Exam Malpractice free essay sample

This study considers the remote causes of examination malpractice in the Nigerian education system with a view to suggest new ways of combating the problem. Three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Using the multistage stratified sampling technique, 200 students were selected for the study from 20 secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. An Examination Malpractice Questionnaire (EMQUE) was used for data collection. The three research hypotheses were tested statistically using the Chi square statistical technique. The results indicate that poor study habits, paucity of educational facilities, and inability of schools to cover prescribed syllabuses are significant remote causes of examination malpractice in the country. Based on these findings, methods of tackling the menace are proffered and counselling implications are suggested. Introduction The issue of examination malpractice is a national emergency situation. Before the advent of western type education, traditional Nigerian education was based mainly on experience and practice. Its mode of instruction was simple as knowledge was passed on orally and through practical tests. Students then only had to commit to memory, learn by rote, or through observation (Ibia, 2006). Because traditional Nigerian education placed little or no emphasis on certification, students had the proper view of education, seeing it as a means to an end not an end in itself. Besides, the Nigerian culture then frowned at dishonesty and would not hesitate to sanction offenders (Agogo, 2006). According to Ejiogu (2001), general moral decadence and the high premium placed on achievement and certificates by Nigerians has in recent times spawned examination fraud. The general overdependence on educational certificates as a measure of one’s knowledge and competence has led to a mad rush by most people for educational certificates (Sofola, 2004). In a bid to acquire such certificates, many have resorted to unethical means—foremost among which are examination malpractices—just to acquire the certificates at all cost. Without doubt, the persistent occurrence of examination malpractice in Nigeria has spawned heinous problems such as: 1. Lack of credibility of academic certificates acquired in Nigeria by the international community. 2. Declining standard of education in the country. Onyechere (2004) asserted that unless we are able to stop examination malpractice, the standard of education in Nigeria will continue to fall. 3. The problem of turning out into the society half-baked—if not unbaked—graduates who are virtually good for nothing and functional illiterates. 4. Inability to secure competitive and challenging jobs which require practical test of proficiency and skills. 5. The existing correlation between examination malpractice and corruption in public offices. As noted by Thomas Derry of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and quoted in the Examinations Ethics Project (EEP) survey (2004) report, students who steal their ways to higher offices through examination malpractice would not find it difficult to engage in corrupt practices when they are employed. 6. Finally, examination malpractice has economic implications. According to EEP (2003) report, Nigeria loses more than one billion naira annually to examination malpractice. Thus examination malpractice could equally be seen as an economic crime. Mention-worthy at this juncture is the fact that Nigerians have not been sleeping since the wake of this mischief in the mid 1970s. It is on recorded history that the first serious case of examination malpractice in independent Nigeria was the leakage in 1977 of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) question paper for the West African School Examination (Onyechere, 1996). The outcry by WAEC in the wake of this incidence led to the setting up of a tribunal by the Federal government of Nigeria to investigate the mass leakage and to suggest possible measure to forestall future occurrence. The tribunal recommended severe punitive measures. The federal government followed this up by promulgating Degree No. 20 of 1984 and later, Degree No. 33 of 1999 in which severe punishments against perpetrators of examination malpractice were clearly enshrined. Further measures which have been taken in recent times to eradicate examination malpractice include that taken by the Obasanjo Administration which embedded in the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) policy document a target of 40% reduction in examination malpractice annually; the existing legislation on examination malpractice, Degree No. 33 of the 1999 Constitution which is still in force—though not enforced; and the move by the Federal Ministry of Education to introduce the study of ethics in the school curricula with a view to forestalling examination malpractice. It is a truism that even though much has been done, it is either grossly inadequate or ineffectual at curbing the menace as we day-in-day-out see examination malpractices take newer, dynamic and appealing forms especially with the advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) coupled with