Television Is A Key Component Of Our Daily Lives - 2485 Words

Introduction A television is a machine with a screen that is capable of displaying images. Televisions receive broadcast signals and turn them into pictures and sound. Although debated, the TV is often credited as being invented by Vladimir Zworykin a Russian-born American who worked for Westinghouse, and Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a boy in Beaver City, Utah. Vladimir held the patent for the TV, but it was Farnsworth who was the first person to first successfully transmit a TV signal on September 7, 1927. The television is a key component of our daily lives and is a marvel of engineering and utilisation of technology. Smartly incorporating complex electronic theories and concepts, the televisions has faced many developments and adaptations†¦show more content†¦A pixel is defined in television terms as the smallest area of a television image that can be shown within the parameters of the certain system. This process is accomplished by firstly analysing the image by using a photoelectric device in a series of horizontal scans from the top to the bottom of the image to create an electrical signal in which the colour and brightness values of the individual picture elements are represented as voltage levels of the respective video waveform; secondly, by transmitting the same respective values of the picture elements in a sequence as voltage levels of a video signal; and finally by reproducing the image of the original scene in a video signal display of parallel scanning lines on a viewing screen(Repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu, 2015) (wiseGEEK, 2015). The most primitive form of televisions relied on a cathode-ray tube to produce images, and operated with an analog signal(Lapin, 2015). As technology has developed over time and broadcast signals transitioned from analog to digital, LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma televisions were created. These TVs are more compact, are flatter and have crisper pictures than their cathode-ray counterparts because the bulky tube is removed, and in its stead they use a thin grid of pixels to create the images (Repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu, 2015)(Computerhope.com, 2015) (Lapin, 2015) If the sound as you hear it from the television had

Dbq for U.S History Free Essays

AP U. S History DBQ During the early 1700’s, both New England and Chesapeake regions were settled largely by the people of the English origin. The settlers of the two colonies were foreigners to the land who established two exceptional, but contrary societies due to the diversity of English citizens. We will write a custom essay sample on Dbq for U.S History or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although both colonies were from the same English background they developed different distinctions from their political standards, religion, and social life. With the offer of Virginia Company of London to prompt settlement in the New World, profit filled Englishmen couldn’t refuse the proposal. There was a promise of the golden lands and a new passage route through America to the West Indies. Arriving to the Chesapeake Bay, they were soon attacked by the Indians. After having to settle on James River, Virginia Company was forced to make a mosquito infested unhealthy region their home. In England, king Henry VIII broke ties with the Rome Catholic Church, anointing himself head of Church of England. The people of the English origin came to England to refine the gold and load the gold. They were trying to make a better living for themselves. Even though Governor John Winthrop, who was part of New England colony, and William Berkley of Chesapeake colony had different opinions on the upcoming of the community, god being the center of the New England colony ( Document A), the pilgrims believed in working together as one for the glory of God as oppose to the Chesapeake colony who believed that the Chesapeake colony should fellowship together and their unity should be abided by one spirit of peace because everyone is a worthy servant of Christ. It’s almost like a father and his children; a father is stricter on his daughter than his son. On the other hand, Governor Berkley viewed things differently. He believed that the people duty was to defend their country. Jonathan Edwards who ignited the Great Awakening believed in salvation and affirmed the need for dependence on God’s grace. Both governors trying to achieve the best for their colonies helped with the growth of the two separate colonies. New England ranged from children to teenagers to middle men. (Document B) Immigrants who were stationed to be in New England colonies were families that contained a variety of ages. New England was united with the family lifestyle. Meanwhile those who came to Virginia (Chesapeake) colony were mostly men who ranged from the ages of 14 to 51. (Document C) The men to women ratio consisted of about 6 to 1 showing how family life wasn’t as important. Disease settlements came through the Chesapeake colony causing low reproduction rates due to the scarcity of women. The men struggled to fight for women with it being 90% of men and 10% of women. In conclusion the New England and Chesapeake colonies both settled by the English and became entirely two different societies. Although they had similarities of the English background they developed different distinctions from their political standards, religion, and social life. How to cite Dbq for U.S History, Papers

Once A Warrior King Review Essay Example For Students

Once A Warrior King Review Essay Once A Warrior King ReviewOnce a Warrior King gives rare and unique insight into the battles of Vietnam. David Donavan gives his account asthe Army First Lieutenant in charge of a southern Vietnamese district.Based in the southern, rural village of Tram Chim, this book shifts the focus of the war from the political misunderstanding and shortcomings to the social effects they had on both the Vietnamese people and Donovan himself. PoliticalThe war in Vietnam is fraught with paradox. The facts of the war in Vietnam contrast sharply with American perceptions of it at the time.American intentions were as misunderstood as the people they were intended to protect. The information gathered in order to report the state of affairs during the Vietnam War was far from factual. Miscommunication was a major part of Americas problem in Vietnam.Top officials and politicians in the U.S. government didnt understand what was taking place on the front lines and therefor they were less than effective in strategic decision making processes. The American people also understood very little about the war.Understanding this puts anti-war protests in perspective; the American people could not envision the death and mutilation of children. American intentions in Vietnam were muddled, thus forces were misguided and outcomes were unfavorable.Originally the American presence in South Vietnam was mainly to push for the social betterment of the Vietnamese people.Soon however, an offensive stance was required in the face of socialist expansion into the region. America feared that communist control of Vietnam would tip the balance of world power in Russias favor.This led to much criticism of the US for its role as an international police force. Effects on VietnameseThe Vietnamese suffered on many levels as a result of the United States intervention.The Saigon government, which controlled South Vietnam, was corrupt and alien to the rural peoples. The majority of the population gained very little in spite of American intentions. Donovan reflects, It appeared to me that corruption was the clear enemy from within.It was a cancer eating away at the Vietnamese government.Corruption violated the peoples hope for fair treatment under their laws and made them cynical about the legitimate needs of government.(p251)Vietnam has historically been a controlled nation.Following the French withdraw from the area, the Vietnamese seemed lost and have been perceived as a people dependent on the guidance of others.However, It wasnt long before the paradox developed that the Vietnamese resented the pushy Americans for always telling them what to do.(133)These people needed essential supplies in order to survive.We mostly gave them weapons, tactic training and Christianity.Donavan took part in a seemingly rare situation where positive, personal interaction of American and Vietnamese cultures can be seen. A death of a child from ringworm is disturbing. To think what just a bar of soap would have meant to that child if he had had it in time!What a little elementary sanitation, or even a few rudimentary medicines, could have done to save the life of that child or to reduce the misery of thousands of others in my district alone.(p289) The author understood the needs of the Vietnamese people; he became one of them.Americans dont understand about soap.(p289)DonovanDavid Donovan was deeply affected by his tour in Vietnam.The time he spent in the service of two countries forced him to reevaluate himself and his nation.He tells of feelings of confusion, isolation and grief in response to his experiences. The author experienced feelings of isolation; first, upon his arrival in Vietnam, secondly with his return to America.Donovan had become part of the Vietnamese district under his control. I had the pulse of the place, its sights and smells, its winds and rains, its droughts and floods, its bugs and beasts, its people and its beauty.I had been forced to absorb it all in order to survive.(p308)He did not allow uneducated views of Vietnam disturb him.These beliefs did alienate him, however, from much of mainstream America. I made peace with the fact that Americans really didnt know anything about poverty, deprivation, or suffering.In short, I could live with the way they ran their lives and the way they thought about issues.(322)I am sure that many veterans were personally affected as Donovan was.He lost many aspects of himself.This is evident in his lack of emotion when dealing with the death of his father and the feelings of waste when he had free time.Donovan was an idealistic person of action who is distraught that the war was not successful on any front.

