High Scope in Education free essay sample

A key part of the High Scope approach is that the development revolves around certain activities that can help children grasp certain cognitive concepts. As stated in our book â€Å"the cognitively oriented model is based on the premise that children are active learners who construct their own knowledge from meaningful experiences† (Essa, 2007, p. 146). One main reason High Scopes theory is so hands on. In others words High Scopes educational approach emphasizes active/hands on learning. Active learning means students have nonstop, hands-on experiences with people, objects/materials, events, and ideas. Children’s interests and choices are at the heart of High Scope programs. They build their own knowledge through interactions with the world and the people around them. Children take the first step in the learning process by making choices and following through on their plans and decisions. Teachers, caregivers, and parents offer physical, emotional, and academic support. In an active learning setting, adults expand children’s thinking abilities with diverse materials and nurturing interactions. We will write a custom essay sample on High Scope in Education or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page High Scopes approach was built for children to gain knowledge with independence, responsibility, and confident. High Scope’s approach allows children to become ready for school and ready for life. Environment: The classroom environment in which the children are surrounded by each and every day is one of the most crucial parts of the High Scope Model. The classroom is where the children spend their entire day, if the room wasn’t set up with the child’s emotional and physical development in mind the High Scope Model would not work accordingly. In the High Scope environment there must be areas of the room that are divided up into different sections that allow the children to engage in different types of play;   each area serves a different purpose in the area of development. There are a few characteristics in the High Scope environment that are a necessity, these being: a welcoming room for the children, it must also provide enough materials for all of the children, it must encourage different types of play, and last but not least the room should provide materials that reflect the diversity of children’s family lives (High Scope, 2012). Some of the areas that you can typically find in a High Scope classroom are; block area, house area, arts and crafts area, sand/water area, reading area, and outdoor area (High Scope, 2012). All of these areas have a great significance on the growth and development on the child, without these areas the child would be lacking in one or more areas of development which could ultimately be detrimental to his or her healthy growth and or development. Teacher(s): AMBER’S SECTION Missing Student(s): High/Scope takes the learning process beyond traditional academic subjects by applying methods that promote independence, curiosity, decision making, cooperation, persistence, creativity, and problem solving in young children†(HighScope, p. 63). The students in the High/ Scope Approach learn six major content areas in their first 3 years at a school with this curriculum. Those six major content areas would be, approaches to learning, social and emotional development, physical develo pment and health, communication, language and literacy, cognitive development, and lastly creative arts. As the children progress and enter Preschool they add three more content areas to their curriculum and those areas would be in mathematics, science and technology, and social studies. During Preschool a High/Scope curriculum setting, they are trying to build school readiness, so the children can move on and continue their growing education (http://www. highscope. org/Content. asp? ContentId=63). The students in a High/Scope classroom are actively learning alongside their teachers. The students in a High/ Scope classroom pick what they want to learn that day and they are given time to do it and they report back to the class what they have learned and why it is important. This gives each child the individuality to work at their own pace and not be rushed if something is harder for them than for other students. This way the student’s feel that they are all equally important and they see that no one student is getting a particular amount of attention. Daily Schedule: In a High/ Scope school setting consistency is the key to readiness. Consistency in the classroom helps the children gain a much stronger understanding of time. In the classroom the day would be started with a morning greeting, following this morning greeting would be planning time, which is when the teacher walks around the class and asks the students to pick out something that they want to work on throughout their work time. The teacher will record what each child is working on and will keep track of when they finish and how long it took them, along with how much assistance they needed for that specific task. The work time takes up a rather large portion of the day and it is then followed by recall time. Recall time is when the class comes together as a whole and each child talk about what they have worked on for the day as well as what they have learned. These three concepts, planning time, work time, and recall time, are known together as the plan-do-review cycle. This is the main and the most important part of the day in a High/Scope classroom. Other parts of the day that aren’t as important yet are still important would be small group time, large group time, cleanup, meals, as well as naps depending on which setting you are in (Essa 2007). A possible High/ Scope Approach daily schedule could look as followed: 8:00 to 8:15| Arrival of students | This time would be spend putting their jackets away and backpacks and getting their desks ready for the day| 8:15 to 8:20| Transition to school work| This time would be spent talking about their weekend or the day before, what they did and letting them talk to each other. | This time would be known as the plan-do-review cycle: 8:20 to 8:35| Planning time| This time would be spent by each child picking out what they want to work on during work time (10 to 15 minutes). 