Sunday, August 23, 2020

Contemporary Issues for Accounting Presentation and Preparation

Question: Talk about theContemporary Issues in Accountingfor Presentation and Preparation. Answer: Presentation: In operational exercises of an association, morals are worried to form great and good choices with respect to introduction, planning, and disclosure of money related data. The natural bookkeeping and examining are the manner by which the earth issues sway on associations fiscal report and individual. The disclosure and acknowledgment of these issues details the market wasteful aspects that are exist because of various mental features and influence to money related dynamic of the financial specialists. In addition, the controllers and reviewers ought to inspect old hypotheses, for example, reasonable benefit of bookkeeping, judiciousness, coordinating, and chronicled cost to improve their viability. Because of this explanation, the picked subject for examine proposition is natural bookkeeping and inspecting. The issues in examining and natural bookkeeping are general issue, however these issues have been grasped by everywhere throughout the world (IISTE, 2012). This exploration is sig nificant in light of the fact that it empowers the clients to comprehend about the monetary effect of examining and natural bookkeeping issues on the association. Down to earth Motivation: In an exertion, contemporary pattern happened in reviewing and ecological bookkeeping to make guarantee the straightforwardness, responsibility, and partners support in a more extensive viewpoint. The examiner ought to guarantee that procurement, mergers, manageability, intermediary access, atmosphere, and the official repayment are synchronized. The standards of examining are created to guarantee that the tended to issues may influence an associations execution. The inspectors independency has sway on consideration of financial specialists, controllers, and scientists (Tepalagul and Lin, 2015). Additionally, it is fundamental to coordinate and offer to create better social, natural, and monetary execution of the association. In this way, the issues that numerous associations don't create in their report become impressive and the method of reasoning which are not unveiled by the associations should be researched. Besides, avoidance of duties results as a corporate administration issu es like defilement. In the zone of heuristic-based inclinations there is noticeable shortage of research with comprehensive lack of an examination which is identified with speculators venture choices. Basically, a precise arrangement of ideas and rules of examining ought to be created to introduce the essential monetary circumstance (Dozier, 2015). Just as, the inspecting and natural bookkeeping can be seen as a basic piece of the association that is experienced its rash conduct for long ter. Hypothetical Motivation: In spite of the fact that, there are numerous worries with respect to reviewing and natural bookkeeping among individuals that need to relinquish because of operational exercises of an association. The independency of evaluators is a basic issue for reviewing calling that impacts on review quality. Nature bookkeeping strategy helps in distinguishing ecological expense and prompts cost putting something aside for the association. This examination proposition is set up to locate the bona fide reason for why the associations are not building such reports. The controller should close the hole which makes empower tax avoidance and that are kept away from by the associations. In the ebb and flow explore, the explanation of these issues is all the more completely broke down. The examiner ought to reinforce the present prerequisites of the approach for the expansion of reasonable worth bookkeeping (Blay and Geiger, 2013). It is likewise necessitated that the association should make required divulgences just as, to energize them. Writing Review: As per Dhaliwal et al (2012), Environment bookkeeping is manner by which natural issues sway on the companys fiscal summaries, for example, salary explanation, income proclamation, and asset report. It causes specialist to comprehend about condition issues and their effect on the fiscal reports. Alongside this, condition inspecting is an instrument that quantifies the impacts of various exercises on nature. Condition bookkeeping is an act of utilizing money related standards which is use to do expenses of business. The earth evaluating is precise procedure that measures the authoritative position and condition execution. This additionally investigates the monetary exhibition of the organization and checks the fiscal reports (Wang and Zhou, 2012). In perspectives on Vasarhelyi et al (2012), condition bookkeeping and inspecting are utilized to screen the money related execution of the association and to uncover the associations ecological budgetary data. Alongside this, condition bookkeeping and examining can improve the ecological exhibition of the organization since it incorporates the specific principles and guidelines. The controller and the evaluator are ordered to extend the guidelines and guidelines to make guarantee that the reasonable benefit of bookkeeping, estimation premise, and corporate specialists are calculated as progress. They make guarantee to share the corporative data to the open, for example, benefit and misfortune records of the organization. It is a basic work which offers the basic data for the client of monetary explanations. Additionally, the current system does exclude the areas that may expound the exposures and appearance. It is delineated by Parker (2012), that the idea of creating exposure appear ance issues are basic zone in this manner, these ideas ought to be remain on more significant level structures. The job of plans of action identified with ecological bookkeeping is inescapable in monetary reports since they have contending speculations of the firm. The monetary premises accept that the ecological bookkeeping presents impeccable data and has no any extortion in budget summaries. Similarly, these monetary premises contend that the bookkeeping is an asset of decreasing exchange cost yet the estimation is an issue in these premises. Additionally, Aceitimo et al (2012) portrayed that the manageability of natural bookkeeping and evaluating relies upon various factors, for example, size of the association, level of rivalry and a lot more exercises in the association. A major association turns out to be increasingly noticeable and faces progressively open and political weights to uncover feasible inspecting report. They need to deliver a positive sign from such exposures to draw in financial specialists which requires enormous assets. In the circumstance of rivalry the associations would be hesitant to deliver manageable natural bookkeeping in anxiety of injury their serious positions. As expressed by Rao et al (2012), that the corporate administration in an association legitimately identifies with its natural bookkeeping and evaluating. Along these lines, on the off chance that the inspectors are in enormous number s in the association, at that point there will be more possibilities in the association which may rev eal satisfactory data that identifies with its operational exercises. Speculation: As per above broke down writing, it is recognized that the people standpoint towards natural bookkeeping and evaluating will assist with affecting their destinations. The writing presents that poor people and lacking bookkeeping view of the associations will results as poor mentality towards the clients. In respects of key elements there are clashing outcomes and aims from the partners. It will be useful in giving degree to propel look into. The accompanying theory is recommended which is tried during the examination procedure: The insufficient bookkeeping and examining report may influence the venture choices of a person which depend on higher event of feelings in look at of taking part in a speculation union. Research Method: There are expansive assortments of passionate and subjective inclinations which are estimated in different manners. In this examination, both essential and optional information investigation techniques are utilized. In this examination, the surveys are dispersed between various partners of twenty organizations everywhere throughout the world. This examination centers around blessing inclination and misfortune repugnance as passionate predispositions that have noteworthy various effects at individual or gathering level. The partners should comprise of directors, partners, providers, government authorities, and providers (Anderson et al, 2012). This examination is led with a few distinct nations over prolonged stretch of time length. The examination model ought to be utilized to test the significance of central variables. Be that as it may, the various parameters of research are fit to broaden the business understudies information as an expert bookkeeper about the issues of ecological bookkeeping and examining. The poll of the exploration strategy would comprise the open finished and close finished inquiries to discover arrangement with respect to how well these partners about natural bookkeeping and examining issues. In such manner, if the partners know about the evaluating and ecological bookkeeping reports of associations then they will be fulfilled by the acquired data revealed by the organization. In this manner, the business choices will be impact by the review nature of the report. Further, there would be questions that may gauge to arrange pressure on the associations to deliver satisfactory review report. The members remembered for this examination are shifting in their previous information, experience, training, and mindfulness. The examination is incorporated both non-expert and expert financial specialists. It will ensure a different assortment of individual inclination and potential discernments. It is discovered that there are not just interrelated, complex, and combined relations between authoritative change and reviewers rehearses, yet in addition the job of natural bookkeeping is in encouraging hierarchical elements (Burns, 2012). The assessment of gathered information from essential and optional

Friday, August 21, 2020

Friday, July 10, 2020

GRE Essay Topics - Which Essay Topics Should You Study?

