Problems n Listening for TESL Students

Problems n Listening for TESL Students Listening comprehension test is a part of the examination for the course English Proficiency for Teachers which every TESL students need to be enrolled in as well as to get a credit in as to be TESL graduate students. TESL students who are the English teachers to be in future need to have good listening skills in English in order to be able to teach effectively. Unfortunately, TESL students in university come across great difficulties during listening comprehension test, even after they have been going through the course English Proficiency for Teachers which helps in developing and improving their listening skills for 3 years. Introduction The study is an investigation into the problem in listening comprehension test in English among TESL students. This chapter is organized into five parts i.e the background to the problem, the statement of the problem, research questions, the significance of the study and the limitations of the study. The background problem will discuss the basic skills involved in listening comprehension. The statement of problem will identify the problems faces by TESL students in listening comprehension test in English. The significance of the study will discuss how the study can be of use, both to the TESL students and lecturers in view of improving skills of listening comprehension. Background The listening skill has to be taught to second language learners of English as it involves listening comprehension which is a complex skill. The listening skill involves much more than just hearing the sound of the words. Listening is an active process which we receive, that is to hear and understand what a speaker has spoken. Nevertheless, we do not remain passive while listening. We have to react to what we listen in order to comprehend the meaning of what is spoken. Background knowledge is important in order to acquire listening skills. It is the awareness towards the particular topics. Competent listeners make use of that to make expectations and add on their own judgments as they listen further. In addition, a student also has to gave a purpose before he begins to listen. TESL students face problems in listening comprehension test due to many factors. The aim of this study is to determine the major problems encountered. Real listening is an active process that has three basic steps: Hearing. Hearing just means listening enough to catch what the speaker is saying. For example, say you were listening to a report on zebras, and the speaker mentioned that no two are alike. If you can repeat the fact, then you have heard what has been said. Understanding. The next part of listening happens when you take what you have heard and understand it in your own way. Lets go back to that report on zebras. When you hear that no two are alike, think about what that might mean. You might think, Maybe this means that the pattern of stripes is different for each zebra. Judging. After you are sure you understand what the speaker has said, think about whether it makes sense. Do you believe what you have heard? You might think, How could the stripes to be different for every zebra? But then again, the fingerprints are different for every person. I think this seems believable. Selection of problem Things to include: a. Background b. Selection of problem c. Objectuves d. Research Question e. Significance of the study: why doing the scope of study? f. Limitations of the study g.Definitions of terms h. Research methodology: qualitative? survey? i. Subject/Sampling j. Intrumentation: questionaire? interview? focus group k. Procedure of data collection l. Benefit of the study Format for Writing Dissertation Proposals 1.ÂÂ  Title Page The title sheet should include the information ordinarily encountered on the title page of the dissertation except that the proposal should be labeled as a dissertation proposal, not as a dissertation. Because some computer compiled bibliographies include only the first five words of the title, the first five words should, therefore, contain a substantive description of the study. A subtitle may be included.ÂÂ   2.ÂÂ  Abstract The abstract is expected to be brief (not to exceed 350 words) and should summarize the following: Introduction, Statement of the Problem, Background of the Study, Research Questions or Hypotheses, and Methods and Procedures.ÂÂ   3.ÂÂ  Introduction This section introduces the reader to the domain of the study and provides a general overview of the circumstances, issues, and background leading up to the problem under investigation.ÂÂ   4.ÂÂ  Statement of the Problem The problem statement should identify briefly the state of uncertainty or dissatisfaction with present knowledge in the field. Then it should clearly and precisely identify the purpose of the study in terms of how it will help to advance our knowledge in that field.ÂÂ   5.ÂÂ  Background of the Study A doctoral dissertation is not intended to be an isolated undertaking but rather an inquiry which has an intended place in some larger body of knowledge. This section should include a review of the relevant theoretical and empirical works which provide a broad background, or a theoretical grounding to the study. In addition, candidates are required to demonstrate the link between their study and the body of knowledge in which the study is grounded.ÂÂ   6.ÂÂ  Research Questions or Hypotheses Research questions or hypotheses should be stated clearly. These should flow logically from the discussion of the Background of the Study and should be consistent with the Statement of the Problem.ÂÂ   7.