8:35 to 9:25| Work time| This time would be spent with the children working on their materials while the teacher goes around and provides assistance if needed (45 to 60 minutes). | 9:25 to 9:40| Recall time| This time would be spent reviewing and going over what each child has done during work time (10 to 15 minutes). | Then the students would go back to working together or in small groups: 9:40 to10:00| Small group (s)| This time would be spent with children in small groups working in centers and work with the teacher (roughly 20 minutes). 10:00 to 10:45| Outside play| This time would be spent with the children exploring the outside, and exerting energy (45 minutes). | Then the students will participate in another plan-do-review cycle: 10:45 to 11:00| Planning time| This time would be spent by each child picking out what they want to work on during work time (10 to 15 minutes). | 11:00 to 11:50| Work time| This time would be spent with the children working on their materials while the teacher goes around and provides assistance if needed (45 to 60 minutes). 11:50 to 12:05| Recall time| This time would be spent reviewing and going over what each child has done during work time (10 to 15 minutes). | Then the children will have time to eat and rest up a bit: 12:05 to 12:50| Lunch time| This time would be spent setting up and the distribution of lunch, and the children eating (45 minutes). | 12:50 to 1:00| Rest time | This time would be spent resting and relaxing after lunch, also used as a bathroom break (10 minutes). | :00 to 1:20| Large group time| This time would be spent with the whole class sitting at the rug while the teacher teaches a lesson or reads a book aloud to the class (20 minutes). | 1:20 to 2:05| Outside play| This time would be spent with the children exploring the outside, and exerting energy (45 minutes). | 2:05 to 2:15| Student dismissal| This time would be spent getting their backpacks ready and waiting for their buddies to pick them up and take them to their bus (10 minutes). | 2:15 to 2:55| Team planning| This time would be spent creating a lesson plan for the next day and what we lan to teach within the week (40 minutes). | Parent Involvement: As educators it is important to involve parents with the education of their children. Therefore parent involvement is one of High Scopes goal as it is for any approach. High/Scope provides parents with multiple opportunities to become involved in their child’s program, whether they volunteer in the classroom, serve on policy-making and/or advisory committees, contribute to a parent newsletter, or attend meetings and workshops. As a group we designed a parent’s monthly newsletter and letter share activity. Our newsletter informed parents of our monthly classroom actives, upcoming book fair, sight words, our letter share day, and nights for parent activity night. We also made a parent flyer for Flip It. Our Flip It activity is a training session offering the flip it approaches to challenging behavior. Parents are encouraged to participate in program activities with children or trainings offered by the teachers. To stress the importance of parent involvement, parents are often invited or encouraged to participate in a variety of activities with children. Evaluation of the Model: The High/ Scope Approach has been portrayed in many different ways. There is controversy between whether this approach works or if it doesn’t work. There is also debate about whether this approach works because it doesn’t contain excess materials to make the classroom work. Many points are in the air about this, and there is much research that either backs this information up or tears it down. In the article The HighScope Model of Early Childhood Education, the author states that this specific approach doesn’t need one to go out and buy specific materials to make the classroom work, as in other approaches like a Montessori classroom. This model is a prime example of being culturally and developmentally appropriate practice in this field of education. In the article High/Scope program briefing paper, the author talks and compares this approach with the EPPE and the Galinsky analysis that they came up with. The EPPE and the Galinsky analysis states â€Å"High/Scope evidences all of the elements of the quality early childhood programs that have been identified. (Cahir, p. 8)† This is important because they are stating that this program is a well round and highly educational approach. The program that the High/ Scope Approach was originally intended for has proven that there is a decrease in the amount of crimes, that have become of the students that had this curriculum. As stated in the article The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40, the author states â€Å"the Perry Preschool program played a significant role in reducing overall arrests and arrests for violent crimes as well as property and drug crimes and subsequent prison or jail sentences over study participants’ lifetimes up to age 40. (Schweinhart,p. )† I found this to be very interesting because I did not find other approaches to having any