Showing papers on "Dilemma published in 1985"

How Do Teachers Manage to Teach? Perspectives on Problems in Practice

Abstract: The author is a scholar of teaching practice and also an elementary mathematics teacher. Her work, like that of her colleagues at the Institute for Research on Teaching, focuses on teaching practice from the point of view of the practitioner. Here, in two case studies, she views the teacher as dilemma manager, a broker of contradictory interests, who "builds a working identity that is constructively ambiguous." To emphasize her conviction that teaching work is deeply personal, the author makes herself the subject of one of these studies. She concludes with an examination of how her view contrasts with prevalent academic images of teachers' work.

The reaction against analogy

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes a series of arguments and counterarguments through which the ambivalence about analogy noted by recent commentators took definite shape. The chapter focuses on an increasingly acute concern that analogy seems to be both indispensible to interpretation and always potentially misleading. At a more fundamental level, these debates can be seen to express a fundamental dilemma that archaeologists confront whenever they seriously undertake to use their data as evidence of the cultural past, namely, that any such broadening of the horizons of inquiry seems to be accomplished only at the cost of compromising actual or potential methodological rigor. Each of the critical reactions against analogy and each of the ameliorating responses represent an attempt to come to grips with this dilemma. Each either endorses one of the methodological options it defines, accepting that research is unavoidably limited or unavoidably speculative, or rejects these options and attempts to show how one or another of the premises yielding the dilemma may be amended and the dilemma itself escaped.

The reaction against analogy

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes a series of arguments and counterarguments through which the ambivalence about analogy noted by recent commentators took definite shape. The chapter focuses on an increasingly acute concern that analogy seems to be both indispensible to interpretation and always potentially misleading. At a more fundamental level, these debates can be seen to express a fundamental dilemma that archaeologists confront whenever they seriously undertake to use their data as evidence of the cultural past, namely, that any such broadening of the horizons of inquiry seems to be accomplished only at the cost of compromising actual or potential methodological rigor. Each of the critical reactions against analogy and each of the ameliorating responses represent an attempt to come to grips with this dilemma. Each either endorses one of the methodological options it defines, accepting that research is unavoidably limited or unavoidably speculative, or rejects these options and attempts to show how one or another of the premises yielding the dilemma may be amended and the dilemma itself escaped.

Gender Relations in Secondary Schooling.

Abstract: There is abundant evidence that inequality between women and men is a very general feature of Western education systems. Differential treatment and differential outcomes for both staff and students have been extensively documented by research over the past decade.' In the same period, considerable energy has been spent trying to change it. A stock of nonsexist curriculum materials and teaching aids have been produced, and centers have been set up to disseminate them. In Australia, as in other advanced capitalist countries, there is a campaign to end gender stereotypes in career counselling and subject choice, to get more girls into mathematics, science, and traditionally masculine trades and professions. Sexual harassment is being made an issue in schools and colleges. There are equal-opportunity policies in force in some states, and antidiscrimination laws apply, if unevenly, to education. Yet the effect of this activity so far has been slight. The resources devoted to it are, at best, painfully small in comparison to the scale of the problem. In New South Wales, for instance, although the funds for the Non-Sexist Education Unit have been maintained in the last year, only a fraction of one teaching consultant's time per region in the public school system has been allocated for nonsexist curriculum development. Moreover, such slender resources are often under threat, both from ideological attacks by the political Right and from cost-cutting campaigns within the bureaucracy. Furthermore, this work is not always certain of its directions. There is a continuing dilemma about the value of sex-segregated schools or classes. Almost all the educational debate has been about heterosexuals; there is very little serious work on discrimination against homosexuals in the education system. There are problems concerning the mainstream curriculum that are just beginning to emerge; and there are massive, though so far almost undiscussed, problems about how specialists should work with classroom teachers to change sexism in schools. At this point there is a need not only to renew the campaign for resources for countersexist educational work but also to rethink basic ideas. This article is intended as a contribution to that task. It reports research on gender relations in Australian secondary schools and proposes a line of theoretical analysis that bears on some of the dilemmas of current practice.

