Article Critique
Research Problems and Research Questions
The efficiency of existing school policies, practices, and interventions to safeguard GLQ students is uncertain and lacks substantiation from available literature. Systemic evaluation of school policies, practices, and interventions has been conducted haphazardly limiting the amount of information that will prove efficiency of school responses toward the bullying of GLQ students. Ineffective policies, practices, and interventions put GLQ student in danger, especially with the increase of reports about homophobic bullying incidences. The input of the participants was expected to yield significant information on the nature and efficiency of school policies, practices, and interventions as contribution to the resolution of the problem.
The researchers have failed to justify the scope of the research problem as it was conveyed from different directions and was not written explicitly. The research problem was presented in three separate contexts (a) the lack of existing literature that discusses the efficiency of school policies, practices, and interventions for GLQ students, (b) the necessity for schools develop and implement effective policies, practices, and interventions to safeguard GLQ students against bullying, and (c) the concern for the safety of GLQ students with the increasing rate of homophobic bullying in schools. The scope of the research problem was too broad and in written form, the primary research problem was unclear. The statement of the research problem should be precise, well thought out and fully articulated sentence, understandable by anyone, should normally clearly be able to explain just what the problem is (Walliman Baiche, 2001, p. 21).
The research questions were presented implicitly in conjunction with the research problem and was also difficult to single discern. The researchers did not create a separation section in the article in which the research questions may be listed clearly and concisely. The research questions were embedded in the research problem making it difficult and time consuming for readers to single out the research questions and the problem that will be addressed. An ideal research question is an interrogative statement stated clearly and unambiguously in question form (Nicholas, 2009, pp. 14-15). The presentation of the research problems and questions simultaneously without proper structuring may have been a result of the researchers effort to present a concise research study. Furthermore, the research problems and question were also merged with other elements of the qualitative research design, such as a brief literature review and a discussion of the significance of the study.
Strengths and Limitations of the Study
Utilizing the qualitative research design is one advantage of the study. The goal of the research process was to explore the perspectives of professional service workers about the school policies, practices, and interventions to safeguard GLQ students. Gaining multiple perspectives was expected to yield generalized information that will convey the nature, efficiency, and even results or outcomes of school policies, practices, and interventions from the perspectives of professional service workers. The ethnographic technique was also implemented, which suits the goal of the data collection process. Ethnographic studies gather information about the phenomena being investigated from multiple perspectives also required that the researcher gain the perspective of the participants, to some degree, by becoming part of the group being studied (Lodico, Spaulding Voegtle, 2006, p. 15). The objective of the ethnographic research practice was achieved through the interview process, which made the researchers part of the participant group.
The selection of precise data analysis tools was also a great advantage to the validity and reliability of the study. Two instruments in analysis were mentioned coding (open coding, axial coding, and selective coding) and constant comparison meeting the objectives of a qualitative study. Qualitative analysis is generally concerned with identifying patterns in the data different ways in which the data relate to each other (Darlington Scott, 2002, p. 145). Constant comparison of interview data enabled the researchers to determine patterns and correlations among the responses of the participants.
Furthermore, coding, which was computer-aided established the reliability of data since it was retrievable based on categories, while constant comparison established the validity of through continual verification of data. (Kriby, Greaves, Reid, 2006 Darlington Scott, 2002 Cohen, Manion, Morrison, 2003).
The tendency for biases during the interview process sets a limitation in the study. The qualitative research design is generally subjective in nature and the disadvantages of the interview processes magnify the limitations of qualitative research. One weakness of the interview process is the possibility of biases on the part of the interviewer and the interviewees. Since the goal of the study is to explore perspectives which are overtly observable and measurable through numerical means, the responses of the participants may be influenced by their personal biases preventing them from stating factual information. Likewise, the interpretation of the interviewer of the responses of the interviewees may be biased by what the researcher wants to be the results of the study. The biases of the interviewer diminishes the validity and reliability of the study. (Grinnell Unrau, 2008)
Substantive, Methodologic, Ethical, and Presentational Dimensions
The interpretation of data was consistent with the results in the discussion. The responses of the participants were analyzed in three categories (a) responses of schools to homophobic bullying, (b) barriers that prevent schools from implementing policies, practices, and interventions to safeguard GLQ students, and (c) the role of facilitators (professional service workers) in developing a safe environment for GLQ students. Results of the study yielded information that (a) punishments were common responses to students who bully GLQ students, (b) barriers to effective school responses towards homophobic bullying include culture in the school and community, religion, blame directed towards GLQ students victimized by bullying, and neglect of GLQ students, and (c) and facilitators are responsible in leading increased awareness of homophobic bullying and training of school personnel and service workers in handling homophobic bullying.
The results of the study were interpreted by comparing the results of the study to existing related literature, discussing the implications of the results to school counselors, and discussing the limitations of the study and various considerations that may guide future researchers about the issue. The consistency of the results to the interpretation is proven through the relevance of supporting literature utilized to substantiate them. In the interpretation, the researchers restated the main results of the interview process and supported them through information from related literature.
