I will attach the directions as well as my outline from last week that did not include this section yet for data and analysis with the comments after my professor reviewed them, as well as my outline before comments. I provided my sources so I will click 5 needed but I provided the five.
DO NOT write this section of your proposal in narrative (paragraph) form. After you receive feedback from me, you will then convert your outline to paragraphs for your final research proposal due during Finals Week.
The attached outline is the final major section of your research proposal. (Note: You will also write the Abstract and Conclusions sections.) Using the material presented in Week 13, you will describe the appropriate statistics to use for analysis of your data if you were to conduct your research study (remember – this is only a proposal!). Use the attached documents to write your outline:
Data Analysis & Expected Results section document:
This document describes all the information you should include in your outline.
Finding the Right Statistic for Your Data document:
This document is a flowchart that you should use to determine which descriptive and inferential statistics you should use to analyze your data. Information about how to interpret this document is available in the Week 13 Reading folder.
(The baseline for my proposal was this to begin with before adding methods, or data and analysis section. )
Research question: What is the relationship between family conflict and the occurance of delinquent behavior in female adolescents who are also mothers?
Hypothesis: Higher levels of family conflict will affect the choices, mindset and consequences of female adolescents, as well as an increase in delinquent behavior in adolescent mothers.
Variables: 1. Family conflict: the operational definition of family conflict refers to the presence of disagreements, tension, and hostility within the family environment, as reported by participants. In this study there is a second variable which includes delinquent behavior. The operational definition for delinquent behavior states that delinquent behavior includes acts of aggression, defiance, rule-breaking, and criminal activities exhibited by female adolescents who are mothers, as assessed through self-report measures and official records.
Ethical considerations: This study will prioritize the welfare and dignity of participants by guaranteeing informed consent from participants, and promising confidentiality. This study will be conducted through voluntary participation as well as guarantee the protection for the participants from any types of harm or distress. To validate the ethical considerations, the International Review Board, (IRB) will be used to uphold the ethical standards throughout the research study. This choice was made to use the IRB because they are the ones who review and make sure studies that include human participants are held to ethical standards, as well as their regulations to follow the institutions policies. I found it best fitting.
Population and Sample
Target population: Female delinquents who are also mothers and have a history of aggressive and/or delinquent behavior.
Accessible population: To find these participants female adolescents who are mothers, it would be best to look for those residing in urban/poorer areas with documented cases of family conflict and delinquent behavior. Ways to select samples in these areas can be more than just by an address. Based on their history of delinquent conduct and family conflict, researchers can try different options such as working with social service agencies, juvenile justice programs, community groups, and schools to locate female adolescent moms who fit the study’s eligibility requirements. Screeing these individuals to see who meets the criteria would also work based on their inclusion in different groups they may be involved with or screenings that might be given from welfare to help identify these individuals. Promoting the study in areas that are easily visible through the community could give an option for the individuals to reach out themselves if they want to participate.
Sampling strategy: The strategy chosen for this sample is non-probability sampling because the participants will be unknown, and using the target population chosen there is less chance of bias because they are all similar in more ways than one regarding their behaviors. There would be more availability to individuals who are young mothers as well as have a history of female delinquency. It is not like there is a person from the more well off part of town or choosing participants in a more dispursed manner, so this choice makes the most sense.
Sample Size: The most reasonable sample size for this study would be a total of 50 adolescent females who are mothers, between the ages of 13 and 18. Each participant should have various levels of family conflict and juvenile delinquency.
References
Bendersky, M., Bennett, D., & Lewis, M. (2006). Aggression at age 5 as a function of prenatal exposure to cocaine, gender, and environmental risk. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31(1), 71–84.
CoÌ‚teÌ, S. M., Vaillancourt, T., Le Blanc, J. C., Nagin, D. S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2006). The development of physical aggression from toddlerhood to pre-adolescence: A nationwide longitudinal study of Canadian children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34(1), 71–85.
Farrington, D. P., Barnes, G. C., & Lambert, S. (1996). The concentration of offending in families. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 1(Part 1), 47–63. DOI
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (n.d.). (irbs) and protection of human subjects. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/institutional-review-boards-irbs-and-protection-human-subjects-clinical-trials
Patterson GR. Continuities–a search for causal mechanisms: comment on the special section. Dev Psychol, 34(6), 1263-8. DOI
