Bilingual Education - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 14 Words: 4235 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? CHAPTER ONE Introduction Over the course of time, major laws, policy documents and landmark decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court as well as other federal and state courts regarding bilingual education have shaped educational policy in the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a response to Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), established the constitutional basis for the educational rights of language minority students. Within a decade, Title VI Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in federally funded programs. Subsequently cited in many court cases, it basically stated that a student has a right to meaningful and effective instruction. In 1974 the US Supreme Court reaffirmed the 1970 Memorandum regarding denial of access and participation in an educational program due to inability to speak or understand English. This action was the result of the Lau vs. Nichols class action suit brought by Chinese speaking students in San Francisco against the school district in 1974. There is no equality of treatment by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers and curriculum, for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education. The memorandum further affirmed that Basic English skills are at the very core of what public schools teach. Imposition of a requirement that, before a child can effectively participate in the educational program, he must already have acquired those basic skills is to make a mockery of public education (Lau vs. Nichols, 1974). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Bilingual Education" essay for you Create order In accordance with what are known as the Lau Remedies, in 1975 the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) established some basic guidelines for schools with Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. Although there has been much change in terms of public policy, the ultimate challenge of implementation rests upon the teacher. Throughout the United States public school teachers are challenged to meet the needs of an ever-increasing number of English-language learner (ELL) population. By the turn of this last century, the population of students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) has grown exponentially. From 1995 to 2001 alone, the LEP population grew approximately 105% nationwide (Kindler, 2002). According to recent estimates there are 4.5 million LEP students are currently enrolled in K-12 public schools in the United States. U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate a continued trend of linguistic diversification in the years ahead (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Due to a linguistic shift the student population is experiencing, the educational community has had to fix its focus upon multilingual classrooms, and research set in multilingual classrooms has risen in importance. While there are specialists who work with limited or non-English speaking students initially, the students integration into a m ultilingual i.e. mainstream classroom is essential. Hence, teacher attitudes are an important consideration in terms of relevant professional preparation. Statement of the Research Problem Despite the amount of research being conducted in regard to bi-lingual education, there is a lack of information in the educational community regarding teacher attitudes toward including English-language learners in mainstream classrooms. There exists a void in the area of research concerning mainstream teacher perspectives on ELL inclusion. As an array of societal attitudes develop regarding ELLs, so to do teacher attitudes. As members of the communities they live in, teachers cannot help but be influenced by dominant societal attitudes. When teachers internalize dominant societal messages, they bring them directly into their schools and classrooms. School administrators, other school staff and parents all internalize societal messages, creating a school ethos that mirrors that of the community and the dominant order of society at large (Walker, Schafer and Liams, 2004). Of particular interest to this researcher are the experiences of secondary teachers, especially within the Long Island region. Because this area, which despite its cultural diversity has received so little attention from the research community, the design of this study will be driven by the need to help remedy that paucity of research by examining secondary mainstream teacher attitudes and perceptions of ELL inclusion from a regional perspective. Purpose of the Research The general purpose of this study therefore has been to broaden the existing body of knowledge by identifying teacher perceptions of the impact of ELL inclusion upon their teaching, measure teachers perceived impact of inclusion on the teaching environment, and assess teacher attitudes concerning ELLs. This study also provides data which highlights areas which require attention or resolution. Research Questions Upon review of two studies, one by Reeves (2004), and another by Walker, Schafer and Liams (2004) of secondary teachers experiences with ELL inclusion, questions were developed to examine secondary teachers attitudes and perceptions of ELL inclusion in mainstream classes. Upon review of these studies four significant themes surfaced. The Reeves study, albeit larger in scale, provided a sound basis for this treatment. Those salient themes became the following research questions which have guided this study: 1. Inclusion in mainstream classes: What are teacher attitudes toward ELL inclusion in mainstream classes? 2. Modification of coursework for ELLs: What are teacher attitudes toward the modification of coursework for ELLs? 3. ESL professional development: What are teacher attitudes toward ESL professional development? 4. Teacher perceptions of second-language acquisition processes: What are teacher perceptions of second-language acquisition processes? (Reeves, 2004) Definition of Terms There are several terms that need to be defined for clarity of understanding. These are: Bi-lingual: The ability to speak two languages easily and naturally ESL: English as a second language ELL: English language learner, TESOL: Teaching English for speakers of other languages Mainstream: Mainstream in the context of education is a term that refers to classes and/or curricula common to the majority of students. Participants and Setting All subject-area teachers were from 3 district high schools within a 25 mile radius of this researcher have participated in the survey by mail. The faculties chosen for participation in the study were from the three high schools with the largest population of ESL students during the 2008-2009 school years. This was determined by use of public domain resources (www.city-data.com). High schools with the largest ESL student populations were identified to enable access to the largest number of teachers who had working with ESL-inclusive class loads. Participants were surveyed remotely via mail during the month of July 2009. CHAPTER TWO As an array of societal attitudes develop regarding ELLs, so to do teacher attitudes. Although there exists a void exists in the area of