The Electroal College Essay -- essays research papers

When Americans vote, each and every vote is not counted, they are voting for the 538 individuals who make up the electoral College. Most states mete out their electoral vote to the prognosis who has won the popular vote. Let me emphasize, Most. The campaign for 2004 that was directed towards my generation was Vote or Die (MTV 2004), with haggling as strong as those, a person like myself, would assume my vote actually counted. But, as I learn more about politics, and the unscathed Electoral College process, I am stunned and quite aggravated. Honestly I would have probably not ran out and registered to vote, and voted for the first time in my life, if I had known that my vote really didnt matter. They do claim that every vote counts, but once again I must emphasize, most states award the electoral vote to the candidate that has won the popular vote. To me this means that even if all the votes of a particular state point to one candidate, it isnt guaranteed that the candidate that should plainly win the state actually will.I really do not support the Electoral College, I do believe if we allow a Constitutional Amendment to be passed to completely abolish the Electoral College it will open the doors to other requests that may challenge to abolish any one of our rights. Although I do believe there is something that can be done to make the Electoral College a little bit fairer where all of our voices can be heard.&nb...

Ronald Dworkins Liberal Morality Essay -- essays research papers fc

Dworkin begins by roughly defining liberalism according to the New Deal It combined an emphasis on less inequality and greater economic stability with more abundant policy-making and civil self-sufficiency for the groups campaigning for these goals. Dworkin states that such a definition is inadequate and goes on to elaborate on liberalism in more depth. The liberal, in economic policies, demands that the inequalities of wealth be reduced through social programs such as welfare and other redistribution financed by a progressive tax. Liberals also take a Keynesian policy toward the governments stabilizing intervention in the economy, such as controlling inflation and unemployment. And liberals support freedom of speech, racial equality and are suspicious of criminal law. Dworkin states that in a society, liberty and equality, the most important political ideals, often come into conflict with one another. In these cases, good government consists in the best compromise between the co mpeting ideals, but different politicians and citizens will affect that compromise differently. Liberals tend to favor equality more than liberty than conservatives do. But the former statement is a tricky one according to Dworkin because liberty, unlike equality, cannot be shown because we lack a concept of liberty that is quantifiable in the way that a demonstration would require. Because of this, it would be mistaken of us to state that conservatives favor liberty more t...

Causal Determinsim Essay -- Philosophy

Causal determinism is the concept that preceding causes give rise to everything which exists such that reality could be naught but what it is. Science depends on this desire as it aims to find generalisations about the conjunction of certain causes and effects and thus hold some power of prediction about their future co-occurrence. However, in military man interaction people assume each other to be responsible for their acts and not merely at the whim of causal laws. So the question which troubles philosophers is whether antecedent dictates entirely the course of human action or whether we as agents possess some free go away. I will argue that free will is an inescapable illusion of the mind, something which never did nor ever could exist under causal determinism.Compatiblists propose that free will and determinism coexist while to incompatibilists that would be impossible. If we are to decide for ourselves so firstly we must establish the meanings of causal determinism and f reedom of the will. Proponents of causal determinism contend that1.Every event has a cause2.Human actions constitute a sort of event3.Thus every human action has a cause4.Every action ever executed is nothing more than an inevitable resultant of the preceding conditions in the universeSo if causal determinism is true humans lack any capacity to choose or to will as nothing could ever be other than it is. (McFee. 2000, p. 21)Free will is a far more elusive notion. However authors seem to agree on a a few(prenominal) aspects of it. In his paper Has the Self Free Will? Campbell suggests that an effective free will is confined to the domain of moral decisions. He asserts that to exercise free will an agent must be sole author of an act, not simply yieldin... ...scapable illusion of the mind. Similarly to how Strawson argues the truth of determinism would not make agents any less chastely accountable, I believe the falseness of free will does not detract from its usefulness in cl arifying our mental narratives and explaining the origins of our actions.Works CitedFischer, J.M. (Ed.). (2005). Free Will small Concepts of Philosophy. Abingdon Routledge.McFee, G. (2000). Free Will. Teddington Acumen Publishing.Perry, J., Bratman, M. & Fischer, J.M. (2010). Introduction to Philosophy Classical and Contemporary Readings. (5th ed.). New York Oxford University Press.Perry, J., Bratman, M. & Fischer, J.M. 1998). Introduction to Philosophy Classical and Contemporary Readings. (3rd ed.). New York Oxford University Press.Campbell, C.A. (1957) On Selfhood and Godhood, London George, Allen & Unwin.

The Office Of Tomorrow :: Technology Predicting Business Office Essays

The Office of TomorrowIn an increasing number of companies, traditional office space is large-mindedway to community areas and empty chairs as employees work from home, from theircars or from virtually anywhere. Advanced technologies and progressive HRstrategies make these alternative offices possible.Imagine its 2 oclock on a Wednesday afternoon. Inside the dining roomof many nationwide offices, Joe Smith, manager of HR, is downing a sandwich andsoda while wading through band and E-mail messages. In front of him is acomputerequipped with a fax-modemis plugged into a special port on the diningtable. The contents of his briefcase are spread on the table. As he siftsthrough a stack of paperwork and types responses into the computer, heperiodi pressy picks up a cordless phone and places a call to a colleague orassociate. As he talks, he sometimes wanders across the room.To be sure, this isnt your ordinary corporate environment. Smithdoesnt have a perpetual desk or workspace, nor hi s own telephone. When heenters the ad agencys building, he checks out a portable Macintosh computer anda cordless phone and heads off to any(prenominal) nook or cranny he chooses. It mightbe the company library, or a common area under a bright window. It could nevertheless bethe dining room or Student Union, which houses punching bags, televisions and apool table. Wherever he goes, a network forwards mail and phone pages to him anda computer routes calls, faxes and E-mail messages to his assigned extension. Hesimply logs onto the firms computer system and accesses his security-protectedfiles.He is not tethered to a specific work area nor obligate to function in anypredefined way. Joe Smith spends mornings, and even sometimes an entire day,connected from home via sophisticated voicemail and E-mail systems, as well as apager. His work is process and task-oriented. As long as he gets everything done,thats what counts. Ultimately, his productivity is greater and his suppose-satisfact ion level is higher. And for somebody trying to get in clue with him,its easy. Nobody can tell that Joe might be in his car or sitting at homereading a stack of resumes in his pajamas. The call gets forwarded to himwherever hes working.Youve just entered the vast frontier of the virtual officea universein which leading-edge technology and new concepts redefine work and jobfunctions by enabling employees to work from virtually anywhere. The conceptallows a growing number of companies to change their workplaces in ways neverconsidered just a few years ago. Theyre scrapping assigned desks and

Employee Organisations & Unions Essay -- Business and Management Studi

Employee Organisations & UnionsIf employers and employees have a history of good working relationshipand mutual trust, reaching decisions, which are beautiful under thecircumstances, would be achievable. For example, if the business ispoor and redundancies are possible, it would be impossible to find asolution to suit everyone so the employer would have to make adifficult decision. Good relations between employers and employees areonly possible if both feel that they prat discuss major problems andanticipated changes, if there can be discussion and consultation aboutkey issues and if they genuinely want to work together to find asolution. After employees have been involved in a consultative processthey are usually more likely to accept a negotiated outcome.A mete out union is a voluntary organic law which employees are free tojoin if they wish. There may be a subscription charge depending onsize it varies from a very large association to a small association.Trade unions offer a r ange benefits and advisory services to members,represent their members during disciplinary or grievance proceduresand aim to protect and improve leave and conditions of employment. Theyapproach the government about introducing laws, which will benefitemployees.Staff associations do not automatically have the same legal rights asindependent trade unions, although many do. They may just provide aninformal meeting ground for employers and employees and often have ...

Employee Organisations & Unions Essay -- Business and Management Studi

Employee Organisations & UnionsIf employers and employees have a history of good working relationshipand mutual trust, reaching decisions, which be fair under thecircumstances, would be achievable. For example, if the business ispoor and redundancies are possible, it would be impossible to find asolution to suit everyone so the employer would have to institute adifficult decision. Good relations between employers and employees areonly possible if both feel that they can discuss major problems andanticipated changes, if in that respect can be discussion and consultation aboutkey issues and if they genuinely want to work together to find asolution. After employees have been problematic in a consultative processthey are usually more likely to accept a negotiated outcome.A trade union is a impulsive organisation which employees are free tojoin if they wish. There may be a subscription charge depending onsize it varies from a very large tie to a small association.Trade unions offer a range benefits and advisory services to members,represent their members during disciplinary or grievance proceduresand aim to protect and improve pay and conditions of employment. Theyapproach the government about introducing laws, which will benefitemployees.Staff associations do not automatically have the same legal rights as indie trade unions, although many do. They may just provide aninformal meeting ground for employers and employees and often have ...

