Millennium Development Goals Essay

Abstract: Woman is a term usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term woman is also used to identify a female human, regardless of age. This paper examines the place of vocational education as a means of women empowerment in Nigeria. How much a nation develops has a lot to do with the quality of human resources and educational attainment of its citizens. The impact of vocational education programme as a positive instrument for the empowerment of women in South-East, Nigeria was discussed. It was predicated on the assumption that vocational education acquisition is closely related to economic empowerment of women. This programme as well as the curriculum could be designed to take care of the needs of the learners in order to acquire skills necessary for employment, self-reliance and economic development. The acquisition of these vocational skills will greatly help to empower and transform women into self-reliant persons and make her economically viable. This economic empowerment will greatly help to ameliorate the incidence of prostitution,  kidnapping, and other social vices that are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended among other things, that government, private organizations and NGOs should adequately support the funding of vocational education programme. Keywords: vocational education, economic empowerment, social vices. INTRODUCTION Women play a central role in the socio-economic development of any society. In fact societal sustainable development is possible only if women are actively involved. Women must therefore be both participants and beneficiaries of development programmes. The United Nations Development Programme UNDP (1997) observes that women worldwide constitute half of population, perform two thirds of the hours worked, are registered as only performing one third of these hours, receive only 10% of the world’s income and have 1% of the world’s property registered in their name. This is injustice at its peak, and no sustainable development will take place in such situation of inequality. The Nigerian woman has not pressed hard to derive the full benefit of her economic activism and activities. Going by the 2006 census, almost 50% of the  total population of the country of over 170 million is women. The Federal Office of Statistics, (2006) reports that 70% of this population (about 59,500,000 women) reside and work in the rural areas. In the last few decades, a consciousness has been awaken globally that unless something is done to empower women as an interest group, global development will remain a mirage. Vocational Education has been recognized as â€Å"an instrument for promoting environmentally sound sustainable development† (FRN, 2004:30) as well as â€Å"a  method of alleviating poverty. † It is the basis for the full promotion and improvement of the status of women. Vocational Education empowers women by improving their living standards. It is the starting point for women’s advancement in different fields of human endeavor and a basic tool that should be given to women in order to fulfill their roles as full members of the society. Education of which vocational is an aspect, constitutes the single most important institutional boost to women empowerment. Vocational Education  especially is an excellent tool for bringing about individual and national development. However, a cursory look at the pattern of women’s involvement in vocational education in Nigeria reveals abysmal low levels. In spite of all the laudable goals and objectives of vocational education, Nigerian women still suffer a lot of constraints and inhibitions which militate against their personal and national development. Vocational Education focuses on the learner who is made to imbibe or acquire knowledge, skills, values and even attitudes that enable him to solve his and societal problems. Educated persons who acquire knowledge and skill can easily manipulate goods and services to create wealth for themselves and the society and thus create employment opportunities for others thereby reducing poverty. In absence of this, what is obtainable is a whole lot of women who lack skills, knowledge and appropriate value- orientation to survive in a knowledge-driven economy. They turn out to be societal misfits – prostitutes, armed-robbers, kidnapers, cause crises and upheaval in the society. This paper examines the importance of vocational  education as a means of empowering women in Nigeria. It investigates socio economic and political factors impeding this noble field. It presents a case for improved women’s economic status through greater participation in vocational education to fight hunger, poverty and unemployment through wage or self employment in the face of insecure and corrupt society we find ourselves. VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL IN NIGERIA FRN (2004:29) described vocational education as †those aspects of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of  technologies and related science and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economy and social life. † Fakes (2005) defined vocational education as that type of education that has specific relation with working life. According to Ogbuanya (2006), it is practical oriented and spans across areas like agriculture and related trades, building and wood work trades, commercial and related studies, electrical, textile and related trades as well as hospitality trades. Going by the above definition, vocational and technical education are interwoven as both are geared toward development of skills needed in the world of work, it is based in manual and practical activities which prepares one for gainful employment in recognized institutions and fields. Vocational education has passed through a series of trends ranging from pre- colonial era to date. Fafunwa (1991) noted that formal (western) education started in Nigeria in 1842, however, prior to this time, traditional and Islamic education have been holding sway in Nigeria. Traditional education has some  features of vocational education like smiting, building, craft to mention but a few. Even with the commencement of Christian missionary activities in formal western education in Nigeria, emphasis was not placed on vocational education in the formal education sector. Pure literacy as against vocational skill acquisition was the goal of education then. However, by 1863, it occurred to the missionaries that the plough and spade should go together. Hence this principle made some missionary schools to include elements of manual work like farming and bricklaying in their extra-curricular activities. Worthy of mention is that the attempts made by some of the missionary organizations towards industrial and agricultural education failed in most cases. Today, as pressure mounts in long unemployment queues, youth restiveness, high cost of living and insecurity in the nation, there is growing need to embrace vocational education as a tool for women empowerment for real national development Goals and Objectives of Vocational Education and Training The Federal Republic of Nigeria, (2004) highlighted what the goals of vocational education should be to include: ?Provision of trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and business particularly at craft, advanced craft and technical levels. ?Provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, commercial and economic development. ?Giving training and imparting skills to individuals who shall be self- reliant economically. It is believed that trainees on completion of vocational education course will have employable skills, set up their own business and employ others or pursue further education in advance technical programmes or other  institutions of higher learning. Vocational education plays a vital role in improving the overall wellbeing of the people by empowering individuals through skill acquisition. UNESCO (2006) affirmed that since education is the key to any effective national development, vocational education is the master key that can alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for all thereby achieving sustainable development through empowerment of women and youths alike. CHALLENGES OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION The importance of vocational education in both personal and national  development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to the following factors: Inadequate personnel in vocational colleges: Vocational education in the formal education sector had not been yielding the expected dividends as a result of the paucity of teachers of the vocational courses recognized by the National Policy on Education. This has brought about a situation whereby the personnel readily available are made to take extra work loads which in effect is not beneficial for the development of vocational education. This practice had raped the official teacher-student ratio of 1:20 as provided by the Federal Republic of Nigerian in its National Policy on Education. Poor delivery and  reception of the expected skills has been a resultant effect. Another problem that had been undermining the development of interest towards the study of vocational education courses by individuals is the issue of lack of industries or job opportunities where the skills thus acquired could be meaningfully utilized (Mohammed 2009). It is obvious that most of the industries in Nigeria are winding up. In view of this, studying a course that will make an individual wallow in unemployment is not in the best interest of the individual. For this reason, individuals do opt for other courses where they have brighter job opportunities. This in fact would bring about the reduction in number of people who would be enthusiastic towards furthering their education along the line of vocational education. In addition, the proximity of the secondary schools to any university that is offering vocational education courses could be a factor towards the development of the zeal for studying vocational education courses. Lack of adequate materials: Vocational education is about the development of motor skills. This cannot be achieved where materials are not adequate. In the case of Nigeria, most of the secondary schools or technical and vocational  colleges do not have the workshops, laboratories and the materials cum equipment that would facilitate the teaching and learning of vocational education courses (Mbakwem and Anyanwu, 2013). This had led to the teaching of theoretical aspects of the courses thus making the learner deficient in the actual use or practice of principles delivered to them. As a result, the products of formal vocational education schools have failed to meet with the demands of employers of labour as they lack cognate vocational training. Sector-specific corruption and the crisis of funding manifested in grossly inadequate budgetary allocations as well as generally collapsed standards in virtually all levels of Education manifested in symptoms of mass failure, cheating, fraudulent and criminal tendencies in schools. These and other numerous obstacles do exist but this work had confined its discussion within the scope of the above stated. