Financial Accounting questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Accounting questions - Assignment Example With goodwill, new avenues open up for the company and it’s able to tap into fresh opportunities. Clients of a company are usually more willing to forgive it when it makes a mistake if it has built a good relationship with them. If a company ever needs to liaise with others or expand or sell, with goodwill it’s much easier to get partners and buyers for the business due to the trust placed in it. Goodwill places the company ahead of competition as customers are more likely to favour the company with goodwill when making a decision on which products and services to consume (Weil, Schip & Francis, 2014). As interest rates rise, prices of bonds fall and when interest rates drop, bond prices rise. This is due to the concept of opportunity cost. Investors compare the returns they are getting on their present investments to other investments in the market. A bond coupon rate is fixed; therefore investors are ready to pay extra or less for a bond depending on how attractive the interest rates. Suppose a company offers a new issue of bonds carrying a 7%coupon which is $70 a year in interest. If you purchase a $1000, then later, interest rates go up to 8%, it means the interest will be $80 and buyers will be less willing to pay the face value of $1000 for the bond and you would have to offer it at a discount. However, if interest rates fell, it would be more attractive to prospective buyers as it would be carrying a higher interest rate than whatever is already in the market. Leasing might be preferred by a company because it eases up the cash flow of the company that can be directed to other operating activities. It also takes a shorter time compared to purchasing which involves a long and tedious procurement process. With leasing, the costs are spread over a long time and can thus be matched to the company’s income. The interest rates are agreed upon beforehand hence

The accounting policies of Marks and Spencer Essay

The accounting policies of Marks and Spencer - Essay Example   The first part of the report analyses the development of two accounting policies regarding tangible fixed assets and intangible one. To make the analysis more critical, comparisons with the main competitors of Marks and Spencer are drawn illustrating the controversial development of the selected policies. The second part of the report deals with the analysis of transition from UK GAAP to IFRS with specific respect to the following issues: treatment for property, property leases, employee benefits, share-based payments, intangible assets, and financial instruments. During their lifetime companies acquire property, which should be treated as assets according to the accounting standards. Meanwhile most of the property types have a 'lifetime' span, a time period, called useful economic life, during which an asset is used. To reflect the useful economic life in financial statements, profit and loss account receives regular portion of the cost of an asset. This expense is known as depr eciation. In other words, depreciation represents the extent to which economic value of an asset has been consumed by the business. There are different accounting policies on depreciation, but the most commonly used two are straight line depreciation and reducing balance. The one that is used by Marks and Spencer is the straight line depreciation. "Depreciation is provided to write off the cost or valuation of tangible fixed assets, less residual value, by equal annual instalments" (Marks and Spencer, 2005a, p. 33). That means the company pays the cost of an asset minus its value after its useful economic life expires by equal portions annually. Thus, fixtures fittings and equipment as a type of property has useful economic life of 3-15 years in the accounting policy of Marks and Spencer - that means, during that time the company annually pays its cost less residual value divided into 3-15 equal portions. Another popular policy of depreciation is reducing balance. In this case the d epreciation in each year is calculated as the percentage of the un-depreciated value. For instance, if the purchase cost of an asset is 100 and the reducing balance rate is 20% then the first year depreciation is 100*0.2=20 and the second year depreciation is (100-20)*0.2=16. The reducing balance rule is used to reflect the fact that the value of some assets falls more rapidly in the first years of use than in the last ones. As can be seen in theory the reducing balance policy can go on forever, with annual portions reducing ad infinitum. Generally, after 95% of the initial cost has been depreciated all the rest is written off in the next portion. The difference of these two methods is as follows: while the straight line depreciation is the simplest of all methods, the reducing balance allows taking the advantage of larger tax deductions in early years.  

Role of Youth Essay Example for Free

Role of Youth Essay Lack of participation of the youth in community development and family integration may lead to poor skills and characteristics. Community development helps the youth a lot in working their skills, building their character and communicating with others to have a good relationship. Family integration makes the youth more confident c Generally, this topic focuses on the lack of participation of the youth in community development and family integration. Specifically, this topic aims to show these problems; * Lack of communication and awareness of opportunities (Felix, 2003) * Turf issues among organizations competing for youth participants (Felix, 2003) * Lack of diversity, and adultism or the systematic mistreatment of young people simply because of their age. (Felix, 2003) * Youth fear of speaking out (Felix,2003) * Lack of time (Sherrod, Flanagan, Youniss, 2002) * Not being sure of the benefits of their contributions (Israel, Coleman, Ilvento, 1993) As youth are brought into community organizations and civic roles that they have traditionally been excluded from, they can participate in local decision-making at multiple levels. This collaboration leads to skill enhancement, confidence building, and ownership that prepare them as they navigate toward adulthood. All of these can be achieved through participating in activities that pursue community development and family integration. Lacking of participation is seen form the youth. Lack of participation in family integration and community development may lead to a lot of conflict in the society. Communication is the best way to build a relationship with the community and with the family. In this way, the youth can easily participate and contribute to the developments made by the community. The family will serve as a great motivation for the you th to participate well and be efficient in helping developing one’s community. The specific problems points out different pursuits. In the first problem, lack of communication and awareness of opportunities, the reason that this problem occurred is because of the extreme rapid change in the modern civilization, in contrast to modern societies, tend to increase parent-youth conflict, for within a fast changing social order the time interval between generations. Inevitably, under such a condition, youth is reared in a milieu different from that of the parents; hence the parents become old-fashioned, youth rebellious, and clashes occur which is closely confined circle of the immediate family, generate sharp emotion. This conflict will only subdue to not communicating with parents because avoiding arguments with their parents. Another problem that hinders the youth in progressing and doing their role as youth is lack of time. The youth now a days tend to spend their time in paying video games, watching television Parent-youth conflict thus results from the interaction of certain universals of the parent-child relation and certain variables the value of which are peculiar to modern culture . the universals are the basic age or birth cycle differential between parent and child. The decelerating rate of socialization with advancing age, the rsulting intrinsic differences btween old and young on the physiological, psychosocial and sociological planes.

