RSCH 600 Term Paper Part 3: Research Methods for Drug Abuse Study

This report outlines the research methodology employed to investigate drug abuse among adolescents, focusing on a mixed-methods approach combining literature reviews and surveys using questionnaires. The researcher plans to gather both secondary and primary data, utilizing instruments such as observations, surveys, case studies, and databases. The sequential method is chosen to present quantitative and qualitative data in a structured manner. Data collection will involve statistics, business reports, and audio/video recordings. Alternative data gathering methods include comparing findings from different authors and conducting interviews. The study will involve 15 participants aged 18-25, selected through probability and random sampling. Data analysis will include statistical and content analysis, with findings validated through literature reviews. Ethical considerations include avoiding plagiarism and maintaining participant privacy. Limitations include a narrow age range of participants, and the research's scope does not address the role of parents and teachers. The report details the data analysis methods, including statistical and content analysis, and uses MS Excel for data presentation. The study aims to raise awareness among drug users and inform government interventions, with potential for future research. The researcher will ensure ethical considerations are met, including avoiding plagiarism and maintaining participant privacy. The biasness of the study is the limited age group of participants and the study also did not discuss the role of parents and teachers.

[ Drug abuse among adolescents]
2019

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Research Methodology
In order to answer the research question, the researcher will use literature review and
survey through questionnaires as the research method to identify the views and findings of
different authors or researchers presented for the similar research topic that is “Drub Abuse
among Adolescents” and collecting new data related to the topic. Literature review is the
method of collecting data that is used to gather secondary data by analysing and reviewing
different research articles (Theodorakopoulos, Kakabadse & McGowan, 2014). The method
of literature review method will be used because it helps in identifying the different angles
that need further examination by studying what has previously been done on the selected
topic. In addition to this, the survey through questionnaire has been selected to collect new
and recent data in order to present the correct and reliable data. The survey through
questionnaire is said to be the set of questions used in the survey (Brace, 2018).
In order to proceed with the research, the researcher will make use of different
instruments such as observations, surveys, case studies, documents, media, and data base
because they will support in collecting both secondary as well as primary data for the
research (Drost, 2011). Further, considering the mixed nature of the research, the researcher
has used Sequential method because under this method the quantitative components leads the
qualitative mechanisms or vice versa. This will help in presenting the data that is quantitative
data and qualitative data in the sequence (Schoonenboom & Johnson, 2017).
The kind of data/information that the researcher has planned to collect is statistics,
business and government reports, audio and video recordings in order to get the detailed as
well as reliable data for conducting the research in an appropriate manner and presenting the
true conclusion such that it can be used in the future studies (Boone & Boone, 2012). In

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addition to this, the alternative ways that can be used by the researcher to gather information
is selecting two-three articles presented by different authors on the similar topic and
comparing their findings to understand different angles. Another alternative way that can be
selected by the researcher is to gather information through interview. Under this, the
researcher will conduct the interview of some selected people who will provide their
individual perception and opinion for the topic through their experience. This will help in
gathering reliable as well as reasonable data for the research (Qu & Dumay, 2011).
Along with literature review the researcher is also using survey through questionnaire
which is a primary method. In order to gather data by using survey through questionnaire, the
researcher require research participants. The research participants that will be selected for the
study are college students and adult as they are the one who can provide true and reliable data
for the research topic. The numbers of participants that will select are 15 from the age group
of 18 to 25. The participants will be selected using probability sampling. Under this method
sample from the larger population is selected. In addition to this, the random sampling
method is used for avoiding any type of biasness (Yang & Banamah, 2014). Through this
research the major benefit will be gained by the teenagers and adults involved in the
consumption of drugs as it will make them aware about the negative sides of this. In addition
to this, the government can also take benefit of this research while analysing the data related
to drug abuse and the reasons for this while preparing different interventions to reduce it. The
data from this research can also be used for conducting future research in order to make
estimations.
Data analysis method that the researcher will use is statistical analysis and content
analysis method for detailed analysis and evaluation of the collection information related to
“Drub Abuse among Adolescents”. The method of statistical analysis will be used because it
will provide support to the researcher in investigating and presenting the evocative statistics

DRUG ABUSE AMONG ADOLESCENTS 3
of the data (Mertler & Reinhart, 2016). For the sequential presentation of the data, tables and
graphs MS Excel will be used because it enables clarity of the findings and response about
the research topic. Further, the content analysis is the research method that is used to study
documents and communication artefacts that can be presented in the form of text of different
formats, video, pictures, or audio. Most of the time social scientist uses content analysis for
studying the communication patter in a systematic as well as replicable manner
(Krippendorff, 2018). By using this method, the researcher will gain the advantage of
analysing that social phenomena is its non-invasive nature, in distinction to aping social
involvements or gathering responses of the survey (Neuendorf, 2016). Moreover, for the
validation the researcher will support findings with the literature review.
In consideration to the ethics of the research, the ethical issues that project present are
avoiding the plagiarism by using specific language to present the gathered data. In addition to
this, the researcher has taken care of providing credit to different authors and researchers
while presenting the findings of the research conducted by them. The credit to the authors has
been provided through in-text citation at the end of every paragraph. Besides this, the
researcher has maintained the privacy of the research participants by not disclosing their
personal details. Further, the biasness that is present in this research is the use of only
teenagers and adults from the age group of 18 to 25 years for gathering the data. This limits
the scope of the research because other age group people are also involved in drug abuse.
Besides this, the researcher has also not discussed the role of different people such as parents
and teachers in the drug abuse. This biasness can be addressed by expanding the scope of the
research through gathering data from different age group people and presenting the role of
different related parties such as government, parents, teachers, businesses, etc. in increasing
this issues and how they can only contribute in reducing drug abuse among adolescents.

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References
Boone, H. N., & Boone, D. A. (2012). Analyzing likert data. Journal of extension, 50(2), 1-5.
Brace, I. (2018). Questionnaire design: How to plan, structure and write survey material for
effective market research 2nd ed. U.K: Kogan Page Publishers.
Drost, E. A. (2011). Validity and reliability in social science research. Education Research
and perspectives, 38(1), 105.
Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology 3rd ed. U.K:
Sage publications.
Mertler, C. A., & Reinhart, R. V. (2016). Advanced and multivariate statistical methods:
Practical application and interpretation 2nd ed. U.S: Routledge.
Neuendorf, K. A. (2016). The content analysis guidebook 1st ed. U.K: Sage.
Qu, S. Q., & Dumay, J. (2011). The qualitative research interview. Qualitative research in
accounting & management, 8(3), 238-264.
Schoonenboom, J., & Johnson, R.B. (2017). How to construct a Mixed methods research
design. Kolner Zeitschrift Fur Soziologie Und Sozialpsychologie, 69(2), 107-131.
Theodorakopoulos, N., K. Kakabadse, N., & McGowan, C. (2014). What matters in business
incubation? A literature review and a suggestion for situated theorising. Journal of
Small Business and Enterprise Development, 21(4), 602-622.
Yang, K., & Banamah, A. (2014). Quota sampling as an alternative to probability sampling?
An experimental study. Sociological Research Online, 19(1), 1-11.

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