information like this. There are six core standards. Each standard describes in a few sentences what well-prepared teachers should know and be able to do. It is important to note, that the standard is not just that candidates know something â€Å"about† child development and learning, the expectations are more specific and complex than that. A seventh programmatic standard describes requirements for early childhood field experience and clinical practice. The following, illustrate how the HighScope approach meets NAEYC requirements for curriculum standards through 7 standards. For the purpose of this assignment we well recognize the following: Standard one, Promoting Child Development and learning, standard two, Building Family and Community Relationships, standard three, Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families, standard four, Using Developmentally Effective Approaches, standard five, Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum, and finally standard six, becoming a Professional. Standard One PROMOTING CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING- Teachers prepared in early childhood degree programs are grounded in a child development knowledge base. They use their understanding of young children’s characteristics and needs, and of multiple interacting influences on children’s development and learning, to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each child. NAEYC) The High Scope model meets the need of standard one by developing hands on learning and by creating. The High Scope curriculum also guides teachers to plan for children’s engagement in play (including dramatic play and blocks) that is integrated into classroom topics of study. Standard two BUILDING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS -Teachers prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that successful early childhood education depends upon partnerships with children’s families and communities. They know about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of children’s families and communities. They use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families, and to involve all families in their children’s development and learning. (NAEYC) High Scope suggests as educators it is important to involve parents with the education of their children. Therefore parent involvement is one of High Scopes goal as it is for any approach. High/Scope provides parents with multiple opportunities to become involved in their child’s program, whether they volunteer in the classroom, serve on policy-making and/or advisory committees, contribute to a parent newsletter, or attend meetings and workshops. Standard three OBSERVING, DOCUMENTING, AND ASSESSING TO SUPPORT YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES Teachers prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that child observation, documentation, and other forms of assessment are central to the practice of all early childhood professionals. They know about and understand the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment. They know about and use systematic observations, documentation, and other effective assessment strategies in a responsible way, in partnership with families and other professionals, to positively influence the development of every child. (NAEYC) The High Scope The curriculum guides teachers to integrate assessment information with curriculum goals to support individualized learning. A staff member regularly uses a child observation measure of proven reliability and validity to assess children’s developmental progress. High Scope also supports documentation as an assessment. Standard four USING DEVELOPMENTALLY EFFECTIVE APPROACHES- Teachers prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on children’s ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur. They understand and use positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation for their work with young children and families. Candidates know, understand, and use a wide array of evelopmentally appropriate approaches, instructional strategies, and tools to connect with children and families and positively influence each child’s development and learning. (NAEYC) According the High Scope well-prepared early childhood teachers make firm use of various learning formats based on their understanding of children as individuals and as part of a group, and on alignment with important educatio nal and developmental goals. A flexible, research-based repertoire of teaching/learning approaches to promote young children’s development. This would include making the most of the environment, schedule and routines. High Scope is huge on daily schedule and routines. In a High/ Scope school setting consistency is the key to readiness. Consistency in the classroom helps the children gain a much stronger understanding of time. In the classroom the day would be started with a morning greeting, following this morning greeting would be planning time, which is when the teacher walks around the class and asks the students to pick out something that they want to work on throughout their work time. Standard five USING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE TO BUILD MEANINGFUL CURRICULUM Teachers prepared in early childhood degree programs use their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for each and every young child. Candidates understand the importance of developmental domains and academic (or content) disciplines in early childhood curriculum. They know the essential concepts, inquiry tools, and structure of content areas, including academic subjects, and can identify resources to deepen their understanding. Candidates use their own