Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org Aajhss.org
IJHSS.NET
Vol. 8, No. 4
August 2016
International Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences
e-ISSN: p-ISSN:
1694-2639 1694-2620
AAJHSS.ORG Vol 8, No 4 – August 2016 Table of Contents Perception of students and English Language teachers towards English Language Instruction: The case of schools in Sidama Zone, Ethiopia. Eshetu Mandefro, Mebratu Mulatu, Tesfaye Abebe and Yohannes Yona
1
Enhancing the classroom participation: The Case of 2nd Year Students of Water Resources and Irrigation Management (BSc) at Dilla University Adimasu Woldesenbet Worako
10
Beverage engineers: Creative international STEM project Research Professor Dr. Dana M Barry, Associate Professor Dr. Shigeru Katsuyama, Dean Professor Dr. Toshihiro Tanaka and Deputy President, Professor Dr. Hideyuki Kanematsu
18
The Ethical Aspect of Journalist's Work Nikolai Lukianovich Volkovskiy
29
International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences p-ISSN: 1694-2620 e-ISSN: 1694-2639 Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 1-9, ©IJHSS
Perception of students and English Language teachers towards English Language Instruction: The case of
schools in Sidama Zone, Ethiopia.
Eshetu Mandefro and Mebratu Mulatu College of Social sciences and Humanities, Hawassa University Tesfaye Abebe and Yohannes Yona College of Agriculture, Hawassa University Abstract The main objective of the study was to assess the perception of students and English language teachers towards their English language instruction in the schools in Sidama Zone, Ethiopia. It was a descriptive survey which contained 50 English language teachers and 257 students selected through simple random sampling technique from 11 schools. The data gathering tools were questionnaire, interview and document analysis. The results of the study confirmed that though English language teachers have knowledge about the role of teaching English-foreign language status, majority of the English language teachers (70%) in the study area have limited knowledge about language policies, strategies and directions identified in Ethiopian education system. They have also limited access to know different education sector development program frameworks, including General Education Quality Improvement Program (GEQIP) plan. Regarding students’ perception towards the language, the results disclosed that most of the students (86.4%) confirmed English language is more difficult to learn. Nevertheless, they want to improve their English language skills as it is important to speak English language in different social context. Thus, various organizations should design capacity building trainings to English language teachers not only on language policies and strategies but also on English syllabus and curriculum. In addition, English language teachers should use various techniques to meet the English language needs of the students. Keywords: Perception, Language instruction, Proficiency, Classroom practice 1. Introduction The 1994 Education and training policy (ETP) of Ethiopia identified that, English is often used as the medium of instruction in secondary and higher education. On the other hand, obviously, the fact that the process of teaching and learning of the English language is associated with many interrelated social and political uses around the world (Ronald & David, 2001). People’s demands toward English in many countries in the world make English language is key factors and became the international language that spreads quickly (Carlo, 2012). Ethiopia is a country that English language has been taught as a second or foreign language starting from primary schools up to higher educational institutions all over the country. Ethiopia has made significant progress in access at all levels of the education system increased at a rapid rate in line with a sharp increase in the number of teachers, schools and institutions 1
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
(MoE, 2010). However, achievements in access have not been accompanied by adequate improvements in quality. Recognizing the fact that, General Education Quality Improvement Package (GEQIP), was launched by ministry of education a few years ago which consists of different programs; among of those; the English Language Improvement Program (ELIP) is the one in which it aims at improving the quality of education and competencies of teachers and students in primary and secondary schools all over the country. The program has been focused on a longer period of in-service training for English subject teachers in primary and secondary schools. Besides this, the 1994 education and training policy issued that, English will be taught as a subject starting from grade one and it will be the medium of instruction for secondary and higher education. The 2006 joint review mission (JRM) identified language policy as a key factor affecting education quality. The national policy is to promote mother tongue teaching in primary education and then introduce English as a subject in grade 1 and as the medium of instruction in secondary education. English is also a medium of instruction starting from grade 5 and it extends up to higher grade levels. 2. Statement of the problem The study conducted by South Nations and Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) education bureau (2014), on Regional Learning Achievement of students indicated that there is serious deterioration of the student achievement in English language proficiency and the overall performance of students had not improved over the previous years. There are many reasons that cause the students poor performance of their learning English as a foreign language such as the weakness of curriculum design, lack of English teachers, and lack of students’ learning motivation. According to John and Ehow (2011), stated that the problems of learning English language derived from many different factors in different environments such as school resources, class size, quality of teachers, and the school attendance of learners. Murray and Christison (2010) observed that many students think English is only a school subject and they don’t see its significance for their prospective employment to work with multinational or national companies where English is employed. Susanna (2007) pointed out that the mismatch between the students’ conceptual or cognitive capacities and the learners’ English proficiency level often cause problems for students because the students’ learning style and teachers’ teaching approach do not match and also the English course does not relate to the students’ needs and interests. In addition, students’ perception towards the learning of English language plays a significant role in their success in the English language instruction (Bamlak, 2016) Susanna (2007) also claimed that weak students usually have poor strategies and give up easily when they find struggle. In addition, many studies have been conducted on students’ poor performance in learning the English indicated that English language learning anxiety in students also found that students were afraid of making mistakes in the classes, failing the exams, as well as the poor socio economic background cause of the poor performance in learning languages (Baig, et-al, 2011). A study conducted on national learning assessment and regional learning assessment on student’s learning achievement in English at public schools found that a majority of students have a problem with basic English language skills which influence the overall achievement of the students at primary and secondary level. Hence, this study investigates the determinants and issues of teaching and learning of English language as a foreign language or second language in primary and secondary schools. It also aims to identify the problems and common discourses with the instructional implementation of English language and it also seeks to identify the factors that contribute to low English language proficiency among students in primary and secondary schools of Sidama Zone, Ethiopia.
2
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
3. Objectives of the Study 3.1 General Objective. The main purpose of this study was to assess the perception of students and English language teachers towards their English language proficiency in primary and secondary schools of Sidama Zone, Ethiopia. 3.2. Specific Objectives: The specific objectives of this study are: • To assess perception of teachers about their professional competencies and activities. • To assess perception of students’ about the importance of English language in education and different social context. 4. Materials and Methods 4.1 Research Design The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of English language proficiency of students in public primary and secondary schools in Sidama Zone districts. Therefore, descriptive survey method was used as the appropriate design; because, the study was directed towards people, their opinions, attitude and behaviors. This design is also commonly employed to collect detail description of existing educational phenomena with the aim of producing data that justify current condition& practices in educational settings. According to Best and Khan (2006), descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, or provides information or describes attitudes towards an issue. The method was selected because the nature of the problems needs wider description and detailed analysis of existing phenomenon with the intent of employing data to justify current condition. 4.2 Population of the Study and Sampling Techniques Target groups of this study were English language teachers, who were working and students who were learning from Grade 7-12, in the schools of Sidama Zone (districts) of SNNPRG in the study period. According to Mouton (1998), the key concept in sampling is representativeness. He has also contended that unless the sample from which we generalize, ’truthfully’ or ‘faithfully’ represents the population from which it was drawn, we have no reason to believe that the population has the same properties as the sample. Thus, to achieve fair representation of sampling, both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select respondents from the selected schools. Hence, eleven (11) schools were selected randomly from public primary and secondary schools; from each school, a total of 50 English language teachers and department heads, were selected by random sampling technique. Similarly, 257 primary and secondary school students were selected through random sampling technique. 4.3 Data Collection Tools 4.3.1 Questionnaire To achieve objectives of the study, a quantitative methodology involving a close-ended questionnaire were used as the measuring tool. Because, the close-ended questionnaires could be administered to groups of people simultaneously since they are less costly and less time consuming than other measuring instruments. In this research, questionnaire was used to obtain quantitative information from teachers on the issues related with English language proficiency of students in public primary and secondary schools of Sidama Zone. As a result, a total of 257 questionnaires were distributed to both teachers and students of eleven (11) primary and secondary schools. During distributing the questionnaires, it was considered that both male and female teachers and students from eleven selected schools had a chance to participate in the 3
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
study. Out of the 257 questionnaires distributed to both group of respondents at eleven (11) schools, 257 (100%) were appropriately filled and returned. 4.3.2 Interview Interview was used by the researcher to get additional data to substantiate the information obtained by questionnaires. Through this part of data collection instrument, the researcher used semi-structured interview question to address 5 English language department heads and 3 English language teachers to investigate the level of English language proficiency of students in public primary and secondary schools of Sidama Zone. The researcher designed an interview to get supplementary information from the respondent. 4.3.3 Document analysis In order to find the facts in the study area, the researcher analyzed different documents such as students’ profiles, mark lists, student’s academic records (rosters), regional and national certificate examination result records. The researcher used this method in order to cross-check with the existing facts on the ground. 4.4 Methods of data Analysis The method of data analysis was based on the nature of the data as there were two kinds of data: quantitative and qualitative. In analyzing the quantitative data, all the structured items of the questionnaires were keyed into computer and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 17.0 version of computer program. First, the relevant data were coded, summarized, and then transferred in to SPSS for further analysis. Scores of respondents of all items entered into SPSS Version 17.0 software computer program to analysis and compute descriptive statistics. In this study, one sample t-test was used to compute means, standard deviations, and t-value. Frequency analysis and percentage were undertaken to determine number of respondents choose each alternative response to each question. Thus, mean and percentage were used to report statistical values of response of respondents. The statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. The five point likert scale questionnaire items were analyzed in terms of their mean range. The mean sores from “0.01 to 2.99” indicates negative response and disagreement of the respondents on the statements forwarded to them; the mean value “3.00” indicates the neutral response of respondents, and the mean value “3.01-5.00” indicates positive response and agreement of respondents on the issue raised in the items The other form of data in the study was the qualitative one. It was collected through interview and document analysis. The data was analyzed textually by grouping information thematically from the respondents. 5. Results and Discussions This part presents the details of data on the teachers and learners’ beliefs and perception towards English language and learning English. The textual analysis merged the likert scales, such as ‘Agree’ and ‘Strongly agree’ as the same category and “Disagree’ and ‘Strongly disagree’ as another similar category. Hence, the data gathered from respondents through questionnaires and interview are presented, analyzed and interpreted as follows. 5.1 EFL Teachers Awareness of General National Policy and strategies of English Language The respondents were asked to point out their awareness on the national policy and strategies of English language through four items. These are the purpose of English language teaching and learning, their knowledge of the place of English and education sector development programs and their knowledge of English language curriculum and Syllabus in Ethiopian context. 4
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Accordingly, level of knowledge and understanding about the main purpose of teaching& learning English language is as a foreign language in Ethiopian context. As result show, 100% (n=50) of teachers are agreed that they know that the main purpose of teaching & learning English language as a foreign language in Ethiopian context. This shows that all respondents have understanding of the purpose of teaching & learning English as a foreign language in Ethiopian context. However, 70% of teachers confirmed that they did not know the language policies, strategies and directions identified in Ethiopian education and training policy. Likewise, 68% of teachers disclosed that they don’t know different education sector development programs, including GEQIP that are being implemented in their schools. Moreover, the table (table 1) clearly signifies that 77% of teachers revealed that they don’t know English language curriculum and syllabuses that they are currently teaching in their schools. The same was confirmed by the interview conducted. Table 1: Perception of Teachers about their Professional Competencies’ and Activities No
1
2 3 4
Items
Perception of teachers about their professional competencies and activities Frequency and percentage One sample t-test t ti ti Sig.(2
F/N I know that the main purpose of N teaching & learning English language is, as a foreign language in Ethiopian % context.
