Writing and Hortatory Exposition

?APTER I. INTRODUCTIONA. ProblemDiscussion text is discuss about problem or issue with give two viewpoint from those issue and also give conclusions or recommendation from issue that was pointed.Discussion is not limited to controversial issues – although polarized views may make it easier to teach completing a for-and-against ‘skeleton’ to bring issues from another area of the curriculum into literacy learning) Expository text is a type of writing where the purpose is to inform, describe, explain, or define the author's subject to the reader Analytical exposition is one of classified type and to present arguments for supporting the issued thesis, analytical will end with a re-iterat Hortatory exposition is a text which represent the attempt of writer to have the addressee do something or act in certain way, and also hortatory will try to persuade the reader how should or not do concerning the writer’s idea.B. Solving Problem Remember that is large enough a bout the paper about discussion text and expository text, so that the writer limits to discuss this paper below:1. What is definition of discussion text?2. What this general structure of discussion texts?3. What this Language feature of discussion texts?4. What is definition of expository texts?5. What is different between analytical exposition and hortatory exposition?C. Propose of Discussion 1. We can explain about discussion text2. We can define about structure of discussion text3. We can define about expository text4. We can differ between analytical exposition and hortatory expositionCAPTER IIDISCUSSION DISCUSSION TEXS AND EXPOSITORY TEXS A. DISCUSSION TEXS1. Definition and purpose of discussion texts Discussion text is discuss about problem or issue with give two viewpoint from those issue and also give conclusions or recommendation from issue that was pointed. One important point to keep in mind for the author is to try to use words that clearly show what they are talking abo ut rather than blatantly telling the reader what is being discussed. Discussion texts generally make use of formal and impersonal language to demonstrate objectivity.They can sometimes combine other modes of communication (visual images, diagrams) with written text in order to present the range of viewpoints and the evidence for them. Discussion is not limited to controversial issues – although polarized views may make it easier to teach completing a for-and-against ‘skeleton’ to bring issues from another area of the curriculum into literacy learning). In contrast, critically evaluative responses to a text may lead to a discussion of subtleties within it. The purpose of this texts is to discussion presents differing opinion, viewpoint or perspectives on an issue, enabling the leader to explore different ideas before making an informed decision.2. Structure of discussion texts. There are four parts of discussion texts, such as:a. A statement of position supplying necessary background information. In this case, a discussion begins with a brief introduction describing the situation. This Introduction recognizes that there are two foints of view.b. Arguments for an supporting evidence. In this case, the next view paragraphs elaborate the arguments for the issue, based on researching, surveying or interviewing people.c. Arguments against and supporting evidence. In this case, the next set of paragraphs describes the arguments against the issue, based on researching, surveying or interviewing people.Each paragraph should be clearly structured with a topic sentence supported by details. The supporting material could be reported speech reflecting comments. Specialist who has responded to the issue, or supporting evidence from research or surveys. Thinking and action verbs are used to persuasively establish and evaluate each argument.d. A Recommendation or conclusions. In this case, the discussion ended by presenting a personal point of view before concluding. A recommendation or conclusions sometimes sums up both side of the argument if they are fairly balanced or can recommend one arguments over the other if the evidence is overwhelming.3. Language feature of discussion texts. There some language features of discussion texts are often used but not always such as:a. Use of Simple present tenseb. Use of Generic participants. Example: people; scientists; smokersc. Use of Logical connectives to link argument.Example: therefore, howeverd. Use of general nouns to make specific statement Example: Machines, cars and many othere. Use of Emotive languagef. Use of relating verbs. Example: is,g. Use of thinking verbs that express a personal point of view. Example: consider, contemplateh. Use of conjunctions to link clauses. Example: but, and, while, when. And many others.i. Use of detailed noun group. Example:j. Use of varying degrees of certainty ( modality ) Example:k. Use of adverbs of manner. Example: honestly, badly and many others .l. Use of abstract and terminology.m. Use of saying verbs to quote.n. Use of quote and reported speech. Example: Mr white, when interviewed said†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦o. Use of factual adjectivep. Use of adjective expressing an opinion Example: horrifying advantageq. Use of comparative adjective Example: significant, more significant, most significant From the language features above it’s easy for us to make or understand about discussion texts.4. Here some examples of discussion texts Convenience or Care? When something issued by someone, we say it has been consumed.We as consumers use many things, both natural and processed. We consume more of the Earth’s resources than other animals do and, as a result, we cause problems for the environment. Like all animals, we need clean air and water, food and shelter for survival. Unlike other animals, however, we have certain â€Å"want†. These are items that are not necessary for our survival, but that we want because they make our lives easier or more enjoyable. Environments claims that a great deal of waste is created by both the production and the consumption of these items or product. Disposable products, such a pens, take away food containers, plates, shavers and cutlery, are made using the Earth’s resources.When these products