The Uneasy alliance: Managing the productivity-technology dilemma

Abstract: Inevitably, reading is one of the requirements to be undergone. To improve the performance and quality, someone needs to have something new every day. It will suggest you to have more inspirations, then. However, the needs of inspirations will make you searching for some sources. Even from the other people experience, internet, and many books. Books and internet are the recommended media to help you improving your quality and performance.

The Optimal Level of Generosity in a Selfish, Uncertain Environment

Abstract: The tit-for-tat strategy in iterated prisoners' dilemma games is examined in the presence of disturbances. It is shown that performance deteriorates drastically at arbitrarily low noise levels. The situation may be remedied by introducing some unconditional generosity. This may be done without exposing oneself to the risk of exploitation by the other party.

Adam Smith and the Prisoners' Dilemma

Abstract: In ordinary life we engage in many transactions with other people in which there is potential profit for both parties from some kind of cheating. Normally, we do not see much of this cheating. I have no doubt that the merchant will put in the package the merchandise which I buy, or which I ordered, even though if he put in something else cheaper it is quite dubious that I would be able to win a lawsuit. On my part, if I decide I did not like the product and returned it with the remark that it was defective, having first damaged it so that it is indeed defective, I could get a gain. Neither I nor the merchant worries particularly about this kind of behavior, although the merchant worries more than I do for reasons that will become plain below. If we worried about it, we would both take precautions, with the result that socially we would be worse off by the cost of these precautions. We have here what appears to be a prisoners' dilemma matrix, but the two parties are behaving cooperatively. What Adam Smith called "the discipline of continuous dealings" takes care of the matter. The point of this article is to work out Adam Smith's insight in the terminology of a modern game theory. We shall see that Smith was right, and there are some cases, indeed practically very important cases, where what appears to be a prisoners' dilemma in fact leads to cooperative behavior. Consider the prisoners' dilemma game shown in Figure I. It is orthodox that if A and B are playing a single turn of this particular game, they will end up in the lower right-hand corner with a net loss of one dollar each. If we go from a single game to a long series of games played by the same players, however, there is no agreed-upon solution.' Experimental evidence seems to indicate that the players play a mixed strategy with some cooperative plays and some noncooperative plays, and the mixture can be modified by changing the payoffs.2 All of these situations are simplifications of the real world, and it is a point of this article to suggest that if we make the game more like many real world

Institutional Capacity And The Resolution Of A Commons Dilemma

Abstract: This article concerns the dynamic process of resolving a commons dilemma without an externally imposed solution. We focus on two approaches: a model by Lewis and Cowens (1983) that yields a cooperative private arranghent that incorporates voluntarily chosen public institutions as instruments facilitating a resolution of the commons dilemma. The conditions necessary to Lewis and Cowen's result–a Itresolution without institutions–are contrasted with Ilinstitutional capacity” conditions treated as variables that may take on values enhancing the possibility of resolution. This latter approach yields certain advantages: less extreme assumptions, greater descriptive relevance, and the possibility of a variety of actual resolutions. A description of the case of West Basin in Southern California offers an example of the interaction of institutional capacity with participants' actions to produce a successful resolution of a commons dilemma.

Learning to Live With the Dilemma of Difference: Bilingual and Special Education

Abstract: Bilingual education and special education initially appear to be different solutions to different problems. Bilingual education offers instruction to children whose primary language is not English; special education offers instruction to children with physical or emotional handicaps. What the two programs share seems quite superficial: they attend to the needs and interests of some identifiable subset of the student population, both have sparked political controversy, and sometimes they overlap or deal with the same children.' At this superficial level, comparing the two programs hardly seems likely to reveal anything that is not already apparent about each one. This article suggests, however, that a comparison of the programs yields important insights into why each one has been controversial and what may be at stake in the construction and implementation of the programs. In so doing, this article argues that the two programs actually encounter the same problem, which can be cast as the question: how can schools deal with children defined as "different" without stigmatizing them on that basis? For a glimpse of the shared problem, consider this curiosity: during the past few decades, educational policymakers switched allegiance to bilingual programs, pulling students at least part-time from the mainstream classroom, while at the same time educators have sponsored special education programs integrating exceptional students into the mainstream classroom. This changingof-the-guard on integration suggests an initial version of the dilemma encountered by bilingual and special education. Are the stigma and unequal treatment encountered by minority groups better remedied by separation or by integration of such groups with others? Either remedy risks reinforcing the stigma associated with assigned difference by either ignoring it or focusing on it. This double-edged risk is the "difference dilemma."

