Questions on Research - Assignment Example

Questions on Research Name Institution a) Identify the rationale given by the author for doing this study. (Generally given early in the article.) The article outlines that African American youth are for more concentrated periods consistently exposed to popular media. Studies indicate that viewing television, including watching music videos has influence on the behaviors and sexual beliefs of the youth from the African American group. The rationale of the research in this article is to explore the influence of the lyrics of popular urban music on the behaviors and attitudes of towards casual sex among African American students. The rationale of this research is based on the feeling that little research has focused on the influence of music on the perception of casual sex among African American youths. The author chooses to analyze the song buddy in an effort to prove that even though African Americans are represented positively in this genre, the songs promote casual sex without highlighting the possible consequences of such behavior. b) What is/are the research question/s or hypothesis/es used in this study? (List a maximum of two.) The research is mainly about the perceived influences of the messages contained in music lyrics in popular urban music on African American female youths and students. The hypothesis of this study is that: the messages contained in popular urban music lyrics promote casual sex among African American youths and students.   c) Name the epistemology/ies used in the study? (eg. Objectivism, constructionism or subjectivism).  Why do you think so? The epistemology in this study is subjectivism. This is because the design of this study allows the reader to experience the knowledge in a logical manner (Monette, Sullivan, & DeJong, 1990). The emphasis is on discovery and the study is exploratory in nature. The knowledge about the influence of urban popular music on the sexual behavior of African American female students is built basing on observation of the behaviors of various students in historically black colleges. . It explains how the evidence adds up to the authors presented stance and allows the reader to make his/her own judgment, identify the flaws and with agree or refute the hypothesis.   d) Name the research paradigm/s used in the study (e.g. Positivism, systems theory, interpretivism, critical theory or functionalism).  Explain why this study falls under that/those paradigm/s. The research paradigm employed in this is interpretivism. This paradigm maintains that the world is interpreted basing on the people interactions and experience with the environment (Monette, Sullivan, & DeJong, 1990). In this research, or rather the study explores how the African female students interact with and interprets messages contained in urban popular music and how their behaviors are subsequently influenced by the messages. In addition, this paradigm relies on exploration and discovery and this research is explorative in nature. e) What is/are the covering law/s used in the study? This research is covered by health laws that protect women as research subjects. This laws present specific requirements for participation of women between the child bearing age in research. They provide researchers with a go ahead to include women in research but within specific limitations that ensure safety among them. These federal laws on health research state that; the inclusion of women in social and behavioral research should be considered unless there is an appropriate stated rationale that their inclusion has a health effect or is inappropriate basing on the purpose of research (Do research).   f) What specific research / data collection method/s (eg. Interviews,  field  studies, surveys, focus groups, content  analysis, case studies etc.), has/have been used in the study? This study used five group interviews with participants totaling to 28. The participants were aged from 18-22 years, and they were selected from (HBCU), Historically Black Colleges. Participants were required to give informed and were not paid to give information. Each group had 5-7 participants recruited from communication courses and the interviews lasted 15 minutes. g) Has this study used multiple methods of data collection? If so, what are they? If not, what other methods of data collection could have been used in addition to the one/s used in the study and why? What would be their uses and advantages? This study has only used a single method of data collection which is group interviews. However the nature of study can allow also the use of questionnaires and collection of information from management systems. Questionnaires allow the participants independent time to respond to questions and using varied methods of data collection also allow the researcher to compare data collected in different ways thereby achieving more accurate results ( ).   h) What other research paradigm/s could have been used to study the same phenomenon and why?  Another paradigm that could be used in this research is system theory. This is because this research is about a social behavior among the African American which is contained in a self regulating system that relies on feedback and self correction (Biel, Eek, Gärling & Gustafsson, 2008). The messages in urban popular music influence African American youth’s behaviors without interference and without stating the consequences of such behaviors. This paradigm could thereby be used to analyze how these youths re-adjust thereby behavior based on the outcomes of their actions.   