Effect Of Explicit And Implicit Vocabulary Instruction English Language Essay

Effect Of Explicit And Implicit Vocabulary Instruction English Language Essay It is true that vocabulary is central to a language and is of paramount importance to a language learner as Ellis (1994) claims that the cornerstone of L2 is its vocabulary. Instruction is an important contributor in the development of vocabulary knowledge. Implicit vocabulary teaching and learning method involves indirect, or incidental whereas the explicit method involves direct, or intentional. This thesis attempts to find out and compare the effects of the two vocabulary teaching methods on 60 students studying in a Tonekabon University. Control Group (explicit vocabulary teaching) and Experimental group (implicit vocabulary teaching), each group was given a different modes of instruction. During the lessons different explicit vocabulary presentation techniques used including mind-mapping, Persian equivalents and English synonyms and definitions. Subsequently, the teacher utilized an inferred method for teaching vocabulary implicitly which means students were supposed to guess th e words from the passages by using context clues. The researcher used the, the Independent T-Test, Analysis of covariance. The T-tests compared the means of the pretest and posttest scores of each group. ANCOVA was used to identify the progress level from the pretest to the posttest in the groups. The results obtained by the implicit group shows students gained new vocabulary moderately better. And also findings of study in the explicit vocabulary teaching method revealed that in terms of students short term recall of word meanings and the students did well in word retention. The results of this study have important implications for the classroom and make a strong case for implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction. Key Words: Word knowledge, Vocabulary Learning Strategy, Implicit Vocabulary Instruction, Explicit Vocabulary Instruction 1. Background of the Study Vocabulary teaching is one of the most important components of any language classes which help learners to understand languages and express their meanings. If language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh (Harmer 1993.153). This study provides the view toward students knowledge of words by the influence of different modes of teaching vocabulary in which students are weak in words retention. My interest in vocabulary learning strategies was first aroused when I was an English teacher in Institutes. Year after year, many students complained about the difficulty of memorizing new words. They had realized that their small vocabulary size, which seemed difficult to enlarge, had hampered their English learning. It seemed that they had not found an appropriate way to learn vocabulary. We have not been taught the majority of words which we know. Beyond a certain level of proficiency in learning a language, vocabulary development is more likely be mainly intentional or incidental. In vocabulary acquisition studies, one key research direction is to explore the points at which implicit vocabulary learning is more efficient than explicit vocabulary learning, to ask what are the most effective strategies of implicit learning, and to consider the implications of research results for classroom vocabulary teaching(Carter and Nunan, 2002).Traditional vocabulary instruction for many teachers involves having students look words up in a dictionary, memorize them in word lists, find the nearest equivalent which are often used in order to help students learn new words. But these methods provide what research and theory tell us about word learning and sound vocabulary instruction. 2. Statement of the Problem All instructors through classroom activities usually use different methods and techniques in order to teach vocabulary in the class in which students participate actively. Moreover, the way of teaching is significant in vocabulary learning classes. Among researchers, vocabulary has been concerned the core of learning a language and reading comprehension. Students usually are assumed to learn or memorize the lists of vocabulary in order to increase the knowledge of vocabulary and apply it in understanding passages. Most students suffer from understanding the passages which consist of words that play as a hinder in their perceiving, so teachers should help students out by some principal instruction to make them easy to recognize the meaning of unknown words. Students who are learning English as a foreign language lack the vocabulary necessary to understand the reading material in literature and in the content areas. Many of these students do not have success in reading and listening du e to a deficiency in vocabulary. Unknown words hinder students understanding not only on the reading comprehension portions of these tests, but on understanding of questions on content portions of tests as well. Therefore, it is necessary that successful strategies be found to help these students attain proficiency in the classroom. It has long been a debate as to whether or not explicit instruction increases the acquisition of a second language (Chaudron, 1988). Improvements in reading comprehension in English language learners after explicit vocabulary instruction would provide useful strategies for not only EFL instructors, but for mainstream teachers of classrooms with EFL students. The problem for this study is to investigate the merits. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the effect of explicit and implicit instruction on a development of EFL learners vocabulary learning. 