NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... something immoral, but the reason we do it is because of our cultural badness (Foucault, p. 17). The role of Medias, as what help adolescents to form their worldview, continues to become more and more important, which is why we will have to include this factor as the subject of our study as well. (4) The subject of our study is going to be written responses to the series of questions, presented in the form of test. We will select two hundred students with age ranging from 13 to 16 years old and divide them into four subgroups, in order to get a clear representation of the age factor. Each subgroup is going to be divided in half, for the purpose of consequential subjection of 25 teenagers to comprehensive sex education, for the duration of 3 moths, while other part of the subgroup is going to be introduced to the abstinence education only. Participants will be assigned numerically to ensure confidentiality.
Before study actually begins, the participants will have to be HIV tested, for the purpose of insuring the statistical accurateness of the study. The sociological study can never be referred to as valid, unless it is truly representative. Therefore, we will have to insure randomness, when it comes to selecting participants. Thus, it would be better to have students included in the study that come from different parts of U. S. However, if we select candidates for the study on the principle of geographical representation, it will reduce the validity of our study, because we will inevitably be trying to maintain the representation factor adequate, which in its turn, will unable randomness.
All tests and surveys will be by group and in chronological order. Age and type of programs will be separated and compared. Themes and patterns from each group will be compared and overall knowledge of sex and HIV will be compared individually and by group The instruments that will be used during the study will include testing students on the subject of their awareness of AIDS effects, while taking into consideration their racial, social and religious backgrounds. Nevertheless, this will only be thought of in terms of obtaining a complemental data. The effectiveness of comprehensive sex education and abstinence sex education is going to be measured as an objective category, with the mean of participants HIV testing, at the end of three moths period. In order to get an objective data, students will not be told the real purpose of the study they participate in, which corresponds to the participant-observation method of qualitative study.
It is also necessary to use methodological instruments of quantitative study, during the research, to substantiate the report. Therefore, we will have to include in our study such variables as geographical representation factor, the ratio of active participation, which can be measured in terms of attendance, and the effectiveness of education programs, measured as proportion between the attendance and the degree of students responsiveness. First of all, we will need to look at how students racial affiliation correlates to studys findings. In its turn, it will enable us to come up with conclusion as to whether effectiveness or inventiveness of analyzed programs can be related to the demographic factor. The collecting data about students attitude towards religion will also provide us with the insight on what defines their existential mode. Once we obtain data, in regards to the degree to which teenagers get affected by the Medias, it will allow us to identify the dominant psychological aspect, which is behind the formation of childrens attitude towards two different sex education programs.
During the course of study, we will utilize following statistical procedures: 1) Description, which will enable us to explore the relationship between two or more categorical variables in cross tabulation form, 2) Comparing the means, which is necessary, when it comes to understanding what represents the independent variables in every particular subgroup, 3) Correlation, which is going to expose the proportional ratio between independent variables, 4) Data Regression, which will enable us to reduce the number of variables during the analysis of factual data. These techniques are commonly associated with quantitative analysis; however, they can be utilized in our research project, since many variables in it have numerical properties. At the same time, we will not have to resort to drawing linear progression graphs, in relation to discovered tendencies that define the essence of analyzed subject, because of flexible nature of our study. The statistical data will only allow us to support the qualitative conclusions, as irrational vectors associated with socio-political trends within the subject of research.
Qualitative methodology, when applied to our specific case, will enable us to understand what represents the psychological triggers that define different types of behavior. Once we are able to identify them, it will give us a clue as to what social or cultural factors should be dealt with, during the course of producing actual report. It might very well be the fact that the results of our study will prove that there is no link between the factual essence of both sex education programs and students response to them, in the first place. This will only happen if we will prove that students behavioral mode is defined by the factors that would be thought of as secondary, if we used quantitative methodology instead.
Michael Patton in his book Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, pinpoints to the most important advantage of qualitative research: Qualitative methods permit the evaluator to study selected issues, cases, or events in depth and detail. Data collection is not constrained by predetermined categories of analysis, allowing for a level of depth and detail that quantitative strategies cant provide (Patton, p. 25). It would be impossible for us to analyze the link between students behavior and how they were brought up, for example, if we utilized quantitative methodology alone. Therefore, we are going to combine two methods, for the sake of increasing the objective value of our research project. The suggested approach to identifying the most effective sex education program, will allow us to actually look at the effects of these programs in making. This is why studys participants are going to be continuously presented with the set of questions, in order to understand how sex education programs change teenagers perception of surrounding reality It is understood that many ethical concerns might arise, during the study.
In fact, our researching methodology might lead to the situation when the conclusions of the study will be viewed as supporting politically incorrect notions. Still, we should take the risk, because the scientific validity of our study cannot be undermined by political doctrines, which has non-scientific essence. There are going to be following concerns, in regards to the topic of our study: 1) Students are going to be continuously asked to answer the questions that might have a personal nature 2) Students are going to be encouraged to think about sex education programs are such that have relative validity, 3) The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of two different sex education programs is most likely to be associated with students IQ, which will have biological implications. These ethical concerns can be successfully dealt with, for as long as they are not being viewed as the social fetish. The practical aspects of study will include providing students, who are the subjects of comprehensive sex education program, with easy access to condoms. They will also be given booklets with information of what is sexual activity and how the negative effects, associated with it, can be avoided.
At the same time, teenagers in other subgroups we have a limited access to the information regarding sex. They will also be taught that usage of condoms and chemical contraceptives does not provide safety and that such practice is actually sinful. (5) As we have mentioned earlier, insuring the quality of the study represents a challenging task. This is because the subject of our research is not static. Therefore, we will need to weed out as many factors of uncertainty as possible. Nevertheless, they will still be affecting the quality of our study.
Qualitative method enables us to research the subject from position of distant observer, which is associated with academic objectivity. At the same time, we will be able to influence the research process, in order to make sure that it stays on the proper course. At the end of three months period, we are going to be in possession of statistical and qualitative data. After this, we will need to analyze it, in its relation to each other, in order to come up with scientifically substantiated suggestions as to which sex education approach would have to be adopted as universal, because of its ability to reduce the spread of HIV among teenagers. Bibliography: Brandt, A. (1986) AIDS: From Social History to Social Policy. Law Medicine and Health Care. 14 (5 - 6), 231 - 249.
Chenail, R. (1995) The Qualitative Report. Western Illinois University. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from web Contact, M. (1992). Qualitative Analysis as a Public Event: The Documentation of Category Development Procedures. American Educational Research Journal, 29, 253 - 266. Denman, S.
and Gillies, P. (1994). Sex Education in Schools: an Overview with Recommendations. Public Health, 108, (4), 251. Grossman, C. (2007) Americans get an F in Religion. USA Today Online. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from web Foucault, M. (1979).
The History of Sexuality. New York: Random House. Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five Misunderstandings about Case-Study Research.
Sage Publications. Volume 12, Number 2. 219 - 245. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from web Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Matveev, A. (2002) The Advantages of Employing Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Intercultural Research.
Russian Communication Association. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from web Illingworth, B. (2007). Abstinence-Only Sex Education and HIV: A Deadly Combination. Planned Parenthood. Org.
Retrieved October 28, 2007 from web Abstract: This research proposal suggest utilizing Qualitative and Quantitative methods, in order to conduct study, regarding the effectiveness of comprehensive and abstinence sex education programs in public schools. Outline: Introduction Literature review Advantages of Qualitative method Proposal for the study Conclusion
Free research essays on topics related to: sage publications, ethical concerns, sex education programs, independent variables, qualitative research
Research essay sample on Sex Education Programs Ethical Concerns