GRE Essay Topics - Which Essay Topics Should You Study?Preparing for GRE Essay Topics is the beginning of your preparation process. It should begin with a thorough understanding of what a GRE Essay consists of. Before that, though, you need to decide on a topic to study. If you want to examine many subjects or understand the different test components, then it will be better if you choose the first category of the subject, which would be Physics.It is important to note that you are not supposed to submit the essay in its entirety at one time. You should go through all the steps of writing an essay. You should write it first before writing any other content and then revise it. As you are writing the essay, you can think about the topic you would like to write about. This will let you avoid repeating a same thing over again.Your choices of GRE Essay Topics should not be so general as to cover everything under the sun. You have to be specific and focused when reviewing a subject. There a re certain parts of an essay that you have to spend more time on, such as writing paragraphs and putting them together to form a complete sentence.Write about all aspects of a subject and this should include things like problem solving, and how you find solutions to these problems. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a subject and highlight the strengths. Keep in mind that you are writing the essay for the purpose of being accepted for the GRE. Do not simply supply the information that is necessary for your score.To make sure that you come up with the best GRE Essay Topics, write down all the points you want to write about. The more time you spend on the essay, the more content will you need to write. You should do this as often as possible.When you start writing about your GRE Essay Topics, it will become very easy for you to start the process. The key is to keep focusing on each and every point, and once you complete one, put it into action to complete the rest. You should not give up until the essays are finished.Even though you may only consider topics for your GRE Essay Topics, you still need to get your essay ready. Your essay should always be able to carry out the requirements set by the test for the sole purpose of helping you meet the requirements and getting accepted for the GRE.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Problem, Aims And Plan Of Study - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 30 Words: 8982 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Introductory orientation Truancy is about learners who have not been attending school regularly as required by the school, parents and even the authorities. Truant behavior is a problem for the individual, the family, the school and society in general. Free and compulsory education is recognized as a basic entitlement under international standards, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950). With the right to free education and the obligation corresponding to this right observed and enforced through a national emphasis on school attendance, The National Statistic Office (Malta) states that in the 2004/2005 scholastic year the figure for school absenteeism accounted for 7.7% of the total number of school days in the reference period or an overall absence rate of 9.2 absent days per pupil that for boys being 10.0 days per pupil and for girls 8.4 days per pupil. As a teacher this makes me fretful about students missing school as this can be associated with subsequent emotional and psychosocial problems in early adulthood and is a predictor of multiple problems (Fogelman Hibbert, 1990). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Problem, Aims And Plan Of Study" essay for you Create order Truancy may have both short and long term effects on society. There is evidence that truancy is linked to delinquent behaviour and juvenile crime (Collins, 1998; Reid, 1999). According to Jones (1996), Absenteeism is a sign of trouble that often leads to lower academic skills and grades, delinquency, and dropouts. Studies have shown that high school dropouts are twice as likely to be unemployed and on welfare, and overall, tend to be facing a more difficult life than their graduating counterparts. Jones (1996; p.128), All members who form part of any educational institution cannot allow these students to give up on themselves. We as a modern, fast developing society, we cannot afford to let them surrender. It is clearly far less expensive to educate them than pay for a lifetime of welfare and all of the deprivations that welfare represents. These are ominous issues, which imply that the number of students who skip school is rising and that school absenteeism is a new generations behaviour that is today a dramatic social phenomenon. This proposal drafts the intent to investigate and explore realities of how truancy manifests with Maltese youth and also explore the psychosocial world of truants in Maltese schools. Problem Analysis The Pre-Scientific Problem awareness As a supply teacher for these past five years, I have witnessed incidences of truancy in the period 2006 to 2009. One of the common truancy reducation measures used was to lock the school gates during lessons and breaks and open them after school hours (my personal exsperience). Despite the limited impact on truancy reducation, the approach of locking gates is still common and evident in some secondary schools. I found locked gates while visiting some of the schools. Gangsters, to control late coming and to stop learners from dodging classes, locked gates to prevent trespassing, sepecially. Exploring the problem Incidence and nature of truancy Malta Since 1946 education has been compulsory for all children between six to fourteen years and extended to the age of 16 by the Education Act (Malta) of 1971. Maltese law imposes a duty on parents to ensure that their children of compulsory school age receive appropriate education, whether through attendance at a state or independent school. If they fail to do so, without any reasonable excuse and if found guilty, they are liable to a fine not exceeding in previous currency one Maltese Lira (equivalent to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.33) for each day during which the offence continues, unless the parent fails to give a good and sufficient explanation within three days from the date he or she receives a notice from the Director of Education (Malta Education Act 1988). From January 2001 up to December 2002 there were 8,903 arraignments before the local tribunals in connection with school absenteeism (Grech, 2002). This figure represents only the number of students who were absent from school without a valid reason on more than three occasions in the time frame of a month. It is a known fact that there are a number of students that systematically plan three days off from school each month, just for the sake that they use their monthly absence allowance and knowing that in this way their parents would not receive a citation. Surveys show that the overall absence rate between 25th September 2000 to 31st March 2001 stood at 10.5 days per pupil (NSO Malta, 2001). This figure reveals an increase of 5.2% over 1999/2000 scholastic year (NSO Malta, 2001). Thus it shows that during this period, 657,604 pupil days were lost to absenteeism and authorised absence due to sickness. Indeed, the Clark Report (2005) shows concern for the increase in unauthorised absenteeism with parental consent, particularly in state secondary schools which cater, in the main, for a student population coming from a working- class background. Family problems, psychological problems, illnesses, school phobia and bullying have, significantly, been indicated by the Clark focus group to be the topmost reasons contributing to school avoidance. Some Overseas Countries Most of the research conducted abroad seems to provide information regarding the nature and extent of truancy in secondary schools. Results of a study conducted at a school in London from 1985 to 1987 revealed that 70% of the sampled pupils admitted truanting during the three-year period (Stoll, 1990:22). In the study that involved nine secondary schools, 66% of the 765 fifth year pupils admitted truanting (ibid). Figures on truancy in 150 English secondary schools revealed that 31% of pupils in years 10 and 11 admitted that they played truant or skipped lessons (OKeefe Stoll, 1995:12). Gray and Jesson (1990:25) report about the major national survey results of truancy in English secondary schools. According to this study, 23% of all fifth year pupils were involved in truant behavior and they were less likely to stay on in full-time education. Furthermore, schools facing serious problems of truancy tend to be in the inner city rather than in other areas (ibid). on the other hand, Collins (1998:26) reports that absentee rates vary between schools in the London Education Authority. Munn and Johnstone (1992:4) found that out of a sample of 50 Scottish secondary schools, 18% of the pupils (11% in June and 7% in November) were classified as truants and were mostly form the senior years. These figures exclude truants within the school day, as 14 schools reported that they did not keep period attendance records (ibid). Truancy has long been a subject for research in various parts of the USA. According to Nelson (1972:98), 64% of the 591 students surveyed identified themselves as class truants. Learners habitually play truant each day in Los Angeles, Pittsburg and Milwaukee (Black, 1996:33). Bos, Ruiters and Visscher (1992:393) found that the average rate of truancy in 36 schools in the four Dutch cities studied was 4.4% and that truancy increased with the level of the class in almost all schools. Some researchers further indicate that truancy does not necessarily mean missing the whole day of school but found that I could be in the form of missing a part of a day or particular lesson (Kilpartick, 1998:31; Reid, 1999:91). In a study conducted by Malan in South Africa (1972:144), 2,738 out of 69,908 pupils were identified by their teachers as truants. Masithela (Masithela, 1992:33) observed that learners tend to miss lessons during the first and second periods, as well as during the last give periods. The tendency of missing certain lessons towards the end of the school day shows that some form of hidden truancy is prevalent and that pupils can be marked present in the register but fail to attend all lessons (ibid:45). On the other hand, they may come late and be marked absent or be somewhere on the school premises not attending certain lessons or periods, but still be marked as being present on the class resisters. Factors associated with truancy Malta Truancy is about learners who have not been attending school regularly as required by the school, parents and even the authorities. Tyerman (1968) defines the term truant as the child who is absent from