ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Research Question The film My Fair Lady provides a rich platform for analyzing the relation of transformative theories to adult learning. In particular, the main character, Eliza Doolittle succeeds in mastering perfect pronunciation through transformational learning and reflective practice as presented by Donald Schon and Jack Mezirow who have managed to discover gradually Eliza’ transformations. In the film Eliza Doolittle sings, “Someone’s ‘ ead restin’ on my knee, warm an’ tender as ‘e can be. ‘ho takes good care of me! Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly” (Cukor, 1964). In this song, the lyrics provide the events serving as the starting point of Doolittle’s transformation from being a mere flower vendor to becoming a fair lady. The theories provided by the above-presented scholars prove once again that adults are inclined to changes and development. Research Objective In this research paper, we plan to investigate the Eliza’ Doolittle’s learning transformation through the prism of theoretical frameworks provided by Mezirow and Schon. In particular, it is necessary to examine in detail how Schon’s reflective practice meets the character’s learning and development and how Mezirow’s studies relate to Eliza’s transformations. Main body Literature Review According to Daloz (1999), the process of transformational learning is presented as a journey. Interpreting this, Daloz suggests that learners start journey in order to transform and, therefore, this trip is guided by a mentor. Hence, the scholar also believes that adult acquire knowledge through critical reflection and re-evaluation of their past experiences, that are best illustrated through mentors. Pursuant to transformation, mentors “remind us that we can indeed survive the terror of the coming journey and undergo the transformation by moving through, not around, our fear” (Daloz, 1999, p. 18). The analysis of personal and psychological characteristics has also been examined by Mezirow (Merriam et al., 2006, p. 132). His psychocritical approach to the examination of women’s learning transformations. In particular, Mezirow (2009, p. 19) presents several phases of transformative process including self-examination, re-evaluation of assumptions, acknowledgment of connection between the critical reflection and the transformation process, analysis of new roles and actions, and the construction of new plans and perspectives on the basis of these roles. Another dimension of adult learning is presented through reflective practice (Kinsella, 2007). In the article written by Kinsella (2007), one can pursue the analysis of Donald Schon’s theory of adult learning with regard to reflective practice which has a great impact on education. Schon’s theory provides a tight focus on the analysis of a reflective dimension and how it affects other epistemological processes. In particular, the scholar states that adult learning and development
Abstract It is a well-known fact that language reflects the worldview of a nation encompassing all scientific, cultural, ethical, moral, educational, and other beliefs that shape people’s mentality. Thus, it would be wrong to neglect the role of culture in language learning as the influence is reciprocal. Every community selects a range of languages chosen for acquisition besides the native language (Mahboob & Elyas, 2014). The problem is that the level of social acceptance of this or that language is different, which is explained by political, social, cultural, and religious reasons. The study at hand is devoted to the investigation of socio-cultural values that affect language learning in Saudi Arabia with the focus on aspects acting as a hindrance to learning. The major obstacles include social needs, religious beliefs, lack of interest in the Western lifestyle, intolerance to other cultures, etc. (Liton, 2016). The cultural and religious environment of the country is discussed as a framework shaping students’ perception of language acquisition. Introduction Motivation of the Study In the world of globalisation, it is essential for students to learn English, which has become a tool for international communication. However, it would be wrong to assume that English or any other second language is studied in detachment from culture, traditions, religion, history, and other aspects. Learning language presupposes that one has to penetrate deep into the other nation’s worldview, understand and accept it (Mahboob & Elyas, 2014). This may become rather challenging since culture-specific stereotypes are unavoidable. The interrelation between language acquisition and identity is a complex one and requires thorough investigation. Thus, throughout this paper, I argue that the greater the difference between the two cultures is, the more problematic it is for students to learn a foreign language (Liton, 2016). Aim and Scope The research at hand is devoted to cultural and religious factors that influence the learning of the English language by ESL students in Saudi Arabia. Although other European languages are also taught in the country, they are far from being so popular as English–that is the major reason it was chosen as the research subject. The major aim of the study is to find out the impact of such factors as motivation, social perception, and relations between Islam and western cultures as the key aspects of Saudi Arabian culture on the outcomes of language learning. Overview of the Paper The paper starts with a historical overview of the problem in order to see how the given research relates to the previous investigations in this field. The historical context of the topic investigation is also required for introducing the main focuses of attention of the studies in the past. Afterwards, im
