Argument against extension of ethical consideration to non-human animals Essay

In Tom Regan’s essay The Case for Animal Rights, he argues that the root of the â€Å"wrong† is that we treat animals as â€Å"resources† in either advancing our intentions, prerogatives, basic instincts (such as hunger), and so on. He then proceeds by arguing for indirect duties which involve animals though not the type of duty directed towards animals themselves. The involvement of animals in human actions, labeled as either morally right or morally wrong, points to the claim that human beings have an indirect duty as well towards these animals. Two arguments are raised in opposition to indirect duties towards animals. First, animals, in contrast to human beings who have the capacity to arrive at a given array of laws consciously made by them and seek to abide by the given set of rules, appear to have no sense of morality since morality â€Å"consists of a set of rules that individuals voluntarily agree to abide by. † This is in line with contractarianism which primarily focuses on the human capability to secure for themselves and decide sets of standards for a â€Å"systematic† morality and firm moral norms. In this case, such presumption excludes the possibility of ever arriving at a morality towards animals for animals can hardly be a part of a moral system. They do not have the capability to decide on crucial matters which are to define the very system that will ascribe moral worth on their actions and the exploits they receive from external agents (Regan, 1985). Nevertheless, Regan essentially argued for an intrinsic worth of animals in comparison to the intrinsic value of human beings, stressing on the argument that the actual wrong is that of treating animals as mere â€Å"renewable resources† which men use in furthering his ends and sustaining his life. It can be observed in his arguments that he centers on the value of animals regardless of man’s utility of these animals as part of nature. Yet it appears quite dubitable if indeed we are to treat animals under moral circumstances for several reasons. First, man will find it hard to sustain his existence if a major overhaul is to be done with regards to his grasp on resources, specifically that of animals. Since the time when man first learned to utilize the resources available in nature, animals have played a crucial role in his rearing and continued survival. Stretching back through those years, no sense of morality can be rooted for the reason that nature itself, as a whole, provides the essentials for man to go on with life and that morality on the part of animals is a mere social construct. Though it can be argued on the other hand that man’s morality may also be one socially construed fact, it does not, however, directly deny the instance that animals have no sense of morality and that their moral worth is nothing more than a perception of a few men. Another argument that must be noted is that, in connection to the previous claim, animals can hardly be described as sentient beings. That is, even though animals display reactions indicative of pain or pleasure, such manifestation of feelings are mere human interpretations on the behavior of animals. This is the part where some of us fail to recognize the fact that more often than not our mere ascriptions of human feelings to the responses of animals, treating both as if they were in exact structure and essence, do not establish the perception that animals are sentient beings as well. What it does is to simply ascribe human-like functions to that of animals while neglecting the basic fact that men have a far more complex consciousness than that of the other animals. Though it can be argued that man, too, are animals themselves as argued by the theory of evolution, nevertheless they have a wide array of distinctions (Calderwood, 2001). These differences fit the purpose of demarcating human consciousness from mere animal behavior such that the animal consciousness bear little semblance to that of the complexity of man’s consciousness. Argument for the extension of ethical consideration to ecosystems Aldo Leopold, in his work The Land Ethic, argues that the ethical doctrines set upon by man in consonance to the treatment towards other people should be â€Å"extended† to land or, more specifically, to ecosystems. He argues further that, as ethical tenets are so designed so as to control the freedom of individuals which may inflict harm towards other individuals, the ethics of man ought to encompass ecosystems as well in order to prolong their sustainability just like the sustenance of man’s existence (Leopold, 1989). In fact, the role of ecosystems is of primary significance for the very existence of man can be seen as dependent on nature, and that the abuse of the resources provided for by the natural environment poses a macabre threat to the life of humanity. The imminent consequences of the degradation of ecosystems are real and apparent. Note that throughout the decades of man’s continued industrial improvement whereby the expansion of modern facilities and trade infrastructures have literally displaced ecosystems and have extinguished as well various life forms. Moreover, contemporary times bear witness to the unrelenting wipe-off of various flora and fauna adding even more to the imminent threat to the survival of humanity. It is for these reasons, above any other else, that an ethical doctrine should be established so as to not only remove the possibility of having a totally-diminished ecosystem and prolong its survival but also to sustain, as a direct consequence, the lives of all men. One argument is proposed claiming that there ought to be principles which will proscribe certain acts of men towards ecosystems and which will simultaneously prescribe the ethically upright acts. The furthering of such an argument may very well lead to the accumulation of efforts in preserving what little ecosystem the world has left and what little more in the coming years unless several actions are brought under control (Delville, 1997). One argument which can be raised against the claim for extending the ethical doctrines of man so as to include ecosystems is the contention that it is a difficult task, one which entails not only the method of redefining cultures which hold on to contrasting practices to that of what may be ethically prescribed but also the mode of arriving at a comprehensive law for such an extension of ethical norms. Setting aside the latter claim which may be very well stand farfetched in the context of our discussion, most of man’s ethical tenets are strongly rooted on cultural grounds which have incessantly developed throughout generations making it difficult to change the cultural beliefs quite easily. Aside from the difficulty of surmounting such a feat, there is no clear method on how one can be able to arrive at such an attempt of extending sturdy ethical beliefs. Nevertheless, the task itself is being called forth not only because there is a lack of limiting principles on the acts of man which may eventually lead to his own demise but also because there is a lack of protection for the ecosystem in terms of ethical principles. What society barely has are legal measures which do not essentially pin down the heart of the problem. Rather, the measures being proposed by the law are merely written methods that aim at proscribing human actuations in accordance to the laws of man. What is needed is an ethical extension which will, indeed, guide the acts of humanity in dealing with nature and the various ecosystems which men have been utilizing for millions of years already. Argument for deep ecology One central claim for deep ecology is the belief that nature and man are interrelated with one another whereby every individual ought to transform himself which in turn leads to a collective change. This transformation at both the personal level and the communal degree is at the core of a movement which seeks to address the environmental issued besetting the entire population. However, there are at least two primary concepts which might rise into conflict with one another—freedom and order. In order that an individual transformation to transpire, there should be at the very least a freedom operating on the basic activities of every man. That is, every individual should function without the apparent hindrances that limit his capabilities in making manifest his earnest desires to support global concerns. Thus, with freedom, man becomes more flexible and more able of acting in accordance to the collective effort of sustaining the environment. On the other hand, a collective change is also of primary necessity since it serves not only as the sum of individual capabilities in addressing the ecological problems and providing viable solutions to it but also as the embodiment of the general agreement of the individuals. This general agreement is essential for the reason that it makes possible the unified efforts to arrive at consolidated methods. However, it can be argued that there may eventually dwell the possibility that with freedom comes the unwanted effects. To a certain degree, giving individuals more and more freedom than perhaps what is necessary or in controlled dosages leads to the probability of abuse, of conferring upon the individual the imminent capacity to either misuse or abuse one’s freedom in relegating it to other aspects of life which may consequently bear a harsh effect on the vision being sought by the collective change among the sum of individuals. Nevertheless, even if there remains the potential abuse of such freedom which may in turn restrain the collective transformation among the sum of individuals in providing a lending hand in tackling ecological concerns the sense of the collective efforts are far more outweigh its potential weaknesses and negative aspects.

Night Mother Essay

The play â€Å"Night, Mother† addresses the human condition and how character human depth influences the way readers understand drama. The invisible characters play a large part on how the two main character’s act, and how it influences their dialogue. The father, the son of Jessie, and her ex-husband are mentioned throughout the play, and they set up the dynamic of the story, physically and emotionally. Exploring their human depth and their importance throughout the play helps the reader of the story understand theater and the drama. The father plays a large part in the play Night Mother. In the play, Jessie asks for her father’s gun. She then eventually tells her mother she is going to kill herself with it. In the play, you can tell her and her father are very close. I feel as though Jessie will only use her father’s gun because it’s as if her father is killing her. Cleaning the gun in front of her mother shows that she is making the point that she wants to kill herself. , when she could have just put it on the table or quietly went to her room with it. Throughout the play, you can barely tell the Jessie is completely serious about giving up her life. She stays so placid and calm as she tells her mother, who is in denial at first, but soon realizes as Jessie is making lists of things she will soon have to do on her own, that her daughter is completely serious. They talk about things Jessie has never been good at, like being a mother, a good wife, or having any real skills because of her battle with epilepsy. Ben Brantley from the New York Times states, â€Å"Yet anger and score-settling satisfaction flicker betrayingly across her stark features as she itemizes the long list of minuses that make up her life: her ailures as a wife and mother, her epilepsy, her lack of professional skills, the death of the father who appears to have been the only person she truly loved. † (Brantley) This quotation states that in the play, Jessie has already lost the people she has loved most already in her life. She lost her father, her son is a delinquent and her ex-husband left her because she was incapable of doing many things due to her disease. It sets a very sad tone as the play goes on. Even though Jessie seems to care a lot about her mother, since she has been taking care of her for many years, you can sort of see the bit of hostility throughout the play. Jessie blames her mother for many things that went wrong in her life. Jessie feels as though her mother never loved her father, and her father had the same seizures as she did, which her mother hid from her all along. According to Leah D Frank from the New York Times, â€Å"Next, Jessie and Thelma talk about Jessie’s ex-husband, who Thelma conspired to introduce to Jessie. During the marriage, Jessie fell off a horse, and the accident was thought to have led to her seizure disorder. But one of the truths that has come out was that Jessie began having seizures as a child, but Thelma covered it up. It was something she didn’t want to think about, so she found a way to simply go on. † (Frank) This quote explains that Thelma has been hiding so many things from Jessie, because she thought she was protecting her, but in reality it was really hurting Jessie in the long run. Thelma didn’t like to think about things, she would rather them just go on. But in the end, this really hurt Jessie because when she ‘developed’ her epilepsy, her husband left her. If she knew she had epilepsy beforehand, she wouldn’t of had a failed marriage on her head, and a delinquent son.