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Empowerment is a call to action and it involves a process of fundamental change in quality of life of any material being. It is the ability to effect change  and make meaningful choices. Empowerment is investing legally or formally with power, authorizing, licensing, enabling, permitting, giving people more control over their own lives. Sako (1999) defines empowerment as the process of strengthening the existing capacities and capabilities of disadvantaged groups in society so as to enable them perform better towards improving themselves, their families and the society as a whole. It involves the provision of enabling environment for their productive and intellectual abilities to be realized. Wiki defines empowerment as not giving people power but letting  out the power in them. It opines that most women across the globe rely on the informal work sector for an income. If they are empowered to do more and be more, the possibility for economic growth becomes apparent. Ighodalo (1990) views women empowerment as a process of enabling women to develop the capacity to actualize their potentials. Ighodalo further adds that women should be looked at as individuals that possess some hidden potentials for greatness and so should be encouraged to develop such to the fullest. The process of empowerment must necessarily also include the  expansion of women’s access to educational opportunities, facilities for skills acquisition and positions of authority. Empowering the woman is empowering all of humanity. This is because the woman is the pivot of the family. United Nations was apt to capture this in this year’s international day for violence against women titled â€Å"From Peace in the home to Peace in the World†, it is believed that empowered women can do more to contribute to peace in the world. Empowerment is a drive towards realization of the innate potentials found in an individual. Thus, the potentials found in the woman can  be enhanced if empowered. Women empowerment involves issues like (a) How women perceive themselves and are perceived by intimate and distant others in society. (b) How women treat themselves and are treated by others. (c) Ability to make key decisions on matters relating to themselves and their children. (d) The kind of opinion they have in other aspects of decision making in the family. It must be noted here that all these are virtually impossible without proper and adequate training especially at the higher level which includes vocational education. BENEFITS OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT. Women empowerment could be likened to leveling the playing ground for women, and this would offer huge potentials to everyone. For example, UNICEF information sheet (2007) states that educating girls and women help develop self confidence, protection from sexual exploitation, improved health care, better child education and poverty reduction for generations to come. Women empowerment is a global topic. The United Nations included gender and women empowerment in its development goals as it is an important tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In Nigeria, a good  number of women are now found in many prestigious occupations such as law, medicine, architecture, the armed forces and so on and they are really living up to expectations. At the same time, an equally large number, especially those living in the rural areas are engaged in menial jobs to earn a living. Most jobs performed by women, according to Egunjobi (2005) have no economic values . Explaining further, Egunjobi states that all the work and activities which do not require financial reward are the responsibilities of women. This would explain the global call for women empowerment. There are high prospects in women empowerment. First the potentials of women will increase, resulting in building a virile nation, producing better women, better home makers, better future leaders and a better society. The contributions of females in top management positions revealed that females are up to the task. Women in leadership positions, especially in developing countries, have the responsibility and the potential to influence their society through leadership, particularly when they are enabled. Enabled women are empowered to aspire, attain and perform well in leadership positions while still carrying out the home front roles. Women are enabled when they are educated, exposed and economically emancipated. Throughout the ages and in all countries, women in leadership positions have impacted positively on the society. The history of mankind is replete with such women. The last century saw the emergence of great women leaders in various spheres of human endeavours, notable among who are Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Winnie Mandela, who relentlessly battled the apartheid regime in South Africa  in spite of the fact that her husband was incarcerated at the time. Here in Nigeria such women include Queen Amina of Zaria, Idia of Benin, Moremi of Ile-Ife, late Professor (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, the former Director, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and former Honorable Minister of Information and Communication, her Re-branding initiative is still fresh in our minds, the coordinator of Nigerian economy and Minister of Finance, Dr (Mrs)Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Prof Mrs Grace Alele. Williams the First Female Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, the Late Professor (Mrs) Jadesola Akande and even the keynote speaker of this conference, Prof. G. G. Agulanna, among others. Women from time immemorial have exhibited unparalleled ability in policy development and implementation. Education of which vocational education is an aspect remains a veritable weapon for women empowerment in all facets of life and a source of strength for national development. With vocational education, women will have greater self- fulfillment and would be able to contribute meaningfully to the social and  economic development of their societies. Again for economic reasons women no longer stay at home. The present economic recession has turned things round. Both male and female now cooperatively maintain the home even though the man is still regarded as the head of the family especially in the Nigerian Culture. In such instance, women with vocational skills will be able to earn additional salaries and support the husband and the standard of their living will be high and they can easily survive hard times. This will make for reductions in social vices like prostitution, theft and other corrupt acts perpetrated against and by women. In a situation where there is need for empowerment, vocational skills acquisition programmes is a sure means for women learners to gain basic education and or a vocational skill. The National Open University Centre for lifelong learning vocational skills acquisition programmes are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of students, women included, for immediate employment whether in the private or public sector or be self employed. As at June, 2013, enrolment figures stand at 1066, 381 of this figure are females. These run their programmes in study centres in  the cities with the exception of Awa-Ijebu, Ogori and Gulak. Women of all ages deserve to be integrated into the mainstream of a national economy through training. (Olakulehin and Ojo 2006) CHALLENGES TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The importance of vocational education in both personal and national development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to Illiteracy, according to Olakulehin & Ojo (2006), remains at the centre of women empowerment problems in Nigeria and that there is a palpable deluge of problems besetting the Nigerian women, all of them arise from illiteracy. Also, socio-cultural restraints such as limited parental resources, early marriages, pregnancy, childbearing, sexual harassment etc. negatively impact on women empowerment. In many societies, the education of women especially at the tertiary level is considered unimportant since they believe girls do not normally pay back in full measure the money invested in them. Again, religious practices of keeping women in purdah and the Shariah system (mostly in the northern part of Nigeria) hinder women from participation in education especially at the higher levels. In addition special protective measures aimed at protecting women and enhancing their effective participation has turned round to work against them. For example International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions ban women from night work, underground work and stipulate maximum weight to be carried by women. It also provides for maternity protection and welfare facilities at the work place. Some employers have capitalized on this to discriminate against women and spend less on training them. Added to the foregoing some have suggested that women are their own worst enemies. Some women married to wealthy men sometimes have lukewarm attitudes to education. Some women are lazy, lack proper education and are not making positive efforts to improve themselves. All these pose formidable challenge to the empowerment of women. MEASURES TO BE ADOPTED TOWARD EFFECTIVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The hub of development of any country lies on how productive and creative its population are, for a country like ours, where women constitutes a reasonable percentage, the government, parents and men in general have obligations to ensure that women are empowered to discharge their obligations to the society and to better their life. In the light of the issues discussed above, the following recommendations are proffered. ?Funding of vocational education should be taken seriously by the federal, State and Local governments. This they can achieve through increase in the budgetary allocation to educational sector which will reflect in the vocational education sub-sector. ?Vocational education should be inculcated into the school’s curriculum to promote human empowerment and development through vocational skill acquisition. It is a means of reducing unemployment since it is skilled oriented and employment motivated. All school programmes should be geared toward providing vocational skills. ?Government and other stake holders in education should embark on awareness programmes through workshops and seminars to educate girls, women, parents and general society on the benefits of vocational education for women. ?The private partnership and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) should be encouraged to participate in vocational education through funding or contributions in kind. This involvement should be seen by firms as a long term investment, and as an aspect of their corporate social responsibility to the nation. ? To empower women, federal government should provide enabling  environment and all the necessary equipment and materials for the teaching and learning of vocational skills needed for economic enhancement in Nigeria. ?The women should shun joblessness and criminality through the cultivation of vocational spirit and acquisition of relevant skills that will launch them into greatness and economic independence. Conclusion Vocational Education has been viewed in this paper as a panacea to the endemic problem of poverty, hunger, Prostitution and other corrupt  tendencies, paving way for women empowerment. When women are trained, they explore opportunities in their immediate environment instead of chasing shadows and uncertainties in the urban centres. The development of Vocational Education will go a long way in creating employment, give women the opportunity to develop their enterprising skills, empowering them to be job creators and not job seekers and by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to raise their output; income and wealth thereby ameliorate the incidence of prostitution, kidnapping, and other social vices  that are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria. Vocational Education would also contribute to improve the image and highlight the role of women in society. REFERENCES Egunjobi, L. (2005). Women Empowerment: Perspectives and Prospects. Ado-Ekiti Fountain Newspapers and Publishing Co. Ltd. Empowerment Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/empowerment. retrieved 17/10/2014 Fafunwa, A. B (1991), History of Education in Nigeria: New edition, Ibadan: NPS Educational Publishers Limited. Fakes, B. B. (2005). Technical Education: An Overview of the Learning Process. Capacity,  building workshop for lecturers in Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria for higher competency and productivity. Education Trust Fund. Federal Office of Statistics (2006), Annual Abstract of Statistics (2006 edition) Abuja Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education: 4th edition. Yaba-Lagos: NERDC Press. Igbodalo, F (1990), Contributions of Women to National Development. Paper presented at the NAUW on Contribution of women to National Development. ILO (2004) International labour organization’s information sheet on the â€Å"convention on workers with family responsibilities. No. 156, 1981 – (July 2004). Mbakwem, J. N and Anyanwu, O. G. (2014) Assessing Qualitative Teaching and Learning Environment at Upper Basic Education in Imo State, Nigeria in T. A. Bolarin and G. C. Unachukwu (Eds) Education for All: Progress and Challenges. Proceedings of the 28th annual congress of The Nigeria Academy of Education (pp 225-232). Lagos: Toptune Educational Publishers. Mohammed, I. A. (2009), â€Å"Problems and Prospects of Vocational Education in Sokoto State. † Text Paper Presented at the Annual Conference of Federal College of Educaton. Gusau. Ogbuanaya, T. C. (2006). Vocational Education Training and Challenges of Human Resource Development. Nigerian Empowering the Youth through Technical and Vocational Education: A Panacea for Sustainable National Development. Journal of Professional Teachers 1(2) 207-214. Olakulehin, F. K. & Ojo, O. D. (2006). â€Å"Distance Education as a Women Empowerment Strategy in Africa. Turkish Online Journal of Distance education, 7, 1, 1. Sako . R. ed (1999) Women Empowerment and Advancement Manual , Kaduna: League for Democratic Women (Leads) UNDP (1997) Human Development Report 1995 , New York: Oxford University Press UNESCO (2006). Revitalizing Technical Vocational Education in Nigeria. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from. http://www. afrreorjo. org/pub UNICEF Information Sheet (2007) Nigeria Country Office. View as multi-pages TOPICS IN THIS DOCUMENT Vocational education, Higher education, Millennium Development Goals, Further education, Vocational school, Apprenticeship, Alternative education, Nigeria RELATED DOCUMENTS Women Empowerment †¦ Women’s Empowerment Source: www. undp. org UNDP promotes equality between women and men through ‘gender mainstreaming. ‘ The organization’s corporate strategy on gender is designed to integrate the promotion of women’s empowerment and equality fully in the organization’s core business. This strategy calls for gender mainstreaming to become everyone’s job – not the responsibility of a small number of specialists. It rests on three pillars:†¦ 4121 Words | 21 Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Women Empowerment †¦ Empowerment of any section of a society is a myth until they are conferred equality before law. 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Human Rights of an Employee Essay