the general falling standards of societal norms. It is also true that examination malpractice would not have attained its present endemic state but for the fact that the major stake holders in education are at the forefront aiding and abetting the crime. Orhungur (2003) decried the general opinion which tends to indict the students and exonerate the teachers and other examination agents. Quoting a tentative report by Usman, he maintained that if the staff, that is, all who have to do with examinations—examiners, typists, custodians, staff of examination bodies, printers, transporters, and security agents—put their house in order, students would not have access to examination materials before examinations. Umar (2003) indicted head masters and principals as the biggest perpetrators of examination malpractice in the country. He asserted that headmasters in connivance with their teachers initiate primary school pupils into examination malpractice during common entrance examinations by giving answers to the students so that they would record high number of passes in their schools. In the case of secondary school principals, Umar (2003) stated emphatically that they are the worst perpetrators of the crime as they, in a bid to have the names of their schools praised and recognized, manipulate and aid the crime. In the same vein, Ike (2004) of the EEP held that principals have gone to the extent of building into the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) registration fees, an examination malpractice fee variously referred to as cooperation fees, understanding fees, examination welfare fees, and miscellaneous fees with the sole aim of bribing supervisors and invigilators and whoever sent them so that they might ‘cooperate’ during examinations. Another group of master-minders who have rather taken centre stage in recent times are operators of private study centres also known as extramural classes. These study centres are veritable fronts for examination fraud operated by organized syndicate who charge outrageously high fees for examinations. Funnily enough, students are, more often than not, willing to pay because in the end it pays off very well (Thisday, 2004). The last group which is also a strong force behind the perpetration of examination malpractice is the parents. Many parents would not want their children to repeat any class no matter their level of performance. Thus, they pressure school authorities to give their children automatic promotion even when they fail their examinations. Parents are also in the forefront of hiring mercenaries to write examinations for their wards. They thus collude with principals to issue fake but favourable examination results to their children. Looking beyond the contribution of education stakeholders to examination crimes, other important causes of examination malpractice revolve around the students and their attitude towards their studies as influenced by the general socio-economic situation in the country. In recent times, students prepare—if at all they do—lackadaisically for examinations. The reason for this lacklustre attitude as opined by Thomas Derry of WAEC is that the youths have prioritized entertainment and pleasure at the expense of their books (myspacefm. com, 2004). Furthermore, Anger (2004) pointed out that the high fees associated with especially the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) makes malpractice unavoidable as poor students cannot afford to repeat a given examination and would in the first instance do anything to pass it at all cost. A comprehensive submission by Anyiin (1998) identified the fundamental causes of examination malpractice to include: 1. Lack of necessary facilities for teaching/learning 2. Non-coverage of prescribed syllabuses due to their extensiveness and the general nonchalant attitude of teachers towards teaching. 3. Industrial actions by teachers. 4. Mass promotion of students in internal examinations. 5. The general misconception of good performance by some principals and the society as a means of enhancing the status of societal rating of the principals and their schools. Faulty or lack of proper administration of examinations. 7. Imposition of school subjects on candidates by parents. 8. Poverty and greed on the part of the teachers who constitute the bulk of invigilators and examiners. 9. Constant increase in examination fees, among others. Statement of the Problem In the fight against examination malpractice, it appears that no one is exonerated. As exposed in the preceding section, education stakeholders, the students, as well as the national economy could rightly be apportioned blames for the preponderance of this menace. In sum, these variables tend to operate interdependently such that there is a cumulative influence, with one variable buttressing the others. This could be seen in the fact that the poor economic situation in the country has compelled most poor parents to resort to unethical means in order that their wards may pass their examinations at one sitting. Therefore, this research investigates remote causes of examination malpractice in Nigeria with a view to proffering effective methods for curbing the menace.

