins states that we dont need religion to be good or ethical. How do you define good and ethical? Every culture is different. Hence the teachings will not be the same. Since young, we have been taught not to kill. We then get the mindset and if we practice that, we will be punished badly. But for some other culture, killing is a way to show their bravery. Hence, killing is ethical for them. If there is a God who created this world, why does the teaching of different places not the same? What our ethical means depends on our culture. We may think that it is impolite for people to burp after a meal but for the Arabians, burp after meals means they think that the food is nice. Rather than religion, there are still laws and rules to follow so that people would be as they call ethical. Hence, religion is not required to shape a good being. However, Dawkins states that religions are dangerous. He says that if there is no religion, there will be no suicide bombers killing for the sake of God, and there will be no 9/11. I think that this point is his weakness because the terrorist are just misusing these faithful people to bomb themselves. They claimed that after the suicide bombing, they get to have 72 virgins in heaven according to the Quran. Did they die just because of the virgins or do they have faith? Hence this is not the matter where religions are dangerous. It is the same where the Israelites having war with the Palestinians because they claim that they will fight for their sacred place. However, will God want them to fight? Although God maybe a delusion but think of it. War is not a joke you can practice. It makes people suffers. Not to say God, even anyone of us would not want that to happen right? We think Dawkins showed his weakness during the time where he was questioned by Lennox. Do you have faith in your wife? His whole face was red and the audience was laughing. He could not control his emotion and this shows he is angry. Hence he showed that Lennox had said something good to step on him. So, who won the debate? After considering both the strength and weaknesses of the two debaters, Dr John Lennox and Professor Richard Dawkins, we have come to an agreement that both the debaters Lennox and Dawkins won the argument in a fair manner based on several reasons. Lennox was supporting theism in the debate and we agreed that he has won the argument is because firstly the way he spoke about faith in our opinion is very strong and convincing in supporting Christianity. This can be seen in the debate when Lennox stated that faith is not blind because faith itself carries with it the ideas of believe, trust and commitment and is therefore only as rebus as the evidence for it. He also states that faith, in relativity theory is not blind because there is evidence supporting it. Faith in Christianity according to Lennox is rational and evident based, part of the evidence is objective, some of it comes from science, some comes from history and some of it is subjective coming from experience. Besides that, we think Lennox won the argument because of the way he presented his debate. He not only made the crowd laughed a couple of times, he also managed to refute Dawkins in a manner whereby Dawkins seemed as though he was speechless. This shows that the points that Lennox put forth was so strong until Dawkins could not come up with anything to defend his beliefs. The whole group also thinks that Lennox won the debate because he refuted Dawkinss claim about Christianity is dangerous really well. First and foremost, Lennox performed very well by being honest in admitting that he is ashamed of Christianity personally because of all the happenings that were caused by the crusades and so on. However, Lennox explained further by stating that the perpetrators were not followers of Christ because Christ explicitly commands us not to use physical weapons because Christs kingdom is not of this world. Lennox theory could also be supported because even though there are many types of different religion or also known as cultures that tend to have variety of beliefs, we still have the same teachings. We are trying to say that each and every religion teaches us to live with moral values and to be away from sin and it has a great impact in our lives. Thus, even though the followers are different but they tend to practice the same following. In conclusion, each and every human beings need to have faith in their god and practice their religion in order to live with compatible moral values because science can only teach us not to do certain event but it is unable to explain the reason behind it. However, we also agreed that Dawkins was a fair and evenly matched contender to Lennox as he also made many strong points in the discussion. He backed up his thesis with solid and scientific proof that has been extensively and thoroughly studied. Take for example, the renowned scientist Charles Darwins theory of evolution. Even though Darwin was not able to explain the origin of life, he was at least able to link the gap of evolution between different variations of animals of the same genre, in contrast to Lennox who was basing most of his thesis from the bible, which does not have much, if any at all, certified or standing proof. Among the other points that Dawkins was delivering, another one that came to us quite strongly is that religion and faith is still a manmade entity, not a perfect being such as god. Hence it must have its flaws, because it was not made by a perfect