knowledge and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curriculum that promotes comprehensive developmental and learning outcomes for every young child. (NAEYC) This program illustrates the plan-do-review process, a critical and unique part of the HighScope Curriculum that builds on children’s interests and intrinsic motivation. During plan-do-review, children learn to take initiative, solve problems, work with others, and accomplish their goals. In doing so, children see that they can make things happen and that their choices and ideas are respected. This helps them develop self-confidence and a sense of control and independence. High Scope also implemented discipline areas in learning goals, art and music, etc. Standard six BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL- Teachers prepared in early childhood degree programs identify and conduct themselves as members of the early childhood profession. They know and use ethical guidelines and other professional standards related to early childhood practice. They are continuous, collaborative learners who demonstrate knowledgeable, reflective and critical perspectives on their work, making informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources. They are informed advocates for sound educational practices and policies. (NAEYC) Teachers are responsible for planning lessons that help students learn through hands-on activities and experiences. The teacher in a high scope classroom should be encouraging adult to child interaction as well as facilitating learning through the students’ exploration. For example, sitting down with children at the block area and encouraging children to find out what happens when the stack gets too high, or what happens when you put a small block on the bottom and large on the top. Teachers should develop lessons that interest the students that way students are motivated to explore and learn in that particuluar setting In conclusion, The High Scope curriculum focuses on the ability of children to actively learn. Students are encourgaed to learn by engaging in hands-on experiences as well as interacting with adults, other children, materials, and events. Students are also at the center of planning. Teachers plan activities based on student interest and there is a schedule of the day so students know what to anticipate. Annotated Bibliography/References: Schweinhart, L. (2010). The highscope model of early childhood education. HighScope Educational Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, Michigan 1-19. This article gives you a great detailed background of the High/ Scope Approach, which I found very helpful when looking for research. This article also talks about the role of teachers, the daily routine, as well as the role of parents and the community. I would highly recommend this article for use. Weikart, D. (2010). The youth program quality intervention (YPQI) study. Retrieved from http://www. cypq. org/products_and_services/research This article gives one a better understanding of the YPQI program and how it is related to the High/ Scope approach that we are talking about. This isn’t one that I would highly recommend but it is not bad. Stone, R. (1997-2012). High/scope: educating children for life. Retrieved from http://www. communityplaythings. co. uk/resources/articles/high-scope. tml This website was very interesting because it is based off of a classroom that follows the High/ Scope Approach to education. You could see a lot of information and how it personally worked for them. I think this is a great website and I would recommend it. Cahir, p. (2008). High/scope program briefing paper. Early Childhood Australia INC, 1-15. I would recommend this paper because it is very interesting because it is from Australia, and i t was very interesting to see how different their educational approach would be from ours and it isn’t that different. Schweinhart, L. (n. d). The high/scope perry preschool study through age 40. High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 1-21. I found this article to be very useful, the information and how it was laid out made it very easy to maneuver. I would highly recommend this article. This information that is contained in this article will help your opinion for this particular approach. http://www. highscope. org/ This was by far the most helpful resource for this paper, this website has a ton of information in all the different areas. It was very easy to navigate and I would highly recommend the use of this site. Essa, E. (2007). Introduction to early childhood education, annotated student’s edition,sixith edition. University of Nevada, Reno : Wadsworth Cengage Learning. This book was very help in finding information on this approach. It also had information to compare and contrast all the other approaches and it was easy to find all that needed to be looked at. I would highly recommend using this book as well. www. NAEYC. org Used for standards 1-7 information

