Public speaking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Public speaking - Assignment Example The third strength that I possess is coherency and fluency in speech. This makes me to present my ideas clearly in a way that the audience will understand and enjoy (Jaffe, 2013). It indicates that I am professional in my field and I know what I am doing. There are also weaknesses that I need to improve on. First, I always get tired easily. I can give a public speech for 2-3 hours and after that I lose energy to go on with my speech. In order to address all issues involved in my speech, I need to develop more energy to provide my speech strongly and consistently until the end (Jaffe, 2013). My second weakness is that I like providing a lot of information which may burden the audience and fail to capture all the ideas I present. I need to improve on this and be straight to the point. The effective speaker I know is a youth leader in my town. What makes him an effective speaker is his deliver style. He always makes a good eye contact with the audience and uses a good tone that everyone enjoys. He also tells stories clearly in an exciting manner. Furthermore, he connects with his audience and engages them in his speech. He understands the needs of his audience and addresses them well. He influences the people around him by being empathetic; putting himself in their shoes and tells them what he things they wish to hear. He has good negotiation skills including good listening to understand and influence his

International Migration Citizenship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Migration Citizenship - Essay Example For instance, Inflow of Migrants British is one of the variables that will be included in the analysis. Since we are interested in a possible existing relationship between the Inflow and the Outflow of Migrants across Citizenship given a specific year we will employ the correlation analysis and the trend analysis to reach our objective. It is worth mentioning here that the data that was extracted represents the years 1971 through 2001. The correlation analysis was created in SPSS versus the other tables that present the data in Excel. What we observe is the following: for all countries there is a strong positive correlation between the inflow and outflow of migrants. This denotes that the more migrants enter the country the more migrants exit the country. In the same context, but this time for the British Citizens, we notice that there is a moderate negative correlation between the inflow and the outflow of migrants; this suggests that the more migrants enter the UK the less migrants leave the UK. Regarding the Non-British citizens, we state that there is a very low negative correlation which does not impact either the inflow or outflow of the country considerably. We continue the correlation analysis for the inflow and outflow of the Commonwealth for the ALL, Old and New Variables; what we observe is that the Person correlation had very high positive values from .85 and above showing the number of migrants who enter the country is directly proportional with the number of migrants who decide to leave the Commonwealth. The same things goes for the Other Foreign migrants whose correlation is highly positive showing that the number of foreign migrants that enter are proportionate to the number of foreign migrants who leave the country. From the correlation analysis that we have done so far it is obvious that there exist a strong relationship between the inflow and the outflow of migrants for most of the variables except for the Non-British. We notice that there are

Legal Aspects of Health Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Legal Aspects of Health Administration - Essay Example able medical equipment and supplies, parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies, prosthetics, orthotics, and prosthetic devices and supplies, home health services, outpatient prescription drugs, inpatient and outpatient hospital services and nuclear medicine. However the Law has around 35 exceptions that describe acceptable financial relationships that allow a physician to refer to an entity for the provision of designated health services. (Stark Law Questions & Answer). This anti-kickback statute, which states the punishment that may be meted out to anyone who knowingly, and willfully pays any remuneration to induce referrals of federal health care program services and products. Medicare & Medicaid Patient Protection Act 1987 (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b) provided for criminal penalties for certain actions of Medicare and state health care .Under it, any offeror who induces another, inter alia, to refer people for providing any services which are been currently paid out of Medicare or state Funds, shall be liable for prosecution, with fine ranging to $25,000 and also five years’ imprisonment. (Manning, 1996). However, there are exceptions for Anti-kickback Laws which are known as safe harbors. Soon after the decision in the famed Jeffrey Feldstein v. Nash Community Health Services Inc., during November 1999, eight new anti-kickback safe-harbor provisions were published in addition to the existing 15 safe-harbors. The safe harbor provisions include actions such as investments in large publicly held health care companies, small healthcare joint ventures, rentals of space or equipment, personal services agreements, sales of retiring physicians’ practice, discounts and other arrangements, waivers of Medicare Part A inpatient cost-sharing amounts, managed care arrangements involving particular price reductions and enrollee incentives, investments in group practices and ambulatory surgical centers, joint ventures, practitioner recruitment, sales of physician

Organizational Philosophies and Technology Essay - 2

