How industrialization changed family life (1900s-1950s era) Research Paper

How industrialization changed family life (1900s-1950s era) - Research Paper Example (Berlanstein, 1992) Industrial Revolution began in Britain in eighteenth century with little innovations in different sectors like Textile, Steam engine and Iron making which gradually spread over other regions across the world in the nineteenth century. These innovations and technological advancement took off economical instability and replaced fine growth in economic stability which ultimately changed people’s perception of Industrial Revolution. It undoubtedly increased the rate of average income and people were quite enthusiastic with their rising living standards but people were ignorant about the cost they had to pay in return of this materialistic growth. Concentrating more on nineteenth century, in the first two decades of 19th century, metal machinery tools were produced which were further used to manufacture heavy industrial machineries which eventually contributed enormously in formal industrialization across European Countries. The industrial growth within the span of fifty years was so magnificent that people were completely unaware of the fact that they are demoralizing their family traditions like having dinner together or being a part of a family time or events. SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND SONGS OF EXPERIENCE: (Blake, 2008) Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is a compilation of fifty four short poems by William Blake. It is divided into two sections: Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. In these two sections he beautifully composed the rhymes through which he artistically delivered his thoughts to the readers that how a human soul is conflicted between the two contrary states of satisfaction and suppression. William brilliantly examined that a childhood is a period where innocence lies within but it is also sensitive to the fallen world of corruption, injustice and oppression. He mentioned and raised a voice against people or society who spoils the childhood by fear, oppression and inhibition. William further stated that human p sychology proves that how a human soul rejoice when it is set free and how it gets suppressed when it is kept isolated. William Blake was a smart mind and raised a major issue through his simple sweet poems. He indirectly created the guilt and targeted the people who for the sake of some pennies kept child labors which was cheaper, more hardworking and could be kept under pressure. He protested against child labor through his beautiful compilation of thoughts and vision over Innocence and Experience. CHILDHOOD LABOR: (Griffin, Emma, 2011) says that during the time of industrialization in Britain, almost every working class child was labored and it is an indigestible truth that majority of Britain Children did not enjoy the freedom of physical and mental growth through education and play. Children from mediocre class were bound to work to support their fragile families. (Humphries, 2010) interrogated with the autobiographers who had their childhood in between 18th and the 19th centur y and they all were not excited what they did in their childhood, neither they had a healthy relationship with their parents because they felt that their major rights of being a free happy child was taken away in return of hard work, responsibilities and hunger. Humphries presented a remarkable compilation of autobiographies which illuminated the harsh truth of Industrial Revolution in 19th century

Fair-value accounting change Essay Example for Free

Fair-value accounting change Essay The role played by the financial market in determining the levels of performance that can be recorded by the economy is not in doubt.   The 2008 economic crisis is a vivid reminder to all policy makers and even governments to ensure that issues that affect the economy are objectively addressed. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) which is a key player in the financial sector appears to be oblivious of its role in the economy and has once again used its mandate to develop a standard that is not relevant to business let alone accounting.    The move to adopt the mark-to-market accounting standard is a dark mark in American accounting history that may in fact lead to poor practices within the financial systems that have proven to be potent to the economy. It took America nearly 15 years to develop its constitutions; strategic management specialist have time and again pointed to the close relationship that exists between rapid change and failure and the FASB has for years taken months in seeking suggestions and deliberating upon them before making any proclamation that may affect the nature of the business environment[1].     All these are events or standards that the business world and America as a whole has come to accepted as being reflective of factors that affect the business environment. The speed with which the mark-market standards moved from proposal to being a standard brings about questions on objectivity[2].   A look at the last two times that America has found itself in crisis it has been the financial systems that duped to investors by inflating their performance or potential.   It is unlikely that such a hurried process which eliminates systems that have protected American investors will be of any good. FASBs modification of its rules is often waited upon with anticipation by all players in the business world.   