are thrown away, the resources are lost. Another example of waste is the unnecessary packaging on many products. The material is often not recycled and used again. Throwing thing away also increases pollution. The amount of disposable plastic litter that ends up in waterways is a serious problem. When this waste reaches the oceans, it can kill marine life. Industrialist counters these arguments with their own point of view. They claim that consumer’s expect to be able to purchase food which is attractively presented, prepackaged to extent its life and easy to store. In a busy society, convenience is a priority. Products which make life easier, era in demand.Indus trialist argues that they cater to this perceived need. Packaging is also big business and provides jobs for many people who might otherwise be unemployed and a burden to society. Environmentalist declares that for thousands of year, people survived perfectly well with re-usable products. However, people of the twenty-first century have become used to wing in a ‘thrown-away’ society. It is up to each one of us to dispose of waste products carefully, recycle as much as possible and to reduce the stress on our environment. Think when buying pre-packaged goods and consider whether the same products can be bought without the extra wrappings. Let’s make the best of what we have.5. EXPOSITORY TEXTExpository text is a type of writing where the purpose is to inform, describe, explain, or define the author's subject to the reader. Expository text is meant to deposit information and is the most frequently used type of writing by students in elementary schools, middle schoo ls, high schools, colleges and universities. A well-written exposition remains focused on its topic and lists events in chronological order.There are two kinds of expository texts, such as: 1. Analytical Exposition TextA. Definitions Exposition is a text that elaborates the writer’s idea about phenomenon surrounding.Its social function is to persuade the reader that the idea is important matter or to persuade the reader or listener that something is the case. Analytical exposition is one of classified type and to present arguments for supporting the issued thesis, analytical will end with a re-iteration. And also will try to influence the reader by presenting some argument to prove that the writer’ idea is important.B. General structure of Analytical Exposition This places the writer’s position on the essay. From the generic structure, what make big different isa)Thesis is introducing the topic and indicating the writer’s position, it’s mean that p re-conclusive paragraph states the writer’s point of view about the topic discussed. Writer has show himself in clear position of the discussed topic.b)Argument 1 is explaining the argument to support the writer’s position, it’s presenting arguments in analytical exposition text is as important as giving conflict plot in narrative text. The series of argument will strengthen the thesis stated before.c)Argument 2 is explaining the other arguments the writer’s position.d)Reiteration is restating the writer’s position, the end paragraph actually is restating the thesis. It’s something like conclusive paragraph from the previous arguments.C. Significant Lexica grammatical Featuresa)Use of simple present tenseb)Use of relational processesc)Use of internal conjunction to state argumentd)Reasoning through causal conjunction or nominalization.D. Example of analytical exposition Is smoking well for us?Before we are going to smoke, it is better to loo k at the fact. About 50 thousands people die every year in Britain as direct result of smoking. This is seven times as many die in road accidents. Nearly a quarter of smokers die because of diseases caused by smoking. Ninety percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking. If we smoke five cigarettes a day, we are six times more likely to die of lung cancer than a non smoker. If we smoke twenty cigarettes a day, the risk is nineteen greater.Ninety five percent of people who suffer of bronchitis are people who are smoking. Smoking are two and half times more likely to die of heart disease than non smokers. Additionally, children of smoker are more likely to develop bronchitis and pneumonia. In one hour in smoky room, non smoker breathes as substance causing cancer as if he had smoked fifteen cigarettes. Smoking is really good for tobacco companies because they do make much money from smoking habit. Smoking however is not good for every body else. From the example above, we can determin e that in this pre-conclusive paragraph states the writer’s point of view about the topic discussed. The writer has show himself in clear position of the discussed topic.Paragraph 1 is the thesis of this analytical exposition text. It states the fact of the very fatal impact of the smoking habit. Clearly the writer wants to say that smoking is not a good habit. In the paragraph 2 and 3 are the detail arguments presented in a reporting fact to support that smoking is not good even for smokers themselves. Furthermore, people who don’t smoke but they are in smoky area have the bad effect too from the smoking habit. The last paragraph of this example of analytical exposition points again that smoking is not good for smokers and people around smokers. However smoking is very good for cigarette companies. 