Impact of Education on Poverty Reduction

Impact of Education on Poverty Reduction

Impact of Education on Poverty Reduction

Post 1

The principles of critical thinking include impartiality, fairness, non-arbitrariness and consistency (Mason, 2008). Impartiality and fairness in critical thinking means that critical thinkers should be subject-neutral or unbiased in their arguments. Non-arbitrariness is the principle of being objective or logical. Therefore, critical thinkers are subject-specific and present ideas and insights in an organized manner. Consistency refers to the uniformity of critically reasoned arguments, which make them reliable, plausible or credible (Mason, 2008).

The article “Impact of Education on Poverty Reduction” (Awan, Malik, Sarwar & Waqas, 2011) is a good example of critical thinking. This is because the authors conducted an objective review of literature before reaching impartial and subject-specific conclusions on how education impedes economic development. The authors also provide detailed statistical evidence on the basis of Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) to support their arguments. This illustrates that the information they present is based on the application of effective critical thinking skills and is reliable and plausible. Furthermore, the authors discuss the results of their research in a logical, critically reasoned and un-biased manner.

The article “Why a Child Poverty Target is Good Education Policy” (Lindsay, 2015) is an example that lacks careful and good critical thinking. Even though the author presents convincing arguments, he does not cite the sources of his main points. This means that the author would have presented subjective views, which characterize inability to apply good critical thinking skills. The author provides opinions on how specific legal frameworks and policies would contribute towards eradication of child poverty. These opinions limit the level at which the content in the article is subject-neutral. Even though the thoughts of the author are well organized, he fails to present evidence-based concluding remarks and recommendations to demonstrate the uniformity or consistency of his main argument.

Post 2

My Final Research Project topic is “The Importance of Education in Eradication of Poverty.” Because poverty is a global challenge, for both developed and developing economies, I am motivated to contribute to the efforts of overcoming this challenge. The most effective way I could do this is through research. Therefore, I chose this topic in order to use evidence to present useful insights to stakeholders on how to eradicate poverty through education. I belief in social justice and consider poverty to be the main impediment to its realization. As a result, I was motivated to choose a topic on eradiation of poverty through education in order to promote social equality in access of social and economic prospects, such as employment.

The chosen topic is also aligned with my career pursuits in education. I chose the topic because of its relevance to my academic discipline. However, the need to promote education, as the most plausible solution to social problems, was the main justification for choosing the topic. I was motivated by the need to use empirical evidence to demonstrate to policymakers and stakeholders of poverty eradication programs that it is through education that the problem of poverty among minority groups and inner-city neighborhoods would be overcome.

The thesis statement of my research states: Because poverty is the main cause of social and economic disparities in the society, there is need to promote education in order to ensure that all members of the society have equal access to social and economic opportunities. During my research, I found out that poverty mainly affects minority ethnic groups in inner-city neighborhoods and limits the quality of life that they experience and inhibit access to employment and social capital, such as credit. However, during my research, I faced some frustrations in integrating divergent research literature on the topic into a coherent argument that logically support my thesis statement.

References

Awan, M. S., Malik, N., Sarwar, H. & Waqas, M. (2011).Impact Of Education on Poverty Reduction. Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 1-11. Retrieved from https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/31826/

Lindsay, K. (2015). Why A Child Poverty Target Is Good Education Policy. First Focus. Retrieved from http://firstfocus.org/blog/why-a-child-poverty-target-is-good-education-policy/

Mason, M. (2008). Critical Thinking and Learning. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.