Stricter Laws on Gun Holding Permits - 780 Words

In the FBI’s annual statistical report the city of Chicago had 500 homicides in 2012. According to Geier (2012) â€Å"435 of them were committed with guns† (para. 2). These statistics goes under the radar because authorities and the national media deem these murders gang related. Unfortunately, it takes a mass shooting at a movie theater in Colorado; Along with a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, that killed almost a whole kindergarten class to bring light to the situation. Furthermore, there have been several other shootings and a trend that will continue to happen if serious measures are not taken. In the late 80’s and early 90’s the influx of drugs and violent crimes in certain areas of the country forced to create the Violent Crime Control and law Enforcement Act of 1994. One of the laws in the act was the restriction of certain â€Å"assault weapons with specific combat features, copy cat models and high capacity ammunition maga zines† a part of the law that has since expired (Department of Justice Fact sheet, 1994 para 2). Although this law might have felt like an inadequate solution to some, it was still a response to an overwhelming crisis. Theirs ways to confront this situation without completely infringing on an individuals second amendment rights. Strengthening laws that we already have implemented in the mental health community, and imposing stricter laws holding gun safety violators accountable can be an acceptable solution to an already difficultShow MoreRelatedThe Assault At Lone Star Community College1680 Words   |  7 Pages He was accused of shooting two people before wounding himself in the leg. Even though it came to be known in the course of the investigation that it was really not Carlton Berry who was involved, but Trey Foster, the question arises as to whether guns should be allowed in colleges. This lone incidence that happened at Lone Star Community College reflects the April 16th, the year 2007 where there was a shooting on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute along with State University. In this incidenceRead MoreGun Violence in America Research Paper1010 Words   |  5 PagesGun Violence in The United States INTRODUCTION Since 1982, at least sixty-two mass shootings have occurred, thirty-two of them since 2006. (Aronsen). Jared Loughner was sentenced to life in prison after shooting nineteen people in January of 2011. Last July, fifty-eight people were shot and twelve killed while watching the new Batman movie in a theater in Colorado. In December, twenty-six people were murdered, including twenty first-graders, in a Connecticut elementary school (Follman). The issueRead MoreThe Discussion Of Gun Control3088 Words   |  13 PagesConnor Wells Dr. Elizabeth Sachs English 101 16 December 2014 Gun Control In the discussion of gun control, one of the main controversial issues is whether or not there should be more or less regulations put on firearms. In addition, another issue that comes up is whether or not those regulations will have a benefit on society. One one hand, gun regulation proponents believe that stricter regulations restricting the types of firearms and ammunition that can be purchased will reduce the amountsRead MoreEssay about America Needs More Gun Control Laws1397 Words   |  6 Pagesacross the United States. Nevertheless, in today’s society, gun violence is sparking debate and controversy on how to control gun violence. Throughout the country, thousands of laws and regulations have been created to aid in the control of guns. Through much study, the gun laws and regulations in place have very little effect on the number of gun related injuries and deaths. More needs to be done to establish an effective way to control gun violence. Potential Solutions Shootings in the United StatesRead MoreCompare and Contrast1122 Words   |  5 Pagesobtained illegally or without proper permits. That being said there has been a strong push for gun control because of the rise of shootings involving a large group of people such as the Columbine massacre, Virginia Tech shooting and latest Aurora movie theater shooting involving people who have purchased firearms legally. Gun control laws in the United States have been established for many years but to maintain a civilized society with limited crime stronger control laws need to be enforced in which willRead MoreGun Control Pros and Cons in the United States2511 Words   |  11 PagesThe debate over gun control has been raging through the American political systems for years. On one side, there is the National Rifle Association (NRA) and 2nd Amendment-citing citizens who use their firearms for hunting and self-defense. On the other, there is Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) and followers of the Brady Cam paign who want to ban guns on the basis that they are dangerous. Both sides have strong arguments, anchored in historical precedent and statistical analysis. Anti-gun control lobbyists’Read MoreGuns in Schools855 Words   |  3 Pageswould have a better chance, in high risk situations if they carried guns. Some are afraid that by placing guns in school zones, more deaths and homicides will occur. That by giving administrators guns the chance of a shooting will increase tremendously, but the truth is by not placing guns on school property, we are increasing the chance of having our children and loved ones being shot. By allowing our administrators to carry guns in schools, we decrease the chance of someone walking into that schoolRead MoreThe Effects Of Gun Control On The United States1154 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the biggest debates in the world ever known for today is the restriction on gun control and weather or not government and Obama should take away gun control or leave it alone. Just since 2013, there have been over 143 school shootings in the United States. Just in 2015, there has been over 45 school shootings in the United States. In some states, new laws have been added stating that if you’re going to buy a gun, you will need a background check. They do this for th e safety of other people butRead MoreShooting An Intruder Vs. Safety1559 Words   |  7 PagesSafety In today’s world there is so much controversy over guns and whether or not civilians should have access to them. Since the beginning of time, we have used some type of weapon to protect both ourselves and our family. 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Indiana High School Math Teaching Free Essays

