Reflection on the Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection on the Research Paper - Essay Example This is because, as I was reading through the articles, I made a list of all the cited causes. To be honest, my main concern was the identification of all causes and writing as comprehensive a research as possible. As this strategy turned out to be incorrect, I had to reread the articles with a different purpose in mind - the identification of the root causes. As none of the articles accessed or handed out as part of our class readings outlined the root causes for the failure of retail chain internationalization projects, I had to reflect upon the various causes, establish correlations between them, and relate them back to theory. Not only did doing so give me a deeper understanding of the problems confronting the internationalization of retail chains but, it gave me a better grasp of theory. Accordingly, the very nature of the assignment, and the supposed imbalance between word limit and the vast array of causes for failure, were learning experiences in themselves. As my initial approach had been incorrect, forcing me to reread each article more than once, I gained a greater familiarity with the different writers in the field, to the extent that I was able to compare the worth of each. While not claiming that any of the writers or theorists whose material we studied lacked substance or value, I personally found the most informative, hence more valuable, to be Brown and Palmer.

Calls for Change in High School Mathematics Essay Example for Free

Calls for Change in High School Mathematics Essay Mathematic educators, parents and students are calling for proper changes in approaches to learning mathematics in high schools. The need to improve learning of mathematics in schools is highly recognized and underlined. Thus, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics that offered recommendations for high school mathematics reform. In addition, the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences in their official report ‘The Mathematical Sciences Curriculum K–12: What Is Still Fundamental and What Is Not’ stresses the importance of new topics and techniques in the secondary schools. New approaches should develop new learning techniques that would be discrete from statistics, mathematics, and emphasis on algebra and geometry should be properly re-assessed according to different abilities and needs of students who are taking mathematics course in the secondary school and high school respectively. The need for change and innovation is generally driven by emergence of advanced computing technologies that offers excellent opportunities for school educators to replace manipulative traditional techniques with more complex realistic problem-solving techniques. In its turn, the National Science Board Commission issued a report ‘Educating Americans for the 21st Century’ challenging courses in algebra and pre-calculus and stressing the importance of developing integrated mathematical sciences curriculum in the secondary school. Researchers argue that new curriculum will positively affect students’ achievement outcomes in the secondary and high schools. To make changes more effective teachers are required to understand the advantage of curriculum’s full scope and its consequences; students are required to support the expectations of classroom environment. The Core-Plus Mathematic Project is newly developed curriculum for high school mathematics. Of course, the Core-Plus Mathematic Project or CPMP curriculum is a matter of debates and controversies as not everyone admits the need of high school mathematics reforms. Nonetheless, the CPMP curriculum is worked out with assistance of mathematics education researchers, instructional specialists and classroom teachers. Moreover, the curriculum is shaped by empirical evidence gathered from students and teachers who are willing to participate in field testing. In particular, organization of mathematics curriculum should be interpreted in terms of teaching and assessment recommendations and should follow the standards set in the above-mentioned reports. New mathematics curriculum is a three-year mathematics course for high-school students who are allowed to take the fourth year to prepare for college mathematics. Newly designed curriculum differs from more traditional approaches as new curriculum encourages students’ understanding of mathematics – statistics, probability, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and discrete mathematics. Learning mathematics is developed in focused units that combine fundamental ideas with mathematical habits of mind. It means that new curriculum stresses the need to connect function, data analysis and symmetry with recursive and visual thinking. In contrast to traditional approaches to mathematics, new curriculum emphasizes the role of mathematical modeling and problem-solving instead of simple calculus. Researchers say the primary goal of curriculum improvement is to enhance students’ understanding and comprehension of key mathematical processes and concepts, to enhance student’s ability to use mathematical concepts in real-world problem-solving. Graphic calculators should enhance students’ understanding and abilities to solve authentic problems. Improved instructional materials encourage active teaching and learning processes that will primarily focus on problem situations, abstraction and analysis. Oral and written communication, reasoning with ability to represent, and conceptual understanding are highly appreciated and encouraged. All courses centre on mathematical reasoning and thinking with abilities to develop formal proof. Additional fourth year course will allow to keep students, who prepare for college mathematics, despite whether their undergraduate program is based on calculus. Students interested in mathematics are encouraged to be accelerated into the fourth course year. Today, many researches are focus on identifying whether new curriculum meets its specific goals. In particular, they try to reveal whether the learning outcomes based on new patterns of mathematics learning process differ from outcomes based on more traditional curriculum. During the past eight years researchers conducted various studies to examine mathematical achievement in classroom with CPMP curricula. Research studies have revealed that performance of CPMP students is much better than that of students with traditional interpretation of mathematical representation. It means that problem-solving and recursive thinking appear to be more effective in learning mathematics than simple understanding of key concepts of processes. Further, CPMP students are characterized by higher grade results at the end of the years than students with traditional approach to mathematics. Summing up, recent researches have indicated that CPMP students perform better than students with traditional curriculum. CPMP students are characterized by better abilities to interpret mathematical representation and calculation, to measure conceptual understanding and to recognize the importance of problem-solving. CPMP students are better in probability and statistics, algebraic manipulative skills, etc. Nonetheless, researchers argue that student’s success in college mathematics doesn’t fully depend on CPMP curriculum. Other factors, as, for example, student’s attentiveness, readiness to participate in learning process, self-awareness, classroom environment, play their important role in student’s high school mathematics performance. With guidance from educators, researchers and teachers, curriculum developers will be able to build on stronger patters of student outcomes. References Schoen, H. L. , Hirsch, Ch. R. (2003). Responding to Calls for Change in High School Mathematics: Implications for Collegiate Mathematics. The Mathematical Association of America Monthly, February, pp. 109-123. Available on-line from http://www. jstor. org/stable/3647770 .