being. Though the ideals promoted by the writers of the holy books are intended to be righteous, others may force us to believe in something that does not make sense, or conflicts one another. For example, the Christian and Islamic religions state that people who do not embrace their god will be sent to hell. There are many other religions out there with different gods and deities. Does this mean that hell waits for people who are not Christians even though they did not commit any sin? It would be illogical and unreasonable, attributes a good god would not have. Lastly, Dawkins also argues that the problem with religion is because religions were created during the olden days, people then did not know much or anything about science. Back then, gods could have been used as a simple and easy means of explanation for many natural occurrences which can be explained through sciences. Back then, god might have been a reality for them as religion gave them something to hold on to by giving them some sort of an explanation to the unknown. Before any advance in scientific knowledge, when lightning occurred, the average god fearing individual would think that God was angry at the people for their sins, and they feel scared so they worshipped god. However, that theory is no longer applicable as we already have a logical, scientific, and rational explanation for it. Based on all the reasons stated above, once again we would like to state that we think both the debaters won the argument fairly because presented their stand point of views in two distinctive manner but both are strong and convincing.

Authenticity For Investigating The Theory Of Musical Cultures Media Essay

Authenticity For Investigating The Theory Of Musical Cultures Media Essay For years authenticity has been an intriguing issue for journalists and academics investigating the theory of musical cultures. The early investigations concerned the comparison between the integral, honest and authentic folk music deriving from traditional culture against artificial, manufactured and inauthentic products of mass mediated and marketed business (Gardner, 2005). Alongside the popularisation of mass culture and the industries behind it, music fans developed the perception on traditional music, reflecting lives, practices and folklore of people by means that pop music was not. In order to differentiate themselves from the masses, people started to look for authenticity in music as identification with their culture, experiences, feelings and views (Moore, 2002). Also the ways in which the textual content has been delivered, as well as the means of instrumental expression were significantly related to the culture of music listeners (Wiseman-Trowse, 2008). With the technological progress new instruments (for example synthesisers) were introduced by the increasing number of music performers, who at first were rejected as inauthentic, not associated with traditional artists craft. However, technology soon started to form new musical cultures, effectively mixing with the existing, long-established ones (Moore, 2002). Not only the instruments were subject to technical changes; the ways of documentation of artists performances also transformed over the years, supporting better quality recordings as well as more advanced and precise techniques of producing and editing recorded music (Persson, 2006). The use of digital music production has become more popular in recent years, allowing fixes and changes to the recorded performance. This study shall examine the relationship between authenticity of an artists craft and digital music production techniques. Background of the problem Many artists, even those who derive from the cultures they claim to represent, tend to work on improving their studio recordings to the point of even mechanical perfection. This can be the pitch excellence of every note played or sung, as well as beats and bars precision. Also the musical arrangements offer broader opportunities that can be acquired much easier than by traditional means, for example with digital synthesiser imitating the sound of violin or brass (Wiseman-Trowse, 2008). Such an attitude stands in opposition to the traditional meaning of craft as a profession based on particular set of skills. Thus, by denying the conventions of honesty, truth and genuineness, being authentic as an artist can be rejected by some of the fans. By identifying the correlation between such operations and perception on the artists craft in terms of its authenticity, another field in the music culture theory shall be acknowledged. In other words, understanding how the creation of recordings influence authenticity will update the subject data by one of the most recent issues. Statement of the problem By increasing ease of access to digital sound recording and editing tools, a number of music fans become more aware of how music is being made. This has influence on perceiving artists authenticity, especially referring to their craft, which can lead to interpreting them as well as producers as inauthentic manufacturers of music, whose main factor is no longer self-expression, but commercial success only. Statement of purpose The value terms of authenticity, honesty, integrity and realness are probably the most loaded (Moore, 2002). In an effort to identify possible correlations between those related to an artists craft and digital studio production techniques, the study will examine the perception on recorded music and how contemporary technologies