research concerning mainstream teacher perspectives on ELL inclusion, this review of the literature will provide a basis for further inquiry. Literature review According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2002), English Language Learners number over five million ELLs in the United States. This number has risen by 57% over the past ten years and shows no sign of slowing. Within the Long Island region (the focus area of this research), schools continue to experience steady growth in the number of LEP students. In 2007 the number of the students having limited English proficiency reached seven-year high. The appearance of these recent demographic changes requires increasingly greater self-examination within the educational community since teaching and learning is indeed a two-way exchange. The proliferation of professional literature throughout the educational community is evidence that the shifting demographic is being explored, and hopefully addressed in a number of ways. According to Ballyntyne, Sanderman and Levy (2008), more and more teachers of mainstream general education classes, who normally do not have special training in ESOL or bilingual education, are faced with the challenge of educating these children. While research exploring the perspective of ELLs is abundant (Cummins, 2000; Fu, 1995; Harklau, 1994, 1999, 2000; Lucas,1997; Lucas, Henze, Donato, 1990; Mace-Matluck, Alexander-Kasparik, Queen, 1998; Valdes, 2001), research concerning mainstream teacher perspectives on ELL inclusion strikingly absent. This section will examine the insights which can be gained from the existing research as a basis for further research. Attitudes Toward Inclusion Although there has been relatively little research in the area of teacher attitudes toward ELL inclusion, a number of qualitative studies exploring the schooling experiences of ELLs have, at least peripherally, addressed the subject. Those teachers chronicled in the studies were portrayed as holding negative, antipathetic attitudes (Fu, 1995; Olsen, 1997; Verplatse; Valdes, 1998, 2001). There were also some positive, welcoming attitudes noted however (Harklau, 2000; Reeves, 2004; Fu, 1995). Olson (1997) conducted an ethnographic study of a California high school, which had seen large demographic changes in a 20-year period. At the time of her research, the school population had shifted from 75 percent to 33 percent over a 20-year period. The remaining students were 26 percent Hispanic, 14 percent African American and 26 percent Asian. About half the students spoke a language other than English at home. The racial composition of the staff was mostly white. Based upon the study, Olsen concluded that typical to the process of Americanization, newcomers to these United States in our high schools undergo academic marginalization and separation. She asserts that there is pressure to become English-speaking and to drop ones native language in order to participate in the academic and social life of the high school. In his study, Fu (1995) concurs, observing that English teachers and untrained ESL tutors used methodologies and had attitudes which could be characterized as typical. Most showed strict adherence to curricular demands, appeared frustrated by the additional workload or lower standards the students possibly represented for them, and in the field of second language acquisition, lacked adequate understanding. Fu further noted that the teachers had low expectations, gave complicated explanations, lacked sufficient time, and used outdated approaches. Valdes (1998), who reached similar conclusions, observed four students within classroom interactions, interviewed school personnel, and conducted independent, formal assessments of Spanish and English language development at the beginning and end of each academic year when possible. Valdes (1998) argues that English language teaching for most immigrant students in the United States is ineffective because it is rarely meaningful or purposeful; uses outdated methods; is often taught by untrained, if well-intentioned, teachers; and erroneously places blame for lack of progress on the student. Fu (1995) suggests that second language learners from the United States are often perceived by teachers as inferior in comparison to English language students who are of a different class. Teacher perceptions of ELLs can affect educational outcomes in a number of ways. This is supported by Harklau (1999) who conducted a study of about 100 ESL/LEP students in a suburban high school in northern California over 3 years. The research compared their experiences in mainstream content classes and ESL classes. She concluded that tracking of ESL learners into low-track content classes can have serious long-term negative educational and occupational consequences. She concludes that much greater interaction between mainstream and ESL teachers is needed. Although teachers in the above studies, were generally found holding ambivalent or inhospitable attitudes (Harklau,1999; Verplaetse,1998), there were notable exceptions. According to Fu (1995), when some teachers were able to achieve curricular goals by allowing the students their own personal and cultural connections to the material, they were gratified by the results. It has been suggested by researchers that a number of factors that could be influential in how teacher attitudes are determined, whether they be welcoming or unwelcoming in nature. Reeves (2004) notes three categories which emerge as preeminent: (a) teacher perceptions of the impact of ELL inclusion on themselves, (b) impact of inclusion on the learning environment, and (c) teacher attitudes and perceptions of ELLs themselves. In a study by Youngs (1999), teachers cite a chronic lack of time to address Ells unique classroom needs. Additionally there exists an apprehension among some teachers based upon the perception that workloads will become unmanageable when ELLs are integrated into the mainstream classes. Verplaetse (1998) adds that some professionals expressed feelings of inadequacy to work with ELLs. The impact of inclusion on the classroom learning environment, has lead to teacher concerns about the possibility that ELLs will in some way hinder class progress through the curri culum (Youngs, 2001), or may even create inequities in educational opportunities for the students as a whole (Platt, Harper, Mendoza, 2003; Reeves, 2004; Schmidt, 2000). More recently subject-area teacher attitudes and perceptions of ELLs have become emergent topics of research, including an unwillingness to work with low-proficiency ELLs as well as misconceptions about the processes of second-language acquisition (Olsen,1997; Reeves, 2004; 2000). Additionally, assumptions about the race and ethnicity (both positive and negative) of ELLs are cited (Harklau, 2000; Valdes, 2001). It is important to note that all of the aforementioned studies were qualitative in nature. Furthermore, the number of teachers as participants was small; few focused primarily upon mainstream teachers. In their quantitative study of 143 middle school teachers, Youngs and Youngs (2001) conducted an investigated the attitudes of mainstream teachers toward ESL students in middle and high schools. In the mainstream, they conclude the most pervasive attitudes toward teaching an ESL student in the mainstream