Statement of the Problem. There is a growing issue of cyclical violence in Champaign county’s homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Parents and families in the affected areas are requesting affordable, accessible & intensive programs for their male sons. While there are existing programs, the problem of gun violence continues to grow, and necessitate more services to meet the need. Program Sponsors: CU Trauma Resiliency Initiative and participating schools. Program Description & Design: ● Participants. We will recruit at least 6 at-risk males per month, to complete a 4 day in person, weekend/evening Manhood Training Camp Curriculum, at 4 hours per session. ● Families. We will provide consent to services forms, authorization of release forms, permission forms, and ongoing support services to parents in the form of gift cards. ● Junior Leaders. We will provide a referral fee of $20 to all youth who bring a natural support or peer to their class. Young men who complete the training to a high level, will become paid leaders of Vision to Succeed, at $20/hour and will teach the curriculum to their peers on the weekends, and provide leadership to peers at school. ● Curriculum. Week 1: Self Discovery Stage. Week 2: Game Planning Stage. Week 3: Action Stage. Week 4: Fruition. Level Up Opportunity: Junior Mentor, Ongoing Support Services, Wraparound. ● Location. Ujima Retreat Center in Urbana, various businesses for trips. ● Evidence-Based Model: READI Chicago, with a 32% reduction in shootings & homicides. ● Evaluation. School grades, number of discipline referrals, attendance, and parent feedback. Funding Breakdown $44,337 ● Program Management $19,000 ● Trips $10,877 ● Support Services $6,900 ● Junior Leader Pay & Referral Fees $5,240 ● Summer Programming $1,600 ● Transportation $720 Implementation, Linkages & Collaborations Program Planners: Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xx., Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,Xxxxx Xxxxx
Statement of the Problem. A teacher is not just another employee in an institution who is supposed to follow orders and directives. On the contrary, a teacher is supposed to be a “reflective, self- determining, lifelong learning practitioner with high-professional autonomy” (Surgrue, 2011 as cited in Xxxxxx & Höstfält, 2013, p.58). Teachers nowadays are constantly struggling with the dilemma of whether to act as professional teachers, which implies being in charge of many crucial decisions taken in and outside the classroom, or to do what is required of them: follow the school guidelines and standard state curriculum (Xxxxxx & Höstfält, 2013). Apart from such extrinsic reasons as low salaries and lack of fringe benefits, teachers also leave schools for such intrinsic reasons as need for personal growth, desire for philosophy of education and lack of respect and recognition for their efforts (Xxxxx, 1996 as cited in Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxx, 2006). In Kazakhstan, not much is known about whether these intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect teachers’ motivation and job satisfaction. Thus, my study aimed to explore any existing links between teacher autonomy or lack thereof and teachers’ job satisfaction and motivation.
Statement of the Problem. Interpersonal relationships are a fundamental aspect of patient care. It is even more important to establish a nurse-patient relationship when caring for client on long-term care in nursing homes or residential home care. It is assumed that after a period of time nurses gain some unique and useful experiences of how to create and sustain nurse-patient relationships. The statement of the problem will therefore be: “What are the experiences of the nurses in attaining interpersonal relations with the elderly in residential home care and nursing homes?”
Statement of the Problem. Such substantial attention by the Kazakhstani government to its top-performing individuals could be questioned in terms of its benefit to the growth of human capital. Unfortunately, international assessments do not confirm the positive effects of involving the top-performing students to improve the position of Kazakhstan in PISA competition, due to the lower performance of Kazakhstani students compared to their peers from other countries (OECD, 2014, p. 106). Kazakhstan had 881 school-aged winners of international science competitions in 2010 but only 0.2% of its 15-year-olds scored at the top two levels of PISA science assessments in 2012, compared to the OECD average of 8.4% (OECD, 2014, p.106). Furthermore, OECD experts argue that this unequal grouping of academically high and low performing students is partly the result of teachers’ interest in preparing students for Olympiads in order to get bonuses and incentives in case their students are prize- winners (OECD, 2014, p. 105). However, there is accumulated research evidence that this segregated and highly specialized approach to the education of gifted students can result in academically weaker students who are frequently neglected and ‘pensioned off’, instead of looking for better ways to disclose their potential or reverse that potential (Xxxxx, 2008; Xxxxxxxx, 2012; Xxxxxxxxxxx-Xx et al., 2020). According to Xxxxxx (2001), the reason for the poor performance of gifted students should be scrutinized and requires some theoretical knowledge from a teacher to understand it (p.47). For example, a student might have difficulties understanding the instructions due to his or her developmental domains, while this learner could be an expert on bugs although he or she does not have good reading skills (Little, 2001, p.47). Specifically, NIS provides every student with access to high standard academic programs and curriculum developed in cooperation with local and Cambridge experts aimed at preparing students equipped with 21st-century skills (NIS Annual Report 2017). Despite a short history, these schools are considered to be top-performing, where each individual student is under the close supervision of experienced and selected teachers. It should be noted that, in order to be admitted to such schools, students should pass a screening examination developed by CITY specialists, which means students are tested in Math and logical tasks as well as in their knowledge of three languages: Kazakh, Russian and Engli...