ÂÂ  Methods and Procedures This section should indicate what type of study is being conducted, how the study will be conducted, what data or information will be used, how it will be obtained, what controls will be applied to ensure integrity, and what sampling techniques will be employed. Thus, the section should convey the appropriateness of the data/information for answering the research questions; and, most importantly, it should describe the techniques for analyzing the data with direct reference to the research questions or hypotheses. A complete description of the instruments or procedures to be used in gathering the data should be provided. All proposals are expected to include relevant information about the technical quality of these instruments or procedures. Any instruments/interview protocols developed by the researcher should accompany the proposal in an Appendix.ÂÂ   8.ÂÂ  Limitations Students are required to address clearly the shortcomings and/or weaknesses of the research which may impact the findings as well as the generalizability of these findings.ÂÂ  

Duke Players in NBA :: essays research papers

Mike Krzyzweski has sent the most players to the NBA in the past 15 years. As a matter of fact he has 15 ex-Blue Devils in the NBA. Danny Ferry was the first his players to graduate to the NBA. In 1989 he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers, and in 2003 helped the San Antonio Spurs win a NBA title. Christian Laettner was second in line, he was drafted 3rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992, and recently retired in 2005 with the Miami Heat. Laettner wasn?t the only player from the 1992 championship team to branch off into the NBA Grant Hill came right behind him in 1994, when he became the 3rd overall pick in the NBA draft, after being drafted by the Detroit Pistons he was traded to the Orlando Magic, and still plays with them. In 1999 Coach K sent out his 1st, number one overall pick, when Elton Brand was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. Brand was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2001, and is considered one of the NBA?s best players. In 2001 Shane Battier won the C ollege Player of the Year award, he also earned the 6th overall pick in the draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, he now plays for the Houston Rockets. Carlos Boozer is the first 2nd round selection of Coach K?s 15 NBA players. He was chosen 35th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he now plays for the Utah Jazz, and is one of the leagues top international players. Mike Dunleavy is one of three players from Duke to be chosen 3rd overall. In 2002 the Golden State Warriors selected, he currently plays with the Indiana Pacers. Dunleavy wasn?t the only player to depart from Duke in 2002, Jay Williams was his partner, going right before Dunleavy, and being the 2nd overall pick, for the Chicago Bulls. Chris Duhon became the second player to join Boozer in being a 2nd round selection in 2004 by the Chicago Bulls. Dahntay Jones is the only player who made it to the NBA that didn?t play his entire collegiate career with Duke. His childhood friend Jay Williams encouraged him to join the team after he had already been playing at Rutgers University. He was selected 20th overall in 2003 by the Boston Celtics, he presently plays with the Memphis Grizzlies. Along with teammate Elton Brand, Corey Maggette is also notable as one of the first Duke players under Coach K to leave before the end of his athletic eligibility.

Merrill Finch Inc. Case Study Essay

Merrill Finch Incorporated is a large financial services corporation. As a newly hired financial planner for the company, I have been assigned the task of investing $100,000 for a client. The investment alternatives have been restricted to five options: T-Bills, High Tech, Collections, U.S. Rubber, Market portfolio, and a 2-Stock portfolio. The economic forecasting staff for Merrill Finch developed probability estimates for the state of the economy, and the security analysts have developed software to estimate the rate of return on each of these alternatives under each state of the economy. A chart showing the results of the analysis is in Appendix A of this report. Section 1 of this report begins with a discussion on the concept of Return. The calculations of each of the alternatives expected rate of return are also calculated and discussed. Section 1 then continues with the concept of Risk. Three different measurements of risk are discussed and calculated for each of the investment alternatives. The risk measurements discussed are the Standard Deviation, Coefficient of Variance, and Beta Coefficient. Section 2 discusses some scenarios of different investment options. The first is of a 2-stock portfolio consisting of the investment of $50,000 into both High Tech and Collections. The expected return, standard deviation, and coefficient of variance are then calculated and discussed for this option. The second scenario is of a portfolio consisting of randomly selected stocks. The section concludes with a discussion of the risk involved with this random portfolio and how the addition of more random stocks to the portfolio would affect the risk. Section 3 discusses the Security Market Line (SML) Equation and how the SML would be affected if inflation expectations were to rise by 3 percentage points. Appendix B shows this equation and its use to calculate the required returns of each of the investment alternatives. The section is then concluded with a discussion of these calculations and how they compare to the expected returns calculated in section 