Implications of Climate Change on Health Status - Essay Example

International Students' Take on the Implications of Climate Change on Health Status

Research Aim

With the definite increase in the number of international students recently in Australia, the aim of this project will find out their take on the possible implications of climate change towards their health status.

Research Objectives

• To find out the resultant effects of change in climate to the health status of international students in Australia
• To determine the health precautions taken by international students to cope with the immediate change in climate once they arrive in Australia

Theoretical Perspective and the Explicit Approach to Theory

In the recent past, Australia has constantly been recording an influx of international students who seek to attain better learning facilities and others who are in dire need to further their studies. This is evident and not limited to any country or state, but they originate from different countries. As such, the need to understand the climate-health relationship has also increased to get inclined to both international and national health policy reviews and other bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (Clemens et al., 2010).

The impacts of climate change incorporate a rise in temperature, unregulated increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and the rising sea levels. To international students and foreigners in Australia, this change in climate threatens their health by affecting the type of food to be eaten, water to be drunk, the air breathed and the ultimate weather experience. This, in turn, turns out to be health concerns if at all, no health strategy is adhered to. According to Uszyńska-Jarmoc and Kunat (2019), explicit approach to theory entails scientific particulars which are heald by researchers and scientists and any other person who must articulate ideas which can be tested and shared. Checking on the health impacts associated with climate change to international students is an issue which will be tested and possibly published so that other students who intend to study in Australia are made aware of what is expected of them in terms of health strategies and policies that will ultimately guide their stay.

Methods and Methodology

Research Method

The study will consider a qualitative approach where the researcher will conduct a case study within the (Insert your university name) regarding the international students' take on the impacts of climate change on health status. There is need to capture data from the students’ perspective. This is why the researcher will opt for a qualitative approach. According to Bartlett and Vavrus (2017), using case studies unravels an empirical enquiry which seeks to check on the prevailing issues within a given field that depicts the real-life context. The university of (Insert your university name) has quite a lot of international students. As such, it is ranked among the top universities in Australia, which is highly considered by many international students. For convenience purposes, the researcher will utilize a single case study in (Insert your university name).

Data Collection

The core method to be used will be semi-structured interviews. The researcher considered this because of the semi-structured interviews are widely used in qualitative studies due to their flexibility. Secondly, a semi-structured interview is the only way that allows for dual participation, where the researcher will be allowed to ask follow-up questions and make the session interactive. Thirdly, DeJonckheere and Vaughn (2019) assert that semi-structured interviews are less likely to make pre-sumptions; they allow participants to participate without fearing anything.

Sample and Sample Selection Strategies

Purposive and convenient sampling will be considered in accessing and assigning interviews. The two methods will be most preferred since they are practical, especially when time constraints and study scope are at stake (Setia, 2016). Convenient sampling will be used in selecting the non-random sample. The researcher shares a personal relationship with the participants. This will enable him to easily access the needed data since they study in the same institution. Moreover, the time when the interviews will be conducted will be out-of-school time; hence, convenient for all participants. The researcher knows this since he shares a course with some of the participants.

Because most of the participants in the study will be international students in Australia, they are fully aware of the health implications they faced when they moved to Australia due to climate change. That is why purposive sampling will be considered. It is sometimes referred to as selective or judgemental sampling in that the researcher selects the key participants in a study since he/she believes that they possess information which is vital for the achievement of the research aim and objectives (Etikan, Musa and Alkassim, 2016).

Participants

Before conducting the research, all participants will be issued with consent forms which constitute project information. They will be invited to read and understand what the project is all about then sign the forms. The will be issued to all international students within the health docket in (Insert your university name). Those who will participate in the study will be selected based on their agreement with the researcher. Each interview will last for about 30 minutes. The researcher will interview a total of 12 participants. They will be chosen based on purposive sampling as follows:

Participants

Selected Number

International students

5

Local students

3

International workers in (Insert your university name)

2

Local workers in (Insert your university name)

2

Castleberry and Nolen (2018) state that thematic analysis is commonly used in healthcare-related studies which tend to utilize qualitative approach. As such, the thematic analysis will be used. It examines and identifies patterns (themes) within a given data setup (Castleberry and Nolen, 2018).

Ethical Considerations

Resnik (2016) emphasizes the protection of participants in research. As such, all participants will be issued with consent forms which have the assurance of non-disclosure of their identities. They are also allowed to refuse to answer any question and are free to withdraw from the research at any time. An abstract or summary of the study will be sent to any participant who asks for it for clarification purposes regarding their interview and interview transcription. Thew will be allowed to ask for changes if they notice any discrepancy. Finally, the researcher has an existing relationship with some of the participants. As such, it is required that the highest form of professionalism will be maintained at all times during the study.