Small-scale research study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Small-scale research study - Essay Example They were requested to return the questionnaires to the researcher upon completion. Since there were just a few teachers who taught mathematics in KS1, they were all recruited for the study, although three were unable to participate due to unavailability and scheduling conflicts. The questions in the questionnaires were a product of the researcher’s secondary research findings and observations of KS1 classes. Responses for the survey questionnaire have been charted (see Appendix 2). The Likert-scale responses were averaged and the percentages were translated into pie charts. The qualitative remarks added by the respondents were categorised likewise, according to the questions and summarised in the presentation of the findings. Analysis of the findings was based on the responses of the study’s participants as well as knowledge gleaned from the review of literature. The items were compared according to the responses of the participants. Presentation & Analysis of Primary Findings: On analysing Questions 1 and 2 on the questionnaire, it was found that all teachers felt their classroom was equipped with teaching aids. 67% agreed this was the case and 33% strongly agreed. The types of materials that classrooms featured include: Number lines to 20,30,100 hundred squares counting/ sorting objects measuring equipment such as rulers, tape measure, weighing scales number cards/ flashcards calculators place value equipment number games 2D and 3D shapes Pegs, boards Fractions equipment. Months and dates calendar Coins Block charts Tally charts Treasure maps Number posters Number books (big teaching books and story books) Workbooks Children’s own work Similar results were obtained in relation to whether teachers felt they had enough manipulative materials to facilitate the development of numeracy skills. 83% agreed with this and 17% strongly agreed. A graph showing these results can be seen below. This shows that while there are materials available in t he classroom, fewer teachers strongly agree that there are enough materials for them to effectively facilitate numeracy skills. It is important to note that the classrooms have enough concrete materials for the children to learn math concepts with, as Ruthven (1987) contends that it is essential to their learning since they think in more concrete ways. This was found out in the secondary research. In the primary findings although everyone agreed that they had enough manipulative materials in their schools, they also said they could always do with more. Some revealed that they also had access to materials which are located in the corridors; however these materials are shared by all classes. This means that sometimes materials may not be available because other classes are using them. The manipulative materials which the teachers believed fostered numeracy skill development are cube blocks, counting items such as beads, puzzle games, weighing scale and weight measures and some Montess ori-inspired materials such as sequencing sets, measuring cups and math board games. It is evident that the teachers in the primary research knew how these manipulative materials are able to serve as scaffolds to independent and more abstract learning of math, as Bruce & Threlfall (2004) mentioned in the secondary research. As children gained more skills in numeracy, these â€Å"scaffolds† may eventually be done without when they are ready to think more abstractly. Childrens Use of Materials The teachers were then asked if children used the materials independently in

Information Security Policy Document (ISPD) Assignment

Information Security Policy Document (ISPD) - Assignment Example Organizations are dependent on these digital communication channels for transferring and exchanging classified information such as confidential information, mission critical information and information that is published for the people. As information is a blood life of any organization, it is vital to protect information by implementing physical, logical and environmental controls. In the context of protecting information security, three fundamental factors must be considered to make use of digitized information in an effective manner i.e. Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. As there is a requirement of protecting this digital information internally and externally, policy is a control that provides necessary steps, procedures and processes to protect information. These are also considered as high level statements derived from the board of the organization. â€Å"Information security policy is therefore considered an essential tool for information security management† (Ilvonen 2009). However, information security policy is customized by company to company and department to department. Different factor that may influence to tailor the policy includes organization size, dependence on information systems, regulatory compliance and information classification scheme. For addressing all issues related to information security via a single policy is not possible, however, to cover all aspects related to information security, a set of information security policy document focusing on different group of employees within the organization is more suitable. This paper will discuss different factors that must be taken in to account when constructing and maintaining an information security policy. However, there are many methods available for constructing an information security policy, the initial step before adopting any one of the methods is to identify the current maturity level of the policy construction process within the organization. The outputs will be either no information security policy development process in place or there is an extensive policy development process exists. As University of Wales has inaugurated a new bespoke digital forensic and information security laboratory, we will use a phased approach that will use a basic policy framework that will address key policies followed with the development of more policies. Likewise, the phased approach will also revise the existing policies that are already in place. In the current scenario there is no policy in place, as the laboratory is new. One key element for a policy development process is the process maturity level. For instance, a newly derived comprehensive and complex security policy cannot be successful because organizations need time for compliance. Common pitfalls for compliance are different organization cultures, lack of management buy-in, insufficient resources and many other factors. For a newly inaugurated forensic laboratory, the initial