1. Employee An employee contributes labor and expertise to an endeavor of an employer and is usually hired to perform specific duties which are packaged into a job. In most modern economies, the term â€Å"employee† refers to a specific defined relationship between an individual and a corporation, which differs from those of customer or client. Other types of employment are arrangements such as indenturing which is now highly unusual in developed nations but still happens elsewhere. 2. Employer-worker relationship An employer’s level of power over its workers is dependent upon numerous factors, the most influential being the nature of the contractual relationship between the two. This relationship is affected by three significant factors: interests, control and motivation. It is generally considered the employers’ responsibility to manage and balance these factors in a way that enables a harmonious and productive working relationship. Employer and managerial control within an organization rests at many levels and has important implications for staff and productivity alike, with control forming the fundamental link between desired outcomes and actual processes. Employers must balance interests such as decreasing wage constraints with a maximization of labor productivity in order to achieve a profitable and productive employment relationship. 2.1. Finding employees or employment The main ways for employers to find workers and for people to find employers are via jobs listings in newspapers and online, also called job boards. Employers and job seekers also often find each other via professional recruitment consultants who receive a commission from the employer to find, screen and select suitable candidates. A study has shown, however, that such consultants may not be reliable when they fail to use established principles in selecting employees.[1] 2.2. Workforce organizing Employees can organize into trade or labor unions, which represent the work force to collectively bargain with the management of organizations about working and contractual conditions. 2.3. Ending employment Usually, either an employee or employer may end the relationship at any time. This is called as at-will employment. The contract between the two parties specifies the responsibilities of each when ending the relationship and may include requirements such as notice periods, severance pay, and security measures. 3. Employment contract 3.1. Australia In Australia there is the controversial Australian Workplace Agreement. In March 2008 a bill was passed in the Austons for workers to be transferred from AWAs into intermediate agreements [2] 3.2. Canada In the Canadian province of Ontario, formal complaints can be brought to the Ministry of Labor (Ontario). In the province of Quebec, grievances can be filed with the Commission des norms du travail. 3.3. Pakistan Pakistan has Contract Labor, Minimum Wage and Provident Funds Acts. Contract labor in Pakistan must be paid minimum wage and certain facilities are to be provided to labor. However, a lot of work has yet to be done to fully implement the Acts. 3.4. India India has Contract Labor, Minimum Wage and Provident Funds Acts. Contract labour in India must be paid minimum wage and certain facilities are to be provided to labour. However, a lot of work has yet to be done to fully implement the Act. 3.5. Philippines In the Philippines, private employment is regulated under the Labor Code of the Philippines by the Department of Labor and Employment. 3.6. United States In the United States, the standard employment relationship is considered to be at-will, meaning that the employer and employee are both free to terminate the employment at any time and for any cause, or for no cause at all. However, if a termination of employment[3] by the employer is deemed unjust by the employee, there can be legal recourse to challenge such a termination. Unjust termination may include termination due to discrimination because of an individual’s race, national origin, sex or gender, pregnancy, age, physical or mental disability, religion, or military status. Additional protections apply in some states, for instance in California unjust termination reasons include marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation or medical condition. Despite whatever agreement an employer makes with an employee for the employee’s wages, an employee is entitled to certain minimum wages set by the federal government. The states may set their own minimum wage that is higher than the federal government’s to ensure a higher standard of living or living wage for their residents. Under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 an employer may not give different wages based on sex alone.[4] Employees are often contrasted with independent contractors, especially when there is dispute as to the worker’s entitlement to have matching taxes paid, workers compensation, and unemployment insurance benefits. However, in September 2009, the court case of Brown v. J. Kaz, Inc. ruled that independent contractors are regarded as employees for the purpose of discrimination laws if they work for the employer on a regular basis, and said employer directs the time, place, and manner of employment.[5] In non-union work environments, in the United States, unjust termination complaints can be brought to the United States Department of Labor. Trade Unions in the United States In unionized work environments in particular, employees who are receiving discipline, up to and including termination of employment can ask for assistance by their shop steward to advocate on behalf of the employee. If an informal negotiation between the shop steward and the company does not resolve the issue, the shop steward may file a grievance, which can result in a resolution within the company, or mediation or arbitration, which are typically funded equally both by the union and the company. In the US, employment law and, in particular, unionized employees terminating employment varies among companies, unions, and states. Some states have right to work vs. employment at will and therefore, ending employment can change from state to state. Secondly, different companies have different rules and processes for ending employment. In certain companies and industries they take the 3-step process: written warning, second written, final written and then termination. In addition, different unions have different steps for ending employment. Something that doesn’t change is the stewards and unions protecting their employees with regards to violations of policies. In most all cases, union and stewards will protect their employees even if they feel the employee violated the policy ending to termination. 3.7. Sweden According to Swedish law,[6] there are three types of employment. * Test employment (swe: Provanstà ¤llning), where the employer hires a person for a test period of max 6 months. The employment can be ended at any time without giving any reason. This type of employment can be offered only once per employer and employee. Usually a time limited or normal employment is offered after a test employment. * Time limited employment (swe: Tidsbegrà ¤nsad anstà ¤llning). The employer hires a person for a specified time. Usually they are extended for a new period. Total maximum two years per employee per employer and employee, then it automatically counts as a normal employment. * Normal employment (swe: Tillsvidareanstà ¤llning / Fast anstà ¤llning), which has no time limit (except for retirement etc.). It can still be ended for two reasons: personal reason, only strong reasons such as crime. Or: lack of work tasks (swe: Arbetsbrist), cancellation of employment, usually because of bad income for the company. There is a cancellation period of 1–6 months, and rules for how to select employees, basically those with shortest employment time shall be cancelled first. There are no laws about minimum salary in Sweden. Instead there are agreements between employer organizations and trade unions about minimum salaries, and other employment conditions. 4. Wage labor Wage labor (or wage labor) is the socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer, where the worker sells their labor under a formal or informal employment contract. These transactions usually occur in a labor market where wages are market determined.[7][8] In exchange for the wages paid, the work product generally becomes the undifferentiated property of the employer, except for special cases such as the vesting of intellectual property patents in the United States where patent rights are usually vested in the original personal inventor. A wage laborer is a person whose primary means of income is from the selling of his or her labor in this way. In modern mixed economies such as that of the OECD countries, it is currently the dominant form of work arrangement. Although most work occurs following this structure, the wage work arrangements of CEOs, professional employees, and professional contract workers are sometimes conflated with class assignments, so that â€Å"wage labor† is considered to apply only to unskilled, semi-skilled or manual labor. 5. Working poor Employment is no guarantee of escaping poverty, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that as many as 40% of workers as poor, not earning enough to keep their families above the $2 a day poverty line.[9] For instance, in India most of the chronically poor are wage earners in formal employment, because their jobs are insecure and low paid and offer no chance to accumulate wealth to avoid risks.[9] This problems appears to be caused by the decreasing likelihood of a simultaneous growth in employment opportunities and in labor productivity.[9] According to the UNRISD, increasing labor productivity appears to have a negative impact on job creation: in the 1960s, a 1% increase in output per worker was associated with a reduction in employment growth of 0.07%, by the first decade of this century the same productivity increase implies reduced employment growth by 0.54%.[9] Both increased employment opportunities and increased labor productivity (as long as it also translates into higher wages) are needed to tackle poverty. Increases in employment without increases in productivity leads to a rise in the number of â€Å"working poor†, which is why some experts are now promoting the creation of â€Å"quality† and not â€Å"quantity† in labor market policies.[9] This approach does highlight how higher productivity has helped reduce poverty in East Asia, but the negative impact is beginning to show.[9] In Viet Nam, for example, employment growth has slowed while productivity growth has continued.[9] Furthermore, productivity increases do not always lead to increased wages, as can be seen in the United States, where the gap between productivity and wages has been rising since the 1980s.[9] Researchers at the Overseas Development Institute argue that there are differences across economic sectors in creating employment that reduces poverty.[9] 24 instances of growth were examined, in which 18 reduced poverty. This study showed that other sectors were just as important in reducing unemployment, as manufacturing.[9] The services sector is most effective at translating productivity growth into employment growth.