The change in the fair value rules or standards is the main area of controversy in FASBs changes.   While the banking and financial institutions have praised the move as an effort to reduce the negative effect that previous standards had on developing a clear picture of their performance[3], investors are worried stiff on the effect that it will have on disclosures by banking and financial institutions that are traditionally known for overvaluing their assets and even performance. The fair value accounting rules had been blamed by a number of financial institutions that are notably under pressure from the 2008 economic crisis for being irrelevant to inactive markets. The mark-to-market accounting system that has been presented by FASB allows companies to use their judgment to gauge prices of some investments and backed securities.   Analysts were quick to note that the measures could in fact impact on the net income and affect bank write downs.   Pro mark-to-market standard institutions have hailed the changes with statements like the mortgage and market was not working and something had to change.   This is reflective of the true objective behind the move.   Investors who have been defrauded by American institutions in a number of occasions are wary of the changes that place them in a position where they are susceptible to exploitation by the financial community. The integrity of a development is largely dependent on the process that culminated in its existence.   Under this consideration, investors are innocent of unnecessary suspicion developed from poor past experiences.   The series of event that culminated into the existence of the mark-to-market standard is a reflection of the negative effect that the congress can have on effective decision making.   In his presentation on March 12th the chair of FASB did not mince his words in pointing out the faults that are inherent of the mark-to-market standards that the financial community was pushing for. The definition presented by Herz which should be presumed of FASBs definition of fair value is that it is the worth of an asset being exchanged between two informed parties[4].   In ending his statement the chair stated that America is in a challenging time that requires improvements in nearly all sectors and by trying to suppress financial information offered to investors there is little that will have been done to change the conditions.   His statement is a pointer to the misinformed objective that the change may affect the position that America currently is in and the existence of fair value system within financial practices. Whatever happened between 12th March and April 2nd is best left to Americans imagination.   The congress pressure has especially been cited by the media and being central to the changes that FASB made in fair accounting standards.   The same rule which had been dimmed lacking in objectivity became relevant to the American dilemma in a space of three weeks.   The hurried implementation of the change is the unspoken variables that belie its objectives. A pro derived from the development is the awareness that America is in a desperate position which needs to be addressed with immediate effect.   Moreover, the negative effect that bad performance within financial institutions had on the stock market may soon be historical events as financial agencies have been given a leeway to confuse investors and hide poor performance.   Profits that have not been evidenced since the likes of Enron went down may soon be usual and the same can be said of the pain that investors underwent in the turn of the century. The cons are clear especially sidelining of the effects that the operational environment has on operations.   The development allows for businesses to operate in a manner suggestive of independence from the operational environment while investors who may be aware of the prevailing environment are subjected to these daydreams.   The results may be increased wrangles within management boards, unethical practices within financial institutions and reduced confidence on financial disclosures which goes against their objectives. If any one thought that the FASB is perturbed by the controversies surrounding the development then they are in for a big surprise.   The FASB has practically done nothing and has sat back with some postulating that the next step they take may involve providing organizations with an environment where they can alter the value of all their assets at will. The standards used by investors and   financial players under the environment developed by the mark-to-market standards is non-uniform and may lead to a number of upheavals and even miscommunication that negatively affect value generation. It is evident from Herz’s speech on March 12th that the mark-to-market standard is a non-objective measure to curb the effects of the 2008 crisis.   The pressure placed on the FASB by the congress whose affiliation to financial heavyweight is not a mystery is central to the change.   This is not the first time such a development is being recorded for the French President played a pivotal role in some controversial changes made by the GAAP[5]. Investors should only worry for the short term for such subjective developments have historically proven to be uneventful.   It is only a matter of time before the follies in the mark-to-market standard that are actually known to all parties in the business fraternity manifests in the practical environment with dire results.   Changes that are appreciative of the operational environment will then be the only way out.