Rural

Introduction Post-secondary education is great investment for a nation’s future; thus, governments should strive to ensure that more citizens access this education. Primarily, post-secondary education is very significant component for economic, social, and cultural development; it also gives a country a competitive edge.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Rural-Urban gap in Post-secondary education access specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, access to post-secondary education has been a long-standing issue in many countries. It was found that significantly higher proportions of all high school graduates who enter post-secondary institutions come from large, as compared with small, schools and from urban than rural areas. In Canada, ‘the proportion of 25- to 54-year-olds who have some post-secondary education is slightly higher than 60% in urban areas and just under 50% in rural areasâ€⠄¢ (Canadian Council of learning, 2006). Problem Background Generally, many students desired to attain post-secondary education; however, there are some hindrances. Education researchers have identified varying factors that prompt the inaccessibility of post-secondary education; socioeconomic status and lack of motivation. Therefore, the government has attempted to put in place, strategies to encourage citizens to attain tertiary education. We find that, overall, post-secondary education participation rates generally rose over this period. However, the number of people attaining post-secondary education from rural areas is generally lower that those from urban areas. There are two types of access to tertiary education, type I and type II, where type I is considered on ‘how many’ people are accessing PSE while type II is concerned with ‘who’ the composition of the group accessing post-secondary education. Past educational researchers have dealt primarily on type I access and relative less research on type II. Therefore, there is general agreement that there is increase in the number of people accessing PSE in many societies. Due to less research based on type II, there is no clarity in rural-urban PSE access gap. Objectives Previous studies on barriers of accessing post-secondary education have mainly focused on socio-economic status and educational level of parents. Thus, the objective of this qualitative research study will focus to establish why rural students have difficulties in accessing tertiary education. Also addressed in the research study are reasons why so many â€Å"rural students, including many with the academic ability to go further, fail to include further schooling as part of their plans† (Green Seton Hall University, 2006, p.51). It also identifies factors that help urban students to access post-secondary education. Moreover, the research will explore measure that various organizations are taking in order to address the disparity.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, factors that cause students from rural areas to drop-out from tertiary institutions will be addressed. Moreover, the ease of completion of post-secondary education after interruption will also be explored. Thesis statement: people residing in rural areas have more difficulties accessing post-secondary education compared to their counterparts in urban setting. Literature review Education researchers have identified common barriers inhibiting attainment of post-secondary education such as: exclusion on the basis of ethnicity; gender; or socio-economic status (SES). However, researchers have not explored the disparity of accessibility of post secondary education between students from urban and rural regimes of schools. Thus it has led to developed of this research in order to identify factors that contribute to this disparity. Austin (2002) notes that in many nations, there is disparity in access of higher post-secondary education by location; people residing in rural areas have more difficulties accessing post-secondary education compared to their counterparts in urban setting. This disparity is of concern since most people reside in rural or suburban areas. The effects of location are evident, since post-secondary enrolment rate in urban areas is nearly double to seven times the enrolment rates of students from rural areas depending on the consumption quartile. It has been observed that a numbers of high school graduates do not enroll in tertiary institutions immediately after completion of high school despite having good grades. Consequently, large percent of students continue post-secondary education as young adults. However, the chances of attaining post-secondary education after two years from gradating from high school decline significantly especially for rural dwellers (Tierney H agedorn, 2002, p.38). Besides, despite alleged promise from colleges and universities that they recruit students from all parts of the nation, they are less likely to enroll talented students from rural background compared to ones from urban areas.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Rural-Urban gap in Post-secondary education access specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The location disparity is fueled by several factors; firstly, rural areas have less developed secondary systems than urban areas hence they do not provide adequate preparations for post-secondary education. Generally, students residing in rural areas are less academically prepared and score lower grade in standardized tests compared to urban students (Kirst-Ashman, 2010, p.326). Thus, students in rural areas lack quality secondary education; hence, they are fail university entrance exams. Most secondary schools in rural areas are small and lack adequate resources to carter for needs of all students. These small rural schools do not offer motivation or develop aspiration for attaining tertiary education. According to CCL (2006), rural schools have a problem of high turnover rate of teachers; and they have no ability to attract new teachers. Secondly, absence of post-secondary institutions in rural areas limits access of tertiary education to students in rural areas. Proximity and reliable public transportation systems in urban areas is a major factor which contribute to higher involvement in post-secondary education in urban areas (Tierney Hagedorn, 2002, p.38). Additionally, most tertiary institutions recruit large number of their students from their respective localities; since these institutions are located in urban areas, students in urban areas have easier access. Thus, students from rural areas, most of them have low incomes have to meet additional costs of transportation or live away from home. Furthermore most post -secondary education institutions are located in urban areas, which add financial pressure on students (Green Seton Hall University, 2006). Generally, education researchers have recognized that proximity of tertiary institution affects enrollment and attainment of PSE. Moreover, studies have indicated that increase of capacity of tertiary institutions will increase both types I and II access of PSE. Indeed, recent research into the impact of a new university on the local population concludes that having a degree-granting institution nearby increases university attendance among youth. Thirdly, in rural settings, most job opportunities do not require university or college qualification hence post secondary education is not highly valued in rural areas (Yoder North Carolina State University, 2007). Research has indicated that in communities where a proportion of the workforce requires degree or diploma qualification, there is considerable higher reading competence among fifteen year olds (CCL, 2006). Moreover, higher percentage of people in rural areas is on lower socio-economic status thus they cannot afford the cost of tertiary education.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Factors such as inadequate learning facilities and resources in rural secondary schools disadvantage students from attaining college entry requirements. Moreover, rural students lack adequate understanding of college requirements and lack students’ aspiration support. Consequently, the government should establish policies to ensure standardized education in both urban and rural schools. Green Seton Hall University (2006) recommend reexamination of university entry requirements and establishment of flexible requirements for students from rural areas. Socialization of students both in rural and urban areas influences their choices in attaining tertiary education. In deed there is a positive correlation between cultural communities and access to higher education; thus tertiary education needs to be demystified, and illustrate that attainment of higher education do not mean loss of community values. Moreover, people in rural areas have less accessibility of knowledge regarding P SE compared to people in urban areas. However, researchers cited that there is no positive correlation between possessing information and accessing post-secondary education. Additionally some community based characteristics namely availability of role models, motivation, and culture are cited to influence decisions of attaining post-secondary education. To promote equity in access of tertiary education, the federal government has instituted that all tertiary institution should formulate a statement of intent on equity. This statement outlines strategies of addressing equitable distribution of resources, giving priority to disadvantaged groups and measuring and monitoring objectives (Green Seton Hall University, 2006, p.51). The research study will explore the geographic area, proximity of post-secondary institutions and urban city in order to understand how location affects accessibility of tertiary education. Further, the research study will seek to find whether location dispariti es in access of post-secondary education are linked to other external factors like race and socio-economic status inequalities. The study also explores whether, culture in the geographic location or type of socialization in different areas is a contributor to desire of attaining PSE. Purpose of study The purpose of this research study is to analyze the disparity in access of post-secondary education between students in rural areas and those in urban setting. The following research questions will be used as a guide to understand if there is actual disparity of access of post-secondary education between rural and urban dwellers. Research questions What factors cause inaccessibility of post-secondary education in rural areas? Do tertiary institutions deliberately recruit their students from urban areas only? Are there programs or strategies geared to promoting post-secondary education in rural areas? And is access of financial support influenced by geographic locations? What is distri bution ratio of public or private tertiary institutions in rural and urban areas? What leads to incompletion of post-secondary education among students from rural areas? And how easy it is to re-continue with PSE after an interruption? How does the rural or urban socialization impact students’ choice of attaining post-secondary education? Is access gap fuelled largely by other external factors other than geographic locations? Limitations of the study The findings of this qualitative study might not give an accurate representation of the whole population since the research was based on a small sample. Moreover, the sample did not comprise of representation of wide variety of rural and urban areas therefore, the finding will be subjective. The questioners and interviews used to gather information from the target sample may not reflect accurate information. The researcher cannot verify accuracy of information collected as it depends on honesty of the respondents. Accessing of i nformation from tertiary institutions is difficult. Additionally the level urbanicity of some regions is debatable. Moreover, understanding the number of rural students participating in PSE many not generally create accurate picture of access. The research primarily looked on type II access; hence limiting the findings since type I and type II access are not mutually exclusive. The research did not consider the gender of participant, eliminating this variable can skew the finding since gender is a strong factor contributing to accessibility of post-secondary education. Some community characteristics namely availability of role models, and type of employment are variables which are not easily comparable. Significance of study The findings of this paper will present a fundamental challenge to previous research finding on barriers of access of tertiary education. The interviews with students and potential PSE students from rural will give insight of the challenges they face and their n eeds. Thus, the information gathered can be used by policy makers when addressing. The research is not based on any past research on the issue to ensure objectivity is maintained. The information gathered from this study can be useful to tertiary institutions in determining strategies of promoting equity recruitment. Definition of terms The term access, as used in this research study, mainly refers to participation in any tertiary institutions. The classification of geographical areas in terms of urban, rural, semi-urban is according to the urbanicity rate. Population density is the main feature used to determine urbanicity of a location. Post secondary education (PSE) – this refers to the next level of schooling directly coming after the end of secondary education. Tertiary institution- these are the institutions that provide post-secondary education they include but not limited to colleges, universities, polytechnics and institutes of technology that award academic degrees or professional certificates. References Austin, A. (2002). Higher education in the developing world: changing contexts and institutional responses. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Canadian Council of Learning. (2006). The rural-urban gap in education. Web. Green, T. C. Seton Hall University. (2006). Comparative policy analysis of trends in higher education aspirations, access and attainment among low-socioeconomic students using longitudinal data sets. Michigan: ProQuest. Kirst-Ashman, K. (2010). Human Behavior in the Macro Social Environment: An Empowerment Approach to Understanding Communities, Organizations, and Groups. Belton: Cengage Publishing. Tierney, W. G. Hagedorn, S. L. (2002). Increasing access to college: extending possibilities for all students. NY: SUNY Press. Yoder, M. North Carolina State University. (2007). Rural students’ access to and success in higher education: A case study. Michigan: ProQuest. This research paper on Rural-Urban gap in Post-secondary education access was written and submitted by user Maelstrom to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Definitions of Indexes and Scales in Research

