Characteristics Of An Interdisciplinary Approach To Understanding Childhood And Youth - Essay Example

?Characteristics of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Childhood and Youth It is a fact that in the attempt by researchers to understand childhood and youth, it has become necessary for them to adopt an interdisciplinary approach because this is the only way through which such a study can be successful. The use of an interdisciplinary approach is based on the belief that the diverse studies conducted by different disciplines are necessary for the better understanding of not only childhood and youth, but also of their various stages of development. When conducting research on children and youth, there it is normal that the utmost care is taken because of several hypothetical issues that are involved. Various potential challenges which arise during research activities such as observation without consent, deception, and breaking of confidentiality, forced participation, among others have been identified as being among the reasons why it is necessary to have a develop an interdisciplinary approach to research. Through the use of a code of ethics developed along interdisciplinary lines, researchers are able to be held accountable and broad ethical standards that the said researchers must adhere to are laid in the code of conduct. It is the common belief among interdisciplinary researchers that looking at impressionability, there should be ethical concerns about children who possess adequate functioning and are able to voluntarily assent to and understand their roles as research participants in a manner that is legitimate. When conducting an interdisciplinary research, it is necessary for the researcher to consider the fact that the child or youth is required to have an understanding of conditions that have been put in place for participants in the research (Trickett & Ryerson Espino, 2004). Ethical principles have to be observes in an interdisciplinary approach to research as this is meant to assist in ensuring that the entire research process is explained in a language that is appropriate and easy to understand by the children and youth that are being interviewed for the study. The capability of the potential interviewees to make available their consent voluntarily is often determined by the individuals themselves as well as the factors of the environment surrounding the children or youth. The environmental factors that are important when conducting an interdisciplinary approach to making an understanding of childhood and youth include family factors, pressure, among others. It is a fact that most researchers have control over consent seeker constrains and this is an ethical issue when conducting this type of research because of the fact that it is essential for the gaining of a better understanding of the subject at hand. When conducting this type of research, it has been found that it is imperative for the researcher to consider the position of consent seeker carefully in order not to influence the child to give assent (Juster et al, 2011). When using an interdisciplinary approach, it is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure all sources of influence that may compel a child to give voluntary assent are scrutinized and minimized to prevent compulsion of children in to participating in the research, as this has the potential of violating the ethical principles of research. An interdisciplinary approach to research requires that there be the use of a quantitative approach which will not test the hypothesis of the study in a quantitative test. This may, for example, include the risk factors that may influence children or youth to get involved in crime, such as neglect from the parents, drug abuse, and loss of an important family member. An interdisciplinary approach, therefore, also involves the life history of an individual in order to enable the researcher to draw an insight in formulation of the broad area to be investigated in the study. When using the interdisciplinary approach, it is important to explore social influences on the lives of the children and youth under study, from the early times of their socialization, which is the family, to the school as a key context of socialization. It is also important to explore the influence got from their social group and the significance that has been received from the neighbourhood environment where the individuals being interviewed have lived all their lives. In fact, such an approach will also be able to explore the hopes and dreams that are experienced by the youth, this will help coming up with an understanding of whether they believe that they may have a life which is different from what they currently live (Budwig, 2004). It will also enable the researcher to develop an understanding of the potential role models who might influence their lives. While this is the case, however, it s possible that there might develop thematic errors that might arise concerning the subjects of the study and these may include school, parenting and peer groups. An approach that is interdisciplinary in nature will be used when conducting research on the understanding of childhood and youth and this is based on the fact that it utilizes different groups of people whose various interests vary. This is despite the fact that they may share other characteristics which such as socioeconomic status, ethnicity, among many others. The groups of individuals who are selected for the study have to be remarkably similar in various areas except in their age since a diverse view of children and youth from various ages has to be analysed to make the study credible. The differences that are noted is often attributed to their age difference and not other variables and it is a fact that this form of study is mostly observational so that it can considered to be a descriptive form of research where the researcher records information present in a population without manipulating variables (Suarez-Orozco & Desiree, 2006). This approach often gives descriptions of characters that exist within the target population under study without determining the cause and effect relationship that may be present between variables. An interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of childhood and youth often deals with the development of these individuals throughout their lives during this stage of their development and this makes such studies to be diverse and vibrant. Some of the aspects of an interdisciplinary approach when conducting studies include children’s and youth understanding of emotions. In addition, it is important for the researcher to adopt such an approach because it not only enables the understanding of emotions of individuals during their childhood and youth, but also the evaluation of the education programs through which they undergo. An interdisciplinary approach ensures that whatever research is conducted, it provides an avenue whose aim is for the potential improvement of the children’s and youths’ chances of succeeding in their lives. Other aspects of this approach include a study of how the environmental affects the lives of these the individuals who are being interviewed, their emotional attachments, as well as the development of these children and youth during this period of their lives into what can be considered to be their acquiring those aspects needed for their maturity. An interdisciplinary approach to understanding childhood and youth extends provocative ideas from the emerging interdisciplinary field of childhood studies. These ideas constitute a framework for building new kinds of theories and research on children and youth gathered around rights and responsibilities of and for this age group. It is often focused on their agency and social participation and it is concerned with the social problems of that is developed around these age group, as well as how children and youth are constructed to be a part of the society. An interdisciplinary approach is often anchored in the point of views and says of these individuals and is dedicated to describing and explaining both commonness and difference in their experiences and statuses. Such an approach is devoted to understanding children and youth as beings is attentive to the interdependence of generations within families and societies. These commitments that are determined by the interdisciplinary approach often require the researcher to strengthen their perspective of social and cultural phenomena so that they can be able to swift more honestly interdisciplinary scholarship which advocates for an extensive variety of research methods and data (Settersten, 2005). A more intensive study of these aspects that is cultivated about these ideas has the potential of raising the visibility of children and youth in the development of science, public plan, and social life. In conclusion, it can be said that the use of an interdisciplinary approach helps in the analysis of developmental perspectives on family relations, well-being, identity formation, and educational outcomes during childhood and youth. This approach further pays particular attention to the role of gender in these domains and often concludes with recommendations for future research, which include the need to consider whether, and if so, how, when, and why it makes a difference to be a child or youth, to be from a particular environment, and whether these have any impact on their development. This approach can be said to put into importance a consideration of socioeconomic characteristics so as to consider the resilience as well as the pathology of those in these age groups. This enables individuals to work in interdisciplinary ways to deepen our understanding of the experience of childhood and youth and how these experiences help in the formation of their future lives. References Budwig, N. 2004, "The contributions of the interdisciplinary study of language to an understanding of mind", Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 101-102. Juster, R., Bizik, G., Picard, M., Arsenault-Lapierre, G., Sindi, S., Trepanier, L., Marin, M., Wan, N., Sekerovic, Z., Lord, C., Fiocco, A.J., Plusquellec, P., McEwen, B.S. & Lupien, S.J. 2011, "A transdisciplinary perspective of chronic stress in relation to psychopathology throughout life span development", Development and psychopathology, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 725-76. Settersten, R. A., 2005, "Linking the Two Ends of Life: What Gerontology Can Learn From Childhood Studies", The Journals of Gerontology, vol. 60B, no. 4, pp. S173-80. Suarez-Orozco, C. & Desiree, B.Q. 2006, "Gendered Perspectives in Psychology: Immigrant Origin Youth", The International Migration Review, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 165-198. Trickett, E.J. & Ryerson Espino, S.,L. 2004, "Collaboration and Social Inquiry: Multiple Meanings of a Construct and Its Role in Creating Useful and Valid Knowledge", American Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 34, no. 1-2, pp. 1-69. Read More