ranged from neutral to slightly positive. Gitlin, Buenda, Crosland, Doumbia (2003) conducted a qualitative study observed 5 ESL teachers, 10 white students, the ESL program director, and a school administrator. Their interviews centered on how these individuals viewed the ESL program, classroom practices, and cultural relations in the school. They identified and analyzed documents on extracurricular participation by ESL students, on school discipline, and on busing policies. In characterizing teacher attitudes, the researchers concluded that Many teachers equate cultural difference with cultural deficiency, a stance that typically leads them to stereotype students as having problem s to fix and may lead to less satisfaction and sense of success in teaching (Gitlin, Buendia, Crosland, Doumbia,2003). In addition to lack of experience and training, matters are compounded by a lack of additional communication with ESL teachers. Attitudes Toward Modification According to Valdes (2001), the growing acceptance of an inclusion model for meeting the needs of ELLs is due at least due in part to an increased emphasis on accountability and standards that has been further driven by what Nieto (2002) asserts is a long history of exclusionary schooling, characterized by programs which are peripheral in nature. Historically, the traditional ESL model placed students in ESL courses where the focus was upon sheltered instruction, and recieved limited access to content-oriented curriculum needed to meet their educational needs or to fulfill graduation requirements. Research however suggests that this approach runs counter to inclusion. Harklaus (1994) study reveals that the ESL instruction which was provided did not match ESL students academic needs in mainstream classrooms and that content-area classrooms were not matched with ESLs needs. Harklau (1994) observes that the curriculum of ESL and mainstream classes was disconnected and that the mainstrea m classes failed to engage ESL students in academic language learning. Echevarria, Vogt and Short (2004) note that programs which are well-implemented, cognitively challenging, not segregated, are key to ESL students academic success. Nieto (2002) adds that education should be adapted or modified to meet the needs of ELLs. For an educational model to be inclusive, it must provide equitable access to curriculum, while simultaneously providing for the multi-lingual array of learners i.e. educational methods must make content understandable for students learning English while remaining effective for English-proficient students. Echevarria, Vogt and Short (2004) however, report that high school content area teachers were seldom found to adjust instruction to make curriculum comprehensible for ELL students. Harklau (1994) observes that ELL students had difficulty understanding certain types of teacher talk: Learners had particular difficulty understanding teacher talk which contained pun s or was sarcastic or ironic . . . Learners were also frustrated with teachers who habitually spoke very fast, who used frequent asides, or who were prone to sudden departures from the instructional topic at hand (Harklau, 1994, p. 249). Youngs (1999) cites that some teachers attitudes concerning modification appeared to stem frustration with lack of time, unclear expectations and lack of collaboration with ELL teachers. Attitudes Toward Professional Development Although ELLs spend the bulk of their time in content-area classrooms, little research has been conducted regarding content-area teachers attitudes toward professional development. Of the research that has been conducted, content-area teachers reported that they had limited experience with ESLs and lacked the necessary training in working with ELLs. This is supported by the findings of Youngs and Youngs (2001) study which concludes few mainstream teachers have been prepared to address the linguistic challenges and cultural differences present in diverse classrooms (Youngs Youngs, 2001, p. 101). In an inclusive model, the majority of the students time during the school day is spent in mainstream classes, with the addition of ESL classes as needed. Nieto (2002) maintains that teachers must possess knowledge of the history of specific cultural groups they are serving in the United States. Additionally adaptation of the curriculum for English language learners is also essential. Nieto m aintains that the teacher must develop competence in pedagogical approaches suitable for different cultural groups in United States schools. Researchers have also reported limited institutional supports such as guidance from the school administrators as well as lack of time and resources. Reeves (2004) study reports most content-area teachers would like to help ELLs but tended to vary in terms of their expectations for ELLs. Research also suggests considerable frustration among content-area teachers, concluding that in addition to lack of experience and training, there is also a lack of additional communication with ESL teachers. Youngs and Youngs (2001) maintain that few mainstream teachers have been prepared to address the linguistic challenges and cultural differences present in diverse classrooms (p. 101). As cited by Reeves (2004), a study by Clair (1995) documents three teachers views of professional development. All three of Clairs participants (Grades 4, 5, and 10) opted out of voluntary in-service workshops on methods of working with ELLs. Among the reasons given for opting out were as follows: One teacher stated that the workshops presented methods and materials that were inappropriate for her classroom, while the other two subject teachers maintained already well prepared to work with ELLs The two remaining teachers, maintained that as experienced teachers of English-proficient students, they were already well prepared to work with ELLs. One possibly insightful comment by one of the teachers was, As far as teaching goes, teaching is the same no matter what kind of kids you have (Clair, 1995, p. 191). Although Clairs (1995) study, tapped data from only a small group of teachers, it provided a rationale for more extensive studies of educators attitudes toward ESL professional development based upon a larger sample. Teacher Attitudes toward Language Acquisition Research indicates that mainstream teachers often lack knowledge in the area of language acquisition. Nieto (2002) maintains that all practicing teachers need to develop knowledge in the areas of: first and second language acquisition and the socio-cultural and sociopolitical context of education in the United States. The degree to which teachers are informed in this area may indeed shape attitudes in regard to ELL learning rate and capacity. In her study, Reeves (2004) survey queried teacher perceptions of the length of time that ESL students needed to acquire English proficiency. Most (71.7%) teachers agreed that ESL students should be able to acquire English within two years of enrolling in U.S. schools (p.137). Teacher perceptions that two years is sufficient for full-language proficiency is not supported by research; this misconception may lead teachers to faulty conclusions concerning ELLs language ability, intelligence, or motivation. Although the average student can develop c onversational fluency within two to five years, research has shown