can change it. In doing so, the study will uncover the key determinants of such changes. Rationale Digital recording and editing of music is relatively new subject. Therefore, the availability of academic articles on its impact on authenticity of an artists skills is very limited. Most of the bibliographic sources pertinent to the concept of authenticity, dating back to the late 1960s, investigate the subject area from different angles (Wiseman-Trowse, 2008). Although the majority of research has been conducted since the early 1990s, which is the time when Digital Audio Workstations were gaining popularity, very little of the studies focused on the relationship between authenticity and digital studio production techniques. A number of studies investigated authenticity as an ideological notion motivated culturally and industrially, included mostly in lyrics, interviews and artists image itself (Wiseman-Trowse, 2008). Drawing from the fields of history and music cultures evolvement, several studies looked at areas such as development of folk music, which primarily celebrated provincial culture, as well as rock genre, originally belonging to the entertainment music domain (Moore, 2002). Even more recent research does not cover the music production angle of the problem, only mentioning it occasionally in different sources. This study is guided by the rationale of exploring these determinants. Aims and objectives of the study The aim of the study is to identify the relationship between modern music production techniques and the craft of an artist. As influenced by the aim of the study, the primary objective of this dissertation is to examine and analyse the impact that digital retuning, elastic audio and general fixing of recorded sound and the impact of these changes on authenticity of an artists profession. In this context the main objectives of the research study could be stated as: To identify the correlation between contemporary music production techniques and the craft of an artist To evaluate the influence that digital changes, made to the recorded sound, have on authenticity of the artists profession Research question Is applying any digital changes or fixes to recorded sound influence authenticity of an artists craft? Definitions of terms The following definitions are supplied to guarantee a common understanding of the primary terms used in this study. Mass culture is the whole of the culture shared by all, except for infrequent individuals who still appreciate the traditional high culture, which stands to the opposite to the term. It is argued that the mass, meaning the people, enthusiastically accepts whatever manipulative elites provide it with (DiMaggio, 2004). Craft is any object or output that is the development of practical and aesthetic skills and of the vision through the formation and creation of personal work, sold for profit (Houghton, 2005). Although it must have high degree of hand-made input, it does not have to consist of traditional materials or ways of production. The design of craft may be culturally set in the geographical place of creation (McAuley and Fillis, 2005). Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is a digitally based platform that is designed mainly for recording and editing sound. It replaces the traditional tape-based recording techniques, which were complex and time consuming, with fast, precise and convenient digital ones, providing wider choice of tools to process recorded sound (Dye, 2008). Research method The study was both desk-based and ethnographic. Books and articles on authenticity and different angles of defining the concept, as well as on modern audio production techniques were reviewed. In addition, primary data on perceiving authenticity by artists, producers and fans of music was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The study also examined transformations in interpreting authenticity of an artists skill in relation to changes applied to the sound. Assumptions and limitations This study was affected by several assumptions and limitations. First, it used a multiple choice survey, which means that the respondents were not entirely free to specify their views on the questions. This could imply some of the answers not to be accurately representative in terms of the respondents point of view, but only closely related to it. The second limitation of this study is the sample size, which was small and limited to the High Wycombe based population and online respondents only. In fact, there is no indication that the sample in this study is representative of the broader population. The third limitation of this research is the fact that the collection of data took place at particular period of time. Thus, there is no guarantee that the received responses would be indicative of responses requested and given at other time. There is also a possibility that other issues, remaining outside of the researchers control (time of day, recent conflicts, setting, or tiredness of the respondents) might influence the answers (Laurel, 2003). Description of thesis organisation The research consists of five chapters. The first one shapes the area of interest and delineates the examined problem. The research questions are introduced, the studys limitations are characterised and the selected methodology is generally and briefly discussed. The second chapter reviews literature on authenticity and modern music production techniques, particularly relating to those basing on digital sound changing. The