Based on a thorough review of the literature, there is still no clear conclusion on whether punishing children with low self-esteem harms them or not. The confusion on how parents should handle children with low self-esteem when they make mistakes is still high (Bender et al., 2012). According to Baumrind, Larzelere, & Cowan (2002), failure to discipline children when they make mistakes greatly impacts their future life negatively (Baumrind, Larzelere, & Cowan, 2002). According to Mackenbach et al. (2010), low self-esteem in children makes most parents to have pity towards them and in most cases opt not to punish them when they make mistakes for the fear of hurting them (Mackenbach et al., 2014). Discipline and parenting encourage that children should be punished when they make mistakes, whether their self-esteem is high or low (Morin, 2019). Pitying children with low self-esteem to the extent of not punishing them when they make mistakes might seem appropriate at the moment for most parents, but adulthood lives of such children will be questionable in terms of behavior and responsibility.
According to Baumrind, Larzelere, & Cowan (2002), it is important to apply ordinary physical punishment on children because it plays a very key role in shaping a good future for them. Disciplining children with low self-esteem might harm them at the moment but the long term benefits of such punishments exceed the on spot harm they may experience. However, the question on research differs with Baumrind, Larzelere, & Cowan (2002) on their conclusion that ordinary physical punishment should only be used on low self-esteemed children when they make adverse mistakes. Applying ordinary physical punishments on low self-esteemed children even when they make small mistakes will deter them from making adverse and terrible mistakes in future life. The research proposal is aimed at giving guidelines on how to evaluate the effects of punishments on both small and big mistakes made by children with low self-esteem. The research study will also shed light on whether failing to punish children with low self-esteem benefits them or worsens their state of low self-esteem.
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Method
The research will use both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation (Paradis et al., 2016). Data to be used in the research will be collected through conducting interviews and using questionnaires on the research participants. The research will involve both children and adults who will be examined on how discipline and parenting has impacted their low self-esteem problems. The research participants in this research should be individuals who once faced situations that lowered their self-esteem, and how discipline and parenting assisted them regain high self-esteem. The most appropriate age for the participants will be children between the ages of 7-12 years and adolescents between the ages of 13-17 years. The adult participants will be between the ages of 19-36 years. The research should also consider gender equality by involving both females and males in the data collection process.
For this research, open ended format of questionnaires will be more appropriate because they give research participants freedom of expressing themselves according to what they think is true to them. Questionnaires are also advantageous over other types of data collection because they do not need much skill to use. Use of questionnaires is more appropriate for the adults than the children. The questionnaires will have questions regarding the impact of discipline and parenting in determining the future life of children with low self-esteem problems. The responses given through the questionnaires will then be evaluated to ascertain whether future outcomes of children with low self-esteem is influenced by discipline and parenting. The interview method of data collection will be used on the children. Children will be asked questions on the actions that their parents or care givers took on them when they were faced by low self-esteem. The interviews will then be recorded through writing or through audio form. The recorded interview will then be evaluated to determine whether discipline and parenting really influence the future outcomes of children faced by low self-esteem problems.
Results
The data collected in the research will be evaluated based on the principle of validity and reliability to come up with accurate results of the research. Research results should be more than a one-off finding and should also possess a repeatable sequence for them to be valid and reliable. Thorough analysis and evaluation should be done using the data collected through the questionnaires handed out to be filled by the research participants. Since the study involves both children and adults, data collected from the adults is likely to be more accurate than data collected from the children. Some of the children might be too young to understand the real meaning of the research and the questions asked which in most cases result in to them giving inappropriate answers and responses. The final results of the research and conclusions will mainly be influenced by data collected from the adults.
The best method of interpreting the data collected will be through the use of ordinary scale method. The ordinary scale method evaluates data on the basis of whether the research participants agreed or disagreed with the question under research. Both the questionnaires and interview methods comply with ordinary scale method. The end results are likely to agree with the question under research. Most of the responses are likely to agree that discipline and parenting influence the future outcome of children with low self-esteem problems. However, the qualitative interview data can be interpreted through applying thematic content analysis method. Thematic content analysis involves familiarizing with the data collected through going through it several times to fully understand its contents. The qualitative interview data is then grouped according to the patterns of likeness. Deductions and final conclusions can then be arrived at.
Discussion
A good research should bring out compelling rationale which can be applied in real life situations (Rojon & Saunders, 2012). The main purpose of the research is to ascertain whether parenting and discipline affect the self-esteem of children. Literature has come up with many factors which determine the degree of self-esteem in our children and how it can be improved. Self-esteem is said to greatly influence the future life of children because any form of achievement of in life is influenced by ones degree of self-esteem. Parents and caregivers’ influence to a child’s degree of self-esteem is vital (Grusec & Danyliuk, 2014). The results expected from this research should support the importance of parenting and discipline to the future outcome of children with self-esteem problems.
This research study supports disciplining of children who have low self-esteem when they make a mistake because the likelihood of them regaining their self-esteem is high. However, the research study and findings are likely to be criticized because the study only relied on a small number of participants. Many critiques might argue that the findings would be different if the research study relied on a larger number of participants. In this research, the main aim is to set a clear guideline that can be followed by any researcher without much struggle. The research proposal also aims at giving an outline of the processes and anticipations one should expect while conducting a study. With few modifications, this research proposal can be essential for conducting a research study in any field of study.
References
Baumrind, D., Larzelere, R., & Cowan, P. (2002) “Ordinary physical punishment: Is it harmful? Psychological Bulletin. 128(4):580–589.
Bender, H., Allen, J., McElhaney, K., Antonishak, J., Moore, C., Kelly, H., & Davis, S. (2012). Use of Harsh Physical Discipline and Developmental Outcomes in Adolescence. 19(1): 227-242. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390918/
Grusec, J., & Danyliuk, T. (2014). Parents’ Attitudes and Beliefs: Their Impact on Children’s Development. Retrieved September 27, 2019; from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/parenting-skills/according-experts/parents-attitudes-and-beliefs-their-impact-childrens-development
Mackenbach, J., Ringoot, A., Ende, J., Verhulst, F., Jaddoe, V., Hofman, A., Jansen, P., & Tiemeier, H. (2014). Exploring the Relation of Harsh Parental Discipline with Child Emotional and Behavioral Problems by Using Multiple Informants. The Generation R Study. (9)8.
Morin, A. (2019). Discipline Strategies That Promote Healthy Self-Esteem. Retrieved September 27, 2019; from https://www.verywellfamily.com/discipline-strategies-that-promote-healthy-self-esteem-1094810
Paradis, E., O’Brien, B., Nimmon, L., Bandiera, G., & Martimianakis, M. (2016). Design: Selection of Data Collection Methods 8(2): 263–264. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4857496/
Rojon, C., & Saunders, M. (2012). Formulating a Convincing Rationale for a Research Study, Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice. 5(1): 55-61.