Definitions of Indexes and Scales in Research Indexes and scales are important and useful tools in social science research. They have both similarities and differences among them. An index is a way of compiling one score from a variety of questions or statements that represents a belief, feeling, or attitude. Scales, on the other hand, measure levels of intensity at the variable level, like how much a person agrees or disagrees with a particular statement. If you are conducting a social science research project, chances are good that you will encounter indexes and scales. If you are creating your own survey or using secondary data from another researcher’s survey, indexes and scales are almost guaranteed to be included in the data. Indexes in Research Indexes are very useful in quantitative social science research because they provide a researcher a way to create a  composite measure  that summarizes responses for multiple rank-ordered related questions or statements. In doing so, this composite measure gives the researcher data about a research participants view on a certain belief, attitude, or experience. For example, let’s say a researcher is  interested in measuring job satisfaction and one of the key variables is job-related depression. This might be difficult to measure with simply one question. Instead, the researcher can create several different questions that deal with job-related depression and create an index of the included variables. To do this, one could use four questions to measure job-related depression, each with the response choices of yes or no: When I think about myself and my job, I feel downhearted and blue.When I’m at work, I often get tired for no reason.When I’m at work, I often find myself restless and can’t keep still.When at work, I am more irritable than usual. To create an  index of job-related depression, the researcher would simply add up the number of yes responses for the four questions above. For example, if a respondent answered yes to three of the four questions, his or her index score would be three, meaning that job-related depression is high. If a respondent answered no to all four questions, his or her job-related depression score would be 0, indicating that he or she is not depressed in relation to work. Scales in Research A scale is a type of composite measure that is composed of several items that have a logical or empirical structure among them. In other words, scales take advantage of differences in intensity among the indicators of a variable. The most commonly used scale is the Likert scale, which contains response categories such as strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. Other scales used in social science research include the Thurstone scale, Guttman scale, Bogardus social distance scale, and the semantic differential scale. For example, a researcher interested in measuring prejudice against women could use a Likert scale to do so. The researcher would first create a series of statements reflecting prejudiced ideas, each with the response categories of strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree. One of the items might be women shouldn’t be allowed to vote, while another might be women can’t drive as well as men. We would then assign each of the response categories a score of 0 to 4 (0 for strongly disagree, 1 for disagree, 2 for neither agree or disagree, etc.). The scores for each of the statements would then be added for each respondent to create an overall score of prejudice. If a respondent answered strongly agree to five statements expressing prejudiced ideas, his or her overall prejudice score would be 20, indicating a very high degree of prejudice against women. Compare and Contrast Scales and indexes have several similarities. First, they are both ordinal measures of variables. That is, they both rank-order the units of analysis in terms of specific variables. For example, a person’s score on either a scale or index of religiosity gives an indication of his or her religiosity relative to other people. Both scales and indexes are composite measures of variables, meaning that the measurements are based on more than one data item. For instance, a person’s IQ score is determined by his or her responses to many test questions, not simply one question. Even though scales and indexes are similar in many ways, they also have several differences. First, they are constructed differently. An index is constructed simply by accumulating the scores assigned to individual items. For example, we might measure religiosity by adding up the number of religious events the respondent engages in during an average  month. A scale, on the other hand, is constructed by assigning scores to patterns of responses with the idea that some items suggest a weak degree of the variable while other items reflect stronger degrees of the variable. For example, if we are constructing a scale of political activism, we might score running for office higher than simply voting in the last election. Contributing money to a political campaign and working on a political campaign would likely score in between. We would then add up the scores for each individual based on how many items they participated in and then assign them an overall score for the scale. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Should I Focus on STEM-Specific Classes in High School?

The acronym STEM, referring to the academic and professional fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, has become a popular buzzword in the world of education. This is not without merit, as STEM-related careers are projected to experience rapid job growth over the next decade. Many STEM fields have strong, easily identifiable career prospects in prestigious and cutting-edge careers, such as biotech, tech startups, software development, and medicine. In fact, in 2016, nine out of 10 of the most desirable jobs ranked by CareerCast were STEM-related, ranging from audiologist to information security analyst. With all the hype, you might be wondering if you should focus your academic efforts towards a higher education path in the STEM fields. Should you load up on STEM area classes during high school, even if doing so may shortchange other areas like the humanities, arts, or social sciences? If you’re considering a focused pursuit of STEM classes and you’re curious as to what degree you should focus your work, this post is for you. Here, we outline the importance of a STEM education for intended STEM-majors and non-majors alike, its application in a competitive job market and beyond, and the bottom line for how to decide how much weight STEM classes will get in your high school class selections. There’s no question that it’s a good idea to get a strong STEM background while you’re still in high school, especially if you plan to pursue STEM-related classes in college. Many schools are now devoting resources to STEM-specific programs or even creating entirely new departments within the school. There’s no doubt that without a solid STEM foundation in high school, you’ll be at a disadvantage to pursue any of these fields seriously in college. So, what does this mean for your class selection in high school? Should you be dropping English classes to take more science classes? Which science classes should you choose? In STEM classes, as in other subject areas, you should generally be taking the most challenging classes available to you if you want to be a competitive candidate for top-tier colleges. The specific STEM classes you take will vary depending on class availability at your school, but generally you will need to enroll in whichever track is specified as the most challenging one. This usually means you’ll be taking AP Calculus , AP Chemistry , and AP Physics , along with perhaps some coding classes or robotics extracurriculars. In addition to qualifying you as a competitive candidate, these challenging classes will often prepare you for college-level work in the STEM fields. They may also possibly mean you won’t have to take big, basic lecture classes to get started if you can place out of introductory classes through placement tests or AP scores. The bottom line is if you know you want to pursue a STEM field, getting serious about it in high school is a good idea. That said, you should not do so at the expense of fulfilling your graduation requirements in other subject areas, such as English, and you shouldn’t drop core classes to facilitate your STEM path. While your early preparation and focus can set you apart as a college applicant and make your academic pursuits in college one step easier, don’t take your specialization so far that other subject areas suffer. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. STEM classes are important even if you don’t intend to pursue a related major in college. Programming, familiarity with technology, basic engineering skills, or basic knowledge of fields like chemistry and biology could come in handy in many different fields and jobs. These skills can set you apart in a competitive job market, even if the job isn’t directly related to STEM work. As more and more industries and businesses become dependent on technology, STEM skills are relevant in many different, unrelated fields. You become a more desirable job candidate if you know the field and also have skills in programming, web development, or other relevant technologies. STEM-skills can even make you more self-sufficient outside of the workplace. Computer knowledge can help you to fix technical issues yourself, while basic chemistry can make you a better gardener, and engineering knowhow can help you with home or car repairs. Even if you really dislike math or science or feel like they are subjects that just don’t come naturally to you, you should still work to develop basic proficiency in these areas. Although you may not plan a career focused on a STEM field, you should plan on a life that requires a basic knowledge of STEM skills. As with anything else, there can be too much of a good thing. If you’re interested in STEM fields, you should definitely pursue them and even prioritize them over your other classes, but you should not write off your other classes entirely. For one thing, most high schools have core classes that are required for graduation. Without a set number of classes in English, history, and other subject areas, you might not be allowed to graduate. Be sure to check the requirements at your school so that you know what’s expected in advance. Beyond that, many colleges also require or at least strongly recommend that you take a certain number of classes in various non-STEM areas in order to enter or even be a strong applicant. This ensures that you are a well-rounded candidate with skills that extend beyond the STEM field. Even if it’s not explicitly clear to you from application instructions, taking the most challenging classes available to you in multiple areas (not just STEM) matters to colleges. Ultimately, STEM professionals need to be able to communicate effectively through a variety of mediums and taking a broad base of classes ensures that you’re prepared to do this. Finally, the important standardized tests (SATs or ACTs) required for many college applications are cross-curricular in nature. Even if you score perfectly on the math or science portions of the test, your overall score will suffer significantly if you can’t also perform well on the humanities sections. Often, your overall score is used as an initial screening tool for college admissions, so if it doesn’t meet a certain threshold, the admissions committee may never even see your perfect score on the math section. This is a difficult question because the answer will vary depending on your personal strengths, goals, and other priorities. Ultimately, everyone should give STEM-classes some serious consideration and time because in an increasingly tech-based world, this skill set will always be of some value. Obviously, if you plan to pursue STEM in college, you should take advantage of your high school’s STEM class offerings. Take as many as you can without comprising your work in other fields. Also, join STEM-related clubs or other activities. You can be STEM-focused without having to jeopardize your studies in other subject areas. If you don’t want to pursue STEM in college or you’re simply not yet sure, you should consider STEM as one of many options. There are many valuable, interesting, and necessary fields of study available, especially while you’re still in high school. Take advantage of the opportunities that high school gives you to learn broadly, explore different fields, and become as well-rounded as you are specialized in your studies. Lay the foundation for a basic STEM background in case you change your mind later or need those skills in life or work, but don’t focus solely on STEM if your interests and talents lie elsewhere. To learn more about pursuing STEM-fields, both in high school and in college, consider the benefits of the Near Peer Mentorship Program , which provides access to practical advice on topics from college admissions to career aspirations, all from successful college students.