Macduff vs. Macbeth a True Case of Good vs. Evil free essay sample

A True Instance of Good vs. Evil? At the end of the play Macbeth, Macduff kills Macbeth in a scene easily read as the victory of good over evil, but is this accurate? Is Macbeth completely evil? Is Macduff completely good? Or is there an in between? I believe that Macduff is good, but there is definitely an in-between with Macbeth. I see Macduff as being a good person. He does everything he can to improve the state that Scotland is in. When he flees to England and leaves his family behind, some people may interpret it as him doing bad since his family is slaughtered in his absence. I do not see it this way. I believe Macduff is doing what he thinks is best for Scotland when he flees to England. That is to get Malcolm to come back and take his rightful place as king of Scotland. This is evident when Macduff is in England talking to Malcolm. We will write a custom essay sample on Macduff vs. Macbeth: a True Case of Good vs. Evil? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Malcolm says â€Å"let us seek out some desolate shade, and there/weep our sad bosoms empty† (4. 3:1-2, Page 70). Basically, he is feels sorry for the state into which Scotland has fallen since Macbeth has become king. To this Macduff replies â€Å"Let us rather hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men bestride our down-fall’n birthdom† (4. :3-4, Page 71). This translates to â€Å"let us rather hold fast the deadly sword, and like good men protectively stand over our native land. † Basically what Macduff is trying to say is that instead of crying for Scotland, they should fight for their land to bring her back to the state they knew and loved. Further on into this same conversation, there is further proof that Macduff was seen as good. He tells Malcolm â€Å"I am not treacherous† to which Malcolm replies â€Å"but Macbeth is† 4. 3:18-19, Page 71). This also goes toward the argument of Macbeth being evil. He is seen as treacherous and a tyrant. He brings sadness to Scotland. Macduff says that â€Å"each new morn/New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrow/Strike heaven on the face† (4. 3: 4-6, Page 71). This is just a hint of how bad the state of Scotland has gotten. Macbeth is also evil in that he murdered and framed people to become king of Scotland. He murdered the current king, Duncan, and made it appear that the guards in his chambers of the crime. He was told by the Weird Sisters that he would be king. He was just too impatient to wait his turn and turned to murder instead. Although he did do a lot of things that could be considered evil, I do not believe that Macbeth was wholly evil. He was brave and seen as a hero in the war against Norway. This heroism even got him the title of Thane of Cawdor. Banquo didn’t seem displeased at the prophecies of Macbeth becoming Thane of Cawdor and King. If Macbeth was evil, Banquo would have been displeased with this. He can also be seen as not wholly evil because he is hesitant in his plot to kill the king. Lady Macbeth has to help to convince him to do it. If he was wholly evil, he would have had no hesitation in murdering someone for his own gain. Due to the mix of good and evil in the character of Macbeth, there is definitely some gray area to the play. I think this gray area adds depth to the play. Not everyone is interested in straight good and evil. Some prefer a round, conflicted character such as provided by the character of Macbeth.

Compare and Contrast Paper Examples for Middle School Students

Compare and Contrast Paper Examples for Middle School StudentsComparing and contrasting can be an exercise that are best left to teachers, but you may need to have a list of examples of papers in order to do this. In many schools, you may have already been assigned a 'sample' paper for your class to compare and contrast. If you do not have this sort of paper, it is probably time to find one.The only problem with this sample paper is that some teachers may assume that they know what the child will be trying to achieve from it. The paper that you read will help you do this.In middle school, the range of abilities in the class is very wide. Children differ greatly in what they like to read, what they like to watch, how they feel about a topic, and how they would like to present themselves in an essay. This will make the middle school students experience of comparing and contrasting become extremely difficult.The problem with this situation is that parents cannot always offer the same re ferences for their children. Children may not think that their parents are educated or educated well, when they look at a few papers from a professional advisor. In this case, you should choose an essay sample that is from someone who is a true expert in the subject that your child is taking about.The middle school students do not want to end up struggling, so they want to be sure that they are taking an intelligent approach to the work that they are doing. This is a personal choice, and it is up to you as the teacher to make sure that your student is following an intelligent strategy. It is important to look at a number of sample essays before making your decision.When looking for sample essays for your students to compare and contrast, be sure that the essay is meant for middle school students. For some reason, people have developed an image of college level students who write very long essays. This does not describe middle school students.If you are preparing for a 'sample' paper that you need to compare and contrast between middle school students, you may need to ask the teacher for some help. You should start by asking for a few essays from middle school students who are on your class' sample list. You should then read those essays and find the ones that are of the highest quality.If you take this approach, you can guarantee that you will end up with many examples that are of the highest quality among the middle school students that you will ask for help. Some of these papers may be used as sample papers, and others may have to be adapted for a different grade level. This will depend on the student.