Organizational Philosophies and Technology - Essay Example of the core factors that form company culture include shared norms and values of the employees, organizational policies, behavior of managers and executive body, mission of the organization, common goals and objectives, and the way or technology through which an organization makes its employees reach those goals and objectives. In this paper, we will discuss the role which technology plays in shaping the organizational culture. Corcoran (n.d.) states, â€Å"Implementation of new technology forces change†. Technology plays a key role in setting and managing ethical standards and guidelines for the employees of a company. Managers can make use of technology to inject the sense of ethics in the minds of the employees. For example, installation of observation cameras in the workplace makes employees stick to the ethical values and standards set by the administration of the company. Under observation, employees do not perform any act, which is not considered ethical for the workplace environment. In this way, employees adopt such ethical values that not only make them progress in their professional careers without any bad points in the character sheet but also create a peaceful and ethical work environment in the company. Technology provides managers with the tools that they require for setting ethical standards. Managers give tasks to the employees and provide them with the necessary technological equipments to accomplish those tasks. In this way, managers guide their employees to make the best use of technology. Using technology, managers can also know the type of communication that takes place between their employees. Managers of many companies communicate ethical standards set by their companies to the employees by writing the ethical standards on the desktop wallpapers of the computer systems. In this way, employees of a company become fully aware of the ethical standards of the company, which help employees perform their tasks in accordance with those

Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Project - Research Paper Example However, there are considerations that have to be made when deciding on what kind of computer systems to use within the office environment. This is because there are very many computer systems vendors in the market currently. These vendors often produce products that differ in quality and structure but only similar in functionality. It is therefore important get expertise advice on what is should be the most appropriate hardware specifications to for in a product that is to be used in the company for various office purposes. In the newspaper company, the following computer systems specifications are the most appropriate for the office computer systems. CPU- this is the central processing unit of a computer. CPUs are made of processors which vary in their effectiveness in terms of processing speed and hardware or motherboard compatibility. The recommended CPU for the office is Intel Processor. Intel processors have undue advantages over the AMD processors. This is because Intel processors enjoy some a better CPU gaming performance than the AMD processors. Intel CPUs enjoy a stronger and good single-core performance which is always above other processors (Nyakoi, 21). The performance of a processor is actual the sole driving factor that should lure one into choosing certain CPUs over others. Intel CPUs enjoy good performance that makes them more appropriate for the office services. The Intel cores have a much better performance generally which gives them an edge over the other products especially the Intel Core i5-3570k. This core can process several frames per second, about 103, which is a much better performance. Video Card- there are mainly two types of video cards that can be used in the business environment. These are desktop card and workshop card. The main functional difference between the two is precision and speed. The environment dictates the preference. In the newspaper company, workstation

Compare Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Compare Romeo and Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice are two of the most admirable and exquisite works ever written about the struggling love of two opposing forces. The novels have had a great literary importance and give us a sense of love and marriage on its most bewildered journey during the Elizabethan Era and the Napoleonic wars. Even though these two novels are from two different eras and are quite divergent as a result of it, this essay will argue that both Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice are indubitable similar in the concern of love and marriage. Firstly, this essay will present a short amount of background regarding love and marriage during the Elizabethan era and in the turn of the nineteenth century. Secondly, the essay will talk about the comparison and distinction in love and marriage present in the novels. Thirdly, this essay will discuss and hopefully conclude with the chosen thesis. During the Elizabethan era women were subservient to men and they were raised not to consider otherwise. They were expected to marry whomever the father would hold appropriate. The Scottish protestant leader John Knox wrote â€Å"Women in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man.( Alchin, L.K. Elizabethan Women.) The marriages were arranged to create alliances with other powerful families which becomes the obvious environment in the play about Romeo and Juliet. Love was not significant between a man and a woman. Instead the importance of financial security and a life in everlastingly safety was prioritized through the marriage of a wealthy suitor. In the play by Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is being arranged to marry Paris, a kinsman of the prince, a well suited husband for her despite of her disapproval. As Paris speaks â€Å"God shield I should disturb devotion!—Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse ye.(kisses her) Till then, adieu, and keep this hol y kiss.