â€Å"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called â€Å"truth. â€Å"† ~Dan Rather This research paper was written to educate you and myself on various topics on becoming a high school math teacher. I enrolled at Ashford University to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in order to enter the transition to teaching program. We will write a custom essay sample on Indiana High School Math Teaching or any similar topic only for you Order Now This paper has allowed me to acquire pertinent and vital information about my future career choice. My research was done on the status of high school math teachers, as well as students, in Indiana. This paper will educate you on Indiana’s High School mathematics graduation requirements, percentage of math students passing these requirements, teachers’ salaries, and the effect that a minority teacher should have on minority students. To graduate High school in Indiana a student must complete the Core 40 requirements set by the state. These requirements were implemented in 2006. There are four different diplomas that a high school student in the state of Indiana could receive upon completing the Core 40 requirements: General, Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors, and Core 40 with Technical Honors (Indiana Core 40, 2006). Even after completing the courses required for the Core 40 High School students in the state of Indiana must pass an exam to â€Å"qualify† for graduation. This exam is referred to as the GQE (Indiana Core 40, 2006 ). Indiana has added a few nice provisions to this legislation to help out students who may simply not be good test takers, or for those who are ready to work and do not need the required math skills for their work. These provisions, which are found on the Indiana Department of Education website, are referred to as the â€Å"Evidence-based waiver† and the â€Å"Work readiness waiver. The evidence-based waiver is for those students who excel in the classroom, but have a hard time with tests. This provision, among other things, allows teachers to confirm that the student knows what has been taught in class and that they have kept up their attendance as well. The work readiness waiver is for those students who have completed the Core 40 coursework as well as a completed a Career Exploration Internship. This simply means that the student has done the work that was required of them and that they are, in fact, ready to enter the workforce even though they may not have passed the GQE. Both provisions have provided students additional opportunities to complete their Indiana High School Math requirements. After learning about the requirements to pass math in the state of Indiana I wanted to take a look at the percentage of passing students to see if the percentage had improved since the Core 40 and GQE was put in place. Since there had been a curriculum change put into place, I wanted to see if the students were being positively affected by this change. Although I could not find the passing percentage for 12th graders, which is what I wanted to evaluate, I was able to find the percentage of 10th graders that passed from 2006-2009. I found that there was a quite a jump in the percentage of passing students from the year ’06-’07 to the year ’07-’08; it went from 66% to 72% (Annual Performance Report , 2009). However, the following year the same increased percentage did not occur. Instead the Indiana 10th grade percentage of students passing their GQE went down two percentage points. The numbers for the ’09-’10 year in Indiana have not yet been released, but I hope to find that these percentages were on the rise and did not follow suit from the previous year. Based on these statistics I am unable to see the impact that the Core 40 was designed to have on Indiana’s High School math students. The new legislation has only been in place for a few years, so there is still time for this to have a positive effect on the students and their graduation rates. Looking at these statistics raised a question for me, â€Å"How do you measure a teacher’s worth? Well, based on some research I can tell you that the average high school teacher’s salary has been on a steady incline. Within the last 35 years the average public school teacher’s salary has went from $11,165 for the school year of 1974-1975 to $50,488 for the school year of 2009-2010(Teacher Salary, 2007). The increases in wages have been well over the national inflation rate also. As a future teacher this research shows me that the state is recognizing the hard work that its teachers are putting nto their students and the government is trying to retain quality teachers. The monetary compensation is one valuable form of measuring a teacher worth, but there’s still the intangibles of the career and that is community worth. I have found through conversations with family and friends who are educators, no one teaches for the money. However, it is reassuring to see that I will be able to have a career that I am happy with and be able to support my family at the same time. I was drawn to this research topic because of my background and love for coaching. As a coach you are a teacher, counselor, and father. As a minority I believe I will be able to relate to my Afro-American students better. In my experiences I have found it easier to relate to students of the same ethnicity or socioeconomic backgrounds. Bandura states that learning may occur as a result of watching someone else perform some action and experience reinforcement or punishment (Boyd and Bee, 2006). I served as a role model for my student athletes by showing them various life decisions and how to make the correct choices when they arouse. As a male I have been a father figure to a lot of young males. My advice has been used as education for life situations and life skills. I saw the self efficacy as a huge challenge in many young and economically challenged Afro-American males and females. Bandura defines self efficacy as the belief in one’s ability to perform some action or to control one’s behavior or environment, to reach some goal or to make something happen ( Boyd and Bee, 