Administrative Ethics – Paper 3

Administrative Ethics Paper HCS/335 December 19, 2011 Administrative Ethics Paper There are many an(prenominal) factors that are affecting our everyday lives but none as important as the ethics of healthcare. Healthcare is one of the largest personal care services provided in our civilization today. In order to provide this type of care adequate and qualified personnel must keep up access to personal cultivation both(prenominal) medical exam and at times non-medical. Preserving tolerant confidentiality has become more increasingly difficult to do.The desire to guard uncomplaining privacy is apparent with all the good ramifications imposed by the federal and state laws. I will be discussing the ethical and legal issues of healthcare while stating the responsibilities and facts that could lead to solutions. According to American aesculapian Association (1995-2011), The U. S. Constitution defines a physicians legal obligation to their patient(s) by federal and state law, regula tion, and by the court although access to patient breeding has become more accessible(Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs).In 1996 Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability deed of conveyance. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and was recently amended under the Health schooling Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ( AmericanCollege of Healthcare Executives, 2009). HIPAA was to put safety measures to shield a patient(s) health information and keep it private.In February of 2009 on the 17th, President Barak Obama authorized the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with the objective to support the acceptance of electronic medical records (EMR) by physicians and medical facilities. The law symbolizes a reassurance to privacy by giving them actionable remedies in an even outt that their personal private medical records are mis use up or abused (ResourceLibrary The CBS synergetic Business Netw ork, 2002). The lack of safeguards for patients and their information is a big disadvantage because physicians, medical facilities, and patient(s) have oncerns as to whether or non their information will be protected and stay private. Health information being used electronically has increased medical access as considerably as transmission between health data and other physicians stomaching admission to all a patients medical information in their net profit if needed. The expansion of technology in the healthcare industry has helped to give better patient care to ensure healthier and more productive people I society but the challenge comes into play with respecting and honoring a patients confidentiality.Doctors have always been obligated to keep their patients information private by not divulging and medical or personal information exposed by the patient or ascertained by the physician while treating the patient. According to American Medical Association (1995-2011), the purpos e of a physicians ethical duty to maintain patient confidentiality is to allow the patient to feel free to make a full and frank disclosure of information to the physician with the knowledge that the physician will protect the confidentiality record of the information disclosed (Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs).Sustaining a patients medical and personal information is a legal obligation as well as the ethical sense of duty. The American College of Healthcare Executives feels that besides following HIPAA and all applicable state and federal laws, healthcare executives should also have a ethical and moral duty to respect privacy and protect the security of patients medical records.Doctors, nurses, and anyone that may come in contact with a patients records should become familiar with the laws involving the obligation to maintain confidentiality because any breach of confidentiality no matter how small can result in misappropriates, a guinea pig and/or disciplinary action. Th e HIPPA privacy protection in its present state is inadequate because it allows the sale of patient information to third parties without written consent even though there are consequences for it.The American Recovery Reinvestment Act has begun to stipulate some safety by making a cutoff point for use of information for promotion and fundraising and for the sale of records. According to AmericanCollege of Healthcare Executives (2009), As patient advocates, executives are required to guarantee their organization acquire appropriate patient sureness to give personal information or follow the correct procedures as carefully characterized in the policies and relevant laws in such cases for when the elease of information without consent is indicated (Health Information Confidentiality). In conclusion with all the different and new technology in society today everyone more so doctors and medical personnel are super cautious about relinquishing and personal patient information regardless if it is to a another doctor or family. Every physician and medical rapidness must make every effort to guarantee the patients information will remain confidential regardless of how it is kept in a file or electronically.Technology will progress as the years get older and so will the rise on patient information being misused. Technology can improve the quality of care by all means but while it is improving care it also necessarily to be steps and measures taken to improve the patients privacy and confidentiality of their medical information. References AmericanCollege of Healthcare Executives. (2009).Retrieved from http//www. ache. org/policy/hiconf. cfm American Medical Association. (1995-2011). Retrieved from http//www. ama- assn. org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/ama-councils/council-ethical-judicial affairs. page ResourceLibrary The CBS Interactive Business Network. (2002). Retrieved from http//findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2689_131/ai_92691019/? tag=contentcol1

Cultural enrichment Essay

Last February 17, 2009, I went to the ISU Juried Student Exhibition which was located in the Center for Performing and Arts Gallery building. The juror of the exhibition was Mr. Ronald Leax, Halsey C. an Ives Professor of Art in Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Most of the paintings that were being exhibited illustrate beauty and nature. Ive noticed that most of the flock that were there during the epoch of my visit appear uninterested with the art that was surrounding them.They b atomic number 18ly noticed and appreciated art in its raw form because most were just lodge in eating and chatting. They practically didnt understand why their teacher sent them to the gallery I believe they just went there for the sake of the class assign that they are going to get. But they were also a few who knew what art and beauty was, they showed their appreciation by praising and scrutinizing the works in the gallery. Other people were also busy having their pictures taken beside the beaut iful paintings.As for myself, I was really intrigued by the works and the masters behind those paintings. How I wished I could come up with such art pieces that to me seemed like it was done during the middle ages. It was also prevailing to watch how some paintings depicted things about religion and politics it shows that people are really concerned with the current events happening and are even able to express it through art. It was also fascinating to watch the paintings that were cross-over from realism to non-objectivism.Those kinds of paintings are the ones that entertain the naked eye without much thought provocation. Those paintings are the ones that caught my eye because it is relaxing and entertaining to look at them. At the end of the day, I just take to that more would learn to appreciate the beauty of art rather than be overly absorbed from school or from work. They should see that art is relaxing to the sense and to the mind so people who are stressed out could go to art exhibits to unwind and to refresh their souls.

Presentation of witches in Macbeth Essay

Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespe ar in 1606 during the reign of King James I. This infernal play tells the story of a gay who commits regicide in order to gain king himself. Not only does this drama deal with the age-old morality tale of effectual versus malevolent but it as well as deals with what is right and what is wrong.In this essay I will discuss and analyze Shakespeargons presentation of the witches in Macbeth.At this time witchcraft was feared and it was seen as a real threat. The witches did not fear Christ and this meant they basically had no fear that was outside the moral, religious and social boundaries of 17th blow Britain. Catholics in England were seen as outsiders, despised and seen as a threat, this was a lot like the position of witches.Witchcraft was also workd as an excuse for bad happenings like natural disasters or deaths. It was usually old women who lived on their own who got accused of being a witch. Many believed accusing these single women was a way of discouraging women from living middling outside the authority of a male-dominated household. Men wanted masculine superiority to remain unchecked. In a way men were dig as good and women were scene as evil. If these women accused of being witches were found guilty they would be tortured into a confession and and then murdered.King James I was beneficial one of the people who had strong feelings on witchcraft during this era. He believed that once he was nearly killed by the evils of witchcraft. The original play featured nymphs but Shakespeare changed it and include witches to not only impress and interest King James I but also to warn him of the danger of these evil witches. Involving witches also includes fears of that time and would excite the audience more than nymphs. Introducing witches also gives the play an excuse for more dramatic stage play and more shocking scenes and was a necessity in the go about to hasten the plot of Macbeth.The witches featu re at the real beginning of Macbeth in Act One, Scene One. They enter to the elements of thunder and lightning in a deserted manoeuver that has a significant meaning. The thunder and lightning puts the main focus on the entrance of these witches. This dramatic scene suggests evil and highlights the threat of these witches. They enter from a deserted attitude that highlights their isolation and avoids distraction to the entrance of these witches. They then talk of what the future holds showing their gift of foresight that is supernatural and against Christian believing. This is an example of the witches going against the beliefs of 17th century Britain that is shown almost straight away. There is also a mention of Greymalkin and Paddock which are the witches familiars and part of the criteria of being a witch was having a familiar that confirms the strange sisters are witches. The scene ends, Fair is foul, and foul is fair Hover through the fog and filthy air. All three of the wit ches say this together like a pen would be said. Here the witches heighten the sense of mystery in the play by confound the audience by dealing with opposites. This rounds off the spooky scene with a dramatic ending.In Act One, Scene Three the witches also enter to thunder as they meet again as planned. It is not as dramatic and there is no lightning but evil and fear is still present. One of the witches talks about getting revenge on a boatman by killing him. King James I believed the witches attempted to kill him with makes it relevant to the King. Macbeth and Banquo are introduced in this scene. Macbeth comments on the day by saying so fair and foul a day I have not seen.Then Banquo notices the so withered, and so wild in their attire witches with beards and is utterly shocked. Macbeth then exacts them What are you? and he is also horrified. The witches then together say a verse hailing Macbeth, flattering him sarcastically. The witches talk in riddles and say make some confu sing comments like, Less than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. The characters of the witches are still quite mysterious but in this scene they have shown some emotions that brook the view that they are evil, as they involve murdering and other terrible things.In Act Four, Scene One the witches once again enter to the thunder that suggests evil is coming and they then begin casting an evil spell. They put lots of different things in a cauldron and chant together, Double, double toil and trouble, put down burn, and cauldron bubble. Saying the verse together creates an aural effect that would scare the audience. A scale of a dragon and a tooth of a wolf are just a couple of things that go into this cauldron of evil. When they have their potion ready they cool it with a baboons blood. This is imagery of blood and it has a sickening and shocking effect.throughout the play the impact of the witches is developed and strengthened by the reactions of the other characte rs. The witches have a major impact on Macbeth and he believes what they are saying. This makes us ask the question of whether Macbeth is under a spell of the witches making or whether he is acting under his own put down will. The witches do not harm Macbeth consequently he is an agent of God, but he does destroy himself. That corresponds with the Christian notion of made in Gods image but with the power of free will. The witches use the weakness of Macbeth to their advantage and to show they can have control over people but they cannot move Banquo to the dark side. Banquo is stronger then Macbeth and does not just believe whatever the witches say. He doubts the reality of his senses and is skeptical.The witches use language in this play to get across their point in a strong way. They use plenty of repetition. Ill do, Ill do, Ill do they repeat three times and three is widely seen as the magic number. They also use a lot of imagery in the play. For example they put in the cauldron , A finger of birth-strangled babe which makes you think of innocence and the witches are creating drama by including something guiltless and loved. The witches dramatic rituals reinforce their sisterhood as they speak together and work together. They are completely original and together they are isolated from the rest of club but they have each other. The rhyming couplets help make the chant more flowing. The witches also say, Ill give thee a wind. This suggests the witches can control the survive and the natural environment.The witches in these plays are warning King James I that witches can manipulate people to kill the King even though he is saw as untouchable. Shakespeare allows the audience to see that the witches do have this influence and they can cause evil through other people with Macbeth being an example. The witches engage in with the established idea that women could be harmful to men at this time as they have the power of manipulation.I think the witches work very well in Macbeth. They create fear and drama throughout the play. They can be linked with terrorists in our society today. Terrorists are straightway feared and they have the power to get their own way because of their evil to a certain extent. Women were seen as a threat in the 17th century as witches were usually women now Muslims are scene as a threat as a lot of terrorists are Muslims.