Free Essays on Significance Of Nature In The World

A strong connection to nature brings physical health, mental creativity spiritual fulfillment and personal growth without the corruption of the material possessions that society offers. Somewhere along the way, humanity lost focus and started to build things while disregarding nature. Humanity got busy, and we marveled at our ability to create. People lost what is really important in life, and that is nature. Thoreau’s stance on nature was astonishing and self righteous. Nature was a big part of his life. It was his main journey that he continued to take everyday of his life. He considered it to be healthy, enjoyable and relaxing. He writes â€Å"A man’s health requires many acres of meadow to his prospect as a farm does loads of muck† He believes that being surrounded by the wilderness refreshes his soul. Society can be so chaotic and it ruins nature’s beauty. When he walks around the woods he clears his head from society’s duties and becomes one with nature; he can be his true self. Thoreau’s biggest opinion was to keep society where it is, and as far away and separate from the woods. Industries were expanding and science and technology were growing and that pleased him to a certain extent but he didn’t feel that minimizing the wilderness was beneficial. He writes â€Å"Man and his affair’s, church and state and school, trad e and commerce and manufactures and agriculture, even politics, the most alarming of them all, - I am pleased to see how little space they occupy in the landscape†.( pg 184) He considered the woods to be his home. He felt comfortable there and the cold and solitude became his friends, to him nothing was more important than taking time to walk along in the woods. He writes â€Å"Life consists with wilderness. The most alive is the wildest. Net yet subdued by man, its presence refreshes him. Thoreau believed that a person could find the spirit of nature in his own backyard and wilderness was ... Free Essays on Significance Of Nature In The World Free Essays on Significance Of Nature In The World A strong connection to nature brings physical health, mental creativity spiritual fulfillment and personal growth without the corruption of the material possessions that society offers. Somewhere along the way, humanity lost focus and started to build things while disregarding nature. Humanity got busy, and we marveled at our ability to create. People lost what is really important in life, and that is nature. Thoreau’s stance on nature was astonishing and self righteous. Nature was a big part of his life. It was his main journey that he continued to take everyday of his life. He considered it to be healthy, enjoyable and relaxing. He writes â€Å"A man’s health requires many acres of meadow to his prospect as a farm does loads of muck† He believes that being surrounded by the wilderness refreshes his soul. Society can be so chaotic and it ruins nature’s beauty. When he walks around the woods he clears his head from society’s duties and becomes one with nature; he can be his true self. Thoreau’s biggest opinion was to keep society where it is, and as far away and separate from the woods. Industries were expanding and science and technology were growing and that pleased him to a certain extent but he didn’t feel that minimizing the wilderness was beneficial. He writes â€Å"Man and his affair’s, church and state and school, trad e and commerce and manufactures and agriculture, even politics, the most alarming of them all, - I am pleased to see how little space they occupy in the landscape†.( pg 184) He considered the woods to be his home. He felt comfortable there and the cold and solitude became his friends, to him nothing was more important than taking time to walk along in the woods. He writes â€Å"Life consists with wilderness. The most alive is the wildest. Net yet subdued by man, its presence refreshes him. Thoreau believed that a person could find the spirit of nature in his own backyard and wilderness was ...