that that developing fluency in more technical, academic language can take from four to seven years. This is dependent on a number of factors such as language proficiency level, age and time of arrival at school, level of academic proficiency in the native language, and the degree of support for achieving academic proficiency (Cummins, 1981, 1996; Hakuta, Butler, Witt, 2000; Thomas Collier, 1997). The review of the research literature has revealed several important factors which shape teachers attitudes of ELLs: knowledge of the history of specific cultural groups they are serving; competence in pedagogical approaches suitable for different cultural groups; depth of knowledge in the area language acquisition; and the communication with the ESL teacher. CHAPTER THREE Statement of the Research Problem Despite the amount of research being conducted in regard to bi-lingual education, there is a lack of information in the educational community regarding teacher attitudes toward including English-language learners in mainstream classrooms. There exists a void in the area of research concerning mainstream teacher perspectives on ELL inclusion. As an array of societal attitudes develop regarding ELLs, so do teacher attitudes. Of particular interest to this researcher are the experiences of secondary teachers, especially within the Long Island region. Because this area, which despite its cultural diversity has received so little attention from the research community, the design of this study has been driven by the need to help remedy that paucity of research by examining secondary mainstream teacher attitudes and perceptions of ELL inclusion from a regional perspective. Instrumentation The instrument used was designed to measure both teacher attitudes and perceptions of the inclusion of ELLs. Its four sections correlate to the aforementioned themes previously discussed. The first section -Section A- addressed teachers attitudes toward ELL and ESL inclusion. A Likert-scale was used to gauge teachers extent of agreement or disagreement with 16 statements presented in relation to that focus area. Section Bmeasured the frequency of various practices and activities among teachers with ELLs in their classrooms, in relation to coursework modification . Section C utilized open-ended questions in concerns which focused upon ELL inclusion. The rationale for this was that open-ended questions allow for more individualized responses, but they are sometimes more difficult to interpret. The Section Dgathered demographic information. I chose to remain faithful to the format of the Reeves study (2004), because unlike the study conducted by Walker, Schafer and Liams (2004), this in strument model utilized multiple statements, rather than a singular item, to gauge teachers attitudes. Teachers strength of agreement or disagreement with survey items was measured with a 4-point, Likert-type scale. Respondents were to read each statement and check the box that most closely represents their opinions, from 1 (strongly agree), 2 (agree), 3 (disagree), or 4 (strongly disagree). The demographic data included such as subject areas, gender, years of teaching experience, and types of ELL training, native language and second-language proficiency. Pilot Study The instrument was subjected to a pilot study utilizing a separate group of 12 high school teachers in summer 2009. The rationale for this was that this group of teachers comprised an appropriate pilot study population because they bear similarities to the subject high school teachers in terms of work environments and scope of responsibilities, yet since they were a distinct group, they would not contaminate the ultimate study population. Because the ages and work experiences of pilot study teachers were similar to those of their counterparts, their reaction to the survey was a useful predictor of the surveys readability and content validity. Definition of terms: Bi-lingual: The ability to speak two languages easily and naturally ESL: English as a second language ELL: English language learner, TESOL: teaching English for speakers of other languages Mainstream: Mainstream in the context of education is a term that refers to classes and/or curricula common to the majority of students. Validity of the Instrument The pilot study was used to assess the surveys readability and as a predictor of content validity. Pilot study participants were asked to complete the following survey. They then answered questions formulated to give them the opportunity to report their attitudes and perceptions of ELL inclusion accurately and fully. This survey uses a 4-point Likert-type scale, 1 (strongly agree), 2 (agree), 3, (disagree), and 4 (strongly disagree). Did the surveys format adequately allow you to express your opinion? If not, explain. Were any items on the survey unclear to you? Indicate and explain if any. Which, if any, items did you find difficult to answer? Indicate and explain if any. In your opinion, which, if any, items on the survey display a bias on the part of the research? Explain. Provide any additional comments that you would like to make. Analysis of respondents comments to the five survey questions was used to reduce the likelihood of any pattern of misunderstanding for any given item and to assess respondents understanding of, or ability to respond to, survey items. Participants and Setting All subject-area teachers from 3 district high schools within a 25 mile radius of this researcher were asked to participate in the survey by mail. The faculties chosen for participation in the study came from the 3 high schools with the largest population of ESL students during the 2008-2009 school year. This was determined by use of public domain resources (www.city-data.com). School A enrolled 24 LEP (limited-English proficiency) students, School B enrolled 26 LEP students, School C enrolled 16 LEP students . This study included high schools with the largest ESL student populations to access the largest number of teachers who had worked with ESL-inclusive class loads. Participants were selected remotely via mail and/or e-mail during the month of July 2009. Data Analysis Survey data was analyzed descriptively. Univariate analyses of the survey data and analyses afforded an examination of the distribution of cases on only one variable at a time (Babbie,1990, p.247) identified participants attitudes and perceptions of ELL inclusion according to the strength of their agreement or disagreement with the survey items. The analyses included percentages, measures of central tendency, and standard deviations. To perform univariate analyses, a numeric value was assigned to each response in the Likert scale-1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 (agree), and 4 (strongly agree). Analysis of the numeric data will be performed with SPSS statistical software. Assumptions In the course of the research study, certain assumptions were made. The following are those which were intrinsic to this study: It was assumed that during this study, participants gender would not significantly affect their perceptions. It was assumed that all respondents would answer all survey questions honestly and to the best of their abilities It was assumed that the sample is representative of the population The instrument has validity and has measured the desired constructs.

