WEEK EIGHT Research Proposal

WEEK EIGHT

Research Proposal

Develop an original research study proposal and describe it in detail in a 10-12 page (APA style) paper.  Include at least 10 scholarly references in your proposal. Use the following outline as a guide when writing your paper. Be sure to include detailed information on all of the topics listed below and use headings to organize your thoughts. Include in-text citations and a reference page. Use the topic (POLICE IN Schools) from the previous outline (see outline at the bottom of page in red)!

1. Statement of the problem: Introduce the reader to the problem to be studied. Provide sufficient     background information such that the reader has a grasp of the situation and its importance.

2. Review of the literature: Provide the reader with a review of most relevant literature, beginning with general information, and narrowing the focus to the specific issues under consideration in the study.

3. Purpose of the study: Identify why the study that you are proposing is needed.

4. Hypotheses or research questions: List them as simple statements. Make sure they are measurable.

5. Definition of terms: Operationally define terms the average reader may not know, or that have a specific meaning in your study.

6. Assumptions: Identify issues you assume to be true in order for your study to be valid.

7. Research methods and procedures

a. Population: Describe the population sample to be studied

b. Procedure: Discuss how the study will be carried out.

c. Instruments: Describe the specific measurements (instruments) to be used to test each hypothesis (research question).

d. Data Analysis: Describe the procedures you intend to use to analyze the data produced from your instruments, and how that would answer the hypotheses (research questions).

e. Discussion: Since you are only proposing (not conducting) a research study, you will not have results; however, you can discuss potential outcomes. Review your hypothesis and discuss how this study will address it. For example, if the results allow you to reject the null hypothesis, what are the implications? What would happen if you fail to reject the null hypothesis? Discuss the implications of your proposed study, the limitations of your study, and future research ideas and directions.

8. Implications: Provide a brief summary of your proposal and a powerful statement as to how your         study would advance the field.

9. References: Include at least 10 scholarly sources in your Reference section. Be sure to use APA style throughout your paper. Include in-text citations.

Here is the topic and previous outline. Use the same topic for the 10-page Research Proposal.

1. Introduction

Introductory paragraph

a. Statement of the problem

i. There are safety concerns in schools due to exposure to drugs and violence

b. Purpose of the study

i. The study seeks to establish whether police in schools would help restore safety and reduce crime

c. Significance of the study

i. The findings of this study will help to determine the impact police will have on crime by being within schools.

ii. The study will also help to identify the most rampant crimes within schools.

iii. This study will provide information on which schools are most affected by issues of insecurity (private or public).

iv. From the study, it should be possible to create a demographic profile of crime distribution in schools.

v. The study should also help to identify reasons for the increase in crimes within schools and ways to prevent them.

vi. The study should finally help to come up with recommendations on measures to take to curb criminal activities in schools and how to find a sustainable solution.

d. Hypotheses

There is a positive correlation between having police officers in schools and reduced school violence compared to schools that do not have police officers in them.

Null hypothesis

There is no statistical significant difference between having police officers in schools and reduced school violence compared to schools that do not have police officers in them.

e. Research questions

i. Does having police officers within schools prohibit drugs use on campus?

ii. Does having police officers within schools prohibit the presence of weapons on campus?

iii. How can school violence be prohibited?

iv. What contributes to the presence of drugs and violence within schools?

v. How can drugs be prohibited in schools?

vi. How can weapons be prohibited in schools?

2. Review of the literature

a. Drug use in schools (Mosher & Akins, 2013)

i. The period students form in school serve as a crucial time to experience hardships, growth and self-discovery.

ii. Peer pressure influences students into drug use as a way to become popular with the rest of the students.

iii. Others resolve into drug use as a form of self-medication seeking to relieve some pain.

iv. Others use study aid drugs hoping that they will help to boost their grades.

v. The most commonly abused drugs in schools are alcohol and marijuana usually referred to as entry drugs.

b. Violence in schools (Dunlap, 2012)

i. There are more male victims of homicide and suicide incidents around schools at 83 percent.

ii. 65 percent of violent deaths around schools occur to students

iii. Most fatal injuries around schools occur outdoors at 36 percent, and 28 percent happened inside schools building.

iv. 8.3 percent of students were found to be carrying a weapon (knives, guns, or a club) to school

c. Police in schools (Kupchik, 2012)

i. Police presence in school has resulted in various cases of abuse that includes physical and sexual abuse

ii. Students are handled by police for minor offences that concern breaking school-based rules.

iii. Officers are however needed in high-crime neighborhoods.

d. Definition of terms

i. The term police in this survey will be used to refer to various law enforcement officers such as deputy sheriffs.

e. Assumptions

3. Methodology

a. Questionnaires

Distribute questionnaires with close-ended questions

b. Interviews

c. Secondary sources

i. Books

ii. News articles

4. Results of discussion

i. Increased insecurity in schools brings the need for having officers in schools

ii. Drug use should be addressed through tested systems and progressive rehabilitation.

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

i. Full-time police presence in schools should be in high-crime areas.

ii. Police should only deal with criminal cases within the school and leave indiscipline to school’s management.

References

Dunlap, S. E. (2012). The Comprehensive Handbook of School Safety. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Kupchik, A. (2012). Homeroom Security: School Discipline in an Age of Fear. New York: NYU Press.

Mosher, C. J., & Akins, S. M. (2013). Drugs and Drug Policy: The Control of Consciousness Alteration. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.