Life Skills Training & Reducing Criminal Justice Involvement - Research Proposal

Introduction

This section of the research methodology describes and presents the different approaches and the specific methods that will be used by the researcher in data selection, collection, and analysis of the same to come up with the desired findings of the study. As noted in the previous chapters, the study aims to investigate whether the life skills training like communication, advocacy, problem-solving and mentorship can be useful in reducing the criminal justice involvement among the transitional-aged females and males. It has been previously suggested in studied that life skills training programs are imperative in facilitating the overall growth and development of individuals, especially the transitional individuals who face massive challenges and risk of engaging in criminal activities. Therefore, the study aims that discussing how specific life skills like communication, advocacy, mentorship, and problem-solving are effective in the reduction of criminal justice involvement among the transition age. To investigate this research objective, this chapter presents the specific methods that will be used in the research and justifies them. Although numerous approaches can be used in any study, not all of the methods are suitable. Therefore, this chapter will demonstrate the reliability of the techniques that were chosen.

Research Method

This study will make use of a mixed-methods approach in the investigation of the research question. In mixed methods, both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used by the researcher in the collection, validation, and analysis of data. Therefore, the study will focus not only on the quantitative data but also on the qualitative reasoning to evaluate the concepts relayed by the respondents and relate them to the research analysis that will be done quantitatively. A quantitative approach will be used as it facilitates the measurement of objects and their relationship with the subjects. The relationship can be done mathematically using statistical analysis to determine the correlations that are present between the subjects and the objects (O'Dwyer & Bernauer, 2013). Therefore, the use of a quantitative approach will demonstrate whether, indeed, there is a relationship between life skills and the reduction of criminal justice behavior. Besides, the statistical analysis will illustrate the degree of correlation, and which factors are correlated with the behavior significantly. Secondly, the use of the qualitative approach will enable the interaction of the researcher and the respondents to understand the opinions of the respondents. It should be noted that not all findings regarding life skills and criminal justice behavior can be quantified. In some cases, some information is best given in explanations. Therefore, a qualitative approach will facilitate an intuitive understanding of the underlying concepts and feelings.

Research Design

This study will use a descriptive research design based on a case study approach. The case study will focus on the students who have gone through various youth groups in the United States, to identify the impact of the life skills obtained and how the response in behavior among those children is. It has been demonstrated that there is an increase in the number of youth organizations and donors, mostly in religious institutions, which seek to help on the reduction of recidivism among young people in the United States. The study will also focus on the young people of single parenthood in the country, and those of the minority ethnicities, to evaluate the relationship of the factors in recidivism increase in the country. Therefore, a case study research design will enable a detailed exploration of the issues with the research strategy enabling an empirical collection of data and a qualitative investigation of the phenomenon. It can be noted that a case study enables a more in-depth analysis of a specific issue in a particular research group, which facilitates a thorough investigation. In this regard, this design is suitable for both the quantitative and qualitative research methods chosen for the study.

Data Collection and Analysis

The study participants will be leaders and educators of advocacy youth groups across the selected youth organizations in the United States. The sample size will be 100 leaders and educators, who have been part of the youth education for at least three years, to evaluate their observations of the youth in the transition age and how they have become in life. The sample size was selected based on the need for reliability when dealing with such a situation. It should be noted that the sample size should not be too small as it leads to a possible bias of the findings as there is less generalizability (Daniel, 2011). Additionally, the sample size should not be too large as it negatively impacts on the data collection and analysis. Therefore, a sample size of 100 participants was deemed suitable. To ensure reliability of the findings, the random sampling technique will be used to recruit the participants who will meet the inclusion criteria.

The study data will be collected through the use of questionnaires and interviews. A questionnaire is a method of data collection where specific questions are set and compiled and sent for all the respondents (O'Dwyer & Bernauer, 2013). The responses can, therefore, be evaluated and analyzed to illustrate the specific attributes of the responses. A questionnaire was chosen as it is an effective method that can be used in the collection of quantitative data, which can illustrate how particular objects of research influence different dependent variables. Therefore, it will be possible to construct questions regarding different life skills like communication, advocacy, mentorship, and problem-solving, among others, are likely to influence individual behavior. Additionally, a questionnaire will be useful as it will allow the construction of open-ended questions that will enable the respondents to give their opinions on various subjects that will aid qualitative discussions in the research. By structuring a questionnaire, the researcher will be able to develop interview questions that will be used as a guide for the qualitative data collection. Various themes will be prepared to facilitate understanding of the concept deeply.

The analysis of the collected quantitative data will be conducted through the SPSS statistical package and Microsoft Excel. It should be noted that SPSS is statistical software that is mostly used to evaluate the descriptive statistics and hence demonstrate the relationship between the study variables (Verma, 2013). Therefore, the software package will be used in data analysis as it facilitates the comparison of different groups of data collected, which will be imperative in the analysis of the correlation between the independent and the dependent variables of the study. In this regard, it can be illustrated that the choice of the statistical packages suits the research method and design selected to be used in the study.

Validity and Reliability

The study will be conducted professionally according to the guidelines of professional research to ensure validity and reliability. The reliability of the study can be illustrated as the test-retest reliability that assumes the consistency of the study at a particular time. As noted by Johnson and Christensen (2012), it is critical that the study findings be generalizable with other studies. Therefore, the study will be conducted carefully to ensure that the processes of data collection and analysis depict the real situation of the participants. In this case, the research will be done with a well-structured questionnaire. This will also enable a review of the face validity of the study by examining the questions presented. Validity in a study refers to the extent to which the observations from the established measure represent the variables that they were intended to represent. Therefore, the study will also ensure content validity that seeks to cover the extent to which the test includes the constructs of interest. By use of SPSS and Microsoft Excel, which are validated mathematical instruments for data organization and analysis, the study will ensure the validity and reliability of the findings and the conclusions made.

Ethical Considerations

Research ethics refers to the system of moral principles that seek to apply the relevant values when conducting research. Researchers are bound to observe certain principles to ensure the research is done professionally without causing harm to the participants. Considering human participants will be used in the study, informed consent will be provided for all the study participants. It is vital to illustrate that all the respondents will be informed about the study, its purpose, and procedure, and will be required to fill in a consent form when they agree. The participants will be recruited freely, and no one will be coerced in any way to take part in the study. Also, the participants will be free to leave any question unanswered if they are not comfortable with it. Lastly, personal details for the participants will not be collected to ensure anonymity, which is an essential ethical requirement for researchers who don't want to be identified.

References

Daniel, J. (2011). Sampling essentials: Practical guidelines for making sampling choices. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. B. (2012). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications.

O'Dwyer, L. M., & Bernauer, J. A. (2013). Quantitative Research for the Qualitative Researcher. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Verma, J. P. (2013). Data analysis in management with SPSS software. New Delhi; New York: Springer.