Mindfulness and Negative Self-Talk - Research Proposal Example

Qual and Quant Research Proposal Name Institution Qual and Quant Research Proposal Literature Review The study of mindfulness as a strategy of dealing with negative self-talk is built on the needs to adopt better therapies that fill in the gap where such strategies as suppression and substitution of thoughts and talk have not worked. The mentioned strategies have proved counterproductive and do not help boost self-efficacy at the end of it. With rarity of literature to explore the effectiveness of briefer routines of mindfulness, this investigation sets in to search fro leads the may be a basis for recommending lesser periods of mindfulness. This is because longer routines may not be possible for in the current busy state of society. This study will therefore help in informing on whether mindfulness practices done briefly will help accept negative self-talk and eventually boost self-efficacy or not. The findings have an audience drawn from the group of working people who may not have as much time for longer routines of mindfulness as is commonly known to be practised. Mindfulness has been proposed as one of the perfect ways of dealing with spells derogatory self-perception expressed through negative self-talk. Negative self-talk is understood to have a strong impact on self-efficacy and any strategies of suppressing or replacing it have been found to be counter-productive (Bandura 1997). This is the reason as to why a perfect way of facilitating goal achievement by surmounting the negative effects of negative self-talk is by engaging in periods of a practice of mindfulness. This entails acceptance of negative self-talk and letting it be experienced and given full concentration until it passes away (Bandura 1997). This is as opposed to strategies that suppress or seek to replace the negative self-talk though avoidance of the thoughts or expressing positive-self-talk. This does not help to strengthen self-efficacy that enhances bursts of motivation towards the achievement of goals. Hypotheses 1. 5 minutes of Mindfulness practice per day will increase a person's ability to ACCEPT Negative self talk 2. 5 minutes of Mindfulness practice per day will increase a person's levels of self-efficacy 3. 5 minutes of Mindfulnes practice per day will increase a person's self-efficacy to achieve a specific goal. Method Target Population Most of the working people in contemporary socio-economic context have lesser time at their disposal to engage in subsidiary practices than before. This is especially the case with the working section of the population and those who are in the age group of 35-55 years. This is a group comprised of working individual some of whom are executives of organizations and institutions and chase after various goals in their careers. They are therefore bound to have negative self-talk that affects their self-efficacy. However, they may not have the luxury of time to engage in mindfulness due to their busy days. Design In the research, information that will be focusing on the effectiveness of briefer spells of mindfulness will be the subject of the search. It will not be based on variable manipulation as such but on the relation of experiences, opinions and perceptions of various personalities against the existing theoretical standards. This means that the research design will be by and large descriptive as it will explore by use of gathered information the various foundations for testing the hypotheses (Balnaves & Caputi 2001). Materials Various tools that can inform on the need for mindfulness will be greatly fundamental. This will include the employment of pre and post questionnaires, data and information that covers general mental health as well resources that emphasize acceptance of negative self-talk. General strategies that boost self-efficacy especially those that revolve around mindfulness will greatly be instrumental. This will also be the case with those that create a relationship between levels of self-efficacy and goal attainment. Data Analysis procedures Information that supplies findings that test each hypothesis will be sorted separately. Data and information will be analyzed based on relevance. All of the findings will provide a basis for descriptive portrayal of hypothesis as a build-up to discussions for making conclusions. Ethical Considerations This study will however raise various ethical considerations. Being among the pioneering of such investigations, a lack of precedent researches may lead to unchecked ‘biases’ (Panter & Sterba 2011). This will emanate from a failure to utilize proper design and procedures for gathering information. Besides, making inferences that are only based on narrow premises and cases may occasion unprofessionalism and arouse ethical desires (Panter & Sterba 2011). This means that a study of this nature is supposed to be reliant on evidence that is reliable and valid and that ca stand scrutiny of future tests. It is also vital in the research to avoid making unsubstantiated assertions about the target group especially those that may be deemed derogatory. Any judgmental substance is supposed to be screened and efforts concentrated on the main focus of study. Reference Balnaves, M., & Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: An investigative approach. London: SAGE. Panter, A. T., & Sterba, S. K. (2011). Handbook of ethics in quantitative methodology. New York: Routledge. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Qualitative Research Proposal Methodology Epistemological assumptions The research in acquiring knowledge on the subject of research will assume that the findings can be generalized to other subjects with similar characteristics. Besides, there will be an assumption that the hypotheses have the ability to be investigated empirically and by means of phenomenology. The findings will therefore present inferences from firsthand accounts and sources to test the claims of hypotheses. The various qualitative methodologies will be assumed to be consistent and investigating a similar phenomena in spite of contextual differences of participants in the study. Participants Most of the working people in contemporary socio-economic context have lesser time at their disposal to engage in subsidiary practices than before. This is especially the case with the working section of the population and those who are in the age group of 35-55 years. This is a group comprised of working individual some of whom are executives of organizations and institutions and chase after various goals in their careers. They are therefore bound to have negative self-talk that affects their self-efficacy. However, they may not have the luxury of time to engage in mindfulness due to their busy days. Research Design As a qualitative study, the design of the study will be partly based on ethnography, observation as well as naturalistic. The investigation will seek to understand how various executives carry out their mindfulness practices without necessarily being aware of it. In other instances, the researcher will experience mindfulness along with the target group in order to generate firsthand experience and implement inductiveness in the findings. Interviews will be integrated in the study in order to tap the experiences of different people about mindfulness and how it has been helping them accept negative self-talk. To gather data on mindfulness routines, taping and video recording will be used as well as note making. Where ethnography will be employed, the researcher will join in with the participants of the study and test aspects of self-efficacy and negative self-talk in regard to the way they relate to each other. Interviews will be recorded and will use semi-structured questions such as; “Why would you say it is necessary to have a long period of mindfulness?” The tools to be used will those that have been proven reliable before or have previously yielded objective results. Besides, consulting experts on the formulation of tests and measures will help ensure validity of tolls and instruments of collecting data and information. Materials As a qualitative study, first hand accounts will be greatly important. This means that materials will those that supply first hand data and information on self-efficacy. Negative self-talk as well as mindfulness and the way they correlate to influence goal achievement. This will include the employment of pre and post questionnaires, data and information that covers general mental health as well resources that emphasize acceptance of negative self-talk. General strategies that boost self-efficacy especially those that revolve around mindfulness will greatly be instrumental. This will also be the case with those that create a relationship between levels of self-efficacy and goal attainment. Questionnaires will also be greatly resourceful since they will be carrying prompts on what experiences participants have practising mindfulness with their busy schedules. The questionnaires will contain both open-ended and closed-ended prompts for respondents to state what they think about adoption of briefer mindfulness routines of at least five minutes. An example of a question would be “From your experience can five minutes of mindfulness boost acceptance of negative self-talk?” Data Analysis The investigation will borrow the quantitative aspect of a 5-point Likert Scale. This is because it can allow for better analysis on the SPSS system given that the variables are multiple. Besides, MANOVA will also be applied for purposes of comparison of statistical findings for objective evaluation. This scale offers better reliability as it can assure confirmation of the results based on the same data in later similar researches. Furthermore, the scale has been proven as a valid for use in blending aspects of quantitative to qualitative analysis where empiricism has to be integrated in the methodology. A qualitative approach to study is usually based on the collection, coding and analysis of data. This is the reason why the ethnographer software will be used for analysis. The data collected by various means will be fed into the computer and categorized under various topics ad subheadings (vote heads). From here, data that related to various aspects of hypotheses under test can be accessed and discussed. Ethical Considerations One of the ethical considerations that may arise during the study is when naturalistic observation has to be used without the informed consent of a participant (Hesse-biber & Leavy 2004). For such a technique to be used, care will have to be taken to avoid creating ethical issues. Besides, cases of misrepresentation of data may lead to portrayal of the study group badly. This is if data collection tools and materials were based on various forms of bias. This will mean that scientific soundness of the study will have to be up to standard. Ethnography may also yield unreliable results if the researcher tries to identify and relate to the participant so much as to lose the focus of study and testing (Hesse-biber & Leavy 2004). Reference Brannen, J. (1992). Mixing methods: Quantitative and Qualitatitive research. Brookfield, USA: Avebury. Hesse-Biber, S. N., & Leavy, P. (2004). Approaches to qualitatitive research: A reader on theory and practice. New York, N.Y: Oxford University Press. Balnaves, M., & Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: An investigative approach. London: SAGE. Read More

