Data collection forms a crucial part of the entire process of a research study. It is because the data collected is what forms the backbone of which the study's findings and conclusions are based. It, therefore, means inaccurate data will render the entire research process invalid thus the results and conclusions cannot be used in making any meaningful decisions. Data collections methods vary depending on the type of study a researcher is assessing. The researcher has to ensure that the data they get is accurate so that they can determine their research topic and come up with a conclusion (Pawar, 2004). Jeffrey K. Shears, and Rich Furman, (2005), carried out a study whose aim was investigating “interpersonal relationship predictors of delinquency across ethnic and racial samples” and employed the use of quantitative data collection methods.
According to Jeffrey and Richman (2005) the main aim for carrying out their study was to determine whether, in any way, interpersonal relationships contributed towards the increased delinquency rates across different ethnic and racial samples. There has been a steep decline in the delinquency arrests since 1994 though the rates are much greater than in the 1980s (Shears and Furman, 2005). From previous researches that had been carried out, they only focused on the African-American males of who made up 15% of the entire population but accounted for 41% of the entire juvenile arrest in 1991(Shears and Furman, 2005). As such, most researchers have only based their study on this one race and left out the Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native American populations of which this study aims at determining.
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The study focused on the extent to which school, peer and family relationships can forecast delinquency and studied the steadiness of these prognosticators transversely various ethnic samples. From previous studies, they have been able to determine that family interaction and the non-delinquent youths had some shared traits. Most of the families are less harsh thus are affectionate to their children unlike those of delinquent youth. As such, this indicates that the non-delinquent youth will have less peer influence thus will not commit unlawful acts. As such, the study aimed at determining whether it is true that these relationships can, in fact, be used in envisaging delinquency and if they are constant across different racial groups.
The purpose of a literature review is to show the reader that one has a thorough grasp of any published works related to the question at hand. The literature review is made up of different sources on what other authors have published in a set of reviews and should appear in the form of critical dialogue presenting different arguments, theories, and methodologies. In general, an acceptable literature review should be critical of what has been written. Pinpoints controversial areas, raises questions and determine the sections that need further research (Oliver, 2012). According to Shears and Furman, (2005), they have quoted various studies that have assessed the influence of family relations between the non-delinquent and delinquent youths and their parents. From the study, there is an impact of these two factors. Other studies mentioned focus on the effect of peer pressure on delinquent behavior. However, most of the studies have used probability sampling of which the number of delinquent youths was less for most of them most likely does not participate in them. The researchers have also mentioned on studies that determine how the adolescents' perception of schools has on delinquency.
The researchers have also mentioned on delinquency and control theories. This theory tries to explain the effects of social situations on criminal activity. According to this theory, it claims that it is a result of the society's inability through internalized values or its external environment criminal activity remains prevalent.
The participants in the study were selected using a non-random sampling technique. In this sample, not all the members of the population are involved in the research. In this study, the first subset was made up of 672 participants of whom 342 were used in the research (Shears and Furman, 2005). This method is appropriate for this type of study for it is not easy and it is expensive to explore a whole population of delinquent youths in the country. The results from this sample will become used in making general conclusions for the entire population. The demographic aspects of the sample population identified include their age, gender, and ethnic/racial backgrounds. The study sample depended on a population of 672 people of which it used 342 participants (Shears and Furman, 2005). It is more than half of the population size making it a relevant sample size. However, in terms of the general population of youths in the country, this may be inappropriate sample size for the populations of children spans to millions in numbers of which not all can become applicable in a study.
The quantitative research design used is a descriptive type whereby the subjects are only measured once. A descriptive research design is one that aims at determining what the association between different variables are (Creswell, 2013). In this case, this type of design is in line with the hypothesis and purpose of the study for the researchers is trying to determine whether interpersonal relationships can be used as predictors in delinquency among different racial and ethnic samples. As such, there is no need for carrying out an experimental activity to determine this relationship in a lab disqualifying the experimental research design.
The internal validity of a study is concerned with its design's rigor. The extent of control exerted upon the potential essential variables is what determines the internal validity. A threat to the internal validity of this study is the history (Yu and Ohlund, 2010). This is because, the study relied on a previous study carried out between 1985 and 1999 yet the research itself was conducted in 2005 (Shears and Furman, 2005). A twenty-year gap might have external factors that might affect the variables as due to the passage of time. The maturation threat is as a result of biological and psychological changes. A decrease in the delinquency rates among the juvenile in the study may be due to their outgrowing nature rather than to the interpersonal relationships observed.