2. Expository Hortatory Exposition.a.Definition of hortatory exposition Hortatory exposition is a text which represent the attempt of writer to have the addressee do someth ing or act in certain way, and also hortatory will try to persuade the reader how should or not do concerning the writer’s idea.b. General structure of hortatory expositionThere are three structure of Hortatory Exposition such as:a)Thesis is similar to tentative conclusion which needs to be proven by certain fact and argument. In the end it can be true or false.b)Arguments is the phase which thy to examine and support that the thesis stated above is true.c)Recommendation, this is what should or should not be done in the hortatory text.This recommendation is differentiating from analytical exposition. c. Language Feature of Hortatory Expositiona)Focusing on the writerb)Using abstract noun are policy, advantage many other.c)Using action verbd)Using thinking verbe)Using modal adverb are certainly, surely and many other.f)Using temporal connective words are like important, valuable, and trustworthy and many others.g)Using passive voiceh)Using simple present tense.d. Example of Ho rtatory Exposition Why Should Wearing a Helmet When Motorcycling We often hear lots of stories from road regarding people talking spill on motorcycle when they are riding without using helmet. Mostly the riders badly end up in mess.Wearing a fitted protective helmet offers many benefits which reduces the negative aspects of riding. First and the most important is that wearing the correct helmet can save a rider’s life, physical ability, family pain, and money. The recommended designs of motorcycle helmets can provide total protection. They not only protect riders from getting a worse road injured accident but also from flying bugs, such as rain, sleet, mud and other potential projectiles. Second, wearing a helmet can gives the raiders a matter of style. Helmets give the opportunity for rider to express the image they may want to project when riding on they way. This benefit may not be important to some people, but to other, it means a lot of and important.By choosing the most appropriate helmet from all of the various styles, such as beanie, Shorty, German, and many others, wearing a helmet which can projecting an image is an inherent crucial part of motorcycling and help riders feel more confident when riding on the road. However, what most important is wearing helmet when riding is a matter of using it property. Bikers should use the helmets which are fixed to their head. It is really not good if they places simply the helmets on the head without setting them property. The bikers should fasten the helmet correctly to their head in order to get safe and comfort. From the example of above, we can understand that in the first paragraph is thesis. the importance of wearing helmet which is stated in the first paragraph†. The second paragraph is argumentative because of wearing helmet gives a total protection and giving a chance in imaging self form of argumentative. The last paragraph is form of recommendation, we can know from bikers should wear hel met property to get the benefit. ?CAPTER III CONCLUTIONDiscussion text is discuss about problem or issue with give two viewpoint from those issue and also give conclusions or recommendation from issue that was pointed. The purpose of this texts is to discussion presents differing opinion, viewpoint or perspectives on an issue, enabling the leader to explore different ideas before making an informed decision.Expository text is a type of writing where the purpose is to inform, describe, explain, or define the author's subject to the reader. Expository text is meant to deposit information and is the most frequently used type of writing by students in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities. Analytical exposition is one classified type as hortatory exposition in text genre. Both analytical exposition and hortatory exposition present arguments for supporting the issued thesis. What makes them different from one to each other is the last stage of the te xt, which the analytical exposition will end with a re-iteration. In the other hand, hortatory will close the essay with a recommendation.

Free Education Essay

Performance of students is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. Education plays a significant role in political, economic and social realms of development. Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on the achievement in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in standard eight. This study aimed at finding out factors that contribute to poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in public day primary schools in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used and a sample of 6 head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. The study realized the following as factors contributing to poor performance in primary national examination; inadequate learning resources, inadequate monitoring by head teachers, understaffing, high teacher turnover rate, inadequate prior preparation, lack of motivation for teachers, large workload, absenteeism by both teachers and pupils, pupils lateness, lack of support from parents. The following recommendations were made; more teachers to be employed to reduce workload, Ministry of Education to organize induction courses for head teachers to equip them with managerial skills, parents to be educated on the importance of basic education for their children, mode of rewarding teachers to be established. The study is expected to give insight reference to policy makers, scholars and researchers in order to improve the weak areas. Key terms: Examination, Factors, Performance, Primary Schools 1. Introduction The development of the education sector has been a long standing objective of the Government of Kenya since independence in 1963. Education is considered by various stakeholders and players as a basic need and a basic right. Performance ranks high on the national agenda, with educators and policymakers focusing on testing, accountability, curriculum reform, and teacher quality, school choice and related concerns. Conspicuously absent has been an examination of how school conditions affect teaching and  learning, even though extensive literature exists that links school facilities to the quality of education and to teacher morale and teacher productivity (Mark, 2003). This study documents factors in school and in the community that affects teaching and learning negatively to an extent of poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division of Maara District.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com. The introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) in January 2003, following the passing of the Children’s Act in 2001, has led to vital educational achievements. Enrolments in public schools increased significantly from 5.9 million in 2002 to 6. 