† ( Romeo and Juliet, 4.1 William Shakespeare) This is not a marriage for love and this typical prejudice of marriage is also highly present in Jane Austen’s book Pride and Prejudice. One of the characters Charlotte amongst other, is utterly convinced of a socially ideal marriage which was the most common way to unite in the turn of the nineteenth century. â€Å"I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collinss character,  connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state. (Chapter 22. Page 193. Pride and Prejudice. N.p.: Planet Pdf). Most women decided to marry rather than depend on other family members for financial support. Due to this choice or lack thereof, love and passion were presumed to be less essential in people’s lives. Charlotte’s quote expresses more or less the plight woman had throughout the turn of the nineteenth century. It’s very likely that the Author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen intentionally tried to reveal woman’s position in love and marriage as they were. Shakespeare on the other hand probably had a slightly different agenda which was mainly to please the audiences. All though it is important to note that Shakespeare pre sumably wrote about this social decay because he did not approve of what was going on at the time. We might say that this includes the social condition of women and their meager rights in love and marriage. â€Å"Get thee a good husband, and use him as he uses thee.†(Alls Well That Ends Well 1.1.212-13) In Romeo and Juliet the matter of love dominates the play.† My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite. (Romeo and Juliet 2.2, William Shakespeare). Love in this play is simply not one-sided. There is puppy love or shallow love which is the love Romeo has for Rosalie, merely drawn to her appearances’. This view of love is also present in the novel Pride and Prejudice. One of the main characters Mr. Darcy speaks of the woman who later becomes his wife She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me;† (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice,Planet Pdf p.14 Ch. 3) Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice are both acclaimed love stories which center around a man and a woman and their love for each other. The other characters seem to play their important role converging upon these lovers or lovers to be. In both stories we see a strong opposing love due to a distinctness of social class as occurring in Pride and Prejudice between the middle class, the Bennett’s and the Aristocrats Darcy’s and new money the Bingley’s. In Romeo and Juliet the antagonistic love is more defined as a feud between two power ful families who will not by any circumstances find peace with each other. â€Å"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.† (Romeo and  Juliet, Prologue p.7 William Shakespeare). The House of Montegue and the House of Capulet are the two families who are sworn enemies, never to reconcile until Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Nevertheless both the novel and the play have in common the opposing forces set in the story. These two main characters should not be together in love as a result of society’s rules. They both defy society’s instructions and give in to love rather than reason. This way of writing was probably intentional by Shakespeare considering the Renaissance period was also about universal order as in Humanism which was a significant factor in general in Shakespeare’s plays.( Renaissance Humanism and Shakespeare†.) Both Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice paint marriage as one of life’s most important choices. Even though this is the case, it is considerably important to envision that Pride and Prejudice has a slightly closer focus on family over husband whereas Romeo and Juliet leans more toward love for husband over family in my opinion. The reason for this is the personalities of the women in the Novel and the Play. Both Juliet and Elizabeth are strong female characters who are being presented as very respectable human beings despite their flaws. In a way we can say that both authors, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare speak for the women at that time and their difficult situations in love and marriage. Passion, love and hate is also a common denominator in these stories. These three words as a whole provide us with an overall understanding of these books. Passion as source of consistency, love as a diversity present in different elements, and hate as an opposition to love to create balance. All though there are quite a few similarities between the novel and the play, there are also a few contrasts present in the books which are important to consider in an analysis of love and marriage. The play Romeo and Juliet has an overwhelming amount of overpowering force of love in it which supersedes everything. The love Romeo and Juliet has for each other is almost obsessive, and self-destructive as a result of it. (â€Å"Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes; Being vexd a sea nourishd with lovers tears: What is it else? a madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet.† ( Romeo and Juliet, 1.1, William Shakespeare.) Romeo speaks of love as he has read in books, but unlikely experienced. Romeo’s passionate feelings develop into a deadly love at the end of the play when the couple’s  tragic destiny prevails and they both die by their own hands. Pride and Prejudice do not have this uncontrol lable intense love. The novel focuses more on the achievement of marriage and stability in life, financial and the image of respectability rather than the passionate lusty love. It is important to remember that love is also one of the themes of Pride and Prejudice and that the love in which the main characters Darcy and Elizabeth have for each other at the end of the novel is some of the reasons why this book is so successful. Even though the excessive love is more present in the play about Romeo and Juliet as a result of their lawless passion as archetypal lovers, it is relatively different than what we see in Pride and Prejudice. Both stories have a background of society’s expectation in love and marriage such as Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris and Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte’s marriage to Mr. Collins an overbearing, and ridiculous heir to the entailed Bennett’s estate. In the play about Romeo and Juliet they are being referred to as star-crossed lovers â€Å"Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes .A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life; Whose misadventurd piteous overthrows. Doth with their death bury their parents strife.