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Case Study - Essay Example Leaders create visions and goals whereas the managers and administrators work towards achieving them. The fast changing pace of the technology can be observed in the study of the organizations and the changing role of leadership within the organizations. The role of leaders, managers and the administrators of the organizations become more challenging when new technologies are introduced in the organizations. The good leadership ensures effective communication with the employees with shared vision of the new technology, thus promoting better understanding among the employees for easy changeover. The managers and the administrators need to be guided by the group leaders within the organization to implement the changes in a smooth manner. In the contemporary environment of competitive business, the leadership style and leadership initiatives become major propellant of gaining effective leverage against business rivals. Discussion of leadership with reference to large organization is as important as that of small one for the simple reasons that the leaders within the organizations, not only provide an intangible stability among the employees and facilitate integration with the system, but they have been known to promote collective vision of the organization and provide the necessary impetus to the employees to strive towards it. Scholars assert that in the increasingly changing environment of global competitiveness one needs to ‘approach managerial leadership as a relational, ongoing social construction process rather than as a single clear cut phenomenon’ (Sjostrand and Tyrstrup). The emerging new managerial leadership has encompassed a very important aspect of organizations, that of making effort to involve employees in the decision making process. The leadership has recognized the importance of people’s participation in the overall strategy of having collective goals through shared

Architecture & IS Roles Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Architecture & IS Roles - Research Paper Example Moreover, Physicians and other healthcare service providers have also adopted long-term information systems to improve service delivery through networks in a more holistic approach. Several primary roles as identified in the table below shows that Trinity Healthcare has received a complete transformation of information system infrastructure with the help of unified service organization (USO). Among the initial concepts that Trinity Healthcare embraced after the implementation of the digital platform is a decision support systems (DSS). The DSS is perceived critical for managers to help in the realization of effective decision-making process with retrospective approach aimed at enhancing performance benchmarking. The case points out that an effective analytic management is necessary at Trinity Healthcare to help in the identification of who owns data thus facilitating clarification of authorized to access a particular data. As such, it is important in making key decision policies. Decision support systems are also used starting from the top level of the governance structure through the committee intelligence to the supervisors where essential data definitions are analyzed by quality steering team (Tanriverdi & Ross, 2011). Trinity management has a centrally designed financial data warehouse termed as unified data warehouse (UDW). Through the UDW, the organization can foresee its financial indications thus making it easier to evaluate the financial metrics on a daily basis. Moreover, such a system enhances planning and search for alternative market within the right time-frame. Besides, it provides the organization with the insight of a progressive performance and the right data concerning projects that may require corrections (Grossmann, IM & NAE, 2012). After having realized that the initial accounting standards were not in accordance

The pulley system investigation Essay Example for Free

The pulley system investigation Essay My aim is to create a pulley system which must consist of one, two or three pulley systems so that the results are recorded. I will also investigate and find the difference in the value of the force obtained for the three different pulley systems. Hypothesis I should be able to pick up 500g with one pulley but to make this easier I will use a pulley system, if I use one pulley that the force needed to lift this amount of weight should decrease by 25%. Off course this is my hypothesis Apparatus   Nylon Rope (3 Metres long Rope) Three pulley systems.   500g mass load force meter. (Newton Meter)   Clamp, Boss, Retort Stand. Loop and Weights. Safety Points The first thing that you must always be concerned about should be the safety of yourself and people around you. Safety should always be looked at seriously as this could alter the results and the test could turn unequal and unfair. You must always be concerned about Safety as this could always make the test more equal and Fair. Make sure that you put a bad underneath the pulleys in case they drop. A tension should always be readily available on the strings so that the whole pulley system does not collapse. Counter Balancing Masses could be an affective way to improve rather than a Newton Meter (optional). Method 1) The pulley must be firstly fixed together with a loop to a retort stand. 2) A string which has looped ends is then placed on top of the pulley 3) Weights can then be attached to one end of the string using its loop. A Newton Meter is than attached to the other side of the string. 4) By pulling down the Newton Meter you are able to raise the weight which sets the height and the effort is recorded on the Newton Meter. 5) You can now attach more pulleys and compare the force required to raise the weights. I have observed that you will not get the required result if you skip weight increasing from one number to another. You must go up step by step to see the trend. This is so that you can take real measurements and make observations correctly. 6) Adaptations To help make the experiment more efficient, the stand was were unstable; I got a friend to hold down the experiment whilst i was pulling the Newton meter. May I also mention that standard procedure may be different to the procedures which conclude in a Science Based Service. Science Based Services have much more detailed and quality instructions as well as equipment which give much more accurate readings. These accurate data include materials such as a digital Newton Meter which gives you an accurate reading to three decimal places. A Service which uses this equipment includes a building company which has to pick up a lot of weight. Diagram Result Test Number of Pulley Systems Force Needed to lift 500g load off the floor 1 0 3N 2 1 4N 3 2 3N 4 3 2N A surprising result has been achieved. The trend is very unusual. I have seen that the more the pulley is added the less force is required. But through observation i can see that without a pulley at all is better that has 1 pulley or 3 pulleys. The device is not very good as it was very unstable and people had to be aware of it. It was probably able to fall but did not due to the care that was taken. The performance of the system as a whole has not really attracted me. This is because the machine we used was insecure and unsafe to use. The first three tests were also very bad as they were better of not to be done. We contained results which were very unexpecting. If you were to add more pulleys the machine would get too complicated and may also not be able to handle it. As you know i had wished to add more pulleys but there were not any more to go around in the class. Conclusion I found out as the number of pulleys increased from 1 to 3 the amount of force needed to lift goes down. Evaluation I could improve my experiment if I repeat the test a few times to cancel any human errors such as wrong measurements which may occur during the measurement of the rope. Other measurements such as the weights may have been misunderstood due to their sizes which will vary accordingly. We also required adding more pulleys to get a more accurate result as more pulleys would have given us a more appropriate result. In the Industry In a laboratory you would use a pulley system simply to get the over all picture. It would be very small machine and the results taken would not be accurate. In a real world industry people have to move very large heavy items and materials. In an industry there are special separate companies which have the business of just moving items with huge pulley like machines. They take accurate reading of all there uses and determine through past experience of how much weight will be picked up and take on a job with the appropriate amount of pulleys. They have also got more stable and secure equipment which is checked regularly. The difference is our equipment is low graded and has not been specified for any specific weight criteria like there. We are also taking experiments before any real work can be taken up. But they have already got all the information required and choose there machine depending on the weight intended. Pulleys are found usually on cranes which help pick loads vertically but they use ropes, wires and chains!

Black Thursday Stock Market Crash Essay -- American History, Great Dep

In early 1928 the Dow Jones Average went from a low of 191 to a high of 300 in December of 1928 and peaked at 381 in September of 1929. 1929Â…) It was anticipated that the increases in earnings and dividends would continue. (1929Â…) Price to earnings ratio's rose from 10 to 12 to 20 and higher for the market's favorite stocks. (1929Â…) Observers believed that stock market prices in the first 6 months of 1929 were high, while others saw them to be cheap. (1929Â…) On October 3rd, the Dow Jones Average began to drop, declining through out the week of October 14th. (1929Â…) On the night of Monday, October 21st, 1929, margin calls were heavy and Dutch and German calls came in to sell overnight for the Tuesday morning opening. (1929Â…) On Tuesday morning, out of town banks and corporations called in $150 million of call loans, and Wall Street was in a panic before the New York Stock Exchange opened. (1929Â…) On Thursday, October 24th, 1929, people began to sell their s tocks as fast as they could., sell orders flooded market exchanges. (1929Â…) This day became known as Black Thursday. (Black ThursdayÂ…) On a normal day, only 750-800 members of the New York Stock Exchange started the exchange. (1929Â…) There were 1100 members on the floor for the morning opening. (1929Â…) Furthermore, the exchange directed all employees to be on the floor since there were numerous margin calls and sell orders placed overnight, extra telephone staff was arranged at the member's boxes around the floor. (1929Â…) The Dow Jones Average closed at 299 that day. (1929Â…) On Tuesday, October 29th, 1929, the crash began. (1929Â…) Within the first few hours , the price fell so far as to wipe out all gains that had been made the entire previous year. (1929Â…) This day the Dow Jones... ...cial reports were reliable. After the crash, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was established to law down the law and to punish those who violated. (1929Â…) Also during the crash 4,000 banks failed, for the simple fact that the banks ran out of money. Four years later, congress passed the Glass-Steagall Act, which essentially banned any connection between commercial banks and investment banking, to ensure that is would never happen again. The Federal Reserve and other banking regulators have softened some of the Act's separation of securities and banking functions by letting banks sell certain securities through affiliated companies. (1929Â…) Bibliography 1. c Black Thursday: The 1929 Stock Market Crash. www.letsfindout.com. 2. 1929 Stock Market Crash. www.arts.unimelb.edu. 3. 1929-1931. Annals of America. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. Volume 15: 32-39