Interactive Whiteboard: Benefits in the Classroom

Interactive Whiteboard: Benefits in the Classroom Introduction The issues surrounding the use of interactive whiteboards (IWB) and creativity forms the focus of this essay. This area provides an opportunity to look at the interaction between new technologies and classroom reality in the Primary school setting, both in theory and practice. The essay starts with a brief overview of interactive whiteboards within the classroom setting before looking more closely at encouraging creativity both in teaching and learning. Teachernet (online) credits interactive whiteboards with the benefits of: Improving understanding of new concepts Increasing pupil motivation and involvement Improving planning, pace and flow of lessons Teachernet online, Interactive Whiteboards As Cogill (2003, p. 52) points out in her research report for Bects/DfES on IWBs in primary schools, the uniqueness of IWBs lies in its design to be used by teachers for teaching at whole class level. Yet in order to achieve the goals quoted above it is clear that certain other systems need to be put in place, especially professional development and teacher training. For example, as Barber et al. (2007) point out, it is vitally important for teachers to be confident and familiar with IWBs in order to use them to best effect. They also need to have a solid understanding of how to work with, and inspire, creativity and why (e.g. see Loveless 2002). To this end, and in agreement with official policy, there has been an upsurge in texts designed to help teachers work with IWBs. For example, Cooper et al. (2006) give a pragmatic description of how one can use IWBs within all teaching areas, from Maths to Reading. Craft (2000) also argues for the potential to use new technology with creativ ity rather than following the view expressed by some teachers that ‘†¦computers, far from stimulating or fostering creativity, both represent and do the exact opposite of this’ (Craft 200, p. 88). In creating space to use technology creatively it would seem that the first stage is to support their classroom use through training teachers both at pre-service level and through ongoing professional development. However, there is room for debate as to the depth of learning some of these formats inspire, seeming as occasionally do to seek to add entertainment rather than enrichment to learning. Whilst the funding made available through official initiatives, such as the National Grid for Learning (DfES 2003: DfES 2001) has encouraged schools to invest in new technologies, there is a need for systemic support to get the best out of it. For example Machin et al. found correlations between schools success with ICT and a ‘fertile background for making use of it’ (2006 p. 12). More pragmatically, Yelland (2007, p. 163) is one who warns that ‘not all software is positive for learning outcomes’ but then goes on to argue, in common with Machin et al. that it is the pedagogies generated by these new technologies that can create issues. Likewise Sutherland et al. (2004) warn that embedded use of ICT in the classroom can affect how knowledge is constructed. It is bearing this in mind that the following essay seeks to differentiate between, and concentrate on, creativity and not on the range of pedagogies that fall between poor practice and what has been referred to as edutainment. It seems clear that IWBs can provide a fantastic support, especially for visual learners, and posses the potential to be used to support and encourage highly creative interactive and educational learning environments through a wide range of curriculum areas. The ability for both students and teachers to manipulate visual materials (e.g. numbers, words, pitures etc) via the IWB and interact with the information displayed has been credited with: †¦increased pupil engagement, motivation and enjoyment, all potentially leading to improvements in pupil attainments Jones Vincent 2006, p. 2 However, research shows there is still considerable unfulfilled potential with the creative use of IWBs (Jones Vincent 2006: Smith et al. 2005). Creativity in itself has been viewed as essential for the progress of society (Cropley 2001, p. 133) and the next section of this essay looks more closely at how IWBs can be used in a variety of creative contexts starting theory and exemplifying with practice. Learning, or cognitive, styles are traditionally divided into visual, aural and kinesthetic and, in common with Gardner’s (1983) Theory of Multiple Intelligences, recognize what Craft (2000, p. 10) called a pluralist approach. This means catering for the various ways in which individual’s best absorb information and make meaning of it which in turn affects levels of student motivation. From the teaching perspective, creative planning is a means of overcoming individual barriers to learning and requires presenting information in a number of different ways. Cropley (2000, p. 148) saw this application of variety as encouraging creativity in students. IWBs ability to operate as a computer means that audio and video tracks, live websites and multimedia applications can be used to appeal to a range of students learning styles. Ideally, this engages their attention, thereby impacting on their motivation and encouraging creative thinking. IWBs provide an opportunity to link or