1. Due to time constraints, probability distribution graphs for High Tech, U.S. Rubber, T-bills, and a portfolio of randomly selected stocks has been omitted from this report. Return Return is defined as the income that an investment provides in a year. When deciding on what type of market to invest in, it is wise to first look at each markets expected rate of return. The expected rate of return of an investment is the weighted average of the probability of all possible results. The expected rate of return of various investment options are shown in Appendix A of this report on page 6. For each option, the expected rate of return is calculated by multiplying the probability of the state of the economy by the corresponding estimated rate of return for that market, then taking the sum of these values. One of the invested alternatives for Merrill Finch’s client is Treasury Bills, or T-bills. These are a form of treasury securities issued by the United States Treasury. T-bills are said to be a risk-free investment, but in realty, there are no true risk-free securities. In regards to default risk, T-bills are risk-free because the Treasury must redeem them. Being that they must be redeemed, also shows that they are independent of the state of the economy. They are, however, susceptible to other forms of risk.  If the rates were to increase or decrease, T-bills would then be susceptible to reinvestment rate risk, the risk that they might not be able to be reinvested at the same rate. For this investment, the expected rate of return on T-bills is calculated to be 5.5% . High Tech and Collections are two other investment alternatives for the client. The expected rate of return is 12.4% for investing in High Tech and 1.0% for Collections. Investors might choose to invest in one of these two depending on how well they predict the economy will do. High Tech has a direct relationship with the movement of the economy. If the market is expected to increase, then this would be a good investment. Collections, however, moves in the opposite direction of the economy. If a decline is expected, then investors would use this as a hedge against the negative movement of the economy. The remaining alternatives for this client are to invest in U.S. Rubber, a market portfolio, and a 2-stock portfolio of High Tech and Collections. The expected rates of return are 9.8% in U.S. Rubber, 10.5% in a market portfolio, and 6.7% in the 2-stock portfolio. RiskAs we have already discussed above, no securities are truly risk-free. Depending on the nature of the investment, the type of investment risk will vary. The following sections discuss some of the different types of measurements that can be used to determine the amount of risk in an investment. †¢Standard Deviation. The standard deviation (ÏÆ') is defined as a statistical measure of the variability of a set of observations. The smaller the standard deviation, the lower the risk of the investment. It is calculated by taking the weighted average of the deviations from the expected value. This provides an idea of how far above or below the expected return the actual return is likely to be. The type of risk measured by the standard deviation is Stand-Alone Risk, which measures the undiversified risk of holding an individual asset. For this investment analysis, the standard deviation for T-bills is 0% , 20% for High Tech, 13.2% for Collections,  18.8% for U.S. Rubber, 15.2% for a market portfolio, and 3.4% for the 2-stock portfolio. †¢Coefficient of Variance. The Coefficient of Variance (CV) is a standardized measure of the amount of risk per unit of return. It is calculated by dividing the standard deviation by the expected return. The larger the CV, the riskier the investment. It is a better measurement of Stand-Alone risk than the standard deviation. This is because it includes the effects of both risk and return and allows for a closer evaluation of situations where investments have substantially different expected returns. This investment analysis shows the CV for T-bills to 0, 1.6 for High Tech, 13.2 for Collections, 1.9 for U.S. Rubber, 1.4 for a market portfolio, and 0.5 for the 2-stock portfolio. †¢Beta Coefficient. The Beta Coefficient a measurement of Market Risk. It shows the extent to which a given stock’s returns move up and down with the stock market. The Beta of an average stock is 1.0, but most have betas in the range of 0.5 to 1.5. Beta coefficients are calculated as the slope of a â€Å"regression line†, which represents the difference between a given stock and the stock market in general. The expected returns of a market are directly related to each alternatives market risk. In other words, the higher the rate of return of the alternative, the higher its beta coefficient. The estimated betas for each of the clients investment alternatives are shown in the chart in Appendix A. Considering the beta coefficients provided in this chart along with the other information that we have calculated, we do not yet have enough information to choose among the various alternativesWhen considering whether or not to invest in a particular alternative, one thing t o consider is portfolio diversification. An investors view of risk in an investment can be greatly affected by the diversification of their portfolio. The risks that can affect an undiversified portfolio may not be the same as those of a diversified portfolio. An undiversified investor may need to be more aware of the stand-alone risk and, therefore, closely monitor the alternatives Coefficient of Variance or standard deviation. These, however, may not be as relevant to a diversified investor