SD
D
NS
A
SA
0
0
0
36
14
0
0
0
72
28
I know language policies, strategies and directions identified in Ethiopian education policy. I know different education sector development program frameworks, including GEQIP plan. I know current English language curriculum and syllabuses that I teach.
N
11
24
0
11
4
%
22
48
0
22
8
N
16
18
0
12
4
%
32
36
0
24
8
N
11
25
0
9
5
%
22
50
0
18
10
Mean
St.d.
tailed)
3.72
1.16
.000
2.46
1.28
0.004
2.40
1.37
0.003
2.44
1.29
0.004
N.B ( α = 0.05 at 95% confidence interval of the difference).
The results show that though most of the teachers know the purpose of teaching English as a foreign language in Ethiopian context, they are not familiar with the language policies and strategies, education sector development programs like GEQIP and English language curricula and syllabi at the national level. Perception towards School and Classroom based Practices The perception of teachers towards school and classroom practice was measured by items whose basic themes are the practice of CPD (continuous professional development), putting language teaching theories in to practice and considering students’ individual differences during organizing classroom lessons.
5
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Table 2: Perception towards School and Classroom based Practices No
5 6 7
Items
I am engaged in practicing continuous professional development CPD of teachers. I believe that I am putting basic concepts of language theories into practice in my school. I am organizing the lesson as my students’ background, learning ability and pace.
Perception towards School and Classroom based Practices Frequency and percentage
One sample statistics
F/N N
SD 2
D 17
NS 0
A 24
SA 7
%
4
34
0
48
14
N
11
31
0
8
0
%
22
62
0
16
0
N
6
28
0
15
1
%
12
56
0
30
2
t-test
Mean
St.d.
Sig.(2 tailed)
3.26
1.19
0.129
2.84
1.40
0.425
2.54
1.11
0.005
Accordingly, though most of the teachers 62 % of teachers engaged in practicing continuous professional development (CPD) to improve their professional competence, 38% of the respondents were not engaged in the program. But, 58% of respondents said that they are not putting basic concepts of language theories into practice in their school. Similarly, Most of the respondents, 68%, stated that they are not organizing the lesson according to their student’s background, learning ability and pace. This, as well as, the data from the document analysis, implies that there is a good beginning of practicing CPD in the schools. Nevertheless, there are gaps in putting theories in to practice and considering students’ background in organizing their lessons. 6.3 Perception of students about the importance of English language To assess perception of students about the importance of English language in the schools, considerable emphasis was given to the importance related to interaction, future success, broadening world view and traveling worldwide. Table 3: Perception of students about the importance of English language No
Perception of students about the importance of English language in Broader Context
Items
Frequency and percentage F/N
1
2 3 4
SD
D
NS
A
SA
7
3
0
82
165
2.7
1.2
0
31.9
64.2
N
2
1
0
52
202
%
0.8
0.4
0
20.2
78.6
N
4
3
0
41
209
%
1.6
1.2
0
16.0
81.3
2
2
0
60
193
0.8
0.8
0
23.3
75.1
I believe that, speaking English can N help me to interact with those who % speak English. I believe that, knowing English is important because it can help me to success in the future. Learning English language is important because it will broaden my world view.
If I know English language, I can N travel around the world without % English language barriers.
One sample t-test t ti ti St.d. Sig.(2 Mean tailed) 4.53
0.80
.000
4.75
0.55
.000
4.74
0.67
.000
4.71
0.58
.000
N.B ( α = 0.05 at 95% confidence interval of the difference). 6
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Thus, the results (table 3) revealed almost all respondents underscored the importance of English language to interact with people. Likewise, all respondents confirmed that studying English is significant for success in the future. Furthermore, almost all of respondents that learning English language has a potential to broaden their world view. Finally, all respondents agreed that if they know English language, they can travel around the world without English language barriers. This indicates that there is no perception gap in the students mind about the importance of English language. This result agrees with Dereje (2016) who confirms that students are well aware of the significance of English language in their academic context. 6.4 Perception of students about the Specific importance of English language The studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perception about the specific value of English language in the context was evaluated through their perception towards the degree of the difficulty, their intention to improve their English language ability, the importance to social and classroom interactional contexts. Table 4: Perception of students about the Specific importance of English language No
Items
Perception of students about the specific importance of English language
Frequency and percentage F/N
5 6 7 8
I believe that, English language is N more difficult to learn than other % languages. I want to improve my English N language utilization skill. % I believe that it is important to N speak English in different social % contexts. I believe that teachers and students N interaction in English in the class is important because it help me to acquire practical skill directly from % them.
SD
D
NS
A
SA
178
44
0
18
17
69.3
17.1
0
7.0
6.6
6
5
0
57
189
2.3
1.9
0
22.2
73.5
8
10
1
80
158
3.1
3.9
0.4
31.1
61.5
8
3
0
67
179
3.1
1.2
0
26.1
69.6
One sample t-test t ti ti Mean St.d. Sig.(2 tailed) 1.64
1.20
.000
4.62
0.80
.000
4.43
0.92
.000
4.57
0.83
.000
The respondents were asked to indicate their beliefs about studying English language is difficult to learn than other languages for students, and almost all, 86.4%, of them disclosed that learning English language is not difficult than learning other languages. Again, the respondents were inquired to point out their level of commitment to improve their English language proficiency. Accordingly, all of them confirmed that they want to improve their English language proficiency. Similarly, almost all, 92.6%, respondents agreed that it is important to speak English in different social context. Finally, concerning their beliefs about the significance of teachers and students interaction in English language in class to acquire practical skill, all of them confirmed that teacher-student interaction in English language in class is important to acquire practical skill directly from their teacher from partner. In line with this, Jamil (2016) disclosed that an interactive classroom gives actual opportunity for language learners to practice more. From this, we can infer that the learners have no any problem related to the general and specific perception on the importance of English language.
7
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
6. Conclusions The main objective of the study was to assess the perception of students and (English as a Foreign Language) EFL teachers towards their English language proficiency in primary and secondary schools in Sidama Zone districts. Accordingly, the study disclosed results based on both forms of objectives: general and specific. The first specific objective was concerned with EFL teachers’ perception about their professional competencies’ and activities. In line with this objective, most of EFL teachers confirmed that they know the main purpose of teaching and learning English language is, as a foreign language in Ethiopian context. However, the study equally revealed that majority of the EFL teachers in the study area have limited knowledge about language policies, strategies and directions identified in Ethiopian education system. They have also limited access to know different education sector development program frameworks, including GEQIP plan. Furthermore, teacher respondents are also confirmed that, they didn’t have access to know current English language curriculum and syllabuses that they are teaching. The English language teachers indicated that they don’t believe that they are putting basic concepts of language theories into practice in their schools since they are not organizing the lesson according to their student’s background, learning ability and pace. The other specific objective is related with perception of students about importance of English language. Results of the study indicated that majority of student believe that speaking English can help them to interact with those who speak English, and they are also believed that knowledge of English language is important because it can help them to success in the future and it can broaden their world view. In addition, majority of student underscored that teachersstudent interaction in English in the class is important because it help them to acquire practical speaking skill directly from them. On the contrary, most of the students confirmed that English language is more difficult to learn. Nevertheless, they want to improve their English language skills, and they are also believed that, it is important to speak English language in different social context. Based on the findings, the following recommendations are made. • Since majority of the EFL teachers in the study area have limited knowledge about language policies, strategies and directions, governmental and non-governmental organizations should conduct awareness rising trainings to the teachers. In addition, the documents should be provided to each school so that teachers can access easily. •
8
Many students confirmed that they believe English language is more difficult to learn. Thus, EFL teachers should conduct English lessons in more interactive and motivating ways so as to arouse their interest since they want to learn the language.
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
References Bamlak Getu (2016). Factors Affecting Students Language Learning. Addis Ababa: AAU press. Best, J.W. & Kahn, J.V. ( 2006). Research in Education. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India. Carlo, M. (2012). Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. TESOL Journal, 6(2),112119. Dereje Birru (2016). Students Perception and the Role of English in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Unpublished MA Thesis. Jamil, K. (2015). Qualities of an Interactive Language Class. Oxford: OUP John, L., &Ehow, C. (2011). Factors Affecting quality of English language Teaching and Learning. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ehow.com/info_8040040_factors-englishlanguage-teaching-learning.html Khader, K. T., & Mohammad, S. (2010). Reasons behind non-English major University Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; achievement gap in the English language in Gaza strip from students' Retrieved from perspectives. http://www.qou.edu/english/conferences/firstNationalConference/pdfFiles/khaderKh ader.pdf MOE, (2010). School Improvement Program Guidelines: improving the quality of education and Students results for all children at primary and secondary schools. A.A:GT press MOE, (2008). General Education Quality Improvement Package. Addis Ababa:GT press Murray, D. E., &Christison, M. A. (2010). What English Language Teachers Need to Know:Understanding Learning. Taylor & Francis. Ronald, C., & David, N. (2001). The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers ofother languages. New York: Cambridge University Press. Susanna, A. (2007). The weak language learner: a study of ways of taking weak language learners into consideration in class. Sweden: VaxjoUniversity,School of Humanities English, GIX115.
9
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences p-ISSN: 1694-2620 e-ISSN: 1694-2639 Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 10-17, ©IJHSS
Enhancing the classroom participation: The Case of 2nd Year Students of Water Resources and Irrigation Management (BSc) at Dilla University Adimasu Woldesenbet Worako Department of WRIM, Dilla University, Ethiopia
Abstract Education is a pillar to socio-economic, political and sustainable development of a society and it’s also a basic source for the civilization. Ensuring the quality of education plays a great role in the process of producing a creative and innovative generation which solves the world’s pronounced problems on their own means. After 1994 the Ethiopian new education policy was launched the student-centered approaches became popular and applied in many education centers in order to ensure the quality of education. However, in the higher education centers the implementation was very poor due to several reasons. In Dilla University also the implementation is so weak and student’s participation in the classroom is too passive. Hence, this action research was designed to enhance the participation of students in the class for the course soil and water conservation engineering. All of students registered for the course were selected and primary and secondary data collection methods were used to accomplish the work. The collected and observed data were organized and analyzed qualitatively and explained briefly. Intervention measures were designed by considering and out-looking the student’s condition in the classroom for the long time. Based on the study the factors affecting the participation of students in the classroom identified were shying and fearing for their friends, language problem, teaching methodology, and lack of material accessibility, sitting arrangement and others. Designed actions taken to solve the stated troubles were describing the lesson objectives clearly and precisely before the main topic, allowing students to talk freely in the classroom by oral motivation and appreciation system, orienting the sitting arrangements in the room, forming cooperative-learning teams, assigning duties and responsibilities for each student in their group and observing all students without any discrimination or bias. Actions which are taken to solve the problem have shown viable out-puts like self-esteem and confidence, selfrespect among students and cooperativeness, participation in every issue raised by anyone, positive attitude for the cooperative-learning and speaking freely in and out of class. Hence, the devised or designed action plans have a great role in enhancing the participation of students in the classroom and shaped the learning environment in advanced way. Every instructor should implement the cooperative-learning system to increase the participation of students and to elevate the level of education quality in the universities. Keywords: Education; cooperative-learning; intervention actions; student-participation; student-centered
10
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
1. Introduction Education is the pillar for sustainable and infallibly overall development of the given country. Ethiopia launched new education and training policy in 1994 to enable citizens who respect human rights, stand for the well-being of people, as well as for equality, justice and peace, endowed with democratic culture and discipline (EEP, 1994). To meet these objectives the country chose student-centered approach over the old teacher based training delivery system. Moreover, the system accepted as a means to ensure the quality of education and considered as a process in producing the creative and innovative generation which solves the country’s longlasted problems by their own capacity. Hence, participation of learners in the classroom is the key point to achieve the intended purposes. Classroom participation is very critical to ensure the active learning process and that requires student’s active participatory role rather adopting a receptive and passive posture in the learning room (Snyder, 2003). The benefits of students’ participation are well recognized in the world but it has been a great challenge to implement it in specific situations (Haruna, 2007). As Zepke and Leach (2010) report, classroom participation or active learning is considered as students’ cognitive investment, active participation in and emotional commitment to their learning. Without student’s proactive participation in the classroom delivering lesson is like shouting in the borehole which is filled up to top with water, i.e., simply speaking more without active listeners in the room. Students’ silence in the classroom is very common which despairs teachers to deliver the lesson effectively and efficiently as well as to advance their status by searching and reading various books/information sources to upgrade their status. Hot-tempered and motivated student’s engagement in the class inspires and initiates instructors to do more in order to fulfill the demand and satisfy their feeling in searching new knowledge and skill. Education is a great weapon to shape and invent the world which demands participation or contribution of students in the classroom. Questioning generation has a great value in solving contemporary unending challenges of the world and creating sustainable systems to cop-up it. However, the participation of students’ is passive to realize the objectives of education and it needs intervention measures. Hence, this action research was designed to enhance participation or to improve the teachinglearning process in the classroom with a proactive participation of students. Specific objectives of this action research are: • • •
to identify the factors which affects/hinders active classroom participation to reduce the problems which affects students’ active participation in the classroom to design effective teaching-learning processes that help to participate the whole students.
