Adolescent School Violence and Counseling - Research Proposal Example

? Adolescent School Violence and Counseling: how far counseling is useful in managing or preventing violent and aggressive behavior among high school learners in the San Diego Unified School District? Abstract This research proposal aims at bringing out the relationship between adolescent school violence and counseling. The purpose of the research is to identify how far student counseling is useful in managing or preventing violent and aggressive behavior among high school learners in the San Diego Unified School District. A qualitative research approach will be employed for the research as it best suits the topic under consideration. Random sampling and questionnaires will be made use of in the research. A before and after research design will be administered on the target group who will randomly be selected from the various senior high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The proposed research is sure to attract the attention of any student or researcher of education while its research outcomes will be beneficial to the larger group of teachers, parents, learners, psychologists, counselors and educators. Introduction a. Statement of the research problem: The topic for the research proposal is the relationship between student counseling and school violence. The research seeks to explore whether counseling reduces or prevents adolescent school violence. The purpose of the research is to identify how far student counseling is useful in managing or preventing violent and aggressive behavior among high school learners in the San Diego Unified School District b. Statement of the importance of the study: The statistics of school violence among the adolescents in the United States is quite alarming. It has been identified that almost forty percent of all violent crimes against adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 take place on school grounds (Fitzpatrick, 1999). Similarly, the Department of Education and Justice (2007) measured approximately 628,000 violent behaviors and crimes among students aged 12-18 during the year 2005 alone. While the reasons for these violent and aggressive behaviors among school children are many and varied, researchers unanimously agree that school counselors have a pivotal role in teaching these children appropriate behavior. The present research proposal assumes greater significance as there have not been any previous authentic studies that tested how far student counseling has been useful in managing or preventing violent and aggressive behavior among high school learners in the San Diego Unified School District. The review of literature also offers the rationale for the current research. Researchers such as Rayburn (2004) have identified that school counselors who deal with problems of students as well as their families are better equipped to teach high school learners the importance of values and moral education. Similarly, studies have also revealed that school counselors can develop feelings of mutual respect, support, cooperative individualism, and develop mutual trust among school children (Sink & Rubel, 2001). The need for adequate counseling services at the school level has been pointed out by many researchers. In this respect, researchers at Hamilton Fish Institute observe that schools offer only limited counseling services to the needy students and that “expansion of these services is necessary to identify troubled students and assist them before their problems become severe and to respond adequately if a serious incident should occur” (Hamilton Fish Institute, p. 8). In certain cases, counseling and psychotherapeutic interventions are necessary not only for the perpetrators but also for the victims and witnesses of violence as well. The research questions would appeal to any student or researcher of education while the research outcomes will be beneficial to the larger group of teachers, parents, learners, psychologists, counselors and educators. c. Summary of prior literature: The major data bases searched for the research proposal includes the Eric documents, ProQuest, google, Questia Online Library and JSTOR. Only those articles that contributed to the understanding of the relation between student violence and counseling were included in the literature review. The research question was narrowed down to various key words and these key words were employed to search the data bases. While key words such as ‘school violence’ and ‘school counseling’ brought about innumerable search results, the number of search results for such combinations of key words as ‘student counseling and school violence,’ ‘adolescent school violence and counseling’ and ‘adolescent school violence’ were limited in number. For instance, in the Eric data base the keyword ‘school counseling’ brought about 21205 search results whereas ‘adolescent school violence and counseling’ had only 80 results. Only those search results for ‘adolescent school violence and counseling’ and ‘student counseling and school violence’ were taken into account for the current research as these were directly related to the research question. The keywords ‘student counseling and student violence’ brought about 569 results in the Eric data base. However, the search was limited to the 186 peer reviewed journals among them. After going through the abstracts of these articles those articles that do not depict the relation between student violence and counseling were omitted. A similar filtering technique was used with the 39 peer reviewed journals derived out of the ‘adolescent school violence and counseling’ keywords search. Similarly, key words were searched in quotations to see how often they have been quoted as such in previous literatures. In the same way, Google book search also proved to be extremely beneficial for the study as it brought out certain seminal articles on the issue under consideration. A brief summary of the literature review to be employed in the study is given below. The literature review will focus on the alarming statistics of school violence among the adolescents which offers the rationale for the current study. In this respect, Fitzpatrick’s observation that among America’s school children almost forty percent of all violent crimes against adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 takes place on school grounds will be reviewed (Fitzpatrick, 1999). Similarly, the Department of Education and Justice (2007) statistics that there occurred approximately 628,000 violent behaviors and crimes among students aged 12-18 while at school in 2005 will also serve as the background information for the proposed research. The literature review will also deal with such researchers as Rayburn (2004) who holds that school counselors who deal with the problems of students as well as their families are better equipped to teach high school learners the importance of values and moral education. The