Reality of Teaching and Learning Pronunciation Essay

Rationale of the study Nowadays, with the rapid pace of integration and globalization, English becomes a golden key to open the door of many fields such as commerce, communication, science and technology throughout the world. Therefore, to meet the demand of the society, it is very necessary to teach English in schools at all levels. And the highest target is to get well in communication. If one wants to get successful in communication, he must be good at pronunciation: â€Å"a threshold level of pronunciation in English such that if a given non-native speaker’s pronunciation falls below this level, he or she will not be able to communicate orally no matter how good his or her control of English grammar and vocabulary might be† (Celce-Murcia, 1987:5). In the field of language teaching, the role of pronunciation has varied widely from having virtually no role in the grammar-translation method to being the central focus in the audio-lingual method where emphasis is on the traditional notions of pronunciation, minimal pairs, drills and short conversations. The growing emphasis on communicative approaches for the teaching of English has placed higher demands for correct pronunciation. Despite this fact, at the upper-secondary school level in Vietnam, in language teaching and learning, compared with vocabulary, grammar and language skills, pronunciation has so far been paid less attention to. In the official textbooks used for teaching English at high school level, there are a few exercises for pronunciation practice. To make the matter worse, all important English exams at schools as well as the entrance exam to universities are always in written form so most teachers as well as students have little motivation to teach and to learn pronunciation. As a result, students are often shy and unconfident to speak in English. And that is the reason why the effectiveness of teaching pronunciation still remains one of the most widely problematic subjects in the field of language teaching. Coping with this pressing fact, as a language teacher teaching English at Quynh Coi high school (QCHS), the author always thinks of some burning questions: in language teaching and learning, what is the present situation of teaching and learning pronunciation at high school level in QCHS? What are the problems teachers and students face in teaching and learning pronunciation? How to find suitable methods to teach pronunciation? What should teachers do to teach pronunciation effectively? How should teachers make students become interested in learning pronunciation? The answers to these questions will help language teachers improve their students’ pronunciation as well as help them make progress in effective communication. For the above reasons, the author decides to carry out the study entitled: â€Å"The reality of teaching and learning pronunciation at Quynh Coi high school: problems and solutions†. 1. 2 Aims of the study The main purpose of this study is to discover the reality of teaching and learning pronunciation at Quynh Coi high school, especially to find out problems that teachers and students often have in pronunciation lessons. The writer also hopes to make some feasible solutions that can help the English teachers overcome those problems and improve students’ pronunciation. 1. 3 Research questions The above aims of the study can be realized by answering the following research questions: (1) What is the present situation of teaching and learning pronunciation at QCHS? (2) Which problems do the teachers and students at QCHS face in pronunciation lessons? (3) What teaching techniques can be used to improve teaching pronunciation for students at QCHS? 1. 4 Scope of the study As a case study, this study focuses on the reality of teaching and learning two aspects of English pronunciation: stress and intonation for the 12th form students at Quynh Coi high school. The subjects of the study are 12th form students those are familiar with learning pronunciation for two years at high school. Moreover, stress and intonation are two major aspects of pronunciation introduced in the official textbook used by the 12th form students. Other characteristics of English pronunciation would not be deeply investigated in this research. . 5 Methods of the study In order to fulfill the tasks mentioned above, both qualitative and quantitative methods are selected for this case study, involving the following instruments: survey questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews. Firstly, the survey questionnaires were delivered to both teachers and students to investigate the reality of teaching and learning pronunciation at QCHS. Then, some classroom observations and interv iews with some English teachers have been also conducted to get supplementary information. Finally, the results obtained from questionnaires, observations and interviews have been discussed and analyzed to with a hope for providing language teacher with some feasible teaching techniques to work successfully with their students. 1. 6 Significance of the study This study hopes to make contribution to teaching pronunciation at high school level in Vietnam and the result of the study is considered to be useful for teachers and students at school. Thus, this study will be an interesting reference material for any high school language teachers in Vietnam, especially for those who are in favor of improving their students’ pronunciation. This research will help teachers and students identify their problems in teaching and learning pronunciation and self- improve their pronunciation. 1. 7 Design of the study This thesis consists of six main chapters: Chapter one is the INTRODUCTION including the rationales, the aims, the scope, the research questions, the methods, and the design of the research. In the book â€Å"Pronunciation† published in 1994, Christiane Dalton and Barbara Seidlhofer (1994:3) consider pronunciation â€Å"as the production of significant sound†. They look at the word in two senses. First, it is used as part of a code of a particular language. That is the reason why English sounds are distinguished from sounds of other languages. In this sense, pronunciation can be told as the production and reception of sounds of speech. Second, sound is used to achieve meaning in contexts of use. Here the code combines with other factors to make communication possible. In this sense pronunciation is referred with reference to acts of speaking. In the scope of this study, the concept of pronunciation can be described as â€Å"a way of speaking a word, especially a way that is accepted or generally understood† (American Heritage Dictionary, 1992) or â€Å"may be said to conclude the sounds of the language or phonology; stress and rhythm; intonation; combination sounds; linkage of sound† (Ur, 1996). 2. 2 Features of pronunciation Gerald Kelly (2000) points out main features of pronunciation including phonemes and suprasegmental features, in which consonants and vowels belong to phonemes, intonation and stress are two main parts of suprasegmental. Phonemes are units of sound, they are known as segments. Suprasegmental features are features of speech which apply to groups of segments, or phonemes. The features which are important in English are stress, intonation, and how sounds change in connected speech. The following diagram shows a breakdown of the main features of pronunciation: Features of pronunciation (Kelly, 2000:1) As seen from the diagram, pronunciation is a broad subject with the boundaries of various items such as consonants, vowels, stress, and intonation. This study is intended to focus on two major features of pronunciation: intonation and stress are deeply investigated. According to Quirk R. and Greenbaun S. (1973:450), stress is the prominence with one part of a word or of a longer utterance is distinguished from other parts. This can be understood like this: when an English word consists of more than one syllable, one of these syllables is made to stand out more than the others. This is done by saying the syllable louder. For instance, in such words as â€Å"English†, â€Å"teacher†, and â€Å"student† the first syllables are stressed. Intonation is an important part that most teachers have to deal with when teaching connected speech, it refers to the way the voice â€Å"goes up and down in pitch† (Kelly, 2000: 86) when we are speaking. It plays a vital role in helping people express their opinions, and understanding thought of others. In short, the word â€Å"pronunciation† is like a big umbrella covering various sub-items as consonants, vowels, intonations, stress, etc. With such big boundaries of items, language teachers and learners have to think of how to master these key aspects, especially stress and intonation, to be successful in teaching and learning pronunciation. 2. 3 Teaching pronunciation 2. 3. 1 The importance of teaching/ learning pronunciation and a â€Å"paradox† 2. 3. 1. 1 The importance of teaching and learning pronunciation Pronunciation is as important as any other aspects of language like syntax and vocabulary. Some people may argue that speech is obviously much more significant than pronunciation. However, speech cannot exist without pronunciation. Correct pronunciation, in fact, is considered to be a prerequisite to develop the speaking skill. That is why teaching pronunciation should occupy an important place in the study of any language. According to Gerald Kelly (2000), pronunciation â€Å"involves far more than individual sounds† including word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking. All of these influence the sound of spoken English. Sound is the core of the language. When teaching a language, the first and foremost thing teachers should do is to let learners have chances to expose themselves to the sounds of that language. That is the reason why more and more teachers pay much attention to teaching pronunciation to their students. Considering the importance of communication in general and pronunciation in particular, Gerald Kelly confirms â€Å"a learner who constantly mispronounces a range of phonemes can be extremely difficult for a speaker from another language community to understand. A consideration of learners’ pronunciation errors and of how these can inhibit successful communication is a useful basis on which to assess why it is important to deal with pronunciation in the class† (2000:11). Sharing the same ideas with Kelly, Martin Hewings (2004:10) adds â€Å"difficulties with pronunciation might mean that students fail to get their message across, even when the correct words are being used, or they might fail to understand what is said to them. † The inaccurate use of suprasegmetal elements, such as tress or intonation, can also cause problems. Errors in pronunciation can lead to a problem of reception, or comprehension of the meaning or function of an utterance, even worse, they can affect the perceived tone or mood of an utterance. Moreover, it is obvious that good pronunciation serves as a strong motivation for language learners. Most language learners show considerable enthusiasm for pronunciation as they consider it as a good way to show that they are competent in the language. Once they have obtained adequate pronunciation competence, they gradually build up strong confidence for themselves and are ready to learn new things without hesitation. 2. 3. 1. 