9 million in 2003- a 17% increase; representing a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of 99% (102% girls and 97% boys). The Government provides funds, through both the School Instructional Management Book Account (SIMBA) and the General Purpose Account (GPA) to procure need based materials and improve on some infrastructure, thereby raising the quality of education. The Kenya’s education system is dominated by examination-oriented teaching, where passing examinations is the only benchmark for performance because there is no internal system of monitoring learning achievements at other levels within an education cycle. It is generally agreed that the most important manifestations of quality education have to do with literacy, cognitive abilities, performance and progression to higher levels of learning. There is reliance on scores and transition rates as core measures of achievement. In Kenya, examinations are generally acceptable as valid measures of achievement (Maiyo, 2009). Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in standard eight (Michael, Miguel & Rebecca, 2004). Although the government has channeled funds into basic education, performance at KCPE shows that most of the students making transition to top schools are from private schools; this creates inequality to access of opportunities to national and top performing provincial schools (Ngugi, 2007). In 2009 KCPE results out of 1374 candidates who sat for the examination in public day primary schools, none gained admission to the well endowed national schools in the country. The KCPE examination is marked out of a maximum mark of 500. Information on Table 1 shows the mean score for some schools from 2005 to 2009 in Mwimbi Division. Table 1: KCPE Mean Grades from 2005 to 2009Public Primary School 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Mutindwa 213. 24 210. 44 214. 11 200. 67 178. 75Wiru 222. 08 203. 79 219. 47 212. 04 198. 08 Ndunguri 195. 54 223. 94 213. 69 208. 41 199. 57Kirumi 228. 04 217. 17 187. 30 193. 74 200. 91 Source: DEO Maara District (2011)Results on Table1 indicate that KCPE performance in the public day primary schools is poor. Pupils may not be admitted to national schools or provincial schools with this kind of performance as it is too low. Therefore, these trends needs reversing and improve performance in national examinations by day public primary schools. 2. Statement of the Problem Performance in national examinations by day primary schools has been poor. Therefore, this study sought to establish factors that contribute to thier poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. 3. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study on factors that contribute to poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division were to:- i. Investigate the school based factors ii. Find out teacher based factors iii. Determine the community based factors iv. Establish the pupil based factors 4. Methodology. Descriptive survey design was used in conducting the study. The participants were six head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils. Questionnaires for the head teachers, teachers and pupils were used to provide the needed data. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics. 5. Results The following results were obtained from the study; 5. 1 School-Based Factors that Contribute to Poor Performance in KCPE Various school based factors were identified as contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 129 a) Commencement of Learning The time allocated for teaching and learning is a factor influencing pupils’ academic performance. There are three school terms every year with holidays in between in the months of April, August and December. The study therefore sought to find out when learning begins after a holiday. Results obtained indicate that majority of pupils (55. 5%) start learning in the second week after school opens and 43. 8% indicated that they start learning after the first week of the school term. This indicates that there is a lot of time wastage before learning begins. Eshiwani (1983) noted that most schools loose many teaching/ learning hours at the beginning of the term, this wastage leads to less work being covered and syllabi not being completed on time hence, contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. b) Adequacy of Learning Resources The adequacy and use of teaching and learning materials affects the effectiveness of a teacher’s lesson. Teaching and learning resources enhances understanding of abstract ideas and improves performance. The study sought adequacy of learning resources like text books, library books, wall maps and the exercise books. Data on Table 2 shows that text books provided in class and exercise books are adequate to but library books and wall maps are not adequate. Table 2: Adequacy of Learning Resources Learning Resource Adequate F % Inadequate F % Text Books Provided in the Class 80 54. 8 66 45. 2 Library Books 14 9. 6 132 90. 4 Wall Maps 11 7. 5 135 92. 5 Exercise Books 121 82. 9 25 17. 1 This makes learning of subjects like Social Studies very abstract to the pupils and could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. Schneider (2003) found out that school facilities have a direct effect on teaching and learning. Text books enable the pupils to follow the teacher’s sequence of presentation and aids in understanding of lessons (Ubogu, 2004). c) School Administration The quality of school administration plays a vital role in academic performance as it is concerned with pupils, teachers, rules, regulations and policies that govern the school system. In analyzing the efficiency of school administration, the following aspects were looked into: Frequency of staff meetings, frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans, adequacy of teachers’ prior preparation, frequency of class observation by the head teacher.i. Frequency of Staff Meetings in a Term Data obtained shows that majority of the respondents (64. 7%) indicated that staff meetings are held twice a term, 19. 6% indicated once only in a term and 15. 