because they are more concerned with the impact that a stock may have on the  riskiness of their entire portfolio rather than on its stand-alone risk. Aside from having higher risk, another drawback to having a portfolio containing only an individual stock is that you would not be compensated for your higher degree of risk. SECTION 2: Investment Alternatives2-Stock PortfolioOne of the investment alternatives for the client is a 2-stock portfolio. An option with this alternative would be to invest $50,000 into both High Tech and Collections. The chart in Appendix A contains the calculations of the various measurements of risk. The expected return on the 2-stock portfolio is 6.7%, the standard deviation is 3.4%, and the CV is 0.5. The riskiness of this alternative is different than that of the individual stocks if they were apart from one another. A major difference is in the measurement of the stand-alone risk. The stand-alone risk of the individual stocks is greater than that of a stock portfolio. This is because the two stocks have opposite reactions to the market. As the risk of one alternative increases, the risk of the other decreases, reducing the overall risk of the portfolio. Random Stock SelectionAnother investment alternative to consider might be to start a portfolio with one randomly selected stock, then randomly adding more and more stocks to this portfolio. Initially, the portfolio would have significant risk because it only contains one individual stock. As more stocks are added, the expected rate of return would remain the same, but the risk would be reduced due to the diversification of the risk through the various stocks. SECTION 3: Security Market LineThe Security Market Line (SML) equation shows the relationship between risk as measured by beta and the required rates of return on individual securities. Appendix B shows this equation and the calculations of the required returns for our various investment alternatives. Given an estimated risk-free rate of 5.5% and market return of 10.5%, the required rates of return were calculated at 5.5% for T-bills, 12.1% for High Tech, 1.15% for Collections, 9.9% for U.S. Rubber, and 10.5% for a market portfolio. These returns compare closely to the estimated returns in the chart in Appendix A. The required returns are equal to the  estimated returns for the Market Portfolio and T-Bills, showing that they are fairly valued. Required returns are greater for U.S. Rubber and Collections, showing that they are overvalued. The required return is lower for High Tech, showing that it is undervalued. The required return of a portfolio with 50-50 High Tech and Collections is calculated at 6.63%. For a 50-50 portfolio of High Tech and U.S. Rubber, the required return is 11%. If investors raised their inflation expectation by 3 percentage points over current estimates as reflected in the 5.5% risk-free rate, the SML would result in an upward shift of 3 percentage points. The required returns of both high and low-risk securities would also result in an increase of 3 percentage points. If investors risk aversion increased enough to cause the market risk premium to increase by 3 percentage points, the SML would then result in an upward rotation about the y-axis and the required returns of high-risk securities would increase.

Media Influence on Modern Society Essay - 1126 Words

Our society is slowly but drastically, devolving. We let the media take total control over every aspect of us, how we dress, who we talk to, what we eat, even how we think. Everyone thinks they are their own person but no one ever stops to think of why they do what they do. The media has never had as much control as they do now. As we go on reading our newspapers and our magazines, no one stops to think of what were reading, how many things dont add up or make sense. We just accept it to be the truth. We have lost all the intelligence we once had striven for, now we simple look up to television to educate our children. Have you seen what its brought us? Homicides, suicides, pro-drugs influences, the image of being a†¦show more content†¦The lack of funding information makes this an ugly tax view and a bit of a striping of even more liberties. One of Obama?s tax proposals is to eliminate all federal taxes imposed on senior citizens making under $50,000 per years and not requ iring them to file tax returns. This may be a good way to get the senior vote, but it?s much more complicated than it seems. First of all, senior citizens often have income from multiple sources including capital gains, dividends, Social Security, retirement plans, etc. Determining their exact income would still require the same effort as filing a tax return. Additionally, this plan gives special tax treatment to a group if individuals based solely on their age, which seems like borderline age discrimination. Why should a struggling single mother have to pay taxes on her $49,999.00 income when a retired grandmother would pay noting on the same income amount? The media has destroyed our generation, sure it brought loads of entertainment but so things don?t need to be made into another chance to have fun, such as voting, marriage, having religion, and the concept of death. Even our youth are becoming soulless killers, mainly because of the music and the influences behind them. As rapp ers get more money and power, our youth have become brainwashed and in love with these parasites, destroying our country. Gangs are forming everyday, homicide rates are becoming insane, all because ofShow MoreRelatedHow Does Media Influence Modern Society?1531 Words   |  6 Pagesdoes the mass media influence