author also observes that violent children may suffer from damaged moral conscience which should be rectified through proper character education. Similarly, many researchers consider alienation and lack of empathy towards the adolescents as the two significant factors that contribute to violent behavior among adolescent school children (Carlson, 2003; Sandhu, Arora, & Sandhu, 2001) and the role of counselors in managing these aspects will also be dealt with. Studies have also revealed that school counselors can develop feelings of mutual respect, support, cooperative individualism, and develop mutual trust among school children (Sink & Rubel, 2001). These articles will elaborately be reviewed in the proposed research. The literature review will also deal with the researches undertaken by McAdams, Shillingford & Trice-Black (2011) as the researchers deal with the strategies for bridging the research-to-practice gap in school counseling among students who demonstrate violent behavior. While there have been disciplinary actions to deter anti-social behavior and violence, positive approaches to managing violence have also been pointed out by many researchers. In this respect, it is also worthwhile to analyze the research findings of Smith and Sandhu who quoting many previous researches stressed on “developing emotional literacy skills, such as empathy and respect for the rights of others; boosting resiliency factors, such as self-esteem and academic success; and establishing a high degree of “connectedness” between students and their families, peers, schools, and communities” (2004, p. 287). Another significant book that will be reviewed in the literature is Delinquency and crime: Current theories by Catalano and Hawkins. The researchers while dealing with the various theories of anti-social behavior assert that the most effective positive way of preventing violent behavior in schools is by establishing a sense of connectedness between the youth and their immediate environment which include the peers, family, school, and community (Catalano & Hawkins, 1996). The counselors need to implement more effective parent- and family-based interventions in this regard. The researchers hold that school counselors have a pivotal role in training parents to display better communication and conflict resolution skills among their children; similarly, it is also essential to educate parents on child development and the factors that may contribute to violent behavior. For them, identifying students who are at the risk of demonstrating anti-social behavior and preventing the development of further violent or aggressive behavior are essential from the part of the counselors. Undeterred aggressive behavior is so much harmful for the high school learner as well as the society. It is the responsibility of the school counselors to foster higher levels of social and emotional competencies among potentially aggressive children. Catalano and Hawkins (1996) thus conclude that the counselors need to involve learners in such activities that would promote such constructive skills as responsibility, self-control, and goal setting in place of their current inappropriate behavior. The online article by Skiba, Boone, Fontanini, Wu, Strussell & Peterson will also be reviewed as the authors elaborately deal with the early warning signs of violent behavior among school children which the school counselors need to take care of. For them, the early warning signs of violent behavior could be social withdrawal, excessive feelings of isolation and being alone, feelings of rejection, being a victim of violence, low school interest, poor academic performance, drug and alcohol use, previous past history of violent and aggressive behavior (unless provided with support and counseling), and peer gang pressure (Skiba, Boone, Fontanini, Wu, Strussell & Peterson 17). Similarly, the need for adequate counseling services at the school level has been pointed out by many researchers. In this respect, researchers at Hamilton Fish Institute observe that schools offer only limited counseling services to the needy students and that “expansion of these services is necessary to identify troubled students and assist them before their problems become severe and to respond adequately if a serious incident should occur” (Hamilton Fish Institute, p. 8). The researchers also hold that counseling and psychotherapeutic interventions are necessary not only for the perpetrators but also for the victims and witnesses of violence as well. The literature review will also incorporate more of peer reviewed journals as the research progresses. d. Purpose of the study: The purpose of the study is to establish the relationship between violence and school counseling among high school learners. The research seeks to explore whether counseling reduces or prevents adolescent school violence. The purpose of the research is to identify how far student counseling is useful in managing or preventing violent and aggressive behavior among high school learners in the San Diego Unified School District. e. Research question(s): The research questions for the proposal are: a) Does counseling reduce, manage or prevent adolescent school violence?; and b) How far student counseling is useful in managing or preventing violent and aggressive behavior among high school learners in the San Diego Unified School District? Method a. Participants: The participants for the study will be consisted of selected high school learners who have a history of previous violent behavior in the school. The participants will randomly be selected from the various senior high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The school counselors will also contribute towards the study. b. Instruments and/or apparatus: The instruments for this research consist of the student participants, the school counselors and the group of counselors who engage in the experimental counseling session offered to the participants. However, the researcher is the primary instrument for this study. Computer and computer assisted qualitative data analysis software will form the apparatus for this paper. Prior permission is to be obtained from the school authorities and school counselors. The ethical issues are to be addressed and the confidentiality of the participants is to be obtained. Special efforts will be made to ensure the reliability and validity of the qualitative data. c. Research design: A qualitative research approach will be employed for the research as it best suits the topic under consideration. Random sampling and questionnaires will be made use of in the research. A before and after research design will be administered on the target group who will randomly be selected from the various senior high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. Random sampling methods, case studies and structured interviews will be used for the data collection of the qualitative research (Savenye & Robinson, p. 1047). Case studies