encourage student interests in a very visual and interactive way. The following takes an aspect of geography as an example of the ways that IWBs can enhance and allow creativity of teaching methods. When teaching the water cycle, the IWB can be linked to any number of live weather cams and channels both in the locality and internationally and show real time weather. Diagrammatic representations of the water cycle can involve the students moving the pictures or labels into the right order using the IWBs touch sensitive capability. Graphic representations of rainfall data or ‘what if’ questions connected with changes in rainfall can all be presented on the IWB. The IWB allows questions to be investigated and extra dimensions to be added, such as a 3 dimensional view of a rain drop or the response to a question regarding the different forms of water – solid (e.g. show ice cubes to glaciers), gas (e.g. show animated kettle boilin g or a steam train running) or liquid (show rivers, seas etc). Notes can be added as the subject is discussed and saved for review the next time. It has been commented that, even as early as Key Stage 1, science can be taught in too theoretical a manner (Charlesworth 2008). Yet in the Ofsted Success in Science report (2008), from which this information apparently derived, the use of an IWB is described as an effective component in a science lesson demonstrating how light works. The teaching strategies included whole class to small group work, role plays and investigative questioning with the IWB used make notes of the students ideas and ‘aid learning’ (Ofsted 2008, Sec. 18, p. 16). Although how the IWB was used to aid learning was not actually described, the suggestion is that it was a valued means of contributing to lesson management, flow and effectiveness. Likewise in maths, the IWB can be used to easily display mathematical representations, be they numeric or conceptual, such as numbers or blocks on a clearly visible scale to the whole class. IWBs provide an excellent support to lesson modeling. This issue of visibility is clearly important and to be able to demonstrate things such as small blocks or coins to a whole class so all can see has been mentioned frequently, such as one of the teachers in Cogill’s research into IWB use in primary schools (2002, p. 25). The DfES has produced – and continues to do so – Interactive Teaching Programs (ITPs) within the Primary National Strategy. For numeracy, these provide curriculum linked interactive programs designed to contribute, not take over, the lesson. Other methods include those demonstrated by Cooper et al.(2006) who show simple ways to add to the dynamics of the lesson, for example using games with clipart to play number line football on the IWB and so on. The imp ortant point is that the IWB works in combination with other teaching strategies, not at the expense of, or to the exclusion of, a balanced well-rounded teaching approach. Equally, the IWB is available to literacy and has an increasing array of supporting software (e.g. DfES ITPs). Cooper et al. (2006) exemplify the IWBs ability to provide students with focus through managing the amount of text visible and the method of presentation – font size and type, highlighted, shaded, hidden, revealed, coloured etc. This adds a dimension to focusing on text formats, from punctuation to spelling and can be very useful in identifying difference for students and helping the retention of information. At the same time, the IWB allows for connection to external media, for PowerPoint’s, video and audio clips, all of which add a dimension to the intended learning if used carefully. IWBs can also be used to create an inclusive environment for students with special needs. As with the font, size and colour changes mentioned above, for students who may have issues with eyesight or problems interpreting words, IWBs can be used to add a dimension of size and impact. For students who find it hard to concentrate, the use of interactive, highly visible materials within their range of interest can easily be projected through IWBs, for example using cars as counters or horses as cursors. The ability to use the IWB to gather notes may also enhance assessment opportunities for the teacher and the savable nature of IWB notes means these are accessible when required in an easily usable format. All these elements not only add to the pace of the lesson and appear to add to the pace of the learning, they also add to the teachers resource bank both for teaching and evaluating progress. In essence, it is perhaps in the area of ongoing professional development that the creative use of new technologies, such as IWBs, needs to focus. When the teacher is motivated and confident, then that comes through in the teaching tools. Indeed the research looked at for this essay has generally agreed with Wood and Ashfield (2008) that new technologies such as IWBs can provide excellent formats for creating and inspiring creative teaching and learning, yet these depend on the teacher’s knowledge and ability to use the technology to achieve this. Becta supports this in its assessment of research and comes to the conclusion that: In some subjects, the more experience the teacher has of using the interactive whiteboard the greater the likelihood of positive attainment gains for pupils Becta 2007, online Cropley (2001) argued that creativity is dependent on a wide range of factors, from cognition to personality, and this has to be considered within the context of the whole classroom environment. IWBs provide teachers with another means of teaching creatively through presentation in altered formats, especially when it comes to communicating with the class as a whole. However it is not alone in encouraging the creative skills of divergent (broad concept connections) and convergent thinking (focused concept connections) or in developing meta-cognitive thinking and accommodation, rather than assimilation, of information. In conclusion, IWBs have the potential to be used extremely creatively for both teachers and students. However, as with many new technologies, their use needs to be supported both by school policy and professional development. As it is likely that these technologies will continue to develop considerably during the near future, it is not enough to teach the usage of specific technologies and think that is where it ends. Perhaps an ongoing mentoring program or collaborative approach to planning with a high IT content may help compliment continued professional development. The same criteria apply to pre-service teacher training whereby familiarity with current IT needs to be support by an ongoing ability to develop IT capacity. From the students’ perspective, well planned and imaginatively used IWBs provide a stimulating, engaging and motivating means of learning. It is clearly just as important to use this interface as a part of a holistic, well rounded curriculum as well as an area in itself and not enough to assume familiarity with contemporary technology without teaching it. References Audain, J., David, A., Flute, M., Fielder, S. Cogill, J (2006) You can use an interactive whiteboard for ages 7-11, Scholastic Barber, D., Cooper, L. Meeson, G (2007) Learning and Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards : Primary and Early Years, Learning Matters Becta (2007) ‘Becta response to the evaluation of the Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion project, accessed 11th January 2009, http://www.becta.org.uk Becta (2004) ‘Getting the most from your Interactive Whiteboard: A guide for Primary Schools, accessed 10th January 2009, http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/15090.pdf Charlseworth, (2008) ‘Science teaching ‘too theoretical’, online article accessed 12th January 2009, http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2219313/science-teaching-theoretical-ofsted Cogill, J (2003) ‘The use of interactive whiteboards in the primary school: effects on pedagogy’, in ICT Research Bursaries: A Compendium of Research Reports, ICT in Schools Research and Evaluation Series – No, 16, Norwich: HMSO, available online at http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/DfES-0791-2003.pdf#page=54 Cooper, A., J., Botham, K. Cromie, H (2006) You can use an interactive whiteboard for ages 4-7, Scholastic Craft, A (2000) Creativity across the primary curriculum: framing and developing practice, London: Routledge Cropley, A. J. (2001) Creativity in education learning: a guide for teachers and educators, Kogan Page DfES (no date) Interactive Teaching Programs (ITPs), accessed 12th January 2009, http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/frameworks/library/Mathematics.ICTResources/itps/ DfES (2003) Fulfilling the Potential: Transforming Teaching and Learning through ICT in Schools, Norwich: HMSO DfES (2001) Survey of ICT in Schools 2001, Norwich: HMSO Gardner, H (1983) Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences, Basic Books: New York Jones, A. Vincent, J (2006) ‘Introducing interactive whiteboards into school practice: one school’s model of teachers mentoring colleagues’ online article accessed 12th January 2009, http://www.aare.edu.au/06pap/jon06333.pdf Loveless, A (2002) ‘Literature Review in Creativity, New Technologies and Learning’ Report 4, Futurelab Series, Bristol: Futurelab, available online at http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/Creativity_Reveiw.pdf Machin, S., McNally, S. Silva, O (2006) ‘Summary of articles: New technology in schools: is there a payoff? Discussion Paper No 55’, Centre for the Economics of Education at CEP, accessed 12th January 2009, http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs.download.CP199.pdf Ofsted (2008) Success in Science, Ref. No.070195, accessed 12th January 2009, www.ofsted.gov.uk Smith, H J., Higgins, S., Wall, K. Miller, J (2005) ‘Interactive whiteboards: boon or bandwagon? A critical review of the literature’ in Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 21, pp. 21-101 Sutherland, R., Armstrong, V., Varnes, S., Brawn, R., Breeze, N., Gall, M., Matthewman, S., Olivero, F., Taylor, A., Triggs, P., Wishart, J. John, P (2004) ‘Transforming teaching and learning: embedding ICT into everyday classroom practices’ in Journal of computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 20 (6), pp. 413-425 Teachernet (online) ‘Interactive Whiteboards’, accessed 10th January 2009, http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/ictis/infrastructure/iwb Wood, R. Ashfield, J (2008) ‘The use of the interactive whiteboard for creative teaching and learning in literacy and mathematics: a case study’ in British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 39 (1), Jan, pp. 84-96 Yelland, N (2007) Shift to the Future, Abingdon: Routledge