7% indicated that they hold staff meetings more than twice in a term. Few staff meetings may lead to less co-ordination of curriculum implementation. Findings by Kathuri (1986) asserted that the first aspect of administration is staff meetings as they facilitate co-ordination of various activities in the school. This implies that there was less monitoring and reporting of the progress of the schools activities to the teachers and this could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Schemes of work The responsibility of checking the professional documents like teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans lies in the hands of the head teacher. This may be done in person or he may delegate to the deputy head teacher or the senior teacher. Preparation and use of schemes of work by the teachers enhances sequential teaching and results to improved achievement. The frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work was therefore looked into and allhead teachers (100%) indicated that they randomly check the teachers’ schemes of work only once a term. This reflects that head teachers do not do any follow up on curriculum implementation during the course of the term. Checking of teachers schemes of work should be done frequently to allow the head teacher monitor curriculum implementation. Lack of this close monitoring could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com iii. Frequency of Checking the Teachers’ Lessons Plans Teachers’ lesson plan is a professional document prepared by teachers for the purpose of presentation of a lesson. The teacher indicates whether the lesson has been taught and objectives achieved; if the lesson is not taught, then the teacher indicates the reason why and when he intends to cover it; if the lesson objectives are not achieved, the teacher plans for remedial lesson in order to make the concept understood by the pupils. Table 3: Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Lesson Plans Number of Times Percent Once a month 83. 3 Once a term 16. 7 Total 100. 0. Information on Table 3 shows that majority of the head teachers (83. 3%) check teachers lesson plans once a month and 16. 7% indicated that they are checked once a term. Head teachers should monitor lesson plan preparation frequently; otherwise it may lead to poor performance by in national examinations. iv. Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation Adequate prior preparation before a teacher goes to class leads to good performance by the pupils. This promotes sequential presentation of concepts by the teacher to the learners. Information on Table 4, head teachers indicate that teachers’ prior preparation is fair (66.7%). Table 4: The Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation This is an indication that head teachers are not satisfied with the teachers’ prior preparation. Always, prior preparation by the teachers leads to systematic delivery of concepts to pupils and enhances performance. Therefore, teachers prior preparation was not sufficient and could be a factor leading to poor performance by the pupils. v. Observation of Classes by Head teachers One of the roles of the head teacher is to carry out internal supervision of curriculum implementation in his/her school. This involves physical observation of teachers’ lessons in progress. Results on Table 5 shows the frequency at which the head teachers observed classes conducted by the teachers. Table 5: Observation of Classes by the Head-teachers Number of Times Percent More than twice 33. 3 Not at all 66. 7 Total 100. 0 Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) do not at all observe classes conducted by the teachers in a given term. One of the head teachers’ roles is regular class supervision in order to promote curriculum goals. Failure to do so may lead to poor performance in national examinations. d) Teacher-Based Factors. These are the factors within the teachers that could hinder or promote academic performance of pupils in their schools. The study sought to analyze the following aspects of teacher based factors: teacher commitment, teachers’ frequency of absenteeism, teachers’ motivation and teachers’ work load. i. Teacher Commitment Level Good performance is as a result of high commitment levels by the teachers. All head teachers (100%) indicated teachers’ commitment as moderate. Rating Percent Good 33. 3 Fair 66. 7 Total 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 131. No teacher was rated as having high commitment to their work. Ubogu (2004) asserts that teachers who lack enthusiasm are unable to teach effectively, making pupils not to learn well. This could be a contributing factor to poor performance by the pupils in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Absenteeism among Teachers Teachers’ rate of absenteeism was looked into and majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) rated them as moderate, while 33. 3% indicated their rate of absenteeism as low. When teachers absent themselves from school frequently, pupils go unattended and do not do well in examinations. Absenteeism by teachers reduces the amount of instructional time and this result in the syllabi not being completed. This in return results to lower output of work by the pupils (Ubogu, 2004). iii. Teachers’ Motivation Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) said that teachers were not motivated, while 33. 3% indicated they are. World Bank Report (1986) acknowledges that teacher satisfaction is generally related to achievement†¦ satisfied teachers would concentrate hence enhancing academic performance of their pupils. iv. Teacher Turn-over Rate The teacher turnover rate in the last one year was also looked into. Results obtained indicate that 50% of teachers were transferred once, 33. 3% twice and 16. 7% were transferred five times in a year. This is a factor that contributes to poor performance in examinations. According to Schneider (2003) high teacher turn over forces schools to devote attention, time and financial resources attracting replacement of teachers. v. Teachers’ Workload The number of lessons teachers take per week out of possible 40 lessons was looked into and majority of the teachers (80. 32%) had a work load of between 36 and 40 lessons, 19. 68% had lessons between 31 and 35 lessons out of a possible 40 lessons. This implies that teachers are not overloaded hence; their output in terms of national examinations performance should be good. 5. 