Effects of Social Networking Sites on Academic Performanc

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. Background to the written report Social mesh topologying is a growing case in this contemporary world. Social net profiting state of affairss make it possible for mountain to interact with absent early(a)s in the society. Social networking offices also allow stack or habitrs to make do ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual network. In fact, different sociable networking situates be utilise today and these, to a macroscopic consummation, do increased kind consanguinitys among plurality as we stub now interact with absent former(a)s without their physical presence.Social networking sites such as Facebook, 2go, chitter, MySpace, Whatsapp and other instant messaging applications have helped people to sh ar interests and also, dating online has go away a growing issue in this contemporary world. The importance of accessible network basinnot be over-emphasized in peoples disembodied spirit as umteen people a rgon now able to maintain long- hold relationships without physical contact and this, to a large extent, has increased the mixer bond among people. For instance, one can decide to chat online, through favorable networking site, with ones relative abroad.Also, the presence of affectionate networking site has helped many pupils to acquire knowledge from one other(prenominal) over internet without necessarily have to meet physically. In fact, one wonders how it would be possible if there is no instant messaging and other mixer networking sites to perform this operation. On the other hand, favorable networking sites have caused many problems. For instance many students have lost their lives and property to thieves and got exposed to incurable diseases directly or indirectly through affable networking sites.Likewise, many people are use these sites to commit atrocities such as defrauding or swindling people of their money and other properties. Therefore, tender networking site s have brought both good and bad to the present generation and it is also meaningful to say that the good and bad consequences of utilise tender networking sites depend on the use by the people and what they want to achieve with it. 2. Statement of the problem In this contemporary world, there are growing uses of different neighborly networking sites which have contri only whened to peoples life positively and prohibitly.What people, especially students use complaisant networking sites for make it seem that brotherly networking is detrimental to students life. Many have assumed that sociable networking sites are fondly injurious as it has affected the mixer life of people in terms of its contribution to moral decadence manifesting in untoward dressing, crimes and prostitution. Therefore, it leave alone be meaningful to look at the fixs of tender networking sites on students accessible life so as to know the neighborly feign of kind networking sites.A similar hit th e books about the exits of complaisant networking sites on students donnish public presentation was carried out in Malaysia, United States of America, and United Kingdom where it was piece out that students schoolman performance was not affected by affectionate networking sites. A analyze carried out on the students of the University of Hampshire also showed that social networking is being inter bonded with rather than interfering with students academic performance (Martin. C. 2009).This is the first term an evaluation of the cause of social networking sites on the academic performance of Obafemi Awolowo University students. Most research that had been do on the effects of social networking sites on academic performance of students is not on Nigerian students so making a generalization to this effect could be erroneous. Therefore, due to myopic or lack of cogent literary productions on the effects of social networking sites on the academic performance of Nigerian stude nt, hence, this study.This study, when concluded depart contribute immensely to literature on effects of social networking sites on academic performance of Obafemi Awolowo University students and Nigerian students at large. However, the assumptions by many people that social networking sites have made students lose focus because of the temptation to abandon their homework, reading times in preference for chatting online with their friends on their preferred social networking sites and thus subordinate academic performance of student using it as a vague one because social networking sites have helped in a number of ways.In other word, this is a vague or an incorrect assumption as there is no practical evidence to to a lower placepin or support this beyond a greensensical doubt. In fact, social networking sites have made many students to be socially informed as against the times when social networking sites were not operational. Moreover, many students indulged in using social n etworking sites and yet, performing well in civilise or organization. So, it would be wrong to assume that social networking sites would affect the performance of students in school because social networking site has its own importance.On this note, it lead be reasonable to look at the social networking sites and students academic performance so as to reach a resultant whether social networking sites have affected the performance of students in school or not. Also, students are different in terms of the social networking sites and preference for each social networking site because of the purpose that each of these networking sites serves them.This is the reason why it would be necessary to look at the preference students have for each social networking site in order to understand the in the main preferred social networking site among OAU students. 3. Research questions In line with the aforementioned problems, the following research questions are raised What is the extent of use of social networking sites among OAU students? How does sex of the students determine the preferred site? III. What are the impacts of social networking sites on OAU students social life?IV. What is the relationship betwixt social networking and students academic performance in OAU? V. Which social networking site is the close preferred among OAU students? 4. Research objectives This study is designed to investigate the impact of social networking sites on the social life and academic performance among OAU students. Specifically, the objectives of this study are to i. determine the extent of use of networking sites by OAU students ii. examine the mould of sex differences on preferred sites iii. nvestigate the impacts of social networking sites on students social life in OAU iv. discover the relationship between social networking sites and students academic performance and v. investigate the mostly preferred social networking sites among OAU students. 1. 5. Significance of the st udy The study is significant in that it attempts to investigate the impacts of social networking sites on academic performance of Obafemi Awolowo University students. In this, the study will examine just about salient issues such as the relationship between sex of students and preference of social etworking sites, the relationship between social networking sites and student academic performance, and the investigation of the mostly preferred social networking site among Obafemi Awolowo University students. Firstly, by examining these previously stated objectives, those in active service or workers in various organizations stand a greater chance of benefiting from this study because they will be sensitized on the impacts of social networking sites on students social life and subsequently sensitize students on how to make a rightful use of social networking sites.Secondly, the study will increase the body of knowledge in the literature in the sense that all areas that are not fully f ey or explored in the literature will be extensively explored and this process will subsequently help to increase the body of knowledge in the literature so that drug users of the literature on social networking will be able to use the results of this study and set a ground for new research in this area. Finally, all upcoming researchers will benefit immensely from the results of this study in the sense that the results of this study will further help to set or a footh of get along(predicate) to conduct their own study in this area. . 6. Scope of the study This study is a case study of Obafemi Awolowo University students on the use of social networking sites. This study will examine the effects of social networking sites on student social life, the relationship between social networking sites and students academic performance, and the investigation of mostly preferred social networking site among Obafemi Awolowo University students. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter prese nts the review of literature of the research that has been conducted in this field of study.Therefore, the review is woven around social networking sites and social life, social networking sites and students academic performance, and the most preferred social networking site. 2. 1. SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES Social networking site is a type of virtual intercourse that allows people to connect with each other. This concept arises from basic need of human beings to stay together in groups forming a community. Michael Wesch, cultural anthropologist at Kansas State University, compared the tribal societies to online social networking.Like the tribal culture, in Facebook people project their identity by demonstrating their relationships to each other. You define yourself in terms of who your friends are (Wright, 2007). Wikipedia defines social network service as online chopine that focus on building and reflecting social networks or social relations among people who share interests and act ivities. Social networking sites, email, instant messaging, video- and photo- sharing sites and comment posting are all tools that help people to communicate and socialize with each other (Mooney, 2009). The first social networking site SixDegrees. om was launched in 1997. It allowed users to create profiles, inclination their friends and surf the friends list (Boyd D. M, & Ellison N. B, 2007). Starting from 1997 to 2010 there are some 1. 5 billion users of social networking websites (Kreutz, 2009). People join social networking sites because it gives them an opportunity to express their views, a feel of in colony and self esteem. It takes a few seconds to create a virtual profile and connect with millions of users crosswise the world, becomes more than than interesting because you can stay connected with old friends and family members.But now, using social media or networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become part and parcel of modern adolescence or students in many sc hools or homes. In fact, this generation is the first to have gone through their entire teen years with Facebook and other social networking sites at their fingertips. However, communication system media whether pen and paper, telephone calls, Facebook, or Twitter can worsenedn or alleviate the students social life or even do both at the same time.According to a go off, 90% of all American teens have used social media, three-quarters of them have a social networking profile, and nearly one in three teens lambasts their social networking profile some(prenominal)(prenominal) times a day or more. Given how pervasive social media are today, many parents, educators, and other adults are deeply interested in the economic consumption of these media in students or teens lives. Some are optimistic about the potential benefits of social media for learning, development, and creativity others are concerned about the negative impact these media may have, especially when it comes to teen s social and emotional well-being.An emerging set of subject field research helps document and quantify raw peoples use of social network sites and looks at the tone of their online communications (Lenhardt A, 2011). And a growing body of in-depth qualitative research helps capture the complexities and nuances of the way social media use plays out in teens lives (Boyd D. M, 2009 Turkle S, 2011 Ito, 2010). These in-depth ethnographies of new-fangled people paint a detailed portrait of how social media can affect an individual teens life, offering the nuances that a large-scale survey cannot.Some of these researches have focused on young people whose social media use had led to anxiety or estrangement from family and friends (Turkle S, 2011), turn other researches have high schoollighted those teens for whom social media use has facilitated important connections and amazing accomplishments (Ito M, 2010). Allen, J. P, Evans, M. A, Hare, A. L, & Mikami, A. Y. (2010) hypothesized th at the young people who participated in online social networking