i) Is this study deductive or inductive? Explain why you think so. The study is deductive. This is because it starts by presenting the hypothesis which outlines what the author is up to or trying to prove then goes ahead to outline the details (Rothe, & Rothe, 2000). In stating the justification of the study, the author explains that urban popular music has influence on the attitudes of African America student towards casual sex. After this, the author presents the research undertaken, and the findings that prove his thoughts or statement.   j) What are the variables of this study? Which of them is/are independent and dependent? (List at least one of each.)  In research, the dependent variable is that which is manipulated by the researcher for particular responses while the dependent variable refers to the achieved responses from the manipulation (Rothe, & Rothe, 2000). The two variables in this study are the music and the level at which different students agree or disagree with the message in the song. The independent variable is the music as it was chosen by the researcher to test the responses of the African female students while their response to the song is the dependent variable. k) How are the variables operationalised? (What are the operational definitions used?) (list at least one.)  Operationalization of variables refers to the manner in which a concept can be defined so that it can be measured (Crow, & Semmens, 2008). This includes the actual way in which the research intends to test and prove the hypothesis. The variables in this study were operationalised such that the researcher would test their hypothesis based on the responses that the participants had towards the lyrics of the selected music. The participants were asked to listen to and read the lyrics of the music prior to discussion. Digital recording and verbatim transcription was done for focus groups and the moderator read out the transcript to allow a new insight which allowed the moderator to understand the existing connection between the examined test and the participants. The results were then confirmed and assessed to prove the hypothesis. l) What is the unit of analysis of this study?  The unit of analysis in this study is the perceived influence of the popular urban music on the attitudes of African American female students towards casual sex. m) What was/were the sample size/s? The sample size consisted of 28 students from historically black colleges or universities in Maryland, Columbia, and Virginia. This is because this group was perceived to have high rate of sexually transmitted diseases. The 28 respondents were then divided into groups of 5-7 for interviewing. n) What kind of sampling method/s had been used? (e.g. random, convenience etc.)  The sampling methods in this study were random. African American female students were randomly picked from historically black colleges or universities. o) What kind/s of measurement/s was/were involved? (e.g. Nominal,  ordinal,  interval  or ratio  and name the relevant variable/s as applicable.)  The measurements used were nominal. The study consisted of 28 different female students from the African American background and specifically from historically black colleges. This is because as they are counted, the numbers they are given were only used as identifiers and not any other importance. The responses given by each of after listening to the music carry equal value regardless of the number each respondent is given. p) What are the findings and conclusions of this study?  The findings indicated that casual sex was acceptable among African American female students. Even in the cases where participants admitted that they have never or at least were currently inactive sexually, there was an evident tone of being an exception to the prevailing rule. This research concluded that there is a link though small but significant, between the normal effect of urban music and risky sexual behaviors among youths. q) What is the heuristic value of the study?  The heuristic value of this research is that the methods used and the findings of the research add value to the understanding of the understudied field of cultural communication. Additionally, the exploratory approach used in this study provides new guidelines for the outlets that influence health behaviors and in a way establishing a foundation for health campaigns in future for regarding African American female youths. r) What alternative explanations can you suggest for these findings and conclusions? The study covers a wide topic and apparently the author does not give a conclusive explanation basing on the provided results. It is clear that human beings are greatly shaped by the environment in which they live. Apart from the given explanation, there is an inherent feeling that female students from an African American group have an inherent tendency of avoiding commitment in relationships. Findings in this study thereby confirm that listening to urban popular music whose lyrics promote such behavior gives them a lee way to engage in casual sex.   s) Find five items of scholarly literature related to the same topic area as your selected article.  