Contextual Factors of the Classroom

This paper discusses the contextual factors within the school community and how they can impact the acquisition and learning procedure. The paper looks at different factors such as community, school territory, schoolroom, and pupil features. Within these factors an account is given for how each one can impact pupil acquisition and accomplishment. Besides, deductions are discussed and schemes are given for how instructors can integrate contextual factors and still make pupil accomplishment. robert.askey2010-09-20T15:00:00 Space Contextual Factors of the Classroom, School, and Community and How They Affect the Teaching and Learning Process Many people think that there are n't many contextual factors within the learning profession. They think that the instructor teaches the lesson, the pupils listen softly, and so they complete their assignments. While that may be a â€Å" dream † schoolroom, is it far from world. There are many deductions that go along with the profession. The environing community, every bit good as, the school and school territories have a batch of lending factors that affect the instruction and acquisition procedure. Classroom kineticss and pupil features are besides of import factors when it comes to teacher planning and pupil acquisition. Teachers need to take all of these factors into history to guarantee that all the demands of our pupils are met. Community Factors The community plays a large portion in the acquisition procedure and school accomplishment. Some communities tend to go a really high transient country. Many people move about depending on where occupations are located, which leads to pupils coming and traveling throughout the academic school twelvemonth. This instability causes a break in learning. Achievement spreads are created because pupil direction is non consistent, which leads to hapless motive within pupil acquisition. Besides, some provinces may hold a batch of English Language Learners ( ELL ) depending on where they are located geographically. States that are close to the outside boundary lines may detect an addition in ELL pupils, which excessively, may do a challenge when supplying direction. Teachers will hold to accommodate their direction to supply schemes for ELL pupils and do certain that they enrich their vocabulary cognition. Different economical positions may besides be a conducive factor within the instruction and acquisition procedure. Schools that are located in low socio-economic countries may non acquire the support or resources from the outside community. Parents are non able to supply supplies for their kids or the schoolroom, which may impede instructional chances for pupils. Whereas, schools that are located in higher economic countries have a batch of community support and local contributions to assist supply pupils with equal resources they need for acquisition. District Factors School Districts have an huge influence when it comes to the acquisition and learning procedure. They are the 1s that pave the manner for academic success. Recently, many territories have been traveling through a budget deficit. They are being forced to put off instructors and make full the places with long term replacements. Many long term replacements do non hold the same educational background and preparation that licensed instructors have, which may ensue in academic failure with our pupils. Districts are besides being forced to cut many plans and resources. The most frequent plans to be cut are extracurricular activities. Many pupils gain motive from these extracurricular activitiesrobert.askey2010-09-20T15:01:00 I could non hold more.. Students are required to keep a certain class point norm which forces pupils to seek harder in school and advance academic accomplishment. In David Reeves ‘ ( 2008 ) article, a survey was conducted to mensurate the relevancy between extracurricular activities and pupil accomplishment. Woodstock High School, in Woodstock Ill. , found that pupils who took portion in three or four extracurricular activities during the twelvemonth had dramatically better classs than those who participated in no extra-curricular activitiesrobert.askey2010-09-20T15:02:00 This is a great illustration of how to utilize a mention to back up the point you are seeking to make.. Classroom Factors The schoolroom is the most of import factor when it comes to student acquisition and teacher direction. It is a topographic point where pupils should experience safe and acquisition should be promoted, therefore it should be clean and in superior status. All pupil desks and chairs should be in good status. If classroom furniture is uncomfortable, pupils may lose their deficiency of focal point. Students should besides be confronting the way where direction is being taught, if they have to turn around to see, their focal point will be lost. The stuffs in the schoolroom should be organized and available for easy entree. This will let small clip to be taken off from direction. Technology resources are another lending factor for pupil acquisition and the instruction procedure. Resources such as computing machines, SMART boards, and Elmos, supply a more custodies on larning experience for pupils. These resources will let instructors to fix our pupils for the engineering savvy professional community. Another factor within the schoolroom is a strong sense of regulations and modus operandis. Students need to cognize and stay by schoolroom modus operandis and regulations. In the schoolroom, pupils frequently spend a batch of clip waiting for a new activity to get down. This can take to a batch of otiose instructional clip. It is of import for instructors to hold effectual modus operandis in topographic point so that the maximal sum of instructional clip can be utilized. Proper modus operandis and regulations besides lead to minimum breaks and behaviour jobs, hence advancing the acquisition procedure. Concerted acquisition is another of import factor for the acquisition procedure. Students are able to work together and construct a schoolroom community. During the grouping pupils are typically forced to utilize job work outing schemes to come up with solutions and heighten critical thought accomplishments. Concerted groups are besides typically heterogenous so that varied degrees are incorporated into each group ; everyone has something different to convey to the group. Student Features Students frequently come into our schoolroom with a whole batch of â€Å" luggage. † There are many factors that pupils have to cover with which can impact their acquisition procedure. Many schoolrooms today are multicultural. It is of import that instructors understand the cultural differences within their schoolroom, and acquire to cognize their pupils. Students may come from a background where instruction is non good respected and higher instruction is non an option. This may hold an consequence on those single pupils ‘s accomplishment. Teachers will necessitate to modify and prosecute acquisition to assist actuate these pupils. In today ‘s schoolroom ‘s, many pupils have particular demands. Teachers need to recognize that non all pupils are on the same degree, and that direction should be differentiated to run into the demands of each pupil. Most schools have adopted the inclusive theoretical account where kids with particular demands spend at least half of the twenty-four hours in a general instruction schoolroom with particular helpers. Inclusive classrooms non merely benefit pupils with particular demands, but the general instruction pupils as good. Teachers are provided an helper to assist during direction which will let more attending to all pupils within the schoolroom. Particular needs pupils are besides introduced to more grade degree content, assisting them reach IEP ends. In bend, this will be good towards the acquisition procedure for all pupils. Students besides have different larning modes. Some pupils may be an audile scholar, they need to hear waies or complete unwritten assignments. Other pupils may be a ocular scholar ; ocular images are a large portion of their direction penchant. Students that need to make things and travel about may be kinaesthetic scholars. In a typical schoolroom, there will be a broad assortment of these modes. Teachers should supply an mixture of instructional techniques to run into the larning demands of all pupils. Not all pupils come into your schoolroom with the same cognition or accomplishments. Many instructors have to accommodate their direction to re-teach or construct background on the approaching content. Depending on the environing community, pupils may non hold the assumed societal experiences. Teachers frequently need to pass excess clip presenting pupils to the content, edifice background, and conveying in regalia to assist pupils link with the subject being presented. Besides, pupils coming from the old twelvemonth may hold non learned of import constructs used in the following class degree. Many instructors have to pass the beginning of the school twelvemonth learning constructs that should hold been mastered in the old twelvemonth. With the deficiency of accomplishments or prior larning it can take twice every bit long to accomplish the acquisition ends. Instructional Deductions When be aftering direction, instructors should maintain many deductions in head. Teachers should go painstaking of where there pupil comes from. They need to retrieve that non all pupils come from the same civilization and socio-economic background. Some pupils require more forbearance and apprehension, which they may non have at place. Not all pupils have the same support system at place. Many parents may work, or there may be merely one parent who works two occupations. We, as instructors, need to be more understanding to our pupils ‘ emotional demands. These pupils may necessitate excess instructional clip to assist accomplish larning ends. Student larning manners is another deduction that instructors need to maintain in head when be aftering direction. All pupils learn in different ways. To assist with accomplishment, instructors should offer assorted activities from each mode. In my schoolroom I give pupils an assignment bill of fare. Each bill of fare consists of different assignments measuring the same criterion. The assignments are geared to all the different acquisition modes, leting pupils to take which activities they want to make. Giving pupils a bill of fare of assignment picks will non merely increase pupil accomplishment, but will besides heighten pupil motive and battle. robert.askey2010-09-20T15:06:00 Great scheme. When be aftering direction, instructors need to take all of these contextual factors into history. As a instructor, we have to come to the realisation that each pupil is different. Whether it ‘s the community, school territory, schoolroom, or the pupil features, each pupil comes with a â€Å" bag † of who they are. We need to encompass their â€Å" bag † and assist them accomplish academically, socially, and emotionally.

Biology Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biology Question - Essay Example The neurons transmit information to each other through the dendrites. Action potentials are however comparably large in size. They signal strength of stimulus by frequency and not by amplitude. Graded potentials on the other hand are generated in dendrites and sensory receptors. Graded potentials sometimes generate action potentials and thus referred to as generator potentials. In case of an incoming signal, a pre synaptic excitatory neuron fires releasing neurotransmitters to the synaptic cleft. Consequently, if the transmitter binds to the post synaptic dendritic membrane, it elicits a transient depolarization called Excitatory Post Synaptic Potential (EPSPs) (Akers and Denbow 214). Inhibitory neurons on the other hand, elicit partial hyper-polarizations known as Inhibitory Post Synaptic Potentials (IPSPs) (Akers and Denbow 214). Summarily, EPSPs and IPSPs are both graded potentials. Finally, a number of pre synaptic neurons maybe firing simultaneously, hence impacting on the level of activity of post synaptic neurons. Hence, the total potential in the post synaptic neuron; that is, Grand Post Synaptic Potential (GPSP) is a summation of all EPSPs and IPSPs occurring approximately simultaneously (Dowling 242). 2) What is the functional significance of spatial and temporal summation being performed by axon hillocks of neurons? Axon hillock is the most excitable portion of a neuron. It is the region at the beginning of an axon. Action potentials are generated in this region. The occurrence of an action potential at the axon hillock is by either temporal summation or spatial summation. Action potentials usually occur in three stages, namely Resting, Depolarization and Repolarization phases. (Brown, Miller and Eason 223).Temporal summation simply refers to addition of a number of EPSPs that manifest close together in time, as a result of a subsequent firing of a single presynaptic neuron. Conversely, spatial summation refers to addition of EPSPs originating at the same time from several pre-synaptic neurons (Sherwood 107). This implies that the position of a synapse on the neuron is significant in determining the generation of an action potential. Summarily, synapses closer to the axon hillock have higher level of activity than those further away. Furthermore, the central integrative state of a neuron is also determined by temporal and spatial summation (Beck 135). 3) How are action potentials generated at axon hillocks and propagated along unmyelinated axons? Action potential is propagated along unmyelinated axon by a mechanism known as continuous propagation. The membrane is considered as a sequence of adjacent segments. The action potential starts at the initial segment. In the first step, the transmembrane potential becomes briefly positive, rather than negative. In the second step, a local current develops due to the influx of sodium ions into the cytosol and extracellular fluid, and in step three and four, the local current spreads in all directions hence depolarizing adjacent segments of the membrane. Usually, the axon hillock like the rest of the cell body, cannot respond with action potential because it lacks gated ion channels. However, when the initial portion of the axon is depolarized to threshold, an action potential develops there. The process thus proceeds in a chain reaction until distant portions of cell are afflicted. Every time a local current occurs, action potential moves forward, and not backward, since