would be more socially adjusted. They also examined how adult communication was affected, which will be discussed later in this review.The researchers conducted a longitudinal study on 172 participants. First, they surveyed and interviewed preteens on their peer sociometric status, positive and negative peer interaction, and symptoms of depression. The mothers of these preteens were surveyed about their childrens deviant behaviors. When participants reached young adulthood, the researchers asked for access to their facebook pages if they possessed one. Allen et al. coded 92 Facebook pages for number of friends, connection with friends, friend displays of support, hostile profile biographies, and inappropriate pictures.They also surveyed these 92 young adults on the quality of their friendships and symptoms of depression. Finally, they asked friends of the participants to bring to pass the Young Adult Behavior Checklis t. After performing an ordinary least squares hierarchical multiple regressions on each variable, these Online Social Networkings Effect on Adolescent Social phylogeny researchers found preteens who had displayed negativity in friendships and describe symptoms of depression were less likely to possess a social networking profile.In contrast, early adolescents who reported more positive intimate friendships were more liable to possess a webpage. This article also supports the rich get richer theory. Kramer N. C and Winter S (2008) did a study on how self? esteem, extraversion, self? efficacy, and self? presentation are affected by online social networking. Their first meditation explored the relationship between presenting oneself on social networking sites and extraversion. They conducted their study on 58 young people who were members of studiVZ, which is a German social networking website much like Facebook.These youths completed a survey on their level of extraversion, self? esteem, and ability to effectively present themselves. Then the participants profiles were assessed based on numbers of friends, groups, photos, biographical fields completed, and words. They also suss out profiles for real names, political leanings, and relationship status. The researchers conducted a multivariate abstract of variance using extroversion as the stable factor. They discovered a positive correlation coefficient existed between extraverted individuals and a more creative profile picture.However, no other significant relationships showed up in their analysis. These research findings were inconclusive and support uncomplete the rich get richer nor the social compensation hypothesizes. DeGroot, J. M. , Led break off, A. M. , Mao, Y. , Meyer, K. R. , & Swafford, B. (2011) conducted an extensive study on young peoples feelings towards socially connecting online and self? disclosure as predictors of communication on facebook as well as the level of intimacy in relationshi ps. Their study included nine hypotheses, two of which are relevant to this examination of findings on the two motive hypotheses.The researchers ask if online social connection (OSC) has a positive relationship Online Social Networkings Effect on Adolescent Social Development with the frequency of face? to? face communication with Facebook friends and if communicating on Facebook is positively cor fixd with personal interactions with Facebook friends. There were 325 Facebook users who participated in this study. They were surveyed on their attitude towards online communication and thusly asked questions about a randomly selected facebook friend.These questions included where the friend lived, amount of facebook communication with this friend, non? Internet communication with this friend, and how close they were to this friend. After analysis, the results showed that OSC has a positive relationship with communication via Facebook when online self-disclosure is low. They also found t hat personal interaction with a friend made it very probable for Facebook communication to occur. Evidence for the rich get richer hypothesis is shown in this study.Regan P and Seeves V (2010) analyzed research and discussed the way online social networking could empower young people. The authors explained that adolescents have been the first to use social networking sites because their age group is predispose to focus on peer interactions and social relations. They also discussed the social great model and describe the way in which social networking websites allow young people to maintain existing friendships, make new friends, and search for past friends in order to renew old relationships.Thus online social networks are able to both bridgework and bond social capital by Online Social Networkings Effect on Adolescent Social Development 10connecting large groups of people in loose networks and allowing for communication that fosters relationship closeness. In their final comment s on relationships the authors suggest that self? esteem may be boosted by the relationships and feelings of connection and integration these social networks put forward. These relationships in networks might even help socially isolated youths feel more included.People spent hours chatting with their friends and browsing profiles on social networking sites. It becomes a compulsive habit to visit own profile several times in a day for checking friends updates, changing status, and commenting on others photos and videos. Finally it diverts employee attention from the office work. A study conducted by Nucleus Research with 237 corporate employees shows 77 percent of them use Facebook during work hours. And it results in 1. 5% drop in employee productivity for those companies allowing full access to Facebook (Gaudin, S 2009). Another study y Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm, says 54% of U. S. companies have banned workers from using social networking sites while on the job ( Gaudin, 2009). This was further affirmed by a survey of 3500 UK companies, it says 233 million hours are lost every month as a result of employees wasting time on social networking sites (Facebook cost business, 2007). Mike Huss, conductor of employment law at Peninsula says All firms should block access to sites such as Facebook. Why should employers allow their workers to waste two hours a day on Facebook when they are being paid to do a job.Portsmouth City Council blocked access to Facebook after it found its 4,500 staff logged on for 270,000 times a month, and they collectively waste 572 hours (71 working days) in just one month (Kisiel, 2009). This problem is much intense in developed countries and, in extreme cases, the employees are sacked because of this. After all it is a waste of public money because of social networking sites. According to a report from a commonality Sense Media Research Study, many more teens reported a positive impact of social media use on their emoti onal well-being than a negative one.Most teens dont think their use of social media affects their social and emotional well-being one way or the other. But there are some teens who think that using social media does affect how they feel about themselves and their social situation. More than one in four teens say that using their social networking site makes them feel less shy (29%) and more outgoing (28%) one in five says it makes them feel more confident (20%), more popular (19%), and more pitying to others (19%) and 15% say it makes them feel better about themselves.By comparison, only 5% say social networking makes them feel less outgoing 4% feel worse about themselves, less confident, and less popular after using their social networking site and 3% feel shyer. Very few teens think that using their social network site makes them more depressed. Among all teen social network users, only 5% say using their social networking site makes them feel more depressed, compared to 10% who say it makes them feel less depressed.Even among the least happy teens in this study (the 10% of all teens who say they are often sad or depressed and arent very happy with their lives), 18% say using their social networking site makes them feel more depressed, while 13% say it lessens their depression. In particular, teens think that using social media has helped their relationships. Half (52%) of all teen social media users say using such media has mainly helped their relationships with friends, compared to just 4% who say social media use has mainly hurt their relationships.Similarly, more than a third (37%) says social media use has mainly helped their relationships with family members, compared to 2% who say it has mainly hurt them. In addition, a majority of teens say social media help them keep in wraith with friends they cannot see regularly (88%), get to know other students at their school better (69%), and connect with new people who share a common interest (57%). Finally , social networking site that was once thought to be helping people across the world to unite and making new relationship can also damage the relationship and make life miserable.Imagine one day you find, your spouse updated his married status to single on Facebook. And people posting comments about your sad break up. How cheap has our relationships in the age of social networking become? A survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) reveals Facebook is the main reason behind one out of five divorces in the US. It also says 80 percent of divorce lawyers use social networking site to gather evidence. Flirty mental objects, photographs and other personal information that you share on Facebook can be used as proof of infidelity.Mark Keenan, managing director of Divorce Online says The most common reason is people having inappropriate sexual chats with people they were not supposed to (Facebook causes one, 2010). Facebook is fuelling divorce rate because it easily reun ites old lovers and acts as a secret platform for dating. A research conducted on 308 Facebook users found majority of participants (74. 6%) are likely to add previous romantic or sexual partner as friends on Facebook. John, M (2009). It also shows time spent on Facebook increasing jealousy related feelings. Some peoples lirting comment on your profile can make your partner feeling aggressive and jealousy. And this starts the beginning of a break up. Dr. Marlene Maheu, author of the book Infidelity on the Internet and a Psychologist, says Cyber Infidelity occurs when a partner in a committed relationship uses the computer or the internet to violate promises concerning sexual exclusiveness (Maheu, 2002). Today social networking sites make it easier, with situations whereby your spouse does not feel good to have sex with you but undertakes sexual solicitation from a facebook friend.In fact, there are sites dedicated to facebook cheating facebookcheating. com providing tips on how to catch a cheating spouse in the social networking sites. 2. 2. SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE The impact of the social networking site on instruction is an important issue that has caught both educators and practitioners attention in recent years. There is a growing body of studies emphasizing that individuals are infix in their societies.Thus, the related social structure, though sometimes invisible, is often associated with instrumental outcomes, including power, innovation, learning outcomes, and job performance. Haythornthwaite examined the distance learners interactions in part and profiled students roles and information exchange among distance learners social networks. In a university course, Guldner and Stone-Winestock empirically demonstrated that appropriate arrangement of groups according to each students position in a social network might increase the students learning satisfaction and academic performance.Students are paying more attention t owards these social networking activities rather than utilizing this time for their studies and this surely affects their academic performance as Thomas (1987) stated that activities of students are associated with grade-related differences among them. Several studies have been done regarding social networking and grades. Whittemore School of Business and Economics belatedly conducted a survey of over 1,000 students. They asked questions regarding which social network sites were used, how much time they spent on a site, what their grade point average (GPA) was, and what they were going to school for.It was concluded that there is no correlation between how much time is spent on a social networking site and grades (Martin, 2009). The University of New Hampshire agrees, and believes that current college students grew up in the technology era and social networking is now just a part of a students daily routine. Their research show that 63% of heavy users sure high grades, compared to 65% of light users (U of NH, 2009). The University of New Hampshire verbalise that a majority of students use social networking for social connections and entertainment, but are also using it for education and professional reasons.Northwestern University recently published research stating that social networking sites are not affecting students GPAs. In fact, ethnic background, and enatic education appears to have more of an influence than the amount of time used on social networking sites. Northwestern researchers believe that social networking use didnt affect the difference in GPAs between male and effeminate or white and African American students. However, social network use did eliminate the difference in GPAs between students whose parents had differing levels of higher education Cheng, J. 2010). When researchers controlled the demographic of parental education, there seemed to be a positive relationship between internet use and GPA. However, there are always two sides to every story. Karpinski focused on the relationship between time spent on Facebook and the academic performance of students (San Miguel, 2009). The overall finding indicated more time on Facebook equals slightly humiliate grades San Miguel, (2009). In Karpinskis study the average Facebook user had a GPA of 3. 