Quantitative and Qualitative Research Questions and Hypothesis Essay Example for Free

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Questions and Hypothesis Essay Jung (2007) found that general education teacher’s attitudes toward the integration of students with disabilities reflect a lack of confidence both in their own instructional skills and in the quality of support personnel currently provides. General and special education teachers are placed in inclusive classroom settings for the betterment of the student; however, planning is not as effective when general education teachers are not properly trained on or comfortable with the technology. Thousand and Villa (2000) in McLaren, Bausch, Ault (2007), found that providing training for all teachers will result in improved academic and social outcomes for students with disabilities, plus their teachers will become empowered . The problem is the need for more collaborative training for inclusion teachers in an effort to effectively plan curriculum and increase their levels of confidence with the use of AT devices. The specific problem is the need to develop a program to train inclusion teachers on the use of AT devices needed to effectively plan for students with disabilities. This study will use a quantitative method and a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. The PAR will be conducted by dividing the study into two sequence phases. The first phase will include developing the training program, introducing basic AT devices that can be used for all students, and reflection of the first training. Phase two will include training for advanced AT devices that are developed for specific student needs, developing a lesson with the use of one general and one advanced AT device, and the opportunity to teach the lesson. The results should interest school districts that service students with disabilities in an effort to improve effective collaboration for inclusion teachers, thus promoting a sense of teamwork to improve student achievement through the use of technology. Revised Purpose Statement- Quantitative Study The purpose of this quantitative research study is to develop a training program for special and general education inclusion teachers that will focus on strategies for educational development, effective academic structuring, and increased teacher support systems with the use of Assistive Technology. The data collection design will include surveys before, during, and after  each phase, trainings to implement the program, and field opportunities to identify the areas of improvement and to test the validity of the program. The population will be composed of elementary school teachers who are placed in inclusion settings without prior training. The sample and sample set will include three novice and three veteran elementary inclusion teachers selected from grades 3-5 based on survey results. The geographical area will include three local elementary feeder schools that house special education programs in the South Fulton County area of Georgia. Quantitative Research Questions and Hypoth esis RQ: To what degree, if at all, will training in Assistive Technology promote effective academic structuring and teacher collaboration in inclusive classroom settings?  HO: The degree of training in Assistive Technology will not promote effective academic structuring and teacher collaboration in inclusive classroom settings.  HA: The degree of training in Assistive Technology will positively promote effective academic structuring and teacher collaboration in inclusive classroom settings. Revised Problem Statement – Qualitative Study Al-Shammari and Yawkey (2008) believe that special education students require the involvement of parents to be successful for overall development and in their education programs. Parents are encouraged to participate by offering physical and psychological assistance to the special education teachers in an effort to monitor and manage student progress. However, the lack of support, knowledge, time, and resources result in the unwillingness to participate. Bird (2006) found that increasing parental involvement through technology may have a positive effect on the development of special education students and parents. The problem is the need for technological resources that promote parental involvement for improving the educational development of special education students. The specific problem is identifying the technology that most effectively increases parental involvement in special education. This study will use a qualitative method and case study similar to Hartas’ (2008) st udy of the effects of parental  involvement on students with Autism. Parents will participate in semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and classroom observations to determine what motivates them to be involved. The results should interest special education teachers who require assistance from parents in order for students to attend school daily, participate in instruction, and continue to exhibit progression in all areas of development. Revised Purpose Statement- Qualitative Study The purpose of this qualitative case study is to identify the technological resources that are most effective in encouraging parents of special education students to be involved in the student’s education. The data collection design will include questionnaires, observations, schedule restructuring, community involvement, and semi-structured interviews to identify the areas of improvement. The population will be composed of parents who have elementary-aged special needs children. The sample and sample set will include ten parents; five from two-parent working class homes and five from single-parent working class homes. The geographical area will include two (of the three) selected elementary feeder schools, based on survey results, that service special education students in the South Fulton County area of Georgia who are most in need of an intervention. Qualitative Research Question What are the most effective technological resources that assist in encouraging parents of students with special needs to be involved in their child’s education? References Al-Shammari, Z., Yawkey, T. (2008). Extent of parental involvement in improving the students levels in special education programs in Kuwait. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 35(2), 140-150. Bird, K. (2006). How do you spell parental involvement? S-I-S. The Journal, 33(7), 38. Hartas, D. (2008). Practices of parental participation: A case study. Educational Psychology in Practice, 24(2), 139-153. Jung, W. (2007). Preservice teacher training for successful inclusion. Education, 128(1), 106-113. McLaren, E. M., Bausch, M. E., Ault, M. (2007). Collaboration strategies reported  by teachers providing assistive technology services. Journal of Special Education Technology, 22(4), 16-29. Week 5 Review Components2 points| Expected elements are included.| Articulation5 points | As noted, there are shortcomings regarding population and sample. * 1 point| Presentation2 points | Writing and formatting are well done.| Total9 points| A good start toward purpose statements aligned with problem.|

Religion and Commerce in Early Modern Europe Essay -- European History

Class discussions about religious history inevitably turn to the question of whether religious ideals throughout history remain absolute or are relative to the social, political and economic trends of the time. For example, students are sometimes disturbed to learn that in early Christian history, conversion was often in response to economic or political benefits rather than religious fervor. Naturally, at the Catholic prep school where I teach, students want to believe religious ideals and rhetoric are absolute. Yet, when studying the role of religion in shaping societies, one cannot help but be struck by the fluidity of religious rhetoric. Although such a discovery may be obvious to some, it is important for students to understand that we still live in a world where people make important social and political decisions based on moral absolutes, with an insistence on traditional and unchangeable religious values. It is essential, therefore, that teachers of religious history promote discussion on the possible flexibility of religious ideologies: is religious rhetoric part of an unwavering, scriptural tradition, or do those who practice religion create the rhetoric? Moreover, do human self-interest and socio-economic change always trump religion? Are social ideologies always stronger than religious tradition? After studying the creation of a modern industrial economy in Europe for these five weeks, I am convinced that analyzing the evolution of religious rhetoric in early modern Europe, which is such a transitional phase of history, can illuminate how social, political, economic and cultural change can guide or completely alter the morals and ideologies of a society. Eric Hobsbawm and Keith Wrightson both argue th... ...New Press, 1999. Lynn, Martin. â€Å"British Policy, Trade, and Informal Empire in the Mid-Nineteenth Century.† In The Oxford History of the British Empire, the Nineteenth Century, vol III, edited by Andrew Porter, 101-121. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. More, Thomas. Utopia. Translated by Paul Turner. London: Penguin Books, 2003. O’Brien, Patrick. â€Å"Inseparable Connections: Trade, Economy, Fiscal State, and the Expansion of Empire, 1688-1815.† In The Oxford History of the British Empire, The Eighteenth Century, vol. II, edited by P.J. Marshall, 54-77. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ____. â€Å"Mercantilism and Imperialism in the Rise and Decline of the Dutch and British Economies 1585-1815.† De Economist 148, no. 4 (2000): 469-501. Wrightson, Keith. Earthly Necessities. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2000.

Holland Enterprises Essay

Holland Enterprises Most recently the firm Holland Enterprises has retained an hr consultant to review analyze and revise the current compensation and benefit structure. We have seen since 2007 a 25% decrease in the workforce due to a lack of the benefits system that is in place. My team is committed to analyze and potentially change the perception that Holland’s benefit system is unfair and uncompetitive in the marketplace. We will find that organizations excel and remain competitive when they have consistent human resource practices that align with the companies organizational goals. Increasing organizational productivity is important to any organization. â€Å"Managers know that simply paying employees more will not result in increased output and improved quality. They frequently find that employees who are overpaid or highly paid relative to others doing comparable work are sometimes less productive than their lower-paid peers or counterparts†¦Organizations realize that if they are to b e more competitive, they must change this â€Å"I’m owed it† mentality to an â€Å"I earned it† mentality. A major opportunity available to organizations to bring about this change in attitude is to reduce the fixed part of compensation packages and increase the variable part. The variable components consist of all short- and long-term incentives and awards. The kind and amount of incentives and awards must be linked directly to desired employee behaviors, contributions, or results achieved. These incentives and awards comprise a pay-for-performance program â€Å"(Henderson, 2006). In other words Holland needs to have a system in place that rewards employees