school purely on his or her own initiative. Gabb (1994) includes in his definition of truant, that a child who is absent with leave given by his or her parents, or who are actually kept at home by the parents. Hersov (cited in Gabb, 1994) goes still further, dividing from truants, school phobics and school refusers. King (2001) furthermore defines school refusal/school phobics as a difficulty to attend school due to emotional distress, especially anxiety and depression. Fenech (1991) (in an unpublished research) defines absenteeism as being away from lessons for any period of time and for reasons not considered as legitimate, with or without the parents knowledge (p.3). She goes on to include physical presence without any attention being given to a lesson in progress [as well as] masked or selective truancy (ibid., p.3). Fenech (ad. lib.) refers to the latter as skiving off specific lessons or disappearance after registration (p.3) remarking that a number of sources consider absenteeism and truancy synonymous. Sultana (1997), like Fenech (1991), defines absenteeism as staying away from school for reasons not justified by the law (p. 355). However, she goes on to include other less overt ways (ibid., p 355) such as what Willis (1977) calls participating in informal mobility (ibid., p. 355). This includes not entering the class for lesson, intentionally staying in another class, leaving the class without permission, or staying in class without bothering to follow the lesson. Studies conducted abroad When seen from a psychological viewpoint, truancy may be symptomatic of learns who are insecure and have low academic achievement levels and low self-esteem. Lewis (1995:37) states that attendance difficulties my broadly result from a combination of pull and push factors. Pull factors are personal and social aspects that pull a learner out of school. The pull factors may be related to the psychological indices mentioned by Reid (2002:11), such as maladjustment, a lower general level of self-esteem and academic self concept, anxiety and lower career aspirations. Factors that push learners away from school include academic and classroom aspects such as inapproachability of the teaching staff, incomprehensible teaching style and inappropriate classroom management. Other factors relating to the school and the classroom include bullying, the curriculum, boring lessons (Reid, 1999:91), teachers humiliating remarks (Porteus, Clacherty, Mdiya, Pelo, Matsai, Qwabe and Donald 2000:11), poor record-keeping and school organization (Bimler Kirkland, 2001:90; Coldman, 1995:29). According to Pappas (1996:1), truancy is often symptomatic of family dysfunction, since the parents of truants tend to be permissive, undisciplined and unavailable. Some authors believe that truancy is associated with a poor socio-economic background, including poverty, poor housing and unemployment (Bell, Rosen and Dynlacht, 1994:204; Tyerman, 1958:222). Some researchers state that there is a link between truancy and delinquent behavior (Collins, 1998:38; Brown, 1998:298-299; Reid, 1999:25). Truancy differentiated from school phobia There is a need to distinguish between truancy and school phobia. The concept school phobia describes a learner who is unwilling to attend school and stays at home with the knowledge of parents (Wicks and Nelson, 2000:123). A learners problem often stats with a vague complaint or reluctance to attend school and progresses to total refusal to go to school. Blagg (1992:121) asserts that school phobia may be induced by fear-arousing aspects of school, such as fear of failure caused by anxiety about meeting the standards. Fear may also be related to worries about the health and welfare of parents (Blagg, 1992:123). In the other hand, a learner who plays truant misses the whole school day or lessons without the knowledge of parents or caregivers. Furthermore, a truant tends to be involved in various forms of anti social behavior (Blagg, 1992:121). Milner and Blyth (1999:18) acknowledge the difficulties involved in studying the prevalence and pattern of truancy and in comparing current and past school attendance or absence. The difficulties are partly compounded by the variations in the definition of truancy itself (Boyd, 1999:22; Gabb, 1997:2) and the multifaceted nature of truancy (Edward and Malcolm, 2001:1; Reid, 1999:17). The problems associated with studies on truancy should, however, not prevent further research from being conducted. Solutions should be found, or the cause at least eliminated, because truancy is regarded as a serious problem with socio-economic implications. A preliminary review of the literature reveals that truancy is a major problem form schools and society and a most powerful predictor of juvenile delinquent behavior (Van Petegem, 1994:272; Wiehe, 2000). Reid (2002:2) maintains that the amount of money spent on truancy reduction initiatives proves the extent of truancy. Statement of the problem Data on the extent and nature of truancy in schools are often based on information obtained from class registers. This information may be inadequate or almost incomplete and limits the understanding of the phenomenon, thus making it difficult to develop appropriate intervention strategies. More insight on how truancy manifests is needed to provide a base on which to suggest, plan and develop effective intervention strategies. Therefore, further research is needed to enable education officials, schools, parents and other professionals to manage learners with attendance difficulties more efficiently. This study serves to bridge the information gap regarding the nature of truancy and to provide a picture of the life world of truants in Secondary Schools. Aims of the Research The General Aim The aim would be to describe truancy in general as stated in the literature and to conduct an empirical study in order to determine how truancy behaviour manifests in secondary schools and what the life world of truants looks likes. The findings can then be used to inform and guide future practice. The Specific aim The aim of the study would be to gather information that will be used to guide the school (college) community namely the SMT, form teachers, subject teachers, guidance teachers and school councillors, youth workers in school and other stakeholders to help in the interventional approaches and procedures that can be used for reducing truancy. In order to realise the above aims, the following questions are set to direct the research: What is the extent and degree of truancy in terms of the frequency and number of learns involved? What are the patterns, type or nature of truancy? Where do truants go when not at school or in class? What measures are used to monitor and manage truancy? Research Method The study will comprise two methods, namely, a literature study and an empirical investigation. A study of the literature will derive information on studies about poor school attendance and procedures employed to mange or reduce truancy from books, research articles, journals and other resources. A quantitative research design will be used in the empirical investigation. This investigation aims to gather data by means of a questionnaire that will be given to learns in Form 1 and Form 2 in eight randomly selected schools, , incorporating two Junior Lyceums, two Area Secondary and two Church schools. A qualitative research design will be used with guidance teachers, counselors, youth workers, form teachers, Assistant Head of Schools and Heads of School currently working in schools. A focus group and interviews with Heads will help me to investigate what the School community is doing to combat truancy. Such data will be advantageous in that they are the most adequate [tool] to capture how a person thinks of a particular domain (Goldsmiths Collage, n.d.). More over since a face to face rapport with the interviewee, it is induced to continue questioning the subject in order to confirm the hypothesis about his or her beliefs, seeking appraise any underlying meaning in the process. Demarcation of research Due to time constraints, the preset research is confined to then 8 randomly selected secondary schools in Malta. A list of all secondary schools was compiled to allow for the random selection of 8 schools, which will form part of this study. This sample was mainl cohosen on the basis of cost implicaitons and accessibility. Explanation of concepts In this section a number of concepts that are relevant to this research are defined. Truancy Reids (1999:1) asserts that the term truancy is often misused and can be applied both generically and with a local meaning. In the different parts of Great Britain, truancy is known as dodging, skipping off, mitching, skiving, bunking off and going missing, respectively. Whitney (1994:49) defines truancy as absence that has not been authorized by the school and where leave has not been given or approved. Another definition provided by Collins (1998:2), who states that truancy is about pupils who have been registed with a school but identified as not attending school when the law says they should. This definition includes absences from a particular lesson or lessons, known as post-registation truancy (Gabbs, 1994:5; Stoll, 1990:23). Clark Report (2005) identify as truancy when a student is voluntarily absent or not attending school without their parents permission and often, awareness (Anglicare, Werribee Family Services 2000). Truancy is defined as unjustifiable or unexplained absence from school with attempts by the student to conceal the absenteeism. Usually the child avoids home when not at school and the parents are often unaware of the childs absence (Rollings, King, Tonge, Luk, Heyne, Ramsdell, Burdett Martin, 1999). The concept blanket truancy refers to absence from the whole school day, which is usually reflected on the class register, while post-registration truancy occurs when the learner is marked present but fails to turn up at a lesson or lessons (Stoll, 1990:23). In this research, the term truancy is broadly defined as unauthorized absence from school. The definition is adopted with the assumption that absence with the knowledge and permission of the school and parents or guardians does not constitute truancy. Since the study seeks to explore the type of truancy as manifested at secondary schools, both concepts of truancy (blanket and post-registration) are relevant and will be investigated. A Truant A truant is a child aged 6 17 years old who absents himself or herself form school without a legitimate reason and without permission of his or her parents or the school official (Schaefer and Millman, 1981: 335). For the purpose of this research, a truant refers to a learner who, after being registered at a school, absents himself or herself from school or lessons without a legitimate reson or permission from parents or the school official. The traditional or