0 to 3. 5, while the non-Facebook user had a GPA of 3. 5-4. 0.Also, the average Facebook user studied for 1-5 hours per week, while the non-Facebook user would student 11-15 hours per week. Many researchers are aware that Facebook is not the only thing that could possibly be taking away study time. However, 55% of those surveyed access their pages several times a day or at least once a day for a long period of time (San Miguel, 2009). Kirschnera revealed that students who multi-task between social networking sites and homework are likely to have 20% lower grades than a student who does not have a social networking site in optical range.Kirschnera believes that even running a so cial networking site on the background on a students PC while studying or doing homework could lower a students grade. He believes that the problem is that most people have Facebook or other social networking sites, their e-mails and maybe instant messaging constantly running in the background while they are carrying out their tasks (Enriquez, J. G. 2010). Users of Facebook have an average GPA of 3. 06, while non-users have an average GAP of 3. 82 (Choney, 2010). Facebook, and other social media websites, are beginning to take up more time due to our societys increasing reliance on computers.At the American Educational Research Association 2009 annual league a presentation stated that United States college students who use social networking sites tend to have lower grades. Again, researchers found the same findings as Karpinski. Students who work tends to use social networking sites less than those students who are more activities based within campus. However, researchers indicated that they could not be certain that Facebook use was the direct link to lower grades because of less studying but they felt that it was an obvious connection to make (Schneider, 2009).Englander (2010) proclaimed that internet consumption is negatively associated with academic performance of student users and destructive impact of internet work is far more momentous than its advantages. Internet addiction has come forth as a result of striking boost in internet usage over the past few decades. Nalwa. K. , Anand. A. P (2003) proposed that given users prefer using internet setting back their personal and professional responsibilities and this ultimately leads to poor academic performance. Kubey, R. W. , Lavin, M. J. , and Barrows, J. R. 2001) proposed that impairment of academic performance and internet dependency are correlated with the use of synchronous communication applications including social networking sites and chat rooms. Similarly, Banquil and Burce (2009) found a conti nuing drop of grades among student users of social networking sites. Also, Boogart and Robert (2006) declared that use of social networking sites and Facebook detrimental impacts on academic performance of student users. Then, Grabmeier (2009) observed lower GPAs among students who log in any social networking sites.Internet abuses are increasing at an alarming rate and putting forward a serious need to promote usage regulations among student users. While using social networking sites, issues of privacy, identity protection, and e-professionalism must be paid attention. Students, using internet more, scored higher on reading skills test and had higher grades as well (Linda 2006). Also it has been found that Facebook usage is helpful for cure in case of some psychological problems including low life-satisfaction and low self-esteem (Ellison et al. , 2007).Social networking sites also provide a rich mean of interaction between teachers and students as stated by Roblyer (2010). Shah (2 001) proposed that informational use of internet is positively correlated with civic indicators of social capital such as civic engagement, interpersonal trust, and life contentment. Pasek, J. , Kenski K. , Romer D. , Jamieson K. H. (2006) stated that a site-specific culture can both positive and negatively affect the building of social capital and found that Facebook usage is not positively associated with lower grades of the students rather found Facebook users scoring higher grades.No association was found between GPAs of student users and Facebook usage in a study conducted by Kolek, E. A and Saunders, D (2008). Social networking sites promote interactivity among students and teachers. In a research Lovitts, B. E and Nelson, C. (2000) found that strong integration of students into their professional and social life is sturdily correlated to the successful completion of their degree. In view of the contrasting findings mentioned above, Current study specifically aims at exploring the relationship between social networking sites usage and educational performance of the student users.CHAPTER THREE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK In this study, two theoretical orientations in sociology shall be sedulous to explain the impact of social networking sites on the academic performance of students. These sociological approaches are Uses and Gratification conjecture, a perspective that places more focus on the consumer or audience instead of the actual message itself and Media Dependency system which posits that media influence is set by the interrelations between the media, its audience, and society.The study is anchored on both theories. 3. 1Uses and Gratification Theory According to Katz (1959), gratification theory is concerned with what people do with media rather than what media does to people. Sociologists such as Louis Wirth (1897-1952) and Talcott Parsons (19021979) have emphasized the importance of mass media as instruments of social control. What mass communicatio n scholars today refer to as the uses and gratifications approach is generally recognized to be a sub-tradition of media effects research (McQuail, 1994).Early in the history of communications research, an approach was developed to study the gratifications that attract and hold audiences to the kinds of media and the types of content that satisfy their social and psychological needs (Cantril, 1942). Much early effects research adoptive the experimental or quasi-experimental approach, in which communication conditions were manipulated in search of general lessons about how better to communicate, or about the unintended consequences of messages (Klapper, 1960). Assumption of Uses and Gratifications Theory The assumptions of uses and gratifications theory are as follow . There is not merely one way that people use media but there are many ways and reasons for using it (Blumer, 1979). 2. People have freewill to decide how they will use media and how it will affect them. 3. People using media can choose the influence media has on them as well as the idea that users choose media alternatives merely as a means to an end (Katz, 1959). Uses and gratifications researchers produced multiple responses. Katz, Gurevitch, and Haas (1973) assembled a comprehensive list of social and psychological needs said to be satisfied by exposure to mass media.Rosengren (1974), attempting to theoretically refine uses and gratifications, suggested that certain basic needs interact with personal features and the social environment of the individual to produce perceived problems and perceived solutions. Those problems and solutions constitute different motives for gratification behavior that can come from using the media or other activities. Together media use or other behaviors produce gratification (or non-gratification) that has an impact on the individual or society, thereby starting the process anew. Application of Uses and Gratifications Theory to this studySocial networking sites ar e numerous and effective in disseminating information quickly. The rate at which information is moving around the world is very high that in a twinkling of an eye a piece of information can travel from one end of the world to another. Social networking sites available in Nigeria include Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo chat among others. There are many ways and reasons for using these social networking sites. The most common reason for using them by students is to meet and relate with friends both within country and around the world.In reality, there is no law as to which of the sites people and especially students can visit and when and how they can visit them. In Nigeria both young and old are free to join any of these social networks at will and in essence many young people have been engrossed in using them. The proliferation of Global System Mobile (GSM) in the country has really put the utility of these social networks on the give of people most especially students. As a result of this, students environment is charged with nothing but shouting of pinging and chatting both day and night. Negative effect of social networking sites cannot be underemphasized.The focus of this study is the effect of these social networking sites among Obafemi Awolowo University students. The effect can be seen mostly on the academic performance of the students and their social life. This can be linked to the number of hours pinging and chatting is taking out of their time. Many students prefer securing phones that can browse to buying textbooks and lecture materials needed for their academics. It has been the habit of many students to be chatting while lectures are on and some even take it into examination hall to perpetrate examination malpractice.The failure of uses and gratifications theory to underscore the relationship between social network, its audience and society necessitated the use of a complimentary theory. Media Dependency Theory Media dependency theory is a theoretic al approach which establishes that media influence is determined by the interrelations among the media, the audience, and society (DeFleurand Ball-Rokeach, 1982). The individuals desire for information from the media is the primary variable in explaining why media messages have cognitive, affective, or variable effects.Media dependency is high when an individuals goal satisfaction relies on information from the media system (Ball-Rokeach, 1985). Rubin and Windahl (1986) augmented the dependency model to include the gratifications sought by the audiences an interactive fragment with media dependency. For Rubin and Windahl, the combination of gratifications sought and socially determined dependency produced media effects. They argued that dependency on a medium or a message results when individuals either intentionally seek out information or ritualistically use specific communication media channels or messages.For example, McIlwraith (1998) found that self-labeled TV addicts often u sed television to distract themselves from dour thoughts, to regulate moods, and to fill time. Application of Media dependency Theory to this study The failure of uses and gratifications theory to consider the relationship among the social network, the users and the society necessitates the use of media dependency theory. The characteristics of the users will determine the level and volume of interaction between the users and the social network.The type of information sought will also have effect on the dependency of the users on the network. Population under study is students who are mostly unmarried youths. The large population of interest has increased the intensity of use of social network among the students. The satisfaction derived from using the social network has turned thousands of students social network addicts. Society at large seems not to be helping the trend. Family and parents contribution is overcome in the sense that they are the ones procuring the handsets to t heir wards.Government, schools and religious organizations are yet to have influence over how people, especially students, are using these social networking sites. Conceptual material Variables are set out in this part. These variables include independent variable, dependent variable(s) and intervening variable(s). Independent variable is the variable that is systematically manipulated so that the effect on the dependent variable can be observed. Dependent variable is the outcome variable which is hypothesized to vary under an influence. Figure 3. Conceptual framework of the effect of social networking sites on the academic performance. Independent Variable Dependent Variable Intervening Variables Good academic performance It is my assumption that students who use social networking sites get addicted to it, they use the sites during classes and experience reduction in their study time. These would lead to poor academic performance. However, a reduction in time spent on social n etworking sites would result in good academic performance. HypothesesBased on the assumptions, the following hypotheses can be derived Hypothesis 1 there is no relationship between social networking sites and students academic performance. Hypothesis 2 there is no relationship between the sex of a students and preference of social networking sites. CHAPTER FOUR methodology The aim of this section is to present in detail the method that was used in carrying out this study. It deals with the process taken in carrying out the study under investigation. Quantitative technique was and involving the administration of questionnaire.This chapter thus discusses research design, the area of the study or population of interest, sample size and sampling procedures, selective information collection method, organisation of research instrument and testing, and method of data analysis. 