2. Literature Review 2.1 Factors which affect active participation in the classroom There are numerous objections which reduce classroom participation in the higher education. Teaching methodology (Binulal, 2013), nature of the curriculum (Norton & Crowley, 1995) language problem (Gorham, 1988; Tatar, 2005), teachers’ approach to students inside and outside the classroom (Dallimore et al., 2004; Myers, et al., 2002; Rita, 1996; Rocca, 2009), guidance and teaching ability of instructors (Feldman’s, 1988; Fritschner, 2000; Wade, 1994; Myers, et al., 2009 ), students’ background history and the culture (Hargis, 1997), teacher-student relationship (Barbara, 1996; Myers, et al., 2009), lack of module accessibility (Good and Brophy, 2006), fear and shy to speak in front of audience (Brophy, 1998; Fritschner, 2000; Weaver & Qi, 2005) and so on are the well-recognized factors which affect active participation of students in the classroom.
11
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
2.2 Methods that enhance participation in the classroom Different researches revealed that group work or cooperative learning system is useful to enhance motivation to learn, retention of knowledge, depth of understanding and appreciation of the subject matter being taught in the classroom (Graham et al., 2007; Felder & Brent, 1996). Ways which help to enhance classroom participation are respecting, appreciating and giving more time/chance for students to talk freely (Rita, 1996; Fassinger, 2000), applying studentstudent and two-way communication in teaching methodology, asking their opinions or views about points raised in the class, approaching friendly, communicating smoothly and stressing on empathy (Barbara, 1996), using inclusive language (Gorham, 1988; Kumar, 2007), reinforcement and encouraging for their feedback, developing positive interdependency, etc. 2.3 Important benefits gained by participation Participation in the classroom increases better understanding of the student about the lesson (Petress, 2006), developing self-confidence and eagerness to know more (Fewings & Wonder, 2009; Rich, 2004), enhances critical and analytical thinking ability (Raisa et al., 2014), improving the communication skills and interactions within and among the peers (Dancer & Kamvounias, 2005), developing interpretation, analysis and synthesis capacity (Abel, 2008; Bean & Peterson, 2016) and also they are developing the democratic cultures in their life. These are among some crucial benefits of participation which deeply-sensed and observed by various investigators. It encourages the social interactions inside and outside of the class, builds team-spirit and togetherness, develops good attitude and respect to others. Moreover, it also elevates the collaboration and cooperation to work in together and pillar to aggregated personal development (Bean & Peterson, 2016). Hence, enhancing participation in the classroom makes the education media more soundable and attractive for the generation and as well produces confidential society. 3. Methodology 3.1. Research Design Supple qualitative design was used for the study which deals with the current status of the situation under consideration. Steps followed: First problems were identified, second strategies to tackle the problems were designed, at third the designed strategies implemented and fourthly impact of the interventions was evaluated. 3.2. Sampling Techniques Since the study focuses on only one class (40 students) students all are included in the study. There is no especial sampling technique employed during the study. The total number of students registered to take the course â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Soil and water conservation engineeringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were included in an investigation. 3.3. Data Collection Methods For this action research both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected by using direct/closely and intensive observation in the classroom, informal interview, asking questions and distributing the suggestion/comment writing simple papers to the all class students. Secondary data were gathered from documents (registrar about the score of students and their background information) and from other teachers who are teaching second year Water Resources and Irrigation Management students.
12
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
3.4. Data Organization and Analysis The data gathered were interpreted qualitatively and expressed briefly with detailed explanations. Qualitatively here means that the data gathered were no structured questions and the view or outlook of the students regarding to the problems and challenges were not quantified in number. Students’ opinions and suggestions and as well the instructor views were incorporated elaborated without any measured value. 3.5. Interventions/Actions Taken To enhance students’ participation and to make teaching-learning arena conducive and attractive for both teachers and students, the following interventions/ actions were taken. • •
•
•
• •
Objectives of the lesson of the day is introduced briefly before starting the main points at the beginning. This activity was aimed to catch-up the students’ attention and to direct them what be expected from them at the end of the lesson. More time and opportunity were given to students to share their experience for others in the class and encouraging a free-talking system in the classroom (Fritschner, 2000). Appreciating those students who raise hot issues that enhance the participation of all students in the classroom. Inspiration and motivation to the students who raises questions can have a great impact on their emotion and feeling that would help to enhance their participation. Budgeting extra marks for active participation in the class on their final grade would be used as a means to increase participation (Boniecki & Moore, 2003). Orientation was given to arrange the sitting position of students to discuss in the group and to use think-pair-share strategy in the classroom. Circular/round/U-shaped sitting arrangement was preferred over the traditional and row and column sitting to augment the participation (Fritschner, 2000). Relevant seating arrangement promotes effective and efficient time utilization. Cooperative learning strategies (one to five group based cooperation strategy, i.e., one top scorer student leads the five students in the group and others participates in every activity which allocated for the group work) were applied to increase interdependency and selfconfidence among students. This may reduce the gap in between students and shyness that emanates from fear to each other (Winters, 2002). Duties and responsibilities are shared to every student during the class discussion and adequate support was delivered on the point they need by deploying and strengthening the spot-help-system. Equal observation are used to inspire and motivate all students without any discrimination. That means giving equal chance for the top, medium and low achiever students to be participant in every instant at classroom. Calling students by their name to encourage speaking, build self-esteem and scaling-up the recognition by other friends were another strategy applied as a tool to enhance students’ participation.
4. Results and Discussion 4.1 Factors hindering students’ participation in the classroom As suggestion given by students the factors which affect the participation of students in the classroom were fear for their friends, teaching methodology, sitting arrangement, teachers approach in the classroom and outside, shyness (based on their background and cultural influence), lack of material accessibility to prepare them before the session, schedule tightness that leads to prolixity, problem of language, lack of reinforcement and shortage of time. From the stated reasons the one which takes the lion-share is language problem. They couldn’t understand when teachers speaking in English language only and they being passive even if their 13
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
posture is present in the classroom. According to their opinion sometimes if teachers mix English language with Amharic it’s easy to understand and to reflect on issues that demands participation. Changing language from English to Amharic in between lecturing has a great potential to maintain students’ attention and clearly address the course objectives. Due to multilingualism of the nation some students are disappointed when the teachers deliver the lessons in Amharic language since they think the one who spoke the language as a mothertongue grasp more knowledge and this was considered as a favor. Teaching methodology has also a great impact on the students’ participation in the classroom. The majority of students said that only one-way communication kills their participation since teachers talk more without giving any chance to students. However, some students said that using two-way communication or active-learning strategy is considered as a time killing and energy saving strategy of instructors. But this idea has low weight on their comments. Most of the students appreciate an active-learning strategy compared to the old passive-learning system. Another problem is sitting arrangement and shortage of time to discuss issues raised by instructors and their classmates. Students sit in the classroom randomly as they wish and that hinders to apply cooperative learning, since it consumes time to reorganize their sitting arrangement. Some courses have short and small contents that can be covered by the class on the stated schedule period and it would favor the cooperative style. However, the courses like Soil and water Conservation Engineering (SWCE) which has wide content couldn’t be covered within the scheduled time and it leads to tension at the end of the semester termination. The portion of SWCE course is very wide due to this using group discussion and cooperative learning strategy to cover the content based on the schedule is too difficult. Even though the formation of groups is also an important task in the process of enhancing interaction and transforming the pair groups into effective teaching-learning teams. Lack of module accessibility in the library to prepare themselves before attending the class or session and after the class is one of the hindrances to the active participation. Aside to that teachers’ approach inside and outside the class have its own impact on the participation. If instructors approach friendly and appreciate students that may encourage classroom participation. However, if instructors are too serious in every circumstance the vice-versa is also true. 4.2 Effects of Intervention/Action Even though the effect of intervention is not addressed very well due to schedule overlapping for the national election related aspects in 2015; after the implementation of interventions some changes were observed in the classroom. Some of observed changes are the following: •
• •
14
Students speak freely without any fear and shyness to their friends in the classroom and ask questions about unclear things. By using media of instruction or local languages they raise questions and react to the ideas of others’ without any hesitation and hitch in the classroom. They have developed amiable social characteristics and well integrity with their friends and instructors. They have shown positive attitude towards cooperative learning and to arrange their sitting position to save the time without any hesitation. They improved positive interdependent learning style. Assumed first the active learning strategies as a way of instructors to reduce their work load but now they consider it as a tool to equip them with deep-sense of knowledge and experience sharing mechanism. Class atmosphere becomes warmer and noisy during the lesson after implementation of the strategies. But still now there is the persistent problem
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
• •
which is always waiting for teacher action or expecting all things from the teacher rather than practicing and exercising by themselves. Self-esteem and respecting each other also developed in the classroom and outside the class. They are being eager and vigilant when attending the class. 86% of students have shown great improvements on their final exam score in comparing with the pre-test score. That indicates the development of self-confidence and advancement in their level of thinking and understanding ability due to engagement in classroom participation.