2 Pupil-Based Factors These are the factors within the pupils that could enhance or hinder their academic performance. In the pupil based factors; the following aspects were looked into: pupils’ language use, pupils’ rate of absenteeism and pupils’ lateness to school. a) Pupils’ Language Use Data on language used by pupils in class among themselves is indicated on Table 6. Table 6: Pupils’ Language Use. Language Used F % Mother Tongue 18 35. 3 English 5 9. 8 Kiswahili 26 51. 0 English and Kiswahili 2 3. 9 Total 51 100. 0 Majority of the pupils (51%) used Kiswahili to communicate among themselves, 35. 3% use their mother tongue, 9. 8% use English, and 3. 9% use both Kiswahili and English. Pupils who interact using English language tend to understand it better and do well in examinations as all examinations are written in English language; pupils who use mother tongue for interaction are disadvantaged as they end performing poorly in examinations which are written in English. Ubogu (2004) asserts that the prevalence of the use of local language means that pupils would lack a lot of vocabularies in English, which would be needed to understand teachers’ lessons and the textbooks they read. b) Pupils’ Frequency of Absenteeism The aspect of how frequent pupils absented themselves from school was looked into and 41% indicated they moderately miss school, 29. 4% indicated their rate of absenteeism is high and 29. 4% indicated low. When pupils absent themselves from school, they tend to lose many concepts and definitely may not do well in exams.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www.ijhssnet. com 132 The effect of absenteeism and irregular school attendance is that materials taught is difficult to understand when studied on one’s own. Continued loss of classes results to loss of content and knowledge. Assignments and exercises would not be properly and correctly done leading to poor performance (Ubogu, 2004). From the analysis above, quite a number of pupils absent themselves from school and therefore this could be a factor contributing to poor performance. c) Pupils’ Lateness Information on Table 7 shows majority of teachers indicated pupils’ rate of lateness as frequent. This would definitely lead to poor performance in examinations. Table 7: Frequency of Lateness among Pupils Frequency Percent Very Frequent 31 60. 8 Not Frequent 20 39. 2 Total 51 100. 0 5. 3 Community-Based Factors Community based factors are factors within the community that impede or enhance pupils’ academic performance. In analyzing the community based factors, the following aspects were looked into; a) Parents’ Consultation with Teachers Good performance is realized when parents work in consultation with the teachers in order to understand their children better. The study therefore sought to find out how often parents consult the teachers on matters pertaining their children’s education. Data obtained indicate that majority of parents (62%) rarely consult teachers on education matters of their children, 20% indicated they sometimes consult and 8% do often consult but 10% never consulted teachers. This is an indication that most parents were not so much concerned about education of the children. Ubogu (2004) indicated that parents’ interaction with teachers enables them to know what their children are encountering in school and what could be done to deal with the problems. It would also put pupils on alert and study in school as they would know that their parents would inquire about their performance. Parents may not be able to provide much guidance and help their children’s performance improve when they are ignorant of what happens in school. b) Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Results on Table 8 shows, parents’ poor response to provision of learning materials. Table 8: Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Rating F % Good 5 10. 0 Satisfactory 17 34. 0 Poor 28 56. 0 Total 50 100. 0 Ubogu (2004) asserts that lack of basic school needs like learning materials  could not provide a stable mind and conducive environment for the pupils to study. Lack of learning materials contribute to poor performance in national examinations. c) Parents’ Willingness to Participate in School Development Results on Table 9 indicate Parents are not willingness to participate in the general school development. Schools where parents are actively involved in school development do well in exams as pupils are encouraged by both the teachers and the parents. Table 9: Parents Willingness to Participate in School Development F % Willing 2 33. 3 Not willing 4 66. 7 Total 6 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 133 d) Assistance Pupils get at Home Majority of the pupils (69. 2%) did not get assistance to do homework at home, but 30. 8% does. Those students who do not receive assistance at home to do homework end up performing poorly in national examinations. References Eshiwani, G. S. (1983). Factors Influencing Performance among Primary and Secondary School Pupils in Western Kenya Province. A policy study. Bureau of Educational Research, Kenyatta University. Kathuri, M. J. (1986). Factors that Influence the Performance of Pupils in CPE. KERA Research Report. Nairobi: Kenyatta University, Bureau of Educational Research. Maiyo. J. A. & Ashioya, L. A. (2009). Poverty Alleviation: The Educational Planning Perspective. Department of Educational Planning and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Michael, K. Miguel, E. & Rebecca, T. (2004). Incentives to Learn, BREAD working paper Number 086, Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, U. S. A. Ngugi, P. (4th January, 2007). â€Å"400,000 Assured of Places †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In the Daily Nation. Nairobi: Nation Media Group Ltd. Schneider, M. (2003). Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? Washington, D. C. :National Clearing house for Educational Facilities Strategic Public Relations and Research LTD, (2005). Review of the Status of Provision of Education to all Children in Kenya. ANPPCAN. Ubogu, R. E, (2004). The Causes of Absenteeism and Dropout among Secondary School Students in Delta Central Senatorial Districtof Delta State. Unpublished Ph. D Thesis, Delta State University, Nigeria: Abraka. World Bank. (1986). A Report on School Quality and Achievement. Washington DC: World Bank.