Fortress of North Carolina’s History

Stretching almost 500 miles through North Carolina and Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountains stand like a fortress that conceal some of the oldest settlements of both pre-historic and early European settlement. Much of the 200-year-plus history of Appalachian culture still persists by simply discovering what remnants are left. In 1539, the first European expedition to venture into the Blue Ridge region was led by Span’s Hernando de Soto, as his troops landed near Tampa Bay, Florida, with over six hundred soldiers and some additional men (mostly servants and slaves).Soto's expedition headed toward the Appalachian interior with two goals — to find adventure and to discover gold and other precious metals rumored to be in the region. Numerous Native American tribes (most of them Mississippian cultures) resisted the Spaniards' advance (Olson 1988, p. 3). In May of 1540, Soto's expedition crossed the Blue Ridge, probably guided by Native American scouts who knew of a well-establ ished trail over the mountains. The expedition passed through the domain of the region's predominate tribe, the Cherokee, quickly and without difficulty.The reason behind must be that the tribe had already been decimated by smallpox or other European disease that spread to the Cherokee from coastal tribes, which likely had contracted that disease from earlier European explorers. The Peachtree site within the Cherokee county fits the description of the town of Guasili visited by Soto. The Peachtree site is geographically and topographically more accurately situated for the location of Guasili than either the Nacoochee or Etowah mounds, both of which had previously been considered as the site of Guasili.At present, this site in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the feasibility of trails is limited, coincides more nearly with the expected situation as described by the chronicles than any other location. However, the significant point in this report is not whether this is the site of the ancient town of Guasili as shows at least one trail of importance which passes the site, while several others are connected to it (Setzler, Jennings & Stewart 1941, p. 9).However, it was England and France that garnered the political control of eastern North America, as many English settlers avoided exposure to the fighting by moving from the North Carolina and Virginia piedmont onto Cherokee lands in the Carolinas. In reaction, the Cherokee staged a series of attacks on English settlements and fortifications, a situation which came to be known as the Cherokee War. The Cherokee won several of these contests, including one major victory, the capture of Fort Loudoun on the Little Tennessee River in 1760.In retaliation English soldiers under Major Hugh Waddell in 1761 stormed Cherokee towns along the Little Tennessee River; suffering many casualties, the Cherokee pled for peace (Ehle 1988, p. 51). The English, recognizing that they could not fight the Cherokee and the Fren ch at the same time, forged a new alliance with the Cherokee. By 1763, this alliance had defeated the French and their Native American allies.English monarch King George III rewarded the Cherokee for their loyalty by issuing the Proclamation of 1763, which established a boundary line intended to prevent colonists from venturing onto Cherokee land. As the nineteenth century dawned in the Blue Ridge region with several states was mired in political squabbling over territorial boundaries. By 1800, the border between North Carolina and Virginia had already been surveyed, but North Carolina's border with the new state of Tennessee.As a cause of the frequent revision of county lines in the North Carolina Blue Ridge, it prompted the slowing the development of stable and productive county governments. The limited state funds allocated to mountain counties were often rendered ineffective by a lack of competent administration within the counties. For decades after the Revolutionary War, count ies in the Blue Ridge region not only were generally underrepresented in state politics, but also received little benefit from the federal government.Much of the western North Carolina landscape had been destroyed by the Revolutionary War, yet the state government of North Carolina put little effort toward boosting the region's economy. This was in part because the state's economy was sluggish, the result of many factors: a lack of harbors, the absence of an effective road system by which to conduct trade within the state, high transportation tariffs, and an over-dependence on agriculture (McPherson 1988, p. 65-71). In the North Carolina General Assembly in 1823, the state allocated funds for a trans-mountain road, the Buncombe Turnpike.Completed in 1827, this road linked South Carolina with Tennessee, allowing safe wagon transport from Greenville, South Carolina, over the North Carolina Blue Ridge, then through the valley of the French Broad River to Greeneville, Tennessee. A toll road, the Buncombe Turnpike profoundly affected the Blue Ridge communities through which it passed, providing economic relief to an impoverished region. Inns, supply outlets, and wagon-repair shops sprang up in a number of places along the turnpike. Owing to its strategic location along the turnpike, Asheville, North Carolina, grew quickly as a supply center for travelers.An important tourist attraction also emerged along the turnpike: Warm Springs, later called Hot Springs. The Buncombe Turnpike not only benefited the communities through which it was routed, but also served the nation by providing eastern markets with a steady supply of agricultural products, poultry, and livestock raised to the west of the Blue Ridge (Dunaway 1996, p. 113-115). During the Civil War, no major battles took place in the North Carolina Blue Ridge because political loyalties within the region were sharply divided, countless skirmishes occurred there.These conflicts were particularly frequent after July 1863, when the Confederate congress elected to position militia throughout the South in an attempt to capture draft evaders, return deserters to their commands, and control marauders who were opportunistically exploiting undermanned southern farms and villages. Confederate soldiers were soon present in the Blue Ridge, causing conflict wherever they encountered Union sympathizers. Thus, when the Civil War ended in 1865, marked the slowdown of political and social turmoil in the Blue Ridge region.The war had a profound impact on the region, as many people became disgusted at their ruined environment and disillusioned with their government. This is even worsened by the fact that political representation of the Blue Ridge people during Reconstruction was marked by corruption. Only after Reconstruction ended in the mid-1870s did state governments reorganize and actively participate in the economic development of the Blue Ridge. Finally, this improved the conditions in the region, which harnessed the forces of industrialization to come in. References Dunaway, Wilma A.(1996). The First American Frontier: Transition to Capitalism in Southern Appalachia, 1700-1860, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Ehle, John (1988) Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation, New York: Anchor Press. McPherson, James M. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, New York: Ballantine Books. Olson, T. (1998). Blue Ridge Folklife. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. Setzler, F. M. , Jennings, J. D. , & Stewart, T. D. (1941). Peachtree Mound and Village Site, Cherokee County, North Carolina. Washington, DC