5. Conclusion There are several factors which affect student’s participation in the classroom. Among the major or dominant factors language problem, sitting arrangement, teaching methodology, lack of module accessibility and shyness or fear to the instructors and classmates are arduous. To enhance students’ participation some interventions were applied such as using local language (Amharic) in addition to English on the points which need more clarity, student-centered approach and interactive teaching methodology, building self-confidence and creating positive interdependence by using cooperative learning system, and giving reinforcement. These strategies to some extent relaxed and motivated students in the classroom to be part and heart in teaching-learning process. As this action research revealed that students always demand a more interactive learning approach than the teacher centered approach even if it consumes more time and is challenging to apply in large classes. So, university should encourage cooperative learning application in the compound by giving/developing awareness to instructors. Teachers should observe their students condition in depth before delivering the lesson and take comments and suggestions after completing the session and should inform about the coming session lesson topic in advance. Acknowledgment I would like to thanks Mr. Girma Legesse, the Higher Diploma Program group leader for Education Educators in Dilla University, for his valuable suggestions and comments on this action research. My appreciation also goes to Dilla University for the sponsorship to attend the program. References Abel, G. (2008). Assessing tutorial participation and participation in assessing tutorials: A teaching intern's experience. In Preparing for the graduate of 2015. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, 30–31 January 2008. Perth: Curtin University of Technology. Barbara, C.H. (1996). Thirty years of stories: The professor’s place in student memories. Change, 28(6), 10-17. Bean, J. C.& Peterson, D.(2016). Grading Classroom Participation—Summary: Grading class participation signals students the kind of learning and thinking an instructor values. This chapter describes three models of class participation, several models for assessment including a sample rubric, problems with assessing classroom participation, and strategies for overcoming these problems. https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessing-classroomparticipation Binulal, K.R. (2013).Effects of Instructional Practices on Improving the Achievement of Low Achievers. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2013 1, ISSN 2250-3153
15
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Boniecki, K. A. & Moore, S. (2003). Breaking the silence: Using a token economy to reinforce classroom participation. Teaching of Psychology, 30, 224-227. (ES) Brophy, J. E. (1998). Motivating students to learn. Boston: McGraw Hill. Dallimore, E. J., Hertenstein, J. H., & Platt, M. B. (2004). Classroom participation and discussion effectiveness: Student-generated strategies. Communication Education, 53, 103-115. (ES) Dancer, D. & Kamvounias, P. (2005). Student involvement in assessment: A project designed to assess class participation fairly and reliably. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 30, 445-454. (ES) EEP (Ethiopian Education Policy). (1994). Federal Democratic Republic Government of Ethiopia. Education and Training Policy, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fassinger, P. A. (2000). How classes influence students’ participation in college classrooms. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 35, 38-47. (ES) Feldman, K.A. (1988). Effective college teaching from the students’ and the faculty’s view: Matched or mismatched priorities? Research in Higher Education, 28(4), 291-344. Felder, M. & Brent, R. (1996) ‘Navigating the Bumpy Road to Student-Centered Instruction’, College Teaching 44(2): 43–7. Fewings, D.R and Wonder, N.X. (2009). Classroom Participation Strategy: In Principles Of Finance Courses. American Journal of Business Education – March/April 2009, Vo2, No.2: 39-46. Fritschner, L. M. (2000). Inside the undergraduate college classroom: Faculty and students differ on the meaning of student participation. The Journal of Higher Education, 71, 342-362. (LR) Good, T. L., &Brophy, J. E. (2006). Looking in classrooms (8th ed.). New York: Longman. Gorham, J. (1988). The relationship between verbal teacher immediacy behaviors and student learning. Communication Education, 37, 40-53. Graham, C. R., Tripp, T. R., Seawright, L. & Joeckel, G. L. (2007) Empowering or Compelling Reluctant Participators Using Audience Response Systems, Active Learning in Higher Education, Vol 8(3): 233–258, DOI: 10.1177/1469787407081885 Hargis, C. H. (1997). Teaching low achieving and disadvantaged students (2nd ed.).Springfield, Ill.: Charles C Thomas. Haruna, P. F. (2007) Dimensions of Ethical Dilemmas in Classroom Participation, PA Times, Jun2007, Vol. 30 Issue 6, p6-6, 2/3p; Kumar D.R. (2007). Students’ Classroom Participation for Improved Learning in an English Language Skills Course: An Action Research Report. University of South Pacific, Working paper No.21. Myers, S. A., Horan, S. M., Kennedy-Lightsey, C. D., Madlock, P. E., Sidelinger, R. J., Byrnes, K., Frisby, B., & Mansson, D. H. (2009). The relationship between college students’ selfreports of class participation and perceived instructor impressions. Communication Research Reports,26, 123-133. Myers, S. A., Martin, M. M., & Mottet, T. P. (2002). Students’ motives for communicating with their instructors: Considering instructor socio-communicative style, student socio communicative orientation, and student gender. Communication Education, 51, 121-133. (ES)
16
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Norton, L.S. & Crowley, C.M. (1995). Can students be helped to learn how to learn? A evaluation of an Approaches to Learning programme for first-year degree students. Higher Education, 29, 307-328. Raisa,B.G.,Shehla,K.,Azra,A.,Shanaz,C.,Tanveer,S.,Yasmin,P.,Joanne,P.,& Enhancing Educators’ Skills for Promoting Critical Thinking in Discourses: A Randomized Control Trial. International Journal of Learning in Higher Education, Vol.26, No. 1, 37-54.
Donald, S.(2014). Their Classroom Teaching and
Rich, S. P. (2004), Student Performance: Does Effort Matter? Hankamer School of Baylor University, pp. 1-26.
Business,
Rita, R.C. (1996). Institutional commitment to fairness in college teaching. In L. Fisch (Ed.), Ethical dimensions of college and university teaching: Understanding and honoring the special relationship between teachers and students. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 66, 37-46. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Rocca, K. A. (2009). Participation in the college classroom: The impact of instructor immediacy and verbal aggression. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 43, 22-33. (ES) Snyder, K. D. (2003) Ropes, Poles, and Space: Active Learning in Business Education, Active Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 4(2): 159–167 [1469-7874 (200307) 4:2; 159– 167; 033891] Tatar, S. (2005). Why keep silent? The classroom participation experiences of non-native-English speaking students. Language and Intercultural Communication, 5, 284-293. (ES) Wade, R. (1994). Teacher education students’ views on class discussion: Implications for fostering critical reflection. Teaching and Teacher Education, 10, 231-243. (ES) Winters, E.(2002). Seven styles of learning: The part they play when developing interactivity. Retrieved June 3, 2002, from http://www.bena.com/ewinters/styles.html Zepke, N. & Leach, L. (2010). Improving Student Engagement: Ten Proposals for Action, Active Learning in Higher Education, 2010 11: 167, DOI: 10.1177/1469787410379680
17
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences p-ISSN: 1694-2620 e-ISSN: 1694-2639 Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 18-28, ŠIJHSS
Beverage engineers: Creative international STEM project Research Professor Dr. Dana M Barry (corresponding author)) Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA Associate Professor Dr. Shigeru Katsuyama Osaka University Osaka, Japan Dean Professor Dr. Toshihiro Tanaka Graduate School of Engineering Osaka University Osaka, Japan Deputy President, Professor Dr. Hideyuki Kanematsu National Institute of Technology, Suzuka College Suzuka, Mie Japan Abstract Students have an opportunity to participate in a creative engineering / international STEM project, prepared and facilitated by the authors. They are challenged to create their best tasting, nutritious fruit juice. In addition, they are asked to provide a catchy name and to design a special container for their drink. This project is an international collaboration between professors in the United States and Japan. It is a preliminary investigation and relates to various topics in education including chemistry and chemical engineering (the fruits, etc. contain various chemicals with different properties), materials science (students select a specific material such as glass or plastic for storing their drinks), and creative design (students design attractive containers for their beverages). In addition, this activity is an exercise in entrepreneurship, because it gives the participants a chance to invent and name a potential, new product for consumers. Keywords: Creative education, multisensory approach, STEM, engineering education, teamwork, fruit juice, entrepreneurship. Introduction STEM education focuses on the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM. (Kanematsu & Barry, 2016). This includes all grade levels from pre-school to post-doctorate positions (Chen, 2009; Gonzalez & Kuenzi, 2012). STEM education, especially when combined with creativity, is essential for all countries wanting to strengthen their power and status. World leading countries need a sufficient supply of qualified STEM graduates to creatively solve challenging problems and compete globally. Therefore, it is important to introduce students (of all ages) to the STEM components and motivate them to pursue studies in
18
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
these fields. For our purpose, we refer to creativity as the ability to produce original ideas, items, and services, and to combine existing ones in different ways for new purposes (Kozbelt et al., 2010). Creativity involves higher levels of thinking (like synthesis and evaluation in Bloom’s Taxonomy) and is important for all areas of education (Bloom & Krathwohl, 1956; Hicks, 2015). Each field of study has problems to solve that rely on creative ideas for the possible solutions. Educators need to assist students in the processes of discovering and developing their creative potential in order to become the innovative scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs of the future (Ward, 2004). Barry initiated a program (in collaboration with Kanematsu) to promote creativity and combine it with STEM education at the international level (Barry & Kanematsu, 2006; 2007; 2008; 2010). The Creative Education program includes various teaching methods and activities for both the real and virtual world (Barry & Smith, 2008; Barry & Kanematsu, 2007; Kanematsu & Barry, 2011; Barry et al., 2009; Stimulating Interest in Science, 2009; Kanematsu et al., 2014; Barry et al., 2014; Barry et al., 2015; Dharmawansa et al., 2014; Barry et al., 2012) . One of the teaching methods is called the Multisensory Teaching Approach (Chemical Sensation Project), which was developed to meet the learning style needs of all students (Barry, 2003; Kanematsu et al., 2003; Barry et al., 2003; Barry et al., 2013). Some learn by seeing, while others learn by listening, or carrying out hands-on activities. This method requires instructors to incorporate the use of the senses (examples: seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching) into their science lessons and engineering design projects. To complement the Multisensory Teaching Approach, the authors prepared a STEM activity “Beverage Engineers,” which was successfully carried out by students at Osaka University. Their work is presented and described. Beverage activity begins A variety of drinks are consumed each day by people throughout the world. Some, like milk and orange juice are nutritious, while others such as non-diet sodas contain sugar and lots of calories. This international, creative education activity provides students with a problem to solve, which is actually an opportunity for them to design their best tasting, nutritious fruit juice. The project is a preliminary investigation where the participants carry out research in a laboratory setting as they follow the steps of a typical Engineering Design Process. This process includes a problem to solve, data collection, design requirements, the generation and evaluation of possible solutions to the problem, etc. (Horenstein, 2006). Students (as Beverage Engineers) work in teams of two or three members and use a variety of fruits (five to ten different types) to prepare an innovative drink. Also each group is asked to write a name and recipe for their beverage and to design an attractive container for promoting it at the marketplace. This lesson encourages students to use their senses (examples: taste and smell) to analyze fruits and their juices in order to propose something new, a creative drink. It also nurtures communication skills and the planning capability of science and engineering students because they need to solve several problems as a group effort. At Osaka University, eight teams (of two students each) were provided with five different fruits (oranges, bananas, seedless grapes, apples, and peaches). To start, they washed the fruit. Then the students carefully analyzed each type to determine its physical properties such as color, shape, size, smell, taste, surface texture, etc. See Figure 1. The information was recorded in the “Fruit’s Physical Properties” section of their Data Chart. Their general observations showed that the orange was round and seedless, had an orange color and was not so sweet. It had more of a sour taste. The banana was mostly yellow with a curvy shape, had a strong smell, and was sweet if ripe. The grape was seedless and small, purple in color, had an oval to round shape, and tasted sweet. Each apple had a reddish/yellow color and the cut pieces quickly turned
19
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
brown (oxidized) when exposed to air. The peach was mainly a red to pink color, with some yellow, and had a fuzzy skin. Both the peach and apple were somewhat sweet.
Figure 1: Students analyze various types of fruit. The participants also used computers and iPads to find out the health benefits of each fruit. This information was recorded on the Data Chart. All of the fruits used in this activity are nutritious and contain vitamins. A brief statement is provided for each one. Oranges are rich in Vitamin C, which helps to strengthen our immune systems (Ware, November 18, 2015). Bananas are high in potassium and pectin, a form of fiber (Ware, January 11, 2016). Potassium helps regulate fluid balance in the body and controls the electrical activity of the heart and other muscles. On the other hand, fiber helps maintain bowel health. Grapes contain vitamins, minerals, and anthocyanins with antioxidants (Ware, January 9, 2016). The human body produces free radicals which cause illnesses, etc. Antioxidants counter the damaging effects of free radicals. Apples are high in fiber and Vitamin C (Nordqvist, 2016 ). Peaches are a good source of Vitamins A and C (Ware, February 9, 2016).Vitamin A is important for good vision. Materials Each team used the following materials to carry out this special drink project. They had 3 oranges, 1 banana, 1 bunch of seedless grapes, 2 apples, and 2 peaches to make a specific juice for each type of fruit. Other materials needed for this activity were 8 large cups (5 for each individual juice type and 3 for each potential best tasting, nutritious fruit drink), labels, plastic spoons, plastic knives, small paper cups for students and judges to use for sampling the juices, bottled water, paper towels, juicer & small bowl to hold the juice, blender, calibrated measuring cups, etc. computer, iPad, Data Chart, and Fruit Juice Combination Chart. The students also had a store bought container of juice to examine. Fruit juice preparation procedures In order to reduce the number of experimental variables, the teams used the same procedures (developed by the authors) to prepare a specific juice for each fruit. The fruit juice preparation procedures are provided. Orange Juice: Use a plastic knife to cut 3 oranges in half. Then squeeze them using a juicer. Collect & save the juice in a labeled container.