Health Risks And Exposure Of Toxic Chemicals - 1048 Words

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Many of the toxic chemicals that we produce and use don t get used in a effective way, which causes them to be wasted, left aba ndoned, and disposed of. When toxic chemicals are not disposed of properly they effect the environment and the public s health in a negative way. There are toxic chemicals surrounding all of us, no matter what part of the world we are in. We can t see them but we breathe them in and even eat them. The realization is that we have many of foreign materials traveling within our bodies, which is most likely causing damage to our innards. Although theseShow MoreRelatedNegative Effects Of Pesticide1653 Words   |  7 PagesPesticide is a chemical widely used around the world for many different reasons. Being a highly toxic chemical, pesticide has been found to be particularly harmful to children’s health. 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Interaction Between Registered Nurse Clientâ€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About the Interaction between Registered Nurse and Client? Answer: Introducation During my clinical placement, I had witnessed an interaction between a registered nurse and a patient. The nursing introduced herself to the patient in a professional manner and explained with a pleasant tone regarding her nursing designation and her duty for the day. The nurse also displayed ethical responsibility by taking permission from the patient regarding the presence of a student nurse with them. Secondly, respect for patients and preserving the dignity for patient was seen when the nurse asked the patient regarding her need for privacy. In terms of professional responsibility, duty of care for the registered nurse was to conduct vital sign assessment of patient, assess her pain level, make the patient fill up a confidentiality and health assessment form and make arrangement for appropriate clothing for the patient to shift her to different department. Informing patient about all this made the patient comfortable with the clinical process. After conducting the vital signs and pain assessment of patient, the patient had communicated to the nurses about increased pain during movement and wanted a pain relief for it. In response to the patients concern, the nurse looked at all the patient chart to provide appropriate medication and gave option to patient regarding choice of pain relief medication. This reflected the ethical responsibility of taking consent from patient during care. When the nurse gave the option for the medication, the patient preferred Codiene and refused paracetamol. The nurse did not resist and said that she has the right to refuse. However, the nurse gave the patient the option of taking paracetamol 30 minutes after taking Codeine. Secondly, the nurse informed the patient that she needs to be given Vitamin K infusion along with anticoagulant medication because the doctor had ordered it to get the patients blood clotting level back into normal range. However, as the patient enquired about the usefulnes s of giving Vitamin K infusion as she was already taking anti-coagulants medication, the nurse hold on to the injection as she was not aware about it and she honestly said to the patient she would consult the doctor regarding it. Hence, with this action, the nurse followed all the five rules and protocol for drug administration. This also reflect legal compliance with care regimen and similar other legal obligation in care (filling confidentiality form, health assessment form and seeking ethical concerns of patient) was also completed by the nurse. Overview of the code In the nursing profession, an individual needs to follow a number of codes of professional conduct. This usually helps in achieving the best practice by the nurse, which provides the best recovery for the patients. Mainly eight important principles are introduced by the nursing council of New Zealand which ensures evidence based care for the patients where the level of patient satisfaction is the highest. The first principle mainly involves respecting the dignity and the individuality of the health consumers and advices the nurses to respect the cultural needs and values of the health consumers. Moreover, working in partnerships with colleagues and seniors and other members of the team promote the well being of the patients. The nurse should also be sure of winning the patients trust to provide the safe and competent care at the same time of maintaining the patients privacy and confidentiality. Moreover, they should act with proper integrity so that they can provide justification to the patients trust and also maintain the public and confidence on the professions of nurses (Code of conduct for nurses, 2017). For establishing effective partnership, the nurses need to establish a proper partnership with the patients on the basis of trust and respect. Independence, preferences as well as views of the patients should be taken into consideration so that the patients feel that they are included in the decision making and that their dignity and autonomy is respected by the healthcare staffs. In many cases, the patients may have limited knowledge in health literacy or may be vulnerable as well as part of the marginalized group but it is the responsibility of the nurses to balance their inherent power to handle such situations without resulting in any ethical or legal obligations. Moreover, the nurses should also instill the value of integrity, which means that they should be performing their roles actively as well as maintaining their values and actions in a way, which would assure the best health for the patients. The nurse should be committed to deliver safe practices for the patients and in c ase of any actions or omissions, she should have the ability to justify her own decisions and maintain accountability (Code of conduct for nurses, 2017. Evaluate interaction against the four principle of the code of conduct: Based on the summary of the nurses interaction with patient in a clinical setting, the principle of respecting the dignity and individuality of health consumers (principle 1), respecting the cultural needs and values of health consumers (principle 2), working in partnership with patient to promote well-being (principle 3) and maintaining the patients trust by providing safe and competent care (principle 4) is most applicable for the scenario. The evaluation of the nurses action and interaction while providing care to the patient clearly reflect applicability with the above mentioned principle of the code of conduct for nursing practice. The following is the detailed evaluation of the nursing interaction against each principle: Respect the dignity and individuality of health consumers The first principle of the code of conduct for Nursing practice is related to respecting the dignity of patients by means of kind and considerate behavior towards the patient and facilitating appropriate partnership with patient to respond to their concerns and preferences (Code of conduct for nurses, 2017). Dignity, privacy and confidentiality has been given an important priority in nursing practice because dignity is a