"Between what we know and what we do not know": Alice Munro's 'Walker Brothers Cowboy'

Narratives of growing-up or coming-of-age, which have traditionally been referred to as Bildungsromane have particularly appealed to and inspired women writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Especially for women writers of minority and ethnic groups from former European colonies the Bildungsroman has transformed into a discursive tool to deconstruct imperialism and resist discriminations of race, class and sex, and to articulate multiple problems relating to the understanding of their identity. Such fictions by women seem to claim that women's experience of life and reality are different from that of men. Even as the experiences of the girl child are different from those of boys, literary representation of experiences of certain events in life as catalytic in the development of a child growing up in a particular culture, community, and family, are in my opinion, to certain extent similar irrespective of the gender of the writer or the protagonist. In this regard this paper shall focus on Alice Munro's short story 'Walker Brothers Cowboy' (1968) as a narrative of growing up of a female protagonist, not into a gendered being but a more mature individual in relationship with her immediate family and society. At the same time this essay shall also discuss the psychological development of the narrator's father as perceived by his daughter through memory and narrative, which will emphasize on human relationships as primarily determining an individual's identity and selfhood

Justice Delayed, Justice Denied? The Search for Accountability for Alleged Wartime Atrocities Committed in Sri Lanka

During the final stages of its nearly three-decades-long civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka attracted considerable international attention due to the allegations of international crimes that were said to have been committed both by the Sri Lankan government Armed Forces, the Guerilla Force, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). According to United Nations (UN) experts, an estimated 40,000 civilians were killed during the final offensive, which lasted from January to May 2009. However, the Sri Lankan government has set this figure at 9,000 with no civilian casualties. Several UN bodies found credible allegations that international crimes were committed by both parties taking part in the civil war, some of which amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Further allegations of international crimes being committed by Sri Lankan government forces surfaced in two documentaries by Channel 4 (UK) that claimed to include video footage from the final phases of the civil war. Against this background, this article discusses: (1) the various national actions that have been initiated in Sri Lanka; (2) the progress made with regard to the various international calls for justice; and (3) the possible international and partially international avenues for pursuing justice. Finally, the article concludes by outlining the present domestic conditions in Sri Lanka and making recommendations on possible avenues to pursue in order to ensure that justice is delivered

PEMAHAMAN MATEMATIS PESERTA DIDIK SEKOLAH DASAR TERHADAP PROSES PERIBADATAN DI PURA SRI AJI JOYOBOYO PAPAR KEDIRI

Matematika berbasis budaya merupakan sebuah inovasi dalam bidang pendidikan. Matematika itu sendiri sering dikaitkan dengan budaya sehingga terintegrasi dalam semua aspek yang ada dalam kehidupan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dan menjelaskan pemahaman matematis peserta didik sekolah dasar terhadap proses peribadatan di Pura Sri Aji Joyoboyo Papar Kediri. Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kualitatif deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah wawancara semiterstruktur, serta dokumentasi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa pemahaman matematis peserta didik ditunjukkan diantaranya dengan peserta didik dapat menyebutkan serta menjelaskan konsep matematika yang ada dalam proses peribadatan di Pura. Peserta didik menyebutkan bentuk bangun datar, bangun ruang, sudut, refleksi, translasi dari benda yang diamati serta mengaplikasikan perbandingan dalam pelaksanaan proses peribadatan

Social comparison and academic buoyancy among freshmen in one selected public university

The study examined the relationship between social comparison and academic buoyancy among freshmen in one selected public university in Kenya. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design. The social comparison and academic buoyancy scales were used to collect data. The sample size of the study consisted of 213 freshmen from one selected public university in the western part of Kenya. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics, such as Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis statistical techniques. It was established, that there was a low positive (r=0.187, n=213, p=0.006) relationship between social comparison and academic buoyancy among the first year university students. The social comparison regression model was adequate to predict the level of academic buoyancy among first year university students, [F (1, 211)=7.641, p=0.006, accounting for 3.5 % (R2=0.035)] of the variation in academic buoyancy levels. The study recommends that counseling staff at universities should develop specific orientation programmes to enhance the academic buoyancy of freshmen with inappropriate social comparisons. Future studies could also focus on institutional based factors, influencing academic buoyancy among freshmen at universities