My understanding of fine art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My understanding of fine art - Essay Example Various implications can be discerned from this definition including, the fact that inherent creativity of the artist and their technical expertise is instrumental in creating visual art. The second key aspect that can be derived from this definition is that, the resultant artistic work is visually appealing to viewers and further stirs up their imagination, as they attempt to view the art form from the creator’s perspective or place themselves in the portrayed environment. It is also apparent from the definition that, visual art invokes the target audience’s cognitive thought, as people attempt to logically interpret it. Most importantly, as suggested in the definition, visual art conjures deeper spiritual meaning that is often unique to every observer. Every time we look at a photograph, we employ a wide array of intricate readings, ranging from visual and imaginative observations to intellectual views. These elements, coupled with the acknowledged creativity and technical proficiency of the photographer, irrefutably qualify a photograph as a visual art form. It is also imperative to take note of the fact that, the complexity of photograph reading is accentuated by the fact that observers bear varying assumptions and expectations of both the image and the subject of photograph. These distinctive aspects of photographs clearly support Clarke’s (181) assertion that, a photographer wields the ability to convey a more intense yet intangible message through an image, than the actual photographed subject. The author also emphasizes that such intricacy of photographs, as visual art forms, is made possible by a meld of the photographer’s technical expertise, light sensitivity, and a unique creative spirit. It is apparent that a photographic image, as a fine art form, is not only complex, but also fascinating and vast, with a broad range of unique attributes. Key among these features is the beauty or visual appeal of the photograph (Cotton 49). Even

Do Family Medicine doctors have the same results as Specialists Essay - 1

Do Family Medicine doctors have the same results as Specialists (Endocrinologist) for diabetic Patients - Essay Example This paper will elaborately answer the question as to whether there is a significance difference in the care provided to diabetic patients by a family physician or medical specialist. It should be noted that primary doctors who are normally found in the hospital as their work station are always busy. This is because their main duty is normally fixed within the hospital and they have a wider obligation of attending to all visiting patients (Rubin 1). For diabetes patients, standard care needs to be carried out by a diabetic team. The team is comprised of the patient who is diabetic, a primary care doctor, a dietitian, endocrinologist, eye specialist, podiatrist, nurse educator and an exercise trainer (Rubin 1). This is the standard team for diabetic care as recommended and each member has got an important role to paly on cases related with acute or chronic diabetic complication (Rubin 1). However, due to limited staffing and insufficient professional man power, many hospitals fail to implement this recommendation, thus compromising the standard diabetic care. It is for this reason that many patients prefer hiring personal family physicians to assist in care management for their diabetic patients (Rubin 1). Diagnosis and treatment of diabetic patients may relatively follow the same procedure when conducted by either family physician, an endocrinologist or specialists (Olson 5). The difference will be the way the medical specialist is engaging with the patient. It is important to note that as a primary doctor, the workload is usually packed, because they keep on seeing patients after patients (Olson 5). Under this circumstance, most hospitals usually receive many patients with different kinds of complications. The fact is that 80-85 percent of patients taken to primary doctors can be attended to by clinical officers and even nurses (Olson 5). This is to show that no matter how much the doctor may try to employ

Research Methods and Critique Question Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Methods and Critique Question - Research Paper Example In addition, this paper critically appraises the article â€Å"Embedding Quality in e-Learning Implementation through Evaluation† by Frances Deepwell (2007) which throws light on the various domains of evaluation as applicable to the domain of e-learning and recommends how evaluation can be used in order to improve the quality of e-learning (Deepwell, 2007). E-Learning – a novel approach to learning: In the current advent of technological advancements, the world has changed into a global village, where distance learning, an essential component of which is e-learning, has fast made its place in the domain of education (Gunasekaran, McNeil, & Shaul, 2002; Khodamoradi & Abedi, 2011). In this download era, the internet has transformed from a simple medium where information and knowledge was fed and then consequently retrieved or shared at a required time, into a worldwide platform, where now each and every second millions, if not more, users are learning ,sharing and teachi ng a wide variety of topics (Downes, 2005). Moreover, in recent times, the teaching methodologies and learning approaches have experienced a paradigm shift in that learner centered approaches are more favored than teacher centered educational approaches, which has made the learning process more individualized and tailored to suit each individual’s pace, requirements and capacity (Deepwell, 2007). In today’s post-positivism era, more emphasis is placed on promoting learner autonomy and cooperative learning (Ehlers et al., 2005). In such a model of learning, the use of technology is pertinent and effective as it enables learners to be independent and learn from a wide variety of learning strategies rather than the conventional teacher centered mode of instruction (Zhang, 2003). These demands and changing trends in the patterns of learning and transfer of knowledge and ideas gave rise to the concept of distance learning or e-learning. The term distance learning refers to â€Å"education designed for learners who live at a distance from the teaching institution or education provider (Khodamoradi & Abedi, 2011, p. 225).† Traditionally, the predominant medium of education employed for distance learning was print media such as textbooks, notes or other course materials, but more recently, this practice has been replaced gradually with the increasing use of non-print media eversince the evolution of the concept of e-learning (Khodamoradi & Abedi, 2011). E-Learning, which is defined as â€Å"technology-based learning in which learning materials are delivered electronically to remote learners via a computer network (Zhang, Zhao, Zhou, & Nunamaker, 2004, p. 76)†

Obesity and its causes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Obesity and its causes - Research Paper Example cause of obesity is the availability of a variety of consumer snack products in the country containing trans fats and other preservatives with high levels of saturated fat. In today’s difficult economy, the costs of healthier foods are increasing due to rising prices in the global food supply chain, therefore consumers turn toward unhealthier food options due to pricing. The high availability of these foods in this competitive marketplace where variety and option is tremendous along with a more attractive price tag can be attributed as a significant cause of obesity increases in society. Furthermore, the method by which food manufacturers market their products to youths is another reason for the growing trend of childhood obesity. Less health food options, such as those made by Cadbury or Nestle, two well-known global chocolatiers, often use innovative advertisements are part of marketing to appeal to the child’s lifestyle and personal values. Finding these promotional connections leads youths to sample high-fat or high-calorie foods due to brand image or how the product is presented using colorful or imaginative characters. This is a psychological contribution to the escalation of obesity and is a product of business marketing, an industry which is â€Å"being lambasted for its all-too efficient efforts in pushing less healthy snack foods to children† (Alistair, 24). Obesity is also caused by the rising instances of quick service or fast food restaurant concepts which provide high fat foods products to consumers in a hurry. In today’s global marketplace and consumerism economy, many households have both parents working in order to sustain quality of lifestyle. This changing trend toward the hassled lifestyle drives many parents toward this convenience, fast service menu. McDonald’s, under pressure by health advocates, became the first fast food restaurant to post nutritional information on their packaging (Grant, 9). This illustrates that the fast food

Climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Climate change - Essay Example Nevertheless, global community is facing a new threat – climate change. People need to understand that it affects all spheres of their life. Being an international crisis, climate change concerns all countries. Mankind should learn how to deal with climate change and adapt to it. Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time. It effects the environment every day. There are â€Å"national and global issues that are occurring due to the climate change† (â€Å"The current and future consequences of global change†). Climate change poses great risks: extreme weather, melting ice, rising seas, shifting rainfall, floods, droughts, cyclones, and health problems. And it is not the full list. It affects the whole world, but not all regions are in the same positions. Some countries face critical problems right now. Others will face them in the near future. Risks of climate change can be grouped into different categories, for example â€Å"risks to human health, global food security, economic development, and to the natural world† (â€Å"Consequences of climate change†). Climate change transforms the natural world. Oceans and rivers become bigger, ice melts, flora and fauna changes: new species appear, while other species become extinct. Expanding oceans due to rising temperatures concern every nation in the world, but northern and island nations are under the greater impact. According to Jim Hwang, Taiwan is especially sensitive to the impact of climate change. Because of flooding, people there lose their homes and can’t produce enough food (1). One country cannot cope with it. Only cooperation can solve this problem, but it is hard to reach an agreement between all nations. Some countries do not want to spend money on studies about climate change, while others do not have money to spend. Climate change is a great challenge for international law, too. Differences in bills and

