Gap Identification
Prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs is gaining significance as a major health issue as evidence shows an upward trend in the number of expectant women using alcohol and other illicit drugs during pregnancy. Empirical evidence from studies examining prenatally exposed children to alcohol and drugs continues to show a positive correlation between negative effects among infants and children and maternal use of alcohol and drugs. There is a consensus in literature that prenatally exposed children to alcohol and drugs face an elevated risk of adjustment problems because they face heightened reactivity and reduced regulation when faced with challenging tasks, significantly impairing their cognitive abilities (Dennis, Bendersky, Ramsay et al. , 2006; Mattson, Calarco, & Lang, 2006). However, examining the association between maternal alcohol and drug use and attention deficits in infants and children has taken a significant share of focus, leaving other areas of equal importance unaddressed. For instance, Watson, Westby, and Gable (2007) posited of the relevance of frameworks for addressing the needs of students prenatally exposed to alcohol and drugs. Nevertheless, such efforts are limited by lack of understanding of the specific needs of these students. This paper postulates that the lack of relevant and effective frameworks in educational settings is associated with failure to categorize the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and different types of drugs. The objective of the research is to analyze and compare the severity of prenatal exposure to alcohol and different drugs through school performances of prenatally exposed students.
Research Question
The research question seeks to establish whether students who are prenatally exposed to alcohol and different types of drugs show different levels of severity of negative effects through their school performances that can be used to design frameworks for addressing their specific needs?
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Research Design
The qualitative paradigm is chosen as the research design to be used in implementing the study. The choice of a qualitative research design is informed by its importance in the field of social sciences to which the research question falls. In addition, the qualitative research design allows use of a deductive approach that allows progression from general to specific; with the hypothesis built based on previous theory and study which is to be considered as a general stage, then specific data collected from observations and results tested in the final. The deductive approach begins from abstract conceptualisation to concrete experience by empirical approach. Therefore, the qualitative design incorporates exploratory research to facilitate development of deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study; and descriptive approach to determine reasons behind certain occurrence, implying the research has the autonomy to describe the subject being studied in their own words and conditions, providing credible and reliable data in the process.
It is important to note that archival research is chosen as the appropriate qualitative research strategy. Archival research is largely based on review of previous findings, and the research will adopt literature review of primary studies and secondary sources relevant to the phenomenon being studied. Sources will be identified through online database searches using specific keywords to ensure that the most relevant articles are included for review. Emphasis will be placed on sources showing trends in severity of outcomes to prenatal exposure to alcohol and different drugs and their effects on the performances of affected students. The researcher will specifically be looking for the presence or absence of association between the two.
Ethical Considerations
The research design adopted for the study, which involves review of existing literature related to the research question, implies that subjects are not necessary as no primary data will be collected. Therefore, the need for protection of subjects from direct harm is of less concern. However, research ethics require conformity with set standards regardless of the research design. The use of primary sources implies that the research must seek consent from the relevant institution publisher or institution, who may require the details of subjects who took part in the primary study to be protected. Besides copyright issues, it is important to also seek approval of the research design from the college ethics review committee to ensure conformity with requirements that govern qualitative studies undertaking review of literature.
References
Watson, S. M., Westby, C. E., & Gable, R. A. (2007). A framework for addressing the needs of students prenatally exposed to alcohol and other drugs. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth , 52 (1), 25-32.
Mattson, S. N., Calarco, K. E., & Lang, A. R. (2006). Focused and shifting attention in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Neuropsychology , 20 (3), 361-369.
Dennis, T., Bendersky, M., Ramsay, D., & Lewis, M. (2006). Reactivity and regulation in children prenatally exposed to cocaine. Developmental psychology , 42 (4), 688697.