third chapter discusses the studys methodology, the strategies used for collection of primary and secondary data, as well as concludes with a rationalization of the defined selections, recognising some inherent boundaries. The fourth chapter presents the studys discoveries as updated by the primary and secondary data collection and answers the research questions described in the first chapter. Responses to the research questions evaluated in the first chapter and an investigation on the accuracy of the research assumptions are presented in the findings. The fifth chapter concluded the research and defines the studys recommendations. Conclusion As described in this chapter, the studys subject shall be the relationship between digitally based music production techniques and authenticity of an artists craft. The next chapter presents the literature reviewed for this study. CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 2.1 Introduction This chapter reviews the literature on authenticity and contemporary music production techniques. Although there is a wealth of literature on the subject of authenticity, very few focuses on the process of the formation of recorded music, while none exploits the correlation between an artists craft authenticity and modern audio production. Instead, and as will be seen throughout this review, the majority of studies consider the socio-cultural aspect of perceiving artists authenticity by fans and theorists of music, as well as the historical one. 2.2 Authenticity in the history of popular music The early theorists of popular music warned against the expanding mass consuming culture that offered artificial art, considered to be inauthentic. For example, Walter Benjamin stated his predictions concerning the world of art and music as uniformed by mass production and with no perspectives for any heterogeneity (1935). Before the growth of the culture oriented industry, musical styles and practices were less influenced by what is considered entertaining and instead they were developing independently, aiming for pure expression of the art. Then, the rise of the business, led to the standardisation of popular culture, which was influenced by its modernisation and industrialisation (Adorno, 1991). In other words, the industry started to apply fixed formulas to the music, considering them to make it more entertaining and therefore more likely to be consumed by more people. Such an approach from the industrys side, led the fans to start missing more honest and integral cultural expressions, and thus, to seek for more genuine, traditional alternative. This was often found in folk music, as by the specifications of it, folk has been developed traditionally as an expression of peoples lives and experiences in different manner than popular culture (Gardner, 2005). Because people were searching for identity and integrity, that would distinguish themselves from the masses, the industry started to adopt different genres, marketing them as more soulful and real options (Sloop and Herman, 1998). It was not only the industry standards that influenced perceiving music as inauthentic. Together with the technological development, people started using amplified electric guitars or electronic instruments, such as synthesisers, which led to a division of music listeners (Moore, 2002). This was quickly adopted by the industry, which appeared to separate music clubs between traditional and contemporary ones. The situation was as serious as the traditionally oriented venues tended to refuse to accept a performer who used modern technology as part of the performance (Boyes, 1993). 2.3 What is authenticity Although the concept of authenticity is explained differently in variety of sources, most of them present similar view that the definition if very subjective. Allan Moore for example, presents a set of value terms that are identified with authenticity: real, honest, truthful, with integrity, actual, genuine, essential and sincere (2002). Also Gilbert and Pearson specify the requirements of authentic rock of the 1980s, wherein the fundamental role of artists was to represent the culture from which they come, speaking the truth of their situations and using particular type of instrumentation (1999). In other words, these theorists claim that authenticity is not any fixed combination of musical sounds or set of lyrical content, but it refers to the artist or the whole of their performance as a matter of interpretation, which should be made from cultural and therefore historical position (Rubidge, 1996). Thus, it is not the integral part of a performance, but something that can be assign ed to one, meaning that the choice whether it is authentic or not, depends on who the one is. Moore considers the rock discourse to be the one frequently referring to authenticity in the textual and musical spheres. He argued that it is the style of writing and performing that made the audience decide of its authenticity, and that it particularly referred to the singer (2002). What also should be noted is the attributes of an artists intimacy and immediacy, that indicate authenticity, meaning that one should uncover their feelings and experiences in unmediated shape and with the purity of sound production (Moore, 2002). Grossberg goes further by stating that the difference between the authentic and the inauthentic lies within the purpose that an artist has in the musical expression. Whether it is the art itself, the public or the income driven by this, defines the authentic as the opposite of commercial (1992). Thus, in order to classify the integrate, the performers realism and lack of pretence have to be examined (Moore, 2002). 