Appreciating Life as the Central Theme of the Movie Awakenings Essay

Appreciating Life as the Central Theme of the Movie Awakenings - Essay Example The plot of the movie directly relates to the primary theme in a very literal way. In telling the story of people whose lives have been taken away from them, in effect, via a medical illness for which there is no cure, overtly conveys the value of life. Though the patients are living and breathing individuals, they are extremely constrained in terms of movement, communication, independence and common daily activities that most people engage in every day without a second thought. They must live in an institutional environment where they are under constant supervision and care and cannot enjoy any of the trappings of ‘normal’ life such as love, activities, work, recreation and the pursuit of personal interests and fulfilment. As the movie focuses on the solitary and sedentary nature of these patients lives during the early parts of the film, the changes that occur when they are dosed with the new drug are made even more apparent, exciting and moving by contrast as the audi ence begins to see them leave their comatose states and become active individuals who each have a unique personality. Each patient, in particular Leonard the protagonist, is so utterly appreciative and excited by this new lease of life, that it forces the audience to relate to positive aspects of their own lives in a more appreciative way. As the narrative continues and the audience slowly realises that the effects of the drug are limited and of a short duration, this delivers a dramatic impact as life is again snatched away from the patients. As we see Leonard eventually retreat back to his vegetative state and his acceptance of his fate, it re-instates the vulnerability of life and the massive importance we must place on its value while we have it. The fact that Leonard tries to make the most of the rest of his time as an active individual despite understanding his destiny, is extremely moving and it effectively emphasises the theme of the movie. One scene in particular, where Leo nard dances with his love interest and tries to savour each moment of it as he knows it is his last, is particularly poignant. The setting of the story amidst a hospital environment also effectively serves to emphasise the movie’s theme. Hospitals are synonymous with death, illness and the mortality of life and this setting immediately relates to these ideas. Seeing characters taking medication, undergoing medical treatment and generally being in vulnerable and fragile states is directly indicative that life is a precious gift that should not be taken for granted. Sickness is often something that healthy people take for granted, in that, if they are not sick, they tend to focus on other problems within their lives, to the detriment of not enjoying their lives as much as they should. It is usually only when people are diagnosed with an illness that they begin to appreciate all that having a healthy body and mind means. In this medical setting, this theme is very dramatically c onveyed both literally and symbolically. Through the portrayal and development of characters the movie also explores its life-affirming theme. From the perspective of Leonard it is perhaps examined at its deepest level as the audience witnesses this character go from a catatonic state, to a thoroughly active

Jean Watson's Theory of Caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jean Watson's Theory of Caring - Essay Example The ultimate aim of this context is to examine Jean Watson’s theory of caring and its implications for both patients and nurses. This paper begins by outlining the overview of the theory before looking at how she brought out the idea of caring moment and how it can apply to daily lives of people (Potter & Perry, 1999). Watson’s theory of human caring also called theory of transpersonal caring or the caring model was established in 1979. The theory has undergone evolution for several years, but its root principal remains outstanding. The theory stresses on the concept of humanistic issue of nursing in conjunction to scientific knowledge. She modeled the theory in a way that it clearly brings out the implication and focus to nursing as a different health line of work. She believed that caring is a backing and support of the identity of nurses (Delaune, 2002). She added on that the identity of medicine is that of caring, since nurses deal with patients and medicines; the same should portray their identity. Florence Nightingale who stated that, â€Å"It is the surgeon who saves the life of an individual and it is the nurse who helps the life of this person,† heavily supported Watson’s implication (Reed, 2006). The theory of human caring implies that the role of nurses is to develo p a caring association with patients through treating them as holistic being, which means, body, mind and spirit. The nurses are also supposed to express categorical acceptance and care for patients with a positive concern. They are also supposed to foster health through wisdom and involvement. Watson defined caring moment as the uninterrupted time that a nurse spends with a patient where they can share a story, advice, a joke, laugh together and at least make the patient feel healed. It is the session where the nurse and the patient make contact through nurse entering the patient’s room and making him