Social comparison and overall adjustment among freshmen in one public university

The freshmen in universities continue to face adjustment issues to new environments. Thus, transition to the university is characterized by expected independent decisions as compared to the previous secondary school teacher controlled learning environment.When the transition challenges are not well managed by the university administration, then it could lead to the emergence of psychopathology, as pre-existing mental health problems are exacerbated or new symptoms emerge in response to novel environmental stressors.The present study examined the relationship between social comparison and overall adjustment among the freshmen in one selected public university in Kenya. The study was informed by Social Comparison Theory (SCT) and Student Integration Theory.This study was anchored in the positivist research paradigm. The study was guided by the cross-sectional survey research design. The sample size comprised 213 freshmen in one public university in Western Kenya. The Social Comparison Scale and Adjustment Questionnaire were used to collect data. The validity results indicated that the Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was 0.753. The Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity at 95% level of confidence was significant (p-value of .000 < 0.05). The finding shows that there was a low negative (r = -.142, n =213, p<.05) relationship between social comparison and overall adjustment among the first year university students. The study concludes that the social comparison regression model was adequate to predict overall adjustment among first year university students [F (1, 211) = 4.366, p< .05)].The study recommends that the university counseling center should develop holistic counseling therapies, which would enhance coping skills, seeking support, and counseling seeking behaviours among first year student

Gender, age and teaching experiences differences in decision-making behaviours of members of selected Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels

The study investigated gender, age and teaching experiences differences in decision- making behaviours of members of selected Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels. Mixed Methods design was adopted for the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Study sample comprised 78 participants drawn from ten secondary school disciplinary panels. Participants comprised 45 males and 33 females, clustered into four age groups of-29 years (n=21), 30-39 years (n=28), 40-49 years (n=14), and 50-59 years (n=15); and six teaching experience categories of 1-5 years (n=33), 6-10 years (n=14), 11-15 years (n=5), 16-20 years (n=6), 21-25 years (n=8), and 26-30 years (n=12). Data analysis results revealed gender, age and experience differences in decision-making behaviours of members of disciplinary panels who participated in the study. Male participants were found to tend towards risky decision-making behaviours while female participants tended towards cautious decision-making behaviours. Younger and less experienced participants were also found to be risky in their decision-making behaviours also tended panel members made risky pre-disciplinary hearing decision-making behaviours, while their older and more experienced counterparts were more cautious. Based on the findings of this study it is recommended that, in order to cater for the diverse nature of student behaviour problems and to effectively manage the same, consideration must be given to delicate balance of age, gender and experience in the composition of members of a school disciplinary panel

A Comprehensive Uncertainty Quantification Methodology for Metrology Calibration and Method Comparison Problems Via Numeric Solutions to Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Parametric Bootstrapping

In metrology, the science of measurements, straight line calibration models are frequently employed. These models help understand the instrumental response to an analyte, whose chemical constituents are unknown, and predict the analyte’s concentration in a sample. Techniques such as ordinary least squares and generalized least squares are commonly used to fit these calibration curves. However, these methods may yield biased estimates of slope and intercept when the calibrant, substance used to calibrate an analytical procedure with known chemical constituents (x-values), carries uncertainty. To address this, Ripley and Thompson (1987) proposed functional relationship estimation by maximum likelihood (FREML), which considers uncertainties in both x and y variables, providing unbiased estimates of slope and intercept. This project aims to develop a robust mechanism for calculating uncertainty in final measurement quantities, integrating international standard guidelines such as GUM and parametric bootstrapping to handle uncertainties in both x and y calibration points. Initial validation follows Ripley and Thompson’s assumptions of known population standard deviations. Subsequently, the model is extended to accommodate cases where calibration input uncertainties are estimated, incorporating their degrees-of-freedom and propagating these uncertainties into parameter estimates

IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS AMONG LEARNERS IN CLASSROOMS BY TEACHERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS SOUTH AFRICA

The study explored the identification of problematic behaviors of learners in the classroom by teachers in Midrand in the Gauteng province of South Africa. This study was informed by Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory. The multiple case study design was chosen for this study. The participants comprised fifteen teachers (15) who teach grade four in the three public primary schools in Midrand. This study employed semi-structured interviews for data collection. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the qualitative data.  The results of the study indicated that teachers identified the problem behaviors by observing learners in and out of class, observing disruptive behaviors, observing uncooperative learners, observing disobedience behaviors, and assessing learning difficulties. The study recommends that Life orientation teachers should teach learners to be aware of the practical skills that are required in times of crisis, when they are experiencing emotional stress, instead of acting out by displaying problem behavior