This means that the research design will be by and large descriptive as it will explore by use of gathered information the various foundations for testing the hypotheses (Balnaves & Caputi 2001). Materials Various tools that can inform on the need for mindfulness will be greatly fundamental. This will include the employment of pre and post questionnaires, data and information that covers general mental health as well resources that emphasize acceptance of negative self-talk. General strategies that boost self-efficacy especially those that revolve around mindfulness will greatly be instrumental.

This will also be the case with those that create a relationship between levels of self-efficacy and goal attainment. Data Analysis procedures Information that supplies findings that test each hypothesis will be sorted separately. Data and information will be analyzed based on relevance. All of the findings will provide a basis for descriptive portrayal of hypothesis as a build-up to discussions for making conclusions. Ethical Considerations This study will however raise various ethical considerations.

Being among the pioneering of such investigations, a lack of precedent researches may lead to unchecked ‘biases’ (Panter & Sterba 2011). This will emanate from a failure to utilize proper design and procedures for gathering information. Besides, making inferences that are only based on narrow premises and cases may occasion unprofessionalism and arouse ethical desires (Panter & Sterba 2011). This means that a study of this nature is supposed to be reliant on evidence that is reliable and valid and that ca stand scrutiny of future tests.

It is also vital in the research to avoid making unsubstantiated assertions about the target group especially those that may be deemed derogatory. Any judgmental substance is supposed to be screened and efforts concentrated on the main focus of study. Reference Balnaves, M., & Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: An investigative approach. London: SAGE. Panter, A. T., & Sterba, S. K. (2011). Handbook of ethics in quantitative methodology. New York: Routledge.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Qualitative Research Proposal Methodology Epistemological assumptions The research in acquiring knowledge on the subject of research will assume that the findings can be generalized to other subjects with similar characteristics. Besides, there will be an assumption that the hypotheses have the ability to be investigated empirically and by means of phenomenology. The findings will therefore present inferences from firsthand accounts and sources to test the claims of hypotheses.

The various qualitative methodologies will be assumed to be consistent and investigating a similar phenomena in spite of contextual differences of participants in the study. Participants Most of the working people in contemporary socio-economic context have lesser time at their disposal to engage in subsidiary practices than before. This is especially the case with the working section of the population and those who are in the age group of 35-55 years. This is a group comprised of working individual some of whom are executives of organizations and institutions and chase after various goals in their careers.

They are therefore bound to have negative self-talk that affects their self-efficacy. However, they may not have the luxury of time to engage in mindfulness due to their busy days. Research Design As a qualitative study, the design of the study will be partly based on ethnography, observation as well as naturalistic. The investigation will seek to understand how various executives carry out their mindfulness practices without necessarily being aware of it. In other instances, the researcher will experience mindfulness along with the target group in order to generate firsthand experience and implement inductiveness in the findings.

Interviews will be integrated in the study in order to tap the experiences of different people about mindfulness and how it has been helping them accept negative self-talk.

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