human right for each individual irrespective of their health status and respecting patients dignity is associated with positive outcome in care such as increase in patient satisfaction with care (Baillie Black, 2014).Similar action is also reflected from the nurse-patient interaction summary as the nurse was found to ask the patient regarding her need for privacy throughout the day. The nurse treated her with kindness and used soft tone to communicate. Even when the patient denied taking certain medication, the nurse kept her cool and cooperated with the patient at all times. This made the patient comfortable too. This is applicable to the standard 1.1 of principle 1, which states that respecting the dignity of patient and treating them with kindness is an important role of nurse. The discussion of the nurse-patient interaction also showed that nurse took care of the privacy need of patient. When the nurse was preparing the patient to change into appropriately clothing for transfer into another department, the patient was given privacy by closing the curtain and door. This action has relevance with the standard 1.2 of the principle 1, which is related to taking steps to ensure that the physical environment allows the patient to maintain privacy and dignity in care. Matiti, (2015) also gave evidence regarding the importance of promoting patient dignity in health care setting. Patients dignity is often compromised in heath care setting and combination of factors like knowledge and attitude of health care staff and quality and quantity of resources helps to maintain dignity of patients. As survey has shown that mostly registered nurse are challenges by the ethical issue of protecting patients right and dignity, there is a need to make health care staffs understan d the importance of promoting patient dignity (Matiti et al., 2007). The nurse in the interaction scenario was successful in maintaining dignity of patient because the nurse had the right attitude towards care and respected the client right. Therefore, the nurse matched the clinical skill with clinical circumstances to make patient feel worthy and values. This helped to maintain cultural safety in care too. According to standard 1.3, listening to health consumers about their concern and preference is important as part of ethical and legal responsibility in care. The nurse maintained the individuality of patient by means of effective communication skill and patiently listening to patient regarding her preference for medications. Nurses skills to communicate with patient helps promote safety of patients and sharing of information too (Clarke, 2014). Respect the cultural needs and values of health consumers The principle 2 of the code of conduct for nursing practice summarizes the responsibility of nurse in respecting the cultural needs and value of health consumer. In accordance with this principle, the professional and legal requirement of nurse is to ask patient regarding their religious and cultural values while delivering care (Code of conduct for nurses, 2017). Registered nurse can also weave the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi to protect the values and needs of culturally diverse people. The three principles according to the treaty of Waitangi is partnership, participation and protection. Partnership involves engaging patient and family members in health care decision making, participation means encouraging the patient and family to be active in care plan and protection involves preserving the beliefs, values and custom of patient (Day, 2012). In the nurse-patient interaction, nurse maintained the cultural needs and value of patient by asking patient regarding if they should call him by any preferred name or the mentioned name is all right. Secondly, partnership and participation in care was seen when nurse encouraged patient to give her opinion regarding the pain relief medication and her preference for particular medication was respected by the nurse. The interaction also showed ethical and legal aspects of care because when the patient refused taking parecetamol medication, the nurse professionally said that it was the patients right to reject any care regimen. According to the standard 2.5, nurses work in partnership with Maori healthcare consumers to achieve positive health outcome of patient. The nurse also exhibited this action during the interaction when appropriate communication helped patient to enquire about the need for Vitamin K infusion even when she was taking anti-coagulant medication. In this scenario, instead of arguing with patient regarding the doctors order, the nurse preferred to hold on to this because nurse wanted to clarify about it from the doctor. This helped in respecting patient concern and preserving patient safety in care too. Day, (2012) reported that cultural safety is often inconsistently applied in practice due to lack of resource and nurses disrespectful attitude towards patients treatment choices. This attitude creates a situation where culturally diverse group like Maori experience marginalization in health system. To mitigate this barrier to providing culturally safe care, cultural safety education in nur sing practice is necessary to understand the complexities of human behavior and social realities. A nurse who can effectively understand the theory of power relations can be successful in delivering culturally safe care in any context (Nursing Council of New Zealand, 2017). Work in partnership with health consumers to promote and protect their well-being The third principle of the code of conduct for nursing practice emphasizes on working in partnership with patient to protect and promote their well being. According to standard 3.1, this may be implemented in practice setting by sharing necessary health information to patient (Code of conduct for nurses, 2017). The professional way to accomplish this standard of practice is to provide accurate and honest information to client is such a manner that they can easily understand. The positive benefit for patient is that it will make patients clear about the rational for treatment and they can enquire regarding any specific regimen too. This will enhance transparency in care, which is an important element according to ethical and legal requirements in care (Tobiano et al., 2015). The nurse in the interaction enhanced and protected the well being of patient while informing the patient about the combination of drug to give relief from pain. The patients preference of choice for medication wa s Codeine as she had the belief that paracetamol is not a strong pain reliever. In such condition, the nurse promoted better outcome for patient by suggesting about the combination of Codeine and Parecetamol to bring pain relief. The patient finally agreed to nurse suggestion because nurse had shared the information in a professional manner. This action also promoted well-being of patient as this would help to provide relief to patient from excessive pain. Another standard of the principle 3 is to respect health consumers right to participate in decision making and involving families member in planning to discuss about priorities and any specific concerns. This was also seen in the interaction when the