20
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Banana Juice: Remove the skin from a banana. Then put small pieces of 1 whole banana into a blender. Add 1 cup of water & blend one minute on a medium setting. Save & label the juice. Grape Juice: Put 1 cup of seedless grapes and 0.5 cups of water into a blender. Blend for 1 minute. Save & label the juice. Apple Juice: Remove the stem, core, and seeds from 2 apples. Put small apple pieces and 1 cup of water into a blender. Blend for 1 minute & save the juice in a labeled container. See Figure 2. Peach Juice: Remove pits from 2 peaches. Put small pieces of each peach & 1 cup of water into a blender. Blend for 1 minute. Save & label the juice.
Figure 2: Students use blenders to make grape and apple juice. After preparing all individual fruit juice types, the team members closely analyzed them to obtain information about their appearance, smell, taste, etc. Since this was a multisensory activity, the methodology (for evaluating both the fruits and fruit juices) focused on the use of our senses. In regards to taste, the bottled water did not really have any. Acidic fruits, like oranges and their juices, tended to have a sour taste. Fruit /juice like grape, tasted sweet because it contains sugar. Of course, the sense of taste depends on an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taste buds, etc. (Owen, 2015). Students used their eyes (sense of sight) to determine the attractiveness of a drink and their nose (sense of smell) to determine its aroma. Juice consumers make judgements using their senses too. All juice data was recorded in the Fruit Juice section of the Data Chart. General observations of the juices indicated that the banana, apple, and grape juices were foamy (mainly due to air bubbles). The orange juice was orange. The banana juice was an off white color and the grape juice was purple. The apple juice appeared thick and light brown in color. The peach juice was brown too. Also the banana juice and orange juice had a strong smell. NOTE: Students who used ripe fruit prepared sweet fruit juices. The degree of sweetness tends to increase with an increase in sugar content. Students were encouraged to obtain more information about each juice by using simple equations and instruments available in their laboratories. For example, the density of each juice could be determined by using the following equation. Density = Mass per unit Volume. D = M/V
21
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
One needs a clean, graduated cylinder to measure the volume of juice and a scale to determine the mass of that amount of juice. Colorimetry is used to determine the concentration of colored compounds in solution ( Colorimetry, 2016; Chen et al.2016 ). This technique may be useful for colorful fruit drinks. Take the food dye Allura Red as an example. Its concentration can be determined by measuring the absorption of light through the solution. The concentration of an unknown solution containing Allura Red is determined by measuring its absorbance with a colorimeter that has been calibrated for Allura Red. In order to do this, a stock solution must be prepared, from which four solutions of known concentration will be made. The absorbance of each is measured and then graphed versus concentration (x-axis) to give a calibration plot. The absorbance of the unknown sample is located on the y-axis of the graph. Its corresponding concentration can be found on the x-axis. Both concentration and solution length are allowed for in the Beer-Lambert Law (Clark, 2016). An interesting article that relates to this work is titled “Peak Response Identification through Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis on Aqueous Sucrose, Glucose, and Fructose Solution,” (Omar et al., 2012). It describes near infrared spectroscopy analysis for sugar solutions. Alternatives for the best tasting nutritious drink It is essential for beverage engineers to exercise their critical and creative thinking skills. Therefore during this preliminary investigation, the student engineers carefully analyzed and evaluated the fruit and fruit juice information on their Data Charts. As a team, they discussed it and decided the desired properties (engineering design requirements) needed for their best tasting, nutritious drink. A particular color, smell, thickness, and degree of sweetness, etc. were selected for their beverage. Each group created plans (recipes) and used them to prepare three alternatives (possible solutions) for their best tasting, nutritious drink. If a drink was to be sweet, then appropriate juice(s) and their correct amounts needed to be combined in order to make the best tasting drink. Of course, various amounts of each added juice could be adjusted several times until the team was satisfied with the taste. A similar procedure was also used to produce the best final drink’s color, density, etc. Therefore, all changes and adjustments made to each alternative drink were incorporated into the final recipe for that drink. It is true that recipes for fruit drinks exist. However, many store-bought juices contain colored sugar water (Boulton et al. 2016). Osaka University students used their senses, items available in the laboratory, and their obtained fruit/juice information to combine fruit juices in a new way. They created drinks with a unique color, aroma, taste, etc. The alternative drinks were closely analyzed and evaluated (taking into account the beverage’s engineering design requirements). This information was recorded on the Fruit Juice Combination Chart. Finally, each of the 8 teams selected their best tasting, nutritious drink (all of which contained orange juice). Since there were 8 best beverages, several instructors judged them to determine the best tasting, nutritious drink of all the participants. The winning drink was prepared by Team 5 and consisted of 40% orange juice, 30% apple juice, and 30% grape juice. NOTE: The recipes for each team’s alternatives and best tasting, nutritious drink are provided on Table 1.
22
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
DATA CHART Fruit
Physical Properties
Health Benefits
Fruit Juice Properties
Orange _________________________________________________________________________ Banana _________________________________________________________________________ Grape __________________________________________________________________________ Apple ___________________________________________________________________________ Peach _______________________________________________________________________
FRUIT JUICE COMBINATION CHART (List Fruit Juices Combined and Amounts of Each. Also List other Information such as Appearance, Smell, Taste, etc.) Alternative 1: ___________________________________________________________________________ Alternative 2: ___________________________________________________________________________ Alternative 3: ___________________________________________________________________________ Solution to the Problem: List the best alternative. ___________________________________________________________________________
23
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
TABLE 1: Team Alternatives & Best Tasting, Nutritious Drink Team Number 1
Alternative #1
Alternative #2
Alternative #3
Best Drink
50%
50% banana juice, 50% peach juice
Alternative #3
33 & 1/3% of each: grape, orange, & apple juice 30% orange juice, 30% peach juice, 30% grape juice, 5% apple juice, & 5% banana juice
50% peach juice, 50% banana juice 30% grape juice, 25% peach juice, 20% orange juice, 15% apple juice, & 10 % banana juice
33 & 1/3 % of each: orange, grape, & banana juice 50% orange juice, 50% apple juice 20% of each: grape, orange, apple, banana, & peach juice
2
4
25% of each: apple, orange, grape & peach juice 50% orange juice, 50% grape juice
40% orange juice, 40% grape juice, & 20% banana juice 40% grape juice, 30% orange juice, & 30% banana juice
Alternative #1
5
33& 1/3 % of each: peach, grape, & orange juice 40% orange juice, 30% apple juice, & 30% grape juice
6
50% peach juice, 50% orange juice
50% orange juice, 50% grape juice
20% of each: peach, banana, orange, grape, & apple juice
Alternative #1
7
40% peach juice, 30% grape juice, & 10% of each: orange, banana, & apple juice
50% peach juice, 25% apple juice, & 25% orange juice
Alternative #1
8
25% of each: peach, grape, orange, & banana juice
50% grape juice, 25% orange juice, & 25% banana juice 33& 1/3 % of each: grape, apple, & orange juice
50% orange juice, & 50% grape juice
Alternative #3
3
50% banana orange juice
juice,
Alternative #3 Alternative #1
Alternative #2 (Selected by Judges as best drink.)
Names and container designs for the best drinks Students examined fruit juices purchased at the store. They noted the name, bottle design, and ingredients. A container of mango peach juice consisted mostly of sugar and water. It was only 5% juice. The backside of its plastic bottle was indented inward for an easy grip with one hand. A plastic container of cranberry juice was also analyzed. It was more nutritious than the mango peach juice. The drink contained cranberry juice, Vitamin C, potassium, etc. Its bottle had a narrow neck to provide an easy grip. Next, each team was asked to create a name and design an attractive container to promote their drink to consumers. They also selected a material (such as glass or plastic, etc.) for their container. Results for two student teams are displayed in Figures 3 and 4. In Figure 3, a student shares the plastic container design for the best drink of Team 3. See Table 1. The bottle is shaped like a leaf and has a unique cap. This drink is called Nafreco. It has color, is fresh, and comes from nature. The name was derived from the following words. Nature + Fresh + Color = Nafreco
24
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Figure 3: A student describes the container design for the best tasting, nutritious drink (called Nafreco) of Team 3. Figure 4 contains the design for the plastic container to hold the best tasting, nutritious drink of Team 5 (selected as overall winner for best drink of the 8 teams). See Table 1. This container holds 3 different juices, with each in a separate section. A slurry is at the bottom of each section. Such a versatile container allows consumers to drink individual juices (orange, apple, or grape) or to combine them by shaking the bottle. This special drink is called Shaking Fruit.
Figure 4: This is the container design for the best tasting, nutritious drink for Team 5. It is versatile and allows consumers to drink individual juices (orange, apple, or grape) or to combine them by shaking the bottle.
