Written analysis of a qualitative research report to determine the Essay

Written analysis of a qualitative research report to determine the validity of the study - Essay Example effectiveness and implementation of these programs two actors are stated: the tight school schedule and differences in the opinions of the different stakeholders (teachers, parents, adolescents etc.) which is actually the subject of research in this study. However it is not stated and there is no reference to find if the main question analyzed in the study is formulated based on a previous research or based on a personal perception of the authors of the study. Authors state that the question they analyze in the study is â€Å"at least† one of the two factors that are barriers for implementing the current recommendations for reducing adolescent obesity, but nevertheless we don’t have information’s about the importance of this question based on a previous research. Nevertheless the literature listed as reference to the text is relevant and we have access to previous research and studies that were done on the subject of adolescent obesity specifically in Switzerland (Zimmermann et al. 2004). The problem with adolescent obesity is supported by well designed and relevant studies. Also the method of qualitative approach is stated as appropriate for the type of the research conducted in this study. This statement is also referenced with relevant publications which elaborate why this approach is most suited for this study (Krueger 1994) (Kitzinger 1995). Nevertheless we can’t understand the importance of the question analyzed in this study (different views and perceptions of all the stakeholders) based on the references stated in the study, but only as personal view of the researcher that this question is one of the most important in understanding the problem. There are studies however that imply the importance of integrated approach of all s takeholders in implementing programs for reducing adolescent obesity (Lynne et al. 2010). Medical educators and nurses working in the schools have important function in identifying the problem of adolescent obesity and

Empowering People through Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Empowering People through Education - Essay Example Universal education has been on the global agenda since the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed free and compulsory education to be a basic human right. The 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed by all but two of the world's governments, reaffirmed this right as a legally binding obligation. Since then, there have been many high-level international commitments to education for all (Bloom & Cohen, 2002). Indeed, education is a tool for human beings to push them to advance their goals in life. This is the reason why education was inculcated in the Declaration of Human Rights. This is also why, of all American institutions, the educational system has perhaps the greatest impact on the lives of ordinary people. Children gain knowledge about a standard range of subjects from English and history to mathematics and science. They also learn social skills and are exposed to different people and ideas. Educational achievement is the single largest influence on an individual's future earning power. More than anything else, in fact, it is education that shapes a person's future. Professor Stephen Heyneman of Vanderbilt University, in his article "Are We Our Brothers' Keeper", pointed out that that economic development depends on educational progress. The evidence supporting this claim emerged from multiple sources and common intuitive judgment: nations with an educated population are economically adaptable, healthy, and innovative. But the challenges to providing education in low-income countries are daunting. Generally, they can be divided into three categories: schooling's access, quality, and purpose. This is why world leaders are thinking how greater educational opportunity can be provided to low-income countries, how the quality of that opportunity can be improved, and how the international community should guide these schools to reduce extremist nationalist and religious curricula (The World and I, 2003, p. 18). So if "ignorance is bliss", why do we still pursue to educate ourselves and our children It may be true, but no individual wants to become ignorant. If a person is not educated, he or she is susceptible to being taken advantage of. Holmes (1981) offered a more viable answer to this question by expounding the aims of education. According to Holmes (1981), these aims are often expressed in general terms in order to induce widespread public appeal. Aims such as the holistic development of children and the acquisition of skills and knowledge deemed desirable for societal well-being are often palatable to a variety of stakeholders, including governments, businesses, parents, educators, and students (Holmes, 1981). Thus, the intentions of education, as Holmes has argued, are often described in terms of their intrinsic value (knowledge for knowledge's sake), their social value (process of initiation into acceptable social standards), and their intended outcomes (all-around individual devel opment). The aims of education, therefore, represent a society's idealized hopes and visions for its citizens: In so far as aims are statements of what "ought to be the case" and represent man's hopes and aspirations not only for himself but for future generations, they are part of our socially constructed world and can be accepted or rejected according to taste. (p. 114) Thus, the aims of educa