One out of every six American children either speak a different language or have the knowledge of another language that is not English. Most of these children happen to be non-natives and as result of this they still have influence of their native language. The time they take to grasp the dynamism that defines the English language imparts significantly on their ability to catch up with their fellow students, who happen to be American citizens. A team of researchers sets out to find out how these children often put up with their native peers and explores the kind of relationship these children often have. In the team’s research, they meet Alejandro, a Spanish student who happens to be in one of the universities in the states. Alejandro is trying to read and grasp one of the basic fundamentals that constitute the English language; idioms. In his quest to gain an in-depth knowledge on the idioms he comes across, it takes him time to understand and decipher their meanings, leave alone to use them in their right contexts. It is also unexciting and mind-boggling. In many of the educational facilities, there is a misguided notion that these students will automatically fit into the society in their institutions through their interaction with the natives, but this often results to miscommunication and sometimes total lack of communication among the native students and the ELL. Palmer et al tries to bring out the effects this has on the ELL students, highlighting the theories behind their reasoning as well as the practical application of these theories. As a result of their migration and their almost nomadic tendencies, Alejandro found himself in a rift between his native language and the English language. His knowledge of English was limited to what he had learnt during his short stay in America, and diminished when his parents moved with the family to their home country. His return to America exposed him to a whole new world and a whole new language. It was hard for him to understand, and so was he shy to express himself and even read to the class ion English. On the contrary, he was not a shy boy and would often be seen laughing aloud with his Spanish speaking colleagues. It was evident that he had a problem, and that he needed a bridge to link him between the two worlds. This came in the form of his teacher, who helped him understand and use the common phrases and the idioms therein that English speaking students often use. In her quest to bring out the hidden persona in Alejandro, the teacher techniques the teacher used apply and interrelate to several theories that had been presented earlier. Her steps to get Alejandro on course entailed identifying a particular idiom, trying to get the literal meaning of the phrase and finally getting the real meaning of the phrases plus its significance and its relationship to his real life. It was a three- step process in which she
Introduction The controversies associated with recovered repressed memories have elicited a lot debate. This has generated increased research on the said topic. This essay seeks to critically evaluate Susan Penfold’s article, The Repressed Memory Controversy: Is There a Middle Ground, a peer reviewed article. The article seeks to identify the main issues surrounding the debate on the reliability of long-hidden recollections of childhood sexual abuse. The article explores this debate by exploring major arguments developed, hypotheses created either from medical and social science disciplines. There have been claims that reports that recovered memories of young children who have in the past been victims of sexual abuse were as a result of repression, self-induced hypnotic trance, false memory syndrome, motivated feeling as well as other unethical methods that are employed by psychologists that are not as a result of the recovery. False memory syndrome The article begins on the onset of research findings those victims of supposed childhood abuse to forget about their ordeal they went through. The syndrome is characterized by the effort of psychotherapists who are criticized as being overzealous, poorly trained and eager to produce results who single-handedly seek to persuade or coerce their patients who have no memories of any form of childhood abuse to remember the alleged abuse. The article is premised on the research by Elizabeth Loftus, a memory researcher and Richard Ofshe, a sociologist who reveal a recovered memory movement by the incompetent psychotherapists who have a practice of using coercion to entice their clients to recall past traumatic experiences. This is achieved by employing methods such as creating visual images as well as hypnosis with the belief that it is the getaway to memory recovery. This has the effect of making the client believing that they have a history of abuse in their childhood when in reality this is not true. Reaction to the debate Response to the false memory debate has seen the field of physical practitioners gets polarized on the argument that memories can be repressed or fabricated (Penfold, 1996, p.651
