The Jamaica Adolescent Study - Book Report/Review Example

?A Critical Analysis of The Jamaica Adolescent Study The Jamaica Adolescent Study is a research conducted by Jean Jackson, Joan Leitch and Amy Lee, from 1995 to 1997 focusing on the Jamaican Adolescent population the behavior towards sexuality and pregnancy. Two specific objectives were pursued. First, the researchers attempted to outline the adolescent behaviors in Jamaica on sexuality, reproduction and family planning. Secondly, the study aimed to evaluate the Grade 7 Project, a governmental education program for seventh graders designed to prevent early pregnancies among teenagers. The study is characterized by a linear progression of the academic research model, wherein an issue is identified and investigated. The research was initiated and completed after identifying a combination of investigative techniques that are determined based on initial interviews and discussions. After which, an outline of findings and recommendations were provided. The authors designed the investigative framework according to the quasi-experimental study design. The study is descriptive in nature and is scientific and comprehensive in its methodology, perusing a combination of both quantitative and qualitative models of inquiry. The study, however, lacked the section outlining operational definitions of variables. In cases where definitions were provided, they were cited after the concept or variable was first introduced. To collect data, the authors drafted a questionnaire and conducted a survey in addition to the holding of focus group interviews. The survey was implemented in three stages, initially querying 945 seventh-graders, with 52 percent girls and 48 percent boys. Dialogues and structured interview questions also provided the framework by which data from focus group interview were collected. The assessment and analysis for survey data were conducted through cross-tabulations and tests using chi-square test of association while the focus group data were examined through text analysis. The researchers found that a high proportion of adolescents in Jamaica engage in sex. Most of them are knowledgeable on issues such as premarital sex, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and family planning although a number of them are inaccurate. In addition, such sexually active behavior has been posited as caused by sociocultural and gender norms in Jamaica that often communicate confusing messages and impose standards of behavior that are conducive to premarital sex. That is why it has been emphasized that education programs such as Grade 7 Project are effective mechanisms to address the problems of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Finally, the efficacy of the Grade 7 Project was found to be dependent on the educator involved and the training and resources he or she can use. Varying environmental variables impact the way intended messages were disseminated and acquired. As has been cited previously, The Jamaica Adolescent Study is a descriptive study. However, although it is expected that it can investigate a general subject, the researchers covered a wide range of issues - some of them are no longer relevant to the objectives of the research. For example, the researchers included in the survey issues such as alcohol and marijuana use, self-esteem, academic goals and so forth. While these variables may indirectly impact sexual behaviors, they are no longer important determinants especially when the researchers intended to explain sexual behaviors and attitudes toward sex and pregnancy, which have been stipulated as the primary goals of the study. The inclusion of these aspects in the survey could have muddled the respondents’ ability to answer the most important questions in many different ways. In addition, the researchers could have devoted more sections or questions of the questionnaire to related factors such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, homosexuality, multiple sexual partners and early marriage, among others for a more in-depth analysis of sexual behavior. The three-year research period has also contributed external threats to the study. The most critical of which involved the loss to follow-up, which called for an additional effort to conduct a bivariate statistical analysis. By the time the final survey was conducted ten percent of boys and five percent of girls were lost for follow-up. The researchers did not clarify the impact of this development but, unarguably, the number is significant to have a bearing on some of the findings. The research design and procedures, on the other hand, were credible. Preliminary research and interviews were conducted to inform the development of proper and effective research framework. Sampling design was also scientific and systematic with the employment of several tried and tested sampling techniques while the choice of research approaches were carefully studied. The survey population has been extensive and representative of the adolescent population in Jamaica. The authors were rightfully insistent in their aim for the study to have a wider coverage by choosing schools in varying locations and by being having both urban and rural survey populations. The determination of gender ratio, which is almost equal, is also a positive characteristic of the study. The combination of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies is, of course, commendable. The result of the survey, as in most research survey cases, tends to lean on generalizations. The standardized questions could only measure variables and represent facts up to a point. Empirical data also cannot identify and measure underlying feelings, behaviors, opinions and beliefs - factors that are crucial in the study. The fact is that respondents were diverse, experiencing different circumstances in their lives. Sometimes survey could make researches seem to fit holes in a square. This is the reason why having included the focus group discussion in the data analysis for each variable investigated and analyzed is effective, making the research process and findings authoritative and enlightening. This is almost akin to a version of triangulation, only in a much deeper and comprehensive sense, because findings are corroborated and compared in different perspectives. The quantitative information were augmented by qualitative findings, facilitating the explanation and understanding (for the readers) of the relationship among variables in quantitative data sets. Meanwhile, it must be noted that the pitfalls of losing control in focus group interviews were also avoided. The researchers were able to devise a strategy that involves mechanism of control. For example, the selection of participants was systematic while facilitators and guides receive trainings and workshops in order to ensure the alignment of the focus group discussion to that of the study’s goals. All in all, the presentation by which the research data were provided, examined and analyzed was organized. The researchers took pains in structuring findings and analysis in such a way the comparison can easily be presented and understood. The conclusion was informed, thus, credible, making it a valid basis for the recommendations suggested. Reference Jackson, J., Leitch, J. and Lee, A. (1998). The Jamaica Adolescent Study: Final Report. Research Triangle Park, NC: Elizabeth Egglestone and Karen Hardee Women’s Studies Project, Family Health International. Read More