A Review of Qualitative Research on Teenage Smoking Habits

A Review of Qualitative Research on Teenage Smoking Habits Grand Canyon University: NRS-433V-O103 Introduction to Nursing Research September 20, 2012 Introduction The purpose of this document is to summarize the contents of the research article, explain the research methods implemented, and offer insight on how the findings contribute to nursing practice. Second, there will be an explanation of ethical considerations associated with the conduct of nursing research. Finally, the source document, â€Å"What Determines Teenagers' Smoking Behaviour? : A Qualitative Study† will be attached for review. SummaryThe articles purpose was to study smoking behavior among Malaysian teens. The specific areas of interest included: smoking initiation, cigarette consumption, intention to stop smoking, and attempts to stop smoking. The first stage of teen smoking behavior begins with casual experimentation and is followed by the maintenance phase when everyday ritual smoking is present. The fut ure dependence on smoking can be predicted by the individual’s actions during experimentation with cigarettes. Curiosity, peer pressure, and parental smoking were all reported reasons that teens decided to try cigarettes.In children less than thirteen year old, it was concluded that parental smoking played the largest role in behavior choices. This finding suggests that children are modeling the parents’ smoking behavior. However, older teens in secondary school reported peer pressure to be the reason for choices regarding cigarettes. Seventy-four percent of the participants reported that they smoked less than five cigarettes daily. This same portion or participants admitted that they smoked because they experienced physical symptoms of nicotine withdraw when they didn’t smoke daily.Consumption of cigarettes in this group was reported as a social activity among friends but mostly in secluded areas, to avoid getting caught. Most all adolescents that were active i n this study reported that they had intended to quit smoking in the future. The majority of participants had no clear plan on how they were going to stop and most had admitted to several failed attempts to stop smoking without help. Aspects to consider: relationships, athletic involvement, health concerns, lack of finances, and parental concern are all reasons that would cause a teen smoker to consider quitting.The participants that were able to stop smoking had a plan and picked a specific quit date. Methods of Study This information was collected and processed through a qualitative study. Specifically, it involved twenty-six teens from three public schools. Twenty-thee members of this sample group were smokers while three of the members had stopped smoking. Information was gathered through three focus group interviews, three in-depth interviews over twenty months, and questionnaires.The questions were asked in a non-formal conversational manner with important points or answers rec orded on a document designed to evaluate and sort information (site). The Social Cognitive Theory was used to organize collection of information and analysis. This theoretical framework was chosen based on the need for an explanation of teen smoking related to individuals, heath behaviors, and environments. The expectation is that Social Cognitive Theory would offer more insight on how these three elements would interact with each other simultaneously.Contribution to Nursing Smoking tobacco continues to be one of the top causes of preventable causes for death in America. There are 430,000 deaths, one point five million years of potential life lost, and fifty billion of lost medical debt related to tobacco use (Hollis, J. , Pollen, N,†¦ 2005). Nurses that identify younger clients at risk for tobacco can contribute to decline in morbidity related to smoking and assist in the decrease of medical debt. â€Å"The younger that youth are when they start using tobacco, the more likely they'll be addicted (CDC, 20012). The study offers insight to nursing practice for specific tailoring of a care plan for teens who smoke, parents who smoke, and how to target the education for quitting. The areas that affected teen’s interest in quitting included: athletic improvement, parents disapproval, health concerns, and lack of finances. Nurses can use the information from this study to reinforce the health promotion and benefits of being a non-smoker. The recognition of how parents affect smoking behaviors will aid the nurse in preparing education that is directed at the entire family to deter childhood and teen smoking.The contribution to patient care can be seen with health promotion assessment use. The conclusions were clear about teens needing a plan to quit after they reached the maintenance phase of smoking. This result alerts nurses to assess smoking in younger adolescence and offer assistance with smoking cessation. Ethical Issues First, The Research and Ethi c Committee of University Kebangsaan Malaysia gave approval before the study was started. Second, The Ministry of Education Malaysia offered authorization for interviews in the school system for children who were not involved in some type of major examination.Third, all of the teens along with parents provided a written and signed consent for participation. The confidentiality of current smoking status was kept intact and privacy was maintained. Lastly, at the conclusions of each interview the teens were offered smoking cession counseling at a doctor’s clinic. To ensure reliability of the study, several schools were used and different types of data collection utilized. There was self-reflexivity in minimizing opinions of the researchers. Validation was offered by minimal prompting, statement clarification, and rephrasing of questions. ConclusionThe study identified factors like nicotine addiction, personal, and environmental issues that influence of smoking behaviors in teens . These areas should be of great priority when developing smoking cessation programs for teens. The Social Cognitive Theory utilized in this study is an aid that helps nurses to understand smoking behaviors in teens and how to address barriers to break those influential factors. Since this study was done in one region of Malaysia, it may not apply to all areas outside of it. This was a very small study that cannot be applied to all cultures, geographic locations, and race.A better perspective would have been attained by selecting a wider group with random geographic location and equal gender participation. The male to female ratio for the study was unequal and this causes a shift in the standard deviation when scrutinizing the study from a statistical view. Having unequal gender numbers could cause a type I or II error which makes the information not entirely reliable (Grove, S. , 2012). References Center for Disease Control. (2012, January). We can make the next generation tobacco- free. Retrieved from http://www. cdc. gov/Features/YouthTobaccoUse/ Grove, Susan K. (2012).Statistics for Health Care Research: A Practical Workbook [1] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://pageburstls. elsevier. com/books/978-1- 4160-0226-0/outline/11 Hollis, J. , Polen, M. , Whitlock, E. , Lichtenstein, E. , Mullooly, J. , Velicer, W. , & Redding, C. (2005). Teen Reach: outcomes from a randomized, controlled trial of a tobacco reduction program for teens seen in primary medical care. Pediatrics, 115(4 Part 1), 981-989. Tohid, H. , Ishak, N. d. , Muhammad, N. , Hassan, H. , & Omar, K. (2011). What determines teenagers’ smoking behavior? : A qualitative study. International Medical Journal, 18(3), 194-198. 194PSYCHIATRY Article Ititernational Medical Joumal. Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 194 – 198 , September 2011 What Determines Teenagers' Smoking Behaviour? : A Qualitative Study Hizlinda Tohid†, Noriah Mohd. Ishak^', Noor Azimah Muhammad†, Hasliza Abu Has san^', Farah Naaz Momtaz Ahmad†, Khairani Omar'* ABSTRACT Objective: The study aimed to explore smoking behaviour among Malaysian teenagers that were related to their smoking initiation, cigarette consumption, quit intention, and quit attempts. Methods: It was a qualitative study that used multiple case study design, involving 26 teenagers (23 smokers and three former smokers) from three public schools.Data was collected via questionnaires, three focus group interviews and three in-depth interviews over 20 months, A standardised semi-structured interview protocol was utilised. Results: Among the participants, 74% of them started smoking after the age of 12 years old. The majority (20/23) of the teenage smokers admitted to smoking every day and 74% of them smoked not more than 5 cigarettes a day. All of the smokers had the intention to quit but only 22 out of the 23 teenage smokers had attempted quitting. Sixty percent of these teenagers had more than three quit attempts.In gen eral, this study captured the complexity of the teenagers' smoking behaviour that could be influenced by multiple factors, including behavioural (e,g, nicotine addiction), personal (e,g, conception of smoking and quitting, curiosity, sensation seeking, knowledge about smoking cessation, stress, maintaining athletic performance, and finance,) and environmental (e,g, socialisation, peer pressure, parental smoking, parental disapproval, and boy- or girlfriend aversion) factors. Conclusions: This study described the complex and multidimensional nature of teenage smoking behaviour.The findings also correspondingly matched the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), therefore suggesting the theory's suitability in elucidating smoking behaviour among the Malaysian teenagers, KEY WORDS smoking, teenagers, smoking initiation, cigarette consumption, quit smoking INTRODUCTION Adolescence is a crucial time in which a relatively dependent child transforms into a relatively independent adult. During this transitional period, many teenagers often experiment risky behaviours as a proclamation of their autonomy.This risky behaviour includes cigarette smoking, using illicit drugs and cirinking alcohol. (Epps, Manley, & Glynn, 1995; Kulig, & American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse, 2005) Experimenting with cigarette smoking is an initial stage of teenagers' smoking behaviour before it becomes established. (Nichter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Seguire, & Chalmers, 2000; Curry, Mermelstein, & Sporer, 2009) This smoking initiation predicts their long-term tobacco use and heavier levels of dependence. (Breslau, & Peterson, 1996; Escobedo, Marcus,Holtzman, & Giovino, 1993; Chen, & Millar, 1998) Their experimenting behaviour may be influenced by various factors including curiosity, peer pressure, parental smoking, sensation seeking, social norms for smoking, and misconception of smoking (e. g. belief that smoking provides benefits, such as coping, sense of belon ging, style, relaxation, and coolness). (Dijk, de Nooijer, Heinrich, & de Vries, 2007; Naing et at. , 2004; Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Vuckovic, Polen, & Hollis, 2003; Nichter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997) These factors could cause teenagers to continue smoking.Teenage smoking maintenance is also influenced by nicotine addiction. It has been shown to be substantially significant among teenagers even with low cigarette consumption. (The National Health and Morbidity Survey, 2009; Hammond et al. , 2008; Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Naing et al. , 2004; DiFranza et at. , 2007; Balch et al. , 2004; Amos, Wiltshire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006) This may be due to a very rapid loss of autonomy over tobacco even with minimal exposure to nicotine in adolescents, as demonstrated by the DANDY study. (DiFranza et al. , 2007; DiFranza et al. , 2002)Consequently, majority of teenage smokers struggle to quit smoking. (Balch et at. , 2004; McVea, Miller, Creswell, McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009; Amos, Wiltshire, Haw, & MeNeill, 2006; Seguire, & Chalmers, 2000) Thus, smoking behaviour among teenagers is a complex phenomenon, since it is influenced by multiple factors. This complexity requires great understanding of the behaviour from those who are involved in the care of these teenagers. This comprehension would certainly help the care providers to curb teenage