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Research Ethics and Validity
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Research Ethics and Validity
The author Jonathan D along with his fellow researchers examined the correlation of risky behavior that is prevalent in adolescents with the use of mass media. The mass media not only included digital media but also the traditional media as well. According to the author, adolescents are society risk takers and therefore they are at a higher risk for substance abuse, school failure, and delinquency. Owing to the advancements in technology, people are relying more on technology. Specifically, teens are the ones who are more prone to use the technology. According to the author, the promotion of unhealthy activities on TV and magazines is the root cause of teens involved in risky behavior. To examine the relation of risky behavior in teens and frequent use of mass media, the author conducted a survey in which he collected data from teens ranging from fourteen to sixteen years old. The adolescents were given an hour-long self-administered questionnaire and were supervised by a trained interviewer. Each question in the questionnaire has two options that are yes and no. A risk scale was developed utilizing the eight risky behaviors such as smoking, drinking beer and cheating in an exam in the school. The results showed that there is indeed an association between the teens’ risky behavior and the use of mass media. Specifically, Whites were more indulged in risky behavior than Black teens. Moreover, teens who were more into watching video games that depict violence and aggression are more likely to involve in risky behaviors rather than those who were watching less violent video games (Klein & Porter, 1993).
Although the paper provided an insight into the use of mass media and its association with risky behavior in adolescents yet still there were several issues in the paper. While conducting any study for research purposes it is mandatory to consider all the ethical implications as guided by the healthcare associations. Specifically, discussing teens and children, they are the most vulnerable people in our society. This is because they are unaware of the ethics rules and laws and are dependent on the consent of parents. Therefore it is necessary to follow all the ethical implications. In the research article, the main issue was discrimination. The participants were only Black and White teens. The teens belonging from different ethnicities were neglected just because they were too few for a separate analysis which is ethically wrong. As the title of the paper suggests that it will be about teen’s risky behavior but ignoring the teens belonging from different ethnicities questions the validity of the research. Another issue with the paper was that there were more white teens as compared to black teens. This implies that white teens were more favored than black teens.
Despite the above-mentioned issues, the other most important issue with the paper was the questionnaire. In the questionnaire, there were questions regarding whether you have smoked or indulged in unprotected sex. The teens had to answer the question by choosing options like yes and no in the presence of an interviewer. The presence of an interviewer can influence teens’ decisions and their privacy is also at stake. This is ethically wrong as they are unable to share their opinions in a study that can greatly impact how people perceive mass media.
In any research paper, the most important thing is whether the paper is addressing the issue on which the whole paper is based or not. The validity of any research can be determined by analyzing the factual data and rationality of the arguments present in the paper (Roberts & Traynor, 2006). In the article (Klein & Porter, 1993) the author conducted a study to explore the correlation of mass media and increased risky behavior in teens by conducting a survey. However, despite providing real-time data, there are some concerns that question the validity of the research.
Specifically, discussing the internal validity, as the paper describes the effects of mass media on teens’ behavior while providing the questionnaire to the participants. However, the teens had to answer the question in the supervision of an interviewer. The presence of the interviewer can influence their opinions and thus the internal validity of research is at stake. Additionally, teens had to answer the questions by choosing yes or no and there was no other option in which they can share their one-time experience.
While discussing the external validity of research, it is highly concerning that teens of the different ethnicities were excluded. The research was conducted on black and white teens-only while teens with other ethnicities were excluded. This questions the external validity of the research as it is not clear how mass media can influence the teens who are from different ethnicities. Also, the study was limited to the teens in the US thus making an opinion that mass media will affect the behavior of the teens all around the world, is not clear.
In the context of internal and external validity, it is clear that the research design of the study lacks several aspects that question the overall validity of the research. Further, the authors were as there were more white teens than black and other ethnicities were excluded.
In any research, there is a significant impact of governmental regulations, patients, suppliers, and competitors (Ahmad & Khalaf, 2017). To publish research, it is mandatory to consider all these factors as well. However, these factors can negatively influence the research, for instance, stakeholders can influence the choice of participants by favoring participants from one community over others which is ethically wrong. This is because while researching any healthcare-related topic diversity is extremely important to measure the implications of the effectiveness of the research.
References
Ahmad, A., & Khalaf, E. M. (2017). The Impact of Stakeholders on Health Services Development: An Empirical Investigation on the Surgical Department at King Fahd General Hospital, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 9(1), 129-138.
Klein, J. D., Brown, J. D., Dykers, C., Childers, K. W., Oliveri, J., & Porter, C. (1993). Adolescents' risky behavior and mass media use. Pediatrics, 92(1), 24-31.
Roberts, P., Priest, H., & Traynor, M. (2006). Reliability and validity in research. Nursing standard, 20(44).
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