The Nature of the Law of Nature :: Philosophy Science Essays

The Nature of the Law of Nature Humans are complex beings. They adapt, learn, have intelligence and free will, can reason, feel emotions, and have a conscience. Although such qualities and attributes raise humans above the rest of other life forms, it is questionable as to where the idea of a conscience and emotions come from. What exactly is it that stimulates our responses to certain situations and problems? The answer lies in human nature. What we as humans feel is right or wrong is somehow dictated by something beyond merely the individual. The underlying question, therefore, becomes what that outside influence is: nature, our inherent human qualities themselves, or some man-made composite of other people and experiences? In more specific terms, the question is whether or not our morality and our adherence to a moral code is something fixed and constant throughout humanity itself. Francis Bacon stated that nature must first be obeyed before it can be put to use, and the same concept applies to humans. Before an y judgment can be made about people, groups, ideas, or beliefs, one must first have a standard to compare this behavior to. If there is no real Law of Nature, then no standard is set, and one thing cannot be compared to another because the standard is only set by opinion, not by fact. In reality, the Law of Nature is a reality which is independent of man-made ideas, although the way in which humans think is definitely influenced by the environment. Let us first address the issue of the impact of the environment on a person’s moral development. In Bonfire of the Vanities, author Tom Wolfe quotes physiologist Josà © Delgado, saying that â€Å"each person is a transitory composite of materials borrowed from the environment† (Wolfe 512). This concept is significant because it demonstrates that people take from the environment certain aspects which eventually come to mold their characters. The idea of a composite also shows that we are not merely independent individuals, but, as O’Malley describes, we are social beings (O’Malley 104). However, this does not mean that our inherent human nature is dictated by the environment; remember, Delgado says that the composite is transitory. If each person is not constant, then that person’s instincts do not change, merely his own rationale. C.S. Lewis described the scenario of a man who sees a drowning person and has two instincts: to help him or to go on, a nd usually the instinct which is more self-protective is stronger (Lewis Ch.