typical truant: Traditional truants tend to be isolated that come from an unsupportive home background, possibly with a tendency to be shy. It is likely that they will have a low self-concept, be introverted and be the citim of their social circumstances. The psychological truant: could be the school phobic (school refusal) case but more othen than this psychological truant miss school for psychological related factors such as illness, opsychomatric complaints, laziness, a fear of attending scholl for any reason (such as dislike of a teacher, a lesson, an impending confrontation or fear of bullying.) The Institutional truant: Institutional truants are more likely to indulge in on the spur of the moment absences from lessons and to be selective about days or lessons to miss. Secondary School A school that admits or registers and educates learners in Form 1 Form 5 is known as a secondary school. Life World In this research, the term life world refers to the psychological context this is made up of elements such as interpersonal aspects, the family, school and the broader community. According to this definition, the life world involves the personal and external world of the learner. The personal word refers to intrinsic factors. The external word is made up of the broader educational systems, the home environment and the community where the child spends his time when not at school. Relevant intervention strategies would be easier to suggest if the contextual issues related to the phenomenon under investigations are understood. Research Program The research comprises give chapters, as follows: CHAPTER 1 In this chapter, the background information in the seriousness and implication of truancy are discussed. The chapter also includes an analysis of the problem, the problem statement, aims of the study, description of the research method and definition of the concepts. CHAPTER 2 Chapter 2 entails a review of the literature on types of truancy and the causes of truancy or contributing factors in different countries, including in Malta. Different approaches that the various countries and schools use to manage truancy will also be discussed. CHAPTER 3 This chapter deals with research designs and methods. A discussion of the research problem, the aim of the empirical investigation, the research tool used in the study and the selection of the sample will be included. Details of the compilation and administration of questionnaires as well as an analysis of data will be presented. CHAPTER 4 In this chapter, the results of questionnaires will be presented. The results will be analyzed to find answers to the research questions. CHAPTER 5 The chapter entails a summary of the research finding, conclusions and recommendations. A summary of the results from the literature study and the limitation of the study will be included. Conclusion This chapter focuses on the background and analysis of the problem, as well as the aims of the study. An attempt will be made to explain the research method used, relevant concepts and planned programmes of the research. The next chapter will contain the review of the literature on the types of truancy, factors contributing to truancy behavior, the rate and extent of truancy and the strategies used to manage truancy. CHAPTER 2 TYPES OF TRUANCY, CAUSAL FACTORS AND APPROACHES USED IN THE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION OF TRUANCY Introduction According to Tyerman (1958:217), truancy has been a problem to all concerned with education since 1870s. Approximately 750 children were charged for truancy in England and Wales in 1954 (ibid: 220). This figure could have been an underestimation as it was based on learners who were referred to courts, and therefore represented mainly incorrigible truants (ibid). Furthermore, the figure gives a general picture of truanting children in one country only and without an indication whether it was absence from certain lessons or whole school day absence. Truancy is currently a problem in communities. In Clarks report concern was expressed about truancy among school children. Data presented in this report indicates that non-attendance exists, and has become an issue of increasing concern for schools, educational and student welfare organizations. Non-attendances viewed as being among one of the key problems facing some schools. There is increasing concern for the seemingly large number of ch ildren and young people, who are, for a range of reasons, missing out on the benefits of education and possibly on a better future (Dr. L. Galea, The Times 9th February, 2005). Non-attendance can be the beginning of countless problems for students who regularly miss out on school (Heyne, King, Tonge, Rollings, Pritchard Young,1999). The extent and nature of truancy are best understood in terms of whether it implies absence for the whole day or during a particular lesson. This chapter deals with how blanket and post-registration truancy manifest, the causal factors and various measures of reducing truancy in secondary schools. Blanket Truancy Perspectives in various countries England and Wales Normab (2001:49) states that 50,000 children play truant on a normal school day in England. The number of truants increases steadily with age and most truants are found at secondary school (ibid). This confirms past research findings about the existence of truancy in secondary school in some parts of England. Gray and Jesson (1990:25) gathered information on the incidence of truancy from the youth cohort survey of England and Wales. The result of their survey shows that 6% of final-year secondary school learners reported to have played truant for several days or weeks at a time. Malcolm, Wilson, Davidson and Kirk (2003:50) state as follows: In 1999, the Audit Commission noted that at least 40,000 of the 400,000 learners absent from school are truanting. Scotland In a study done at 50 Scottish secondary schools, it was found that 30% to 33% of learners had been playing truant at least once in the survey week (Munn and Johnston, 1992:38). These schools were requested to provide both the overall attendance rate and the numbers of learners (ibid). Australia Haddon (1996:110), citing a comprehensive study conducted in Victorian secondary schools in Australia, states that 40% to 60% of learners of compulsory school age reported that they engaged in truancy. Cohen and Ryan (1998:12) state that about 10,000 learners in Tasmania play truant at least one day a week. The Netherlands The research done at 36 schools in four Dutch cities indicates that the average level of truancy at all schools was 4.4% (Bos, Ruiters and Visscher, 1992:393). The average percentage of allowed absence was 4.7%, therefore suggesting that learners in most schools are just as often absent with a valid reason as without one. United States of America It appears that truancy is a problem in American schools, although at varying levels. According to Black (1996:33), approximately 2,500 and 4,000 learners play truant on a daily basis in Pittsburg and Mulwaukee, repectively, while 300,000 of the 1.6 million students in Los Angeles are habitual truants. This shows that some learners stay absent without permission every day and that a day never goes by with a recording of 100% attendance. Truancy is so much of a concern that the Department of Education has prepared a manual that gives schools some guidelines on how to reduce it (United States Department of Education, 1996). Malta From January 2001 up to December 2002 there were 8,903 arraignments before local tribunals in connection with school absenteeism (Grech, 2002). This figure represents only the number of students who were absent from school without a valid reason on more than three occasions in the space of a month. It is a known fact that there are a number of pupils that systematically take three days off from school each month just for the sake that they use up their monthly absence allowance and knowing that in this way their parents would not receive a citation. Survey results issued by the National Statistics Office Malta on December 16, 2002 showed that overall absence rate from schools between September 25, 2000 and March 31, 20001, stood at 10.5 days per pupil. That included both absenteeism and authorized absence (such as those due to sickness). During this period, 657,604 pupil days were list to absenteeism, accounting for 8.9 per cent of the total pupil days. This reveals an increase of 5. 2 per cent over the 1999/2000 scholastic year. Absences in government schools stood at 19.12 days per pupil whereas that of government dependent (church schools) and independent private schools was 5.76 days per pupil. The rate of truancy in terms of gender Some of the overseas researchers state that there is no difference in the levels of truancy reported for males and females (Gray and Jesson, 1990:26; Haddon, 1996: 110; Smith, M., 1996:226; Stoll, 1994:36; Whitney, 1994: 59). Recent research on truancy in the seven local education authorities reports that the numbers of learners in secondary school admitting truancy was almost equal for boys and girls (Malcolm et al., 2003:31). Coldman (1995:68) also states that the variation that exists in truancy levels of males and females is slight. It is, therefore, apparent that some research are in agreement with regard to the truancy levels of male and females learners. Earlier research that was conducted in South Africa suggests that more males than females tend to play truant Coldman (1995:68) warns against making assumptions and generalisations about the existence of gender differnce in truancy levels. He argues that observed findings might result from the fact that some schools have more males than females, particularly when one is dealing with a large sample. What the above studies suggest about truancy levels of males and females is that the difference might be slight, if it does exist. Furthermore, observed diffrenences may be incfluenced by other variables, such as the enrolled number of male and female learners in a sample. Truancy rate according to the geographical location of the school Serious truancy is said to be more prevalent in inner-city secondary schools in England (Gray and Jesson, 1990:36; Stoll, 1990:23). Munn and Johnstone (1992:4) also found that the Scottish school with the highest percentage of unauthorized absence was all in the inner city. Coldman (1995:69) asserts that claims that truancy is a problem mainly experienced in inner city schools are disputable, since another survey showed that the truancy level is high even in the suburban, rural and industrial areas of England. It may therefore be purely speculation, without much supporting evidence, to suggest that inner-city school experience higher levels of truancy. Hard evidence needs to be gathered, where possible, in order to verify the claim that inner-city experience higher rates of truancy. According