fairly while exciting them to provide the very best customer service to meet the demand of the business. â€Å" Through the use of a fair and stimulating compensation system, Holland Enterprises can motivate their employees to complete their assigned tasks at the standards expected and in return the employee is compensated with a wage/salary, wage/salary add-ons, incentive payments and/or other benefits and services† (Henderson, 2006). In order to promote positive change and make the compensation strategy fair for all the organization must, â€Å"improve cost and quality competitiveness and where information overload is a problem facing all organizations and their employees, information regarding work requirements, performance standards, and organizational recognition and rewards programs must be readily available, complete, and accepted. The compensation system, therefore, must be able to transmit a message that is understood and accepted by all employees that they are valued contributors to organizational success and that the organization is willing to share the revenues from its products in an equitable manner with all members† (Henderson, 2006). In order to create some harmony and renew the faith of the people the company has decided to change the compensation and the benefit structure to become more competitive and become more in line with the companies organizational effectiveness and plan. The new plan should have a more competitive edge, one that will motivate the employees and should be in line with the organizations strategy. Organizational leaders, including those occupying the executive suites and those in charge of human resources and compensation practices, must be able to recognize and integrate the long-term strategic objectives of the organization with its short-term tactical requirements. An understanding of how organizational strategy and its related tactics interact and become integrated is becoming increasingly important to managers at all levels performing various organizational assignments. Compensation takes on many forms in any organization, this may include the obvious pay/wages, health care/insurance other fringe benefits such as paid time off, disability, bonuses and other monetary stipends. Pay may be adjusted based on how hard the employee chooses to work or what type of lifestyle the employee has. â€Å"Proper and acceptable performance of diff erent kinds of jobs requires different kinds and amounts of employee knowledge and skills, which vary significantly among individuals. In the course of their lives, many individuals acquire various kinds and levels of knowledge that organizations value. Additionally, through education, experience, training, and natural predisposition, some individuals are able to demonstrate different and greater skills than others. The worth to the organization of the individually acquired and job-required knowledge and skills is identified through job rates of pay† (Henderson, 2006). In order to construct a new pay structure and benefit system we must first look at the five major components that will factor into our decisions. These components are compensation and benefit philosophy, pay grades, ratio of base pay to incentive pay, external equity and internal equity and other types of benefits such as deferred compensation, health insurance vacation and sick leave. â€Å"There are a number of components that need to be addressed when developing your compensation systems to ensure they align with your organizational strategy and objectives. One key to remember is that your compensation strategy must help to create the work culture you want. How you structure your systems and manage the internal and external equity issues, will directly inform the culture of your organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ A compensation philosophy is developed to guide the design and complexity of your compensation programs; this is done by identifying your goals and objectives, considering your c ompetitiveness in attracting and retaining employees, your emphasis on internal and/or external equity, and whether performance is tied to increases. Understanding what balance you want to achieve between direct salary and indirect benefit is critical in developing your overall total compensation approach. A consistent philosophy provides a strong foundation for both the organization and the employee. Without a philosophy, leaders often find themselves unsure of what to offer as a starting salary for a new employee. This can lead to offering too high a total compensation package for a new employee in relation to existing employees, or being unable to successfully hire because the total compensation offer is too low to be competitive† (hrcouncil.com). Using the five components will allow Holland to remain competitive within the industry. Pay grades are a fair way to help determine the amount of pay a person will receive. The general characteristics of a pay grade system set forth by the federal government include that there should be 15 pay grades with 10 steps within each grade; there should be a 25 to 30 percent increase from minimum to the maximum pay within each grade (Henderson, 2006). â€Å"When an organization is establishing its wage policy, it must maintain external comp etitiveness. In other words, wages need to be high enough to attract, motivate and retain talent; but, wages shouldn’t be so high that they drive labor costs beyond those of competitors in the product market. Salary surveys help to determine the pay rates of various positions† (erieri.com, 2013). â€Å"Each organization must develop its own pay policy line, which is a trend line or line of best fit that best represents the middle pay value of jobs that have been evaluated or classified to have