The Autonomy-Paternalism Dilemma in Social Work Practice:

Abstract: Autonomy and paternalism are contrasted in their moral, philosophical, and social work contexts. The dilemmas they present to the social worker who values client self-determination, yet wants to he...

Professional Ethics: Power and Paradox

Abstract: Karen Lebacqz here offers a logical yet eminently human framework for ethical decision making Quoting and clarifying the thoughts of the field's top authorities, Dr Lebacqz summarizes the issues and questions that have, until now, served as the boundaries of debate Then she moves beyond that; formulating new questions, demonstrating why the answers to those questions are critical, laying the groundwork for what eventually emerges--a new way of perceiving and resolving complex ethical questions Professional Ethics: Power and Paradox utilizes the "praxis" method of analysis An actual ethical dilemma is offered, then treated theoretically throughout the text in order to demonstrate how a professional decision involving the dilemma might be reached Central to the ethical framework offered here is the focus on three steps toward a decision: action (what are the available alternatives?); character (what does it mean to be a professional in relation to the question?); and structure (how do structures limit or modify the alternatives?) The resolution of these and related, subordinate questions, Dr Lebacqz asserts, is the foundation of a new framework for ethical decision making

Perceptual illusions and military realities: The nuclear arms race.

Abstract: Past research on game theory has used the Prisoner's Dilemma as a model of the nuclear arms race between the superpowers. According to such a model, the United States and the Soviet Union are always better off individually by arming, but if both superpowers arm, the outcome is lower in utility than if both countries disarm. Using survey data from the United States Senate and surrogate Soviet political elites, supplemented by a review of American and Soviet political declarations, the present study suggests that the nuclear arms race may be best characterized as a “perceptual dilemma.” Rather than sharing the same matrix of perceived utilities—as in a Prisoner's Dilemma—players locked in a perceptual dilemma hold discrepant perceptions of the payoff matrix, and neither perception corresponds to true outcome utilities. The present article concludes with a brief discussion of the major political and methodological implications arising from the new model.

Components of reward in social dilemmas.

Abstract: A social dilemma (Dawes, 1980) may be defined as a situation in which a collection of individuals is faced with a conflict between maximizing selfish interests and maximizing collective interests. The dilemma is based on the fact that if all choose to maximize selfish interests, all are worse off than if all choose to maximize collective interests. In a decomposed social dilemma (Pruitt, 1967), the outcomes are divided into two components: one component is based on one's own choice and the second component is based on the choices made by the others. Using 3-person decomposed games, two types of incentives were contrasted: a positive incentive (bonus) for cooperative choices and a negative incentive (penalty) for noncooperative choices. Two experiments were conducted using male college students. The results of both experiments showed that the positive incentive evoked a higher level of cooperation than the negative incentive. The results are discussed in terms of nonadditive utility components, Pruitt's motivational interpretation, and Kelley and Thibaut's (1978) theory of interdependence.

Context and Chronology of Early Man in the Americas

Abstract: Unfortunately, the superstition to which Trigger refers is not being dispelled in the special field of Early Man studies, where authority may masquerade as a reasoned conclusion, boldly stated opinion may pass for authority, and intransigence may stand either for conservatism or for radical innovation (67). It is ironic that this field, which is so overwhelmingly dependent on results obtained by means of the "hard sciences," should be so beset with disagreement as to what really are the empirical data. This betrays the fact, perhaps at once our strength and our weakness, that we must somehow practice both as scientists and as humanists. Failure to recognize this may be responsible for some of the confusion that surrounds us and for the astonishing range of opinion that now exists on the time of arrival of the first humans to reach the Western Hemisphere. In any event, this essay deals with that range of opinion. I advocate a holistic approach to the study of Early Man as the best way to deal with this dilemma. I present here three widely differing points of view on the subject, with what I deem their merits and faults, and by way of illustration I shall peremptorily ascribe them to certain colleagues. Lest I myself become guilty of masquerading, I will accept membership in what I will call Position III-"very early first arrival,"-and acknowledge that those in Position II-"fairly early first arrival"-have much to contribute. Those in Position I-"Clovis was first"-