2006). Many students had the attitude that they couldn’t overcome the obstacles that life had placed in front of them. Many social problems that the students faced were looked at as obstacles that were to hard overcome. I was able to help one particular student with a life altering experience and persuade him to not give up on his dreams. This young man had the opportunity to obtain a full athletic scholarship to a division one school for football, however numerous obstacles surrounded this young athlete, but none were greater than his lack of mathematical aptitude. I realized with working with this student that all of my social and ethical skills teaching wouldn’t benefit him if he couldn’t not pass his mathematical requirements to graduate high school and also pass college entrance exams. I hope that someday I will be in this situation again and I will be able to help other student’s overcome what many people see as an adversity. The adversity I am speaking of is being able to complete their math requirements so that they may receive their high school diploma. One of the main reasons I have decided to become an educator is to help young students’ poor outlook on their futures. As a teacher I will receive tremendous gratification watching a student reach his or her full potential. Watching students that never believed in themselves enough to graduate walk across the stage during graduation and listen to the speaker announce their future plans to attend a university or college is something that cannot be matched. The social impact of this job is immeasurable and the joy that I will receive from the profession will last a life time. In conclusion, as a minority high school teacher I should be able to model correct life skills and teach proficient math skills to my students that will create a greater sense of self efficacy in them. After researching Indiana’s High School mathematic graduation requirements, the percentage of students passing math requirements, and teachers’ salaries, I have found that I will be teaching in a state that has transformed its educational curriculum and requirements to produce more societal ready students, whether they join the workforce or the campus. I will also be working for a state that has a proven track record of monetarily backing its educators and keeping them out of poverty. With any luck the salaries will continue to rise with the educational requirements of the students that we must prepare for the future. Lastly, I will have a career that will keep this great nation strong and also provide me with a great sense of community pride. How to cite Indiana High School Math Teaching, Essay examples

Critique Nursing free essay sample

The purpose of this assignment is to critique and evaluate the chosen article in terms of strengths and weaknesses, to demonstrate an understanding of the research process. According to Polit and Beck (2004) the aim of critically appraising an article is an attempt to determine its strengths and limitations. Therefore, the research critique should reflect an objective and balanced consideration of the studys validity and significance (Polit and Hungler 1999). The task of critiquing is, according to Lo Biondo-Wood and Harber (2006) a challenging one and can only be effectively achieved through much practice and skill. For the purpose of this critique, the frameworks of Parahoo (1997) and Polit and Hungler (1999) have been used as a guide. This will assist in producing an organised sub-headed piece of work. Title The title of an article is the first part of a study to be encountered and Parahoo (1997) states that a title should draw the readers attention to the precise area of study and make reference to the population from whom the data is collected. Cormack (2000) and Marshall and Kelly (2007) agree, stating a title should be concise and reflect the content of the study. The chosen article is titled Perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing research findings in the Irish practice setting. This title utilised by Glacken and Chaney is concise, consisting of 13 words in bold print. Rumrill et al (2000) state that a standard length title is 12 15 words. However, the title does not reflect the population of the sample group i. e. Registered Nurses. Although the title still provides insight into what the article is trying to accomplish. Author(s) According to Cormack (2000) researchers must be qualified to commence a esearch study. The researchers qualification and credentials in the article are clearly stated and easy to find. They both have initials after their names, one of which has a PHD, which indicate that they have an educational background. A search using Glacken and Chaney using the ProQuest database identifies several published articles by Glacken. According to Lo Biondo-Wood and Harber (2002) this enhances the credibility of a study placing confidence in the findings. The article was submitted for publication on the 1st July 2003 and was accepted on the 9th January 2004. This illustrates that it was still relevantly recent and not dated when published which could have posed questions regarding validity and reliability. The Journal of Clinical Nursing has published the article. This also adds to the credibility of the research study, as all published articles are double bind peer reviewed. Abstract The purpose of the abstract is to provide a short comprehensive synopsis of an article (Rumrill et al 2000). According to Parahoo (1997) it should quickly focus the readers attention on the main points of the study. Langford (2001) also states that a well-presented abstract should be accurate, self-contained and readable. This abstract gives a brief summary of the study and within the first few lines identifies what the study is trying to achieve to ascertain what registered nurses perceive as barriers to the utilisation of research findings and discover what they perceive would facilitate the implementation of these findings. The remainder of the abstract provides a summary of approach (cross-sectional survey), the population (registered nurses) and overall findings. One limitation noted is that the researchers do not give the exact sample size in the abstract. By reading this summary it is believed that the reader would be able to make an informed choice about the relevance of the