Postsecondary Success Begins with High School Preparation
The title of the article is appropriate because compares secondary preparation and student’s performance in college. This article underscores the importance of vibrant preparation in secondary school on postsecondary academic performance. Thus, the need for more aggressive middle school and high school coursework was emphasized to the Governor and the Department of Education in Florida (Winn & Armstrong, 2005, p. 1).
The hypothesis has been summarized into three;
- students who enroll in higher-level reading alongside math courses score 3 or more on the FCAT;
- students who score 3 or more on the FCAT excel in the reading and math section of CPT;
- students who excel in the reading and math part of the CPT are successful academically compared to their college development education equivalent.
The research question is that even if students do not prepare for postsecondary education during high school, s/he can enroll in a community college and still be fine (Winn & Armstrong, 2005, p. 2).
The operational definition of the study involves an evaluation of students’ levels of classes taken in secondary school, the FCAT scores, CPT scores, and their successful performance in postsecondary level in terms of getting an honor, transferring to the SUS, or sustaining their retention in the FCCS. A sample of students who finished high school in 2001-02, who were enrolled in community college education participated in the study. The results indicate that the study students who took up higher-level coursework in high school excelled in their postsecondary level. This study fails to depict the impact of preparation at the individual grade level. The study did not take into account the preparation at the 11 and 12 grades (Winn & Armstrong, 2005, p. 3).
In my opinion, this article is comprehensive and well-conceived. It contains valuable information that will motivate high school teachers, parents, and students to participate rigorously in their education. Thus I think that the article should be recommended to schools administrations and students. However, further research should be undertaken to develop ways of increasing the vigor of coursework.
Clinical placements in residential aged care facilities: the impact on nursing students’ perception of aged care and the effect on career plans
The title of this article is appropriate because it talks about issues affecting the nurse students during pre-placements. This problem is clearly stated because the study sought to establish the rationale behind the attitudes of undergraduate nursing students towards the aged care profession. This will pave way for reforms that will improve the situation. This objective was achieved through a descriptive qualitative pilot analysis (Abbey et al., 2006, p. 14) of the variables of interest. The variables are the elements of aged care that are responsible for the attitude, and the second variable is the ratio of students willing to pursue aged care as a career.
This article clearly states the research question. A small number of students opt for or finishes nursing courses destine to work in aged care after graduation (Fargerberg and Ekman 1997, as cited in Abbey et al., 2006, p. 14). The study sought to establish why nursing undergraduates are reluctant to take aged care as a career alternative on graduation. The operational definition involved the integration of nominal student categories who were interviewed and their responses were compared with those of competent nursing counterparts (Abbey et al., 2006, p. 14). The study sampled the views of nursing undergraduates against their clinical superintendents on the influence of clinical instructors, the long-term health care workforce and the work settings employed. The factors that were found to be accountable for this attitude towards aged care among nursing undergraduates include overlooked assumptions concerning nursing’s basic skills; inadequate pre-placement orientation to the care environment; the demand and anxiety associated with the practice; and career, returns and status prospects concerns (Abbey et al., 2006, p. 16, 17).
The limitation of this study emerges from the essence of its design is qualitative. Thus the findings cannot be projected to represent the large population of nursing undergraduates. I recommend a study design that quantifies the factors presumed responsible for the attitudes be used in further research.
In my opinion, this article is written and conceived. It has valuable information that may help the organization to address any anomalies in the distribution and retention of the workforce in the specialty of a specific discipline. I recommend further research be undertaken to find methods of quantifying the variables responsible for this phenomenon to make a representative conclusion.
Reference List
Abbey, J., Abbey, B., Bridges, P., Elder, R. … & Thornton, R. (2006). Clinical placements in residential aged care facilities: the impact on nursing students’ perception of aged care and the effect on career plans.Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing (23)4. pp. 14-19. Web.
Winn, J. & Armstrong, D. J. (2005). Postsecondary success begins with high school Preparation. Florida Department of Education; Florida community colleges & Workforce Education. Web.