25
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Conclusion This educational project, which complements Barry’s and Kanematsu’s international program in Creative Education, was between professors in the United States and Japan. It provided students at Osaka University with an opportunity to create their best tasting, nutritious fruit juice. They (as Beverage Engineers) worked in teams of two members and used a variety of fruits (five different types) to prepare an innovative drink. Also each group wrote a name and recipe for their beverage and designed an attractive container for promoting it at the marketplace. This lesson encouraged them to use their senses (examples: taste and smell) to analyze fruits and fruit juices in order to propose something new, a creative drink. It also nurtured their communication skills and planning capability because they needed to solve several problems as a team effort. This is an excellent activity for engineering education /STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Also it is a great exercise in entrepreneurship, because it gives the students a chance to invent and name a potential, new product for consumers. Acknowledgments Special thanks are extended to the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University; the Center for International Affairs, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, and to Dean Professor Toshihiro Tanaka’s Lab, Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University; for their great support and assistance. Also we thank the National Institute of Technology, Suzuka College; and Clarkson University's Departments of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering. References Barry, D. M. (2003): International chemical sensation project. Tokai Kagaku Kougyoukai, in Japan, 11. Barry, D. M., Kanematsu, H., Kobayashi, T., and Shimofuruya, H (2003): Multisensory science. (Idea Bank) The Science Teacher, 66. Barry, D.M. and Kanematsu, H. (2006): International program to promote creative thinking in chemistry and science. The Chemist, 83 (2), 10-14. Barry, D. M. and Kanematsu, H. (2007): Workshops in creative education for students and teachers in the United States and Japan. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education’s International Frontiers in Education Conference, Milwaukee, WI. Barry, D. M., and Kanematsu, H (2007): Develop critical thinking skills, solve a mystery, learn science. U.S.: Tate Publishing. Barry, D.M. and Kanematsu, H. (2008): International program promotes creative thinking in science. The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) online paper, ED 500317, The Institute of Education Science, The US Department of Education. Barry, D. M. and Smith, R. W. (2008): Plan, develop, display, present science projects. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Barry, D. M., Kanematsu, H. and Kobayashi, T. (2009): Creative engineering design activity using aluminum foil. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Education and Research (ICEE & ICEER), Seoul, Korea. Barry, D.M. and Kanematsu, H. (2010): International collaboration: Creative engineering design program between the US and Japan. In Win Aung, Jerzy Moscinski, James Uhomoibhi, and Wei-Chung Wang (Eds.), Innovations 2010: World innovations in engineering education and
26
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
research (pp. 163-176). Arlington, VA: International Network for Engineering Education and Research. Barry, D. M., Kanematsu, H., Fukumura, Y., Kobayashi, T., Ogawa, N., and Nagai, H. (2012): Problem-based learning for US and Japan students in a virtual environment. In T. Watanabe et al. (Eds.), Intelligent Interactive Multimedia Systems & Services, SIST 14 (pp.479488). Berlin & Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. Barry, D. M., Tanaka, T., and Kanematsu, H. (2013): Osaka University students use English to carry-out a creative engineering project about tsunamis. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, 2 (11), 3688-3694. Barry, D. M., Kanematsu, H., Fukumura, Y., Kobayashi, T., Ogawa, N., and Nagai, H. (2014): Problem-based learning activities in Second Life. International Journal of Modern Education Forum, 3 (1), 7-12. doi: 10.14355/ijmef.2014.0301.02 Barry, D. M. Ogawa, N., Dharmawansa, A., Kanematsu, H., Fukumura, Y., Shirai, T., Yajima, K., and Kobayashi, T. (2015): Evaluation for students’ learning manner using eye blinking system in metaverse. Procedia Computer Science, 60, 1195-1204. Bloom, B.S. and Krathwohl, D.R. (1956): Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals, by a Committee of College and University Examiners. Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York, Longmans. Boulton, J. Hashem, K.M., Jenner, K.H., Lloyd-Williams, F., Bromley, H. and Capewell, S. (2016, March 23). How much sugar is hidden in drinks marketed to children? A survey of fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies. Retrieved from http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/3/e010330.full Chen, X. (2009, July).Students who study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in postsecondary education. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009161.pdf Chen, X., Wang, F. Hyun, J.Y., Wei, T.,Qiang, J., Ren, X., Shen, I. , and Yoon, J. (2016). Recent progress in the development of fluorescent, luminescent and colorimetric probes for detection of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Chem. Soc. Rev. 45, 2976-3016. doi: 10.1039/C6CS00192K Clark, J. (2016, May). The Beer-Lambert law. Retrieved from http://www.chemguide.co.uk/analysis/uvvisible/beerlambert.html Colorimetry. (2016, May 31). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorimetry_(chemical_method) Dharmawansa, A., Fukumura, Y., Kanematsu, H., Kobayashi, T., Ogawa, N., Barry, D. M, (2014): Introducing eye blink of a student to the virtual world and evaluating the affection of the eye blinking during the e-learning. Procedia Computer Science, 35, 12291238. Gonzalez, H. B. and Kuenzi, J. J. (2012): Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education: A primer, CRS Report for Congress, 12-15. Hicks, K. (2015, March 17). Why creativity in the classroom matters more than ever. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/creativity-in-the-classroom/ Horenstein, M.N. (2006). Design concepts for engineers (3rded.). NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Kanematsu, H.; Barry, D. M., Shimofuruya, H.; and Kobayashi, T. (2003): International education project “Chemical Sensation” - A challenge for attractive chemical classes. Materia Japan (Bulletin of Japan Institute of Metals), 529. Kanematsu, H., Barry, D. M. (2011): STEM education and creative engineering design. Proceedings of the 2011 Annual Meeting for Japan Association for College of Technology (JACT), Suzuka, Japan, 17.
27
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
Kanematsu, H, Kobayashi, T., Barry, D. M., Fukumura, Y., Dharmawansa, A., Ogawa, N. (2014): Virtual STEM class for nuclear safety education in metaverse. Procedia Computer Science, 35, 1255-1261. Kanematsu, H. and Barry, D. M. (2016): STEM and ICT education in intelligent environments. Springer. Kozbelt, A., Beghetto, R. A. and Runco, M. A. (2010): Theories of creativity. In James Kaufman and Robert Sternberg (Eds.) The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (pp. 20-47). Cambridge University Press. Nordqvist, J. (2016, January 12). Apples: Health benefits, facts, research. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267290.php Omar, A. F., Atan, H., and Jafri, M. Z. M. (2012): Peak response identification through nearinfrared spectroscopy analysis on aqueous sucrose, glucose, and fructose solution. Spectroscopy Letters, 45(3), 190 - 201. doi: 10.1080/00387010.2011.604065 Owen, D. (2015, November). Beyond taste buds: The science of delicious. National Geographic Magazine. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/food-science-of-taste-text S(t)imulating interest in science (2009, April). NSTA Reports, 20( 8), 15. Ward, T. B. (2004): Cognition, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 19, 173-188. Ware, M. (2016, February 9). Peaches: Health benefits, facts, research. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/274620.php Ware, M. (2016, January 11). Bananas: Health benefits, facts, research. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271157.php Ware, M. (2016, January 9). Grapes: Health benefits, facts, research. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271156.php Ware, M. (2015, November 18). Oranges: Health benefits, nutritional information. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272782.php
28
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences p-ISSN: 1694-2620 e-ISSN: 1694-2639 Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 29-40, ŠIJHSS
The Ethical Aspect of Journalist's Work Nikolai Lukianovich Volkovskiy Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Embankment 7/9, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia Abstract The article addresses some of the ethical issues in modern activities of journalists. The study was carried out based on the materials of the media with use of certain national and international regulations that determine the activity of mass media, ethical code of professional journalist communities and a number of studies on the problems of morality in the press. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of cases of violation of professional ethics, the reasons of their appearance in the activities of journalists. The article discusses the problem: the impartiality of the journalist; his ability to communicate not only verbally, but not verbally; ability to submit information about the disaster without unnecessary sensationalism and dramatization; danger of reckless use of journalist's rights and freedoms. Estimates of experts on the causes of these negative phenomena in journalism. Strong emphasis is placed on issues of morality in the coverage of conflicts, natural disasters and other emergency situations. According to the author, the research work of correspondents in extreme conditions requires them there special knowledge and skills as the audience expects from the media assessment of the events, which forms its attitude towards them. Keywords: Journalist, responsibility.
ethics,
sensationalism,
professionalism, rights,
freedom,
duty,
1. Introduction Freedom of the mass media is inextricably linked to ethical values and cannot exist without the responsibility of the journalist. This is required of them by codes of professional associations, corporate culture of editorial teams, current moral aspects of journalism, which they seek to instill in them at the university. Media professionals, however, do not always follow them. Why? According to professor O.D. Kuznetsova (Ukraine), researcher of journalistic ethics issues, the modern media often reminds us of a driver who knows how to drive the car, but does not know the traffic rules (13, 6). It is this to which she attributes all accidents, mishaps, and sometimes even international scandals that shake up the society. There are other reasons that are examined by the author of this publication. Ethics in every aspect, if not all, is put on the conscience of the journalist. Only their conscience can dictate how they should behave in a given situation: to help a person or just capture their moment of grief. Researchers believe that the current decline in the moral culture in the society
29
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
is caused by a certain measure of moral decline of the media. Crisis of ethics in journalism is increasingly recognized in the professional environment of media workers and the public. Forming the moral consciousness of people through mass media calls for further development and improvement of professional journalistic ethics and its introduction into practicะต of the media. 2. Methodology The study of the ethical aspect of modern journalistic activity included, above all, monitoring the media, selection of materials on ethical topics and their classification by issue. Particular emphasis was placed on the analysis of information, the preparation of which the journalists admitted violation of the ethical standards of professional ethics. The study of media materials was carried out using mainly logical methods of cognition (analysis, synthesis, comparison, analogy, abstraction, concretization), discourse analysis, intent analysis. For an in-depth understanding of the ethical issues of modern journalism historical method was used, which allowed to make more informed conclusions on the researched object. Also, in this paper authors appealed to the quantitative method presented by content analysis and meaningful analysis of publications; they carried out bibliographic research, organized the obtained information. In the study of the media and the selection of materials both Russian-speaking and global media databases have been used (including INTEGRUM, Factiva, etc.). Combination of different research methods and tools has allowed for a more objective examination of the research issue. 3. Research findings 3.1.
Impartiality of the correspondent
News programs on radio and television together reported that a well-known Russian opposition leader, after participating in a rally and street procession ended up in a local Department of Internal Affairs. The police said that he was "invited to give explanations" on the complaint of bodily harm. A 20-year-old student of Journalism Department claimed that she had received injuries "as a result of his actions during the interview." She introduced herself to internal affairs officers as freelance correspondent of one of the regional media. According to the young woman, the opposition leader's reaction followed after he had heard from people around about the young journalist's preferences for "Young Guard" movement by "United Russia" party, which is leading in parliamentary elections (22). "Our radio station does not side with either legal authorities or the system opposition, it maintains a position of neutrality and objective approach to the coverage of events. Why do members of the opposition, allegedly fighting for justice, allow themselves insolent acts against the press? I would like to ask the law enforcement agencies - when will journalists finally be protected?" it said on the website of the media, freelance employee of which the young woman claimed to be (22). At first glance, it seemed that journalists had the truth on their side. But if you delve deeper into the problem, it turns out that whilst the radio station really does not side with anyone and
30
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
maintains a position of neutrality, the journalist sympathizes with "Young Guard" movement by "United Russia". On hearing this, the other person could have doubted the impartiality of the media employee, and that may have caused his inappropriate reaction. Apparently the young reporter had not been taught that many countries had their journalists ethics codes. For instance, the Society of Professional Journalists (US) Code of Ethics states: "Journalists should not accept any other jobs, they should remain free from political work, public service, if such activities compromise impartiality of the journalist or their employer" (10). As we can see, it can be of great use to exchange experience of mass communications with our colleagues-journalists from other countries. And especially if we learn not only from positive experience but also scrutinize each other's mistakes. 3.2. TV presenter's gesture caused international scandal It reminds me of a recent case on Russian television which was also reported by foreign media. On live Ren-TV channel the anchorwoman was speaking about the APEC summit: "Today Dmitry Medvedev has become the chairman of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Earlier this post was held by US President Barack Obama "(16). And right after these words she showed her middle finger ... In that way the anchorwoman caused a little international scandal by showing her middle finger on air. The West was perplexed by the fact that the obscene gesture was made right after the name of the US President Barack Obama. Some interpreted this as an attempt to insult the American leader. The leadership of the TV channel treated the journalist's act as 'a gross violation of live programme guidelines and a lack of professionalism'. Despite her status of being a winner of TAFFY — the most prestigious television award in Russia, the presenter was fired (17). Communicating non-verbally with each other, many journalists often do not take time to think what certain signs, gestures and symbols may mean for a person of different culture or nationality. According to estimates made by American psychologist A. Merabyan, our words contain only 7% of information, 38% comes from voice and intonation, 55% - from facial expressions and gestures. The importance of non-verbal stimuli is reflected in the fact that if words express one thing and the voice — something else, the viewer will believe the voice. And if the face "says" a different thing at that moment — then the face. The study of gestures, postures and body movements used in communication is known as kinesics. There are gestures called illustrators; these are descriptive and visual gestures that lose their meaning outside the context of speech. Gestures, movements of body, hands or wrists that accompany speech, have their own meaning for each nation (12). Thus, unlike Russians, Germans and French people do not bend, but extend their fingers while counting. Referring to one's self, a European person would point to his chest, a Japanese — to his nose. In Middle Eastern countries, the left hand is considered "impure"; a communicator, actively gesticulating with his left hand may be considered unwelcome. In Japan, upward head movement does not mean 'I agree', but 'I'm listening carefully'. And their pointing gesture is interpreted by Americans as begging. Some cultures (eg, Jewish, Italian) encourage the use of expressive gestures while talking, while others (especially Eastern) — on the contrary, disapprove 31
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
of it. In addition, there are modal and ritual gestures, emblem gestures. Modal gestures express emotional assessment, attitude to things and people. These are gestures of approval, frustration, irony, mistrust, uncertainty, pain, thoughts, confusion, etc. Ritual gestures (Christians cross themselves, Muslims at the end of prayers move their hands from top down, etc.) are closely linked to a particular culture and lose their meaning beyond its borders. Conventional gestures that carry information by themselves are known as emblems. They are used consciously and convey an autonomous message, like a word or a phrase, and, therefore, are classified as quasilinguistic. Emblems are used for greetings and farewells, invitations, bans, insults etc. Usually they are related to national traditions and can generate a false code translation in foreign cultural audiences. A good example of this is the final scene of "Double Impact" movie. Main character played by Jean Claude Van Damme connects his thumb and index finger in an 'o' sign. In the US, this means "all rightÂť (o'kay), in Japan - money, in some regions of Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an insult ("you are a zero, nothing"), and in Portugal and Latin America, this gesture is considered rude and vulgar ( interpreted as an invitation to have sex). Another example is a picture of American soldiers captured by Koreans in 1968. It was taken by the Korean side and sent to the US to show that prisoners were kept in good conditions. But as soon as the photo was released, Americans noticed a detail: The prisoners extended their middle fingers (a gesture that indicates a negative attitude in America). That was enough to "decipher" disobedience and contempt, and also to understand that not everything was all right with the prisoners. It is clear why the Russian TV presenter was fired: her middle finger was deciphered by the American media as "Screw you!" addressed at Barack Obama. All this should be taken into account while training prospective journalists skills and types of professional communication. Our foreign colleagues journalists are not exempt from similar "bloopers", however. For example, in mid-February 2012, America's leading radio station KFI-AM 640 presenters John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou during the program dedicated to Whitney Houston who died an early death, used slang words such as "crack" and "coke whore". For such immoderate comments made towards the pop star, despite their popularity, they were suspended from work for "tactlessness and discourtesy." In a statement, the radio station said that "management does not support or tolerate such comments." The front men admitted their mistake and apologized to the listeners as well as the singer's friends and family. "We made a mistake and agree with the decision of the radiostation's management. We used inappropriate language ", Kobylt stressed. (18). In every country, at different times journalism bloopers were treated in different ways. In France, for instance, TV presenters who use British equivalents instead of French words, get fined. If they would fine for television mistakes in Russia, monetary penalties would be enormous. One of the veterans of Russian telejournalism Anna Shatilova notes that on average speakers make up to 50 speech errors in one news program (15).