( Romeo and Juliet, the Prologue. p.7, William Shakespeare,) The stars functions as an opposition to Romeo and Juliet’s destiny and is there-for an indication of a not intended univ ersal love as we can see clearly at the tragic end of the play followed by the death of the two young lovers. Pride and Prejudice have a slightly different ending. It has lot more satisfying completion where the two main characters finally can live a fulfilled life together despite the society’s heavy burden of commandment which the reader of the novel was most likely able to anticipate through-out the novel. We see that Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice have an evident distinction at the end of the two books towards the consideration of meaning. Clearly Romeo and Juliet is a forced equation whereas Darcy and Elisabeth are more likely to be predestined. By analyzing some of the similarities and contrasts in love and marriage in the two books I find the similarities no more substantial than the contrasts. This might be a result of the underlying elements that keep on grasping the connections as we see it. Some of the leading aspects of this influence are the love against all odds in Romeo and Juliet versus the more  predestined version in Pride and Prejudice. Another important element is shallow love which presents it-self in both books through the ignorance of the characters. We see similarities in the society’s established rules of marriage and the characters capability to oppose to these â€Å"decrees†. Then again there is an over-powering and obsessive force of love in Romeo and Juliet which is not accounted for in Pride and Prejudice. Due to these almost completely balanced analogies and divergences I cannot conclude with the chosen thesis and instead I accept the equity of exceptional authorship. Work cited Alchin, L.K. Elizabethan Women. Elizabethan Women. Www.elizabethan-era.org.uk, 16 May 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New York: Simon Schuster Paperbacks, 2011. Print. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. N.p.: Planet Pdf, n.d. Http://www.planetpdf.com/. Planet Pdf. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. Alls Well That Ends Well: Entire Play. Alls Well That Ends Well: Entire Play. Http://shakespeare.mit.edu/allswell/full.html, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. Renaissance Humanism and Shakespeare. Http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SAYLOR.ORG-ENGL401-RENAISSANCE-HUMANISM-SHAKESPEARE.pdf. The Sailor Foundation, n.d. Web.

The influence of parents on their childs choice of career

The influence of parents on their childs choice of career Prior to the Industrial Revolution, work revolved around the sector of agriculture. Most of the economy, at this point in time was based on the farms owned and operated by the families themselves. Therefore, this required that all of the family, being grandparents, parents, children and nieces, gather together and work in the family farm in order for them to surivive. As Mifsud (2004), stated in her dissertation Parental influence on adolescents in career choice, jobs were a matter of destiny and children entered the same type of occupation as their parents or grandparents. However, all of this changed with the rise of the modernization in Malta, were social and economic changes took place. One major cause that marked these social and economic changes was technology (such as the progression in communication), which accordingly, affected every aspect of daily life: stability of the family, work, marriage, leisure and value of education (Olsen Cooper, 2008). One noticeable influence of these changes was predominantly on work. With this revolution, people, particularly young people, were endowed with the opportunity to choose from a great deal and diverse career occupations that became available outside the family sector. Due to this, unlike traditional societies, work roles became separated from the basis of inheritance or kinship position and thus young people were no longer constrained to work with the family and to follow their parents footsteps (Mifsud, 2004). Eventually, education developed, in such a way as to complement the needs of the modern societies (Cassar, 2004; p. 33). As a result of this, Maltese children today are obliged to attend school between the ages of 5 to 16 years old. Therefore, unlike previous years, todays children are faced with the challenge of competing with other students of the same age in order for them to achieve the best educational qualifications. This will present opportunities for them to choose the best, rewarding and satisfying careers from the wide range available. Apart from educational qualifications there are other social contexts that influence the decisions of adolescents in what career to choose. These are ones personality, socioeconomic status, parents and peers, schools, and gender (Santrock, 2001). Throughout this assignment I will be focusing particularly on the influence of parents on adolescents choice of career. During this period, apart from peers, the parents are the most influential peop le in their lives (Berk, 2007; p.345). Despite the fact that children are not expected to continue on their parents footsteps, the influence of parents has survived (Gravina, 2005). This influence is clearly seen from the very high level of commitment that Maltese parents have with regards to their children (Abela, 2000; p. 97-8). Today parents are being both directly and indirectly influential in what careers their children pursue. This influence begins at an early age, when parents, sometimes indirectly, model a particular behavior and attitudes in relation to their work in front of their children. This influence goes on to the type of schools parents choose for their children, what options their children choose to study