Statement of the Problem. Professional development is a pivotal part of the educational process and the quality of teaching and consequently student performance directly depends on teacher’s professionalism (Xxxx, Xxxxxxx, Herczynski, Kheyfets, Lockheed & Xxxxxxxx, 2015). The challenge of teacher professional development is essential for Kazakhstani schools as “teachers themselves identify a lack of teacher qualifications as a barrier to effective teaching and learning” (OECD, 2014, p.159). Hence, enhancement of teacher professional development might be rather costly. Schools cannot always afford to allocate money for PD courses or send all teachers to study abroad. International studies (Xxxxxx, 2013; Xxxxxxxxx, 2004) claim that mentoring is one of the cost- efficient ways of enhancing teacher professional development. Mentorship may provide a possibility to obtain professional knowledge in a workplace without any additional expenses. Moreover, mentoring provides a significant opportunity to retain young teachers in schools and increase job satisfaction (Long, 1997). Currently, Kazakhstan is facing an issue of teacher shortage (OECD, 2014), as university graduates choose other, more lucrative professions. Low salaries and a lack of prestige or public support for the teaching profession are reasons for why young people choose not to enter the profession. Though there is limited research in Kazakhstan, countries including Australia and the United States have found that, troublingly, many new teachers who enter the profession leave it within three years (Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx, 1999; Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxx, 2004). Therefore, it is crucial that Kazakhstani school administrators and government officials create a positive, supportive environment, which encourages teachers to develop their methodological and practical skills and stay in the profession. Research has shown that new teachers who have the opportunity to work with more experienced mentors report better outcomes in professional and personal spheres and are more likely to remain in the profession past the three-year mark. However, according to Xxxx (2012) only 20% of new teachers receive mentoring support during their first teaching year. Exploring different ways to expand mentorship programs in schools, with tangible benefits for both mentors and mentees could help reduce the number of novice teachers lost from the school system each year in Kazakhstan. Nonetheless, there is limited research-based evidence regarding to the extent which me...
Statement of the Problem. As educators, we believe that student learning is a primary goal of education. Yet, how do we know that learning is taking place? How do we know if curricular changes have been successful? Just as we require evidence to make mindful decisions or data to confirm/disconfirm research hypotheses, assessment data helps determine whether educational objectives have been met (Xxxxx, 2011). In this context, assessment can be defined as ‘‘the systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs for the purpose of improving student learning and development” (Armenakis, 2007, p. 488). Two important elements in this definition are assessment focused on improving student outcomes, and assessment used to gather information about the effectiveness of utilizing research-based instructional strategies while delivering the curriculum. How do instructional leaders inspire educators to change and revisit their practices in order to provide a quality education with appropriate rigor for a higher percentage of student success? Is it worthwhile to consider changing the instruction presented to students the first time students are introduced to the curriculum to ensure it is the best it can be to support their learning and success? Research-based, effective instructional strategies can be found, learned and implemented for the purpose of increasing positive student achievement by engaging students’ cognitive abilities; however, teachers remain resistant and stubborn in changing their practices (Fullan, 1996). Instruction will not change on its own. In order for significant change to occur, principals as instructional leaders and coaches of professional development, must support and assist teachers in adopting new instructional practices (XxXxxx, 1991). Productive, well-orchestrated change efforts allow organizations to adapt to shifting conditions and position themselves for a better future (Senge, 2012).
Statement of the Problem. As there are many common myths concerning gender stereotypes and education such as females having challenges in maths or physics rather than males, and male students not being as successful as female students in humanities subjects (Xxxx & Xxxxx, 2012). Many research studies have sought to investigate the factors associated with differences in attainment levels between girls and boys with varying results (Xxxxxxxxx, 2000). These factors have been proposed to be biological in nature, culturally influenced, or even as the result of limited opportunities. These common myths still persist today and research has shown that they can influence the practices of teachers and how they perceive the academic potential of their students (Jussim, 1989; Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx, 1992; Xxxxxxxxx, 1995; Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx, 1998). Thus, it is important to understand the attitudes and the perspective of teachers in Kazakhstan, particularly the opinion of those in single-gender schools as often they have worked in other educational contexts in order to gain a clearer picture of the factors that influence their beliefs and practices. Single-gender schools in Kazakhstan provide full engagement of both genders in all subjects (scientific and humanities). As there is little research on this topic in Kazakhstan and Central Asia in general, it will be useful to provide a more in-depth understanding of the beliefs and attitudes of teachers toward gender and education and educational attainment in this context.
