Development of Early Child Narratology

Development of Early Child Narratology Aims: I aim to evaluate how the structure and composition of early child narratology develops and evolves with age. To conduct this evaluation I will approach local primary schools for examples of short narrative texts written by Key stage 1 pupils (4-7), to serve as empirical data. I will assess these texts by employing the six part Labovian narrative model and analysing the presence and frequency of narrative components, evaluative temporal indicators and markers. Background: This study builds on many other works as the Labovian model is now frequently used to assess narratology in children, (see Kernan, 1977; Eaton, Collis and Lewis, 1999). The idea of linguistic and narrative development in children is also a popular issue. One study that specifically charts the evolution of child narrative with age is â€Å"Telling stories of experiences: Narrative development of young Chinese children† a study by Chien-JuChang in which young Chinese children were visited in their homes at age 3 years and 6 months and then at 3 month intervals for the next 9 months. Their individual development in three key areas (narrative structure, evaluation, and temporality) was evaluated with the conclusion that â€Å"Chinese children, generally speaking, include more narrative components, evaluative information, and temporal markers in their narratives over time. However, the growth patterns and rates of change for each child on each narrative measure vary.† Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that as a child is introduced to more narrative texts, and comes to identify narrative components, that he or she will employ them more frequently and more readily in their own narratives. Thus, I hypothesise that there will be a marked increase both in the inclusion of these features in individual narratives and in the cohesion between the narratives of the evaluated children (their similarity to each other) in the older age ranges, as they adapt and adhere to literary and narrative norms. I believe that there will be a greater proliferation of linguistic devices and conventions, as well as more narrative components, in the older childrens narratives. Although I will not specifically be studying the effects of ethnicity or socio-economic background I believe that these factors will skew the data slightly as my hypothesis centres on the fact that the children will have been exposed to similar volumes and types of narrative material. This may well not be the case for pupils from a different cultural background or a less affluent family environment. Data: The data I will use for this investigation will be collected from local and, hopefully, schools which are more widely distributed throughout the country, to give a representative sample of empirical data. I will approach the schools to provide short texts from every early years age group so that I have approximately 50-100 short texts from pupils aged from 4 to 7 with a similar number for each age group. I will specify that I would like work from a cross section of abilities, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds so as to have a representative sample of narratives for an age range. I will also request that the gender, ethnicity and socio-economic group be specified for each child included in the study as, although I am not directly studying the consequences of these factors on the narratives, it would be informative and useful to see if they affect the cohesion of the data in any way. All texts will be included as an appendix to the final extended essay and the appropriate permissions will be obtained from the schools and, if necessary, from the parents of the children whose work is used. Methodology: As previously defined I will employ the Labovian 6 part narrative model to assess the texts. This will be both a quantitative and qualitative analysis as it will deal not only with the evolution in the number of narrative components in each text but also their function and type. The results of the analyses will be presented in tabulated form. Initially I will fill in a table to give the main characteristics of each narrative and then tabulate the overall results. An example of a narrative text and a simplified table are given as an appendix. My work so far: I have investigated a number of studies covering similar subject areas and approached schools in my local area to see if they would be willing to provide samples of work The response so far is encouraging. I have also obtained some examples of writing from neighbourhood children and analysis of these texts seems to back my hypothesis thus far. Naturally I will be unsure until I study the larger volumes of empirical data foreseen by my study. Timescale: Owing to the complexity of obtaining the data and analysing it, this project will be quite time consuming. I believe I will require one month to obtain the work and the various permissions and a further month to analyse the texts and tabulate the results. I will then need a further two weeks to present my conclusions, draft and check the final copy. Annotated Bibliography Applebee, Arthur 1978. â€Å"The Childs Concept Of Story: Ages Two To Seventeen†. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. This book defines the â€Å"interaction of children and stories†. Various chapters discuss the stories told by primary school children, their organisation and motivation as well as children’s responses to stories and story telling. It also contains a number of appendices giving information about the methods for data collection and analysis employed by Applebee throughout his investigations. Chang, Chien-Ju 2004: â€Å"Telling stories of experiences: Narrative development of young Chinese children† Applied Psycholinguistics, 25: 83-104 Cambridge University Press This presents a study in which young Chinese children were visited in their homes at age 3 years and 6 months and then at 3 month intervals for the next 9 months and their individual development in three key areas (narrative structure, evaluation, and temporality) assessed. Gutierrez Clellen, V. F., Quinn, R. (1993). Assessing narratives of children from diverse cultural/linguistic groups. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 24, 2-9. This article discusses the issues surrounding cultural and ethnic background and the impact on a child’s narrative development. This supports my claim that linguistic and narration conventions are learnt and states â€Å"narrative contextualization processes are culture-specific† Kernan, K. T. (1977). Semantic and expressive elaboration in childrens narratives. C. Mitchell-Kernan and S.Ervin-Tripp (Eds.), Child Discourse. New York: Academic Press, 91-102. This paper was presented at the Child Discourse Symposium at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (Mexico City, Mexico, November 1974) and presents a theoretical and ground breaking discussion of children’s narrative discourse and the acquisition of discourse competencies. Labov, William., and Waletzky, Joshua. 1967. â€Å"Narrative analysis: oral versions of personal experience.† Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts, ed. June Helm, 12-44. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Seminal and scholarly text discussing the basics of narrative analysis detailing the six point model, etc. Pena E. D., Gillam R. B., Malek M., Ruiz-Felter R., Resendiz M., Fiestas C., and Sabel T. : Dynamic Assessment of School-Age Childrens Narrative Ability: An Experimental Investigation of Classification Accuracy J Speech Lang Hear Res, October1,2006; 49(5): 1037 1057. This article provides useful and information about analysing the â€Å"macrostructural and microstructural aspects of language form and content† (in this case in narratives given by first and second grade students describing a picture book.) Appendix one – example narrative (direct transcript) On Saturday, Daddy, Mummy, Jamie and me went to the park to go on the swings. It was really cold so Daddy bought me and Jamie a hot chocolate to warm us up. It was really funny because Jamie dropped his down his jumper and had to wear Daddy’s jumper. It was to(sic) big for him and he looked really funny. I went on the swings and the roundabout and the slide and then Jamie and me sat on one side of the sea(sic) saw while Daddy sat on the other. Mummy took pictures of us. Then we went to the sweet shop and bought some jelly babies. They are my Mummys favourite and I like them to(sic). Then we went home and watched ice age 2 and then we had tea. Then we went to bed. We all had a lovely day and Daddy said it was nice that me and Jamie didn’t shout at each other. Jenny, age 6 Example tabulation Table 1 – Labovian concepts Table 2 Common markers Used by the child in her narrative