Getting Back To Basics :: essays research papers

Getting Back to Basics In earliest times primitive people made contact with the outside world through the same five senses used by people today. They could hear the sounds of animals, see objects, feel the rain on their faces, smell the fragrance of wild flowers, and taste berries and other foods. Primitive people also expressed their feelings through art and dance. The cave paintings in Lascaux, France, which were drawn some 27,000 years ago, depicted animals of the time. Do these images show Paleolithic man’s continuity with nature? It is not known whether these pictures had a methodical, or a magical or religious purpose; however, they did show that primitive people had both a need and a talent for self-expression. In Suzi Gablik’s book, Conversations before the End of Time, Gablik touches base with several artists analyzing the discontinuity between man and nature, nature and art, and art and man. During interviews with each artist, philosophical questions arise, such as what is art for (Ellen Dissanayake), are humans really at the apex of the pyramid (Christopher Manes), and can mankind survive without modern technological civilization (Rachel Dutton and Rob Olds)? Links between ecology, psychology, and art are explored, and the consensus among the artists states that mankind needs to change how we live with the earth by getting back to the basics. What is Art For? & Making Art About Centipedes If you were to ask Ellen Dissanayake what is art for, she would reply that art is â€Å"making special.† Dissanayake believes that humans, since the beginning, have been attracted to objects that were ‘extraordinary or special’, and ‘make special things’ to show that we care and have regard for those things. Most importantly, â€Å"art is for everyone and not solely for an elite group of artists in the art world.† Upon first reading this article, I agreed with Dissanayake, however after rereading, I discovered that there was some hypocrisy in what she was saying. Initially, Dissanayake created a solid argument on why art is important to man, why we create art, and to whom art is created. However, when linking this to the importance that man must â€Å"realize that we cannot go on living in ways that are so mechanical, materialistic and hard on the environment (Dissanayake, p.54), Dissanayake separated man into a Darwinist view of nature, and m an’s superiority over it. In my opinion, this view is the reason man is disconnected with nature.

Commercials and Their Effect on Children’s Language

Language socialization is the process whereby children are socialized, or taught the norms and expectations of their culture, through the use of language. Language socialization includes both the use of language for socialization and the socialization to use language. Language socialization takes effect through exposure to language use, first from family members and other caretakers and then through further society, such as other children, childcare and media exposure. What effect does media exposure, particularly exposure to television commercials, have on language socialization in children? An investigation of literature suggests that television and commercials are likely to have a poor effect on language socialization, leading to inaccurate ideas of the importance of language and the culturally correct use of language.The general effects of television viewing on socialization are well known. According to Coats & Feldman (1995) American children spend significant amounts of time wa tching television – more time, they noted, than talking to adults, playing with siblings or attending school. They examined the effect of television on nonverbal socialization, and found that nonverbal displays of emotion are found at an unnaturally high rate as opposed to the natural environment. This can lead to frequent television viewers expressing a more expressive nonverbal emotional display style, due to incorrect socialization about the appropriateness of nonverbal display.Their study found that elementary school children who frequently watched television had more success at encoding emotions (particularly those frequently displayed on television such as happiness and sadness) than did children who infrequently watched television. They also found that these children used more emotive facial expressions. This is in opposition to cultural norms that require active regulation of facial expression, and may constitute a social disadvantage. DeLoache and Korac (2003) noted that there has been a substantial amount of research indicating that there is a correlation between violent programs and violent behavior.Neuman (1980) performed one of the first studies on the effect of television and listening behavior in children. She noted that the rapid pace of children’s television programming meant that children never had time to integrate the information transmitted by the programs. The changes were so frequent that children did not have the ability to learn to recognize the words presented in other contexts, meaning that language socialization through these television shows and commercials was ineffective and incomplete. Her study focused specifically on the correlation