The Weaknesses Of The U.S. Criminal Justice System Essay Example for Free

The Weaknesses Of The U.S. Criminal Justice System Essay Introduction The Michael Jackson, a continuation of the an epic cycle of celebrity trials that started with O.J. Simpson, passing through Kobe Bryant, Robert Blake and Phil Spector have undoubtedly brought to the fore concerns about the American Criminal Justice System1. The verdict of the Michael Jackson trial, delivered on June 13 2005, capped the chain of events that was sparked off by the broadcast of Living With Michael Jackson a TV documentary programme by British journalist Martin Bashir. Like every other celebrity trial in history, the Michael Jackson trial offered a cocktail of fame, sex and violence. It provided an opportunity to look behind the veil that normally protects the private lives of celebrities. However, most importantly, it brought to the fore questions about the politics that influence the U.S. Criminal Justice System2 In the last couple of decades, there have been growing concerns about the politising of criminal justice in the United States and the increasing punitive approach to crime control. It has been argued that the criminal justice system is in decline in its goal of crime control3. The last few decades have witnessed dramatic increase in the number of American citizens in prison and other custody facility, but this has not translated to decrease in crime rates. Beck and Paige4 reports that the 1990s saw an unprecedented rise in the United State’s incarceration population. They reported that in 1990, there were approximately 1.1 million US citizens incarcerated in federal, state and local facilities, by the year 2000, this figure has increased to 2,071,686. The U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics, corroborating the above fact, states that the rate of incarceration in the U.S. increased from 292 inmates per 100,000 US residents in 1990 to 478 at year-end 20005. Unfortunately, this increasing toughness on crime has not in anyway translated to reduction in crime. In a study released by the US Department of Justice in June6, entitled Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, it was reported of the approximately 300,000 prisoners released in 15 states in 1994, 67 percent were are-arrested within the first three years. Compared to a similar study done in 1983 where 62 percent of prisoners released were re-arrested, the growing ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system becomes apparent. The rest of this essay intends to adequately support the argument that the United States Criminal Justice system is weak and ineffective, using the 2005 Michael Jackson trial as a yardstick. In this regard, the rest of the essay will be structured thus: The next section will provide a brief review of the Michael Jackson trial. This will be followed by an analysis of the United States Criminal Justice System. This section will detail factors that have been indicted as responsible for the ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system and also attempt to examine how these factors have come to play in the Michael Jackson trial. The last part of the essay shall provide a summary of the argument thus far, and then a conclusion. The chain of events that characterised the Michael Jackson trial started with the broadcast in February 2003 of Living With Michael Jackson, an unflattering television documentary by British-Pakistani journalist Martin Bashir7. In the programme, the boy was shown holding hands with Jackson and resting on his shoulders. In November of the same year, California police authorities searched Jacksons Neverland Ranch after child molestation allegations were made against him. Later that month, Jackson was booked and arrested on child molestation charges and released on $3 million bail8.   Formal charges were filed against Jackson in December of the same year and in April 2004, a grand jury indicted Jackson on charges of molesting the boy at the centre of the trial, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold him and his family captive in 2003. Jackson, however, pleaded not guilty and did not testify during the trial, though testimony and losing arguments lasted about 14 weeks before the jury took over the case9. The Grand jury proceedings started in March and by April 21 2004, indicted Jackson10.   The grand jury was composed of nineteen jurors; the indictment required the votes of at least twelve of them. Prosecution witnesses testified without defence cross-examination. The judge ruled that witnesses before the grand jury could talk to defence attorneys about their knowledge of the case as long as the witnesses did not tell what they saw in the grand jury room or what questions they were asked and their answers11. Later in April, after the indictment, a sudden change in Michael Jacksons defence team was announced.   Ben Brafman and Mark Geragos were replaced with Robert Blakes defence attorney Thomas Mesereau12. According to CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, tension from the Jackson family from not having Geragos full attention, because of the Scott Peterson death penalty case being at trial, and quick responses to their questions regarding media coverage of Michaels case were the reasons for the dismissal13. The jury selection for the trial started on January 31, 2005, and lasted less than a month. Twelve members of the jury, comprising eight women and four men, were selected from a pool of 200 people from the Santa Barbara County. The twelve member jury, ranging from 20-79years old had no single Black American, although, there was one African-American juror in the eight alternate jurors (four men, four women), selected for the case14. The trial, as it unfolds, was full of scandalous testimonies, dramatic moments and lots of celebrity defence. While, on the one hand, prosecutors alleged that in the aftermath of the Bashir documentary in 2003, Jackson and five others, who where not indicted, have contrived to control and intimidate the childs family in other to get them to cooperate with damage control efforts, including forcefully keeping them at Neverland against their will15; on these grounds, Jackson was charged with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14; one count of attempted lewd conduct; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion16. On the other hand, Jacksons lawyers consistently portrayed him as a naive victim of the childs family, who were allegedly schemers and good at extorting money from rich and famous people. There were 91 prosecution and 50 defence witnesses throughout the trial period17. In May 2005 the witnesses for the defence testified. Closing arguments of both sides were presented in the beginning of June and on the 13th of June, 2005, the jury, after a 37hour deliberation that spanned seven days, announced Jackson not guilty and acquitted him of all the charges18. However, and most importantly for this discussion is the consequences of the trial. The aftermath of the trial witnessed several allegations of jury misconduct and several criticisms tossed back at Janet Arvizo, the mother of the accuser19. Among the several jury misconduct allegations, the fifth jury admitted to illegally bringing in a medical text to show Jackson fit the books definition of a paedophile, while also conceding to have winked Michael Jacksons mother, Katherine Jackson, even though jurors are supposed to avoid all such communication, no matter how innocent. Furthermore, she claimed that there were three devoted fans of Michael Jackson in the jury, who made it clear from the start that they would never convict Michael Jackson (with one referring to him affectionately as my Michael), while she herself allegedly came in on the jury with the sole intent of convicting Jackson and later writing a book about it. When Jackson was acquitted, her book deal fell through20. Jurors Cook and Hultman also claimed that the juror foreman, Paul Rodriguez, threatened to remove them from the jury, unless they agreed to acquit Jackson, even though jurors cannot be removed from a jury simply because they dont agree with the others. Both jurors expressed regret about acquitting Jackson (Jackson Juror Sues over Book Deal, 2005). Also, in the aftermath of the trial, Janet Arvizo, the mother of the accuser, was charged with welfare fraud on August 2005 for allegedly collecting nearly $19,000 in payments while making false claims21. During her testimony at the Jackson trial, Arvizo cited the Fifth Amendment against criminal self-incrimination in refusing to answer questions about how she succeeded in illegally obtaining welfare payments while having more than $30,000 in the bank. However, during the defence case, a Jackson lawyer walked a California Department of Social Services representative through Arvizos welfare applications, pointing out how she repeatedly failed to disclose, as required by law, assets and financial assistance she was receiving. Among many devastating criticisms tossed at Arvizo during the Jackson trial, the welfare fraud allegations were particularly damaging since they appeared to be backed by government documents22. Though this cases finally died, the lapses that came to the fore as a consequence of the trial, especially allegations of influences on the jury and other misconducts, undoubtedly re-affirms the concern that the American criminal justice system is greatly politicised, ineffective and weak. The rest of this essay will examine the nature of the American criminal justice system with a view to ascertaining influences or factors that have contributed to this weakness. Criminal Justice refers to the system used by government to maintain social control, prevent crime, enforce laws, and administer justice. The police, prosecution, courts and corrections facilities are the major component of any criminal justice system23. To be most effective, criminal justice systems must not only seek to punish offenders, but also attempt to rehabilitate and successfully re-integrate offenders into the larger society, so that they can become law abiding and useful citizens. Anything short of this goal should be unacceptable24. Unfortunately, most modern criminal justice systems take an ineffective punitive approach to crime control. The last few decades in the United States has witnessed increasing emphasis on incarceration as a crime control tool, with a political mandate to â€Å"get tough on crime† as opposed to using alternative sanctions. This effort has failed to combat crime, in most cases; it has further increased crime rates25. As mentioned earlier on, in a study released by the US Department of Justice in June 2002, entitled Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, it was found that of the nearly 300,000 prisoners released in 15 States in 1994, 67 percent were re-arrested within three years; while a study of 1983 prison releases estimated that 62 percent re-arrested within the same timeframe26. This shows that despite the increasing number of incarcerated populations, the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in combating crime is reduced considerably. It becomes very obvious that the several environmental factors which includes legal, culturally and political influences on the American criminal justice system has produced a weak, fragmented and utterly ineffective criminal justice system27. The organisational environment of any system can be described as any external phenomenon, event, group or individual which may compose of technological, legal, political, economic, demographic, ecological and cultural forces that affect such a system28. Kolfas and colleagues further contend that as environmental conditions change, demands for service, legal resources and positions on policy and programs of both public and private organizations may change. They then explained that in adapting to these new demands, constraints and pressures may alter the mission or policy of the organization. Relating this to the criminal justice system, for example, increasing the number of arrests as a result of an increase in crime and public pressure will impact on the criminal justice system. The populations of jails will increase and court dockets and caseloads of prosecuting attorneys will expand29. Governments and essentially, the political climate is another strong organisational environment that could affect any organisation, especially the criminal justice system. For example, government’s response to political conditions can be passed on to an organisation and its agencies within the system30. Governments can be influenced to change budgets and mandates, and to alter the composition of top administrative personnel. It can be argued that such change in organisational environment has led to the development and application of several justice models throughout history. Cole and Smith31 identified seven justice models that have been developed and used from the 1600s through to the 1990s. These includes: the colonial, penitentiary, reformatory, progressive, medical, community and crime