Provide a short summary of these five studies and their findings and conclusions, as a collective, somewhat similar to a short literature review. Indicate your sources of reference within the body of this summary according to the Harvard system of referencing (Author, year). List the five readings in alphabetical order by first author’s last name according to the Harvard System of referencing, in the reference  list for the essay at the end. Indicate these five articles in the reference list using asterisks (*). There are a number of studies conducted around this field that support or give guiding information concerning this issue. Perko, Mike A. (2012). The influence of sexually-oriented music on minority adolescent's sexual initiation. American Journal of Health Studies, 27, (2). This study is conducted on the influence of music with sexual content on minority students. The researcher reviews other literature to support the fact that youths dedicate more time to listening to music and thereby are influenced easily by the messages in the lyrics. The findings indicated that musical exploration tend to increase as youths try to find new ways to express themselves. Additionally, it proved that sexual content in music increases the chances of minority student’s involvement in sexual activities. Martino, S. C., Collins, R. L., Elliott, M. N., Strachman, A., Kanouse, D. E., & Berry, S. H. (2006). Exposure to Degrading Versus Nondegrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth. Pediatrics, 118, 430-441. This longitudinal study consisted of 1,242 adolescents aged between 12-17. The aim of this study was to establish the influence of the content of music on adolescents. This based on degrading and non-degrading contents of music. The sample consisted 43% female from Hispanic African American and white back grounds. The findings of this study indicated that lyrics of degrading urban music were related to the increase in sexual activities. Brown, J. D. and Witherspoon, E. M. (2002). The Mass Media and American Adolescents' Health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, (6S), 153-170. This study was aimed at the way in which different youths perceive lyrical messages. It consisted of adolescents between the ages of 12-17. The study sought to establish who between adolescents that are much exposed and those that are less exposed perceive the lyrical messages as real. It was concluded that adolescents who are exposed more to music are likely to consider the messages in the lyrics real as compared to those who are less exposed. This study confirms that music messages can influence behavior among the youths. Primack, B., Gold, M., Schwarz, E., & Dalton, M. (2008). Degrading and Non-Degrading Sex in Popular Music: A Content Analysis. Public Health Reports, 123, 593-600. This study was conducted with a main aim of establishing sexual content prevalence in popular urban music. The study identified and analyzed popular urban songs. It was established that 37 percent of lyrics in this songs contained sexual content. Consequently, the researchers concluded that investigation on the influence of the sexual content in music on youths and adolescents be done. Rideout, V., Roberts, D., & Foehr, U. (2005). Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds, Executive Summary, Kaiser Family Foundation, Menlo Park, CA. This study was conducted based on the fact that there is increasing exploration and independence among adolescents and thereby music exposure among these groups was bound to increase particularly as the young generation try to find new ways to express themselves. The study sample consisted of groups of respondents with ages 8-10, 11-14 and 15-18years. The findings indicated that the group with ages 8-10 listens to music for averagely 59 times a day, that form 11-14 for 1hr 42 minutes and that from 15-18 for 2hrs 24minutes. This study indicated that adolescents are more exposed to music contents and thereby concluded that their behavior is influenced by music. t) What would have been the ethical issues involved with this study? What precautions should have been required to protect the subjects? This study was conducted among African American students in historically black colleges an ethical issue to be considered is the researcher should be clear with their intentions and objectives of the research so the conclusion of the findings should not be viewed as biased along racial lines. The conclusion should not be seen as targeting a specific race and exalting its irresponsible sexuality. Additionally, sexual behavior is considered in most domains as private and the researches should handle the responses given by individual respondents confidentially unless the respondents allow them to handle the information otherwise. References Biel, A., Eek, D., Gärling, T., & Gustafsson, M. (2008). New issues and paradigms in research on social dilemmas. New York, N.Y.: Springer. Crow, I., & Semmens, N. (2008). Researching criminology. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Do research (n.d).Women as subjects of research. Retrieved from https://doresearch.stanford.edu/policies/research-policy-handbook/human-subjects-and- stem-cells-research/women-subjects-research Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (1990). Applied social research: Tool for the human services. Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Rothe, J. P., & Rothe, J. P. (2000). Undertaking qualitative research: Concepts and cases in injury, health and social life. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press. Read More