According to Yu and Ohlund, (2010), threats to external validity affect how one can contradict and make a wrongful generalization basing on a study's findings. There are no potential external validity threats because the study focused on the African-American, Anglos and Hispanics. As such, this population is qualified in making generalizations for it used participants from the entire population consisting of the whites and other races. The data collection instrument used is a chi-square. A test for independence compares variables and sees if they related. In case one gets a subtle chi-square test, it means that there is a relationship between the variables and vice versa. The instrument is adequately described regarding what it is going to measure which in this case it is the link between recommendation basis for these young people and ethnic/racial. The data collection method used was a self-assessment measurement using the Adolescent Self-Assessment Profile. It can allow them to determine the deviance of the participants, school attachment, peer attachment and the family attachment.
McMillan and Schumacher, (2014), state that inferential and descriptive statistics allow one to check the nature of data using different insights. Descriptive statistics are employed in pointing out the rate of the variance in delinquency depending on the ethnic and racial samples which have an overall of 46%. Another descriptive statistics used in indicating the variation levels in the delinquency sample basing on independent ethnic/race qualities include: for the African-American 54%, Anglos 41% and 43% Hispanics (Shears & Furman, 2005). Basing on these descriptive statistics, one can see that the model was a strong predictor of the African-American sample group.
The purpose of the research was to determine whether interpersonal relationships could be used as forecasters of delinquency across racial and ethnic models. As a result, it formed the basis of the two research questions of which one was to determine whether interpersonal relationships could predict self-reported delinquency in males who at a high risk of alcohol and drug abuse and were labeled as high delinquent. The second question was whether there was any existence of a difference of the same aspects when it comes to different racial/ethnic samples. However, in the discussion segment of the research, these two facts are not restated, but rather, the researchers jumped straight into explaining their findings.
The researchers have adequately stated the implications, and they have been able to show how they relate to the theory, other findings, and actual practice. According to Shears and Furman, (2005), the results they obtained indicated that the social control theory model is a perfect match in determining the self-reported delinquency among the African-American youth as compared to the other race/ethnic samples. It is evident from the results of which 54% of the African-American delinquency was determined using the model as compared to 41% Anglo and 43% Hispanics (Shears & Furman, 2005). The peer influence variable predictor was also seen as not having any impact on the delinquency across the race/ethnic samples though it was among the African-American males.
In the model used, the family attachment did not establish any significance, statistically, as a forecaster of self-reported delinquency as per the other previous studies. It is because the sample used was much older unlike in previous generations. The present school problems were not seen as being self-reported predictors of delinquency. It is because most of the participants involved were from different school locales as well as incarceration amenities. Specifically, the researchers found out that peer influence was the only self-reported predictor that varied across the different racial and /ethnic samples.
One of the limitations faced by the researchers is the use of the self-reported delinquency measures. It is because, despite a huge part of the sample being involved in criminal activities, there is no certainty that what they are stating has any truth. There was no court reports used to back up the claims of the participants. The use of secondary data is also a limitation to this study. It is because secondary data means one will rely on the information provided by another party. As such, whatever mistake they made in their data will also be passed to the second party. In this case, the initial data used in the study was for informational purposes and not research. It might affect the final results because the scales that were used were not designed and utilized in the original data.
According to Shears and Furman, (2005), there is a need for future research especially on the capacities of peer and school attachment. Most importantly, the future researchers should base their studies on the impacts of school suspensions and expulsion on the youth and what the consequences of associating with at-risk young people are on them. The removal or suspension of child is just similar as to the rejection one can get from their parents. As a result, there is a need to determine whether it in any way plays a role towards delinquency's longitudinal research design should also be used in determining the effects of peer and family on youth. From this, future researchers can get a direction upon which they can base their study.
References
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach . Washington DC: Sage publications.
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2014). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry . London: Pearson Higher Ed.
Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding with your literature review: A handbook for students . Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Pawar, M. S. (2004). Data collecting methods and experiences: A guide for social researchers . Elgin, IL: New Dawn Press.
Shears, J. K., & Furman, R. (2005). Examining Interpersonal Relationship Predictors of Delinquency across Ethnic and Racial Samples. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 22(3/4), 281-299. Doi: 10.1007/s10560-005-0012-y
Yu, C. H., & Ohlund, B. (2010). Threats to validity of research design. Retrieved from http://www.creative-wisdom.com/teaching/WBI/threat.shtml.