control. As the political climate changed in the 1970s and 1980s, a renewed emphasis on the crime control model of corrections developed. The crime control model emphasizes efficiency and the capacity to catch, try, convict and punish a high proportion of offenders; it also stresses speed and finality over the caution against the possibility of innocent people being adversely impacted32. One can argued that these above mentioned components of the crime control model are actually deficiencies and could be part of the reasons why the US criminal justice system is fragmented and not functioning at optimum level. Besides environmental or external influences, the structure of the American criminal justice system lends itself to faults and inefficiency. The U.S. criminal justice system is designed sequentially with interrelated parts. For example, decisions in the criminal justice system are made in a specific order33. The police must make the arrest before the offender is prosecuted, the prosecutor’s decisions determine the nature of the court’s activity, prosecutors and judges cannot bypass the police and make arrests and corrections officials cannot punish anyone who has not been through the earlier states of the process 34. This process creates an exchange relationship among the key decision makers in the criminal justice system that could impact goals, objectives and policy development35. In this light, it appears that a â€Å"cause and effect† relationship exists for every decision made by system members and this; undoubtedly can greatly impact system efficiency and outcomes. Moreover, between these different segments of the criminal justice system, difference in the goals of retribution, deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation create differing operating policies that not only affect the efficiency and outcomes of the system, but also how the society at large, and the offenders in particular, view the system. While the public continue to see the system as unjust    the results of national research commissioned by the Open Society Institute, part of the Soros foundations network, discovered that 65 percent of Americans believe that the countrys criminal justice system comprises an ineffective, purely punitive approach to crime 36; the criminal justice professionals are also becoming more cynical about the systemic functions of the criminal justice system, which is perceived as becoming more preoccupied with case processing efficiencies rather than justice and crime control37. Criminal justice experts argue that the criminal justice system is not a system at all but a sequence of autonomous agencies and activities, each one generating a caseload for another, and each one competing for adequate resources from the public purse 38. There is a universal dissatisfaction among all players in the system: offenders feel injustices, which hinder rehabilitation; victims are re-victimised by the system because of inadequate coordination of services; the public believes that justice was not done; and criminal justice professionals are cynical because case processing supersedes the preferred system outcomes39. An overview of the components of the criminal justice system could only help to further strengthen this argument. The police is in most cases, the foremost agency in the criminal justice system. However, most police departments function within the crime control model, and remain enforcement oriented. The priorities of most police departments are largely independent of the influence of the police agency’s external environment 40. Regardless of the rate and types of crime a police jurisdiction experiences, police administrators view protecting the public from crime as a priority, with less interest in providing services or order maintenance functions41. This crime control approach is narrow but popular and neglects the community-based service and order maintenance activities 42. Therefore one can argue that the crime control philosophy of the U.S. police force and the influence of the crime control model itself exacerbate police operating policies and also contribute to certain levels of systemic fragmentation. In the same vein, it is apparent that the crime control model of justice also impacts on the prosecutorial component of the U.S. criminal justice system. It is argued that contemporary prosecutorial systems focus on mass case processing because of the influence of the crime control model. It requires prosecutors and judges to work too closely together in an attempt to achieve case processing efficiency. The crime control model compels judges to adhere to the sentencing recommendations of prosecuting attorneys, pre-sentence recommendations can develop into recommendations from the prosecutor, and probation officers’ pre-sentence reports become incidental 43. From this arrangement, one can infer that since the prosecutor drives the criminal case, this process could have an adverse impact on individual rights, due process and the effective overall effective administration of justice. While the crime control model could also impact on the court system, influencing mass production and prosecution of criminal cases and requiring the judges to act in unison with the prosecutors, there appears to be another significant problem with the American court systems. The majority of American trial courts are highly decentralised, with local judges deciding cases that pass through the courts and also administering the court. Although, this is so structured so that courts are close to the people and thus responsive to their values, this arrangement makes courts subject to local political influences and community values44. While some might argue that the courts are intentionally structured for these reasons, so that in the process, each court develops its own legal culture with differing ways to administer rules, procedures and justice, there are grave disadvantages of this arrangement. Beside disadvantages such as differences among local court cultures and decisions, duplication of process and poor use of legal resources, there are worst problems, and as evident in the Michael Jackson trial, this arrangement makes the court and in essence the whole criminal justice system open and susceptible to external political, culturally etc influences; therefore undermining the criminal justice system in entirety45. Irrespective of what has been said so far, one important characteristic of the U.S. criminal justice system, and perhaps a trend in most Western countries, is the increasing use of crime as a political issue. The special task force of federal state and local law enforcement officials, as well as independent scholars from across the political spectrum put together by the American Bar Association in 200346 reached an unanimous conclusion that the increasing federal influences on criminal justice portends serious danger to government, individual liberty and effectiveness of the criminal justice system. The task force report indicated that for more than a hundred years after the adoption of the Constitution the federal criminal code was limited to treason, bribery of federal officials, perjury in federal court, theft of government property and revenue fraud. However, the present body of federal criminal law is so vast that there is no complete list of federal crimes. There are an estimated 4000 criminal statutes which have been enacted by Congress, but in addition to these there are some 10,000 federal regulations which have legal sanctions for their violation. Put together, the various criminal statutes, regulations and judicial rulings governing how these statutes are enforced comprise 4 million (4,000,000) pages of text. In addition to the 4 million page criminal code there are also general laws against Interfering with Interstate Commerce and Violation of Civil Rights which are constantly being expanded to cover new activities, and each year approximately 1000 new criminal statutes are considered for adoption by Congress. It is needless to say, again, that despite attempts by politicians to appear tough on crime   the federal crime fighting effort has had no appreciable effect at reducing violent crime47. Unfortunately, while the increasing political influence on criminal justice has had to appreciable effect on crime rates, it has created a myriad of problems and potential problems for the criminal justice system. Some of these problems identified in the task force report include: Selective Prosecution. Because only .2% of violent crimes are prosecuted on the federal level, US attorneys must cherry pick specific cases on which to focus. There are no federal guidelines and no judicial review over which cases federal prosecutors decide to pursue or not. As a result the prosecution and punishment of a few individuals will differ radically from the majority of people in the same area who commit the exact same crime. A real danger exists that a federal prosecutor will discriminate against a particular group of people, and that those people will have no recourse. Additionally, federal and state sentencing guidelines reflect very different priorities, which may not well serve the cause of justice. Federal sentencing guidelines for non-violent offences tend to be harsher than for states, while state sentencing for violent crimes is often harsher than for federal. Overburdening the federal judiciary. The federal courts were not designed or intended to handle more than a handful of criminal cases. The federal courts were initially set up to rule on civil cases involving disputes between individuals or corporations in different states. The primary role of federal courts to adjudicate civil disputes has been seriously hampered as more and more of their time must be devoted to criminal matters. The result is that interstate cases requiring federal attention are delayed to accommodate criminal cases which could also be tried at the state level. Distraction and Diversion of Local Police. The blurring of responsibility for a certain conduct between federal and local police may have the ironic effect of discouraging and confusing local police efforts. Some local entities because of assumption of federal jurisdiction may hesitate in pursuing certain types of conduct. Some crimes may go uninvestigated as each level assumes that the other is taking responsibility. On the opposite side is the potential for an unhealthy competition or resentment between local and federal law enforcement. Turf wars could result between local district attorneys and US attorneys as each tries to claim jurisdiction over high profile crimes. It may even occur that one jurisdiction or the other will make an arrest before a case is sound in an effort to beat the other entity. Lack of Local Expertise. Federal law enforcement agencies lack the local expertise, knowledge of the area, contact with local informants, familiarity with local citizens, and trust of the local community which is such a help in the investigation and prevention of crime. In as much as federal law enforcement crowds out local police the federalisation of law enforcement is counter productive and weakens the criminal justice system48. More importantly, the increasing politicising of criminal justice system creates a misconception about the essence of punishment and how to administer punitive measures. It is obvious that punishment is the most complex process within the criminal justice system and the inconsistencies associated with comprehending this process may be reasons for the weakening and inefficiency of the system. According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy49, the concept of punishment its definition and its practical application and justification have during the last few decades shown a considerable drift away from efforts to reform and rehabilitate offenders towards retribution and incarceration. Von Hirsch50 placed the concept of punishment in the right perspective when he argued that punishment is more socially than individually based and he based this concept of punishment on fairness. For example, when someone infringes another’s rights, the person gains an unfair advantage over others in society. The punishment for this act imposes a counterbalance disadvantage on the offender and restores balance 51. The author then argued that if the system is unjust regarding the administration of punishment (in other words, it is undeserved, unfair, unnecessary or extreme) a â€Å"social crime† may be perceived by the offender; therefore the offender perceives society as having an unfair advantage. As a result of these actions, social retaliation could be committed by the offender, in the form of prejudice, hostility, resistance, a criminal act and other acts of deviance in order to maintain the social equilibrium. Putting the argument in this essay thus far into perspective, it becomes apparent that the weakness and inefficiency of the U.S criminal justice system is a as a result of a mix-match of factors. The multiple approaches to the mission of US criminal justice systems have led to the erosion of a common purpose, resulting in a mix of both efficient and inefficient systems. This essay has brought forth information that has clarified the argument that states have failed to plan collectively resulting in a fragmented system of justice. This departure has led to â€Å"state specific† methods of criminal justice processes that have had a widespread adverse impact on the offender, the re-integration process and thus the effectiveness of the criminal justice system as a whole. Again, the state specific nature of the American criminal justice system makes the system more susceptible to local political influences, while the increasing federalising of criminal justice systems, on the other hand, also open the system to influences from the federal level. Taken as a whole, politics appear to play significant role in the direction and outcomes of criminal cases, and this, most evident from the Michael Jackson trial, speaks volumes about the weakness of the system. Considering the outcomes and consequences of the trial, it is obvious that the verdict of the trial was a result of a lot of influences. However, one fact that stands out from the trial appears to be that equity and equality is not really a characteristic of the system. In essence, environmental influences, fostered on the system due to the crime control model of justice, appeared to have complicated the judicial process, hindered due process, stagnated programme development and in sum, considerably hindered the effective administration of justice through the criminal justice system. Conclusion Like every other celebrity trial in history, the Michael Jackson trial offered a cocktail of fame, sex and violence, and most importantly, a test of the American criminal justice system.   