will be administered on selected senior high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The target schools will be decided through random sampling. The list of students who demonstrate violent behavior in the selected schools will be obtained from the class teachers or school counselors d. Procedure: Semi-structured questionnaires will be used to obtain self-reported information from the target group. The school counselors will also be asked to complete another semi-structured questionnaire regarding the violent behavior shown by each student in the target group. A before and after research design will be employed. The changes in the behavior of each student will be assessed using a post study questionnaire that will duly be filled by the participants as well as the school counselors. A post study direct interview (which will consist of both closed and open ended questions) will also be administered on the participants. Data Analysis The research will make use of such qualitative data analysis methods as Constant Comparison Analysis, Content Analysis and the ordinary least-squares regression analysis. The ordinary least-squares regression analysis will be made use of to identify the significant symptoms of violent behavior among high school learners. Content Analysis will effectively be employed to examine the trends and patterns of the qualitative data and to identify, code, and categorize the primary patterns in the data. Researchers have highlighted the capability of content analysis ‘for examining trends and patterns in documents’ (Stemler, 2001) while it has been defined as “as the process of identifying, coding, and categorizing the primary patterns in the data” (Patton, 1990). Similarly, Constant Comparison Analysis will also be used as it has been proved to be an effective tool in categorizing data bits, comparing qualitative data and in refining categories (Dye, Schatz, Rosenberg, & Coleman, 2000). As such, these qualitative tools will be used for the data analysis of the research. The two variables for the study are ‘adolescent school violence’ and ‘the type and nature of counseling services.’ During the pre-study design the adolescent school violence will be coded based on the type of violence (verbal or physical) and the factors leading to school violence (which include social withdrawal, excessive feelings of isolation and rejection, post trauma experiences of being a victim, low school interest, poor academic interest, history of discipline problems, drug and alcohol use, peer gang pressure, familial issues and lack of parental involvement). The relationship between the type or nature of violence and these contributing factors will be established using the above mentioned qualitative data analysis tools. In the post-study design, after the participants have been offered the necessary counseling intervention, the qualitative data will be coded based on the common themes or patterns derived out of the self-reported information via the post-study semi-structured interview. The computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software programs to be used in the study include the QDA Miner and NVivo9. While the QDA Miner facilitates ‘numerous tools to manage, view, edit, and code documents’ (Provalis Research, 2009, p. 7) NVivo9 makes it easy for the researcher to follow a step-by-step process in coding and analyzing the qualitative data (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2011). It is expected that the research outcomes will be beneficial for the larger group of teachers, parents, learners, psychologists, counselors and educators all throughout the nation. References Carlson, L. A. (2003). Existential theory: helping school counselors attend to youth at risk for violence. Professional School Counseling, 6, 310–315. Catalano, R., & Hawkins, J. D. (1996). The social development model: a theory of antisocial behavior. In J. D. Hawkins (Ed.), Delinquency and crime: Current theories (pp. 149–197). New York: Cambridge University Press. Department of Education and Justice. (2007). Indicators of school crime and safety (NCES 2008-021). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Dye, J.F., Schatz, I.M., Rosenberg, B.A & Coleman, S.T. (2000). Constant Comparison Method: A Kaleidoscope of Data. The Qualitative Report, 4(1 & 2), Retrieved March 7, 2012 from: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-1/dye.html Fitzpatrick, K. (1999). Violent victimization among America’s school children. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 1055-1069. Hamilton Fish Institute. A Comprehensive Approach to School Violence Prevention. The George Washington University: Washington DC. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from: http://www.hamfish.org/newsroom/compframework.pdf Leech, Nancy L & Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. (2011). Beyond constant comparison qualitative data analysis: Using NVivo. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(1), 70-84. McAdams, C., Shillingford, M.A & Trice-Black, S. (2011). Putting research into practice in school violence prevention and intervention: how is school counseling doing? Journal of School Counseling, 9(12). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ933178). Retrieved from ERIC database. Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Provalis Research. (2009). QDA Miner 3.2. User’s guide. Montreal, QC, Canada. Rayburn, Carole. (2004). Assessing students for morality education: a new role for school counselors. ASCA/ Professional School Counseling, 7(5), 356-362. Sandhu,D. S., Arora, M., & Sandhu,V. S. (2001). School violence: risk factors, psychological correlates, prevention and intervention strategies. In D. Sandhu (Ed.), Faces of violence: psychological correlates, concepts and intervention strategies (pp. 45–71). Huntington, New York: Nova Science. Savenye, Wilhelmina C & Robinson, Rhonda S. Qualitative research issues and methods: an introduction for educational technologists. Retrieved March 7, 2012 from: http://www.aect.org/edtech/39.pdf Sink, C. A & Rubel, L. (2001).The school as community approach to violence prevention. In D. Sandhu (Ed.), Faces of violence: psychological correlates, concepts and intervention strategies (pp. 417–437). Huntington, NY: Nova Science. Skiba, R., Boone,K., Fontanini, A., Wu,T., Strussell, A & Peterson, R. Preventing School Violence: A Practical Guide to Comprehensive Planning. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from Indiana Education Policy Center: http://www.indiana.edu/~safeschl/psv.pdf Smith, Douglas C & Sandhu, Daya S. (2004). Toward a positive perspective on violence prevention in schools: building Connections. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82, 287-293. Stemler, Steve (2001). An overview of content analysis. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(17). Retrieved March 7, 2012 from: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=17 Read More