2 A â€Å"paradox† As the matter of fact, the role of pronunciation in English learning process could not be negated. Regrettably, teaching and learning pronunciation has not received appropriate attention as expected and Gerald Kelly call this fact a name â€Å"a paradox† (Kelly, 2000: 1). It tends to suffer from being neglected. This may not be teachers’ lack of interest or motivation in pronunciation. The main reason comes from their teaching experience and confidence, â€Å"feeling of doubt as to hoe to teach† (Kelly, 2000:13). In spite of the fact that both teacher and students are keen on pronunciation, they often take grammar or vocabulary precedence over pronunciation for granted. If it is not neglected, â€Å"it tends to be reactive to a particular problem that has arisen in the classroom rather than being strategically planned† (Kelly, 2000:13). This is the most popular problem is pronunciation lessons. Teachers only deal with pronunciation when it comes to be problematic. There is no lesson plan, no strategy in teaching and learning pronunciation. Most teachers often prepare lesson plan for teaching grammar, vocabulary, but pronunciation. Yet pronunciation work can, and should, be planned for, too. Teachers should regard features of pronunciation as integral to language analysis and lesson planning. This paradox arises from both the nature of pronunciation itself, from the teaching staff as well as from the learners themselves. However, to deal with this problem, as language teachers, teachers need to have a good grounding in theoretical knowledge. Furthermore, in order to teach pronunciation successfully, teachers should be practically skilled in classrooms, and they need to have good ideas, approaches, techniques, as well as classroom activities. 2. 3. 2 Teachers’ roles in teaching pronunciation Mastering a foreign language pronunciation is not something impossible as far as the student and the teacher participate together in the total learning process. Thus, to succeed in a pronunciation program, the teacher plays an essential role. Kenworthy (1987), Nguyen Bang and Nguyen Ba Ngoc (2001), and Hoang Van Van, et al. (2006) shared the similar ideas about teachers’ roles in the teaching and learning pronunciation process, in which, teachers are responsible for:†¢Helping learners to hear: The teacher has a mission to provide appropriate input of the target sounds for learners to hear. Teacher needs to check that their students are hearing sounds according to the appropriate categories and help them develop new categories if necessary. †¢Helping learners to make sounds: It is true that some English sounds do not exist in the learners’ mother tongue. Some learners may be able to imitate the target sounds if they are provided models. However, for those who lack such an ability, it is teachers’ duty to explain the way those difficult sounds are made and provide aids to help learners produce correct sounds. †¢Providing feedback: Students need to be told where they are standing, how much they have gained and what they need to improve because sometimes, students themselves can not know whether they are making mistakes or not. The teacher must provide them with feedbacks on their performance. †¢Pointing out what is going on: In many cases, learners fail to realize what and how they are speaking, as speaking is for most parts unconsciously controlled, learners may sometimes make mistakes in the way they produce a particular sequence of sounds, or put stress in an incorrect place, leading to misunderstanding. It is the teachers’ role to specify the area that learners have to pay attention to so as not to cause miscomprehension. †¢Establishing priorities: Native-like pronunciation is not easy to achieve. Therefore, learners need a guide to tell them about what aspects they should master, what aspects they not need to be â€Å"perfect†. Inevitably, when learning a foreign language, it is dealt if learners master every aspect of it. However, as this is somehow unrealistic, learners should learn to satisfy at an accepted level of those aspects which are not vital. The level at which learners can feel satisfied at depends on different situations for different individuals. †¢Devising activities: It is not easy for teachers to cover all activities in a limited time. Thus, teachers need to identify what exercises will be suitable for their learners, what activities would bring them the best effect. In devising them, however, it should be accepted that certain activities are more suitable to some students than others. †¢Assessing progress: An important role of teacher is to assess progress. Learners need to know at what level they are in pronunciation. Tests allocated at appropriate times will serve as a strong motivation for students. When they look at their marks, they have a clear sense of how much they have gained. Judging learners’ pronunciation performance is very complicated. However, this should be done accordingly. 2. 3. 3. Approaches, techniques and activities in teaching pronunciation2. 3. 3. 1 Approaches in teaching pronunciation In the book â€Å"Teaching pronunciation† (Celce-Murcia M. , et al.1996: 2), the authors point out two general approaches to the teaching of pronunciation in the modern time, namely intuitive-imitative approach and analytic-linguistic approach. An intuitive-imitative approach depends on â€Å"the learners’ ability to listen to and imitate the rhythms and sounds of the target language without the intervention of any explicit information†. This means the teaching of pronunciation depends largely on the teac her’s turning on and rewinding a cassette player (or another instrument), and the main activities in the class are listening and repeating. In this approach, the teacher has no responsibility to explain how sounds are formed or produced and the learners do their main task of listening and imitating, and it is expected that learners will gradually gain pronunciation competence. Meanwhile, an analytic-linguistic approach â€Å"utilizes information and tools such as a phonetic alphabet, articulator descriptions, charts of the vocal apparatus and other aids to supplement listening, imitation, and production† (Celce-Murcia M. , et al. , 1996: 2). In this approach, learners are given explanation as well as training on how to form particular sounds of the target language. Between these two approaches, there is no scale on whether which one is better. Choosing to apply which approach into teaching pronunciation depends on teachers themselves and the level of learners. To do well with these two approaches, it is a need for both teachers and learners to fulfill knowledge of articulator system such as consonants, vowels, stress, and intonation, etc. In this study, the author considers the use of both approaches to gain best effect in teaching and learning pronunciation. 2. 3. 3. 2 Techniques and activities Pronunciation is never an end in itself, thus to receive expected result in teaching and learning pronunciation, teachers have made use of a great deal of techniques. It may be taught in isolation or in combination with language skills of speaking, listening, reading or writing. Supported by Kelly (2000:16); and Celce, et al (1996:8), some common techniques are:†¢Drilling: One of the main ways in which pronunciation is practiced in the classroom is through drilling. In its most basic form, drilling simply involves the teacher saying a word or a structure, and getting class to repeat it. †¢Listen and imitate† The pronunciation of the target language is provided by the teacher or tape recorders, language labs, etc. students are to listen to a sequence of sounds or sentences and repeat it. †¢Chaining: This can be used for sentences which prove difficult for students to pronounce, either because they are long, or because they include difficult words and sounds The above mentioned techniques are nearly similar; they usually take two forms, which are either all-class or individual. These two forms are actually the two phase of the same techniques. Normally, at first, the whole class repeats after certain sound and phrases. After a certain amount of class-drilling, individual students take turns and pronounce those items themselves. †¢Phonetic chaining: This technique makes use of articulator descriptions, articulator diagrams and a phonetic alphabet. Learners are provided with basic theoretical knowledge about how sounds are formed. They are also aided by the teacher to make genuine sound production. †¢Minimal pair drills: These relate to words which differ from each other only one phoneme. Normally, students are allowed to listen to the tape and distinguish between the two sounds. This type of activities is particularly useful to teach sounds which causes difficulties for learners or sounds that are mismatched. †¢Contextualized minimal pair: In this technique, the teacher establishes the setting and present key vocabulary; students are then trained to respond to a sentence stem with the appropriate meaningful response. When minimal pair drills seem a bit boring and too theoretical with separated sounds, the contextualization seems to be more useful because it is more practical. †¢Tongue Twisters: This technique rooted from speech correction strategies for native speakers. When other techniques look serious and sometimes put learners under pressure, tongue twisters provide a more delighting way to learn pronunciation. Sounds which are difficult to differentiate are put together to make meaningful sentences. †¢Reading aloud/recitation: Students are provided with a passage or scripts and then read aloud, focusing on stress, timing and intonation. This activity is often done with texts such as poems, rhymes, song lyrics, etc. †¢Recording of learners’ production. This technique can use audio-tape, video-tapes of rehearsed and spontaneous speeches, free conversations, and role plays. It needs the feedbacks of teachers as well as self-evaluation. †¢Practice of vowel shifts and stress shifts related by affixation: Base on rule of generative phonology, used with intermediate or advanced learners. The teachers point out the rule-based nature of vowel and stress shifts in etymologically related words to raise awareness; sentences and short texts that contain both number of a pair may be provide as oral practice materialsuch as:PHOtograph And phoTOgraphy 2. 4 Learning pronunciation 2. 4. 1 Factors affecting learning pronunciation According to Joane Kenworthy (1987), there are many factors affecting learning pronunciation, including the native language, the age factor, the amount of exposure, phonetic ability, attitude and identity. The native language: it is inevitable that learners’ native language has a great impact on their ability of pronouncing English. The â€Å"foreign accent† is therefore easy to identity. The age factor: it is often assumed that the younger a person starts learning a foreign language, the better he is at pronouncing it and he has a greater chance of having a native-like accent. The amount of exposure: people who live in the country where the target language is spoken and is surrounded by an English-speaking environment may have some advantages over some who do not. Phonetic ability: researches have shown that some people naturally have a â€Å"better ear† for a foreign language than others. Attitude and identity:results from many studies have shown that learners who have a positive attitude towards speakers of a foreign language tend to have a more native-like pronunciation. 2. 4. 2 Students’ roles in learning pronunciation It is essential that in order to learn a language, motivation plays a vital role. The same thing happens to learning pronunciation. If students really care much about their pronunciation, they will become more cautious about their speaking, and gradually build up good pronunciation. In teaching and learning pronunciation, if teachers play the roles of a â€Å"speech coach†, students themselves need to involve in this process as much as possible in order to get good results. According to Nguyen Bang and Nguyen Ba Ngoc (2001), students need to satisfy some demands. Firstly, they need to perceive the model as exactly as they can. Secondly, they need to response as much as and as well as possible to the recognition, the imitation and repetition activities. Lastly, beside the help of the teachers, students should do self-correction of their pronunciation mistakes. 