Though, there have been concerns about the effectiveness of the U.S. criminal justice systems, this trial further helped to strengthen such worries. Criminal Justice refers to the system used by government to maintain social control, prevent crime, enforce laws, and administer justice. The police, prosecution, courts and corrections facilities are the major component of any criminal justice system. Unfortunately, most modern criminal justice systems take an ineffective punitive approach to crime control. This effort has failed to combat crime, and in most cases; it has further increased crime rates. In the American situation, external influences such as legal, culturally and political influences on the American criminal justice system has helped to produce a weak, fragmented and utterly ineffective criminal justice system that appears to only dance to the tune of these influences. Beside these external influences, the structure of the American criminal justice system lends itself to faults and inefficiency. The U.S. criminal justice system is designed sequentially with interrelated parts with decisions in the criminal justice system made in a specific order. This process creates an exchange relationship among the key decision makers in the criminal justice system that could impact goals, objectives and policy development and thus tend to hold a â€Å"cause and effect† relationship exists for every decision made by system members. And this fact has been clearly brought to the fore by the Michael Jackson trial. While the prosecutor indicted Jackson on a ten count charge of child molestation, the jury acquitted him of all charges under circumstances that left so much to be imagined. The consequences of the acquittal have further lent credence to the argument that the process through which Jackson was acquitted was not as just as would be expected. It has also clearly showed that the structure of the American criminal justice system is one that allows for external influences to determine the direction and/or outcomes of the system. Endnotes Olsen, Eric (2005). Michael Jackson Trial: Closing Arguments Begin. BC Magazine, posted on 2nd June. Camon , Alessandro (2005). Guilty! Online Essay available at http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2005/06/14/jackson_essay/index.html Smith, Leslie J (2003). The Organizational Environment and Its Influence on State Criminal Justice Systems Within The United States And The Offender Re-Integration Process. Criminal Justice Studies, Vol. 16(2), Pp.97–112; Weich, Ronald and Carlos Angulo (2000). Justice on Trial: Racial Disparities in the American Criminal Justice System. Report prepared for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Leadership Conference Education Fund. Beck, A. and P. Paige (2001). Prisoners in 2000. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, US Department of Justice, August. US Department of Justice (Bureau of Justice Statistics) (2002). Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, June [On-Line serial] NCJ 193427, pp. 1–16. US Department of Justice. Ibid Jackson not guilty. CNN News Report posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005. Available at http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/13/jackson.trial/index.html/; Olsen, Eric (2005). Michael Jackson Trial: Closing Arguments Begin. BC Magazine, posted on 2nd June. Jackson not guilty. Supra County of Santa Barbara, CA (2003). PR Michael Jackson. Press release. Available at http://www.countyofsb.org/da/documents/PR-Michael%20Jackson.pdf.; Jackson not guilty. Supra, Olsen, Eric (2005). Supra Olsen, Eric (2005). Supra Camon, Alessandro (2005). Ibid County of Santa Barbara, CA (2003). Ibid Jackson not guilty. Ibid County of Santa Barbara, CA (2003). Ibid Olsen, Eric (2005). Ibid Jackson not guilty. Ibid Jackson not guilty. Ibid County of Santa Barbara, CA (2003). Ibid Olsen, Eric (2005). Ibid The Michael Jackson File – From Superstar to Suspect, Complete Coverage of Trouble in Neverland. E! Online: available at http://www.eonline.com/Features/Features/JacksonNews/index.html, Jackson Juror Sues Over Book Deal. Contact Music (2005). Available at http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/jackson%20juror%20sues%20over%20book%20deal County of Santa Barbara, CA (2003). Ibid Hahn, P. H. (1998). Emerging Trends in Criminal Justice, 10–11:158–160; Cole, G. F. and C. E. Smith (1998). The American System of Criminal Justice, 8, 22–40, 143–257, 456. Smith, Leslie J (2003). Ibid Richard C. Hanes and Sharon M. Hanes (2005). Crime and Punishment in America. Volume 1. Thomas Gale. Farmington Hills, MI US Department of Justice. Ibid Smith, Leslie J (2003). Ibid Kolfas, J., S. Stojkovic, and D. Kalinich (1990). Defining the environment of the criminal justice system. Criminal Justice Organizations Administration and Management. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, pp. 18–30 Kolfas, et al Supra p. 20. Kolfas, et al. Ibid p. 21 Cole, G. F. and C. E. Smith (1998). The American System of Criminal Justice, 8, 22–40, 143–257, 456 Cole and Smith (1998). Supra p. 9. Cole and Smith (1998). Ibid   p. 22. Cole and Smith (1998). Ibid   p. 23. Cole and Smith (1998). Ibid   p. 22. Open Society Institute (2002) Majority of Americans Think U.S. Criminal Justice System is Broken, Ineffective; See Need for Change. Soros Foundation Network. Available at http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/news/systembroken_20020213 Smith, Leslie J (2003). Ibid Smith, M. E. (Ed.) (1996). Who wants an effective crime policy and can deliver one? In campaign for an effective crime policy. Crime and Politics in the 1990s: Three Perspectives. Washington, D.C.: Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy. Smith, (1996). Supra Zhao, J. and Q. C. Thurman (1997). Community policing: where are we now? Crime and Delinquency, 43(3), 345–357. Zhao and Thurman. Supra p. 345 Zhao and Thurman. Supra p. 345–347 Cole and Smith (1998). Ibid; Petersilia, J. (2000). When Prisoners Return to the Community: Political, Economic, and Social Consequences, Sentencing and Corrections: Issues for the 21st Century, November. Washington, D.C.: US Department of Justice; Hahn, (1998). Ibid Smith, Leslie J (2003). Ibid Smith, Leslie J (2003). Ibid, Savelsberg, Joachim J., Lara L. Cleveland, Ryan D. King (June 2004). Institutional Environments and Scholarly Work: American Criminology, 1951-1993. Social Forces 82(4): p1275-1302 American Bar Association (2003). Summary of the American Bar Associations Report on the Federalization of Criminal Law. Available at http://www.localsov.com/abuses/justice/abasum.htm American Bar Association (2003). Supra American Bar Association (2003). Supra Stanford Encyclopeadia of Philosophy (2005). Punishment. Retrieved 4th April 2007 from http://plato.stanford.edu/ Von Hirsch, A. (1996). Doing justice: the choice of punishments. Criminal Justice, 3, 147–152. Von Hirsch (1996). Supra p. 147 Bibliography American Bar Association (2003). Summary of the American Bar Associations Report on the Federalization of Criminal Law. Available at http://www.localsov.com/abuses/justice/abasum.htm Beck, A. and P. Paige (2001). Prisoners in 2000. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, US Department of Justice, August. Bedau, H. A., 2001, Feinbergs Liberal Theory of Punishment, Buffalo Criminal Law Review, 5, pp. 103-44. Camon , Alessandro (2005). Guilty! Online Essay available at http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2005/06/14/jackson_essay/index.html Cole, George F., Christopher E. Smith (2005). Criminal Justice in America. Thomson. County of Santa Barbara, CA (2003). PR Michael Jackson. Press release. Available at http://www.countyofsb.org/da/documents/PR-Michael%20Jackson.pdf The Michael Jackson File – From Superstar to Suspect, Complete Coverage of Trouble in Neverland. E! Online: available at http://www.eonline.com/Features/Features/JacksonNews/index.html Walker, Samuel (1992). Origins of the Contemporary Criminal Justice Paradigm: The American Bar Foundation Survey, 1953-1969. Justice Quarterly 9(1). Savelsberg, Joachim J., Lara L. Cleveland, Ryan D. King (June 2004). Institutional Environments and Scholarly Work: American Criminology, 1951-1993. Social Forces 82(4): p1275-1302 Richard C. Hanes and Sharon M. Hanes (2005). Crime and Punishment in America. Volume 1. Thomas Gale. Farmington Hills, MI Stanford Encyclopeadia of Philosophy (2005). Punishment. Retrieved 4th April 2007 from http://plato.stanford.edu/ Open Society Institute (2002) Majority of Americans Think U.S. Criminal Justice System is Broken, Ineffective; See Need for Change. Soros Foundation Network. Available at http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/news/systembroken_20020213 Kraska, Peter B (ed) (2001). Militarizing the American Criminal Justice System: The Changing Roles of the Armed Forces and the Police. Northeastern University Press. Jackson not guilty. CNN News Report posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005. Available at http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/13/jackson.trial/index.html/ Olsen, Eric (2005). Michael Jackson Trial: Closing Arguments Begin. BC Magazine, posted on 2nd June. Jackson Juror Sues Over Book Deal. Contact Music (2005). Available at http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/jackson%20juror%20sues%20over%20book%20deal Nutley, Sandra and Huw T.O. Davies (1999). The Rise and Fall of Evidence in Criminal Justice. Public Money Management, January-March. Smith, Leslie J (2003). The Organizational Environment and Its Influence on State Criminal Justice Systems Within The United States And The Offender Re-Integration Process. Criminal Justice Studies, Vol. 16(2), Pp.97–112. Weich, Ronald and Carlos Angulo (2000). Justice on Trial: Racial Disparities in the American Criminal Justice System. Report prepared for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Leadership Conference Education Fund. Cole, G. F. and C. E. Smith (1998). The American System of Criminal Justice, 8, 22–40, 143–257, 456 Hahn, P. H. (1998). Emerging Trends in Criminal Justice, 10–11:158–160. Kolfas, J., S. Stojkovic, and D. Kalinich (1990). Defining the environment of the criminal justice system. Criminal Justice Organizations Administration and Management. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, pp. 18–30 Petersilia, J. (2000). When Prisoners Return to the Community: Political, Economic, and Social Consequences, Sentencing and Corrections: Issues for the 21st Century, November. Washington, D.C.: US Department of Justice. Smith, M. E. (Ed.) (1996). Who wants an effective crime policy and can deliver one? In campaign for an effective crime policy. Crime and Politics in the 1990s: Three Perspectives. Washington, D.C.: Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy. US Department of Justice (National Institute of Corrections) (2002). Guidelines for Developing a Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, January. US Department of Justice (Bureau of Justice Statistics) (2002). Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, June [On-Line serial] NCJ 193427, pp. 1–16. Von Hirsch, A. (1996). Doing justice: the choice of punishments. Criminal Justice, 3, 147–152. Zhao, J. and Q. C. Thurman (1997). Community policing: where are we now? Crime and Delinquency, 43(3), 345–357.