at a secondary level, and whether or not their children should continue school. Throughout this assignment I will refer to these factors one by one and establish what kinds of influence the parents have on their children. Parents as role models From an early age, children observe other peoples behavior and in turn try to be like them by imitating them. These people are often referred to as role models. Due to the diverse occupations that exist today, children are confronted with different role models. As Sharf (2002; p.168) argued, Adults are important role models for children in learning about the world of work. Key adult figures that serve the best example to the child in learning about the work life are parents. Children whose parents work, see, hear and observe their parents talk about the jobs they have. Due to this, children acquire knowledge, values, perceptions and aspirations in correlation to their parents jobs. Moreover, Trice and Tillapaughs (1991, cited in Sharf, 2002; p.168) found that childrens aspirations to their parents occupations are influenced by their perception of how satisfied their parents are with their own work. In other words, parents influence what career their childrens choose by the way they talk about work at home, their overall satisfaction and pride in their work, and one must not forget also the position and payment of their work, which in the long run affect the family status. According to Berk (2007; p.455), higher SES (Socio-Economic Status) parents are more likely to give their children important information about the world of work and to have connections with people which can help the young persons obtain a high-status position. Apart from this, highly ed ucated parents will have higher expectations on their childs future careers. This is confirmed by a study carried out by Bezzina (2008) in her dissertation Career Barriers encountered by students in a female secondary school. She found out that those students, whose parents work in sectors that are considered to be of a low status, aspired less professional jobs than those students whose parents work in professional sectors. From my experience I believe that children, whose parents are of a certain level of education and jobs, push their children to achieve more. My father, who is now retired, worked at an important position in the Dockyard whereas my mother was a housewife. Unlike my father, my mother finished school early (at secondary level). Due to this when I was at secondary level myself, I didnt quite find support from my mother, in the sense that when I found homework difficulties I had either to wait for my father to come home from his late shifts (because he worked also pa rt-time at that time) or try and solve it myself, which was quite difficult. Because of this my parents began sending me to private lessons. I also remember that my parents never pushed me to achieve high marks. That I pass from the exams was quite enough for them. I am not saying that they would not have been satisfied if I came first at class or form; however they never really put the pressure on me to achieve the best of the marks. On the other hand, now I am quite aware of what I lost. When I go to my aunts house, I always see her pushing and encouraging her children to do not only their home work but also extra work. My aunt is a Mathematics teacher herself, and since she is deeply acquainted to what is happening in schools and outside the school, she pushes her children a lot, to achieve a lot. Indeed the marks my cousins obtain are quite surprising. The eldest daughter of my aunt is indeed now at University taking up the course of engineering. This experience I have described directs us to the next argument I will make: when adolescents perceive their parents to have high educational expectations, adolescents are likely to have higher aspirations for themselves. These parents are also more likely to offer tangible assistance for instance assistance in school work, and finance which in the long run influence whether the child continue studying for a high status position. When talking about parental influence, one has to keep in mind however that there are parents who do not work, or are not satisfied with their work life. Moreover, some families in Malta live in poverty just because the parents do not earn enough money to support the family. In my first year at university, I did some voluntary work with two children who were at that time staying at the YMCA. The family of these children was living in a state of poverty and both parents were illiterate. Due to this, these children were not given the opportunity, like other children of their age, by their parents to learn at least the alphabet or the clock. They werent even able to communicate with me clearly in Maltese. I used to ask myself what will happen to them once they finish secondary school? What kinds of job will they have later on in their life? This kind of situation reduces vocational choices and many adolescents living in poverty do not believe they have much of a choice (Kaplan, 2004; p. 437). Apart from this, there may be some students who are required to start working at an earlier age in order to help in the family finances. Due to the lack of educational qualifications they may have, they end up doing jobs which offer a low salary. Conger and Peterson (1984, cited in Coleman Hendry, 1990), state that it is important to make clear that the influence of parents on career choices will not be determined only by the nature of role model but also by the degree of warmth and affection experienced by adolescences in their relationship with their parents. Parent-child relationship Anne Roe (1957) is a person in the field of Career Development who investigated and gave considerable importance to Parental Influence on the choices of careers. She argued that the parent-child relationships play an important role in occupation selection (Santrock, 2001; p.442). She wanted to show that people in certain occupations have a common background in terms of the way they were raised (Sharf, 2002; p.308). In order to do so, she