smoking, which is a dangerous, addictive and destructive behaviour. US Department of Health and Human Services, 2004) Therefore, many studies have Received on Augtist 28, 2010 and accepted on November 29, 2010 1) Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lutnpur, Malaysia 2) Pusat PERMATApintar Negara, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Bangl, 43600 Selangor, Malaysia 3) Setapak Health Clinic, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Correspondence to: Hizlinda Tohid (e-mails; [email  protected] com) 2011 Japan International Cultural Exchange Foundation & Japan Health Sciences UniversityTobitJ H, et al. 195 Table 1. Participants' gender, status of smoking and types of interviews TYPES OF SCHOOL MALE GENDER FcEeM. . AALIEE SMOKERS STATUS OF SMOKING NON SMOKERS FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW TYPES OF INTERVIEWS IN DEPTH INTERVIEW SCHOOL 1 URBAN 9 3 9 3 1 3 SCHOOL 2 SEMI-URBAN 7 7 1 SCHOOL 3 RURAL 7 7 1 TOTAL 3 23 3 23 3 3 3 been carried out to examine the phenomenon of teenage smoking. In Malaysia, majority of such studies were quantitative studies. (Naing et al. , 2004; Hoi, & Hong, 2000; Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Zulkifli, Rogayah, Razian, & Nyi Nyi, 2001)Nevertheless, studies that qualitatively describe Malaysian teenagers' smoking behaviour are still lacking. This deficiency may affect our understanding of the matter in great depth and holistically. Thus, this study aimed to explore smoking behaviour among Malaysian teenagers related to their smoking initiation, cigarette consumption, quit intention, and quit attempts. This information could provide us with better conception about their smoking behaviour, and subse-‘ quently eould help us to identify areas for improvement. METHODSThis study used a multiple case study design, involving 26 teenagers (23 smokers and three former smokers) from three public schools (urban, semi-urban and rural). Data was collected via selfadministered questionnaires, focus group interviews (FGI) and indepth interviews (IDI) over a period of 20 months, between 2008 until 2010. Theoretical framework This study utilised the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to guide the researchers in data collection and analysis. The SCT was also used for ‘analytieal generalisation' in which findings of the study were mapped against the theory.It was chosen as the study's theoretical framework due to its appropriateness and comprehensiveness in capturing a complex phenomenon of eigarette smoking that is influenced by multiple factors. (Baranowski, Perry, & Parc el, 2002) The SCT describes how individuals, environments and health behaviour interact with each other simultaneously (reciprocal determinism). (Baranowski, Perry, & Pareel, 2002) Study population Twenty six teenagers (23 boys and three girls, as shown in Table I) were selected via purposive and snowballing sampling, based on predetermined criteria.The teenage smokers and former smokers were sampled because their experience in cigarette smoking and smoking cessation was crucial for this study. These teenagers were 16 years old Malays, recruited from three different (urban, semiurban and rural) public schools from 2 states in Malaysia. Recruitment of teenagers Teenagers were recruited with the assistance from school counsellors from eaeh sehool. An agreement for no disciplinary action against teenagers who were willing to participate in this study was made with the counsellors prior to the recruitment.The students' smoking status was also eoneealed from other school staff to avoid s tigmatisation. Twelve teenagers who were selected from one of the schools were introdueed to the main researcher during an informal meeting for study briefing (refer to Table 1). The teenagers were invited to participate and were given parental packages, which comprised of an acknowledgement letter to parents, the study's information sheet, and a parental consent form. Subsequently, dates for tbe FGI and IDI were set. The completed parental eonsents forms were eolleeted prior the interviews by the school counsellor.The other 14 teenagers (7 students from each remaining school, as shown in Table 1) were reeruited by sehools' counsellors, who had training in qualitative research and were well informed about the study. Similar method of obtaining eonsent from their parents was carried out by these counsellors. Data collection Three in-depth interviews and three focus-group interviews were carried out (refer to Table 1). Prior to the interviews, all participants were given a brief overv iew of the study and the process of the interviews. Written eonsents from eaeh partieipant were also obtained.They were then required to answer a brief self-administered questionnaire on their socio-demography, smoking status and smoking behaviour (age of initiation, cigarette consumption, quit intention and quit attempts). The interviews were conducted in Malay language and eaeh interview lasted less than two hours. A semi-structured interview protocol was used to guide interviewers in questioning the participants. Anti-smoking posters and pamphlets were also used to facilitate discussion. Data analysis During eaeh interview, the conversation was recorded using digital voice recorders.The voice recording was subsequently transeribed into text by using Microsoft Office Word 2007. The transcribed text was reviewed against the audio-recordings for several times until the accuracy of the transcripts was ensured. Any uncertainty during the transcription, assistance from other researeher s was sought to ascertain its accuracy and reliability. (Yin, 2003; Yin, 1994) The transcribed text was then imported into NVIVO 7. The main researcher then analysed the data to identify themes and categories (‘thematie analysis') that would explain patterns of pereeption related to teenagers' smoking behaviour.In order to ensure high reliability of the eoding proeess, tbe coded data was eross-checked by two experts in adolescence health. Kappa was calculated by using the Cohen kappa formula to determine the reliability index, which was maintained above 0. 8. The process of transcription and analysis was repeated for every interview and ‘cross-case conclusion' was drawn between the analyses of eases. Findings of the study were also mapped against the SCT for ‘analytical generalisation'. Ettiical issues, reliability and validity Approval from the Research and Ethic Committee of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was obtained prior to the study.Authorisation for intervie wing teenagers from the schools was also acquired from the Ministry of Education Malaysia that limited interviewing students who were not sitting for any major examination (i. e. exeept students aged 15 and 17 years old). Apart from these, all of these teenagers and their parents were required to provide written eonsents for their participation. The confidentiality of the participants, e. g. obscuring teenagers' status of smoking from the knowledge of their parents and other sehool staffs, was also guaranteed throughout the study.Finally, medical responsibility of the main researcher in preventing smoking-related illnesses, as she was also a medieal doctor, was realised by offering teenagers consultation for smoking eessation at her clinic. This was done at the end of each interview to prevent any biased answers from the partieipants. Validity and reliability of the study were ensured via a number of methods, ineluding; (1) triangulation of sourees of data (teenagers from three diff erent sehools), as well as methods of data collection 196 What Determines Teenagers' Smokitig Behaviour? Table 2. Smoking behaviour of the teenagers who smokedTEENAGERS WHO SMOKED (N = 23) AGE OF INITIATION (YEARS) NUMBER OF CIGARRETTES SMOKED/DAY STAGE OF CHANGE NUMBER OF QUIT ATTEMPTS FGD(n = 21) IDl(n = 2) TOTAL < 12 5 1 6 > 13 16 1 17 20 2 1 3 PRE COMTEMPLATION 5 1 7 CONTEMPLATION 4 4 PLANNING II 12 0 1 1 1-3 7 1 8 S4 13 1 14 (questionnaire, three FGI and three IDI), (2) self reflexivity in minimising biases that the researchers may bring into the study due to our previous involvement in managing problematic teenagers and chronic smokers, (3) ‘procedural validity' via rephrasing of questions, elarifying of statement and minimal prompting as ecessary,(Fliek, 2009) and (4) inter-coder agreement or reliability index of above 0. 8. RESULTS Twenty three boys and three girls were interviewed (referred to Table 1), in which two of the boys and one of the girls were former smokers . The remaining 23 teenagers were smokers at the time of the interviews. These teenagers' smoking behaviour (age of smoking initiation, cigarette consumption, intention to quit and history of quit attempts) is summarised in Table 2. Age and reasons of smoking initiation Six of the 23 (26%) teenage smokers in this study started smoking during primary school (before the age of 13).The youngest age of smoking initiation was 10 years old. Nevertheless, 74% of these teenage smokers started smoking when they were in the secondary school. Most of the teenagers admitted that curiosity [â€Å"Felt curious to try (smoking)†], sensation seeking [â€Å"Just for fun†], parental modelling of smoking [â€Å"Sinee my father smokes†¦ I always watch him smoking. When he smokes, it looks pleasurable†¦ gratifying†], peer pressure [â€Å"Peer influence†], and misconception of smoking [â€Å"Style (because of smoking). Siyle†] were common factors for them to e xperiment with smoking.The teenagers who started smoking before the age of 13 claimed that curiosity and smoking modelling by parents were their main reasons for experimenting with smoking. This is contrary to those who started smoking at the age of 13 years or older. These teenagers admitted that peer pressure was the major factor for them to start smoking. Cigarette consumption Majority (20/23) of the teenage smokers in this study admitted to smoking every day and 74% of these teenagers smoked not more than 5 cigarettes a day.The teenagers believed that their daily smoking behaviour was mainly due to nicotine addiction in which they described substantial physical (e. g. tiredness, lethargy, flu-like symptoms) and psychological (e. g. slow thinking, depressed, craving) withdrawal symptoms that they experienced during smoking abstinence [â€Å"My brain feels slow†; â€Å"(If I stop smoking) I feel restless. â€Å"]. The daily smokers also admitted to smoking when they were with their friends. They claimed this behaviour could be due to a number of reasons: a) sharing the cost of cigarettes with their friends, thus tend to smoke together, as explained by a teenager: Between 14 of us. we shared RMI per person, we can get 2 big boxes of cigarettes. † b) socialisation, as one teenager noted: â€Å"When we hang around (with friends), we smoke, sis† c) peer pressure, as a teenager claimed: â€Å"When we see our friends smoked, the desire to smoke is too intense. † d) sense of belonging, for example: â€Å"We all belong to a gang who shared our cigarettes together† However, three of the current smokers admitted to smoking only once a week. They stated that they particularly smoked during stressful period [â€Å"Especially when I am doing something. When it's hard then I'll smoke. ]. A few of the teenagers reported that the national anti-tobacco policy, as well as the school regulations had restricted their smoking behaviour. These teenagers admitted to commonly smoke in secluded areas outside of public view, such as in school toilets and stairways of shopping malls. The restrictive environment for public smoking was believed to influence tbeir cigarette consumption. Intention to quit All teenage smokers in this study had the intention to quit smoking. However, 7 of them (30%) did not plan to quit within the next 6 months (in the pre-contemplation stage).Twelve of them (52%) were in the planning stage, but none had set their quit dates. The smokers diselosed that a number of factors could influence tbeir desire to quit, which included: a) impaired athletic performance, as one of the teenagers claimed: â€Å"When (I) sprint†¦ I will hecome breathless† b) boy- or girlfriend aversion, for example: â€Å"Maybe (I get the desire to stop smoking) from my girlfriend. If she said â€Å"If you do not stop smoking, we should break-up†. Huh. (I feel like to quit smoking)† c) parental disapprova l, as noted by one boy: If mother scolded me for smoking, until she