A Group Work Intervention for Teenage Mothers and Their Families - Essay Example

?An Evaluation of a Group work Intervention for Teenage Mothers and their Families Introduction The article is a formal critique of a quantitative academic journal on an evaluation of a group work intervention for teenage mothers and their families. The authors undertook an assessment on various groups to implement some intervention strategies to improve the results for children of adolescent mothers in Canadian populations. My critique systematically focuses on the specific concepts of the journal regarding the validity and process of the techniques and outcomes of the research. In this context, attempts to develop a unified and cohesive explanation that expounds and formulates the ideas of the report and gives a clear interpretation of the report as a whole have been outlined. In my opinion, the method of choosing subjects suitable for the experimental groups seems to make the research invalid to some audiences and therefore reduce the possibility of the subject being a general analysis. The Title An evaluation of a group work intervention for teenage mothers and their families is the title of this journal. Though it tries to illustrate the target group being researched on, it does not give a hint of the exact problem being evaluated. The words, “teenage mothers and their families” does is ambiguous since we are not sure of which families are in context. The abstract The intervention strategy was specifically purposed to connect the teenage mothers to an experience that is socially inclusive and that which can challenge the social dissatisfaction they often encounter, to strengthen the bond between the mother and the infant but at the same time increasing parental efficacy feelings, and to improve the social framework of teenage mother by decreasing social isolation, stress, and intergenerational family disputes (Balnaves and Caputi, 2001). The methodology used was that of using a young mother, the baby’s father, and the grandmother of the baby to collaborate with multi-agency health and social professionals. Groups that reflected the ethnic variety of the present family members were taught on how to facilitate eight groups meetings on a weekly basis. The meetings included some activities such as singing and crafts, discussing conflict scenarios, and shared a meal. Questionnaires were used to bring out data. The findings showed that there was a positive change in terms of comparison between the pre and post results. There was momentous increase in self-efficacy among teenage mothers, enhanced child-parent bond, reduced in family conflict and stress, and an increaser in social support. However, the abstract does not clearly define the independent and dependent variables. Nothing is told on the presumed causes or effect. The research problem In their analysis, focus on answering some research questions indicated plainly in their work. Their research is based on the previous findings that teenage pregnancy was an issue of concern in the media and in politics. In the USA, Canada, and Great Britain, it was evident that 22%, 11%, and 15% women respectively reported giving birth at the age of twenty or below. This is contrasted to 4% in Sweden, and 6% in France. The writers clearly put across examples of government initiatives set up by the most affected countries to respond to this social problem. A focus on teenage pregnancy has been centered on the effects of child bearing on the mothers and those on the infant. From their findings, the authors comment that mothers below eighteen years tand to have less protective factors on continuing, supportive mature relationships compared to older mothers and have an increased vulnerability to issues that affect negatively the parenting capacity (Abidin, 1995). As a result of the above facts, it is realistic to mention that negative impacts realized from the research may include impaired employment, educational, and economic status, less optimal parenting, higher chances of homelessness, predisposition to child neglect and abuse, and some emotional and physical impacts, particularly maternal depression. Children given birth by adolescence mothers are at a great risk of poverty, low birth weight, child neglect, and of course death. They are also more likely to show conduct and emotional disorders, lower educational attainment, and increased risk of childhood injuries and illnesses. According to the theory of replication that quantitative research assumes, the possibility of implementing a policy to solve the problem is researchable since it builds on pre-existing research (Boss, 2002). This has been well accomplished by the authors through proposing that a policy should be implemented and practice initiatives designed to decrease teenage pregnancies and restructure these negative results. As suggested, a theory base for this scholarly research is pre-existing and the authors undoubtedly intend to provide major results in a practical application form of those theoretical concepts. Literature review The authors of this article use pre-existing results to formulate the purpose of their research. Moreover, they tend to have drawn an understandable list of sources throughout their work. In the introduction, the authors refer to other sources to illustrate the critics of the findings about the impacts of early childbirth on the children. This hypothesis of impacts on children has been clearly stated with findings that young mothers themselves perceived parenthood as more of a chance than a hindrance but rather that their capability to take care o0f their children was inhibited by their impoverished circumstances and the social stigma that they face. The independent variable is the Family and Schools together (FAST) strategy to improve the results of children born of teenage mothers. On the other hand, the dependent variable was the evaluation data from teenage mothers which was used to measure the response of young mothers concerning the issue of infant consequences (Boyd and Bethem, 2011) The coverage of the review is a thorough one with cited reports. The authors base their reports on primary sources such as when they refer to the growing trend of Multi-family groups as an intervention in group work. Several scholarly works have been cited to give an evidence of the primary claims of the research. Clarity is shown on the systematic procedures that move from program procedures to the evaluation design, through to the outcomes of the study. While such concepts have been clearly outlined, the authors fail to use a specific method approach. They instead used mixed-methods, which may confuse the retention and recruitment of data from the participants. Method: Procedure Teenage mothers were recruited and data were observed and collected to describe information concerning the participants. Trainers carried out process evaluations of group activities by observing three of every eight weekly group sittings by use of program integrity checklists (Brock, 1989). Most importantly, there is an order applied by the trainers using repeated measures and non experimental design on two participating groups, that is, the teenage mothers and grant mothers. Questionnaires were ready prior and after the 8-week sessions. Data collection methods are described, where recruitment into group participation program was established by each local team. A