classified three types of parent-child relationships: Concentration on the child, Avoidance of the child and Acceptance of the child. When the relationship is of concentration on the child, the parents encourage dependence and request perfection. When the parents avoid the child they will be either rejecting or in the worst case neglecting him/her. In the relationship where parents accept the child, parents encourage independenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and create a tension-free environment (Sharf, 2002; p.318). This warm supportive parent-adolescent tie, per mit young people to explore ideas and social roles that foster autonomy, predicting high self-reliance, work orientation, academic competence, and favorable self-esteem (Berk, 2007; p.413). This kind of relationship provides also emotional support which is very much needed in times (adolescent times which is stressful) like this. These parental attitudes bring about certain types of personalities in the child (Sharf, 2002; p.319) and promote values, such as independence and freedom, which in the long run help in the choice of career. According to Roe, Individuals who have warm and accepting parents are likely to choose careers that include work with peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ By contrast individuals who have rejecting or neglectful parents are more likely to choose careers that do not require a good personality or strong social skills (Santrock, 2001; p.442). Anne Roes theory has been criticized a lot. Despite this, Sharf, (2002, cited in Gravina, 2005) believes that Roes theory of parent-child relationship provide interesting perspectives of parental influence on the career choice of children. In addition to this, he also states the importance of the child-parent attachment theories when discussing parental influences. Attachment theory According to Berk (2007, p.196) attachment is the strong affectionate tie we have with special people in our lives that leads us to feel pleasure when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness in times of stress. Traditionally attachment was the foundation of the infant-mother relationship. However, contemporary theorists like Bluestein (1995) indicated the importance of continuous and secure relationships between parent and child till late adolescence, when career exploration is a major activity (Sharf, 2002; p.325). This is supported by many researches which show the importance of parents to respond sensitively to their children in order to promote higher motivations in schools and better decisions with regards to careers (Berk, 2007). In having a secure attachment with their parents, adolescents identify themselves more with their parents and by doing so they will involve their parents more in decisions and choices. They are also more likely to listen to their pa rents opinions. In other words, in these well-functioning families, teenagers remain attached to parents and seek their advice, but they do so in a context of greater freedom (Berk, 2007; p.414). Choice of childs education It is not only when adolescents are to choose their careers that their parents directly intervene. Parental influence begins from an early age, when parents deicide which schools their children should attend to. In a study conducted by Zammit (1984, cited in Mifsud, 2004) parents were asked what job they would like their son or daughter to take, and most of them stated that they would like their children to do something better then themselves. Unfortunately, sometimes this poses a problem because in doing better than themselves, some parents might mean doing what they aspired and couldnt achieve at their age in time. For instance the mother who did not get into medical school and the father who did not make it as a professional athlete may pressure their youth to achieve a career status beyond the youths talents (Santrock, 2001; p.442). As a result of this, parents, even if they cant afford it, send their child to a private school because they have the mentality that by doing so thei r children would obtain more. Such parents view the private schools as better than others (Cassar, 2004; p. 43). Some people may also opt to send their children to private lessons for extra work. I am not saying that this is completely wrong but as David Elkind (1981, Cited in Santrock, 2001; p.441) argues todays parents are pressuring their adolescents to achieve too much, too soon. The education of the children is becoming more and more dependent upon what parents want their children to achieve rather than on the childrens abilities and efforts (Cassar, 2004; p.42). This influence of parents in their children education might have both advantages and disadvantages. One advantage might be for instance that it pressures children positively. This pressure encourages students to do well and at the end of the day achieve high status occupation. On the other hand, many children view this pressure negatively and instead of succeeding, they fail in achieving high status positions. However, all of this depends also on the kind of relationships parents have with their children. Notwithstanding all these revelations, it cannot be said that all parents in Malta seek to assist in their offsprings future (Cassar, 2004; p,45). Optional subjects The influence of parents on adolescence career choice continues from the choice of school to the choice of subjects that they are expected to choose at the secondary level. Many parents are quite aware that these choices will mostly determine what career their children might pursue in the future. As Sultana (1992) said, once these choices are made, it is impossible to turn back and start again on a different path. At the time when adolescents are to choose their optional subjects, they are at the phase of development. Part of this development involves striving for autonomy- a sense of oneself as a separate, self governing individual. Teenagers strive to rely more on themselves and less on parents for decision making (Berk, 2007; p.413). I remember when I was going to choose the subjects at from two