Program Analysis - Research Proposal Example

Article analysis Task: A: Research problem This study shared a purpose of analyzing the effectiveness of a 16-week batterer intervention program. In order to achieve this objective, the study would evaluate psychological variables in pre-treatment and post-treatment cases in a sample of women. The involuntarily placed women faced investigation of differentials, of the treatment program, that exist between White and African American batterers. It is notable that this study has few objectives that it seeks to apply in achieving the effectiveness of the given research. However, in its pursuit of effectiveness, the research tends to possess blurring objectives that entangle to produce several variables of measurements. This is because it would involve significant scrutiny between the outcomes of the two groups in the sample study program. In addition, the objective seems to lead towards the search of disparity between the two groups. In the end, the researcher’s mind would be tuned towards scrutiny for a difference. On the other hand, in a random sample study, there would be noted observations without the intention of the researcher. However, the researcher was laudable for noting key terms that it would have ignored as common terms. Given the context of the study, there is bound to be contextual differences in the connotations of the given words. In spite of that insight, the study did not provide the contextual meaning of words such as women offenders, domestic violence and court-ordered batterers. The study seeks to occupy a gap that has been ignored by past empirical studies and theoretical explanation. In order to prove this impression, the study evaluates few theories and empirical studies that have strove towards explanation of this phenomenon. The gap of study in domestic violence pertains to the aspect of female initiated violence. Domestic violence has achieved a masculine impression and definition in several contexts. The debate around female-initiated violence has become an acrimonious issue. The article vitally highlights that domestic violence has become a concept of male-initiated violence towards vulnerable female partners in a means towards control or coercion. However, the questions articulated this blur in objective formation. The first research question involved whether the current batterer treatment program would considerably alter psychological variables that link to domestic violence. In addition, it would determine whether the treatment program differentially impact on White and African American batterers. In its empirical and theoretical analysis, the study highlights that the views of minority groups that define domestic violence as a mutual aspect in relationships. This wrong view has, thus, led to framing of policies that synchronize with the given attitudes. The research highlights previous studies of scholars that have held different perspectives of domestic violence. While feminist scholars have held the same as an outcome of a patriarchal culture that strives towards subordination of women, sociological arguments have held domestic violence as a conflict resolution means between couples. In this highlight, the aspect of patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence rise to define the study in a distinct direction. Common couple violence is a bidirectional element that is gender-balanced. It may result out of an argument whereby a partner slaps the other since it possesses no intention of control. Patriarchal terrorism involves a male partner’s attempt to dominate whereby the coercion might possess a higher severity measure. As regards these issues and similarities of men and women, who initiate domestic violence, the study sought a distinct direction. It sought to cover the gap that significance of violence in women’s lives in terms of female-initiated violence. This is because violence treatment on women involves the employment of male-batterer treatment program. The psychological variables involved in the assessment of the treatment program were violence, truthfulness, control, lethality and stress-coping abilities. B: Sample The target population involved use of women in relationships that would be considerable as marriage. The study population involves the use of women who are involved in court cases that relate to domestic violence. Among the 198 women that the court orders for treatment, the sample cases involved use of 59 women since a considerable number possessed high scores on the imprecision management scale. The sampling method was effective in the sense that it identified participants that faced the mandate for treatment by courts. However, it scores low in the ethical scale since individuals would participate without credible consent in spite of their voluntary perception. C: Design The study possessed the longitudinal design since it involved comparison of data that had occurred over a considerable period. The research had to involve a long period since effectiveness is established after a significant time period. The purpose was correlation since it compared data that would profess the relation between a treatment program and psychological variables. It would also compare the differential aspects of the treatment program on two racial groups. There are limited threats to the internal design because it considers a long period of study. D: Data collection The data collection methods provide a wide platform for analysis since it involved the assessment of intensive research. However, the study involved of secondary data analysis for extraction of relevant data for the study. Given the context of the study, this data collection method would present notable hitches. To begin with, the aspect of secondary data provides a constraint of real time assessment of a given situation. This is because the data extraction would entail the employment of records that occurred in the 1990’s. The study would involve extraction of trend data from 1983. During this period, there are sociological changes that occur to influence outcome of given data. For instance, changes in educational levels, among couples, possess the ability of influencing the outcome of domestic violence. This is because increased educational levels involve