Frank Lloyd Wright :: essays papers

Frank Lloyd Wright These ideas proposed by Wright represent a half century of ingenuity and unrivaled creativity. Wright was unquestionably a architectural genius and was years ahead of his time. The biggest obstacle which held Wright back throughout his career was the lack of technogaly that was present during his time. As a architect, Wright accomplished more that any other in history, with the possible exception of DaVincci or Michangelo. His philosophy of Organic Architecture showed the world that form and function could both by achieved to create a house that was both true to nature and affordable. Wrights homes, have today become monuments of greatness and distictionn. Most of them serve as museums, displaying the his ideas and the achievements of a lifetime of innovation. It wasn't until Wright published "The Natural House" however, that he fully was able to illustrate all of his ideas relating toward housing. In the "Natural House" wright defines the meaning of Organic Architecture and how it c an be applied to creating housing which provides a closeness to nature for the occupents. Wright was undoubtly a romantic and individualist. His feeling toward nature and self integrity can best be shown by comparing them to those shared by Emerson and Thoreau. Wrights deep love of nature and his individualism were formed from the events which influenced him as a child and up until his days working for Louis Sullivan. In order to fully understand the ideas which Wright proposed through his philosophy of Organic Architecture, one must first understand the events and influences which led to their creation. As a child, Wrights parents always encouraged him to be a free thinker and individualist. Both of his parents were intelligent and creative people by nature. They, of all people had the greatest influence on Wright. Throughout his life they were extreamly supportive of Wrights dream of becoming an architect, and always made sure that he had books and pictures of buildings that he could study and learn from. Wrights parents had little money, but they always found the extra money needed to support their childrens intrusts. When Wright became old enough to begin learning about working, his parents felt that sending him to his uncles dairy farm during his summer break from school would provide him with the proper work ethics and morals needed to become a responsible adult. The work on the farm was rigorous and seemingly endless to Wright.