to some researchers, truancy levels also appear to differ from school to school, since they may be more prevalent in schools than in others (Blackm 1996:33; Bos et al., 1992:385; Gray and Jesson, 1990:26; OKeefe and Stoll, 1995:12). It is therefore apparent that the levels of truancy seem to vary from country to country, and in some cases, also in terms of geographical locations within a city or town. The literature indicates that blanket truancy is common in many secondary school and that, in some cases, learners play truant on a daily basis. The levels of blanket truancy can also vary according to regional locations within the same country. In the next section, the evidence regarding the level of post-registration truancy drawn from the literature will be discussed. Post-registration Truancy Very little information is given in the literature about national trends of post-registration truancy in countries where research on truancy was conducted. Most of the studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and some parts of Europe mainly appear to be either school-based or done on a small scale. The Extent of post registration truancy Gary and Jesson (1990:26) report that about 10% of the final-year secondary school learners in England admitted that they played truant during particular lessons. On the other hand, 6% of the learners were involved in blanket truancy, meaning that the rate of post-registration truancy was higher. Stoll (1990:23) conducted research at nine secondary schools and found that the rate of post-resgistration truancy was high at one the schools. Smith, M. (1996:228) also found that the post-registration truancy figure was high in the 12 Hertfordshire school that took part in the research, even though attendance levels appeared to be good. According to Stokes and Walton (1999:88), 20% of the 1,379 learners in Grade 9 to 11 at five schools in Leeds admitted that they engaged in poast registration truancy. When are learners likely to stay away from lessons? According to Coldman (1995:31), about 15% of all truants go absent after registration and thoses learners do not all miss the same lessons. Kilpatrick (1998:31) found that the absence rate increased rapidly during the day and was highest during the afternoon. It is therefore apparent that learners are more likely to leave after being marked present in the register, and to skip some of the afternoon lessons. This research shows that learners may attend all morning lessons but decide not to return to class after recess. How often do learners engage in post registration truancy? Coldman (1995:31) asserts that truants miss lessons several times per week. Most learners commonly use the term bunk when they refer to playying truant. At times, the word skipping is used instead when learners are absent from school or lessons without permission. Learners can therfore bunk certain lessons more than once per week. Some learners can be classified as occasiohal truants in the sense that they bunk class aout ibce every two weeks or choose a different class each time Kilpatrick (1998:31). There is also an opinion that truancy could start with a small number of missed lessons and escalte rapidly (Pasternicki, 1993:33). Research done at one secondary school in Austrialia shows that an improvement in attendance as shown in classs registers may be a change to post-registration truancy (Kilpatrick, 1998:33). This means that, if the registers does not indicate records of attendance during lessons, learners who engage in post registration truancy will be marked present as if they were in class for the whole school day. Learners may then come to school on a regular basis, but miss some lessons without being marked absent. One would then look at the register and think that attendance has improved when it has, in fact, changed to post registration truancy. What is evident thus far is that post registration truancy can easily develop into blanket truancy if it is not easily identified and appropriately managed and that when a register shows marked improvedment in attendance it m ay in fact be indicative of hidden truancy. Which lessons are most learners likely to skip? There are various ways of determining the lessons most learners are likely to skip. Some knowledge of the extent of truancy per subject is derived from research questions which asked learners to state their most favorite and least favorite school subject (Smith, M, 1996:231). Sometimes educators returns on discrepancies between the daily attendance sheet and actual in-class attendance are used (Kilpartrick, 1998:29). On the other hand, Bos et al. (1992:383) asked educators to complete a standard form to record the actual as well as the expected number of learners present per subject during lessons and used these data to calculate truancy percentages. Survey results collected from eight schools in London, Liverpool and Manchester between 1985 and 1994 reveal that Mathematics and Science are lessons that are most frequently missed by both male and female learners (Le Riche, 1995:19). In a study conducted by Smith, M. (1996:231), Mathematics was considered the least popular subject and, in fact, ranked first among the most unpopular subjects. Mathematics and English were least favoured by learners in some schools in Leeds (Stoke Walton 1999:90). Recent research conducted in some secondary schools within the London Education Authority (LEA) indicated that learners play truant during certain lessons. However, the sampled subjects often make no mention of the particular school subject or lessons missed. For instance, Malcolm et al. (2003:33) state that learners skip lessons, but only gave the following answer by a learner: Sometime when Im at school I go to the first lesson but dont go the second and third, if its boring and friends are leading me on at the time. What the above quote suggests is that it may be difficult to determine particular subjects that learners are most likely to skip because learners also succumb to the influence of friends and boredom and may not always skip the same lesson. Research shows that secondary-school learns in South Africa do engage in truant behaviour occasionally, and sometimes on a regular basis (Brown, 1998:298), although no figures appear to be reported about the real extent of post-registration truancy. The information cited in this section of the literature review indicates that some secondary-school learners engage in post-registration truancy. It has also been found that post-registration truancy may go undetected or unrecognized, since truants do not all miss the same lessons (Coldman, 1995:31; Stokes Walton, 1999:90). Post-registration truancy might even be higher than it is assumed to be. The data further show that learners are selective in the sense that they choose to skip some lessons for various reasons, which will be elaborated upon later in the next section. Given the complexity of the way in which truant behaviour can manifest, it may be reasonable to suggest that attendance rates indicated in a class register should be viewed with caution, particularly when it comes to post-registration absence. Do learners engage in both types of truancy? Some researchers stat that post-registration truancy is more common (Coldman, 1995:30; OKeefe and Stoll, 1995:11; Stokes and Walton 1999:90; Whitney, 1994:59), although many truants engage in both types (Milner and Blyth, 1999:18). According to an earlier study of English secondary schools, 26% of the students admitted to their engagement in post-registration truancy, while 14% said they engaged in both types of truancy (Stoll, 1995:36). There is therefore an indication that a certain number of learners engage in both types of truancy in some schools. Where do learners go when not at school or attending lessons? In order to understand and manage the phenomenon of truancy better, the authorities need to know where truants spend their time when not attending school or lessons. Learners appear to engage in various activities while truanting. It was found that some watch television at home while not at school (Le Riche, 1995:25), and either remain in the school building or leave the school premises altogether when not attending lessons. According to Stokes and Walton (1999:89), 25% of the learners report that they went to their own homes or friends homes, while 45% kept their destinations secret by choosing the other category. Given the figures mentioned above, it is possible that more learners spend time in homes watching television than assumed; some go to local shops or town while others engage in activities they will not easily disclose. Research information collected from a group of schools indicates that existence of various types of truancy. Perhaps it would be possible to get some objective information about the destinations of truants from other classmates of friends instead of posing direct questions to those who admit to have played truant. It is evident that explaining the nature of truant behaviour is complex exercise particularly when it comes to post-registration absence. What can be said about the phenomenon of truancy with reference to the literature is that learners can miss the whole school day or certain lessons and classes, or both. Further, skipping the whole school day or class could be occasional, thus concealing the extent of the problem. The extent of both blanket and post-registration truancy is further hidden when class registration is inappropriately done when period or lesson attendance records are not kept. Perspectives on factors that contribute to truancy Many perspectives on factors that make learners play truant are based on images and certain assumptions researchers have about the learner. Carlen, Gleeson and Wardhaugh (1992:85) identified four of those perspectives. Each of them focuses on some researches theories about the main cause of truancy, as discussed in the section below. Personality aspects According to this perspective, truancy relates to variously identified personality aspects of the learner (Carlen et al., 1992:85). Personality is defined as the individuals psychological, physical and spiritual characteristics that determine his behaviour in contexts in which he finds himself (Meyer and Viljoen, 2003:11). Therefore, the contributing causes of truancy are intrinsic and located with the learner. Some of the personal attributes if truanting learners that have identified in the literature are the following: Anxiety and fear In a South African study aimed at predicting truancy, Nel (1975: 125) found that truants tend to be more anxious and experience more stress related to frustration than non truants. It appears that this study is consistent with research finding where High School Personality Questions (HSPQ) test results revealed that truants are more sensitive and emotionally less stable than non truants (Malan, 1972: 147). This