2.3.1 First person authenticity The fundamental form of authenticity that was introduced by Charles Taylor (1997) as an expression that can be outlined in an initiatory instance, which Moore later describes as immediacy of expression (2002). This concept has also been reviewed by Bohlman, who identifies the authentic as the constant demonstration of the stylistic genesis, which means the purity of practice (1988). In other words, he presents his idea of an authentic artist as the one whose musical style remains loyal to the origins of the genre. On the other hand, Grossberg (1992) indicates the honesty of experience as the main determinant of authenticity, meaning the lyrical content of the song expressing real experiences of an artist. Both Bohlmans and Grossbergs views are supported by Redhead, who claims that real instruments (referring to the purity of practice) should go along real feelings; the artistic transparency and loyalty to the roots of music in conjunction with a genuine message (1990). Walser argues that even technological mediation, for example use of signal modifiers or amplification, is synonymous to pretence, pointing at artificiality and thus inauthenticity of an act (1993). Such an approach is related to Taylors authenticity of positionality, which describes the authenticity of musicians who reject to get influenced by the commercial music, for example by implementing the style of Western musicians by non-Western ones (1997). Wiseman-Trowse underlines another aspect of the immediate performance, which is the stage one, where an artist has actual opportunity to engage the audience, as opposed to the recorded performance (2008). On stage it is possible for a listener to compare both recorded and live ones, as well as for an artist to convert the listeners perception on authenticity of the performance. On this basis one can decide whether it is the genuine artistic skill that is present on a recording, or rather a result of the work of a skilful producer (Auslander, 1999). As Moore underlines the concept of the first person authenticity, all of the above understandings of the term are connected by the direction towards they lead. This entails the perception on authenticity that is implemented by the personal interpretation made by an entity being a part of the audience (2002). In other words, the first person authenticity occurs when a performer is received by an individual as an integral one who expresses their art in an unmediated way. 2.3.2 Third person authenticity Fornà ¤s distinguishes three types of authenticity: social, subjective and meta ones. They differ with regard to the act of judgement: first is made by a particular community, second depends on the individual, while the last one is evidenced by the consideration of the performer or the author of lyrics (1995). Although meta-authenticity is described as an act of validation made by the author, this side of the subject is also present in the other two types. According to Grossberg, the authentic performer needs to express their own feelings, which are simultaneously shared with the public (1992). This type of authenticity is pictured by adopting the original blues music style, deriving from the economically poor Mississippi delta, to the 1960s movement represented by artists like Cream. The band used to play a cover song of Robert Johnson, Crossroads. Even though Cream did not grow neither over the Mississippi area, nor in the 1930s, they found themselves identifying with the song (Coleman, 1994). This allowed them to express themselves through reproducing Johnsons art and remaining authentic (at least in their own opinion). The third person authenticity is supported by Vaughan Williams, who claims that the artist can never create from the state of entire independence, without any influence of earlier musical acts. Thus, the musician needs predecessors in order to base the artistic experience on them (1987). Thus, the third person authenticity occurs if a performing artist successfully represents the ideas, experiences and feelings of another. 2.3.3 Second person authenticity Grossberg specifies another type of authenticity that, as opposed to the first and third person ones, is being justified by the artists capability to successfully express the experiences of the listeners (1992). Thus, it is the audience that recognises the authentic by basing on their own feelings and thoughts that are presented by an artist. Moore exemplifies this approach by mentioning the 1980s rock scene, which was dominated by synthesisers. The dedication to traditional rock was therefore exposed by the focus on the guitar based instrumentation used by the bands like U2, Big Country, Simple Minds, The Alarm or Bruce Springsteen, who derive from socially disadvantaged areas. By using the guitar, that was easily reachable, they tried to metaphorically escape from their reality (2002). This means, that it is culturally constructed process of artists authentication made by the audience that seeks for the validation of their own experiences in art. 2.3.4 Authenticity as a renewable resource Richard Peterson (1997) introduced the concept of authenticity as a renewable resource, claiming that it is renovated with every era and expansion of popular music with its production. He states that the shifting conditions