The article Enhancing Their Likelihood for a Positive Future: The Perspective of Inner-City Youth by Ginsburg et al. (2002) describes the challenges that youth undergo in the inner-city society. These challenges depict the needs and discrepancies that exist in the lives of these individuals as they progress into adulthood. In determining the nature and scope of the need the researchers selected their study population, which involved youth from various schools. The study was conducted in an urban set up where poverty was a rampant problem; Philadelphia 1997. The target population were students from four middle schools and five high schools adding up to 2800 students. The survey focused on the global challenges faced by adolescents; the purpose was defined, and the objective of the study was stated to learning what would change the prospects of the youth (Ginsburg et al. 2002). The strategy used was open-ended questions and teen-centered, it allowed the students to develop, rank and explain their ideas.
To effectively address the research topic and objectives, it was imperative to take into consideration two important factors. The first question that arose was whether the data collection process was to be done before or after the development of a survey question because, in structure, language and exclusivity ethics had to be followed ( Lune and Berg, 2016 ). The second question was whether the structure and nature of the problem had any effect on the analysis approach of the survey question. The first question was an essential aspect since it had an impact on the development of the survey objectives. It could lead to an increase in the complexity of the data and the structure of the survey questions. Despite the existence of many considerations in the formation of survey questions, this chapter showed the need for advancement, such as the use of multiple variants.
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The article borrows meaningfully from relevant sources. It included other research such as the Youth Behavior Survey which showed that most 9th graders dropped out of school in Philadelphia and also most youth partook in risk behavior. The survey served as a framework where the learner formed their own questions, the researcher prioritized those ideas, explained the prospect route and students participated in focus groups where their ideas were addressed and discussed in practicality.
This research was significant in that after the survey and focal discussions, it was able to address the challenges, and positive outcomes from the study were recorded. These outcomes include students spending their time interacting with the community creating opportunities for development, better relations with adults. Since the survey included community resources and the data results were well elaborated, it offered assistance in making a legal decision in dealing with the youth. Through identifying the different challenges, the research can aid professionals who guide the adolescent in handling them.
The strength of this study was that it used mixed strategies of data collection. It used a qualitative-quantitative methodology which provided the required information in the research and in designing appropriate solutions for the problem under survey (Ginsburg et al. 2002). The quantitative part of the method assisted in determining the proper number to assess the problem. The mixture of the two made it possible to decide on variances in the data collected through the assessment of the demography of the participants for better results of the survey and verification of the trends.
The use of qualitative-quantitative methodology, however, resulted in a large amount of data collected that required the researcher to analyze and interpret. So much time was therefore consumed in the use of the interacting methodology. The author, at the beginning of the chapter, seemed to be in disagreements in the use of open-ended questions in data collection; however, resulted in using a research article that used it. The chapter was not so useful in persuading researchers to use close items in data collection.
From the chapter, it is evident that the development of a survey question is achieved through the identification of the purpose and objectives of the study rather than the data collection method or data collected. The aims and purpose seem to control the methods to be used and the data to be collected. The author in this chapter, who had previously considered data collection as the most essential factor in developing a survey question and ended up using an article that used objectives and purpose of the study as a guide to the whole research
In conclusion, although data collection is a significant aspect in any survey, it does not determine the scope of the study. The scope of any survey question is controlled by the purpose and objectives of a study. Data collection methodologies is a co-factor to ensuring that the right information on the problem is accumulated. The content of this chapter, however, does not give emphasis and thus not useful in solving the problem of formation of survey questions. There is no much understanding on this subject. In response to the first questions that arose in the chapter, data collection should be done after the research question has been constructed.
References
Ginsburg, K., Alexander, P., Hunt, J., Sullivan, M., Zhao, H., & Cnaan, A. (2002). Enhancing Their Likelihood for a Positive Future: The Perspective of Inner-City Youth. PEDIATRICS , 109 (6), 1136-1142. doi: 10.1542/peds.109.6.1136
Lune, H., & Berg, B. L. (2016). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences . Pearson Higher Ed.