article for their purpose. The keywords used within the abstract were barriers, clinical practice, facilitators, Republic of Ireland, utilisation. It is vital that researchers choose appropriate keywords for their articles in order to aid literature searching through databases (Webb 2005). The keywords used by Glacken and Chaney are all relevant to the research study. Introduction The purpose of the introductory section is to clearly identify the problem and give a rationale for the study been carried out (Cormack 2000). Poilt and Hungler (1999) agree by stating that the introduction should explain the research problem and why the study is important, worthwhile and relevant. Russell (2004) also states that the introduction should thoroughly describe the background of the research problem so that the need for the study is apparent. The introduction given by Glacken and Chaney builds a cause from existing literature that the problem is of adequate value to justify further research. The author of this critique believes the research problem is in the last sentence of the introduction. It states that there are many difficulties involved in achieving evidence based practice and many barriers that may impede research utilisation. If this is in fact the research problem, the researchers comply with Russells (2004) recommendation that the research problem should flow directly from the introduction and conclude this section. However one would feel that this introduction deals more with the importance of research rather than explaining that the remainder of the article will focus on the barriers that impede research. According to Cormack (2000) an introduction should also state the studys limitations. This particular introduction does not make the studys limitations explicit to the reader. Literature Review/Background According to Parahoo (1997) a literature review serves to put the current study into the context of what is already known about the subject. Cormack (2000) states that the literature review is a critical review of previous literature relating to the research topic. Therefore this section aims to provide the reader with an understanding of what the current state of evidence is in the selected area of study. This review is organised by heading that correspond to the key study concepts, which makes the review easy to follow. The researchers attempt to review previous studies relating to the topic, thus preparing the ground for new research. The studies presented highlight the significance of the problem under investigation. It was difficult to identify the exact research question, as there was no definite question asked. Although Valente (2003) states that sometimes researchers may hide the research question within the purpose of the study. The final statement of the literature review is therefore the purpose of this study it is timely that perceived barriers are identified and acknowledged. Therefore as you read the review it moves from broad to specific relevance with the last section of the review clearly outlining the need for the study. Due to the article been published in 2004, it is expected that the references used will be relevantly recent. From reading the reference list, it can be seen that this is the case and only three references before 1994 have been used. There was a need for these older references as the original author who employed the Barriers scale did so in 1991 and the purpose of the 1978 reference was to illustrate that access to research reports has been a problem for many years. Also noted is that the articles included in the reference list are clearly related to the topic under study and include international resources, all nursing related. http://repository. uwc. ac. a/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10566/308/RoweBlendedLearning2012. pdf? sequence=3 Method According to Polit and Hungler (1999) the heart of the research critique is the analysis of the methodology decisions adopted in addressing the research question. Cormack (2000) suggests the method section should clearly state the research approach to be used and asks whether the method is appropriate to the research problem and whether the strengths and li mitations of the approach are stated. Although not written in text it is clearly pointed out that the article is of a quantitative approach. Burns and Groves (1997) describe quantitative research as a method used to gain more information, test relationships and uses numeric data to answer problems. In reviewing the methodology section which is under the subheading Methods, the researchers clearly demonstrate that the design method is a cross sectional survey using a non probability sample. According to Polit and Hungler (1999) a cross sectional design involves the collection of data at one point in time. This descriptive study uses the established 29 item Barriers 5 point Likert scale, after firstly gaining permission from the main author to employ the instrument S. Funk. Therefore a strength of this article is related to the measurement tool. The researchers used an already developed measurement device in which the reliability of the tool would have been determined. They reinforce this fact by saying that the scale is recognised to be psychometrically robust. A further quantitative research tool a questionnaire, was selected as the method to solicit opinions regarding the barriers to research. Cormack (2000) believes that questionnaires are the most widely used method of collecting data. However he recognises that if participants are aware that they are partaking in a study, it is natural that they might alter their response the Hawthorne Effect (Cormack 2000). The researchers do not state how they minimised this Hawthorne Effect. In addition to the questionnaire, a demographic information sheet was utilised. This is in line with a descriptive design, as the purpose of such is to gain more information about the characteristics of a group (Vitale 2003). The research participants were a convenience sample of registered nurses who enrolled in a nursing focused academic course in Trinity College, Dublin. All who enrolled were invited to participate in the study. However the recruitment process is not described in much detail. It is not until the Findings section that the size of the sample is revealed 169 