Policies and Persons: A Casebook in Business Ethics

Abstract: Introduction: The Case Method PART I: PERSONAL VALUES Peter Green's First Day: A young man's boss expects him to give an unwarranted discount to an important sales account. Dilemma of an Accountant: A junior accountant strongly disagrees on ethical grounds when his superior overrides on his audit opinions, but the professional standards that should guide his subsequent actions are susceptible to different interpretations. Martha McCaskey: When does consulting become industrial espionage -- stealing the intellectual property of competitors? What can a middle-level manager do if she has doubts about her own behavior and her company's integrity? Ethical Quagmire: Ethics in the consulting business a specific problem in the context of professional standards. International Drilling Corporation: When (or if) and how to "blow the whistle" on the head of the company. Viking Air Compressor, Inc.: Conflicting views on what constitutes socially responsible corporate behavior and the means of achieving it. PART II: (part contents)

Ethical decision making in a bureaucratic context by senior nursing students.

Abstract: This study examined the priorities reflected in the decisions reported by 775 senior baccalaureate nursing students in 16 Midwestern colleges and universities when presented a case depicting an ethical dilemma in nursing practice. In small groups of five each, the students arrived at a course of action to take in dealing with the dilemma. Categories for classifying responses were derived from the literature in nursing ethics. Categories used in content analysis of responses were: (1) patient-centered responses, (2) physician-centered responses, and (3) bureaucratic-centered responses. The small groups of students made from 3 to 17 decisions trying to resolve the dilemma, with a mean number of 8 decisions per group. Of the 1,163 decisions, 9% were in the patient-centered category, 19% were in the physician-centered category, and 60% were in the bureaucratic-centered category. Select characteristics of participants were examined for relationships to group responses. Group responses did not differ significantly by education, clinical experience, previous experience with a similar dilemma, or RN status of group members. Students agreed on the first steps to take to resolve the dilemma, but achieved no consensus about where the nurse's responsibility ended. Examining the decisions made by nurses in response to an ethical dilemma is important in arriving at a better understanding of the relationship between ethical problems in professional practice and the influence of social organizations or bureaucracies on nursing roles.

Early Field Experiences: POTPOURRI Recurring Dilemmas Jane H. Applegate

Abstract: This article reviews dilemmas faced by teacher educators in the conduct of early field experiences. Three types of dilem mas are identified by Applegate: pro grammatic, institutional and personal. Critical questions are identified related to each type of dilemma.

The frontier as social control

Abstract: The frontier experience, according to Turner, cast the mold for all that is distinctively American. The bounty of open land and the experience of forging local democratic institutions shaped the character of a new nation, built on the pillars of rugged individualism and democratic governance. The closing of the American frontier was a national tragedy, eulogized by Turner and recited by his followers.' From them, Americans have inherited a moral and intellectual dilemma. They can neither deny its significance nor accept its implications, so they continue to search for new frontiers.

Health and lifestyle.

Abstract: Advances in civilization are a mixed blessing; they have increased our longevity and created America's medical care dilemma. Our society now struggles not to survive but to evolve. We must learn to control the natural phenomenon of birth and turn our attention to successful aging. Thus the key to the medical care problem is an evolutionary strategy based on evolutionary ways of thinking.

Introduction: The Israeli High-risk Study

Abstract: The literature on theories of the etiology of schizophrenia (the "nature-nurture dilemma") is reviewed, and the rationale is explicated for a study comparing the development and outcome of kibbutz- and town-reared children of schizophrenic parents. Various possible outcomes of the kibbutz-rearing experience in vulnerable children are discussed. The research team and the time table are described.

U.S. Farm Dilemma: The Global Bad News Is Wrong

Abstract: World agricultural production is at an all-time high and is climbing fast, especially in the developing countries. Even Africa has ample land and technology to feed its population, given more effective national policies. Higher agricultural output has been stimulated primarily by new technology, but also by investments and improved government policies. Constraints such as cropland shortage, soil erosion, and higher oil prices have been readily surmounted. High-technology agriculture has even overcome some major "systems breaks." Thus U.S. farmers will continue to face commercial surpluses of farm products in world markets in the years ahead.