Romantic Relationships Among Undergraduate Students - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal Topic Insecure Attachment and Romantic Relationships Among Undergraduate In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for ………………………………….. April, 2009 University of ……………………………….. Name of the Student : ……………………………… Registration No : ………………………………. Name of Supervisor : ………………………………. Summary of work to date This research work is based on the sense of insecurity being felt by undergraduate students in their attachments and romantic relationships. The research participants will mainly be the undergraduate students from Kingston University in London. I have prepared a blue-print of carrying out the research work in such a manner that views can be solicited from about 50 boys and 50 girl students in different courses. Instead of seeking ‘group views’ from the students, efforts will be made to reach out to the student in such a manner that they are able to share their individual opinion and experiences with us. I have already zeroed in on some classes and even approached some of the class teachers to seek their consent and blessings for the research work. In fact some of the teachers were kind enough to suggest ways and means to improvise in the matter. As of now I am in the process of finalising the questionnaire and as soon as I get a go ahead on the topic and the proposal gets an approval, I am ready to distribute the questionnaire to about 100 students, and collect their opinion. Introduction Applied Child Psychology is an interesting subject because it not only helps us in understanding and analysing the human behaviour with the help of established theories, but it also helps us in adopting innovative approaches in deciphering the behaviour of the young generation. Today’s generation takes pride in the fact that IT is helping it in a big way in almost all parts of their life. Therefore, somehow this generation doesn’t have to go through the hard work and toil that its predecessors experienced. But the IT age has its own set of issues, which leaves a distinct mark on interpersonal communication and normal human relations. Therefore, the youth often find themselves at crossroads. While on the one hand, the youth try pursuing career objectives in these competitive times, on the other hand, the attachment with fellow students also appear quite natural amongst them. Industrialisation has been a big impact on the way human relations take shape. Chisholm & Hurrelmann (1995) find out that the youth in the age group of late teens and twenties feel a greater impact of industrialisation in their lives. It is during this period that the young people obtain their qualifications and training which form the very basis of their income and career progression for the rest of their life. The mutual attachments and romantic relationships in these years, lead to a peculiar internal conflicts amongst the youth, which in turn leads to a sense of insecurity. A lot depends upon the manner in which these youth have been brought up by the parents, their society and the impact of cultures and values. Martinuk (2008) cites the findings of a study suggesting that, ‘undergraduate university students aged 18 to 25 tend to believe the system should not only revolve around them, but also reward them handsomely for minimal academic efforts’. Therefore, the conflict of interests also gives rise to a sense of insecurity amongst the undergraduate students. This study is therefore an effort to find out the extent of insecurity being felt by undergraduate youth while indulging in romantic relationships and to analyse some of the reasons highlighted during the study. Studies previously undertaken on similar topics by renowned scholars will also help me in my endeavour to analyse the research questions. Michael et al (1995) found out that about two thirds of the American youth experience a period of cohabitation with a romantic partner during their undergraduate studies. Well, the times have certainly changed with the IT era. Today, the mobile phone and iPods too provide the youth a good company many a times, while during the early nineties this was certainly not the case. These handy gadgets also prove to be tools for showcasing the ‘so-called’ treasure of films, music videos, audio songs and video clips to the friends and partners. To what extent the friendship is strengthened by such exchanges is indeed a question of in-depth study. Methodology The manner in which research is carried out leaves a radical influence on the final outcome of the study. The research content and the policies designed in response to that content could subsequently helping in policies, provided it reflects the evolving changes in the society. Research philosophy as such can be termed a belief about the manner in which data about a phenomenon should be gathered, analyzed and used. This dissertation is a qualitative case study focusing on an analysis of the insecure attachment and romantic relationships among undergraduate students. Though the research area will be limited to the Kingston University in general, but the profile of students coming from different sections of the society will make it an interesting study. To carry out such a study in general we resort to two