The researchers focused on the perspectives of the participants of the importance of training in helping school personnel and counselors in professionally and efficiently handling homophobic bullying to safeguard GLQ students. The discussion of the implications conveyed practical and realistic changes that schools may implement. For instance, the researchers mentioned the need for school counselors to undergo training and to work with student groups directly in order improve their skills and competencies in dealing with homophobic bullying and the issues concerning GLQ students. Specific activities, that are feasible, were also mentioned as a school practice for school counselors to follow including one-on-one counseling, advocacy rallies to raise awareness of situations experienced by GLQ students, and so on. In addition, the researchers also mentioned other events or opportunities for school counselors to become involved when the school climate neglect GLQ students.
Ethical Aspects of the Study
Seeking voluntary participants was a step made by the researchers in order to exercise ethics in proceeding with the study. Aside from selecting participants who are willing to participate, the researchers also gave the participants written consents in order to formalize their voluntary participation. The researchers failed, however, to seek approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or other ethics review committees that rate research proposals and data gathering methodology and instruments based on ethical standards. The researchers should have submitted the research proposal and a transcript of the intended interview questions to an IRB for evaluation and approval. The lack of authorization by an IRB will raise inquiries on the unassailability of the theme of the study and the interview process against ethical standards in research.
The Qualitative Research Design
The research design, which was purely qualitative, was discussed briefly, lacking many important elements that should be included in the section. The researchers have discussed the participants, the sampling method employed to select participants, the procedure through which the interview process was conducted, and the tools through which the data were analyzed. The components of the qualitative research design, according to Flick (2009), are as follows (1) goals, (2) questions, (3) selection, (4) presentation of goals, (5) resources, (6) methods, (7) theoretical framework, and (8) generalization goal. The research design also includes a discussion of how the validity and reliability of data were tested and established. The researchers, however, failed to include many important parts of the research design.
The research data may have been improved by integrating the cross-sectional study with retrospective longitudinal study. The retrospective longitudinal study requires researchers to gain data by consulting historical records or references. The references utilized by the researchers were perceptibly lacking, while some were not directly correlated with issues concerning GLQ students. The retrospective longitudinal study would have led the researchers to obtain necessary data that are closely relevant to the goal of the researcher, such as anecdotal records, reports of homophobic bullying in the school, observations of school counselors, and so on.
Qualitative Sampling
The setting chosen by the researchers was appropriate for obtaining information to address the research question. The research was conducted in public schools in Atlanta. The researchers sensibly selected the location of the study since the public schools in the city were known to be involved with groups or alliances that support the advocacies of gays, lesbians, etc. such as the Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA). Furthermore, the decision of the researchers to conduct the study in Atlanta was based on the statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau ranking Atlanta as top ten of cities with the highest number of GLQ populations.
The participants in the study were selected through the targeted sampling technique. The professional service workers who were interviewed were selected based on their knowledge and experience of homophobic bullying incidences in GLQ students and direct interaction with these students. The selected participants were then again screened through snowball sampling which resulted to the final selection of 16 participants. Considering that the data gathering technique that was implemented is the interview method, the sample size of 16 is adequate for the researchers to obtain information and accomplish the goals and objectives of the study within a determined period of time.
Data Collection Procedures
The participants were interviewed for 1 to 3 hours with the use of an audiotape to record their statements. Prior to the interview process, the researchers distributed consent forms for the participants who want to Proving the validity and reliability of the data is offset by the disadvantages of the interview method. As previously discussed, interviews are likely to draw biases from the interviewer and the interviewees. In addition, the researchers did not mention that other individuals were present in the interview process in order to ensure there would be no biases and violations of ethical standards in research. However, the credibility of the data was established through the implementation of coding, from the transcription of audiotaped data, utilizing a software which increases accuracy and access to information, and constant comparison, which enabled the researchers to evaluate the responses of the participants based on categories selected to address the research questions.
Qualitative Analyses
Although the researchers were able to convey an interpretation of the results of the interview, information was lacking on the description of the results and the interpretation based on the phenomenon defined in the research problem. As previously discussed, the research problem was concerned with the lack of literature that discusses the effectiveness of school policies, practices, and interventions to safeguard GLQ students, the necessity for schools to develop responses to address increasing rate of homophobic bullying incidences, and the situation of GLQ students in the school system. The researchers failed to gather comprehensive information from the participants of their perceptions on the efficiency of school policies, practices, and interventions, which could have made the study fill the gap in literature. Furthermore, the researcher mentioned some recommendations on how the knowledge, skills, and competencies of school counselors may be improved to help them deal with GLQ students more effectively, however, there were no discussion on how schools and the community may ensure that school counselors apply what they have learned during training. Accountability clauses were not discussed in the study.
Conclusion
Overall, the selection of the qualitative research design was appropriate in addressing the research goals, problem, and questions. The researchers also selected an appropriate location or setting and participants to address the issue of bullying of GLQ students. However, the study was poorly executed since the structure of the article lacked the organization of a standard qualitative research design and the other elements that should be included. The researchers also failed to seek approval from an IRB, clarify the research questions, and address the research problem and questions comprehensively.
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