2. 5 Teachers’ and students’ problems in teaching and learning pronunciation Both teachers and students encounter various problems in the process of teaching and learning pronunciation. These problems do not only arise from the nature of pronunciation itself, but from various subjective and objective factors. In the light of the previous and current studies, some major problems that teachers and learners face in teaching and learning pronunciation are:. The nature of pronunciation According to Nunan (1991), the problem of acquiring the phonology of a second or a foreign language presents a formidable challenge to any theory of second language acquisition. In teaching and learning pronunciation, the biggest problem that most of the English teachers and students complain come from nature of pronunciation. English pronunciation itself contains so many complicated factors and invisible rules. In the light of this problem, Doff A. (1988) listed some common problems that learners often make when they speak English. The first is difficulties in pronouncing sounds which do not exist in the students’ own language. The second is the problems with similar sounds that often cause learners’ confusion. The third is difficulties in pronouncing consonant clusters. And the last problem mainly comes from English stress and intonation. Students seem to have a tendency to give all syllables equal stress and â€Å"flat† intonation. Class setting A lot of problems in teaching and learning pronunciation come from class setting such as classroom size, quality of the teaching staff, teaching and learning equipment. Firstly, a large class causes difficulty in teaching pronunciation. At high school, on average, there are over 50 students per class. With such a high student-teacher ratio, it is impossible to make sure that the teacher could carry out successful teaching techniques and activities, and the learner is not able to listen and receive what the teacher is saying. The quality of teaching staff is also a big problem. Most teachers of English are non-native speakers, and a few of them can have a native-like pronunciation. As a result, the language input that students receive every day is from non-native people. Therefore, it is impossible to require students to achieve perfect pronunciation. Teaching model According to Kelly (2000), in the past, the model of teaching English pronunciation was â€Å"received pronunciation†, the pronounciation of people in the southwest England. Today, there are a vast number of English: American English, Australian English, etc. Thus, it is difficult for teachers to choose what model to teach. In fact, each teacher often cannot produce a â€Å"perfect† accent without being affected by his own language. This fact sometimes causes both teachers and students problems in teaching and learning pronunciation. Some teachers do not feel confident with their own voice and students do not know what input language is perfect to receive. Intelligibility Beside factors from the nature of pronunciation, class setting, etc, teaching and learning pronunciation involves in its own problem that Kenworthy (1987) calls it as â€Å"intelligibility†. He defines â€Å"intelligibility† as â€Å"being understood by a listener at a given time in a given situation†. This means that intelligibility is affected by a number of factors: the speaker, the listener, the time, and the situation. This also means that teaching and learning pronunciation depends on many factors, causing many problems for both teachers and students. In conclusion, in this chapter, some theoretical backgrounds relating to teaching and learning pronunciation have been pointed out. These factors are the pronunciation concepts and their features. Factors relating to pronunciation teaching and learning as the importance, the problems, techniques and activities have been also given. It cannot be denied that pronunciation and teaching pronunciation is an important part to conduct in any language course. It is even more important for those who are or will be teachers of the language. Methods of teaching pronunciation are various with different elements of pronunciation. What are the attitudes of teachers and learners towards teaching and learning pronunciation? The school has 36 classes with 90 teachers and 1,800 students. Each year, the school enrolls more than 600 new comers. 3. 1. 2 Description of the course At school, all students when pass the entrance exam to the school have to study English as one of the compulsory subjects. During the process of learning English at school, students use three English textbooks (English 10, English 11, English 12) focusing on four skills including reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus part. The language focus comprises two major parts: pronunciation and grammar. Normally, students start learning pronunciation when they study English 10. However, at grade 10th, students only learn some vowels and simple consonants. At grade 11th, students continue to study complex consonants. And at grade 12th, students start to be familiar with stress and intonation exercises. That is the reason why stress and intonation are two major aspects of pronunciation chosen in this investigation. 3. 2 Subjects The subjects of this study comprised 10 teachers and 55 12th-form students at QCHS. All English teachers were invited to participate in this study. They are from 27 to 60 years old, and have taught English for more than 2 years. They graduated from both regular and in-service training. With those teachers who have taught English for many years, they have teaching experience, but were not well trained. They mainly graduated from colleges, even in-service training. With younger teachers, they graduated from many different universities: state and non-state universities. They are full of motivation, but lack of teaching experience. In general, these teachers are good at teaching grammar and do not feel confident to deal with speaking, listening, and pronunciation lessons. Thus, they often focus their lesson on grammar but the speaking and pronunciation. The class that the author chose to study consists of fifty-five 12th-form students. These students have had at least 6 years of academic English experience by the time they reach this course. However, their English proficiency is not good, especially at pronunciation. They may be good at grammar and can do these grammar exercises quickly, but can not speak fluently. Most of them do not feel confident to speak in class and express their ideas in English. These students have studied at high school for more than two years. Therefore, they have been getting similar with the teaching and studying methods, the conditions and the teaching environment, so it easy for the author to get their consent to participate in the research. 3. 3 Research methods As mentioned previously, the researcher chose a mixed-method approach to data collection, utilizing triangulation to measure a broad variety of variables in the research. Necessary data was gathered directly from the teachers and students participating in the research in several ways: Questionnaires: In order to collect reliable and comprehensive data, two questionnaires were designed: one for teachers and one for students. They are both open-ended and close-ended questions. Teacher questionnaire (Appendix 1): one survey questionnaire with 8 questions was designed for the teachers to get their ideas of pronunciation teaching and learning reality, problems faced by their students and some recommendations to improve learning pronunciation reality at school. To get this aim, the questionnaire is categorized into the following groups: †¢Teachers’ attitude towards present situation of teaching and learning pronunciation at QCHS; †¢Approaches, techniques and classroom activities used by teachers in teaching pronunciation;†¢Problems faced by teachers in teaching pronunciation; and †¢Teachers’ recommendations of techniques to improve students’ pronunciation. Student questionnaire Appendix 2): another survey questionnaire with 8 questions was designed for students including the following categories: †¢Students’ attitude towards learning pronunciation, especially stress and intonation; †¢Students’ problems in learning pronunciation; and †¢Students’ expectations in learning pronunciation. In-depth classroom observations: Six informal classroom observations during regular classroom sessions were used as an additional data source. The observations were carried out for two weeks during the course of the study to get more practical information about teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards teaching and learning pronunciation, and difficulties as well as techniques used in pronunciation lessons. During the process of observations, the author focused on some aspects taking in class as:†¢Teaching and learning materials used in class; †¢Students’ activities and their mistakes in producing pronunciation; and †¢Teachers’ approaches and techniques used in teaching pronunciation. Interviews and discussions (Appendix 3): after collecting data from the survey questionnaires and classroom observations, the author used the post interview in order to get the in-depth discussion about techniques used to improve students’ pronunciation. Because it is too difficult for the researcher to conduct long interviews with all teachers, the researcher randomly selected 5/10 teachers for interviews. They were willing to express deeply their opinions, and ideas about teaching techniques. 3. 2.Data collection procedures The study was conducted in the first term of the school year 2010-2011 (from September 2010 to December, 2010). At the beginning of the first term, two sets of questionnaires were given to the teachers and the students who agreed to participate in the research. After two days, these questionnaires were collected. The information from these questionnaires were then summarized and presented in the form of statistics. For the following two weeks, the author carried out some classroom observations. The observations during six English lessons including one in reading, one in writing, one in listening, one in speaking and two in language focus periods. At each session, the researcher took field notes on what happened when the students learned pronunciation. Finally, when the information from the survey questionnaires and classroom observations were collected and analyzed, structured interviews were carried out. The data collected from three different resources were read through to obtain a sense of the overall data. They were then analyzed both descriptively and interpretatively. The initial sorting-out process was writing findings in the form of reflective notes and summaries of field notes. The information was then displayed in forms of tables and figures while qualitative data from the open-ended questionnaire items, classroom observations and interviews were presented by quoting relevant responses from the respondents. CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF THE DATA This part, the information from collected data was presented in accordance with the category of data collection instruments. 4. 1 Survey questionnaires 4. 1.Teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards teaching and learning pronunciation Assuming that the consideration of the teachers’ and students’ attitude towards teaching and learning pronunciation would be beneficial to the research, at the outset, these factors were surveyed. The results, shown in below, reflect that grammar is the most concerning aspect in learning English at high school. Surprisingly, only 10% of the tea chers think that pronunciation is the most necessary for their students. They always pay much attention and time and energy on grammar. In contrast, teaching and learning pronunciation as well as developing listening, speaking or reading skills do not receive enough attention to. 4. 