How to make make money online Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How to make make money online - Article Example This is the final step in devising a website that serves a number of different purposes. There are thousands of free website sites which could be used to earn money online. The website standards need to be followed in order to gain success in the long run. Also how to start a webpage for free is a similar undertaking that must be properly understood so that a person could find ways to earn money online (Koch 1996). These are significant measures that will bring success for the domains of someone who believes a great deal in making money online. One most important point here is to properly check the website again and again to know that money making ways are up and running, and that there are no difficulties in the wake of making more money with the changing times. Works Cited Koch, Tom. The Message is the Medium: Online All the Time for Everyone. Praeger Publishers, 1996 Ploster, George. Making Money as an Aggregator. Online, 28, March 2004 Smith, Jennifer. Online Learning and Teachin g in Higher Education. Open University Press, 2007

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection - Essay Example The responses of management of the organization were significant in its scope for understanding knowledge management and how organizational leadership can become the anchor for a motivated workforce. Reflecting on the work of various workers within the bank where I had gone as a customer hugely helped me to identify organizational issues that are detrimental to efficient delivery of organizational goals and objectives. The scenario was analysed and three interpretations with two evaluations for each interpretations came up which were further reflected on for improving the performance of the organization. 2.1 Reflection on first interpretation In the first interpretation, manager was lauded for positive and strong decision when she transferred the erring executive to another branch. It was deduced that due to available information, the managerial leadership was able to make quick decision which also served as example for others to be efficient. On deeper reflection, I believe that the managerial decision was too hasty that not only creates insecurity amongst the workers but also adversely reflects on the style of leadership of the manager. As a leader, manager has the responsibility of creating a cohesive and high performance team that thrives on constant learning and new challenges. She lacked effective leadership qualities like effective communication, lack of vision, empathy and most important, an inability to exploit information judiciously (Forster, 2005). She had used just latest information to transfer and not tried to analyse past information and feedback that could have been exploited for improving George’s performance. George was a new recruit who should have been adequately trained for the role. Two months is relatively short time for new workers to become part of organizational culture and understand the importance and duties of his position. Moreover, effective communication is intrinsic part of good leadership traits that I believe, the mana ger was lacking. Had there been constant communication and feedback of workers’ performance, George’s inability to grasp the working mechanism would have been identified and addressed early. He was struggling with his work and his transfer on his first mistake sends a wrong message through the workforce. He was not given a chance to improve and improvise. Learning environment and effective communication empowers workers for higher productivity which was not given to George. 2.2 Reflection on second interpretation The interpretation is correct because leaders have responsibility towards their followers and must lead by example. This is one of the most critical characteristics of exemplary leaders which fosters trust and strong relationship that motivates for higher efficient delivery of goals and objectives. High performance work practices are beneficial for workforce and the management because they are mutually complementary (Armstrong & Baron, 2005). When management i nculcates strong team performance through in-house training, effective communication and incentives, it helps create a strong team of workers that thrive on hard work for improved performance. Moreover, effective communication promotes mutual respect and understanding for building workplace relationships that rely on sharing of knowledge. Manager had failed on both these accounts. Kolb (1984) asserts that team performs better when each member learns from each other’