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Impact of Internet Usage on the Academic Performance INTRODUCTION Problem Statement: The impact of internet usage on the academic performance of adolescent students at St. Stephens College . Statement of Problem: The study investigates how students of St Stephens College are affected by the use of the internet. St. Stephens College, located in Princes Town, Trinidad is known as one of the highest ranked academic institutions in the country. The school comprises of approximately 750 students, most of which excel at their studies. Most, if not all of the students attending the school has had some contact with the internet which could have an effect on their academic performance. It is believed that the internet helps students to be more involved academically, therefore improving the quality of work done by the student. There is also the fact that students can misuse the internet, be it cyber bullying or being distracted by it, which can negatively impact on them. Purpose of Study: This study is geared towards determining if the use of the internet by students of St. Stephens College has impacted upon their academic performance and if so, how. Educational Value:  The information gained from this study can be used to re-assess the importance and significance of the use of the internet by students. The information can help to inform individuals of how to designate their time on the internet and also help promote proper use of the internet throughout various schools or even throughout the country. Research Questions: Is there a relationship between the use of the internet and academic performance of students? Have students become dependent on the internet? Has the use of the internet promote or hinder the academic performance of students? DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS Internet A global system of interconnected computer networks which bear a variety of information and services. Academic performance- How well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks and studies. Student A person studying to obtain a higher education LITERATURE REVIEW The internet is a global linking of devices that allow information transfer. The internet was established in the early 1960s by the U.S department of defence (Schneider, Evans and Pinard, 2006) for military purposes. It is a fact that the internet is one of the greatest advancement in the world of information technology as it has become a useful instrument that has fostered the process of making the world a global village. The Internet provides an environment in which millions of people participate and engage in the creation and exchange of information (Rose Fernlund, 1997). It allows for the exchange of information and for interaction among individuals in real time, making transport and distance no longer a problem. There are approximately 2.4 billion people on earth who has access to the internet with over 70 percent of them using the internet at least once a day. This amounts to a total of 144 billion emails being sent every 24 hours (internet world statistics, 2012). What started out as a hobby for some computer literate people has become a social norm and way of life for people around the globe (Boyd, 2007). The Caribbean consist of approximately 42 million people, 32.4% of which, use the internet (internet coaching library , 2012). Internet use has become very popular in many areas as well as in education in recent years. Accordingly, Internet access in schools has increased greatly over the last 20 years (Berson, 2000). In a research article, Ying-Fang Chen and Samuel S. Peng (2005-2006 academic year juniors) A study done on a variety of randomly selected University students in Taiwan showed that heavy Internet users and non-heavy Internet users differed significantly on a number of dimensions. Non-heavy users had better relationships with administrative staff, academic grades and learning satisfaction than heavy Internet users. Tuckman (1975) defined academic performance as the apparent demonstration of understanding concepts, skills, ideas and knowledge and proposed that grades clearly depict the performance of students. Heavy users were more likely than non-heavy Internet users to be depressed, physically ill, lonely, and introverted. According to a journal of Education and Sociology done in Pakistan, Muhammad Musaud Asdaque, December, 2010. The use of the internet is one of the major factors affecting the academic performance and social life of university students. The number of hours spent on internet will affect the grades of students depending on if the internet is used for study purpose or social purposes. Many studies have been conducted regarding the type of information the end-users seek and obtain on the Internet and in which circumstances they prefer electronic sources to paper sources(Tenopir et al.2003).Also , students can gain from others knowledge and experiences, participate in chatrooms, share ideas and solutions. Teens spend approximately 2.3 hours online a day, 80 percent of that time, on social networking sites (Roiworld, 2010). Students who multi-task between social networking sites and homework are likely to have 20% lower grades than a student who does not have a social networking site in visual range (Lenhart, A, 2009, April). Also , many researchers believe that excessive use of the internet has the potential to become an addiction (Griffiths, 1995, 2000). Some, involvement on the Internet begins to have serious, negative consequences. When such consequences are minimized or ignored while Internet use increases, Internet dependence is occurring. As of 2005, it is estimated that 6% of users are Internet dependent (Villanova Counseling Center). The internet can act as a major distraction to students if not properly managed. However, some studies show that students primary use the internet for school work specifically, searching the web for information needed for school projects (Kraut et al, 1996). This in turn, can improve the academic performance of a student. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION PRIMARY SOURCES: In order to carry out the internal assessment on the impact of internet usage on the academic performance of adolescence students of St. Stephens College, research had to be done using both primary and secondary sources of data. The primary data collection source used was a questionnaire since it allowed the person time to answer questions and it was also cost effective. The questionnaire was also used because it allowed for data to be analysed easily and was not time consuming. A questionnaire is a means of research, consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. The questionnaire used consisted of 14 questions, 3 of which were open ended questions. The open ended questions were used to obtain qualitative data from the respondents. The other 11 questions were closed ended and were used to obtain quantitative data on the topic. A total of 60 questionnaires were distributed randomly across forms 1 to 6 students. The ran dom distribution ensured that there was no bias in the selection of candidates since each person had an equal chance of being chosen. SECONDARY SOURCES: The secondary sources of data included the internet, books and texts. This was done to gain a better understanding of the problem which was being investigated PRESENTATION OF DATA Map Showing Location Of Princess Town In Trinidad figure 1 figure 2 figure3 figure 4 figure 5 figure 6 figure 7 Figure 8: Diagram showing students who use the internet for aid in research Figure 9: Diagram showing other means of research used by students INTERPRETATION OF DATA Based on the results obtained from the 60 students investigated at St. Stephens College, it was found that most students ( 68% ) partake in online activities more than once per day while only 4% of them do not partake at all. This shows that while most students do have internet access , some do not and are therefore not affect by the effects of the internet. As indicated by figure 2, a majority of the students who do have access to the internet also spend between 1 and 3 hours online everyday ( 45 ) while 12 spend more than 4 hours online. The internet is used by students in various fashions as seen from figure 3. The number of students using the internet for education, entertainment, and communicating with others are almost corresponding. Coupled with the other activities as, passing time, shopping and work/business, it can be seen that most time spent on the internet is not for educational purposes. When the data from figure 2 and 3 are combined , it can see that 33 students students spend more than 2 hours online everyday and that most of that time would be spent idle and not constructive. However , from figures 8 and 9 , it can clearly be seen that all of the students that were selected, use the internet for aid in research, while in figure 9, students use more than one souurce of research. This included 32 choosing books, 21 using newspapers and 7 use journal as their source. Figures 8 and 9 show that students do accomplish work on the internet but not all information can be sourced there. Figure 4 shows that while there are 21 students scoaring acceptable grades at end of the term examinations (60-100%), there is still an overwhelming number of students performing under par (0-60%). This includes 39 of the 60 students. The table show that there is likely a link between the use of the internet and academic performance of the students. Larger quantities of students idle online resulting in greater quantities of students scoaring below average. The location of internet usage usually used by students are shown on figure 5. Most students use the internet either at their homes oor by a family members home. This accounts for 52 of the 60 students. The home is a place where most students relax and feel free and this may lead to them allocating more time idle on the internet as compared to a student who uses the internet at school where the use of the internet is controlled. The large quantities of students using the internet at home may be directly linked to the below average end of term examinations grades. Many of the students indicated that the internet was useful when it came towards academic work (95%), while the other 5% said otherwise according to figure 6. On figure 7, almost equal quantities of students both disagree and agree with the statement that the advantages of the internet outweigh the disadvantages. A total of 23 students agreed while 22 students disagreed , 15 students were neutral about the topic. The data shown from both figures 6 and 7 indicate that while large quantities of students do believe that the internet is useful towards academic work , it is easy to be distracted and held at an disadvantage instead of focus and be at an advantage . DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS The main objective of this study was to carry out an investigation about the impact of internet usage on the academic performance of students at St. Stephens College. The findings from the research done, inficated that the increased quantity of students using the internet corresponded to the high numbers of students whith low academic scores. This also corresponded to the research article done by Ying-Fang Chen and Samuel C.Peng (2005-2006) as their candidates who had heavy internet usage performed poorly with respect to academics. From the research done it was also found that students with internet access spend more time online, idle than doing assignments. Therefore students without internet access would spend more time constructive. One of the objectives of the research was to determine if students had become dependent on the internet . Althought many students admitted that the internet does help with research, many of them also refer to sources such as books and journals. This data lead to the conclusion that while students are quite heavily dependent on the internet , they are not totally dependent and are capable of using varyous sources for research. Overall, the