4. 1 RESEARCH DESIGN This study is a survey design research as it gears towards understanding the effect of soci al networking sites on academic performance. However, for the purpose of this study, cross-sectional design was used since the idea was to measure some variables at a single time and besides, most surveys are cross-sectional. . 2AREA OF THE STUDY AND POPULATION OF INTEREST This study was conducted among students of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. Ile-Ife is a town in Osun State, South-Western Nigeria. Osun State was carved out of Oyo Sate on August 27, 1991 during the government of General Ibrahim Babangida. Its capital is Osogbo. Osun State is landlocked and occupies 9251 kilometers. The university was founded in 1962. the university was formerly called university of Ife and was later changed to Obafemi Awolowo University in 1987 following the death of one of its co-founder.The university is situated on a large expanse of land totaling 11,861 hectares in Ile-Ife. The university has many structures and human resources. The university comprises of over 25,000 students, central c ampus, residential area for students, staff quarters, teaching and non-teaching staff as well as teaching hospital and a research farm. 3. SAMPLING SIZE AND SAMPLING PROCEDURE The population of interest for this study is Obafemi Awolowo University students. The sampling method that will be used for this study is accidental sampling which falls under non-probability sampling.Therefore, people will be selected based on their availability. Overall, the sample of hundred people will be investigated with the instrument, questionnaire. From the sample selected, the data as regards the previously stated objectives will be collected from the selected respondents and the data will be used to prove the hypothesis right or wrong. 4. 4 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION The research methodology used for this study was quantitative research methodology and it commanded the use of questionnaire as an instrument for collecting data in this study.This questionnaire was self administered to the respondents i n other to gather data relevant to the issues under discussion. However, for good understanding of the impact of social networking sites on students academic performance, primary data was used because data from the source is preferably to data that has been collected previously in which little is known whether it is correct or not and based on the fact that change is constant as things can change at anytime and it will be bad to rely on false information.Therefore, the primary source of data was used for this study as it provided basic reliable and concrete information from the respondents. primal data refers to data obtained from the originator of the data (Fagboungbe 1993). The questionnaire was the major source of my data collection. For the purpose of this study, interview cannot be used because not many students have much time to spend with the interviewer because of other activities they may want to attend to and for this reason, interview method would be time consuming becau se moving from ne person to another with interview guide with a view of collecting data from them would be difficult. Hence, the questionnaire in this case was divided into four sections Section A solicited for information on the socio-economic data of the students, Section B was concerned with the questions on the impacts of socio-networking sites on students social life. Section C inquired more information on the effects of social networking sites on students academic performance. Finally, section D asked information on the commonly used social networking site and the reason for the preference. 4. substantiation OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT The instrument was validated using face validity. The questions asked in this questionnaire totally reflected what was needed to understand the view of respondents on the impact of social networking sites on students academic performance. In short, the questions asked in this questionnaire are germane to the issue of social networking sites and stud ents academic performance. METHOD OF DATA epitome The data was collected from the participants and was subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software for windows.The responses of the participants were subjected to analysis using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. The analysis of the data was done in stages. Firstly, the data was pre-coded for easy entry of the data into spreadsheet. Secondly, the coded data was carefully entered into a spreadsheet and therefore, proper verification of the data entered into the spreadsheet was made. Thirdly, the analysis of the data was done and tables showing the frequencies and percentages of the results of analysis were derived.The fourth and last stage showed the interpretation of the results of the analysis. Lastly, the basis of decision is making inferences on result of analysis of the responses that were given by the respondents and consequently, the result of analysis of the responses supplied by the respondents was compared with the literature review and the theories used. After these, decisions were drawn from the students responses. CHAPTER FIVE DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS Frequency distribution of respondents by socio demographic characteristicsThe table shows the distribution of respondents by their socio demographic characteristics the distribution by sex shows that 68% of the respondents were males while 32% of them were female. As regards the age of the respondents 26% of the respondents were in the age range 15-20, 55% were in the age group 21-25, 17% of them were in the age group 26-30 while 2% were in the age group 30 and above. Also, the religious affiliation also shows that 79% were of the Christian faith while 21% of the respondents were Muslims.More so, the distribution by ethnicity also shows that 70% were Yoruba, 8% of them were Hausa, and 16% were Igbo while the remaining 6% were from other tribes. The distribution by marital status also shows that 87% of them were singles while 13% of the respondents were also married. Socio demographic characteristic Frequency % Sex Male 68 68. 0 Female 32 32. 00 Total blow one hundred. 00 Age 15-20 26 26. 0 21-25 55 55. 00 26-30 17 17. 00 30 and above 2 2. 00 Total 100 100. 0 Religious affiliation Christianity 79 79. 00 Islam 21 21. 00 Total 100 100. 0 Ethnicity Yoruba 70 70. 00 Hausa 8 8. 00 Igbo 16 16. 00 Others 6 6. 0 Total 100 100. 00 Marital status Single 87 87. 00 Married 13 13. 0 Total 100 100. 00 ascendent content SURVEY 2013 Frequency distribution of respondents by the social networking sites and social life. The table shows the illustration of respondents by their social networking sites and social life as regards using my social networking site has helped connect me with new people who share a common interest, hobby or active of mine shows that 83% strongly agree,12% strongly discord while 5% said there is no comment.Also, regarding using my social networking site often distract me when I should be paying attention to the people Im with showed that 37% of them strongly agree, 46% strongly disagree while 17% had no comment. More so, the distribution by using my social networking site has helped me stay in touch with friends I cant see on a regular basis indicated that 90% strongly agree, 9% strongly disagree while 1% had no comment. Social networking sites and social life Frequency % Using my social networking site has helped me stay in touch with friends I cant see on a regular basis Strongly agree Strongly disagree 90 90. 0 No comment 9 9. 00 Total 1 1. 00 100 100. 0 Using my social networking site has helped connect me with new people who share a common interest, hobby, or activity of mine Strongly agree Strongly disagree 83 83. 00 No comment 12 12. 0 Total 5 5. 00 100 100. 00 Using my social networking site often distract me when I should be paying attention to the people Im with Strongly agree 37 37. 0 Strongly disagree 46 46. 00 No comment 17 17. 00 Total 100 100. 0 Using my social networking site has helped me be more aware of current events Strongly agree 90 90. 00 Strongly disagree 8 8. 00 No comment 2 2. 0 Total 100 100. 00 SOURCE FIELD SURVEY 2013 Frequency distribution of respondents by social networking sites and academic performance The table shows the distribution of respondents by social networking sites and academic performance those who said they currently have a profile on a social networking site 95% of them has while 5% does not have. Also, with those who often visit the site 76% of them visit there very often, 9% rarely visits there while 15% visits the site sometimes.Regarding those who visit the site to text or message people while in class 73% of the respondents sometimes use the site while 43% said no. regarding changes in your grade in class 35% said they noticed it while 65% sai d they did not notice any change in their grade. Social networking sites and academic performance Frequency % Do you currently have a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook, Myspace, or some other site? Yes No 95 95. 00 Total 5 5. 00 100 100. 00 How often do you visit this site? Very often 76 76. 00 Rarely 9 9. 00 Sometimes 15 15. 00 Total 100 100. 0 Do you sometimes use this site to text or messaging people while in class? Yes 57 57. 00 No 43 43. 00 Total 100 100. 0 Have you noticed any change in your grade in class? Yes No 35 35. 00 Total 65 65. 00 100 100. 0 SOURCE FIELD SURVEY 2013 Frequency distribution of respondents by commonly used social networking site The table shows the distribution of respondents by commonly used social networking site those who said they were using the social networking 54% shows that they were using Facebook, 3% of them were using 2go, 27% of them were using Twitter, 4% were using Myspace wh ile 12% of them were using other social networking sites. With those who said they cannot do in a day without tour the site shows that 61% said yes while 39% said no. ith the main way you check your social networking site 61% shows that from my cell phone or other mobile device, 17% were checking from a laptop or screen background computer while 22% were using both equally. Commonly used social networking site Frequency % Which social networking do you mainly use? Facebook 54 54. 0 2go 3 3. 00 Twitter 27 27. 00 Myspace 4 4. 00 Others 12 12. 0 Total 100 100. 00 Can you do in a day without visiting this site? Yes 61 61. 00 No 39 39. 0 Total 100 100. 00 What is the main way you check your social networking site? From my cell phone or other mobile device From a laptop or desktop computer 61 61. 0 Both equally 17 17. 00 Total 22 22. 00 100 100. 00 SOURCE FIELD SURVEY 2013 5. 5Test of hypotheses 1. There is no relationship between the sex of student and preference of social networking sites. 2.There is no relationship between social networking sites and students academic performance. Hypothesis 1 Ho there exist no relationships between the sex of students and preference of social networking sites H1 there exists a relationship between the sex of students and preference of social networking sites. look upon Degree of freedom p-value Pearson chi-square 0. 4417 2 0. 802 Critical region reject Ho if p-value