Introduction Statistical profile of particular locations can provide criminologists with valuable information which can be used in the investigation process. The demographic characteristics can provide significant insight into the environment of certain areas and peculiar characteristics of the population. This paper will build a statistical profile of the School District in 1100 47th street North East, Seattle WA, zip code 98105 according to the parameters of the education level and median income levels based on the statistical data retrieved from the US Census Bureau. Main body Estimating the education level of the population, it can be stated that the largest part of the population (33.5 %) has a bachelor’s degree with the higher rates of the female population in this category (34%) and the lower rates of the male population (33%). The second-largest subgroup (21.5%) includes individuals with certain professional degrees, while the female population counts for 21.7% and the male population for 21.3%. Another statistically significant subgroup in this category comprises a population with some college or no degree (17.9%), and in this category, the male population is dominating (18.6%) with the female population with no degree counting for 17.1%. The smallest population group has the education of less than 9 th grade (3.6%) with 3.8% of females and 3.3% of males. The second smallest subgroup includes the citizens who have not diploma but have completed between 9 th to 12 th grades comprising 4.0% with 4.2% of males and 3.8% of females. Summing up the above mentioned statistical data, it can be stated that the largest part of the population of the School District is rather educated with the bachelor’s degree as the most common educational level while the uneducated population with the level of education less than 9 th grade counts for the smallest population group. Additionally, it should be noted that there are insignificant deviations between the educational levels of males and females with the female population dominating in most categories, including both the highest educational levels and the lowest one. Table 1. Levels of education. (Adapted from the US Census Bureau). The second demographic characteristic under consideration is the median income level among the inhabitants of the School District. In general, it can be stated that the employed population of the School District of the age 16 and overcounts for about a half of the overall population (52.2%) with 52.2% of employed males and 47.8% of employed females. The median earnings for the District count for $ 39.998 with $44.998 for men and 34.998for women. As it can be seen from the comparison of the above-mentioned figures, the difference between the median earnings of men and women is significant. Moreover, comparing the earnings of males and females who work in the same sectors, it can be stated that the earnings of men are significantly higher than those of their female colleagues with the only exception of the federal government workers sector in which the median earnings of females are $59,
Introduction The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was established in 1848 and it has been considered the world’s oldest financial exchange company that serves millions of people all over the world. It provides financial exchange where people can buy or sell standardized contracts that can be used to purchase quantities of a financial instrument at a particular price in the foreseen future (Ryan, 2005). According to Ryan (2005), Chicago is situated at the base of the Great Lakes in a location that has been used to produce crops and rear livestock and this has enabled it to be a suitable center for producing, transporting as well as distributing agricultural products. In the mid 19th Century, there was a great shortage of these agricultural products and this led to the establishment of a market that would enable agricultural companies, sellers as well as processors to carry out their trade as well as be protected against future losses through price reductions. Forward contracts were established so that buyers and sellers could carry out their trade and still earn good profits even when the markets were low. The board’s growth Forward contracts acted as the basis to trade during the 1840s in Chicago. A forward contract was defined as an agreement between two people, the buyer, and the seller, to trade in a commodity at a specified time in the future. Predictions were made for the prices and these prices were used when that time in the future matured. In 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade was established to assure their customers against future risks. The board operated in terms of forwarding contracts and the first contract was developed in 1851. However, with time the contracts were seen to be ineffective because they were standard at that time and were dishonored by buyers and sellers especially when the price of delivery in the future differed from that of the original agreement. This led to the introduction of standardized future contracts in the year 1865 (Ryan, 2005). Ryan (2005) defines a future contract in the Chicago Board of Trade as a standardized agreement that is traded to buy or sell a particular quantity of a commodity whose quality is also specified. These commodities may be in form of government bonds and treasures, foreign currencies, or other financial instruments. The future prices in the future contracts were determined by the equilibrium between the market forces of demand and supply at the time of exchange of the contract. Future contracts give the contract holders the responsibility to trade in different commodities under the terms and conditions given in the contract. The holder is also assured of protection against any future risks arising as a result of price instabilities. The Chicago Board of Trade, therefore, took shape to provide services to its members and it has served many people all over the world ever since. In 1919, the board led to the development of a sub-branch referred to as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board which later changed its name to Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). It also enabled its members to trade in futures