3. Literature review According to Celce-Murcia (2001) knowledge can be gained and represented either implicitly or explicitly and both contribute to language learning. There exists a central debate emerging from the studies dealt with whether effective vocabulary learning should give attention to explicit implicit vocabulary learning. In implicit vocabulary, learning students engage in activities that focus attention on vocabulary. Incidental vocabulary is learning that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, i.e. learning without conscious attention or awareness; such as on understanding a text or using language for communicative purposes. From a pedagogically- oriented perspective, the goal of explicit teaching is to lead learners attention, whereas the aim of an implicit focus on form is to draw learners attention. Moreover, individual tasks can be located along an explicit or implicit continuum, and complex tasks may combine both explicit and implicit subtasks. Most researchers recognized that a well-structured vocabulary program needs a balanced approach that includes explicit teaching together with activities providing appropriate contexts for incidental learning. Much discussion in the literature on whether vocabulary is best learned through direct study or incidentally through reading. Schmitt (2000) suggests that learners are able to learn large quantities of vocabulary explicitly, for example, by using word lists and the depth of processing hypothesis suggests that it is more likely for a piece of information to be retained in memory if it is manipulated with more mental effort. On the other hand, Hulstijn (1997) notes that it is difficult to learn everything we need to know, through explicit learning, about the more frequent words but extensive reading can serve this purpose. There is, in fact, evidence that both the explicit and implicit approach can be effective. In light of the drawbacks and benefits of both the explicit and implicit vocabulary learning methods, some linguists have suggested that both methods be used together to supplement each other. The experimental design for this study was a quantitative design. Specifically, the design was a quasi-experimental. This research used two groups, control group and experimental group with no treatment (explicit instruction) and a treatment (implicit instruction). The two methods of instruction were compared. Pretest-posttest experimental design was used to investigate the effectiveness of using implicit and explicit modes of introduction to enhance vocabulary knowledge. In scoring the items on the test, for the vocabulary-recognition portion, the items were multiple choices. Scoring was objective; one point for each correct answer. Scores ranged from 0 to 20 on this portion. On the second section of the test, the vocabulary production portion, the items were fill-in-blank. In order to earn the maximum score of one point for each item, the response had to be grammatically correct and spelled correctly. Scores ranged from 0 to 20 on the production portion of the test. For the vocabulary acquisition portion of the test, the total measures ranged from 0 to 20. For the vocabulary acquisition measures, participants took pre-tests to identify whether or not they had any existing knowledge about the vocabulary that was the focus for the particular unit. For this study, it was important to be able to identify the number of vocabulary words that were gained (pre- versus post- scores) as opposed to identifying only the number of vocabulary words that were known at the end of the unit (post-test only). By administering pre-and post-tests, the researcher was able to remove any influence of prior knowledge of these vocabulary words by the participants. By obtaining several values for each participant and alternating the methods of instruction, the researcher was able to help overcome the small sample size and the possibility of maturation of the participants. This also helped to decrease the effect for a particularly interesting unit or particularly uninteresting unit. The final analysis of the data was approximately three months. Table 2 illustrate s the timeline of the experiment with reference to the pre-tests and the units of instruction. To collect data for this study, three instruments were utilized 🙠 1) OPT test t; (2) pretest (i.e. a TOEFL Vocabulary test; (3) posttest (i.e. A TOEFL proficiency test) Vocabulary Levels Tests (Nation, 1990), which is among the best known vocabulary measurement tools to date, will be selected to determine the size of the participants vocabulary. A comparison of the mean scores of test obtained by the two groups shows that, very obviously, performance was a bit higher when the target words were taught through an implicit vocabulary instruction technique of inferred passage than when target words were associated with mid-mapping technique and synonyms and definitions in the passages. The students who participated in this study were sixty students enrolled in university in one semester. The test scores for all sixty students were collected and listed with a numerical reference rather than by name. (Refer to Appendix B) In this study, participants took part in six vocabulary units. These units were a part of 400 must-have words for the TOEFL about the same length, and on various topics. Within this program, there were also teacher-reviewed vocabulary lists and classroom tested strategies for implicit and explicit vocabulary teaching. Each part was on the same vocabulary level and the units were designed to be of similar length. There were two different modes of instruction. In one mode of instruction, implicit instruction, the teacher utilized a inferred method for teaching a vocabulary unit. Moreover, students were supposed to guess the words from the passages by using context clues. In the other mode of instruction, explicit instruction, the teacher utilized specific strategies for (mind-mapping technique, synonyms and definitions). Table 2 outlines the daily schedule for each unit. It distinguishes the implicit instruction strategies from the explicit instruction strategies. The independent variable for this study was the mode of instruction implicit classroom instruction versus explicit vocabulary instruction. These modes were applied to the same group of students, but alternated on the basis of the vocabulary unit. The dependent variables for this study were the vocabulary gained and scores-both of which were collected on the basis of each vocabulary unit (approximately every week). For the vocabulary scores, the lowest possible score was 0 and the highest possible score was 20. Since the focus of this study was to compare conditions with and without explicit vocabulary instruction, the number of words gained for each unit was used. Research Questions: 1-Does explicit teaching of vocabulary affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary? 2-Does implicit teaching of vocabulary affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary? 3-Does the experimental groups (implicit) of the study show progress from the pre-test to post-test? 4-Does the control group (explicit) of the study show progress from pre-test to the post-test study? The hypotheses used for this analysis are as follows: 4. Research Hypotheses H1: Explicit teaching of vocabulary does not affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. H2: Implicit teaching of vocabulary affects Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. H3: The experimental(implicit) of the study shows progress from the pre-test to post-test of study. H4: The control group (explicit) of study does not show progress from pre-test to the post-test study. 