Death penalty/capital punishment

It makes people think twice about their actions, instil fear evidence Michael Summers, PhD, MBA, Professor of Management Science at Pepperdine University, wrote in his Nov. 2, 2007 article â€Å"Capital Punishment Works† in the Wall Street Journal: â€Å"†¦ [O]ur recent research shows that each execution carried out is correlated with about 74 fewer murders the following year†¦ The study examined the relationship between the number of executions and the number of murders in the U. S. for the 26-year period from 1979 to 2004, using data from publicly available FBI sources†¦ There seems to be an obvious negative correlation in that when executions increase, murders decrease, and when executions decrease, murders increase†¦ Paul H. Rubin, PhD, Professor of Economics at Emory University â€Å"Recent research on the relationship between capital punishment and homicide has created a consensus among most economists who have studied the issue that capital punishment deters murder. Early studies from the 1970s and 1980s reached conflicting results. However, recent studies have exploited better data and more sophisticated statistical techniques. The modern refereed studies have consistently shown that capital punishment has a strong deterrent effect, with each execution deterring between 3 and 18 murders†¦ 2) Justice for the victim is achieved only through the death penalty. Refutation, opposition says it does not bring justice because mistakenly convict the innocent person With the life sentence the criminal somehow still gets back on the streets and then might kill again. The people who survive need a peace of mind that the person who committed the crime can never come after them again. ife sentence does not work out; the judicial system gives a person life sentence but somehow they get back on the streets and statistics show that nearly 30 convicted killers released from jail over the past 10 years have gone on to kill again thanks to the â€Å"fair† judicial system. Evidence Frederick A. Romano remembers his mother's panic-filled voice as she talked to his father, of himself grabbing the phone only to hear hi s father tell him that his older sister had been hurt. â€Å"It's justice,† Fred Romano said. â€Å"It's not revenge. † His wife, Vicki Romano, agreed, then elaborated. â€Å"Revenge would be going out and killing one of [the murderer's] family members,† Vicki Romano said. â€Å"The death penalty isn't revenge. It's the law. † FactsMarch 31st, 2009| | There are many reasons the death penalty should be abolished. It is a complex issue and it is difficult to point to any single fact or argument as the most important. 1) Executions are carried out at staggering cost to taxpayers. It costs far more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life. A 2011 study found that California has spent more than $4 billion on capital punishment since it was reinstated in 1978 and that death penalty trials are 20 times more expensive than trials seeking a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. California currently spends $184 million on the death penalty each year and is on track to spend $1 billion in the next five years. 2) There is no credible evidence that capital punishment deters crime. Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime anymore than long prison sentences. Moreover, states without the death penalty have much lower murder rates. The South accounts for 80% of US executions and has the highest regional murder rate. 3) Innocent people have been convicted and executed. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty, 140 men and women have been released from Death Row nationally†¦. some only minutes away from execution. Moreover, in the past two years evidence has come to light which indicates that four men may have been wrongfully EXECUTED in recent years for crimes they did not commit. This error rate is simply appalling, and completely unacceptable, when we are talking about life and death. 4) Race plays a role in determining who lives and who dies. The race of the victim and the race of the defendant in capital cases are major factors in determining who is sentenced to die in this country. In 1990 a report from the General Accounting Office concluded that â€Å"in 82 percent of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i. . those who murdered whites were more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks. † 5) The death penalty is applied at random. Politics, quality of legal counsel and the jurisdiction where a crime is committed are more often the determining factors in a death penalty case than the facts of the crime itself. The death penalty is a lethal lottery: of the 22,000 homicides committed every year approximately 150 peopl e are sentenced to death. 7) The USA is keeping company with notorious human rights abusers. The vast majority of countries in Western Europe, North America and South America — more than 139 nations worldwide — have abandoned capital punishment in law or in practice. The United States remains in the same company as Iraq, Iran and China as one of the major advocates and users of capital punishment. 8) Millions currently spent on the death penalty could be used to assist the families of murder victims. Many family members who have lost love ones to murder feel that the death penalty will not heal their wounds nor will it end their pain; the extended process prior to executions can prolong the agony experienced by the family. Funds now being used for the costly process of executions could be used to help families put their lives back together through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs. 9) Bad Lawyers are a Persistent Problem in Capital Cases Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether a defendant will receive the death penalty is the quality of the representation he or she is provided. Almost all defendants in capital cases cannot afford their own attorneys. In many cases, the appointed attorneys are overworked, underpaid, or lacking the trial experience required for death penalty cases. There have even been instances in which lawyers appointed to a death case were so inexperienced that they were completely unprepared for the sentencing phase of the trial. Other appointed attorneys have slept through parts of the trial, or arrived at the court under the influence of alcohol. 10) Life Without Parole is a Sensible Alternative to the Death Penalty In every state that retains the death penalty, jurors have the option of sentencing convicted capital murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence is cheaper to tax-payers and keeps violent offenders off the streets for good. Unlike the death penalty, a sentence of Life Without Parole also allows mistakes to be corrected. There are currently over 3,300 people in California who have received this alternative sentence, which also has a more limited appeals process last approximately 3 years. According to the California Governor's Office, only seven people sentenced to life without parole have been released since the state provided for this option in 1977, and this occurred because they were able to prove their innocence.