modern society? A definition for what we call mass media is â€Å"The means of communication that reach large numbers of people in a short time, such as television, newspapers, magazines and radio†. Media is something that is all around us, its something that’s becoming unavoidable. Without noticing the things are more and more influencing the public in today’s society they read, see or hear. The media is finding ways to get in peoples minds and influence the way they liveRead MoreEssay about Media Influence Upon Modern Society2703 Words   |  11 Pages The Mass Media is a unique feature of modern society; its development has accompanied an increase in the magnitude and complexity of societal actions and engagements, rapid social change, technological innovation, rising personal income and standard of living and the decline of some traditional forms of control and authority. There is an association between the development of mass media and social change, although the degree and direction of this association is still debated upon even afterRead MoreHow Do Members Of The Upper Class Today Modern Western Society Influence The General Population?1275 Words   |  6 Pagesupper class in modern Western society influence the general population? Introduction In modern Western societies, the upper class is a social class made up of 1-2 percent of the population that wields the majority of the population’s wealth (Boundless, 2015). It is this 1-2 percent that also has the power to influence the behavior of people in lower social classes, such as the middle and lower class (Boundless, 2015). However, it is how this minority in Western society influences the masses. I choseRead MoreWhy Is Medium Is The Massage Essay1528 Words   |  7 PagesWhy is Medium Message? Marshall McLuhan, a technological determinist, says in his book ‘Medium is the massage’ that the most widespread modern media influence how humans think, act and perceive the world around them. He states that the medium significantly influences the message that people will receive, and thus, the same message is perceived by the same individual in several ways if he receives them in a different way. The expression the medium is the message means that recipient receives messagesRead MoreCan Teens Withstand Media s Influence Of Substances?1174 Words   |  5 Pages Can teens withstand Media’s influence of substances? Teenagers are the future, destined to become something great in this world and become productive adults. Though teenagers are the future of society, they are also sill in the development stage meaning even the slightest of influences can impact them greatly and alternate what they are striving to become. Drugs and substances are a major barrier of greatness, which society has implemented into teenagers in today’s cultures. Even Erik Erikson statesRead MoreAdvertisement And Culture Of The Media1658 Words   |  7 Pagesera of information society, media is playing a very crucial part in everyday lives. It influences both how we see ourselves and society in all perspectives. There are different kinds of media and all of them are presenting their content in more fascinating and glamorize way to influence audience. The presentation of advertisement and pictures in the media is certainly creating a unique mental space in the mind of social capitals. As far as the advertising and their social influence are concern, theRead MoreAcceptance Of Gay Rights And Gender Roles1063 Words   |  5 PagesAcceptance is the key to a successful society. Acceptance of gay rights and gender roles are constantly changing. Over time new problems are introduced to the world and new solutions will be developed to solve the problem. The solution, to the problem, will be given through the media. Media is classified as books, newspapers, radio, television, and the Internet. Authors of different media devices try to send a message to society through media. The way individuals interpret the information is basedRead MoreSocietal Influence and Identity Formation Essay1058 Words   |  5 PagesThere are significant number of reasons and things helping to develop the appropriate sense of identity on the part of people. Some of them influence this process positively, and others have the negative impact on identity formation of people in the modern society. A remarkable role in the process of identity formation is attached to the society, such as media, family and peers, the so-called every-day environment of people. But people should understand that the identity formation is within theRead MorePower of Media in Modern World Essay examples1032 Words   |  5 PagesMedia is the most powerful sector of an economy. It is a tool to maintain a balanced society which is characterized by well informed people, effective democracy and social justice. In fact, media has unparallel influence on all aspects of human life in modern times. Basically, the media performs three functions to inform, to influence and to entertain. But effects of these functions are multidimensional in modern times. It has provided awareness about the whole world. In twenty-first century, mediaRead More Media and Society Essay519 Words   |  3 Pages Media and Society Does society influence media or does media influence society? In a modern world, dependent on continuous communication this is a very important question. If the world were not dependent on communication over large distances, schooling on a mass basis would not be possible or necessary. Most knowledge in traditional cultures was local knowledge, (Geertz 1983) traditions that were passed on through a local community, a very slow and long drawn out