4.1 Participants The research participants for the study included the researcher as the classroom teacher and two groups of students. The total of 60 undergraduate students were (40 males and 20 females) of English as a Foreign Language in the Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon, Iran. Their age ranges from 19 and 23. Informed consent was obtained from all students verbally. These students were chosen in the diversity of the group including characteristics such as gender, age, and years of learning English as a Foreign Language. Some 30 students majoring in English were chosen. As previously discussed in the rationale for this research, this kind of situation often places high stress on students as well as teachers and leads to a classroom instructional focus geared toward rote memorization (explicit) rather than higher level thinking (implicit). It was within this context that this researcher sought answers to the questions guiding this study. Two sets of test scores of a single group of sixty students were analyzed to determine if a statistically significant gain existed. The independent t-test was used to determine if the mean gains of the two groups of scores were significantly different from one another. The t-test was chosen because it adjusts for the distribution of the small sample size.(Gay Airasian, 2003). The test was run first for the vocabulary acquisition variable (refer to Hypothesis 1) and then again for the vocabulary knowledge variable (refer to Hypothesis 2). Statistically significant gains in the means of the groups of scores (control group) would indicate that explicit vocabulary instruction does have an effect in EFL words retention. A positive difference would be an indication of additional benefits (more vocabulary acquired and/or higher retention) derived from the implicit instruction. In examining the overall classroom performance, a higher average on units taught using explicit vocabulary instruc tion would indicate an overall benefit for using explicit vocabulary instruction in the classroom. The OPT test and pretest were administered one week apart, with the second test administered the day prior to implementation of the program. The posttest was administered immediately upon the conclusion of the study. All data were collected during the students regularly scheduled vocabulary class by the researcher who had no relationship with classroom participants .It could be one of the limitations of the study. Students in both study conditions received the same pretest and posttest. Test directions instruct students in order to receive full credit; all work must be shown, regardless of how they arrive at their answer. Students were allowed and required to utilize some techniques to answer questions on the test. For this research study, the modes of instruction were the independent variable because it was hypothesized to impact the vocabulary knowledge on the posttest. The dependent variable was the vocabulary knowledge measured by the posttest scores after the treatment. The analysis would use two methods to data analysis in order to answer the research questions: the independent T-Test and ANCOVA. Independent T-tests were used to answer the first and second research question. ANCOVA was used to answer the third and fourth research questions. 5. Results This research study aimed to investigate the effects of vocabulary modes of instruction on word knowledge for an experimental group (N=30) of college students at the Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran. In order to compare the improvement from the pretest to the posttest of the study, the researcher used the, the Independent T-Test, Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The T-tests compared the means of the pretest and posttest scores of each group and, therefore to answer the first research question and second question. ANCOVA was used to identify the progress level from the pretest to the posttest in the groups, and therefore to answer the third and fourth research questions. In this section the results of the study based on the participants scores on the pretests and posttests in both groups will be presented. H1: Explicit teaching of vocabulary does not affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. As viewed in Figure 4.1, the histogram forms a symmetric shape confirming that the scores are normal. For answering question one, two sets of test scores of two group students were analyzed to determine if a statistically significant gain existed. The independent t-test was used to determine if the mean gains of the two groups of scores were significantly different from one another. According to (Table 4.2), observed t value equals 2.343. A comparison made between this t value and the critical t value in the table (Table 4.4) adopted from Hatch and Farhady (1981, p. 272) shows that the critical t value equals 2.In other words the observed t is higher than the critical t value. Therefore, the null hypothesis derived from the first research question is rejected and it can be indicated that the research independent variable explicit teaching of vocabulary has effect learners knowledge of vo cabulary. Table 4.2 Independent Samples Test Levenes Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Posttest Score Equal variances assumed .016 .901 2.343 58 .023 1.633 .697 .238 Equal variances not assumed 2.343 57.931 .023 1.633 .697 .238 Table 4.1 implicit and explicit posttest score Treatment N Mean