Assignment Mulally Essay Example for Free

Assignment Mulally Essay Assignment # 3 ‘’ Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor company â€Å" Leadership and organizational behavior- BUS 520 Abstract Leadership is guiding people towards productive results to achieve the goals of the organization. An effective leader has the ability to motivate and influence others. The following sources of power represent the engine of influence that they use effectively and ethically to achieve their goals, however, true leaders are supposed to make the employees work hard by giving their efforts and making sure that the goals and the mission of the organization are achieved. To be effective every leader should have the following competencies: Vision, Integrity, Honesty and Values Releasing Potential and Energy. The content of this paper is to outline the roles of leadership and how it affects organizational performance. It then discusses the role of Allan Mulally’s, CEO of Ford Motor Company, and leadership style. The paper also presents how mulally decision to set a goal has increased the company’s performance and mentioning how Allan Mulally’s openness has gained him trust and helped him to reach his goal. Alan Mulally moved to Ford in 2006. He had worked at Boeing since 1969. He had been chief engineer for development of the 777, and was later Vice President of Engineering for commercial aircraft. Mulally had no sales experience, and he wasnt a Detroit car man, â€Å"Much less a car man at all. He sold his Lexus after moving to Dearborn. Whats most impressive is Mulallys results oriented leadership style. His management is crisp and authoritative, although he defers to the firms design experts on the minutiae of the product lines. But on the big questions of the companys past mistakes and where its headed, Mulalley made key decisions that placed Ford in good stead. When mulally testified before Congress in December 2008, along with GMs Rick Wagoner and Chryslers Robert Nardelli, he announced that Ford would be able to survive the recession without a bailout. In 2006, Alan Mulally became the CEO of Ford. At the time, the company was relying heavily on their truck revenue and had several other lines that were not properly supported to earn the best revenue. Some of Mulally’s first decisions were to sell off some of their sub brands, namely Jaguar and Land Rover, and focus more on the small car lines that are becoming more popular with consumers. With a focus on the small cars, this would allow for the company to benefit from economies of scale and increase the profits from selling those cars. He also took out a $23 billion loan to help avoid needing the bailouts that would come 2 years later. Mulally threw away the politics involved in the vice president structure, forcing the weekly leadership meeting to be more about the success of the company than the squabbles of those leading it. He insisted that the vice presidents actually admit to their problems so they can be handled; having operations be labeled either green for going well, yellow for caution, and red for problems. The vice presidents were apprehensive of this at first, afraid to admit their problems and failures, but Mulally made it apparent he wanted to know these issues to resolve them, instead of to sweep them under the rug or assign blame. Finally, Mulally put forth a new mind set for the company; One Ford, involving a One Team, One Plan, One Goal setup. One Team focused on uniting the individual group in Ford into one cohesive team, each member helping out other members, no matter what project they are on or division they are in. One Plan was about restructuring to operate profitably, accelerate development to get new products that customers would want to buy out sooner, finance the plan, and work together as a team. Finally, One Goal was all about developing an exciting viable Ford with profitable growth. Mulally have a more hands on approach to leadership. He wants to know exactly where the company is and how they were going to get someplace better. This is shown with his color coded operations technique with the vice president meetings. His answers to problems weren’t just to shrug them off and go back to the status but rather how to proceed from where those problems brought them. Alan Mulally demonstrated organizational innovation; he used different methods of production and administration. Conveying his ideas and leadership, mulally exhibited his innovation that comprised the ideas from outside Ford in conjunction with those ideas from within Ford Motor Company. The message he portrays involves  planning initiation, execution, selection, and implementation of the objectives to achieve the goals set forth by his administration The success of an innovation is connected to a market forecast of customer needs and wants as well as effective management of the innovation  process. Concentrating on a fewer products to produce with a lot of improvement and service innovation involving the introduction of a new service that meet the customers’ expectations. He has high regard for executive management and maintains open communication. Mulally has an agenda to serve and satisfy not only customers, but employees as well, increase market share, increase profits, and communication is at the top. Alan Mulally has a proven effective leadership style. He is persistent with innovative  processes that address issues within the organization to ensure successful development. His management responsibilities include reducing the risk; managing the customer interface; training and managing staff performance; and engaging Ford’s executive team. Highlighting how successful his tactic can be Mulally has insured his reputation as one of industry’s great leaders; it is well worth paying attention to what he says and learn from his leadership skills. Any successful leader has to know the plan, and areas that need special attention. There are challenging times to be a leader whether it is a cultural crisis, financial crisis, or environmental crisis, but, if one can learn from the experience of a leader such as Alan Mulally, an organization will do just fine and be one of the respected models to follow and learn from.