32
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
3.3.
Impressive scenarios of the "doomsday"
"Natural disasters plague the world", "The Greenland ice melts faster than in the past 50 years", "800 thousand homes in the UK can be flooded due to climate change" - these and other headlines in media about calamities, depicting the world as being on the verge of collapse, create an impression that journalists are competing with each other in the quest for the most spectacular scenario for the doomsday. The inclination of modern journalism towards sensationalism and excessive dramatization of events to attract the attention of the audience actually has a boomerang effect: reader rejects any information on accidents and natural disasters. Here is a statement posted on the Internet about one of the disasters of the summer 2011: "I personally think there is no need to stir up and shock the public!" Dead bodies being raised from the bottom of the sea shown live on TV will not make the situation any better. What the survivors and relatives of victims need is assistance from psychologists, but not a live show. " From the point of view of social psychology, each such news release is a potential disaster. Psychologists of EMERCOM urge the media to give more balanced information about survivors and victims, being mindful of their relatives. "Practice shows that the psychological state of survivors and relatives of victims during emergencies is negatively impacted by several factors: the magnitude of the emergency situation itself, distance from home and how widely and objectively it is covered in media," said Yulia Shoigu, Director of the Center for Emergency Psychological Aid of the Emergency Ministry (20). In her opinion, it is unacceptable to place the focus on the horrors and nightmares, and what those people had to go through before death. "This causes serious trauma and makes the relatives of the victims suffer even more," explained the expert (20). These words are reinforced by the fact that after the plane crash in the Ukrainian city of Lvov, its mayor L. Bunyak directly appealed to the media to stop describing the footage of the tragedy on the pages of newspapers and on television. The appeal stated that according to information of City health department, after reports about the disaster in Lvov, the number of people calling the helpline increased dramatically. "Number of people in need of psychiatric or psychological help is growing exponentially," it said in the mayor's appeal (15). According to many researchers, the media savor tragedies and capitalize on them. "I beg you to rather tell, write and show those people who help relatives and friends of the victims in time of disaster, about their kindness, compassion and mercy", mayor of Lvov called upon journalists (15). In pursuit of sensationalism and tragic information journalists forget to find out the true causes of the accident, and thus, the deep side remains intact. Let's say a disaster happens somewhere, media representatives go to that place and give reports for a few days. And then â&#x20AC;&#x201D; silence, as if nothing happened. Did they manage to eliminate the consequences? How did this influence the nature? All of this remains behind the scenes.
33
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
3.4.
"In stringer's job there is no place for decency ..."
But particularly in recent years, it is shocking to see images and footage of television broadcasts from emergency spots. The whole world now knows South African photojournalist Kevin Carter, who covered and documented the conflicts in the African soil. He was the first to photograph a public execution by burning a person. His photos have caused outrage and condemnation of Apartheid. Carter became world famous when he arrived to Sudan to photograph the terrible famine caused by civil war. The notorious shot of the starving little girl and the hooded vulture watching her in the background became spread all over the world. After it appeared in "New York Times", the newspaper received numerous calls from readers interested to know what happened to the child. Sadly, nobody knew her fate. Later on Carter said that he was sorry for not having helped the little girl. But it was too late. Silent judgment, which later turned into a loud one, levelled against the photojournalist. Keven Carter won the Pulitzer prize for the photo of starving Sudanese girl. This same photo pushed him towards the fatal step: only two months after the award, on 27 July 1994, 34-year old Kevin Carter died by his own hand of carbon monoxide poisoning (9). We know that working in "hot spots", the reporter should always decide for themselves: how do you combine changing the way you perceive the world with your journalistic duty? "We need <...> to dissociate ourselves from what is happening, says Stefan Israel, Swiss journalist. This is the best protection. At the same time, the distance should not be large, otherwise it will lead to cynicism. But it should not be too small either: this may adversely affect the psyche. What we need to do is find some sort of "happy medium" "(4,131). Finding a "happy medium" is very difficult. Many photojournalists working in "hot spots" eventually become very cynical. Stringers are believed to be the harshest cynics in journalism. One of them - Eduard Jafarov, a winner of Russian and international film festivals, operator not only for Russian, but also the largest international broadcasters - CNN, BBC, CBC, NBC. This person has got 15 years of stringership and 35 "hot spots" under his belt. He is the author of famous documentary "Stringer". Here's how he defines his profession: "Stringer is the highest degree of self-preservation. Any way to obtain information is good for him... In the stringer's job there is no place for decency, and cynicism is simply a prerequisite... Stringer's motto: "I need to take that shoot!" (20; 3,132). But it is not only stringers who are known for their cynicism. At some point in their career many journalists "get puffed up". For example, journalist Andrei Babitsky in an interview, was telling how he turned corpses with his fellow photographers to make it easier to shoot ... (1). 3.5.
"You cannot intimidate people and scare them!"
At the turn of the century some countries have adopted a law banning the sensational and frightening style of media to cover natural disasters. "When I heard about this on the radio, says Vladlen Krivosheev, a veteran journalist of Russian "Izvestia", I recalled my fight in the early 1960s with the editor about the retreating "Bear" glacier in Central Asia. Krivosheev, then the acting editor of the newspaper "Izvestia" in the department of internal information, insisted on urgent and sensational coverage of the natural disaster. The scheme of glacier movement, interview with a prominent glaciologist, on the spot report - all laid out horizontally on the eight 34
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
columns of the last band, loud and catchy. And most importantly urgently: the news message came in the afternoon, and in the morning the next day the unit was ready. If the readers had seen the news about this scary glacier movement presented in such gloomy colours it would have made their hair stand on end. However, at the morning planning meeting Alexei Adjoubei, the chief editor of "Izvestia" ordered to remove the material, pointing out its wrong presentation: "You cannot intimidate people and scare them!" "So, it turns out Alexey Ivanovich "developed " a similar law already four decades ago," said Krivosheev, recalling the episode with the removed material on the "Bear" glacier (5,153). Unfortunately, media today occasionally forget about this rule. Environmental information, especially with regard to natural disasters, is mostly anxious and tends to disturb people. The idea that in the heart of any material about nature there must be a crisis or conflict, hinders the creation of analytical materials that require careful study of the topic. Negative journalism talks about problems and does not offer solutions. It makes the reader (viewer, listener) feel powerless and ultimately leads to social and political apathy of the audience, which has a severe negative impact on environmental work. Journalism as an occupation has a strong effect on a person's psyche. Therefore, a journalist requires high professionalism in presenting messages on the environmental subject, which is evident in his psychological culture. Bringing this environmental information to people's attention, he must first of all strive to ensure that it is simple enough for the media audience. Complex technical information is confusing for people with no special training and, therefore, causes fear and anxiety. Careful selection and accurate organization of the content of environmental materials are essential conditions for them to be understood. However, this is not an easy thing to do because of a large amount of information. Therefore only those messages are selected that contribute to a change in people's behavior towards the environment. And in each case, a certain segment of the population has a greater impact on the environment compared with other groups, that's why it is essential to focus on that segment. Knowledge of the target group's interests can be crucial. For example, Estonian researchers determined that the level of concern for the environment is proportional to the amount of public information, consumed by the person, and that, in turn, depends on the level of education. They claim that individuals with a higher education are twice more likely to be interested in nature conservation than people with secondary education. It's irrational to spark concern among people about environmental problems and leave it up to them to figure out. This may lead to apathy and frustration. One should show a solution. Often good changes can be encouraged by appealing to the pride for their land. It is important to bear in mind that the perception of environmental problems is formed not only by knowledge, but also traditions, prejudices, life principles, experience, values. Experience shows that it is easier to achieve change of established stereotypes, attitudes and perceptions, not by their complete withdrawal, but by changing their intensity - identifying, supporting, developing and validating socially accepted environmental attitudes, traditions and views existing in the minds of people.
35
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
3.6.
Multiplicity of versions – a typical “information curtain”
Often causes and consequences of disasters are not only overlooked, but also hidden behind the multiplicity of versions of what happened, as broadcast by media. According to Alexander Prudnikov, an employee of Nizhny Novgorod department of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, multiplicity of versions of events is yet another typical "information curtain". The more versions there are, the more impenetrable the curtain. The question is, who is more interested in building up the curtain (19). Following the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, authorities used the press as merely a repeater of official reports from the scene, exerting a destructive influence on the creativity and professional duty of the journalist. A positive aspect in the behavior of some journalists was the resistance to the authorities. Reporters found ways to communicate information to the audience about the true scale of the disaster through the description of the exploits of the liquidators. Sometimes one or two phrases in the usual coverage prompted the reader that the situation at Chernobyl was much worse than what was stated in the official reports. New stage of analysis of Chernobyl disaster consequences showed that fear and confusion of authorities at the time of emergency is an inevitable factor that needs to be overcome. And the speed with which it will be overcome directly depends on the degree of freedom of journalism. Study of the work of journalists and the actions of the authorities during the three largest manmade disasters of the XXI century — at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station in 2008, on offshore BP oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2009 and at "Fukushima-1" nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011 — showed that due to the specifics of the disaster zone journalists working there require special knowledge and skills. The audience is waiting for event assessment from the press — an assessment which it most often trusts. Therefore, during man-made disasters the concept of "social responsibility of the press" has an even greater importance. First of all, it is the ability of journalists to unite the society and the state to overcome consequences of the disaster and ensure protection against man-made risks in the future. 3.7.