1. 2 Students’ pronunciation level From the chart 2, we can see an optimistic reality of students’ level in learning pronunciation at Quynh Coi high school. Being asked about this, all the teachers said that students’ level is not equal, however; it is not good as expected. 60% teachers said that their students’ level at pronunciation is at average; and even 30% of the students get under average level. None of the teachers evaluate their students’ level at pronunciation is good or excellent. . 1. 3 Pronunciation teaching and learning time Chart 3 presents time that teachers and students spend on teaching and learning pronunciation. One more time teachers and students share the same ideas about the fact that too little time is on pronunciation. 80% of the teachers and 43% of the students said that they di d not have time to spend on teaching and learning pronunciation in one teaching session (45 minutes); 20% of the teachers and 32% of the students spend less than 20 minutes on teaching pronunciation. None of the teachers and a very small number of the students teach and learn pronunciation for more than 20 minutes. The overall results indicate that the reality of teaching and learning pronunciation at Quynh Coi high school is not positive as expected. Although both teachers and students are very optimistic towards teaching and learning pronunciation, students’ level is not good as well as time spent on teaching pronunciation is limited during one normal teaching session. 4. 1. 4 Teachers and students’ problems in teaching and learning pronunciation Chart 4 shows that both the teachers and the students face many problems during the process of teaching and learning pronunciation. The biggest problem that both teachers and students face comes from the nature of pronunciation. The next two factors preventing students from gaining good pronunciation are teaching time and students’ competence. 27% of the teachers and 22% of the students said that they do not have enough time on pronunciation. 20% of the teachers considered that their students’ competence in pronunciation is too low. 22% students also agreed with that idea. Class setting is the next factor that 20% teachers chose. It is clear that quality of teaching staff is not good enough to come over all the difficulties in teaching pronunciation. In contrast, only 1% of the students agreed with this. The smallest factor that both teachers and students think that causing problem in teaching and learning pronunciation is students’ motivation. 4. 1. 5 Teachers’ and students’ problems in teaching and learning intonation and stress From the chart above, most of the teachers (50%) and students (43%) think that stress is the most difficulty in teaching and learning pronunciation. the second is intonation: 30% of the teachers and 14% of the students think that intonation causes trouble. Meanwhile, none of the teachers meet any difficulties in teaching consonants and vowels. Particularly, chart 6 shows that 43% of the students cannot know the place of stress in a word; 20% said they cannot pronounce stress though they may be know place of stress in those words. Surprisingly, 27% of the students said that they do not know anything of stress. From the above chart, we can see that the reality of learning intonation is even worse than learning stress. 56% of all surveyed students understand nothing about intonation, causing a lot of difficulties in teaching and learning pronunciation.

Risk management and Planning in Tesco plc Essay - 1

Risk management and Planning in Tesco plc - Essay Example TESCO is the third largest retailer in the world. Tesco was the first major retailer to introduce carbon labeling on products. Initially established as a grocery retailer in the UK, the company has expanded its business to various countries across the world and its operations include from clothing, electronics, furniture and petrol to books, banking, telecom and software. The phrase "The Tesco Way" coined by its CEO Terry Leahy seeks to hold out to the public the company’s philosophy and values. The company has been in the forefront in its risk management policies, technological innovations such as camera and self-service tills in the retail industry and CSR initiatives over the period of time. The business risk is different from the financial risk in relation to a company. While the financial risk is related to the capital structure and debt, the business risk is related to the economic conditions. The prevailing economic conditions in relation to an industry will affect the different companies differently, based on the relative exposure to the economy, which has been strategically structured by the companies concerned. However, failing to react in tune with the external environment is the greatest risk as it will affect the performance of the companies in the background of liberalization and globalization. Current Risk Management Process The company (2010) states â€Å"We recognise the value of the ABI [Association of British Insurers] Guidelines on Responsible Investment Disclosure and confirm that, as part of its regular risk assessment procedures, the Board takes account of the significance of SEE [Social, Ethical and Environmental] matters to the business of the Group... and incorporates SEE risks on the Key Risk Register.†

The new Scottish Government will be good for Scottish business Essay

The new Scottish Government will be good for Scottish business. Discuss - Essay Example The first step is to form a Council of Economic Advisors. This council will help new-born businesses to find their niche in the market, and help them with tax payments, loans, grants and other financial schemes and delivery agencies initiated by the Government. These grants are focused on carrying out a research about new and lucrative products that could be developed so that new businesses do not find a marker block. Also, they are disbursed according to a regional strategy, in which sectors of the country are designated to these grant authorities who then work closely with the local enterprises and provide them with custom-designed support and solutions. Along with these grants, a programme, called the Scottish Executive Expertise, Knowledge and Innovation Transfer Programme (SEEKIT) provides financial support and grants for science based projects in the public sector, so that their can be a flow of information between that sector and the enterprises, which could then benefit from the knowledge and finance to increase productivity, economy and efficiency of their businesses. Likewise, small and medium sized businesses are encouraged so that more families can invest, and their has been a reduction in the tax payments by these businesses, the taxes being based not on the Council set taxes, but on the ability of the businesses to pay them. For the young people still undertaking their education, the Government has provided increased vocational opportunities so that along with their education, they can pursue employment services. As more people would start their own businesses, more employment opportunities would be created, and as more young citizens would start participating in the economic sector, the productivity rate of the country would boom immensely, leading to an sustained, long-term economic growth with easy and relaxed regulations for the efficient functioning of this sector. To organise their plans and to better formulate their strategies towards the business sector, an enterprise strategy was worked out, known as A Smart, Successful Scotland (SSS). It was refreshed (Jim Wallace 2004) in 2004, and addresses the current issues and schemes related to the enterprises, highlighting the areas that require special attention, both in Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, for a long-term economic growth. The priorities addressed in the document can be summarised into three basic strategies: growing businesses, global connections, and skills and learning (Enterprise Strategy 2007). According to these set strategies, the enterprise networks have been re-structured and reformed, taking into account the localised challenges and

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape Based on the movie, for mental illness Term Paper

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape Based on the movie, for mental illness - Term Paper Example In the movie, Arnie is faced with a very difficult life considering the tough situations that are affecting their family’s life and the developmental disability that has made his life more of a burden to his brother who seems to be the only person in a position to care for the entire family. Developmental disorder is simply a term that is commonly used in the United States and Canada in an effort to bring to light disabilities that are life long. The disabilities that are described as being developmental are inclusive of all the mental and physical impairments that tend to be observed in children before they reach the age of 18 years. The development disability is usually as a consequence of trauma or even illness that is temporary during childhood. In the case of the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, it can be said that the developmental disorder that seems to put on hold Arnie’s life is as a consequence of mental impairment. As it can be clearly seen in Arnie, the developmental disability makes it very difficult for the character to live an independent life because it reduces the capacity of an individual to have an independent living; it disables ones ability to have self direction and the inability of an individual to learn (Habib, 49). ... As it is also expressed in the movie, developmental disability has no treatment against. The helpful thing that could be done for an individual that is suffering from developmental disorder is to have them receive optimal support right from their families. As it is evident in the movie, Gilbert has been busy all through trying his best to take care of his brother by supporting him in his daily activities. This is also extended with the mother who is also extremely obese hence can not do anything for herself. Although according to the standards that are known internationally, developmental disorders ought to be countered using education and training; community and at-home support; residential accommodation; employment support; advocacy and day services (Habib, 50). Due to the fact that they are surrounded by poverty, Arnie’s family is not in a position to offer the many kinds of support that could benefit and even better his life. In regard to this, Gilbert is acting in a very responsible manner as he is only capable of offering the at-home support to Arnie and does it to his level best considering the fact that he is also caring for the entire family since the death of his father and the fact that their mother is severely obese hence can not also support herself. Review of "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?" It is in the small town of Endora in Iowa that Gilbert is having his busy life taking care of his brother Arnie. Being the only brother and only remaining male figure that his was left with in the house after his father committed suicide, Gilbert has developed a very strong relationship with his brother. The relationship is mainly of protection and care as it is a very clear scenario that the only parent that they are left with

Inclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inclusion - Essay Example Thus disabled children are intended to be included into the normal group of students in a school, as a part of this concept, supported with the special assistance that they might need (Hall, 2010, pp.11-12). The present study focuses an understanding of the concept of inclusion, the services benefitting disabled students, and the advantages and disadvantages thereof. Services Benefitting Disabled Students: There are certain services that have been found to help the disabled students in schools. Here three of such services shall be discussed that include: Inclusive Service Models, Collaborative teaming or planning, and Family Involvement. Inclusive Service Models: There are several models for inclusion in teaching intended to serve the disabled students. The consultant model involves consultation of a special educator with a general instructor for lessons in areas related to â€Å"curriculum adaptation, instructional accommodations, remediation for struggling students, and assessment accommodations and/or modifications† (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008, p.6). The coaching model reflects on all-purpose and particular educators teaching and coaching students in turns in the subjects of curriculum and instruction. These are the subjects where these educators tend to be more expert and have greater amount of knowledge. A third model of this service is the collaborative teaming model in which the â€Å"special and general educator share equal responsibility for the lesson design, implementation, and assessment of instruction† (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008, p.6). Collaborative Teaming or Planning: Unlike the early times, in the present times, the educators have realized the need for working in teams in order to share their knowledge in an effective manner to their students. Thus, collaborative practices are welcome more in the recent times, even in the inclusive teaching programs. However, such planning has been found to create complexities as well since general educators may not be comfortable with the practices. However this service has been demanded by the bodies of literature and collaborative teaching has been incorporated as the most preferred system of teaching for disabled students as well. When collaborative teaching is applied on inclusive teaching, then disabled students along with normal students are provided with equal lessons and hence the disabled students do not get ignored. â€Å"Graduates of teacher education programs that practice what they preach and provide general and special education teacher candidates opportunities to see and experience collaboration in practice are better equipped to engage in collaborative teaching models† (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008, pp.7-8). Family Involvement: This is one of the most important components of the services to disabled students. It has been observed that when students and their families are supportive in nature and well informed then they tend to become powerful advocates for the inclusive form of teaching for disabled students in classes. This service requires that the parents are well involved in the process and are capable of anticipating the students well otherwise the efforts may be at loss. â€Å"Sharing consistent and frequent information on the purposes and benefits of inclusion and involving the students and families during the development and implementation of inclusion plans facilitates buy-in and secures support†

Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Organizational Culture - Essay Example Once an employee finds his work and organization meaningful, he goes for the extra mile as a token of appreciation to the company. This rubs down on the customer service exemplified by the crew which customers can’t help notice. If an organization would look closely and find ways to boost employee’s morale without spending so much, it only needs t o create a good and positive culture.Google.com illustrates the Google Culture by illustrating that : Our commitment to innovation depends on everyone being comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. Every employee is a hands-on contributor, and everyone wears several hats. Because we believe that each Googler is an equally important part of our success, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands ("TGIF") meetings – or spike a volleyball across the net at a corporate officer.( www.google.com/corporate/culture.html) Although Google Inc. is was established for just less than a decade ago, this technology service provider based in Mountain View, California has gone a long way in terms of employee motivation. For two consecutive year, it s employees voted it as â€Å"Best Company to Work for in America† which is quite a feat for an online company. Indeed, ever since it was founded, Google company has long prided itself as an untraditional workplace, almost devoid of middle management, which is obvious in the relationship and work environment in the organization. According to Gupta (2009), Google is the largest brand in the whole world today; a brand name which is set up upon a culture that is low on politics, great at sharing resources and sharing wealth, and full of meaning and significance, and high on trust. On the other hand, ther is mor e to Google aside from plush offices and much publicized payment package, more thoughtful set and deeper factors have been acknowledged

Rhetorical analysis of an argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rhetorical analysis of an argument - Essay Example Blake is a Londoner himself and this basic knowledge of his origin establishes the chief nature of logos linked to the ethos so that both may be set in equilibrium with the pathos as readers yield to spontaneous involvement of feeling and making sense of the narrative based on a similar experience. As Blake opens his poem â€Å"London† with â€Å"I wander thro’ each charter’d street; Near where the charter'd Thames does flow†, he means to reflect the state of misery which the city of London was confronted with in the 18th century. Blake lived in the time when tumultuous political affairs of the unscrupulous English authorities prevailed in the period coinciding the French Revolution and under such settings, the structure of law possessed rigidity which resulted to oppression and other unpleasant forms of injustice. Blake gives illustration to this by the repetition of the modifier term â€Å"charter’d† which seems to have gone overboard as th e ruling designates even the river Thames to unnecessary restrictions. Through his literary endeavor in â€Å"London†, Blake laments about the appalling conditions of the capital city which are depicted by the disconcerting sights as viewed from the atmosphere and external appearances of the general public. In his wandering, the speaker in â€Å"London† takes into account how largely keen his physical encounter is of the ailing situation that he becomes drawn to concretize with â€Å"In every cry of every Man; In every Infant's cry of fear; In every voice, in every ban†. These lamentations exhibit the worst extent of London’s depressed scenario which, according to the historical context the poet is looking at, is brought about by the wrongful or inhumane administration of law or political regulations at the time. Blake makes no mention of authorities or governmental body responsible for the complaints delivered in the poem, nevertheless, he implicitly dem onstrates the presence of unseen yet brutish socio-political force behind what may well be imagined as harsh occurrences causing people of 18th century London to suffer. This is widely evident in the third and fourth lines of the first stanza indicating â€Å"marks† which assumes both literal and symbolic meanings. The wandering speaker does not only pass along the streets as an ordinary traveller but as a critical observer who could not help empathizing for every picture he catches sight of particularly when he manages to perceive the outer countenance and feel the â€Å"marks of weakness† and the â€Å"marks of woe.† Though the poet observed London merely as he could in his capacity and limits of time, the scope of his piece spans into the society of the present where its essence proves relevant to some point. â€Å"London† may be considered as a classical work, however, since there are certain political aspects that remain true in application and value in today’s political system, the poem is able to convey relevance in manifesting how the government relates to people and addresses their needs. State corruption still occurs thereby impoverishing communities whose people are heavily or unreasonably taxed yet do not obtain proper returns in exchange of completed duties or who continue to receive minimum wages despite

Political Economy Lectures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political Economy Lectures - Essay Example The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an organization whose main aim is to advocate for the rights of Muslims in North America. It can be said that it represents all Muslim who live in North America. Its headquarters are situated in Washington D.C, and it has offices in at least twenty states and in Canada, and advocating for mutual understanding and justice is its vision. Its mission is to empower all American Muslims,, protect their rights, encourage dialogue and promoting understanding and justice through building coalitions. The talk informed us of what the Council on American-Islam Relations (CAIR) does in its day to day operations. They include, protecting the rights of American Muslims during questioning by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies, fighting for the rights of Muslims who have been subjected to employment discrimination and even those who have been terminated wrongfully. It also stopped unlawful seizers of prope rty by law enforcement and also advocates for equal student rights in schools and other learning institutions. The talks also sort to educate us on how people stereotype Muslims in America. ... Most people picked the first two photographs because the people in the photographs had dressed in a manner suggesting they were Muslims. The speaker showed how people were wrong by telling them that even the blond lady in one of the photographs was indeed a Muslim. The talk also informed us on the demography associated with Muslims in America. The speaker pointed out that Democrat accepted Muslim Americans more than Republicans. For instance the speaker pointed out that in the 2008 presidential elections seventy nine percent of Muslims living in America voted for the candidate from the Democratic Party. It was also pointed out that the Republican Party should advocate for the rights of American Muslim since they hold a significant percentage of the national vote. The theme of the talk was generally tolerance towards Muslims in America. The speaker aimed at showing how and why Muslims living in America are subjected to a lot of torment due to the issue of terrorism. He showed this by identifying the rise of Anti-Islam movements and Islam phobia in the United States of America. Islamophobia is an extreme fear of and hatred of Muslims. After the terrorist attack on the twin towers in September 11th 2001, hatred and fear of Muslim in America rose. Since then, Muslims in America have been put to discrimination and violence. ` After the talk, it was clear how Muslims in America have been oppressed. The talk made me realize that the opinion I had about Muslims in general was just a stereotype and that it was wrong. I came to understand what Muslims go through and how their rights are violated. I would encourage the Council on American-Islam Relation (CAIR) to continue with their good work in lobbying for the rights of