main approaches; i. Literature Review: This will be done with the help of study material, renowned journals, newspapers, internet etc. This is basically a secondary approach for collecting data and helps in gaining an insight into the subject and related areas. While going for primary data collection, the studies from secondary sources not only helps in understanding the nuances, but it also guides us in devising the questionnaire, deciphering the responses and handling some of the difficult situations. ii. Primary Data Collection: Based on the literature review and discussions with tutor, friends and other concerned persons, sincere effort would be made to prepare a comprehensive questionnaire, which would help in finding out the levels of insecurity amongst the undergraduate teenagers involved in romantic relationships with their fellow students or other friends. It will indeed be quite interesting to find out the levels of attachment that such relationships are able to sustain in the long run. After preparing the questionnaire, it would be administered amongst the undergraduate teenagers, mainly from Kingston University upon Thames in London. Depending upon the availability of time, the questionnaire could be filled up by the researcher himself while seeking the responses from the respondent. Or, the questionnaire could be distributed to the students at random, with a request for completing it within a stipulated time of 2-3 hours/days etc. The questionnaire would be in general an objective one with three options for the respondent, but there will be at least couple of subjective type questions, which would help in seeking opinion of the respondents based on their own judgement, analysis or experience. This would further help in enriching the research. This type of analytical study doesn’t require many scientific tools and apparatus for carrying out the study. Besides the questionnaire, we need couple of proper record files to compile the responses. At times it also helps to provide a pencil or pen to the respondent together with the questionnaire. The key ingredients of the report are; Participants: Undergraduate students of Kingston University London, from different courses. In order to have at least 100 full responses, we need to target around 125 students, because there might be some who may not be able to return the questionnaire owing to various reasons. Material/ Apparatus: Questionnaire, Loose sheets, storage files, pens/pencils, laptop Design: Questionnaire would be mainly in the form of objective responses with one or two subjective answer questions. Procedure: A number of journals, recent newspapers, books etc. will be surfed to carry out the literature review. This can be done in bits pieces, depending upon the availability of the reference material and time at my disposal, but the primary data collection requires dedicated effort on the part of the researcher. Part A of the questionnaire will contain the demographic characteristics of the respondents and this will serve as the profile of the respondents. This will include their gender, age, course etc. Part B will focus on their viewpoint on such attachment, relations, romantic feelings and insecurity and how they perceive the importance of maintaining such relationships. Questionnaire would be distributed in phases, so that it doesn’t become messy. Effort would be made to collect the filled up questionnaire as soon as possible. In case I myself trying to write the responses, I can also key in the responses of the students on my laptop, depending upon their convenience. The data thus collected would be analysed using research tools like SPSS software or the easily available MS-Excel. This will help in making comparisons etc. Ethical Considerations Whilst this study requires participation of human subjects, consent and confidentiality happens to be a significant issue. A sincere effort would therefore be made to communicate the aims and objectives of the study to the students participating in the study. The covering letter accompanying the questionnaire will have the details about the study. This letter will also list the contact information of the researchers and other details. By providing this relevant information, the respondents would be made aware about the study prior to completing or sharing any information. Acquiring informed consent is vital to a researcher. Such a consent document serves as protection both for participants and for the researchers involved. Data Collected to Date Though I certainly have in my possession some of the books and journals/articles on the subject and related issues, but no significant primary data has been collected to date. I thought it wise to collect the primary data once I am fully prepared for the study after getting a final go ahead. References: 1. Chisholm, L. and Hurrelmann, K. (1995). Adolescence in modern Europe: Pluralized transition patterns and their implications for personal and social risks. Journal of Adolescence, 18. 2. Martinuk, Susan (2008). You raised me this way, now why are you surprised? Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alta.: Nov 14, 2008. 3. Michael, R. T., Gagnon, J. H., Laumann, E. O., & Kolata, G. (1995). Sex in America: A definitive survey. New York: Warner Books. Read More