and I wanted to choose Art as one of my options. My parents at first couldnt accept the fact that I was going to choose art. Their main concern was that it is difficult to find a job that requires skills in Art. At that time I wasnt kind of looking at the future since I was more interested in what I liked. My mother wanted me to choose computer studies, the reason being that it opens a lot of career paths. One can imagine how much we fought on this. At the end of the day my parents accepted, and I chose art. Nowadays when I look back I wish that I listened to what my parents told me and involved them more in the decision making process, because ultimately I couldnt continue on art. Despite this, Bezzina (2002, cited in Cassar and Cutajar, 2004; p.45) found that students main source of help in subject choice was the parents. I think that at times parents influence is vital and many adolescents today are to some extant seeking their parents more for advice. As already stated, this also depends on what kind of relationship the child has with his/her parents. Further education Parents who influence their children from a young age continue to influence their children later on in life when they finish secondary school and are faced with a major life decision: the choice of a suitable work position. Due to this, adolescents have to choose whether to continue studying or not. Very recently I was talking to my mother and she explained to me that when she was an adolescent, many of her friends were expected by their parents to begin working once they finish secondary school, in order to help with the family finances. Today this situation changed and now parents are giving more value to education (we have to keep in mind however those low SES families). With this competition taking place at schools and with the new careers that are becoming available (such as careers in relation to information technology), many parents expect their children to continue on with their education. Here we see that parents continue to influence their childs decision on career even til l post secondary level. In a research conducted by Bezzina (2001, cited in Cassar and Cutajar, 2004; p.45) parents perceive that their influence is important, and they make it a point to exert their influence in one way or another. In some cases this influence is beneficial to the child, especially if the relationship between the parent and the child is a good one. The parents might provide adequate guidance such as to consider other options for example to attend Junior Lyceum instead of ITS in order to obtain more educational qualifications and have more possible paths to follow. However parents who influence the child in a demanding way will be interfering with the childs decisions. Methodology A particular hypothesis that I established from the literature review and my experience about parental influence is that, parents, today, influence their children in career choice. Since I am a curious person, I wished to determine whether such hypothesis is true in practice and in general. In order to do so, I carried out a study amongst adolescences who are now attending post-secondary school. The method I utilized for this study was quantitative and my main instrument was a close-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire is made up of 14 questions. In the first part of the questionnaire, participants were asked general questions about their age, career choice, and school sector and about private lessons. Following these, the questions become more personal. The students had to: answer questions such as parents school level and current occupation, rate their parents satisfaction with their job and how they perceive themselves to be happy in their career and to rate their relationship with their parents. In the last part of the questionnaire participants were asked to list those persons or factors that influenced them the most in the choice of optional subjects and career. My main intention in doing these questions was to explore whether a co-relation between these factors (such as parents satisfaction with current job and how participants think they are going to feel with their job) exists which determines, in the long run, whether or not parents influence their children in their choi ce of career. I distributed these questionnaires to ten students; by which I could gather a small representative data. The age of the students varied from 16- 17 years of age. A reason why I chose this age group is that by this time, they would have already chosen whether to continue studying or not and thus are more aware of what career they want to pursue. Although I did not take a large sample, the results from these questionnaires helped me a lot. By doing this study, I will now be able to prove whether the arguments, literature and experiences described in the assignment are true. Results and Discussion In this part of the assignment, I am going to examine the sections that I tackled earlier on in the assignment with the results I found from the questionnaires. I will be linking some of these sections together, in order to make sense of the results I obtained. Influence of Parents During this period, apartfrom peers, the parents are the most influential people in their lives (Berk, 2007; p.345). Although in many cases peers are of great influence, what I particularly found from this study is that when it comes to choice of subject and career, adolescents are more influenced by their parents. Following parents, in my results, the school is shown to be the next influential sector of adolescents when making a choice. Both friends and others (a term which I referred to in my questionnaire and which participants identified them as being teachers and siblings), are shown to influence adolescents particularly on equal level. This support an argument I made in the assignment that Despite the fact that children are not expected to continue on their parents footsteps, the influence of parents has survived (Gravina, 2005). Parents as role models No. of Participant Choice of Career Occupation Level of Satisfaction