are reflected by the meaning of authenticity, which is defined by a collective argumentation of fans, performers and producers. It is argued that authenticity is not inseparable in the recording, or a performance, which intend to be authentic by design. In popular culture, the particulars of the words meaning are not controlled by specialists and authorities; it aims to be credible qualified to a explicit model and simultaneously remain original. In other words, it has to fit within fixed framework, not being an imitation of it at the same time. Thus, what is authentic, varies continuously renewing all the time and never remaining static. However, Robert Gardner (2005) disagrees with the generalisation of authenticity as renewable resource. He points out that even the genre on which Peterson has based his research, should not be considered authentic in the contemporary state of it, having been deprived of its integral roots, which displays for example on ABCs Monday Night Football, which uses Hank Williams Jrs theme song. 2.4 Digital audio Todays recording systems, like Pro Tools, Cuebase or Logic, are using the digital way of sound capturing. It is then saved as samples, which are small bits that recorded sound consists of. Frank D. Cook describes sound samples as analogical to pixels in digitally saved images (2009). In order to understand digital audio, it is important to present what sound essentially is. When a human ear hears a sound, it in fact experiences variations of the air pressure around it. These are result of vibrations of objects, that are moving in cycles. If the object is vibrating at a frequency that falls within the range of human hearing, we perceive it as a sound (Cook, 2009, p 21). The actual character of the sound depends on the waveform, frequency and the vibrations amplitude. 2.4.1 Waveform The waveform is the very thing that creates the humans perception on the shape of the sound. This means that one can find out what is the source of the sound, as every object vibrates differently, giving the waveform the distinctive nature and tone (Cook, 2009). 2.4.2 Frequency Human hearing has the range of approximately 20 and 20000 cycles (the whole back-and-forth vibrations) per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). This determines the pitch of the sound, where lower frequencies generate lower sounds; while higher frequencies produce higher pitches (Cook, 2009). For example, the frequency of 130 Hz is assigned to the musical note C3, whereas the semitone lower B2 names the frequency of 123 Hz. 2.4.3 Amplitude The loudness perceived by the human ear depends on the pressure or intensity of the sound variations and is measured in decibels (dB). Thus, the sound becomes louder as the amplitude of vibrations increases. For example, the loudness of a regular conversation is 60 dB. In order to double the loudness, the amplitude would have to be increased to 70 dB (Cook, 2009). 2.5 Modern studio production techniques Dan Daley suggests that listening to the recorded vocals on the radio nowadays brings to mind the increasing popularity of guitar effects in the 1970s, when fuzz, distortion, flanging and wah-wah processors overwhelmed traditional sounding guitars (2003). As it was argued then, whether the non-purist approach is inauthentic or rather an artistic expression of modernity, it is arguable if changing recorded vocals or instruments digitally can be perceived as genuine representation of art (Daley, 2003). The turning point of pitch correction technique came along Chers single Believe in 1998, on which digital vocal processing has been not only used, but made very noticeable. Since then, the number of artists using these features is continuously increasing, as well as there are more and more ways of using them, even to the point of intentional distortion of recorded sound (Daley, 2003). 2.5.1 Pitch correction The pitch correction feature, available by both DAW plug-ins as well as standalone programs allows automatic or manual change of recorded sounds pitch. The most common use of pitch correction is fixing a vocal performance; if a singer sings a false note, the digital technology allows the producer to fix it quickly, without another take. There are two ways of correcting pitch. Automatic mode usually lets the user to choose a musical scale according to which both flat and sharp notes should be corrected. Manual mode provides a graph of the notes that allows the producer to change the pitch of separate sounds manually, by moving the graphical representation of them up and down (Bartlett and Bartlett, 2009). 2.5.2 Elastic audio Huber and Runstein point out another feature that provided by digital technology. Elastic audio allows the change of the timing of recorded sound (2009), for example fixing a guitarists performance, who might have recorded a solo slower than the actual song and then speed it up. This tool does not only generate a change of a tracks speed, but also each sound can be stretched or shrunk separately and manually by the producer (Huber and Runstein, 2009). Such a tool can repair a poor performance that is out of time and make it sound technically perfect. 