nurse chose to ask the patient regarding the preference for medication. The nurse action demonstrated the nursing priority of respecting clients right in decision making. From the ethical and legal aspects too, the interaction is done in a professional manner and the nurse is accountable for preserving the right to autonomy and beneficence of the patient. Although patient denied taking paracetamol medication, the nurse agreed to it by stating that it is a right for patient to refuse treatment. In this way, the principle of autonomy was protected by the nurse. Secondly, the nurse also followed the value of beneficence in care by means of giving the option of taking parecetamol 30 minutes after taking Codeine. This skill to effectively con vince patient promoted well-being of patient Ethical code of conduct focuses on delivering an action to provide benefit to patients and it helps in fulfilling the professional responsibility of care (Chadwick Gallagher, 2016). The nurse accountability to protect the health and well-being of patient is also demonstrated by the action of strictly following the protocol for medication administration. Appropriate method of medication administration also helps to avoid medical error and promote patient safety. The five rights of medication administration include choosing the right patient, right drug, right dose, right route and right time to administer medication (Masters, 2015). All this was adequately done by the nurse. Maintain health consumer trust by providing safe and competent care The patient-nurse interaction also had relation with the principle 4 of the code of the practice for nurse in Australia. The principle 4 explains maintaining the trust of the customer by providing safe and competent care. This action can be accomplished by professional nurse by means of using appropriate skills in identifying the health needs of patient and taking advice and assistance when there is any doubt in treatment procedure (Code of conduct for nurse, 2017). The nurse action as witnessed in the interaction with the patient showed followed this principle very well. Instead of blindly following the doctors order to provide Vitamin K infusion to patient, the patient query raised against the rational for taking Vitamin K infusion even when she was taking anticoagulant medication provoked the nurse to delay this nursing responsibility. She was honest in her response and maintained the trust with patient by stating that she would consult the doctor regarding prescribing Vitamin K i nfusion before administering it to patient. This action reflects that professional accountability has been maintained in providing safe drug administration to patient and promoting therapeutic relationship with patients by assuring them to clarify regarding the medication choice. Building rapport with patient is influential in positive management of patient and encouraging them to comply with treatment regimen. It also enhance spiritual, psychological and physical well-being of patient (Din Gastmans, 2013). This action is in relevance with the standard 4.5 of the code of conduct for nursing practice which states seeking advice from other health care team in case of compromised knowledge regarding any care process. Impact for professional nursing From the overall evaluation of the code of conduct for nursing practice in New Zealand, it is understood that nurses have the responsibility to display professional conduct and preserve ethical values in care too. The key element of the code of conduct is also extracted from the principle of the Treaty of Waitangi, which relates to integrating partnership, protection and participation as important part of nursing service for Maoris (Orange, 2015). Hence, it reflects that cultural safety and preserving the values and beliefs of culturally diverse patient is also essential in delivering safe and quality care. Briefly, it can be said that as part of the code of conduct for professional practice in nursing, respecting the dignity of patients, meeting their cultural needs, engaging in appropriate partnership with consumer to promote well-being, respecting consumers privacy, building the trust with patient, maintaining public trust in nursing professional and acting with integrity is impor tant responsibility of the nurse (Code of conduct for nurses, 2017). The observation of the Registered nurse practice as mentioned in the interaction summary reflects that ethical, legal, professional and cultural safety values needs to be preserved. It gave an idea about the appropriate way of communication with patient, seeking consent from them regarding treatment process, involving them in decision-making, providing health care information and respecting patients right in care. In terms of nursing responsibilities, the nurse took care to maximize professional accountability in practice by following all the protocol for medication administration and seeking to clarify issues in practice by consulting with the doctor. Secondly, ethical responsibility in care was also seen when the nurse decided to hold on to the Vitamin K infusion and built trust with patient. The correct attitude of nursing practice was also seen when the nurse respected the values of patient and preserved the dignity, privacy and confidentiality of patient while providing treatmen t. Hence, the practice of the nurse is in compliance with professional nursing practice within New Zealand. Reference Baillie, L., Black, S. (2014).Professional values in nursing. CRC Press. Chadwick, R., Gallagher, A. (2016).Ethics and nursing practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Clarke, C. (2014). Promoting the 6Cs of nursing in patient assessment.Nursing Standard,28(44), 52-59. Code of conduct for nurses. (2017).Nursing Council of New Zealand [online] Available at: https://file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/Code%20of%20Conduct%20Booklet%20short.pdf [Accessed 11 May 2017]. Day, L. (2012). Journeying to a new understanding of cultural safety.Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand,18(4), 14-15. Din, L., Gastmans, C. (2013). Trust in nursepatient relationships: A literature review.Nursing ethics,20(5), 501-516. Masters, K. (2015).Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Matiti, M. R. (2015). Learning to promote patient dignity: an inter-professional approach.Nurse education in practice,15(2), 108-110. Matiti, M., Cotrel-Gibbons, E., Teasdale, K. (2007). Promoting patient dignity in healthcare settings.Nursing standard,21(45), 46-52. Nursing Council of New Zealand,. (2017).Guidelines for Cultural Safety, the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori Health in Nursing Education and Practice. [online] Available at: https://file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/Guidelines%20for%20cultural%20safety,%20the%20Treaty%20of%20Waitangi,%20and%20Maori%20health%20in%20nursing%20education%20and%20practice%20(4).pdf [Accessed 11 May 2017]. Orange, C. (2015).The treaty of Waitangi. Bridget Williams Books. Tobiano, G., Marshall, A., Bucknall, T., Chaboyer, W. (2015). Patient participation in nursing care on medical wards: an integrative review.International journal of nursing studies,52(6), 1107-1120.