Mother Father Parents 1 Architecture Secretary Architecture 7 2 Engineer Teacher Engineer 7 3 Lawyer Housewife Lawyer 6 4 Manager Housewife Manager 8 5 Accountant Housewife Accountant 7 6 Doctor Nurse Accountant 9 7 Accountant Housewife Accountant 7 8 Psychologist Teacher Psychologist 8 9 Accountant Clerk Accountant 8 10 Teacher Teacher Teacher 9 Results of questions 2, 9, 10, 11 12 This study illustrates first of all the variance of careers between both genders. One noticeable result shown in the above table is that the majority of the mothers occupations revolve around caring profession: housewife, nursing and teaching. Although I didnt make reference of gender in my assignment I believe that this is of great influence on children in their career choice. I believe that those adolescents, particularly females, whose mothers work in professions not considered to be feminine, will serve as a role model for their children in choosing careers which might seems unattainable due to the gender stereotypes. In my assignment I argued that children today are not expected to continue on their parents footsteps. However, from the data that I gathered I observed that every participants choice of career is somehow related to at least one of the parents occupation. Participants number 1, 3, 5, and 7 chose a career exactly like the father. However, only one of the participants, participant number 10 chose a career like the mother. The other participants 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 chose a career that has, at least to some extent, some characteristics found in their parents occupation. For instance participant number 8 opted to become a psychologist. Her parents are both teachers. Both professions are considered to be caring professions. From the ratings of parents satisfactions and the participants perceived level of satisfaction of their future job, I observed that those participants that rated their parents satisfaction lower than how they perceive their satisfaction to be with their future career, have mothers who are unemployed and work as housewives. Despite this, all participants expect for participant number 4, rate their level of satisfaction as equal as or better than those of their parents. In my opinion this strengthen the findings made by Trice and Tillapaughs (1991, cited in Sharf, 2002; p.168) that childrens aspirations to their parents occupations are influenced by their perception of how satisfied their parents are with their own work. Parent-child relationship No. of Participant Choice of Career Close with Parents 1 Architecture 7 2 Engineer 8 3 Lawyer 7 4 Manager 9 5 Accountant 7 6 Doctor 9 7 Accountant 10 8 Psychologist 8 9 Accountant 8 10 Teacher 8 Results of question 13 In this study, I tried to determine whether parent-child relationship affects what the adolescents opt for a career. Anne Roe, as stated earlier wanted to show that people in certain occupations have a common background in terms of the way they were raised (Sharf, 2002; p.308). She focused on Concentration on the child, Avoidance of the child and Acceptance of the child. In order to identify whether such parental behavior towards the child affects what the child chose as career, would have been difficult, because it is not ethically right to go on about and ask strangers what type of relationship they have with their parents. As an alternative to this I asked the participants to rate how close they feel with their parents. The result show that all of the participants feel somehow close to their parents. Since the study is on a small scale, I will take one particular occupation that is somehow common in the study: Accountant. What I found from the results is that participants who chos e Accounts as a career, rate their relationship with their parents differently. In addition to this, when one study in depth such an approach, one have to take into consideration also the child-parent attachment. Parents level of education I wanted to study this issue particularly because I believe from my experience that children, whose parents are of a certain level of education and jobs, push their children to achieve more. No. of Participant Choice of Career Level of Education Mother 1 Architecture Secondary 2 Engineer Tertiary 3 Lawyer Post-secondary 4 Manager Post-secondary 5 Accountant Secondary 6 Doctor Tertiary 7 Accountant Post-secondary 8 Psychologist Tertiary 9 Accountant Post-secondary 10 Teacher Post-secondary What I found interesting in this study is that actually, some fathers and mothers have similar education level. It is very difficult to determine a conclusion of whether parents level of education influence career choice or not, since the research is based on a small scale number. However, what I could identify is that none of the participants parents have low educational level such as primary level, thus I think that by and large all of the participants were encouraged to continue studying and pursue a professional career. Conclusion It seems from the small scale study I carried out, the theories I described and the arguments I raised throughout this assignment, that parents are still influential. Many students seek help from their parents when they are to choose something important as this of career. Unfortunately, sometimes not all parents are knowledgeable enough to give their children the best information they need with regards to the choice of career. Due to this I believe that students must seek either a guidance teacher or a counselor. They must seek for this guidance from the very beginning, when they are to choose their optional subjects. Still, I believe that the majority of the students do not seek for this help. Some students might be shy to go to a guidance teacher or counselor; some students might be discouraged by parents to do so and other view the time with these people such as guidance teacher and counselor as a loss of time. Due to this, students must be aware of the importance of the assistanc e these people may give them. An effective way in helping them become aware of this is throughout the PSD lesson by the PSD teacher. Appendix