Std. Deviation Posttest Score Implicit 30 14.83 2.653 Explicit 30 13.20 2.747 Table 4.3 pretest and posttest of experimental group Mean N Std. Deviation Pair 1 Pretest Score 11.26 30 1.375 Posttest Score 14.74 30 2.782 As Table 4.3 displays, the results of the descriptive analysis showed how the participants performed on the pretest and the posttest as well as the dispersion of the scores on the two tests. The mean scores of the pretest and the posttest in the Experimental Group were M = 11.26 (N = 30, SD =1.375) and M = 14.74 (N = 30, SD = 2.782) respectively. The significant difference between the two mean scores and the standard deviation indicated the group performed heterogeneously before and after the treatment. Having calculated the descriptive statistics based on the students scores on the pretest and the posttest, the researcher conducted a T-test to determine if the means significantly different. Table 4.4 Descriptive Statistics of the Overall Comparison between Pretest and Posttest in the CG Mean N Std. Deviation Pair 1 Pretest Score 11.52 30 2.327 Posttest Score 13.19 30 2.815 Table 4.4 shows comparisons between the pretest and the posttest mean scores for the experimental group. The purpose of this comparison is to find out whether the participants in the EG made changes in their vocabulary knowledge performance after the treatment. There is a statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest performance of the groups (p>.05). There was no statistical evidence found to reject the second null hypothesis. H2: Implicit teaching of vocabulary affects Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. Tables 4.4 shows comparisons between the pretest and the posttest mean scores for the control groups. The purpose of this comparison is to find out whether the participants in CG made changes in vocabulary knowledge after treatment. There is not a statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest performance of the group (p>.05). This means the EG did significantly improve their vocabulary knowledge after the treatment. We can come to a conclusion that both the explicit vocabulary teaching technique (mind-mapping) and the implicit vocabulary teaching approach (inferred passage) brought lexical gains to the students in both groups. This finding is in line with the viewpoint of Carter and Nation (2001), who suggest that both the explicit and implicit methods can be effective. Nevertheless, in comparison, when word meanings were explicitly taught to the subjects through mind-mapping, semantic and short term recall of the target words were better than when the word meanings had to be inferred from the passages. This finding ran to Krashrens argument that competence in and vocabulary is most efficiently attained by comprehensible input in the form of reading (Krashen 1989, p.440). Krashen maintains that according to his Comprehensible Input Hypothesis which assumes that we acquire language by understanding messages (p.440), comprehensible input is the essential to language acquisition and vocabulary and spelling are acquired in the same way the rest of language is acquired (p.440). H3: The experimental(implicit) of the study shows progress from the pre-test to post-test of study. Before answering this question and presenting the descriptive results based on the experimental groups scores on the pretest and posttest of the study, the issue of whether or not scores follow a normal distribution should be investigated. Figure 4.5 is the histogram of the scores with a symmetrical shape showing the normality of the distribution. On the basis of the table (4.7), that the F value in the treatment row equal is 18.635 above shows that there is a significant different between the two research groups (EG, CG). In addition the sig. value (.000) in the same row shows that it is above the p-value (p>0.5). Hence it is stated that different between the mean scores is not haphazard or accidental and the third hypothesis supported and fourth null hypothesis is rejected. In order to answer this question, ANCOVA was conducted for finding any significant differences in the level of progress achieved by the control group. In all of these analyses the significant level was set at p H4: The control group (explicit) of study does not show progress from pre-test to the post-test study. In order to answer this question, ANCOVA was conducted for finding any significant differences in the level of progress achieved by the control group. In all of these analyses the significant level was set at p Summary It is true that vocabulary is central to a language and is of paramount importance to a language learner as Ellis (1999) claims that the cornerstone of L2 is its vocabulary. Instruction is an important contributor in the development of vocabulary knowledge. Implicit vocabulary teaching and learning method involves indirect, or incidental whereas the explicit method involves direct, or intentional. This paper attempts to find out and compare the effects of the two vocabulary teaching methods on 60 students studying in a Tonekabon University. Control Group (explicit vocabulary teaching) and Experimental group (implicit vocabulary teaching), each group was given a different modes of instruction. During the lessons different explicit vocabulary presentation techniques used including mind-mapping, Persian equivalents and English synonyms and definitions. Subsequently, the teacher utilized an inferred method for teaching vocabulary implicitly which means students were supposed to guess the words from the passages by using context clues. The researcher used the, the Independent T-Test, Analysis of covariance. The T-tests compared the means of the pretest and posttest scores of each group. ANCOVA was used to identify the progress level from the pretest to the posttest in the groups. The results obtained by the implicit group shows students gained new vocabulary moderately better. And also findings of study in the explicit vocabulary teaching method revealed that in terms of students short term recall of word meanings and the students did well in word retention. The results of this study have important implications for the classroom and make a strong case for implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction.

Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and he

Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover  Ã‚        Ã‚   In his work "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover", Peter Greenaway displays the complexity of his main character Georgina. We witness her constant struggle to break free from her hateful and disgusting husband. She realizes her pernicious dependence on Albert. His coercion, oppression and abuse make Georgina's life unbearable. Her need for freedom is expressed in her involvement in a sexual relation with a man completely different from her husband and his cronies. Their relationship begins silently and is based almost entirely on sex. Sex gave her a measure of control in a world in which her real influence was limited and problematic (Giddens, p.70). The happiness that the lovers derive from the closeness, affection and tenderness of their sexuality are things that Georgina was missing in her inauthentic life. Passion appears as a strong element in their liaison and till the circumstances allowed them to make love unnoticed, their relationship was a carefree and happ y experience. When their affair was discovered by Georgina's husband and Michael was afterwards brutally killed, Georgina is left with her confused feelings, unable to assess the real value of the relationship she had with Michael.       In the situation of Georgina there is a sentient need for a creative and rewarding relationship. This physical-psychological desire, however, does not have love as the basis of a long-term, deep emotional relationship between two individuals (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, pp. 78-79). It is more the bodily desire for the body of another that dominates her mental life (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, p. 76). In the Georgina's need for... ...       Works Cited Greenaway, Peter. "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover". Dis Voir. Paris, 1989. Singer, Irving. The Pursuit of Love. The John Hopkins University Press. London, 1994. Soble, Alan., edited by. The Philosophy of Sex. Contemporary Readings. Revised Second Edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1991. Rank, Otto. Beyond Psychology. Dover Publications. New York. Copyright (c) 1941 by Estelle B. Rank. 1958. Lepp, Ignace. The Psychology of Loving. Translated by Bernard B. Gilligan. A Mentor Book from New American Library, Times Mirror. New York, 1963. Giddens, Anthony. The Transformation of Intimacy. Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Stanford University Press. Stanford CA, 1992. Schneider, David J. Social Psychology. University of Texas, San Antonio. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1976.    Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and he Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover  Ã‚        Ã‚   In his work "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover", Peter Greenaway displays the complexity of his main character Georgina. We witness her constant struggle to break free from her hateful and disgusting husband. She realizes her pernicious dependence on Albert. His coercion, oppression and abuse make Georgina's life unbearable. Her need for freedom is expressed in her involvement in a sexual relation with a man completely different from her husband and his cronies. Their relationship begins silently and is based almost entirely on sex. Sex gave her a measure of control in a world in which her real influence was limited and problematic (Giddens, p.70). The happiness that the lovers derive from the closeness, affection and tenderness of their sexuality are things that Georgina was missing in her inauthentic life. Passion appears as a strong element in their liaison and till the circumstances allowed them to make love unnoticed, their relationship was a carefree and happ y experience. When their affair was discovered by Georgina's husband and Michael was afterwards brutally killed, Georgina is left with her confused feelings, unable to assess the real value of the relationship she had with Michael.       In the situation of Georgina there is a sentient need for a creative and rewarding relationship. This physical-psychological desire, however, does not have love as the basis of a long-term, deep emotional relationship between two individuals (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, pp. 78-79). It is more the bodily desire for the body of another that dominates her mental life (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, p. 76). In the Georgina's need for... ...       Works Cited Greenaway, Peter. "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover". Dis Voir. Paris, 1989. Singer, Irving. The Pursuit of Love. The John Hopkins University Press. London, 1994. Soble, Alan., edited by. The Philosophy of Sex. Contemporary Readings. Revised Second Edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1991. Rank, Otto. Beyond Psychology. Dover Publications. New York. Copyright (c) 1941 by Estelle B. Rank. 1958. Lepp, Ignace. The Psychology of Loving. Translated by Bernard B. Gilligan. A Mentor Book from New American Library, Times Mirror. New York, 1963. Giddens, Anthony. The Transformation of Intimacy. Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Stanford University Press. Stanford CA, 1992. Schneider, David J. Social Psychology. University of Texas, San Antonio. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1976.   

The Kiss :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Kiss Mama hands me my last three dresses, packs my Sunday hat and stockins, and kisses my forehead. "You're a woman now, Elsa, and he'll take good care of you," she says. It's high time you build your own family." Papa kisses my cheek and closes the door of Nick's pick-up as I wave goodbye to my five brothers and sisters. With fifteen years of southern life as my platform, I plunge into the waters of reality by the skin of my teeth. Immediately I am a wife, forced to begin a family of my own†¦just like Mama. Every day Nick comes bouncin' through the front door ready for supper. "Wipe your feet," I always say, "and don't slam my door." With younguns' screamin' and fightin' I always manage to put a hot meal on the table, despite the fact that I'm six months pregnant. You see, Nick owns a seafood house. "Nick's Quality Seafood", that's what he calls it. He leaves at five thirty in the mornin' and comes home every day at six in the evenin'. Oysters are his specialty, and that's what's kept us alive. With him supportin' me and four kids at twenty years old, I figure this is the least I could do. Fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and corn bread are his favorites. I'm still workin' on them butter biscuits Mama taught me how to make, but the rest of my cookin' is pretty good. Supper time is the only time we ever really talk, so I look forward to six o'clock. Barbara Jean Carroll is her name. She weighs six pounds eleven ounces with a head full of hair, just like her daddy. We decided six was our lucky number and it was time for our family to stop growin'. Thank heavens! I see the doctor comin' down the hall with a heap of nurses around him. Dr. Johnson comes in with a strange look on his face. "Hello Mr. And Mrs. Carroll. Congratulations once again on your new baby girl", he says. The reason I'm back so soon is I wanted to talk to you about Barbara's illness. "Oh she's fine," Nick says, "and she ain't sick at all. She's perfect." With that, Dr. Johnson exited without another word. Let me explain. They told us just two months after she was born that she has Down syndrome and that many people consider giving there children up for adoption after learning of this disease.