Statement of the Problem. At its essence, mathematical thinking consists largely of reasoning about structure and relationship, or diagrammatic reasoning (Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx, 2005; Xxxxxxx, 2001, 2005; Xxxxxxxx, 2005, 2007; Xxxxxx, 1991; Xxxx, 2011, pp. 276–278). Thus it is perhaps unsurprising that diagrams and diagramming are central features of the mathematics curricula of countries whose students repeatedly rank highest on international mathematics assessments, as the table in Appendix A shows. Singapore Math, for example, is the national curriculum of top-ranking Singapore, and throughout the curriculum arithmetic, prealgebra, and early algebra are structured to be taught, learned and performed via diagrams and diagramming. Due to Singapore’s repeated international ranking as first or second in mathematics, Singapore Math has garnered much attention, with one U.S. writer even referring to it as “Miracle Math” (Garelick, 2006). As appealing as the notion of a miracle math might be, it would be a "technocratic" and "somewhat simplistic" view to deem didactic materials as “somehow miraculously [able to] develop mathematical knowledge” (Xxxxxxx, 2004, pp. 163-164). Didactical materials cannot work miraculously: They are “a means for setting ideas and intentions into teaching practice” (p. 163) and students do not appropriate ideas and intentions automatically (Xxxxxx, 2007). Rather, student appropriation of ideas and intentions requires acts of mutual interpretation on the parts of students and teachers (Biesta, 2007). For this reason, it is important for teachers to know the ideas and intentions behind didactic material. My initial survey of the literature reveals that some teachers have an incomplete understanding of the ideas and intentions behind bar diagramming and have incomplete models of or ways of interpreting bar diagramming. For instance, a research report detailing the adoption of Math in Focus® in Georgia’s Hall County school district documents such mixed experiences with and mixed sentiments about bar diagramming as the following (Badger, Spence, & Xxxxxxxx, 2010): • Many teachers stated that bar modeling, number bonds, and manipulatives were important approaches to xxxxxx students’ conceptual learning of mathematics rather than simply memorizing them. Some reported difficulties, however, to effectively teach word problems and bar modeling strategies thus presenting further challenges for students’ learning. (p. 71) • While a few teachers noted they were confident and...
Statement of the Problem. Attitudes of Kenyan teachers towards implementation of IE has been researched on and most of the studies indicate a positive attitude shown by the teachers (Odongo, 2016., Adoyo, 2017). They are ready to implement the change and embrace IE but “are particularly concerned about lack of resources that have an important implication for the initial teacher education/training in Kenya” (Odongo p. 19, 2016). Principals are teachers and educators too, therefore have a positive attitude towards implementation of IE too. However, most schools lack policy and legislation documents within their custody (Adoyo, 2017). This may slow down the implementation process and hinder transition to IE. Only one study includes an exploration of school principals’ attitudes towards inclusive education (Odongo, 2016). This study shows that school principals have a positive attitude towards IE but negative at the point of implementation. If the knowledge and attitude of principals is not explored then the implementation of the sector policy for learners and trainees with disability may not be a success as the principals hold the highest leadership positions in secondary schools; yet increase in school effectiveness has been closely associated with school leadership (Xxxxxxxx et al., 2008) and school culture for new teaching models and educational initiatives (Ainscow & Sandill, 2010).
Statement of the Problem. Clearly, from the foregoing discussion, there is the need to reduce the rigidity often associated with the creation of the SLA template. Due to technological evolutions, consumersí QoS requirements are also responding to this change. As a result, SLAs being sought presently are different from those sought in the past with consumers no longer being attracted to the high threshold levels in QoS metrics. Rather, consumers are now more interested in threshold values that directly and positively improve on tangible productivity enhancements. Thus, the traditional SLA creation approach where providers solely create or formulate the SLA template is no longer suitable as it leads to unachievable targets for the consumer. Such SLA templates are characterized by limited degree of customization as well as reflecting mostly on providerís objectives. This study, therefore, aims at improving on traditional approaches to SLA creation by incorporating customization into the specification of SLA templates. In view of the foregoing, this research proposes to investigate the following concepts:
(i) Formulation of flexible SLA templates that incorporates the interest of service providers and consumers.
(ii) Formulation of a method for the SLA template creation process that considers gradual consumer requirements changes. As a result, the following main research question arises:
(i) How can SLA templates be flexibly selected to reflect individual consumerís requirements? Sub questions that emanate from this main research question include:
a. How can an SLA framework that attempts to anticipate consumer QoS requirement changes be formulated?
b. How will the most appropriate template be selected among a list of alternatives?