cried.. I would feel ? ike I want to quit, but it was temporary only. Afterwards.. I continue smoking† d) concern about health, shown by one of the teenagers' excerpt: â€Å"Smoking can make me feel breathless, sis (that's why I feel like to quit)† e) finaneial problems, as a teenager stated: â€Å"(I) think about my parents, sis. My mother and my father are not wealthy, (when I) think about that, it could (trigger my desire to quit)† Similar motivating factors were also reported by former smokers in this study prior to their successful smoking cessation.Nevertheless, these former smokers admitted that only personalised motivating factors could render them to quit successfully. Their personalised motivators were parental disapproval [â€Å"(Parental disapproval) effective, it's effective. I've stopped smoking. â€Å"], maintaining athletic performance [â€Å"(I) stopped smoking (for athletic p erformance). I got selected (to play football for my district) afterwards†]. and saving money /†/ stopped (smoking) to save money to buy a motorbike†]. Previous quit attempts Almost all (22/23) teenage smokers in this study had attempted smoking cessation prior to the interviews.The teenagers deseribed that quitting was very difficult because of withdrawal symptoms that they experienced during the quit attempts [â€Å"(If I stop smoking) I feel restless†]. Sixty percent of the teenage smokers had actually attempted to quit four times or more. All of the teenagers claimed that they never reeeived any professional helps when they made their attempts to quit in the past. Majority of them declared that they sought their friends' advice on how to quit and among the common methods that they had tried were drinking a lot of water, chewing gums and taking sweets, as one of the teenagers said:Tohid H. et al. 197 â€Å"Usuatty (I) asked my friends how to quit. They a dvised me to drink a tot of minerat water. † DISCUSSION In Malaysia, the mean age of smoking initiation among teenage smokers is between 12-14 years old, (The National Health and Morbidity Survey, 2009; Hammond et at. , 2008; Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Naing et at. , 2004) whieh is concurrent with the findings of this study. The common reasons for smoking initiation, such as curiosity, peer pressure, and parental smoking, reported by tbe participants in tbis study were similar to otber studies. (Naing et at. 2004; Kbairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004) This study also suggested that curiosity and parental modelling of smoking bebaviour could be teenagers' main reasons for experimenting smoking at younger age (less tban 13 years old). In contrary, peer pressure was found to be a major factor for teenagers wbo started smoking at seeondary sehools. However, the significance of tbese associations should be confirmed by future quantitative studies. Cigarette consumption reporte d by teenagers in this study was found to be lesser tban tbose of Malaysian adults, who averagely smoke between 11 to 14 cigarettes per day. World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, 2010) Tbis may be due to a number of factors as suggested by tbese teenagers, such as; (a) insufficient fund to purchase cigarettes, (b) ‘occasional' smoking, and (c) restrictive environment for smoking. Nevertheless, underreporting of smoking behaviour by these teenagers may also explain the lower estimated number of cigarettes smoked by them. Tbis is because teenagers have a tendency to report socially desirable behaviour and attitudes. (Hammond et at. , 2008; Klein, Havens, & Carlson, 2005)Insufficient fund to purebase cigarettes were described by some of the teenagers in this study, who claimed that they had to share their pocket money with their peers to buy cigarettes. Tbis is to ensure their continuous supply of cigarettes and to develop bonding among tbe peer s. (Vuckovic, Polen, & Hollis, 2003; Amos, Wiltsbire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006; Niehter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Seguire, & Cbalmers, 2000) Tbis practice in turn increases tbe level of acceptance by peers and promote sense of belonging tbat is pertinent to teenagers' psychosocial development. Mermelstein, 2003; Vuckovic, Polen, & Hollis, 2003; McVea, Miller, Creswell, McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009; Nicbter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Seguire, c& Chalmers, 2000) However, some teenagers in this study, who had no financial constraint because they had personal income (e. g. from part-time job or significant allowance from parents), admitted to smoke only wben socialising and facing adversities (e. g. relation problems, inability to cope witb academic or part-time job). (Vuekovic, Polen, & Hollis, 2003; Balch et at. , 2004; Amos, Wiltshire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006; Hoi, 8L Hong, 2000;Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Niehter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Seguire, & Chalmers, 2000) These teenagers can be defined as occasional smokers, whose smoking was apparently influenced by peer pressure and tbeir inability to control themselves over smoking or to cope with stress. (Vuckovic, Polen, & Hollis, 2003; Seguire, & Chalmers, 2000; Patten et al. , 2003; Niehter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Mermelstein, 2003; McVea, Miller, Creswell, McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009; Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Balch et at. , 2004; Amos, Wiltshire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006; Hoi, & Hong, 2000) Teenagers' smoking in esponse to hardship shows that smoking is their way of coping since it calms them through nicotine effects on the central nervous system. (Niebter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Curry, Mermelstein, & Sporer, 2009) In addition, smoking creates a social space in which they can calm down and relieve tension. (Niehter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugh, 1997; Curry, Mermelstein, & Sporer, 2009) Apart from financial constraint and occasional smoking, restrietive environment for public smoking was also found to be responsible for tbe partieipants' low cigarette consumption in this study.Therefore, these teenagers commonly smoked in secluded areas outside of public view, sucb as scbool toilets and stairways of shopping malls. These findings are consistent with a number of other studies that have found restrictive environment to be effective in reducing teenage smoking. (Wakefield ct at. , 2000; Lipperman-Kreda, & Grube, 2009; Crawford, Balcb, Mermelstein, & Tobacco Control Network Writing Group, 2002) Majority of teenage smokers bave intention to quit. (Khairani, Norazua, & Zaiton, 2004; Krishnan M, 2003; Mermelstein, 2003; Naing ct at. 2004; The National Health and Morbidity Survey, 2009) Tbis was also found by tbis study, in wbich almost all teenagers who smoked eonsidered to quit smoking sometime in the future. They admitted that a number of factors could trigger tbeir quit intention, wbich include; (a) ath letic performance, (b) boy- or girlfriend aversion, (c) parental disapproval, (d) concern about bealtb, and (e) money saving. Tbese faetors were similarly found to motivate teenagers to eease smoking by previous studies. (Vuckovic, Polen, & Hollis, 2003; Mermelstein, 2003; McVea, Miller, Creswell,McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009; Balcb ct al. , 2004) However, tbe teenagers reported tbat these extrinsie motivations were insufficient to keep them from total smoking abstinence. Nevertbeless, excerpts made by tbe former smokers in this study suggested that teenagers would only stop smoking when they are desperate to change due to compelling personal reasons. This finding is supported by McVea et al who found only 'emotionally compelling and inescapable quit reasons' were the most motivating reasons for teenagers to stop smoking. (McVea, Miller, Creswell, McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009)Even though majority of tbe teenagers in this study had intention to quit smoking, they did not have any quit ting plans, not even setting their quit dates. These findings are similar to those reported by Mermestein. (Mermelstein, 2003) It is possible tbat the teenagers were; (a) not ready to quit (Balch ct al. , 2004) (e. g. some of the teenagers in the eurrent study would only quit when they experience major life transition, such as after graduation and tnarriage), (b) ambivalent about quitting (MeVea, Miller, Creswell, McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009; Patten et al. 2003) (e. g. a number of teenagers repetitively answered, â€Å"I am not sure† when they were asked about tbeir plan to quit smoking), and (c) very confident that they could control themselves over smoking (Niehter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugb, 1997; Amos, Wiltshire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006) (e. g. a teenager assertively admitted that he could stop stroking on his own without relying on helps from other). The later seems to be related to teenagers' belief tbat ‘quitting is just a matter of will power'. (Amos, Wilts bire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006; Balcb el at. 2004) After all, these teenagers' ehanees for successful quit attempts would be reduced if they did not have strategic quitting plans. Multiple unsuccessful quit attempts were also reported by many teenagers in tbis study, in which the findings were concurrent with other studies. (World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, 2010; The National Health and Morbidity Survey, 2009; Klein, Havens, & Carlson, 2005; Balch ct at. , 2004) This could be due to several reasons which can be summarised into three categories; (1) nicotine addiction,(Amos,Wiltsbire, Haw, & McNeill, 2006; Balch et al. , 2004; DiFranza et at. , 2007; DiFranza ct at. , 2007) (2) factors related to environment and situation which could promote teenage smoking (e. g. strong peer pressure, poor support from friends, smoking tnodelling by family members, stress etc, as higbligbted by tbe current study), (Balch et at. , 2004; Crawford, Balch, Mermelstein , & Tobacco Control Network Writing Group, 2002; McVea, Miller, Creswell, McEntarrfer, & Coleman, 2009; Nicbter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugb, 1997) and (3) personal factors (e. g. oor risk assessment, poor knowledge, poor self efficacy and control, mi,sconception about smoking and quitting, strong belief in unassisted quit attempts etc, as found by this study) (Niehter, Vuckovic, Quintero, & Ritenbaugb, 1997; Balcb ct at. , 2004). These tbree categories appear to matcb tbe model of the Social Cognitive Theory. Overall, this study provides beneficial information for future development of interventions of smoking cessation for teenagers. Nevertheless, appropriate eontext which is similar to tbose of this study should be taken into consideration before applying such information since this is a ease study.Interviewing only teenagers aged 16 years old also limits the findings of this study. This is because teenagers at different stages of adolescence (early, middle and late) may bav e different developmental characteristics which may influence their pereeption and attitude towards cigarette smoking. Teenagers from different stages of adolescence should then be included in future studies as differences in tbeir perception, attitude and bebaviour could be explored. CONCLUSION This study bad captured tbe complexity of tbe teenagers' smoking bebaviour that could be influenced by multiple factors.Tbese faetors included behavioural (e. g. nicotine addiction), personal and environmental factors matched the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). These 198 What Determines Teenagers' Smoking Behaviour? multiple factors should be considered in developing interventions for smoking cessation suited for teenagers. The corresponding mapping of the findings against the SCT also supports the use of the SCT in helping us to comprehensively understand teenage smoking behaviour and to overcome the influential factors. FUNDING This work was funded by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia UKM- GUP-TKS-07-12-097 and FF-127-2008). DECLARATION OF INTERESTS All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests. 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