a shift of balance between equally earning partners in a relationship. In such a case, the patriarchal nature of domestic violence would reduce while cases of common couple violence would increase. In spite of that limitation, the secondary data involved the selection of a reliable source of records. The suitability of the institution existed in the idea that it possesses the mandate of collecting relevant data that is employable in government and NGO’s for policies and funding towards domestic violence and related concepts. The given agency was a non-profit entity that was a domestic abuse center. It is vital to highlight that the researchers followed ethical standards in seeking permission for use of the data and research. However, the research did not note whether it would desist from prejudice and revelation of a particular group of sample cases. The secondary data professed reliability since it would involve a moderation of trends. However, the study would have achieved credibility if it had employed data from other centers. Chances of prejudice and consistent errors are considerable from a single center. By employing data from different centers, the errors neutralize by standard deviations and circle a given point of representation. The agency utilized a data analysis method that would have been a suitable substitute for empirical studies since it entailed analysis of impacts from pretreatment to post-treatment evaluations. The pre-treatment and post-treatment programs are correlated to produce conclusion out of effectiveness. In the end, there would be observable improvements because it becomes easy to compare different data sets. Notably, the study would face a constraint out of subjectivity to measurement variables. For instance, truthfulness is a subjective concept that differs in respective concepts (Kumar, 2011). In addition, truthfulness would alter given the rewards that are available to the sample study. In case of positive rewards, the sample study would tend to provide information that inclines towards their achievement. Additionally, a stress-coping ability is a variable that depends on other stressors such as income and quality of relationships. In the end, stress-coping abilities would regress in scenarios of low violence and poor quality of relationships since this is a factor of poor conflict resolution modes. E: Data measurement The study involved different indicators that served to improve its credibility and comprehensive presentations of a supposed situation. In addition, the indicators sought to cover every aspect of social environment that surrounds domestic violence. To begin with, social desirability was a principal indicator of changes in psychological variables. Social desirability relates to those factors that a society deems as appropriate modes of presentations in social group. This is because ever y individual would wish to attach towards these qualities in order that they achieve the trust appeal to a society. This involves measures of impression management and self-deception. Measures of self-deception and impression management serve to give a unified data since individuals would create impressions by concealing their real look. The tool of measurement was a BIDR scale that ranges different responses as composed of given values. In addition, the study evaluated spouse-specific behavior in terms of passive-aggressive and assertive measures. The SSAs scale involved evaluation of responses as indicative of passive-aggressive or assertive attitudes towards partners. The logic of this concept exists in the idea that individuals form conception of others for profession of respective attitudes. The most exhaustive mode of measurement pertained to the utility of a scale that assessed samples in terms controlling behavior. Controlling behavior is a negative expression of a need towards dominating other individuals. In this aspect, there were sub-scales such as verbal criticism, jealousy index, controls appearance index and other related indices. The study adopted a highly effective measure of modifying the data to present a credible picture of the effectiveness of the treatment program. In this sense, the researchers subjected the data to a series of paired t tests. This was a strategy of measuring correlation between sub-scales in order to cover the errors that would have arisen out of general assessment. The t tests involved correlation of information between pre-treatment and post-treatment values. This test is highly sensitive to accurate differences that exist between two different contexts. This makes it appropriate for small-scale assessment of data since it carries the accurate picture towards conclusive data. In order to determine the differential aspects, of the treatment program, between White batterers and African Americans, the study involved the use logistic regression for prediction of minute scores on the psychological scales. The logistic regression relied on an abstract use of different case models. F: Research findings The study discovered that there is no differential aspects in the outcome of the statement program as concerns the case of white and African American batterers. However, the treatment program contributes positively towards reducing cases of female-initiated violence. This makes it appropriate for a proposal to maintain the treatment program in responsible centers. G: Research reporting It is crucial to assess the usability of this study since it may entail presentation of information that would be obsolete for policy making. The issue of a treatment program’s effectiveness is vital since it entails setting threshold standards for batterer’s treatment. Given the wide factors that influence batterers, research is vital for uncovering details that compromise on the treatment quality. In addition, it assesses the impact of a current system for overhaul or maintenance. The study employed its results to assess the usability of their findings. To begin with, it noted that states do design programs that despise the findings of current empirical studies. This suggests that states are prone to place trust on treatment programs that offer limited value to participants. References Kumar, R. (2011). Research methodology. New Delhi, ND: APH Publishing. Read More