Why are journalists turned away?
One more episode. In October 1997, in Russian newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda", an article entitled "Child-mutant got even with nuclear plant", told about a family that won a lawsuit against Chelyabinsk production association "Mayak". As a result of an accident, that had occurred at that plant, a child with a defect of the skeletal system and the genetic changes in the body was born into that family. The very fact that ordinary people who had turned victims of the consequences of environmental disaster decided to go to court to protect their constitutional rights, and that the court upheld their claim, is something unprecedented for Russia. This information could have been used to make a loud and in a good way sensational material. The journalist, however, chose to focus on the child's deformity, giving a detailed description of his physical defects. That's how positive information about people who advocated for their rights to compensation for moral damage turned into another environmental horror movie. With this approach to business, it comes as no surprise that people slam doors in front of journalists, turn away from their cameras, cover the lens with their hands and hide their faces.
36
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
And it's not always because there is something to be ashamed of or something to hide. Over the past two decades, trust level in the media has drifted downward. Thus, according to the AllRussian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), only a quarter of the population (26%) expressed complete confidence in the media, while nearly half of those surveyed (43%) state that "the press, radio, television is not completely trustworthy" and another 15% expressed complete lack of trust in the mass media (6). The study shows that falling credibility in Russian social media and the loss of confidence among the majority of its audience has to do with with superficial, often dismissive and biased attitude of certain journalists to heroes of their stories and broadcasts. Often, for the sake of giving the material a sense of special urgency and turning it into a topical issue, dignity and moral character of people are called into question, there are mistakes in methods of material preparation, bias and unreasonable nature of other judgments. One of the most common diseases of Russian journalism today is opportunism. It manifests itself in the fact that the basis of a series of errors, blunders, violation of ethics is a simple, selfish calculation. The freedom test for decency has turned out to be not a simple thing for Russian journalists â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not everyone complies with the rules of journalistic ethics, the moral requirements of the profession. V. Egorov, researcher of modern Russian media â&#x20AC;&#x201D; rector of the Institute of Advanced Training for television and radio employees believes that the practic of ethical regulation of journalism in Russia cannot be considered satisfactory and advanced. This is explained by the following facts: a significant part of the journalistic community is interested neither in ethical, nor any other form of regulation of their activities; ethical codes of Russian journalism are not complied with, they remain a mere declaration of intent; traditions of democratic journalism are in clear contradiction with real political interests, state paternalism in the media industry and the needs of the managed journalism; Russian Union of Journalists has not yet become a strong professional corporation, capable to ensure the protection of the interests of the press. Therefore, the journalistic community has to develop its own code of conduct, code of ethics based on freedom of speech, possibility to receive and spread information. Also, views have been expressed in the society about the need to introduce censorship. 3.8.
Will censorship help?
A number of political scientists view this situation as a paradox â&#x20AC;&#x201D; where the same society wants to criticize the government and at the same time have political censorship on television: but criticism of the authorities and censorship are two incompatible types of communication. Criticism is based on objective information. Censorship, on the other hand, boils down to the fact that the authorities rule, thereby effectively creating information, based on which the society is basically supposed to criticize them, the authorities. How do you explain this paradox? It is quite possible that the majority of Russian citizens are not very clear about what censorship is. Quite often they associate the word "censorship" not with politics, but with moral and ethical norms and they believe that it is all about limitation of offensive language, sex and violence on the screen. Thus, performer J. Kobzon, the chairman of the Duma Committee on Culture argues that it is necessary to introduce censorship to remove demonstration of victims of terrorist acts, violence, blood and sex from the screen. There is another opinion that this confusion has arisen under the influence of debate about censorship on TV when its opponents talk about politics, and supporters focus on promiscuity, sex and violence on the screen. In any case, this lack of 37
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
understanding means that democratic freedoms are internalized neither at the level of vocabulary, nor at the level of values. Otherwise, censorship as a term and as a practice causes reflex rejection. Sociologists are more optimistic about the mentioned paradox. They emphasize that it would be wrong to assume that the Russians stand for total control over media and restoration of political censorship. This, for example, is shown by data collected by VTsIOM study, in the course of which respondents were given an open question on the subject of television programs that are to be censored, according to respondents. It turned out that 9% of respondents would like to censor programs on politics, 5% - information and analytical programs. But the main object of censorship is, above all, sex, pornography (36%), as well as action thrillers, violence, cruelty, crime (32%). Thus, we are talking mainly about the so-called "moral censorship", and not about fight with dissidence on television, sociologists stress (22). 4. Discussion 4.1. Danger of reckless use of rights and freedoms Ethics belongs to the realm of a concept called "honesty", and voluntary self-restriction. Journalism and society, in general, moved towards the need for ethical self-regulation of their own activities gradually. This can be seen in cases of two fundamental international documents â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration, proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948, reads as follows: "Every human being has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers "(24). The International Covenant, however, adopted by the same organization on December, 16, 1966 (i.e. 18 years later) in the third paragraph of Article 19 imposes a number of restrictions on these rights: " Use of rights envisaged in paragraph 2 of the present article imposes special duties and special responsibility. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be prescribed by law and are necessary: a) For respect of the rights and reputations of other individuals; b) For the protection of national security, public order, health or morals of the population "(14). Thus, we see that gradually the society has realized the danger of reckless use of their rights and freedoms. For the journalist, carrying out activities in situations of conflict and tension, the main ethical issue is: to what degree can he allow himself as a human being and a professional to step back from what is happening around? Can everything be used in cold blood as a fact and material for an information product?
38
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
4.2. Contradictions of ethical codes Codes of ethics try to answer these questions, but often they only create new contradictions. For example, the Code of Ethics (1993) of Professional Journalists Society in the United States states <...> The media should not condone morbid curiosity to crime details "(10). And if the society seeks to know the truth specifically about these details? The US National Association of photojournalists in its Code of Ethics declares the personal responsibility of each photojournalist to be ' desire to ensure that their pictures reflect reality truthfully, honestly and objectively "(24). So does that mean that you need to photograph mangled corpses? You might call the Memorandum of Information agency "Television News Service" (Russia, June 1998) a peak of inconsistency, as it declares "absolute rejection of savoring the tragic details" and at the same time calls for "attention to detail"; It urges to delete questionable places and at the same time "to not lie", that is, give full details. "Our messages are built on appropriate impartiality in relation to controversial political, economic and other problems. The word "appropriate" means that the television news service does not require impartiality on issues such as drug trafficking, violence, racial and religious intolerance, threat to the independence and prestige of our homeland and some other issues in which the society is almost unanimous." This phrase can be interpreted as giving up on objectivity and comprehensive analysis of the situation in certain cases. 5. Conclusion Professional ethics requires journalists make every effort to collect, record, process and transmit information by adhering to the requirements of truthfulness, objectivity, honesty, responsibility, regardless of the difficulties and, if necessary, and personal interests. At the same time journalist must be always attentive, but not indifferent to man, friendly, and not presumptuous, do not abuse their position. Professional ethics of journalists does not allow provocation, fraud, impropriety, informing all costs that can be harmful to man, audience, media, society. Incontinence in saying emotions are always considered in a civilized society a sign of bad manners, contempt for the people and not an expression of freedom of expression. Professional ethics of journalists - integrative science. It is based on humanistic traditions, human values, knowledge of history, morality, psychology, and semiotics. Ignorance of them are often the causes of improper behavior of a journalist. No special training required journalists covering extreme events. The text of the extreme event is different from other genres of journalism way of presenting information. Subtlety is that the material must not be presented in the form of emotional excessively as this could simply scare reader. On the other hand, only the information approach is also not suitable, since in this case not be able to "reach out" to the reader. Journalists working in the disaster zone or conflict need to find the fine line when his material is sufficient emotional response, but at the same time does not intimidate the reader. The extreme information should be checked carefully, use reliable sources, to comply with current legislation in the field of information. It is also important to understand that the lack of information on a given topical issue leads to an increase in distrust among the audience. Therefore, providing complete and reasoned information is an important prerequisite for its dissemination. 39
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss
References Babitsky A. (2002). Price of crying. Moskovsky Komsomolets. September 23. Baeva N., Yurin V. (2007). How to "get used" to death? Deutsche Welle http://www.rulit.org/read/316 (reference date 05. 08. 2016) Volkovsky N. (2014). 111 tales for journalists. St. Petersburg, Russia: Peter. Volkovsky N. (2011). On the way to information society: trends, problems, ideas // Censorship in Russia: History and modernity. Collection of scientific papers. St. Petersburg, Russia. Issue 5. Pp 13 - 30. Volkovsky N. (2006) Domestic journalism: 1950 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2000. St. Petersburg, Russia: Publishing House of St. Petersburg. Univ. Russian Public Opinion Research Center, a project of sociological research on the topic: Media Monitoring for 2013-2014. [Electronic resource]. Access mode: http://wciom.ru/. (Reference date 10. 08. 2016. Hegel I. V. (2011). Press in the context of global disasters // Abstract of diss. for candidate of philological sciences. Moscow, Russia: Publishing House of Mosk. Univ. Law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in connection with the improvement of legal regulation in the sphere of mass media" [garant.ru]. (Reference date of 21. 07. 2016). The story of Kevin Carter http://foto1uralsk.livejornal.com/220538.html (reference date 15. 07. 2016). US Code of Ethics of Professional Journalists Society (1996) http://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=30353955#pos=4;-283 (reference date 15. 07. 2016). Kreydlin G. E. (2004). Non-verbal semiotics: Body language and natural language. Moscow, Russia: New Literature Review. Kuznetsova O.D. (2007). Professional ethics of journalists: Textbook. Lvov, Ukraine: Publishing House PAIS. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Adopted by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of the General Assembly on 16 December1966 http://www.un.org/ru/documents/decl_conv/conventions/pactpol (reference date 09. 08. 2016). Mayor of Lvov asks the media to restrict coverage of the disaster /correspondent.net>Ukraine merlvova-prosit-smi (date of reference 05. 08. 2016). Torment from our mistakes (2002) Argumenty i Fakty (Russian: Arguments and Facts). September 4. Offensive gesture of REN-TV anchorwoman was seen as an insultto Obama http://www.newsru.com/russia/24nov2011/limanova.html(reference date 05. 08. 2016). Deceased Whitney Houston insulted during the program, dedicated to her memory http://www.topnews.ru/news_id_48331.html(Reference date 09. 08. 2016). Prudnik A. (2008) Main types of "information curtains" (a demo version of the concept of "information curtain") // The independent analytical review. July 1st. Psychologists at MES call on the media to give information in a more balanced manner when covering disasters / itar-tass c 9 / 226953.html (reference date 05. 08. 2016). "Stringer", journalist and director Eduard Jafarov passed away http://www.newsru.com/russia/26feb2007/jafarov.html (reference date of 29. 08. 2016). Udaltsov accused of false complaint the journalist who had allegedly been beaten up by him https://ria.ru/society/20120422/631932627.html (reference date 05. 08. 2016). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Press Photographers(NPPA) http://spbphotographer.ru/2013/05/nppa_ethics/ (reference date 05. 08. 2016). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://www.franchexpert.ru/node/195 ( reference date 05. 08. 2016).
40
http://aajhss.org/index.php/ijhss