Mr. Jax Fashions

Mr.. Ajax is a professional/career woman's dresses and suits designer and manufacturer in Canada during late ass's. The Mr.. Ajax business level strategy is product design and quality. How did they do it? The following is a list of Distinctive Competencies that put Mr.. Ajax in the lead of professional/career woman's fashion Mr.. Ajax hired Louis Seaman who was a well-known women's fashion executive. At the time Mr.. Ajax didn't focus on professional/career woman's dresses and suits and Louis Seaman shifted the focus of the company into the professional/career woman's market segment.Quality of materials used. Mr.. Ajax purchased West Coast Woolen Mills Ltd. This acquisition, although it took time to be profitable, enabled Mr.. Ajax to take control of fabric production scheduling, design, and quality. At the time of market saturation in Canada most competitors used materials that were sub-par for the market segment. The quality and craftsmanship of the garments Mr.. Ajax made were see n as high quality garments produced from high quality materials.The majority of the competition at the time was producing garments off-shore (in Asian) which lead to finished products which could be seen as inferior to those companies that produced finished product only using North American materials and production lines. Mr.. Ajax had also developed a reputation when it came to delivery of goods. Mr.. Ajax had seen delivery rates as high as 90% for (time and orders fulfilled), compared to the industry average of 75%. Mr..Ajax financial reports (see chart below for fiscal years 1981 to 1988) show that there was steady growth in the business but the market has reached a saturation point as seen by the net profit line. (revenue, COGS, Gross Margin, Expenses, Net Profit). Porters Five Forces: Threat of New Entrants: High. Entry into the market can easily be done by any firms, rage or small, with very little startup costs to do so. Threat of Substitutes: High. In order to stay ahead of the threat of substitutes Mr.. Ajax needs, and has, stayed ahead of the competition by keeping tabs on what is happening in the European fashion industry.Bargaining Power of Buyers is high. Distributes have the power, and authority, to turn away deliveries for a number of reasons – lack of quality, outdated styles, breach of contractual obligations, etc. Mr.. Ajax needs to keep up the standards they have set with their buyers. Bargaining Power of Suppliers is low. Since Mr.. Ajax currently manufactures the trials they use (30 to 40 percent) to make professional/career woman's dresses and suits they have the option to negotiate with the other suppliers, current or new, for better prices.The Free Trade Agreement (FAT) also makes it easier for Mr.. Ajax to purchase textiles from other North American firms as they can take advantage of lowered or removed tariffs. Seaman has studied two alternatives approaches for entering the U. S. Market: 1 . Establishing a retailing chain, or 2 . A U. S. Based wholesale distribution subsidiary (regional or national) Given the amount of competition in the U. S. Establishing a retail chain would not be in the organization's best interest (even though this is the option with the highest rewards).I would suggest to Seaman that he move Mr.. Ajax into the U. S. Via a Regional Distribution Subsidiary, and the reasons for doing so are: Enough cash has been raised to support this entry move into the U. S. Without having to undertake drastic measures. Example: selling off less profitable companies (Surrey Classics or Olympic Pant and Sportswear) to raise more capital for a National Distribution Subsidiary Management for a National Distribution Subsidiary can be developed as the Regional Distribution Subsidiary grows. This will give Mr..Ajax time to see if the entry into the U. S. Is successful, and if so, what is needed to move forward. A Regional Distribution Subsidiary would allow Mr.. Ajax to develop distribution channels in the U. S. , which would be needed for a National Distribution Subsidiary. Also, a Regional Distribution Subsidiary would allow the consumers in the newly entered market to see the high quality, up to date fashions, and quality of goods. This will allow the consumers in the market segment to become acquainted with the new Canadian product.

Primitive Data Types in Java Programming

In almost every Java program you will find primitive data types being used. They provide a way to store the simple values the program is dealing with. For example, consider a calculator program that allows the user to perform mathematical calculations. In order for the program to achieve its goal, it has to be capable of storing the values the user enters. This can be done using variables. A variable is a container for a specific kind of value that is known as a data type. Primitive Data Types Java comes with eight primitive data types to handle simple data values. They can be split into four categories by the kind of value they hold: Integers: these are positive and negative whole numbers.Floating Point Numbers: any number that has a fractional part.Characters: a single character.Truth Values: either true or false. Integers Integers hold number values that cannot have a fractional part. There are four different types: byte: uses one byte to store values from -128 to 127short: uses two bytes to store values from -32,768 to 32,767int: uses four bytes to store values from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647long: uses eight bytes to store values from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 As you can see from above the only difference between the types are the range of values they can hold. Their ranges directly correlate to the amount of space the data type needs to store its values. In most cases when you want to represent a whole number use the int data type. Its ability to hold numbers from just under -2 billion to a little over 2 billion will be suitable for most integer values. However, if for some reason you need to write a program that uses as little memory as possible, consider the values you need to represent and see if the byte or short is a better choice. Likewise, if you know the numbers you need to store are higher than 2 billion then use the long data type. Floating Point Numbers Unlike integers, floating point numbers like fractional parts. There are two different types: float: uses four bytes to store values from -3.4028235E38 to 3.4028235E38double: uses eight bytes to store values from -1.7976931348623157E308 to 1.7976931348623157E308 The difference between the two is simply the range of fractional numbers they can hold. Like integers the range directly correlates to the amount of space they need to store the number. Unless you have memory concerns its best to use the double data type in your programs. It will handle fractional numbers to the precision needed in most applications. The main exception will be in financial software where rounding errors cannot be tolerated. Characters There is only one primitive data type that deals with individual characters – the char. The char can hold the value of one character and is based on 16-bit Unicode encoding. The character might be a letter, digit, punctuation, a symbol or a control character (e.g., a character value that represents a newline or a tab). Truth Values As Java programs deal in logic there needs to be a way to determine when a condition is true and when it is false. The boolean data type can hold those two values; it can only be true or false.