Learning Contracts Essay

Abstract Learning contracts ar being used in post-secondary education. Adults approach scholarship as problem solving and in theory by implementing teaching contracts, the pupil becomes more(prenominal) involved in their own cultivation process. This paper discusses the use of a nurture contract, the advantages and disadvantages for using contracts and the general design of a encyclopaedism contract. The use of discipline contracts provides opportunity for the student to be more involved in their own accomplishment and apply relevance to their own educational contract.Learning ContractsContract learning is, in essence, an alternating(a) way of structuring a learning experience It replaces a nitty-gritty plan with a process plan. Malcolm S. Knowles (1991, pg. 39). In the early 1970s, the concept that prominents learn differently than children was introduced by Malcolm Knowles. This theory of andragogy has godly research and controversy. The complexity of adult learni ng and motivation provides opportunities to explore new methods of teaching. Implementing learning contracts is an alternative way to structure the learning experience. Definition.Learning contract by definition is an agreement between students and teachers that grant the student certain freedoms and choices about completing tasks yet requires the student to meet certain specifications (Definition, n. d. , p. 1). According to Knowles (1980), contract learning solves, or at least reduces, the problem of dealing with wide differences within any group of adult learners. Knowles (1986) defines a learning contract as containing specifically 1. the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to be acquired by the learner (learning objectives)2.how the objectives are to be accomplished 3. the target date for their accomplishment 4. what evidence will be presented to demonstrate that the objectives declare been accomplished and 5. how this evidence will be judged or validated. In academic sett ings the contract also specifies how much credit is to be awarded and what grade is to be presumption (p. 38). Understanding the purpose and advantages of learning contracts and being able to apply them in our future careers as adult instructors will help prepare us for the modification of learning styles our students will have.Purposes of Learning Contracts Learning contracts have multiple purposes. One purpose is that it set up enrich and extend the curriculum. They kindle connect educational demand to individual ineluctably. The responsibility of learning is shared by the student and the pedagog. Learning contracts idler also challenge the abilities of highly able students and provide alternate options that fundament be altered specifically for the differences in abilities, learning styles and interests of individual students. The contract is a tool for structuring the learning process.Uses of Learning ContractsFindings from research about adult learning have shown that when adults go about learning something naturally, they are highly self-directed (Tough, 1971, 1979). Coincidentally, when adults learn on their own initiative, they have a deeper understanding and more immutable memory of when they learn by being taught. Core adult learning principles view the adult learner as the primary source of data for make sound decisions regarding the learning process (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998, p. 183). Contract learning is compatible with the notion that adult learners are self-directed learners.Online instruction is an example where contract learning can be highly effective. In an online environment, instructors are not physically meeting with the students to discuss learning goals, objectives and expectations. Learning contracts can help negotiate and define the learning goals and outcomes. Sample learning contracts can be placed on a web page and the student can determine which contract best suits their learning goals. Students can also engage in online discussions about the different options with their peers and gain a broader perspective through shared knowledge.Learning contracts can also be highly effective in the corporate world. Training employees is costly and can require large investments from organizations. Learning contracts allow the employee to take responsibility and increases motivation in the learning process when they are able to relate the training directly to their job responsibilities. Contracts can also clearly define the companys expectations of the outcomes. When the expectations are defined, both instructor and trainee can track progress and stay focused on the companys business goals and strategies. Learning contracts are useful in research.Research learning contracts provide form and structure to an unstructured environment such as the research laboratory, while ensuring maximal flexibility (Contracts, n. d. , para. 2). It allows the student to curtail their own learning. Contracts allow students to define learning objectives, activities, rate of progress and methods of assessment that will evaluate the students success or failure. Advantages and Disadvantages of Learning Contracts Advantages. thither are many advantages for learning contracts in adult education. Learning contracts enhance the adult learners self-directed learning experience.They promote creative and minute thinking for the student and develop their time management, planning and decision making skills. They can target specific individuals and their specific learning activities. Each students experience can be unique to them and incorporate their own prior knowledge and experience. The contracts also allow students to work at their appropriate pace and can increase the students motivation which in return can increase their class participation. Contracts can help keep students on course if the contracts are specific and concrete.This can also help minimize miscommunication or misunderstanding of expectations and outcomes. The contract also provides a means for the learner to receive continuous feedback regarding progress toward accomplishing learning objectives. Disadvantages. on that point are disadvantages to using learning contracts. Contracts can be time consuming to develop. They typically are more detailed and require you to put in more work in the developing stage. Also, students can have confusion especially if their prior learning experience has only been the traditional method of instruction in a classroom.If students are only familiar with instructor taught learning and have not learned to be self-directed learners, the student could have difficulty adapting to this method. The learning contract method in pedagogic learning may require more instructor involvement verses student driven in andragogic learning. The attitude of the educator can have an influence on the learning contract as well. Some educators feel the learning contract gives the student too much control. calc ulative Learning Contracts There are many different ways to design a learning contract.Learning contracts can address the diverse learning demand of different students and may be designed to suit a variety of purposes. Despite the flexibility, there is a general format starting with identification of the sum that will be learned. Specific methods and strategies that will be used to learn the content should be identified. Specifying resources to be used in order to learn the content and determining the type of evidence that will be used to demonstrate the learning should be identified. Last, the evidence that will be validated and by whom pick ups to be defined.Having clarity will lead to improved performance and allow for revision of learning objectives if needed throughout the learning experience (Learning Contracts, n. d. ). endpoint and Recommendations Conclusion. Malcolm Knowles introduction of andragogy has influenced adult education. A distinguishing characteristic of adul t learning programs is the shared control of program planning and facilitation (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998, p. 133). Engaging adults as partners in their learning experience satisfies their need to know and appeals to their self-concept as independent learners.Learning contracts are a tool that encourages students to participate more actively in their own learning experience. It is an alternative method of structuring a learning experience unique to individuals. It enables educators to work with differences among a group of learners. Learning contracts, more so than any other type of instructional method, create the conditions for individualized instruction. The contract method will not be effective if the adult learner is passive in their own learning experience. Disadvantages take extensive planning and commitment as well as excessive focus on individual success (Duggan, n.d. ). In general, adult learners are outlet to be self-directed learners as opposed to child learners . Based on the five assumptions learned in WED 486 regarding adult learners adults need to know wherefore they need to know adults need to learn experientially adults approach learning as problem solving adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value and adults need to integrate new ideas with what they already know, learning contracts are an effective tool to enhance a self-directed experience. Recommendations. Additional research related to contract learning involves the fairness of learning contracts.In the traditional method of instructor taught learning, all students are given the same syllabus and information on what it takes to earn a particular grade. In the case of learning contracts, they are individualized to the learner. The contract may be specific as to how each learner will nurse earned grades but will the content be equal? Additional research is recommended to determine if contracts are efficient if not all students are coating the same material. Reference s Duggan, T. (n. d. ). The disadvantages of training agreements.Retrieved from http//www.ehow. com/list_6075915_disadvantages-training-agreements. html Guidelines for writing. (n. d. ). In Learning contract guidelines PDF. Retrieved from https//dsacms. tamu. edu/sites/sllo. tamu. edu/files/LearningContractGuidelines. pdf Knowles, M. S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education from pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Cambridge Adult Education. Knowles, M. S. (1986). Using learning contracts (p. 38). San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass Inc. , Publishers. Knowles, M. S. , Holton, III, E. F. , & Swanson, R. A. (1998).Beyond andragogy. In (Ed. ), The adult learner (5th ed. , pp. 153-183). Houston, TX Gulf Publishing. Learning contracts. (n. d. ). In How to create and use learning contracts PDF. Retrieved from http//fcpsteach. org/docs/directions-learning%20contracts. pdf Research learning contracts. (n. d. ). In webGuru. Retrieved October 1, 2011, from http//www. webguru. neu. ed u/undergraduate-research/structuring-ur-experience/research-learning-contracts Tough, A. (1971, 1979). The adults learning projects. Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Spanish and Italian Borrowings to the English Language