further confirms earlier research conducted among truants in England, which shooed that truants tend to be insecure and anxious (Tyerman, 1958:223). The concept of anxiety is often associated with psychoanalytical theory. According to the psychoanalytical theory of Freud, reality anxiety is fear about the actual dangers in the environment (Meyer and Viljoen, 2003:61). In terms of this theory, truancy can be regarded as a response that a learner adopts in an effort to avoid a potentially anxiety provoking situation or event. A learners fear of a threatening situation at school makes him play truant. Truancy is therefore a flight response or defense mechanism. According to Gillis (1992:13), young people tend to use defense mechanisms when dealing with awkward situations, some of which are discussed in the next sections. Poor social skills Poor social skills and a lack of confidence are also factors that contribute to truancy (Edward and Malcolm 2001:2). Lewis (1995:37) asserts that boredom, isolation and lack of friends may be pull factors that pull a learner off school. As stated in the previous chapter, pull factors are personal aspects within the learners, which may include shyness, a tendency to become easily distracted or bored, and perhaps an inability to make friends. It appears that an inability to cope with the demands of making friends triggers a strong impulse to escape from the anxiety provoking situation, thus leading to truancy. This means that some learners respond to a socially challenging or emotionally threatening situation at school by playing truant. Another school-based factor concerns bullying. Child psychologist, Lisa Padovani (2005) graphically sums up bullying as follows: Bullying is the willful, conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone. It can be a single attack on a person by an individual or a group or may be a longstanding campaign. Verbal abuse, taunting, threatening looks, emotional badgering, physical attack and sexual harassment are all forms of direct bully. Bullying may also be indirect; for instance being ignored socially or the spreading of malicious gossip. Bullying therefore is not simply a conflict between children but a case of an imbalance of power. It is an unfair match between bullies who are physically, verbally or socially stronger than victims who are generally unable to defend themselves in the actual situation (p. 26). The Clark Report (2005) reveals that this phenomenon happened when teachers were not around to observe (p. 29), and the reporting such incidents entailed further retaliation by the aggressor. Fenech ties the issue to alternative cultures which clash with the mainstream culture of the school (Bezzina, Camilleri Grima, Purchase and Sultant, 2002, p. 25), consequently constantly landing bullies in trouble with teachers and administration. Finding of Azzopardi and Bondin (1991) and Cassar (1997) reveal that students did not mince their words in admitting that they attended school merely to meet friends and have fun. They rebelled against stringent school rules, and consequently engaged in deviant acts like playing truant, drinking alcohol and smoking on the school premises, as well as bullying (Fenech, 1992). Low Self-esteem Research indicates that certain personality traits, including lower levels of self-esteem, make some learners more prone to absenteeism than their peers Reids (2002:11). However, research conducted by Sommer and Nigel (1991:389) failed to show a link between truancy and low self esteem and to some extent confirmed results obtained earlier in South Africa, where truants studied by Malan (1972:147) tended to be more assertive and dominant than the population. Cicourel and Kituse (cited in Gabb, 1994) look to the structure of relationship within school between teachers and pupils, how these progressively erode the self esteem of working class pupils and produce feelings of inferiority that, again, lead to delinquent behaviour. Ramsay (1983) claims that knowledge is being used as a form of social control. Behind the faÃÆ' §ade of mathematics and English, he argues there is said to be a hidden curriculum to keep working class children in their places. Anti-social behaviour Truancy is mentioned as one of the behaviours that are associated with conduct disorder (Sue, Sue and Sue, 1997:482). Conduct disorder is a diagnostic label used to describe children and adolescents who display a persistent and repetitive pattern of antisocial behaviours that violate the rights of others (ibid). Antisocial behaviours that an individual with conduct disorder displays include defying authorities, lying, fighting, cruelty to animals and people, as well as truant behaviour. Reid (1999:77) asserts that research shows that feelings of alienation from school and higher levels of anti-social behaviour are some of the characteristics displayed by many truants. This suggests that anti social behaviours make some learners more vulnerable to social alienation, in that an individual is likely to be rejected if his behaviour is socially inappropriate, and if he is disruptive. Therefore, a well behaved learner can easily make friends and suffer little isolation, and is more likely to cope with the stresses of schooling. The inability to cope with stresses of schooling, personality problems and social isolation are some of the factors that are identified as driving learners to play truant (Bimler and Kirkland, 2001:91). Scholastic failure Truants tend to perform poorly in examinations. Gray and Jesson (1990:26) state that, in England, secondary-school learners who admitted that they have once engaged in serious levels of truancy were likely to report low levels of exam performance. Learning problems Reid (2002:12) reports that regualr non-attendees are found among learners whose numerancy and literacy scores are two or more years behind their peers in primary school. According to Le Ritchie (1988:78), a lack of academic success creates a sense of frustration and a constant fear of failure. It appears that learners who experinece difficulty with schoolwork often play truant in an attempt to evade frustration. In some cases, learners may have begun to experience difficulty with schoolwork while still at primary school. An inability to cope with academic expectations and demands can contribute to truancy in secondary schools. Truancy appears to be a response to frustration and anxiety associated with difficult lessons. In many instances, lesson difficulty contributes more to post-registration truancy than blanket truancy (Hallam and Roaf, 1995:18; Kilpatrick, 1998:30). According to Smith, M. (1996:229), 80% of learners in a study conducted at twelve secondary schools Cognitive style It is not enough to assume that learners have difficulty with schoolwork and play truant as a result, without investigating how investigating how they learn and process infrormation. Research information on cognitive style provides us with insight into how some truants learn. Cognitive style is defined as a consistent and typical manner in which an individual organises and processes information (Riding and Read, 1996:81). There are two basic dimensions of cignitive style, namely the Wholistic-Analytical style, which indicates an individuals preference for processing information either as a whole or in parts, and the Verbal Imagery style, which shows a tendency to repesent information during thinking either verbally or in mental images (Rayner and Riding, 1996 :447). Rayner and Riding (1996 :447) conducted research on learners who have a condition that is known as school refusal. Learners who have such a condition refuse to attend school but stay at home when not in school, complain about headaches, stomach pains or nausea and show signs of anxiety and depression (Egger, Costello and Angold, 2003:1). In addition, such children tend to be complaint and well behaved, and, unliketruants, they stay at home with the parents; knowledge. Some children tend to di splay characteristics of both school refusal and trauncy (Egger et al., 2003:1). Rayner and Riding (1996:447) undertooik a study on learners with school refusal and found that they also have a well-established history of truancy. The study revealed that these learners tend to process information holisticfally (ibid: 449). This reseach therefore indicates that the congnitive styles of many truants tend to differ from those of learners who are not ruants. Furthermore, an implication of the study is that if educators fail to accommodate the differnet cognitive styles in their teaching, escapist behaviour in the form of truancy is likely to occur. Poor habits arising form initially legitimate reason School factors There is a theory that proposes that truancy is caused by various aspects of the school (Carlen et al., 1992:86). This theory explains truancy as a response to an inadequate education system. It appears that this theory is based on the perception that the schools and the education system in general are lacking, and thus force some learners to reject the very education that is thought to give them a better future. Proponents and supporters of this perspective would therefore argue that what is happening in the schools and the education system in general is what actually makes learners became truants. Inadequacies could be those located in the physical enviromnet, the school climate in terms of the learing and teaching atmosphere and the curriculum, if it is seen asw being irrelevant and not accommodating diversity. The perceived inadequacies in the school might alienate some learners and thus make them freel excluded annd became truants. It is also possible that some learners may have certain attitudes towards aspects of the school such as the buildings, particular subject and educators. Learners may als perceive their value system as contradictory to the values espoused by the national curriculum and thus find that curruculum irrelevant. These contradicting values and attitudes towards the school can create a sense of disaffection that manifests in the form of truancy in some learners. The various factors within the school that most reswearchers have identifed as contributing to truancy are discussed in the next section. Dilapidated school buildings and poor facilities School size movement between classes during lesson changes classroom management Bullying Reid (1999) states that school refuters are sometimes pupils who have been threatened or bullied and are afraid to return to school [bullied victims] prefer to give other reasons for their absence to their parents and/or school rather than face the consequences of reporting the bullies (Pace, 2004, p. 6). On the other hand, children may be so worried about tensions at home (ibid., p. 6) that they feign being bullied at school in an effort to draw attention upon themselves, in the hope of thwarting any unpleasant family plans that are