Authentic materials as supplementary materials

Authentic materials as supplementary materials Plagiarism is a practice that involves the using of another persons intellectual output and presenting it as ones own. This includes the presentation of work that has been copied, in whole or part, from other sources (including other students work, published books or periodicals, or unpublished works or unauthorized collaboration with other persons), without due acknowledgement. A student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to some or all of the following: Referral to Course Coordinator for: counseling; submission of further work; use of the services of Student Learning Unit; the placing of a record of the alleged infringement on the students file. 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Signed: ___________ ____________ Dated: / / How to submit Your assignment Students are required to submit their assignment to their lecturer. This should be done in class, but can be done via email or via the mail with prior agreement from the lecturer. Students should ensure they are aware of how and when to submit their assignment by checking with their lecturer before the due date. How to Collect Your Marked Assignment Your work should be collected from the lecturer in class or from the VU-HANU Program Coordinator in HCM City, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha or in Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thai Ha. If work is not returned in class or prior to the end of semester please contact your lecturer or the program coordinator (Mr. Martyn Brogan ) More information about Plagiarism is available from the Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development Student Information Website: http://www.vu.edu.au/Faculties_and_TAFE/Arts_Education_and_Human_Development/Current_Students/Undergraduates/Faculty_Student_Forms/indexdl_88408.aspx TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Introduction Research questions CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW Text book 2.1.1 Textbook Description 2.1.2 Textbook Evaluation 2.2 Authentic materials for ESP course book 2.2.4. The role of reading materials 2.2.1. Definition of authentic materials 2.2.2. The role of authentic materials 2.2.3. Advantages of authentic materials 2.2.5. The criteria of selecting reading authentic materials 2.3. Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program 2.3.1. Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program 2.3.2. Post-reading activities 2.4. Motivations 2.4.1. Definition of motivation 2.4.2. Factors effecting motivation CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Kind of research 3.2 Participants 3.2.1 The researcher 3.2.2 Selection of the subject 3.3 Data collection instruments CHAPTER IV: RESULD AND DISCUSSION OF THE DATA 4.1 Comparison of experimental and control groups reading proficiency after the experiment 4.2 Comparison of economics reading proficiency in the pre-test and post- test 4.3 Comparison of economic reading proficiency between two classes 4.4 Subjects preference of the post reading activities 4.5 Attitude to the post reading activities 4.6 Discussion and implication CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: The Pre-Test and Post-Test Appendix 2: Answer to the pre-test and post-test Appendix 3: The post program questionnaires Appendix 4: Result of the pretest and posttest ABSTRACT This research was carried out at faculty of economics at Luong The Vinh Univesity (LTV) to prove the assumption that authentic materials could enhance motivation of economic students in reading proficiency. Fifty 3rd year economics students at the faculty of economics at LTV University divided in to two groups serve as the subjects for this research. The target class uses the Market Leader- Pre- Intermediate as the course book with authentic materials as a supplement. The other class uses Market Leader- Pre- Intermediate as course book only. The research was conducted in the twelfth week of the syllabus with three teaching hours (of forty-five minutes each) per week. Authentic materials were the reading texts selected from different sources and were chosen by the researcher at the faculty of English and ensured of reliability. The same topics, similar types of exercise and teaching methods were designed by the researcher to evaluate proficiency levels of students in the 2 groups and to use them as evidence for the reliability of the assumption. The researcher uses pre-test, post-test and questionnaire as data collection instruments. Results from the experiment prove that the target grou p with authentic materials as supplementary materials to the course book was the group where student motivation in reading was significantly enhanced. The results of the research state that the role played by authentic materials in language classes, particularly in English for Specific Purpose (ESP) class was of great significance. Authentic supplementary reading materials are hoped to be used for the third- year students at economics faculty at LTV in the near future. With the result of this research, it is recommended that authentic materials should be used for English classes in general and third- year ESP classes in particular at economics faculty at LTV University. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction In Viet Nam, English for Specific Purpose (ESP) has long been considered as an important subject because of its practicality-related demand. To meet the demand of the real economic-social life, ESP is used in the curriculum of Vietnamese universities and colleges and Luong The Vinh University is no exception. At the University, ESP courses in different discipline areas such as Economics, Construction Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Foreign language and Tourism, Informatics Technology, and Agricultural sciences are taught with strong interests from the discipline students. In response to these interests of the students much attention has been paid to the use of ESP text books and materials that develop professional skills. Robinson , Nunan, (1991) assert that materials in general play a key part in language learning. Materials not only provide learners a wide range of useful and fascinating information but they also can play a part in enhancing learners motivation- one of the ess ential issues in language learning- thus, facilitating their acquisition (Dudley- Evan St John, 1998, Nonaka, 2001). However, collecting materials that best serve the learners interests and needs is an obstacle for many teachers. There arise such questions related to this obstacle as what teaching materials should be selected? Where a teacher should start? What a teacher should do to boost the motivation of the students and whether authentic materials boost motivation of students in reading. These questions should be considered as authentic materials can surely provide students with fresh knowledge, expose them to the world of authentic language, while they can bring the real world into the classroom and enliven the class (Martinez, (2002), Kaprova, (1999), Leloup Ponterio, (2000), Dumitrescu, (2000) ) The aim of this research is to investigate the role of authentic materials in enhancing third- year-students motivation in classes for non-English majored students, to be more specific, students of economics at LTV University. To investigate ways to motivate third- year economics students at LTV University to read by using authentic supplementary reading materials and To give recommendations on how to use authentic reading materials efficiently. To enhance economics students English reading proficiency and suggest ways to motivate the teaching of ESP in general and ESP reading in particular at LTV University as well as other universities that share the same mandate. The specific objectives of this research are as follows: to investigate the effects of the authentic supplementary materials on the students reading proficiency level. to find out about the students attitude to the use of authentic materials as a means to enhance motivation of students in post reading activities. This research is organized in 5 chapters, with a list of references and appendices. Chapter one: Introduction and research questions Chapter two: Literature review Chapter three: Methodology Chapter four: Findings and discussions Chapter five: Conclusion Research question Question 1: To test the assumption if there is a significant difference between the English reading proficiency level of the control group (students who do the course with the textbook only) and those of the target group (students who do the course with the textbook plus supplementary authentic materials). Question 2: To test the assumption of the role of authentic materials in enhancing students motivation in reading activities. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW English Reading Textbook 2.1.1 Textbook Description At LTV University, Market Leader Pre-Intermediate is the text book used for third year students of economics. This course book is written by Cotton. D., Falvey. D., Kent S. The course book consists of twelve units which can be completed in thirty two weeks with three periods of forty-five minutes per week in eight 4 per week 45 minutes class period each. The total time of 120 periods is divided equally in to two terms of the academic year. Third year economic students complete 4 periods and each period lasts 45minutes a week. The usual format of each unit is coherence among Starting up, Vocabulary, Discussion, Reading, Listening, Languages, Skill, and Case study. The book also contains four revision units, based on materials covered in the preceding three course book units. This course book is intended for pre-intermediate students taking the course of English in Economics. By the end of the term, students are designed to acquire and develop essential business communication skills: 1 Getting for information and note taking. 2- Making presentation, taking part in meetings, negotiating, telephoning, and using English in social situations. 3- Scanning and skimming, learning and increasing business vocabulary. Students are required to read book able to participate in class regularly and involve in the lessons, to do mid-term test at week 8th and the final test at the end of the term. 2.1.2 Textbook Evaluation Mentioning the issue of evaluating the textbooks Nunan (1988) provides his reader with valuable data resulting from evaluation, which may assist them in deciding whether a course needs to be modified or altered in someway; therefore adequate objectives may be achieved more effectively. According to Cunningsworth (1995: 15-17), there are four general guidelines with special emphasis on the syllabus and methodology such as the following. Guideline one: Course books should correspond to learners needs. They should match the aims and objectives of the language learning program. Guideline two: Course books should reflect the uses (present and future) which learners will make of the language. Select course books which will help to equip students to use language effectively for their own purposes. Guideline three: Course books should take account of the students the needs as learners and should facilitate their learning processes, without dogmatically imposing a rigid method Guideline four: Course book should have a clear role as a support for learning. Like teachers, textbooks mediate between the target language and the learners. Looking at the English textbook being used at the LTV University, it is found that the main aims of the course book Market leader- pre-intimidate is to offer opportunities for either students or businesspeople to improve their English communication skills in general, their English for business purpose in particular. According to Richards and Rodgers, (1986: 66), the nature of communicative approaches is to (a) make communicative competence the goal of language teaching and (b) develop procedures for the teaching of the four languages skills that acknowledge the interdependence of language and communication.. To realize these (ie. communicative competence and interdependence between language and communication), the course book being used at LTV University functions as the major supplier of teaching materials in 12 topic-based units and four revision units. Each unit consists of language review and vocabulary development activities. Additionally, key business functions are focused on a regular basis and students can practice the language which they have learned during the unit in the section on Case Study. In sum, the textbook is essential for teachers, business men and business students to cater for their needs. With regard to students following the course at LTV University, third- year economics students have studied some economic majors since they are students majoring in economics. Reading texts in the course book seem to be not challenging to them (as it is easy for them to acquaint themselves with English economic terms and vocabularies related to economics). However, evaluating the Textbook which is currently used for teaching ESP at LTV University is needed for ESP teachers to identify the strengths and weakness of a currently used textbook. 2.2. Authentic materials for ESP course book 2.2.1. The role of reading materials To all Vietnamese students in classes for non-language majors in general and to economics students at Luong The Vinh University in particular, reading is a task that they do everyday, it is an integral part of their work to pass the exam or to improve their knowledge. Karlin Kartin, (1998:2) states that Reading without reading comprehension is meaningless. Alderson (2000) defines reading as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦an enjoyable, intensive, private activity, from which much pleasure can be derived, and in which one can become totally absorbed. How to collect materials plays an important part in developing reading skill. Referring to materials Alderson (2000: 28) defines reading materials as anything which is used to help to teach language learners.. Brown (1985: 139) defines materials as any systematic description of the techniques and exercises to be used in classroom teaching. If the materials are interesting to students, they will be far more likely to want to read them. Dudley-Evans St Jo hn (1998:171) show some reasons why materials are used: (i) as a sort of language: (ii) as a learning sport: (iii) for motivation: (iv) for references. Materials then play a crucial role in exposing learners to the language, which implies that the materials need to present real language, as it is used, and the full range that learners requires. 