Cultural Event Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Cultural Event Report - Essay Example The museum was established in 1984 and was referred to as the Center of Fine Arts, but later on in 1996 its status was raised and was referred to as the Miami Art Museum. The dates of this event were from January 12th to the 16th of the year 2012. It was dubbed as the Miami International Art Fair. The event had several prominent guests, artists, musicians as well as some government officials. Some of the artists, Christopher Reilly and Richard Prince had attended the event to give full insight on their art work. The event was also where premiere galleries all across the globe, art collectors as well as curators meet yearly. The excitement could be felt while a person made his or her way into the museum. It was like going to a cinema to see a new Spiderman movie debut or having the chance to seat next to your favorite artist and consult with him or her. The Low Country by Elisabeth Condon and the Swimmers by Demi drawings were the two paintings that captured the eyes of the audience. Low Country is a new painting by Elisabeth Condon. The painting is light, balancing and opalescent. It is characterized by rubbings and markings as well as filled forms and emptiness. The painting was set on an acrylic canvas board of 36 by 60 inches in length (MAM, 2012). According to Elizabeth Condon, the painting portrays political resistance that followed after the literati customs. It portrays the Chinese intellectuals who preserved the cultural practice despite pressures by other powers to cease their practice. The second painting, Swimmers by Demi drawings, was painted in the year 2011. The painting was set on a color pencil canvas board. It has a dimension of 11 by 14 inches. This work is composed in an open and flexible way (MAM, 2012). In it, a person can see how painting turns into an escapade without tenets whose freedom and lyricism remind s people of the greatness of Paul Klee. In conclusion, the event could be summarized as a success from the lighting, to the

It's time to prove what I have learned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

It's time to prove what I have learned - Essay Example Besides passing, I have developed confidence in writing and I can handle all types of research. I vividly remember my first assignment in this class. The paper did not have a thesis statement, had numerous grammar errors, and it did not have a proper introduction. It saddened my heart that I did not have the very basics to this subject. Although this discouraged my young heart, I did not allow it to rule in me. Instead, I decided that I will make it in this class. Every time I submitted a paper, my teacher wrote some comments that I took very seriously, which helped improve my writing. First, I started with developing skills to a good thesis statement. I realized that a good thesis statement must incorporate the purpose of the writing and stipulate all the issues to be discussed in that paper. Secondly, I worked on the introduction of my papers. With the help of the teacher, I realized that introductions should be as captivating as possible to capture the audience attention. Previously, my introductions did not carry enough weight and background knowledge of the study. This meant that I could not earn good marks on the introduction part. Thorough research on the issues I intend to write about helped overcome this problem. Thirdly, In my out-of-class essays I learned other skills that add credibility to an essay. Proper organisation of the bodywork adds more weight to a paper, giving the reader an urge to read on. Using logos and ethos, I could now convince my audience on the issues I am writing about. In addition, I have to choose my words correctly to because I realized that I can convince the audience with my character. Use of diction and figures of speech are other things I learnt out-of-class that have added competency in my writing. One thing I came to accept as a writer is that I had to read a lot of books, journals, websites, and magazines to learn how others do it. No, wonder that my grammar and

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 21

Reflection - Essay Example It was easier for me to break down the thesis statement in various paragraphs later on. As a matter of fact, gaining information concerning the pin-pointed arguments was easier. However, skimming the correct claims to back up and support the arguments was the technical aspect of writing. I set a word count as per the points. It was due to this reason that I was able to skim the relevant and most effective information for backing up the arguments. As soon as I was able to add information in the body paragraphs, I noticed that there was an avid need of changing the topic. Initially, I selected the topic that was quite vague. Later on, with the advancement in writing ideas in the paper, I changed my topic too, â€Å"The Passion of Boxing†. The following paragraphs from two versions of my submitted written piece can explain the number of aspects that I had to work on during the re-drafting process. As the older version included the following statement, â€Å"Attending a boxing event in a boxing gym located in our neighborhood introduced me to a group of dedicated fans and boxers. Boxing is a sport that requires dedication, discipline, and communication with coaches and fans given that the game bonds us together, and makes us a family (older version)†. These above mentioned sentences did not present the true meaning effectively. It was due to this reason that I had to change the sentence from the scratch. It will not be incorrect to state that this was the paragraph where I had to make maximum changes for re-drafting. The changed version of the paper is as follows, â€Å"I was introduced to a group of dedicated fans and boxers. The group was very eager to have the time of their lives. All attendees formed a spor ting family, united by their love for the game (newer version)†. As far as language and mechanics were concerned, I noticed that there were a lot of mistakes that I was making while