Action Research Project for Reading Essay

The problem stated in the Action Research Project was that 66% of third grade students lack the ability to draw conclusions and make inferences to answer comprehension questions correctly. This was evident by the state reading test scores, specifically the inference test given by their teacher. This indicated a need for increased student achievement in making inferences and drawing conclusions. Third grade students were not proficient at making inferences to gain a deeper understanding of the texts read and thus answer open ended questions correctly. Therefore, they did not get all the inference based comprehension questions correct based on the end of grade test scores that these third grade students are required to take. This indicated a need for additional support making inferences through direct instruction, peer discussion and independent practice in the classroom setting. Students had previously been taught how to make inferences through discussion and worksheets. B) Review of main strategies The basic strategies used in this project included interactive read aloud, a reading response journal, and making inferences with photographs. An important component used in the implementation plan was the integration of the read alouds with the reading response journal as well as a great deal of modeling. The teacher gave the students time before, after, and during reading to write responses in their journals. They were encouraged to make predictions, connections, share reactions, opinions, visualizations, ask questions and make inferences. By having the students use those various strategies, they were learning how to really think about what they were reading in order to get a deeper understanding of their texts. Using these various strategies would ultimately increase their understanding and thus improve their ability to make inferences about what they read. The students were given time before reading to make predictions about what they thought might happen and any reactions or opinions from the previous reading. While the teacher was reading, the students were encouraged to make connections and inferences. They also began a section of vocabulary words they found challenging or interesting. This list of words was ongoing and the students  had to find the definition that went along with their word. The teacher also listed those words on chart paper during the reading time. Once the teacher had ended the read aloud time, the students had time to reflect on what they read. They might make inferences based on what they had learned or share how they visualized the scene taking place. The teacher also modeled what she was thinking as she came to different parts of the story. C) Description of post implementation data collection tools Post implementation, the teacher used a variety of tools to test the effectiveness of the ARP. Students took a teacher created â€Å"Inference Assessment† (Appendix A, p. 7) that consisted of two reading passages and ten short answer questions. The students had to read each short story and then answer five questions based on each story. The questions to the answers had to be inferring from the short passages. Students needed to get eight of the ten questions correct to receive a passing score. The assessment was scored by hand and scores were recorded as a percentage. The class completed a â€Å"Charles Assessment† (Appendix B, p.8) Students had to read a short story by Shirley Jackson entitled â€Å"Charles,† and answer several questions and write a short essay based on their interpretation of the story. Their interpretation of what they read showed how well they were able to infer what the story was about. Students had to complete the various questions and tasks to the best of their ability based on their interpretation of the story. Students’ answers were scored based on their vocabulary answers, ability to create an appropriate book cover, set of classroom rules, a comic strip, or to follow the RAFT format in creating a short essay. Students’ work was scored based on their ability to follow the directions and their ability to infer what had happened in the story. The students used the Inferencing Rubric (Appendix C, p. 12) to guide them as they write a narrative. The rubric was had five columns and each column had the criteria to earn one to four points, totaling twenty points. This rubric was used to show the students what the expectations were before they began writing their paper. The rubric was also used by the teacher to score their final paper. Scores were tallied up and fifteen through twenty points would be passing scores. The students were required to take an Inferencing Post Test (Appendix D, p. 13) after they had been taught the lessons in the action research project. This is the same test they took before the implementation. It was administered during consists of several reading passages and multiple choice answers. There were fiction, non-fiction, and poetry selections the students read and then answered questions based on inferences created from the passages. Students answered the circled questions. These results were compared to the scores gathered prior to the implementation. The End of Grade Test (Appendix E, p. 21) was administered to all third grade students in Wake County are required to take at the end of each year. This is a multiple choice test that is given at the end of each school year. This assessment is given in a secure setting over three days. The first day is reading comprehension; the next two are for math calculator active and calculator inactive. The students record their responses by bubbling on an answer sheet that is electronically scored. These results were compared with the pretest scores to see how much progress the students made throughout the year. D) Results for each objective The first objective was for the students to be able to accurately identify and analyze inferences in context with a minimum of 80% accuracy as measured by the teacher created Inference Assessment (Appendix A, p. 7). After the students had been taught how to make inferences through various classroom activities, they took the assessment and the entire class met or exceeded the passing score. Two students scored 70%, four students scored 80%, five students scored 90%, and ten scored 100%. The scores show a vast improvement in the students’ ability to make inferences. The second objective was for seventeen of twenty