between listening skills and television viewing.She found that children did not routinely suffer a degradation of listening skills at increased levels of television viewing; listening skills, she determined, tend to be linked more to intelligence than to television viewing or artifici ally shortened attention spans. However, she did note that children who watched a lot of commercials, documentaries and news shows did have a decreased level of listening skills. She posited that this was due to the explicit lack of socialization cues aimed at children within these programs leading to decreased listening skills and attention spans. In short, these programs did not provide enough simulated human interaction to allow for language or cultural socialization, even as a substitute for human interaction.Durkin and Judge (2001) examined the effect of television language socialization on children in the specific context of foreign language speakers. The authors noted that language is a marker of ethnic identity and enculturation; reactions to language could also be a sign of ethnic prejudice. Ethnic minorities are often underrepresented in the media as well as portrayed in an inaccurate manner, perpetuating stereotypes and negative images of the ethnic minority. The authors wanted to investigate this portrayal on the socialization of young children around foreign languages at various ages.They found that three to five year olds routinely learned words from television programs, and that younger children used foreign language as a cue that a program’s content is not aimed at them. The authors performed a study that used videos of a family, speaking both English and an artificial foreign language, in prosocial and antisocial situations in order to gauge the effect of the foreign language on the children’s perception of the situation. The authors did not find that the foreign language routinely affected the children’s perception, although younger viewers did tend to view the foreign language speaking portrayals more negatively (in line with cognitive development theories which indicate that younger children see those who are different from them as a threat).The authors noted that the eight year old group showed a marked bias against th e foreign language groups in both the prosocial and antisocial situations; this, too, is accounted for by cognitive development theories, which indicate that a metalinguistic shift occurs around the age of seven or eight. This effect has apparently dissipated by the age of ten. Children of all age groups responded positively to the prosocial groups, and negatively to the antisocial groups, in line with expected socialization. The authors concluded that although foreign language could elicit prejudicial reactions in children, it is not clear that it is the foreign language that causes these reactions. However, this study clearly indicates that television’s negative portrayal of ethnic minorities could impact children’s later attitudes and socialization.Barling and Fullagar (1983) performed a factorial study examining children’s attitudes to commercials, including statements such as â€Å"I learned something new† and â€Å"The advertisement was entertainin g.† This study did not show any explicit awareness on the part of the children surveyed of learning or socialization through commercials. Bradbury (2004) stated,â€Å"A great deal of research has been done on this subject and, though varying greatly in its methodology and conclusion, would appear to suggest that it is not until the age of 12 that all children have developed a full understanding of the intention of advertising. In particular it is not until this age that all children fully understand the ‘advocatory’ nature of advertising, that is the way in which advertising communicates only positive messages about a product in order to encourage sales.†This inability to distinguish reality from commercial advertising may further increase the risk of inappropriate socialization through television commercials. Bradbury noted that exposure to commercials at an early age may increase the risk of developing a consumerist mentality that children do not have the capacity to recognize as inappropriate.Are there any potential benefits to children from television viewing? DeLoache and Korac (2003) examined the effectiveness of video learning in very young children.   The design of television programs for children, beginning with programs such as Sesame Street, aimed at preschool aged children, and progressing to programs designed for twelve to twenty four month old or younger children, are predicated on the idea that children can and do learn from video imitation. DeLoache and Korac noted that children do learn from these programs, although not as early as they can learn from direct interaction with other humans.Children as young as fourteen months have been observed to show learning behaviors (perceiving and interpreting the action, forming a memory representation of the action and then retrieving the representation at some later time) from behaviors observed on television. However, this is several months later than children have been obse rved to perform the same learning behavior in response to interaction with people. From this the conclusion can be drawn that children can display learning and socialization behaviors from