rendering them anxious. Child psychologist, Lisa Padovani (2205) graphically sums up bullying as follows: Bullying is the wilful, conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone. It can be a single attack on a person by an individual or a group or may be a longstanding campaign. Verbal abuse, taunting, threatening looks, emotional badgering, physical attack and sexual harrassment are all forms of direct bulling. Bullying may also be indrect ; for instance being ignored socially or the spreading of malicious gossip. Bullying therefore is not simply a conflict between bullies who are physically, verbally or socially stronger than victims who are generally unable to defend themselves in the actual situation (p.26). The Clark Report (2005) reveals that this phenomenon happened when teachers were not around to observe (p.29) and that reporting such incidents entailed further retaliation by the aggressor. Fenech ties the issue to alternative culures which clash with the mainstream culuter of the school (Bezzina, Cammilleri, Grima, Purchase and Sultana, 2002, p.25), consequently constangly landing bullies in trouble with teachers and administration. Findings of Azzopardi and Bondin (1991), and Cassar (1997) reveal that students did not mince their words in admitting that they attended school merely to meet friends and have fun. They rebelled against stringent school rules and consequently engaged in deviant acts like playing truant, drinking alohol and smoking on the school premises, as well as bullying (Fenech, 1992). Educator learner relationship Teaching or instructional approach Family and other social factors Socio- economic status of parents Marital Status of parents poor parental involvement and supervision Peer influence Violence and drug use Approaches used in the management and reducation of truancy Personality Aspects Tutoring and mentor systems Counselling and therapy Truanting learners who show signs of having emotional problems relating to poor social skills receive individual and or group therapy (Dais, 1999:2; Harworth and Bardsley, 1999:163). According to MacIidowie (1999:122), attendance increased by 7% in two schools in Kent when the Education Welfare Officers intervention mesures included councelling sessions. Edward and Malcom (2002:2) assert that a learning eviroment that provides support for emotional and social needs is likely to raise the achievement of learners who are at risk of playing truant. The effect of this kind of support is evident in a study of a project at Swanley School, where MacIldowie (1999:123) reports that the attendance pattern of eight of the 12 learners improved significantly as a result of regualr support. It appears that individuals are likely to benefit from sessions where they listen to others with similar experiences and problmes. For instance, the Attendance Officer at Calhoun Intermediate School District re ports that the dropout rate decreased by 10% to 2% when students became involved in the Absence Addict Programme, a support group that is modelled after Alcoholics Anonymous (Rocho, 2003:2). The School It is important to mention that strategies and initiatives that are used at the level of the individual learners also impact on the school in general. The approaches that are discussed in this section mainly address issues pertaining to reducing the impact ofr school factors as a step towrds the management of truancy. Data collected by Chircop (1997) shows that rather than the students or their families, it is the school which is to blame (Sultana, 1997 p.357). Quoting Corrigan (1979), Willis (1977) and Reid (1985), she declares that students absent themselves from school so as to Shelter themselves from what they consider to be an unpleasant experience to challenge the value of schooling itself, and/or to repond to pressures arising from their particular situation as classed and gendered beings and to which the school is insensitive (ibid., p357). The majority of disaffected students she interviewed attributed their non -a ttendance to the labelling processes prevalent in the Maltesed education system which encourages intra and inter school streaming. Selection ipso facto becames an important function of schooling, [and failure, in turn, became inevitable,] since they are required by the system (Sultana, 1997, p. 359). This gives rise to the lowering of teachers expectations and a vicious circle sets in. Eventually, demoralised students end up accepting the powerful labels used by teachers and think of themselces as [failures,] ignorant and incompetent (ibid., p.358). Bencini (2002) claims that children are being forced to sit through a syllabus which is not suited for their personalities: Instead of adapting our schools to students, we are trying to force students to adapt to our schools. WE need to provide students with things they enjoy doing (Zammit, 2003, p.7). Using reinforcement and reward systems Using a variety of intructional approaches Effective monitoring, registration and recording of attendance Welcome back to school Student Welfare In Service training Inter-departmenal cooperation and government intiatives Actung fast on Leraner absence Ordinances Attandeance or truancy officers Prosecuting parents Awareness campaigns Whole-school development Conclusion CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN Introduction The purpose of the study is to investigate the phenomenon of truancy and then to characterize the nature and associated factors, to ensure appropriate management thereof. It is envisaged that, with more insight, effective intervention strategies can be implemented. Furthermore, secondary -education decision -makers may take results into account when school-attendance policies are reviewed. The review of the literature presented in the preceding chapters reveals that secondary school learners continue to play truant and miss the educational opportunities provided by compulsory school regulations. Learners who play limit their own chances of acquiring the necessary skills to prepare themselves for future employment. We also looked at the different types of truancy , casual factors and various approaches that have been used to reduce truancy. This chapter describes the way the empirical study is planned and conducted, and will focus on the following aspects: The general and specific research problems and hypotheses The research method

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Eth 125 Discrimination Worksheet Essay - 607 Words

Discrimination Worksheet ETH/125 March 24, 2013 Discrimination Worksheet ------------------------------------------------- Associate Program Material Discrimination Worksheet Write a 100- to 200-word response to each of the following questions. Provide citations for all the sources you use. * What is discrimination? How is discrimination different from prejudice and stereotyping? Discrimination comes in different forms. It can be direct when someone’s gender, ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation, age, disability or being transgender is used as an explicit reason for treating them differently. This is the kind of discrimination that people often recognize easily. An example would be if a person is fired at work†¦show more content†¦The erecting of walls (either real or psychological) between communities is a perfect breeding ground for discrimination. It is the responsibility of society to reject a them and us mentality wherever it is encountered and to ensure that young people get the opportunity to mix with people who have different backgrounds or characteristics. Schaefer, R. T. (2011). Racial and Ethnic Groups (13th ed.). : Pearson. Wright, W. (n.d.). Life123. Retrieved from http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/social-studies/causes-of-discrimination.shtml * How is discrimination faced by one identity group (race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability) the same as discrimination faced by another? How are they different? Discriminating faced by one identity, group (race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability) is the same as discrimination faced by another in many ways. The fact that the identity group is treated differently in either a positive or negative way is what makes them similar. If an Asian person is told to leave a store because the owner does not like Asian people or if a woman is told she cannot play a sport because they do not allow females they are both examples of how a certain identity group share the definition of discrimination. An example of how discrimination of a certain identity group can be different would beShow MoreRelatedDiversity Organizations Worksheet Essay801 Words   |  4 PagesDiversity Organizations Worksheet ETH/125 Cultural Diversity â€Æ' What has been the status of women in the United States throughout history? †¢ The serious studies of women written by amateur women scholars were ignored by the male-dominated history profession until the 1960s, when the first breakthroughs came. [ The field of womens history exploded dramatically after 1970, along with the growth of the new social history and the acceptance of women into graduate programs in historyRead MoreRacial Diversity by Nancy Devan1417 Words   |  6 PagesRacial Diversity by Nancy DeVan Racial Diversity: Historical Worksheet Racial Diversity ETH/125 Nancy DeVan March 1, 2013 Associate Program Material Racial Diversity: Historical Worksheet Answer the following questions in 100 to 250 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. †¢ Throughout most of U.S. history, in most locations, what race has been in the majority? What is the common ancestral background of most members of this group? The  United States  isRead MoreDiversity Worksheet1946 Words   |  8 Pagesand Disability Worksheet University of Phoenix ETH/125 Rob Fralick February 23, 2014 Associate Program Material Aging and Disability Worksheet Part I Identify 2 or 3 issues faced by the aging population. 1 Health 2 Income 3 Lonliness Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What is ageism? How does ageism influence the presence of diversity in society? Ageism is prejudice and discrimination against olderRead MoreHbr When Your Core Business Is Dying74686 Words   |  299 PagesReview gives you access to our entire archive of more than 2,700 articles, stretching back over the past 50 years. To sign up, click on the â€Å"Subscribe Today† image in the upper-right corner of the home page. HBR IN OTHER LANGUAGES ONLINE WORKSHEET HBR PODCAST Use the two charts that accompany â€Å"The Process Audit, by † Michael Hammer, to ï ¬ gure out how well your organization’s processes are functioning and whether you need to make adjustments. Just click on the article title and then on

Information Technology Ethics Exposing Private