one students to improve their ability to interpret inferences and comprehend reading passages by achieving a score of 80% or better on the Charles Assessment (Appendix B p. 8). Only thirteen students met that goal. Four students scored 60%, five scored 70%, nine scored 80%, two scored 90%, and one scored 100%. Although the students did not all meet the desired goal, they showed improvement based on their earlier assessments and the individual scores were higher. The third objective stated that the students would be able to accurately incorporate two or more inferences into their personal narrative writing pieces as measured by a teacher created Inferencing Rubric (Appendix C p. 12). The entire class was able to incorporate at least two inferences into their narrative based on the rubric. Before the implementation, most students could not interpret an inference, so being able to create two or more shows a vast improvement. The fourth objective stated that the students would increase their ability to identify and interpret inferences to increase their reading comprehension to 80% as measured by the teacher created Inferencing Pre/Post Test (Appendix D, p. 13). All but three students met the specified goal. Of the twelve questions posed, three students correctly answered nine questions, three answered ten, nine answered eleven, and six answered all twelve correctly. Based on the previous scores on this test, students’ scores greatly increased. The lowest score went from four questions correct up to nine, and all students grew, except for the one student who scored perfect on the pretest. Scores identify that the students were able to increase their comprehension and infer what they had read. The last objective was that the students would increase their ability to identify and create inferences to increase their reading comprehension to 52% as measured by the North Carolina End of Grade Test (Appendix E, p. 21). Eighteen of twenty one students met or exceeded that goal as opposed to only seven who passed the pretest. Three students scored a level one (3-20 percent), one scored a level two (31 percent), ten scored a level three (52-74 percent), and seven students scored a level four (87-99 percent). This shows a tremendous growth based on previous scores that showed many more students at the bottom range. Ten students scored a level one (11-35 percent), four scored a level two (48-69 percent), five scored a level three (74-89 percent), and two scored a level four (92-97 percent). E) Summary Based on the data collected from all the assessment tools, the teacher’s implementation plan was successful. Most goals were met and her students proved to be successful in their final assessments. Even though not all the students reached the set goal, each student showed improvement through the various assessment tools, especially in the state test . Appendix A Name/Number: Date: Inference assessment Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions that follow. One gloomy morning, Bailey woke up and stretched out in her bed. She jumped out of bed, walked to the kitchen and had a long drink of water. As she was drinking, Waleed came in the kitchen and gave her some breakfast. She quickly gobbled up her food and noticed that it was grey and dreary outside. There was a white blanket draped across the backyard. Waleed noticed the weather too, so he crawled back into his warm bed. Bailey followed him back in the bedroom and jumped up into bed so they could snuggle. She licked his face as she curled up at his feet. Her tail wagged until she peacefully fell back to sleep. 1. Who is Bailey? 2. What was the weather outside? 3. Did Bailey drink her water from a glass? 4. What did Bailey have for breakfast? 5. Who is Waleed? Sarah and Renee were enjoying the hot day at home. They were splashing around and having fun since they didn’t have to go to school. They had been outside all day and Renee’s skin was turning bright pink. All of a sudden, there was a roll of thunder and the sun was blocked by several clouds. The sky turned dark and the sun was no longer shining. Sarah and Renee quickly packed up their towels and beach balls and ran inside just as the sky opened up. 6. What season is it? 7. Where are Sarah and Renee? 8. What happened to Renee’s skin? 9. What time of day is it? 10. Why did Sarah and Renee have to run inside? Appendix B Charles Assessment [pic] [pic] [pic][pic] Appendix C. | |Inferences |Focus |Topic and conclusion|Elaboration |Spelling/grammar | | | | |sentences | | | |4 |Paper contains more|Paper maintains a |Paper has a strong |Paper has specific |Paper contains virtually no | | |than two detailed |specific focus |topic and |details that |spelling or grammar mistakes | | |inferences |throughout |conclusion sentence |elaborate on the | | | | | | |topic | | |3 |Paper contains two |Paper is focused on|Paper has a weak |Paper has vague |Paper contains fewer than 5 | | |detailed inferences|one event, but may |topic and conclusion|details that |spelling and/or grammar | | | |have minor lapses |sentence |elaborate on the |mistakes | | | | | |topic | | |2 |. Paper only contains|Paper may be |Paper may have a |Paper does not have |Paper contains more than 10 | | |one detailed |focused on one or |weak topic or |details that support |spelling and/or grammar | | |inference or two |more events, but |conclusion sentence |the topic |mistakes | | |that are not |has major lapses |that does not follow| | | | |detailed | |the topic | | | |1 |Paper does not have|Paper is not |Paper does not have |Paper has no |Paper contains more than 15 | | |any inferences in |focused and has |a topic or |supporting details |spelling and/or grammar | | |it |major lapses in |conclusion sentence | |mistakes | | | |time | | | | | | | | | | | |Total scores: | | | | | | Writing and Inferencing Rubric Student Name and Number:_____________________________________ Date:________________________________________________________ Appendix D [pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] Appendix E Since this assessment was administered to every third grade student in North Carolina in a secure setting, there are no available copies of the test. The Inferencing Pre/Post Test in Appendix D used sample End of Grade test questions that were posted by the North Carolina Department of Instruction. These sample articles have a very similar format to the passages and questions the students saw when they took the End of Grade Test.