participants responded. According to Thompson (1999) the sample size in quantitative research is preferably a large sample. Vitale (2003) states that the general rule regarding sample size is sample error decreases as sample size increases. It is harder to generalise a sample of this size. It is recognised by the researchers in the Discussion section that the particular mode of sampling employed may introduce bias into the findings. This may result in the findings becoming less reliable. A limitation noted in the method design used by the researchers was the lack of an explicit framework. The researchers did not identify if they used one. When researching the other studies that used the Barriers scale the vast majority used a framework. Ethical Consideration Ethics is an important part of nursing and nursing research. It is about researchers doing what is fair, decent and moral and is underpinned by values and believes of the community (Crookes and Davies 2004). There is no designated section allocated to ethical considerations, however Hek (1996) states that ethical issues may be integrated throughout the article. This article addresses ethical issues in both the abstract and under the method section. The researchers clarify that the ethical issues of a persons right not to be harmed, right of full disclosure, right of self-determination, right of privacy and confidentiality were respected. According to the researcher all participants provided their consent to the study by the returning of the completed questionnaire. Consent is vital as it respects the autonomy of individuals, their right to privacy and their right to choose (Tingle and Cribb 2002). Results Cormack (2000) states that the results should be presented clearly and in enough detail so that the reader is able to judge how reliable the findings are. Polit and Beck (2004) agree by stating that the most critical element of any study is getting your results across and understood by your readers. Valente (2003) believes that the researchers should repeat the research question before delving into the findings. The researchers in this case presented the data in succinct form with little discussion at the start, but organise their findings under subheadings. According to Russell (2004) researchers frequently organise their findings by research question to facilitate readability. The aim was to quantify the barriers to research implementation. The authors of this article present their findings systematically, utilising a variety of graphs and tables. Figure 1 shows a graph depicting that 38% of the participants consulted journals more than twice a month. Table 1 presents the barriers to research utilisation in descending order of importance. Results were also explained and summarised alongside which according to Clifford (1997) is a form of descriptive statistics. According to Russell (2004) if a descriptive design was used the reader should find descriptive statistics such as mean, mode, median and standard deviation. All these statistics are included within the results section. The target audience (professional nurses) are more than likely to be able to interpret the figures within each table and, thus, judge hoe reliable the results are. It is important that results are presented in such a way that they are clearly understood (Cormack 2000). Parahoo (1997) is an advocate of comparing results with other similar studies. The researchers adopted this style and compared the top 10 barriers with those found in three recent studies (Table 3). The researchers showed their findings to be very similar with the studies undertaken in both Northern Ireland and Australia. Discussion/Conclusion The discussion section should flow from the data results and place the studys findings in context with what is already known (Parahoo 1997). Valente (2003) believes that under this section the researchers should summarise their major findings and conclude their application to practice, research, and theory and knowledge development. The researchers state that this section will discuss the findings in comparison with other studies undertaken. Valente (2003) states that author(s) should compare and contrast their results with other studies and interpret the findings. The discussion is unambiguous and supported by the results obtained. Again the researchers used subheadings to ease readability. There are many implications to practice identified by the researchers. According to Valente (2003) implications should describe how the results of the study could be applied to nursing practice. For example the researchers discovered that their study and many other studies identified nurses perceived lack of authority as the most common barrier to research. Therefore they exposed a need to implement some change into the organisational setting. Also, more support from managers was noted to be the top ranked facilitator of research implementation. The researchers also suggest a further research study, which would explore the reasons why nurses do not access research journals on a regular basis. General Impression Overall the article was interesting with clear aims and use of methodology. It was quite simple to interpret and has provided interesting fact regarding this topic. The study contains few flaws and represents a valid example of descriptive quantitative research. The results have addressed the aims of the study and are both informative and descriptive. It is recommended that it should contain a section of ethical consideration however the ethical issues are evident throughout the article. In the introduction the article stresses the importance of research in nursing and health care. This builds a good case for continuing the study. Research is an essential part of every nurses role. But as this study revealed there are many barriers for nurses to overcome to properly utilise and implement research. This study has brought these barriers to the foreground and identified ways to overcome them. The findings were interesting, although it might become more reliable if the study was replicated using a larger, random sample group. The top ranked barrier to research utilisation was surprising to read, as it was made known to be nurses perceived lack of authority. The article was very good overall and a lot of interesting facts emerged from the study.