results of this study compared to the literature review show that students are more negatively impacted upon by internet use as the internet, althought helpful at times, it a distraction to students. CONCLUSION The research study has clearly outlined the impact of the internet on the students of ST. Stephens College. It can be concluded that althought internet usage does have its benefits, the internet impacts more negatively on students as they are more distracted by online activities and spend less time doing work. Also, it can be concluded that althought students are heavily dependent on the internet, they are not fully dependant since they are capable of using various sources for information. LIMITATIONS Firstly, the sample for the study was selected from only one institute, therefore generalization of the findings to the total population is limited. Also, the study investigates the impact of the internet on academic performance. Other variables such as health, gender and social well-being may also affect performance, therefore future studies should not be as limited. RECOMMENDATIONS To improve the study done, more questionnaires could have been distributed to improve the accuracy of the study. Also, some students could have been interviewed to obtain a better qualitative report. To reduce the negative effect of the internet on students, schools can inform parents to manage supervise their childs internet usage to ensure that time is not wasted. BIBLIOGRAPY: APPENDICES Questionnaire This questionnaire is designed to evaluate the relationship between internet usage and academic performance. Your cooperation in completing this study, your honest answers to the following questions would be greatly appreciated. As all responses are confidential, please do not sign your name. What is your age? ____________________________ Gender? Male Female How often do you use the internet? More than once per day Once a day Not at all Per week On average how many hours per day do you spend on the internet? Less than 1 hour 1-2 hours 2-3 hours More than 3 hours Where do you use the internet? Home School Family members home Cafà © Library What do you primarily use the Web for? (Please check all that apply.) Education Shopping/gathering product information Entertainment Work/Business Passing time Communication with others (not including email) Gathering information for personal needs Do you use the internet for aid in research? Yes No If so please state why. _______________________________________________________________________ How much does the internet help you academically? Very little Not at all A moderate amount Very much Do you use any of the following as means of research other than the internet? Books Newspapers Journals The advantages of the internet outweigh the disadvantages. Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree How do you perform in your end of term exams? 0-25 marks 45-60marks 35-45marks 60-85marks 85-100 marks Do you believe that the internet can have an effect on academic performance? _________________________________________________________________ If so please state why?

Danielle Steel’s The Ring - A Blend of Fiction and History Essay

Danielle Steel’s The Ring - A Blend of Fiction and History Can a plot, setting, and characters in a fictitious story be derived from actual historical events and can the two blend together? The unique writing style of Danielle Steel merges true historical events with fiction in a manner that leaves the reader emotionally touched. In her story, The Ring, Steel does not show a partition between fictitious characters and factual historical events. In fact, the two are intertwined so well that the reader can imagine the fictitious characters as real characters during a horrific period of our history, World War II. In fact, historical setting has a very significant impact on this work of fiction. Without the historical setting this story could not take place. The Ring by Danielle Steel follows a chronological order of the emergence of World War II in Germany, bringing along with it economic turmoil, political disorders, and the general insecurity and fear. This particular story is a direct result of history, which Danielle Steel blends very well with fiction. Though the characters are fictitious, they fit perfectly into the historical setting. For instance, Ariana, the protagonist in The Ring, has witnessed firsthand the human-made death and destruction of World War II, just as many victims had seen during the actual war. Even when she goes with her husband, Manfred, to the Opera house, she is reminded that the war is still occurring in Germany. â€Å"Even on Christmas night the war was with them†¦ and in the distance they could hear the bombs†(Steel 164). Ariana has also se en the atrocities as a result of the emergence of the war. For instance, when she is looking for her husband, she comes upon â€Å"a stack o... ...can see past their origins and cherish their country of birth, America. Finally, Danielle Steel has successfully captured the interlaced merger of historical events with fiction. The two flow so naturally in The Ring that it is as if the fictitious characters were real characters in real historical situations. So, the blending of history and fiction comes very much alive in this story, revealing Steel’s creativity that has placed her above most internationally renowned novelists. Works Cited The Ring. By Danielle Steel. Dir. Armand Mastrianni, Perf. Michael York, Jon Tenney, Tim Dekay, James B. Sikking, and Julie Cox. Lifetime Special Presentation, May 27, 2002. Class Film. NJIT. LIT 350-121. Summer Semester, 2002. Steel, Danielle. The Ring. New York: Delacorte Press, 1980.