Romanic languages, group of languages belonging to the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. They ar spoken by about 670 million people in some parts of the world. Among the more important Romanic languages are Catalan, cut, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish. My report is particularly about Italian and Spanish borrowings to the English language. Spanish borrowings appeared in English in 16 degree Celsius. Historic circumstances which influenced on these borrowings are associated with some geographic discoveries at that time.There was a colonization of the South and North America by the Spanish. So the termination cooperation with Spain contri exclusivelyed to the developing of borrowings from Spanish into English language. In 16 century close political and economic ties of England with Spain and of Spain with France led to borrowings both directly from Spanish and through the French language. In the beginning of the 16th century there were many an (prenominal) Spaniards in England due to dynastic relations between England and Spain. So England inherited many Spanish words which related to Spanish manners.Associated essay Reasons for Failure in English LanguageMany Spanish words have come to us from three primary sources many of them entered American English in the days of Mexican and/or Spanish cowboys working in what is now the U. S. Southwest. Some words were borrowed with the Spanish culture-dances and musicals instruments. Words of Caribbean neckcloth entered English by way of trade. The other major source is the names of foods whose names have no English equivalent, as the intermingling of cultures has expanded our diets as good as our vocabulary. There are the following semantic groups ) trade terms cargo- , embargo- , contraband- b) names of dances and musical instruments tango, rumba, habanera, guitar c) names of vegetables and fruit banana, cocoa , chocolate, cigar, cork , , potato, tobacco, tomato. All of these were the objects of trade. They were borrowed from Spain to England. Anglo-Spanish contend also greatly enlarged the vocabulary of English language which included such phalanx terms galleon , , guerilla .Besides during the Renaissance period the unanimous stage of everyday Spanish words came to the English language. For ex bravada , canoe , , Negro , ranch , desperado , , peccadillo . In XIX century many borrowings from Spanish were brought through American literature. Such words as cigarette, lasso, mustang . There are following words among the recently borrowed ones macho, amigo, gringo .As we see, the majority of borrowings from Spanish retain their shape and are commonly used in English in the stylistic purposes to give the narration some Spanish shade. Of course it makes our speech more interesting and shows that we are culturally enriched. For example, we can say adios instead of bye to diversify our communication. English Spanish Alcove Alcoba Alfalfa Al fa lfa Artichoke Alcarchofa Apricot Albaricoque gauge Calibre Armada Armado Apricot AlbaricoqueBinnacle Bitacula The Italian language had the strongest influence on the English language in the Renaissance period. The art and literature had the great importance for the whole European culture. Italy was the leading country in the economic, politic, cultural fields, so familiarity with the rich Italian literature of this period, painting, sculpture and architecture, traveling to Italy, an interest in the country itself, was reflected in the loans from the Italian language.We should notice that, due to the wide spread of Italian debt in the European languages , some Italian words were borrowed to the English language, not directly but through other languages. Most of the Italian words was borrowed through French. And only in the XVI century, the borrowings were directly from the Italian language. The earliest borrowings related to trade and military affairs. There were borrowed the follo wing words from the field of commerce and finance ducat coin, million million, lombard pawnshop, bank bank.From the field of military alarm alarm, brigand bandit, bark bark, colonel Colonel, squadron squadron, sentinel guard, side arm gun. The greatest number of words borrowed from Italian related to the field of art, literature, music, theater and architecture. For example, canto song, sonnet a sonnet, stanza stanza, slogan, model model, miniature miniature, madonna Madonna, fresco fresco, balcony balcony, first balcony mezzanine, mezzanine and so on.Especially a lot of borrowing were from the field of music, such as The names of musical instruments piano, violin, piccolo The name of singing voices bass, baritone, alto, soprano The name of music opera, sonata, aria. Among the 20-th century Italian borrowings we can mention gazette, incognitto, autostrada, fiasco, fascist, dilettante, grotesque, graffitti etc. We should be notice that there are used even who le phraseological combinations in English, for example, sotto voce whisper.

Body Image in Brazil and Usa

Body Image in Brazil and USA Four thousand years ago the last of the mammoths were roaming the earth in the beginning extinction, anesthesia was still 3800 years away from being discovered, and tools were still being made out of stone. What else was happening that long ago? Humans were performing the get-go known cases of reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries, documenting back to skin grafts in ancient India. Between the first documented procedures and the early 1800s not a lot progressed diversion from the basic tools being used. In 1827, Dr.John Peter Mettaue performed the first cleft palate operation using tools of his own design kicking off the modern pliable performance advancements. Using the advancements in reconstructive surgeries became increasingly popular during World War I as it was used to save many soldiers lives throughout the world. In the late 1940s, following the second World War, the focus of plastic surgery began to shift from medical procedures to save lives in the military to a more humankind and socialized practice. A boom in the 1960s spread rapidly after the introduction of silicone polymer implants by Dr. Thomas Cronin.Sports Illustrated Magazine issued its first swim go edition in 1964 featuring a five page spread of bikini clad finished model bodies that the public was pressured to imitate. Despite the American involvement in Vietnam during the late 60s the trend continued to increase into the 70s when plastic surgery hit an all-time high due to the public discovery of its uses on all separate of the body. Over the decades, countries throughout the world including Brazil and The United States occupy adopted plastic surgery as an active part of their cultures despite monetary and wellness costs all because of media and social pressures.The United States and Brazil rank first and second in the world of to the highest degree plastic surgery procedures, respectively. According to Dr. Daniela Dorneles de Andrade, a psychologica l research associate at the University of Vienna, the United States alone underwent 30. 1 jillion cosmetic surgeries in the year 2009, enough cosmetic surgeries for one in every ten Americans to have undergone some sort of altering procedure. The United States is the only country to top the beside leading country, Brazil, which report 13. 7 million procedures.Based on its population, that amounts to one in every fifteen Brazilians volunteering for of these surgeries in the same year (Dorneles 75). The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports the average cost of plastic surgery procedures being at five thousand dollars in the United States incurring a total revenue topping one hundred and fifty meg dollars a year from voluntary surgeries alone. The figure dwarfs Brazils reported income from the same procedures however, topping just over fifty million dollars (ASPS).Professor Alexander Edmonds, of Macquarie University, reports that the lack of funds reported by Brazil is due to a philosophy that the poor have a proper(a) to be beautiful (Edmonds, Poor 363). The thought that everyone has a right to undergo plastic surgery, even if they cannot afford it, has been adopted by many Brazilian surgeons. Brazilian surgeons have started clinics that atomic number 18 being funded by federal and municipal budgets to provide procedures to everyone regardless of economic ability (Edmonds, Poor 365). Such acts are not only costing people in American and Brazilian cultures bullion but also costing them their wellness.Both psychological and physical health are being put into jeopardy by the procedures themselves and also by the desire to have them done (Edmonds, Learning 470). wellness care related spending has nearly tripled in the past three centuries, seventy-eight percent of which linked to complications of cosmetic surgery. Whether it is leaking silicone implants or infections, the surgeries that people are seeking out to make themselves more perfect on the outsi de are in fact leading to more problems than with what they started with (Dorneles 77).Why are people of the world putting themselves through these extensive procedures? University of Amsterdam professor, Alexander Edmonds, says it amounts to nothing more than acceptance and expectance. The pressure to appear as perfect as possible on the outside is largely placed upon the women in both Brazilian and American culture. Such pressure is put upon women, youthful women most heavily, by media and social groups alike. Social groups are driven by what they see in magazine or on television ads. Media thrives on what social groups are deeming appropriate amongst themselves.The vicious cycle of perfection that American teens and young adults face every day is the same pressure that is seen in Brazil. More and more young people are turning to evasive procedures to correct themselves every day. In 2010 the second most popular gift given to high school graduates in America, trailing closely beh ind a new car, was that of breast augmentations (Kreimer). These gifts are giving by family members or people who care about the young persons manner and they feel that their child go out thrive better in life if they help them achieve a better body.This thinking is passed on from generation to the next and is rapidly increasing. One teen who received such a gift was quoted saying, My mother, grandmother, two aunts, and stepmother have implants, so if my mom is willing to pay for it, why not? (qtd in Kriemer). The pressure to appear a certain way is becoming even more important to people of the world with no consideration for the health and financial implications. It is becoming accepted by cultures around the globe as a normal practice.If the past is any indication for the future this issue will become an uncontrollable epidemic. Something needs to be done about how media portrays people but are the thoughts of societies and morals of cultures being influenced by the media or is the media being conformed by the cultures and societies serves? Works Cited ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). The Plastic Surgery Foundation, 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Dorneles de Andrade, Daniela. On Norms and Bodies Findings from Field Research on Cosmetic Surgery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reproductive Health Matters 18. 35 (2010) 74-83. Print. Edmonds, Alexander. Learning to Love Yourself Esthetics, Health, and Therapeutics in Brazilian Plastic Surgery. Routledge Journals 74. 4 (2009) 465-489. Print. Edmonds, Alexander. The Poor Have the Right To Be Beautiful Cosmetic Surgery in Neoliberal Brazil. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 13. 1 (2007) 363-381. Print. Kreimer, Susan. Teens Getting Breast Implants for Graduation. Womensenews. Womens eNews Inc. , 6 June. 2004. Web. 26 Oct 2012.