2.2.2. Definition of authentic materials Wallace (1992: 145) defines authentic text as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦real-life text, not written for pedagogic purposes. (p.145), it is used for native speakers and contains genuine language. According to Peacock (1997) authentic materials are materials that have been produced to fulfill some social purposes in language communities. It means that they are aimed for learning proposes. Richards (2001) holds that authentic materials refer to the use in teaching of text, photographs, videos selection, and other teaching recourse that were not specially prepared for educational purposes. There are many different viewpoints which view authentic materials from different angles but all the authors share things in common in their definitions: Authentic materials refer to exposure to real language and its use in its own community, appropriateness and quality in terms of goals, objectives, learner needs, interest and naturalness in terms of realized and meaningful communication. 2.2.3. Advantages of authentic materials There are a number of books and journals which refer to the advantages of using authentic materials, especially in ESP brand. Firstly, authentic materials have a positive effect on learner motivation. One of the main motivations for learning a new language is to get closer to native speaker, to understand them better and to take part in their lives, authentic materials strongly utilize this motivation by their linguistic gentility and flavour of everyday life. Authentic text can be motivating because they prove that the language is used for real life purpose by real people. Nuttall (1996:172). When students are highly motivated, they prefer to work with authentic materials, finding it more interesting, more up to date than the text book. They can produce a sense of achievement (Martinez, 2002) Secondly, authentic materials provide exposure to real language. Many authors who support the use of authentic materials have shared idea of authentic materials: that are authentic materials provide students with language exposure- the benefit students get from being exposed to the language in authentic materials (Martinez, 2002). Authentic materials give students more chance to gain real information and real-to-life language that help bring the real world into the classroom. Authentic materials and media can reinforce for student the direct relationship between the language classroom and the outside world (Briton, 1991). The link between the classroom and real world enables students to comprehend the relationship between learning and practicing. Thirdly, authentic materials provide authentic cultural information. Authentic texts bring learners closer to the target language culture with the materials of native speaker. Books, articles, newspapers, and so on also contain a wide variety of text types, language styles not easily found in conventional teaching materials (Martinez, 2002) Because of these benefits, authentic materials result in an overall increase in motivation, a more positive attitude towards learning as well as active involvement and interest in the subject matter. 2.2.5. The criteria of selecting reading authentic materials Three main criteria for selecting text suggested by Nuttal (1996:170) are useful in application of selecting authentic reading materials. Firstly, authentic reading materials are selected on the basis of suitability of content, which means that authentic reading texts should be suitable to learners age, background knowledge, interest and need. Authentic materials should interest the readers by providing new, interesting information through natural and learnable language that suits the course objectives. Furthermore, it should be the type of material that students will use outside of the class for enhancing students reading skill. They should fit the proficiency level of students; the input should be challenging enough to sustain their motivation so materials which are compatible to the proficiency levels of the students or slightly above the level of students should be collected. Kennedy and Bolitho (1984) strongly suggest the use of authentic materials appropriate to the conceptual level of learners. Authentic reading materials should be used in accordance with ability of students, with suitable tasks so they feel mor e confident more secure when handing authentic materials. They are designed not only for the purpose of entertainment but also for practice of reading skill as well. They should be applicable to the students knowledge of their foreign culture or to their functional needs. Secondly, authentic reading materials should match up with the criterion of readability. This refers to the combination of structure and lexical difficulty. It is important to know at which level the students language proficiency is in order to find out about what vocabulary and structures the students are familiar with and choose authentic reading materials at the right level balancing different levels of proficiency. How to choose materials appropriate to students is suggested by Widdowson (1990: 67) as follows: It has been traditionally supposed that the language presented to learners should be simplified in some ways for easy access and acquisition. (p. 67) besides, the sources of authentic reading materials are infinite. Teachers can collect them from the most common sources such as; internet, television, magazines, newspapers, literature and mammal but some of them are full of errors, typos, and spelling mistakes so teachers should check the quality of the materials while selec ting and consider the organization of the text are clear and the content appropriate with the text or not. More important, the impression authentic reading materials should make is: the students feel that they are interacting with quality materials because there is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦an essential interaction between language and thoughtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Goodman (1988: 12) Thirdly, authentic materials should meet the criterion of exploitability. These materials should facilitate learning. Authentic reading texts will be exploited if it can develop ESP reading skills with various kinds of activities that are designed not only for the purpose of entertainment but also for language practice. Davies (1984:192) gives an interesting explanation of what an authentic material really is: It is not that a text is understood because it is authentic but that it is authentic because it is understood. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Everything the learner understands is authentic for him. 2.3 Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program 2.3.2 Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program Nuttall (1996) regards an extensive reading program (ERP) as the single most effective way of improving skills in general. An extensive reading brings in students to be dynamic of reading as it is done in real life by including such key elements of real life reading as choice and purpose. And in fact, authentic materials have been defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦real life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes Wallace (1992) They are, therefore, written for native speaker and contain the real. Hedge (2000) indicates, before any training in the use of authentic materials can be effective, it may be the case that a certain level of language competence is necessary. Since reading extensively with authentic materials are the preeminent choice for the third year economics students who study English with a bit authentic environment. 2.3.3 Post-reading activities Post reading activities provide students a good chance to review, summarize, and react to the reading passage. Williams (1984), Greenwood (1988), and Jacob (2002)s hold that the purposes of the post reading stage, is (i) to consolidate or reflect upon what have been read, (ii) to relate the text to the learners own knowledge, interest, or view. Davies (2000) offers some activities in the final stage: discussing what is new or interesting in the text, discussing or debating the topic of the text if it is controversial; doing tasks on the language or the structure of the text, summarizing the text either orally or in writing. Jordan (1997:143) states that ESP students read for a purpose. To achieve the goal, the ESP teacher, should provide the students with different sub- reading skill though a big variety of reading activities dealing with contextual differences, rephrasing. The activities are engendered by the text and are used to extend its potential for meaningful language work, a variety of exercises follow the post reading selection. These are intended to help students acquire English reading skill. The exercises may be Asking students to do the close exercises which relates the text to individual personal details Asking students to summarize the economic reading text to list some sentences encouraging students to perform their ability about finding out the main ideas of the text, and make them possible to express their ideas in their own of words. Asking students to present what they have learned from the text in order to together make plans, monitor and review its progress. Asking student to write business letters or reports which activities provide an opportunity for students to apply their new vocabulary to an authentic and personally relevant. Asking students to play a role so as to persuade audients to involve in the activities. It is an important stage which assists students in linking up what they have read with their background knowledge and experience. Greenwood (1988) regards this stage as stimulating students reflection upon what has been read and enabling them to expand, and reinforce their perception. 2.4 Motivation So far, the role of motivation in second language learning has been the concern of many language researchers. They all agree that learners with positive attitudes towards the subject and high motivation are more likely to be successful when learning a second language. 2.4.1 Definition of motivation Crookes and Schmidt (1991) indicated that motivation is the learners desire that relates to the goal of learning a second language. In the same vein, Dornyei and Ottà ³ (1998) assert that motivation energizes human being and provides direction. Brown (2000: 160) adds motivation is some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something. Although motivation is very difficult to define in second language field, the main characteristics of motivation can be summarized as: (i) attitudes towards the learning a language, (ii) the desire to learn a language and (iii) motivational intensity. 2.4.2 Factors effecting motivation According to Oxford and Shearin (1994) there are twelve motivational theories or models, including those from social- psychology, cognitive development, and social cultural psychology, and identified six factors that impact motivation in language learning. Attitude Belief about your self Goals Involvement Environmental support Personal attributes Based on our discussion with colleagues, we learn that these factors are interrelated and if one of the factors is positively effected, all the other factors will accordingly be influenced and motivation is therefore increased. CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 3.1 Kind of research In order to achieve the aim of the research, pre-experimental research is used by the researcher. Pre- experimental research used in this study is to find out how much students reading motivation improved with time and to investigate the effect of authentic materials on enhancing motivation of students in reading. Nunan (1990) stresses that experiments are often carried out exploring the strength of the relationship between the variables. Salkind (2006) points out those casual relationships between variables may be established with this type of research. 3.2 Participants 3.2.1 The researcher The researcher has been an experienced teacher of English for 8 years and been teaching English for business for more than four years 3.2.2 The selection of the subjects Fifty 3rd year economics students at faculty of economics, LTV University were divided into two groups as subjects for the experiment. They are both males and females aged from 20 to 22. They come from different provinces in Viet Nam especially many of them are from the southern area of the Red River Delta in the North of Viet Nam. They all had similar educational background. These students have been acquired the equal background knowledge and skills of English by studying General English for two years in a 240 hour teaching programme at the university. New Headway Elementary and Pre- intermediate has been adopted for the syllabus. In the third year, they have learnt ESP for four months before the experiment. Data collection instruments The experiments were carried out in two classes, which are called target group and control group. The target group uses Market Leader- Pre- Intermediate as course book and authentic materials as supplement The control group uses Market Leader- Pre- Intermediate as course book only. The research was conducted in the 12 weeks programmer with three teaching hours of forty-five minutes each. The researcher used the T-test to find out the mean (M), the standard deviation (Sd), and the ratio of each group to analyze the data collected from the research. The data needed were taken from a test which is used to identify the students achievements. The information on the students reading proficiency, motivation and attitude towards the evaluation were collected by a pre-test, and a post-test. The researcher uses the same test before and after the experiment to measure exactly the different level of reading proficiency of two groups before and after the experiment. The tests were taken from www.about.com and Cambridge University. The test is focus on such specific reading skill as Guessing vocabulary from the context Matching a word with its appropriate definition Comprehension Multichoice The test consists of 40 questions divided in to 4 part based in topic of economic plan, deliveries and suppliers, economic terms, business people. The period between the pre-test and post-test was 12 weeks. The time allowance for each test is 60 minutes and the test was delivered for both groups and then collected and graded by the researcher. Firstly, the researcher gave students a pre-test to find out about their level of reading proficiency without using authentic supplementary materials. A Post test was given to the students to find out about how much students improved the motivation in reading with time and to investigate the effect of authentic materials on enhancing motivation of students in reading from the research. Beside the tests, questionnaires were also used as data collection instruments so as to evaluate the experimenter techniques were used of the researcher and the materials. Questionnaires also were collected; the data of the questionnaires were only gathered in experiment class. Brown (1995) suggests that questionnaires are more efficient for gathering information on a large scale than other approach. The questionnaire consists of 12 questions divided in to four sections. The first section consists of 3 questions in order to get information on the attitude of stud