Media violence: Pointing at the wrong culprit

Nowadays, violence in the streets is becoming commonplace. Headlines are screaming of assaults and other senseless crimes. Thus, it is necessary to understand what causes violence to minimize, if not stop, its prevalence in society. In this age of technology, media is very influential among people because of its global reach. Thus, there have been arguments that media violence translates to societal violence. Through the years, there has been an increase in the quantity of violence, and media has been transforming to a more sexual, graphic, and sadistic media. Because of the technological development, bullets exploding in people's brains were seen in slow motion in movies. Wrestling fans cheer over hard-hitting action, and one particular video game's, Grand Theft Auto, goal is murdering as many people as possible. Moreover, extremely violent lyrics are common in music. The Web makes access to all these kinds of media easily accessible as well as contains violent materials (Vidal, Clemente, & Espinosa, 2003). The presence of cruelty in different types of media means that it is appealing to people. Violence is incorporated to media because it is what â€Å"sells† to people. The question now is, Does it cause societal violence? Many believe that people exposed to violence in the media have a more aggressive behavior. Media has been accused of teaching children how to kill people. However, the actual connection between media and violence is yet to be established (Bushman & Anderson, 2001), and some researchers believe that blaming media is only one way for others who refuse to believe that the actual violence is seen at home and in the community. Indeed, guns, drugs, alcohol, and poverty heavily influence youth, much more than media does. Those who are believed to be influenced by media live in ghetto cities where people mostly are in the low socioeconomic bracket and belong to the minority groups. A common factor among these people is the presence of abuse and violence, even before the media became a part of the popular culture. Rap music, accused for its violent lyrics, originated from these areas, a reflection of the experiences of those who created the music. Artists of metal music are said to incite violent tendencies among youth, and Marilyn Manson was blamed for the Columbine shooting. Similar to rappers, metal music artists usually had poor upbringing and exposed to violence throughout their childhood. Cases against the rock bands claiming that they are responsible for influencing the violence in teenagers were dismissed because the teenagers were under the influence of drugs and, similarly to most artists, have depressing lives. In reality, music does not cause violence; rather, musicians are only expressing the violence that they experienced in the society.Approximately 90% of violent youths were exposed to violence at homes, were abused, and have depressing lives, even before they learned how to listen to music. As regards movies depicting violent scenes, these only slightly increase aggression (Freedman, 2002). Similarly to music, movies only emulate reality, and the graphics only help to make films as â€Å"real life† as possible. Again, it is the poor home environment that raises a violent child. As an example, movies, animes, and video games in Japan are more violent than in the United States, but are there any reported incidents of shootings by teenagers at school? None. Furthermore, there are less incidence of crimes committed by teenagers. Indeed, violence in society is rapidly rising, but people should not point their fingers at the wrong culprit—media. Media violence does not cause societal violence; rather, violence is only portrayed in media. Although it is true that violence in media increases aggression in children, ultimately, proper upbringing is essential to ensure that a child does not grow to be a violent person. Instead of focusing on media violence, people should focus on the real problem—poverty, drugs and alcohol, loose gun laws, and domestic violence. References Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2001). Media violence and the American public: Scientific fact versus media misinformation. American Psychologist, 56(6–7), 477–489. Freedman, J. (2002). Media violence and its effect on aggression: Assessing the scientific evidence. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Vidal, M.A., Clemente, M., & Espinosa, P. (2003). Types of media violence and degree of acceptance in