particular worth. A line of best fit produces a trend line by minimizing the sum of the squares of the vertical deviations around the line. A line of best fit can be a straight or curved line. In either case, it is one that best represents the middle pay value of all jobs or the benchmark jobs used to establish a pay policy line†(Henderson, 2006). The ratio of base pay would be to identify the lowest and highest rate of pay is a basic step in establishing a pay policy line. After identification, the next step is to establish† what management expects to be the average or central tendency value paid to the lowest-rated job and the average pay rate of the highest-rated job. These highest and lowest average values should be the midpoint of the pay for those jobs assigned this rate when a range of pay is available for each category. When only one rate of pay is assigned to a job or group of jobs, normally the average or midpoint value is the single rate. The midpoint value is normally the marke t or going rate† (Henderson, 2006). Internal equity compares different jobs inside a single organization in terms of their â€Å"relative contributions to the organization’s objectives, whereas external equity refers to how an employer positions its pay relative to what competitors are paying. Equity reviews are completed to ensure that salaries for positions are internally consistent and remain externally competitive.External equity reviews are warranted if significant discrepancies exist between a position’s salary and prevailing salaries positions in other companies or institutions within the same geographic area. Difficulties in recruitment and retention support the need for an external equity review. Every effort must be made to ensure that equity exists and the concept of equal pay for equal work is embraced† (Henderson, 2006). Holland Enterprises need to understand that the cost of human capital is high when you are losing staff because of salary issues and benefit problems. And lastly employee benefits are a very important portion of the employee’s tenure with the organization. Most compensation components included within employee benefits are made available through some type of insurance plan. â€Å"An important group of benefit components, ho wever, is frequently noninsurance based and provides income to the employee at some future date. Employee benefits can be further classified under these seven major groups: (1) disability income continuation, (2) loss-of-job income continuation, (3) deferred income, (4) spouse or family income continuation, (5) health and accident protection, (6) property and liability protection, and (7) a special group of benefits and services called perquisites. Each of these groups contains a number of compensation components, which may have a variety of features that may be made available only to certain employees or certain groups of employees† (Henderson, 2006). The organizations that supply the benefits and compensation play a huge role in the success of the business. Security for families is key for any employee and they rely on the specific benefits and compensation that they receive and the employers rely on superior employees that will be attracted to their company. This is the exact reason why Holland should take much care when analyzing the benefits and compensation packages in the future as they must remain competitive if they would like to stay in business. The way to motivate employees is to provide a fair, competitive and secure place to work. This may be attained if Holland Enterprises will be on board with paying the workers the incentives they deserve and in turn will receive the hard work in return and keep Holland Enterprise just as profitable as ever. References Henderson, R. (2006). Compensation management in a knowledge-based world. (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0131494791 Retrieved from: http://www.hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/compensation-systems.cfm Retrieved from: Retrieved from:http://www.erieri.com/tutorials/sa/index.html?lesson_2.htm Retrieved from: http://www.stonybrook.edu/hr/employmentservices/classification/equity_review.shtml

The Impact Of Pre Employment Tests On Children And Public...

The advent of computers resulted in the replacement of paper-and-pencil tests as the primary medium of test delivery, with computerized versions, overseen by a proctor. Technological innovations such as surveillance equipment, and random sampling from large item pools, evolved to aid in minimizing cheating during proctored tests (Gibby et al., 2009; Bartram 2009). The following proliferation of high speed internet into homes and public settings allowed some employers to adopt UIT in order to cut costs of pre-employment test administration while reaching a more diverse pool of applicants. Many selection officials, however, continue to use proctored tests for preliminary screening of applicants. The reasons for some selection officials resistance to adopting UIT has yet to be researched. Perceptions of pre-employment tests Previous research has examined selection officials use and perceptions of various types of pre-employment tests used to measure a variety of constructs. Researchers have also examined factors likely to contribute to selection officials choice to use a particular test. A qualitative study by Kà ¶nig, Jà ¶ri, and Knà ¼sel (2011) served as a basis for examining how selection officials choose pre-employment tests by investigating how Swiss human resource (HR) managers perceived various selection instruments and the constructs on which these instruments were compared. Their results suggest that the constructs used to compare selection instruments vary widelyShow MoreRelatedThe Use of Psychological and Personality