television, though not as effectively as from person to person interaction.A review of literature regarding language socialization and television, including television commercials, learning programs and other forms of television aimed at children or viewed by children indicates that language socialization is provided by television, but at a lower quality than that provided by personal interaction with peers and adult caregivers. DeLoache and Korac indicated that television can provide learning opportunities for children, though not at as high a quality as personal interaction; children were seen to learn from television at a later age and a lower rate than from other people. Neuman demonstrated that television, particularly television that is not designed to provide socialization for children, cou ld negatively affect listening behavior.Additionally, some forms of children’s programming, which are rapidly paced and change content quickly, lead to inadequate language socialization as children are left unable to recognize new words outside of their original context. Coats and Feldman examined the effect of television on non-verbal socialization in children. They determined that children with high levels of television viewing had an inaccurate view of the frequency and appropriateness of non-verbal emotional expression, which could lead to a social disadvantage in a culture which values control of emotional expression. Barling and Fullagar found that children had no explicit understanding of the purpose or meaning of television advertising, where Bradbury stated that children continued to lack understanding of the purpose of television advertising as late as age twelve. Durkin and Judge determined that negative portrayal of ethnic minorities on television might affect lan guage socialization.Examination of literature indicates that while television viewing may have some limited positive effect on language socialization and learning behaviors, it is unlikely to be a substitute for personal interaction between peers and adult caregivers. Children were shown to have less understanding of appropriate social cues and behaviors, and did not retain as much language information due to inappropriate presentation and inadequate time to process and retain knowledge. Commercials pose a particular problem because they not only use a limited language set, but also portray and enforce an inappropriate consumerist attitude which children are unable to distinguish as not being the cultural norm.Works CitedBarling, Julian & Fullagar, Clive. â€Å"Children’s Attitudes to Television Advertisements: AFactorial Perspective.† The Journal of Psychology. 113 (1983):25-30.Bradbury, Paul. â€Å"Television Advertising to Children – To Regulate or Legislate ?†Children & Society. 14 (2004):73-75.Coats, Eric & Feldman, Robert. â€Å"The Role of Television in the Socialization of Non-Verbal Skills.† Basic and Applied Social Psychology 17.3 (1995): 327-341.DeLoache, Judy & Korac, Nada. â€Å"Video-based Learning by Very Young Children.†Developmental Science. 6.3(2003):245-246.Durkin, Kevin & Judge, Jasmine. â€Å"Effects of language and social behavior on children’sreactions to foreign people on television.† British Journal of Developmental Psychology. 19 (2001):597-612.Neuman, Susan. â€Å"Listening Behavior and Television Viewing.† Journal of EducationalResearch. 74.1 (1980):15-18.

Homosexuality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde essays

Homosexuality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde essays It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. This quote from Austins Pride and Prejudice, while being sarcastic and facetious, is truly indicative of the societal expectations placed on men in Victorian society. This is the very belief that is subverted and challenged in Robert Louis Stevensons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The conflict in his novel is over the dominant conception of the professional upper-middle class Victorian man and his professed masculinity. Not only are the men in this novel all bachelors, but there also appears to be an air of homoerotic tension pervading their tight knit social circle. Stevenson provides several other symbols that lend a homoerotic interpretation to the novel. The discussion of the blackmail house between Mr. Utterson and his kinsman Richard Enfield, the description of the door leading into the blackmail house, and the depiction of Utterson and Poole, Dr. Jekylls butler, breaking into the lab. Blackmail in the Victorian period was commonly associated with homosexuality, and in fact, instituted to deal with homosexual liaisons. Enfields nickname for Dr. Jekylls laboratory, blackmail house, supports the underlying homoerotic themes pervading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Relating the incident to Utterson in which Hyde uses a check signed with Jekylls name, Enfield says, Black mail, I suppose; an honest man paying through the nose for some of the capers of his youth. Black Mail House is what I call that place with the door, in consequence. Though even that, you know, is far from explaining it all (Stevenson 11). Enhancing the homosexual aura surrounding the blackmail house is the description of the door leading into the house. The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and disdained. [It] bore in every...