Questions: 1. What's going on? 2. What are the facts? 3. What are the issues? 4. Who is affected? 5. What are the ethical issues and their implications? 6. What could have been done about it? 7. What are the options? 8. Which option is the best and why? Answer: 1. From the case study it is found that Facebook has an ethical issue regarding the privacy of the peoples using the social service. According to Hern (2016) is has been found that the user information of the Facebook profile of a person is chipped away and the privacy of the user is at risk. The users have no knowledge about their data being exposed without the permission of the user. Facebook is providing update to its user and constantly evolving its social networking site with addition of new features (Wodzicki et al., 2012). New searching techniques are applied to the site and the search engines that are introduced have the permission to access the user profile without any consent from the user. There are no possible settings available to the user to restrict the unauthorized access of the personal information. 2. The main fact associated with the case study is the risk in privacy of the Facebook users. The case study that is chosen for the essay discusses about the problem face by a person using the social site Facebook. The affected person in the case study previously had a Facebook profile in 2014 but she deleted the account for some personal reasons (Hern, 2016). But she needed an account in Facebook for some workings and again opened an account with minimum personal information (Hern, 2016). She needed to keep all the informations in her account private and avoid people to find her account but in spite of that her colleges and school friends were able to find her. She also found that some peoples were also able to the posts, photos and status messages without her consent. She thus understood that Facebook have the access to all the personal information that are shown private in her profile. 3. There are some ethical and un-ethical issues from the victims view point found in the case study. In spite of the fact that the case study is written on a specific Facebook account but this is the common problem face by most of the Facebook users. The issue is ethical for Facebook because this is a social networking site built to connect the users and providing suggestions for making friends (Slade Prinsloo, 2013). The unethical issue regarding Facebook is that the individual points of interest get getting investigated before everybody without the readiness of the clients. The private data of the person is also a part of Facebook (Vitak, 2012). As indicated in the case study the major untrustworthy issue is this it controls the protection of the framework and shockingly the individual information are getting shared to the other Facebook users. 4. In the specific story of the case study the affected person is Alex Hern Facebook user. In spite of the fact that here in the case study there is one victim but this issue is common to most of the Facebook users. Security and privacy standout amongst the most critical segment of the social networking sites when the users are sharing their perspective in front of the world (Mohamed Ahmad, 2012). 5. The main ethical issue defined in the case study is regarding the unauthorized access of the personal information of the user. In spite of the fact that the client is not intrigued to share her points of interest but rather because of absence of security and protection rather for general security setting arrangements she will undoubtedly impart her subtle elements to outsiders (Vitak, 2012). It is also found that the identity is misused by others for doing incorrectly works. For example the user information of a person can be used by another person to create a fake profile and do noxious activities on Facebook. 6. Keeping in mind the end goal to determine this issue, more perplexing developing security strategies should be actualized by the Facebook. The customization of the user profile to make the information private should be kept in mind to fight against the ethical issues (Paechter, 2013). The user information under private option should not be available to the other Facebook users only. Aside from this, there are many companies developing security softwares and add-ins that can be added to the Facebook page to secure the user information. 7. To address the problems associated with the case study certain rules and regulations can be applied. This would help in mitigating the privacy issue and new technologies can also be applied to the site that would keep the personal data encrypted (Mazzia et al., 2012). Decentralization of the personal data of the user and using third party friendly search engines can also resolve the issue. The user data can be encrypted and the unauthorized access of the data can be stopped using cryptographic tools (Mohamed Ahmad, 2012). The data could be only accessed by the user and he can set permission for who else can access it. 8. I think the best option to mitigate the risk associated with the privacy of Facebook is encryption of the private information of the user. There are many third party software that can be integrated with Facebook to encrypt the user personal information and the user can only have the access to his data. The user can give privilege to his friends or friends of friends access the authorized data (Madejski et al., 2012). The remaining unauthorized part would be kept secure or private to the user. References Hern, A. (2016). Facebook is chipping away at privacy and my profile has been exposed. the Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/29/facebook-privacy-secret-profile-exposed Madejski, M., Johnson, M., Bellovin, S. M. (2012, March). A study of privacy settings errors in an online social network. InPervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PERCOM Workshops), 2012 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 340-345). IEEE. Mazzia, A., LeFevre, K., Adar, E. (2012, July). The PViz comprehension tool for social network privacy settings. InProceedings of the Eighth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security(p. 13). ACM. Mohamed, N., Ahmad, I. H. (2012). Information privacy concerns, antecedents and privacy measure use in social networking sites: Evidence from Malaysia.Computers in Human Behavior,28(6), 2366-2375. Paechter, C. (2013). Researching sensitive issues online: implications of a hybrid insider/outsider position in a retrospective ethnographic study.Qualitative Research,13(1), 71-86. Slade, S., Prinsloo, P. (2013). Learning analytics ethical issues and dilemmas.American Behavioral Scientist,57(10), 1510-1529. Vitak, J. (2012). The impact of context collapse and privacy on social network site disclosures.Journal of Broadcasting Electronic Media,56(4), 451-470. Wodzicki, K., Schwmmlein, E., Moskaliuk, J. (2012). Actually, I wanted to learn: study-related knowledge exchange on social networking sites.The Internet and Higher Education,15(1), 9-14.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Research Paper on Logistics and Supply Chain Management Essay Example

Research Paper on Logistics and Supply Chain Management Essay Supply chain management is the organizational strategy and applied software aimed at the automating and control of all the processes of the supply of the company and the control of the circulation of the production. The term of supply chain management is closely connected with logistics, which works on the management of the process of the distribution, transportation, protection, storage and delivery of production. There are six core processes which are the targets of the supply chain management: production, delivery, location, supplies, transportation and information. The system of supply chain management consists of the two sub systems: supply chain planning (creation of the schedules, routes, prediction of the processes and terms of transportation, modelling of the certain situations, compare the current and the previous indicators) and supply chain execution (the fulfillment of the supply in the current moment). The combination of the process of logistics and supply chain management enables to improve the process of supply, decrease the price of transportation of the materials, resources and products; collect and process information about the clients and conform to the demand and expectation or the clients planning the most convenient terms and reliable ways of supply. Furthermore, it is possible to predict the rates of sell (weekly, monthly and compare the results to the previous ones); manage the supplies (optimization of the delivery, warehousing, storage and protection of supplies, optimize the supplies in the logistic chain taking into consideration the planned sell, abilities of transportation, various limit and business-rules, etc.). We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Logistics and Supply Chain Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Logistics and Supply Chain Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Logistics and Supply Chain Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Logistics and supply chain management are the two main components which enable the individuals and organizations receive their resources, materials and products on time, in the appropriate condition, quality and affordable prices. A well-composed logistics and supply chain management research paper is supposed to explain the meanings of the terms and find the connection between them explaining how they cooperate and improve the work and functions of one another. A good research paper should contain the purpose of the research, the results, rich methodology and literature review parts and be based on the analysis of the top-quality up-to-date sources. It is very important for writing a research proposal also. Evidently, every student has problems with research paper writing, because the writing process requires knowledge and well-developed writing skills. In order to learn how to write the paper well a student can read a free example research paper on logistics and supply chain management written by an expert online. This kind of help will be useful for every student, because a well-organized free sample research paper on logistics and supply chain management informs about the appropriate manner of writing, rules of the analysis of the problem and requirements concerning formatting and structure of the paper. At EssayLib.com writing service you can order a custom research paper on Logistics and Supply Chain Management topics. Your research paper or research proposal will be written from scratch. We hire top-rated Ph.D. and Master’s writers only to provide students with professional research paper assistance at affordable rates. Each customer will get a non-plagiarized paper with timely delivery. Just visit our website and fill in the order form with all research paper details: Enjoy our professional research paper writing service!