health professional provided referrals of teenage single mothers with babies of less than two years. The collaborative group then carried out an outreach to various families, inclusive of home visits. At the time of visiting, team members gave an explanation on the group program and parents were asked to complete the pre-test. After the program was terminated, team members visited families to supply post-evaluation forms. Following the completion of the pre and most evaluation forms, FAST international sent them to the US for analysis. The coded data was analyzed by a self-governing program evaluator by use of statistical package in social science. Confidentiality was enhanced by assigning an identification number to each family with no individual allowed to access the number, except for the evaluation staff. The IDs are separately kept in an enclosed place and any identifying data is censored in analyzed in every final evaluation report. Such data collecting descriptions are sufficient for any person to repeat the study and successfully come up with a solution to the underlying problem. on the other hand, extraneous variables like family socioeconomic status , subject’ community, and dual or single parent homes were not addressed (Gorard, 2001). Method: Design The type of design most suitable for this study is a longitudinal descriptive one, since no trends of bias are noticed. Statistical control measures used include direct observation visits to ensure that implementation of the 17 groups was consistent to program fidelity. A certified trainer watched on the quality of implementation by visiting the groups frequently. In addition the visits enabled face to face solutions on problems and promoted local alteration to suit local needs. To ensure quality assurance, forms containing reports of each site visit were gathered by FAST international (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Method: Sample The target population was clearly stated with a specification of 17 groups with 115 Canadian teenage mothers being sampled. The researchers used data retrieved from the questionnaires to address identify the sample basing on the study question. The type of sampling used was the purposeful sampling where health professionals and other experts were caused to sample and analyze the targeted groups with a specific aim. The procedure in sampling of teenage mothers gave rise to a sample of 115 women. This was such a small sized evaluation group study that the results may not quite reflect the exact perception of women regarding the problems associated with early child bearing. The sample was determined by the use of priori power analysis developed for a medium effect. The method: Instrumentation Generally, the instrumentation used to carry out rthe research was very weak. As illustrated by the authors, most questionnaires were not completed, leading to uneven response in terms of numbers, thus, unreliability. All quasi and experimental research must indicate some tools or methods for evaluating the impacts of independent variables over independent variables, or else the point to the study will be missing in the research. No descriptions of other instruments are illustrated except questionnaire research methods which are known of yielding non-parametric data. Results The outcomes of this research journal are illustrated to prove the authors’ hypothesis to be correct. The statistical outcomes of the experiments on the sample groups are represented in separate tables and graphs. It could have been much clear if the results were placed on either one table or graph rater than separating them. With two experimental groups and two independent variables, one wonders about the relations within the dependent variables. The most troubling fact however is that the data on the graphs and tables do not correspond (Cobos, 2005).Theoretically, implementations in a quantitative analysis should not use distinct instructional methods, which have been applied in this research. Essentially, the outcomes do not tend to be very indicative or valid. Discussion The results generally supported the goals o the project. However, most parts of the conclusion focus on the concepts outlined in the results section with value statements basing upon the outcomes. Moreover, the outcomes are not discussed with a relation to prior research findings. A positive attempt has been put across by the authors by clearly illustrating the limitations of the evaluation. Since there was no random assigned group, positive results can be suggested than are real. The authors succeeded in referencing the classic studies used as sources of the research findings. However, most of the works cited are not current and reasonably, their arguments may be outdated. For instance, sources published in 1979 or 1980 may give irrelevant information concerning the problem as we live in a dynamic world of which ideas keep changing. It is expected that publications dates of sources be in the range of five years (Ragin, 2000). Conclusion Although the study made use of statistical analysis to show the influences of teenage parenting, it lacks the exterior strength to generalize beyond the sample. Aspects of correlation in the study support that there is a relationship between the challenges encountered by children and teenage mothers. It is suggested that this research be repeated using stronger control methods with a more representative sample. More attention should also be given to pre-existing subject qualities and information on post-residential mind living deals. References Abidin, R.R., (1995). Parenting stress index: manual, 3rd edn, Virginia: Pediatric Psychology Press. As-Sanie, S., Gantt, A. & Rosenthal, M, (2004) Pregnancy prevention in adolescents, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Balnaves, M., Caputi, P, (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: an investigative approach. New York: SAGE. Boss, P, (2002) Family stress management: A Contextual Approach, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Boyd, K., Bethem, A, (2011). Trace quantitative analysis by mass spectrometry, New York: John Wiley and Sons. Boyd-Franklin,N, (2000) Reaching rut in family therapy: home-based, school and community interventions, New York: Guilford. Brock, L, (1989). Methods of rhetorical criticism: a twentieth-century perspective, Cambridge: Wayne State University Press. Bronfenbrenner, U, (1979) The ecology of human development: experiments by nature and design, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Cobos, H. (2005) Consequences of teenage parenthood: pathways which minimize the long term negative impacts of teenage childbearing, London: University of Southampton. Gorard, S. (2001). Quantitative methods in educational research: the role of numbers made easy, Oxford: Continuum International Publishing Group. Gorard, S. (2001). Quantitative research: a scoping study for the Learning and Skills Research Centre ,Oxford: Learning and Research Skills Centre. Loiselle, G., Beck, T. (2010). Canadian essentials of nursing research, New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Mertens, M. (2008). Transformative research and evaluation, London: Guilford Press, 2008 Nuijks, D. (2004). Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS, New York: SAGE. Ragin, C. (2000). Fuzzy-set social science, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Read More