2.6 Contemporary production techniques and authenticity An American singer and songwriter, Neko Case, expressed her views on auto-tune in the interview for Pitchfork. She claims that singing is not important anymore, as instead bad singing is fixed by the producer (2006). Case also argues that an artist who uses shift correction on vocals cannot be taken seriously, losing all the integrity. Moreover, the singer clearly points out that an artists craft needs more work and thus, those who do not spend this extra hour in the studio trying to hit the note are not valid (Case, 2006). Allison Moore, a singer from Nashville, goes one step further in her proclaiming about using modern production tools on records. She put a sticker on the front cover of her LP release, Miss Fortune, which states Absolutely no vocal tuning or pitch-correction was used in the making of this record (2002). She is a keen supporter of the view that albums should be recorded and mixed in the old way, that is becoming progressively rare (Daley, 2003). On the other hand, the guitarist of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, Jack White argues that pop artists, like Britney Spears can be more authentic than Tom Waits or Bob Dylan (2009). His rationale for such a controversial opinion was that he finds more authentic an artist whose musical expression is made the way they best know and feel. In other words, White points out that in the modern music world somebody who has grown listening mainly to pop (thus commercial, manufactured and by definition inauthentic) music, knows it as their primary way of articulating feelings and experiences and therefore is not pretentious, which leads to perceiving them as authentic (2009). Some genres can be more focused on the authentic side of studio recording. An example of such an approach is Pearl Jam, representing grunge music. The bands drummer, Matt Cameron called their album Riot Act is an anti-Pro Tools record: Its more interesting hearing musicians in a room playing hard, with the tempo fluctuating slightly as the band heats up. Perfection is boring (2009). He pointed out a significant thing about the modern technology by recalling one of the most popular DAWs as a synonym of commercial and unreal music. Josh Binder argues that the features of pitch/timing of a recorded track does not have to be used only as a tool for fixing a bad performance. This young producer, who has been learning his profession in the world that has already accepted the existence of digital retuning, claims that he uses Auto-Tune (one of the leading digital tools used for pitch correction) to enrich the vocal sound of even a perfectly sung track (2009). An engineer, Michael Brauer, applies no limitations in terms of using available technologies to make a good-sounding record. He states that he is employed for the purpose of helping to make songs that can be sold, regardless of the artists abilities (2009). Nevertheless, he still believes that one needs talent to be an artist and if they cannot sing or play at all, no technology can help them (2009). 2.7 Conclusion The subject of authenticity alone has generated vast amount of theoretical angles of consideration. This has been motivated by the very nature of it, assuming that perception of what is honest, genuine or integral depends on the actual perceiver. Moreover, three basic ways of interpreting the authentic have been specified, which determined further research direction. Furthermore, the digital music production techniques have been described, clarifying how recorded sound can be changed or fixed by contemporary recording and mixing tools. The chapter also presented different perceptions on the relationship between digital production techniques and authenticity of an artists craft. Chapter III describes the methodology used for this study. A review of the studys purpose and investigated questions was presented. This is followed by an outline of the research design and the survey instrument used for it, along with the procedures for data collection and analysis. CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This chapter reflects the studys selected research methodology. As will be seen, the methodology is the subject of the purpose of this study and is supported by the evaluation of the most beneficial approach responding to the research questions. As such, this chapter presents the purpose of the study, the research questions and hypothesis, as well as discusses the data collection and data analysis procedures and the limitations of the research. 3.1 Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to examine the concept of authenticity with specific focus on its perception as influenced by applying digital studio production techniques. The reason for doing so is determining what impact changing the recorded sound has on authenticity of an artists craft. To fulfil this purpose, it was significant to review literature on authenticity, as well as on contemporary music production techniques. This necessitated an exploration of the nature of perceiving authenticity by music fans, producers (record manufacturers), as well as artists themselves. At the same time it was important to explore the ways in which recorded sound, being the performance can be edited, fixed and generally changed. All of this was done in order to fulfil the primary purpose of the study, which was the identification of the influence modern production practices can have on authenticity of an artists skill. As it can be presumed from the above, the current research has an explanatory purpose. According to Silverman, the aim for explanatory research is needed to define an occurrence or make a complex subject comprehensible (2006). This can be done by clarifying the correlations between variables. The purpose of the study aims to explain th