Evaluating research is a specific analysis which helps understand some particular processes, their effectiveness, and other particular characteristics of the work performance. Evaluating research is usually used for considering staff satisfaction with a particular issue. Evaluation research may be completed differently each time as depending on the goals and the needs of the company, the evaluation may be based on various aspects. Grayson is sure that “work performance appraisal systems assess the employee’s effectiveness, work habits and also the quality of the work produced” (Grayson) by means of evaluating the “accuracy and effectiveness of the appraisal instrument” (Grayson) applying to “several basic research techniques” (Grayson). The main idea of such evaluation research is to gather the information in order to use it for improving the working process or employees’ performance. The evaluation research usually starts with setting the goals. Then, the appropriate technique is used according to which the research plan is developed. The literature review is to be considered along with the theories applicable to the research under consideration. After all the measures are taken, the evaluation research starts. It is important to inform employees about the future evaluation and about its goals. It is essential that the goals told to the employees and the real ones may differ. Such trick is done with the purpose not to spoil the research results by intentionally offered requests. The employer is to give employees time during their working hours to fill out the questionnaire (Mawoli and Babandako 1). After all the employees answered the questions, the results are checked, analyzed and synthesized. The conclusions are made on the basis of the results which are further used for the company change and strategic planning. Briefly Discuss What Barclays Has Done for Evaluating Research Having taken a specific example, the evaluating change and development of Barclays Edotech, it should be stated that the following processes were completed. First of all, the research was conducted with the purpose to understand which of the marketing techniques are used in the spheres and which of them are the most effective ones. After a thorough research, the one-off local staff survey was decided to be referred to (Thornhill, Lewis, Saunders, and Millmore 279). The evaluation research was based on three-month team briefings where employees were asked questions and they had to answer them. The results of the briefings were presented in public to make sure that all the employees had an opportunity to check those. Such measure is taken intentionally to increase the motivation and to make sure that the employees strive for better performance. In case the results were too lo
Introduction PPD is a drug development firm that stated its business operations in 1985 as a consulting firm run by one person in Maryland. According to PPD (2012), the firm is among the leading contract research organizations (CRO) as it has branches in 45 countries and with a total of 11, 500 professionals. As a result, it has continued to be guided by various principles which relates to employee engagement, quality execution, scientific and medical expertise and global reach. An analysis of the culture at PPD The firm practices various values that characterize various cultures as presented in the organizational culture profile (OCP) topology. As a result, its organizational culture of PPD is envisaged in its value statement. To begin with, according to PPD (2012), one of the values of its core values is working with unwavering integrity and pride in its business processes. Moreover, the firm listens to its customers by committing its efforts in meeting and their customers’ expectations as it remains customer focused. These values therefore mean that the firm exercises a people oriented culture. The firm accomplishes this through practicing supportiveness and respecting rights of individuals. This makes it to be a people oriented firm. Furthermore, the firm also exhibits an innovative culture. According to Scott and Mannion (2003) an innovative culture is characterized by flexibility, adaptability and experimenting new ideas. This culture is also enshrined in the firm’s value statement which relates to commitment to growth through improvement of operations and through pursuance of opportunities in furthering its business capabilities (PPD, 2012). In addition, the firm also exhibits a team oriented culture. This culture relates to collaboration and cooperation amongst employees and other stakeholders. This is clearly indicated by its value that relates to recognition of employees as the foundation of the firm’s success. Additionally, the firm recognizes individuals and teams in its operations (PPD, 2012). Policies Policies of hiring and laying off employees at PPD According to PPD (2011), PPD practice high degree of staff professionalism. This professionalism is based on good hiring policies and professionalism in lying off of employees. Therefore, the policies that the firm exercise in recruitment of its workforce is intended to achieve professional development of its workforce through training from diverse pool of talents across the world. Therefore, the firm applies various policies when hiring its workforce. The policies include proper identification of the skills required whenever there is a vacancy. The human resource management is tasked with the responsibility of identifying the required skills in the firm and searching for the same from research and learning institutions among others in or