Testing1420 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of psychological and personality testing has enjoyed increased popularity among human resource professionals in the past several decades. Due to rapid improvements in the reliability and ease of a dministering such tests, companies and human resource professionals have felt more comfortable in relying upon them and abandoning the ineffective and haphazard methods used for many decades. Historically, many companies relied extensively upon the standard interviewing process for selecting theirRead MoreSchool Psychology as a Career1579 Words   |  7 Pagesother U.S. geographical areas. School psychologists work with public and private schools. They directly assess and counsel students at these schools. School psychologists have consultations with school staff and parents while also conducting behavioral interventions when needed. According to Landrum and Davis (2009) â€Å"they help people within the educational system maintain the intellectual, social, and emotional development of children at the school† ( p.15). They also help create optimal learningRead MoreShould the Government Fund Public Preschools?1739 Words   |  7 Pagescountry of ours, education is not a privilege it is a right. All children are given the opportunity to a free education. An education that should allow them to become high school graduates, 21st Century scholars, and prepare them as leaders to sustain this nation. What happens though when this is not the future for all children? The problem at hand is not all children are receiving the same educational opportunities. Not all children graduate from high school and not all lead successful careers asRead MoreThe Impact Of Poverty On Children s Development And Early Childhood Programs2790 Words   |  12 PagesFlorida AN ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES RELATED TO: The impact of poverty on children’s development and early childhood programs A literature review submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the course SPS6805 To Dr. Phil Lazarus by Jessica R. Rothman Fall 2014 The purpose of this literature review was to review articles examining the influence poverty may or may not have on young children. Additionally, after determining risks children living in poverty face, a review of literatureRead MoreEducational Leaders And Public Policymakers4023 Words   |  17 PagesResearch conducted from economist to neuroscientist, educational leaders and public policymakers have confirmed that early education matters. Studies like the High Scope/Perry, Abecedarian and Chicago Child- Parent Centers indicate that children who attended preschool were comparatively ahead in early reading and math skills (Barnett M. N., 2013). Similar studies have also revealed that depending upon various factors; such as preschool quality, social class and race, educational boost can continueRead MoreLack Of Resources And Opportunity Gap1940 Words   |  8 Pagesof resources that students from a high-income household may have (â€Å"Opportunity Gap†). The availability o f resources and opportunity greatly impacts the students’ performance in schools, ability to perform well on standardized tests, and readiness for college. Lack of resources in a home setting can negatively influence student performance in school settings. For instance, issues such as poor nutrition can leave a student malnourished and unprepared to learn during the school day. The schools inRead MoreThe Acquisition Of Language And Speech Development3415 Words   |  14 PagesThe acquisition of language and speech development takes place over a period from birth to around three years of age and in early childhood from the ages of four to six. The development is quick and passes through similar stages in all children not depending on the language that you acquire. The process of language development is therefore universal, namely the development of sounds to words and grammar of the language (Bates and Goodman, 2001). Critical periods of individual development stagesRead MoreA Preliminary Study on Learning Disabilities3617 Words   |  15 PagesPreliminary Study Title: Description of the local problem. (The local problem that prompted the study is clearly defined and is discussed in terms of the local setting and the larger population or education situation): Background and Setting Robinson School in Puerto Rico has established Pathways in order to provide the best possible academic program for students with learning disabilities. The dynamic instruction provided to students with learning disabilities is customized according to eachRead MoreCurriculum Evaluation1985 Words   |  8 Pagesmeeting its goals, that is whether the measures / outcomes for a given set of instructional inputs match the intended or pre-specified outcomes. (Tuckman, 1979) Types of Evaluation 1. Humanistic approach – goal free 2. Scientific approach – purpose driven Objectives of Evaluation 1. Scope – (teaching –program-cost effectiveness) 2. Timing – (formative, summative, impact) 3. Method – ( quantitative, qualitative) 4. Level – (classroom, school, national) 5. Personnel involved – (individualRead MoreAustralia s Economy From An Impoverished And Subsistent Indigenous Economy2180 Words   |  9 Pagesliving in the world. It has vast lands with rich exploitable resources and has a history of close-knit community building, a government with strong institutional rights from the beginning, flourishing businesses and the interactions of the private and public sector. It has not only tackled adversity in the form of economic depressions, inflation, and military conflicts but at the same time has also built prosperity through good economic policies, creation of major infrastructure and leveraging the benefits