Sylvia Plath- ‘LAST WORDS’ an Example of the Topic Literature Essays by

Sylvia Plath- ‘LAST WORDS’ by Expert Sweet Alicia PhD | 28 Dec 2016 Introduction Need essay sample on "Sylvia Plath- LAST WORDS" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The poem Last Words by Sylvia Plath is an extraordinary poem because it reflects on death. It belongs to the art of elegy, less by choice than by some desperate, pathetic necessity (p. 170) Says Gale in his analysis of the book. An elegy is a kind of mournful or reflective poems. Last Words is a unique elegy. Its main theme is seeking peace in death. Analysis The poet separates herself from the world of normal people who desire to live hence avoid talking about death and tries to find some spiritual peace by trying to figure out what she would wish to be or what she wants done to her in death. Its very mysterious. In the first stanza, the personas expectations are clearly laid out. It is from this stanza that we see the conscience of the persona being directed towards death. In the personas mind, we see the desires that she may be in sarcophagus that will still give her the view of the people still alive. (The persona view death as a transformation of conscience and the tiger-sarcophagus is literally a flesh eating stone and implies the change of self, according to Ted Hughess criticism.) This is a way of revealing the fear that lies within her, that is the fear of death. Our Customers Usually Tell EssayLab support: How much do I have to pay someone to write my essay online? Essay writers propose: Proceed With Order Now Maybe it is her wish that she may know what those who remain behind will be thinking about her then and in the days that he lives. It could be a way to try and navigate peoples minds to see what they think about someone, or a desire that the person knows what is expected of them while they live. He says I should sugar and preserve my days like fruit, which connotes the desire to live a good life so that she might be remembered in the days when she is dead. (Stanza 1, Line 10). This goes way into the future because she refers to those who are not yet babies, that is, those who will come. The sarcophagus that she wishes for is made of stone as usual and this shows that it will last a long time, even for the future generations. Even the body is preserved (mummified-the Egyptian way) so that the future generation that he says are not even babies yet are to come and know something about her. However, the persona does not overlook the fact that his mirror is clouding over, that is, the time on earth is reducing. This realization must have been the one that evoked the thought of death in the personas mind. She says that she has a few more breaths and the mirror will reflect no more images. And the flowers and the faces of people will not be seen, will whiten to sheet. It might have been a prediction of the death of the poet- Sylvia. This poem shows that there might have been reasons why the poet thought that her life was going to end. The first stanza reflects on attitudes of the living towards the dead. It sets pace for the second stanza. After knowing that the persona is conscious of death, and the things that she has to do in preparation for death, the writer has concluded well with the entry into the death itself. She gives a good exit into the material world and gives us an excellent entry into the world of death. Consider the excerpt; "My mirror is clouding over --- A few more breaths, and it will reflect nothing at all. The flowers and the faces whiten to a sheet. " The last statement pushes us to the world of death. The mirror has stopped reflecting. The few more breaths are over and the flowers and the faces have whitened to a sheet. This extract from the poem ca only connote death, hence welcomes the second stanza. The second stanza shifts the attention from the worldly life and conditions and takes us into the death itself. Even as the stanza begins, we see the fear that the poet or the persona displays. The comfort that the human world displays is put aside as the persona gets into the world of spirits where there is so much uncertainty. Everything associated with the life force can only ray the spirit that has possessed the material her after she dies. According to Ted Hughes, The poet was looking into the reasons why Egyptians were forced to take material possessions into the tomb. These things bear the imprint of the owners ego and shine a spiritual light that guides and comforts the deceased through the loneliness of the land of the shades and to one of who hardly knows oneself serves as a reminder of the earth. This provides the connection between the future generations and the ancient spirits, thus ensuring the fertility of the seed of that death plants in the future generations. He explained. Gale argues differently. He attaches a different function to the mention of the face of Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility. The goddess has been artfully invoked to bring out the irony since the desired state is death and not love. The face of Ishtar is used to compare death and love. The persona compares the darkness felt in death and the shine of the small things to the face of Ishtar-death is better than what the face of Ishtar offers: It will be dark, And the shine of these small things sweeter than the face of Ishtar. Sweetness has been used in the poem to paint a certain picture. It carries an unnatural connotation of preservation but at the expense of life. It is so costly; it is paid for with life. The sweetness referred to in the poem is actually death. In Gales criticism, the poet has displayed a strong will to move her poem from love as much as possible. The image she creates is not of love or blood hurt but the escape of spirit breath. (pp. 168-169) this poem earns authority thereby bringing out the tone that highlights control of the success or failure it is bound to bring forth. As much as the persona seeks to understand death and convinces a reader that she is death conscious, we can also see that it carries with it a heavy connotation of the desire to live and therefore tries to investigate the mysteries that are associated with death. This can be true since the element of fear is the one that is brought out in the first line of the second stanza. However, the persona finally convinces a reader that she has found peace in death. The poem ends on a convincing note that the persona finds peace in death. Conclusion Last Words is a very unique elegy since it addresses the subject of death in a way that is simply extraordinary. The way the poet juxtaposes death and peace, and sweetness and death is rather intriguing. In normal human life, this juxtaposed items contrast so widely.The juxtapose brings out irony in a very creative way, how a human would wish for death in the name of seeking peace. This peace is mystic. The poem also seeks to connect the living and the dead. The language employed is very figurative and connotes a certain idea or draws an image in the readers mind, for example, the use of the sarcophagus shows that the persona wants the body preserved. The sarcophagus is a stone and it can last. The 11th, 12th, and 13th lines of stanza 1 are metaphoric. They are used to mean death. It has a very sarcastic tone. The writer ridicules sweetness and life in general by trying to convince us that peace can only be found in death, and so is sweetness. This is quite cold. The persona must have gone through some ups and downs to have such thoughts. About the author/poet, the life experiences of Sylvia must have triggered such cold emotions in her and most of her poems were such reflections. This might have been a prediction that the life curtains were about to fall on her as she did not live long after this. Its a masterpiece. References Gale Literary Databases - Document www.sylviaplath.de/plath/oberg.html Last Words by Sylvia Plath www.poemhunter.com/poem/last-words/ Lowell, Berryman, Creeley, and Plath, Modern American Lyric: Rutgers University Press, 1978, pp. 127-73. Reproduced by permission Bloom, Harold,(2007) Sylvia Plath: Bloom Modern Critical Views, New York: Bloom Literary Criticism.