DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Research Proposal

 

Title: Understanding criminals, preventing tragedy

 

Project Overview:

            The general area of investigation is criminal behavior and psychology. The specific area within this field that will be investigated or studied will be factors that may predict adult criminal behavior such as conduct disorder and social environment. The project being proposed is a website. A physical project, such as a display board, would not do justice to a topic as theoretical as the one being researched. This manner of a product has not been attempted by this researcher, and will also be used as a learning experience. The website will provide information on risk factors and about the researcher’s conclusions.

 

Problem Statement:

            The proven need that will be addressed is how a multitude of crimes can be prevented if parents, or those close to individuals with peculiar personalities, can learn to recognize these factors and recognize that they may lead to future criminality. The real problem that will be solved is focusing more on the prevention of crimes, rather than something more “after the fact” such as law enforcement and convictions. Once the complexity of the human mind is realized and acknowledged, one notices that it is one of the most important factors in the committing of crimes. The intended audience will most likely be individuals working with “at risk” youth, or with those that are already convicted in juvenile detention centers. The younger group in these centers is still impressionable and if the psychological factors that are leading them to act this way are recognized now, their life could be improved for the better, by addressing those cognitive issues. Cognitive deficits in these juveniles might stem from psychiatric disorders, conduct disorders, or parts of the brain that are not functioning properly. The outcome will most likely be communicated to these same people, but the product could also include a checklist for youth that believe they might be “at risk” or have been labeled as such by a professional to figure out how to change their course of behavior that is leading them to criminality. Checklists such as these so exist, but a variation might be created by the researcher.

 

Objectives:

            The purpose of this research is to display the factors that are indicative of future criminal behavior and why those factors are successful in predicting that adult criminality. The products or outcomes from this year of study can be many, yet a website was chosen. A website would be set up in a professional manner with tabs discussing social environment and conduct disorder. The researcher has never made a website before so this will be a skill that will have to be learned through the help of books and human resources. Aside from the final product, the website, interviews conducted as primary sources could also be considered as outcomes, along with the portfolio that will be created containing the year’s worth of work. Interviews would be conducted with professionals in the field of criminal psychology, through the phone, and would be used as sources if the information obtained can augment the research. These additional works will supplement the message of the final product and enhance its meaning.

 

Background:

            The topic of the paper is criminal psychology and this fits with my project because it includes many different factors that can be appropriately displayed in a website. The most effective way to present a topic such as this would be a method where the topic could be thoroughly explained. Knowledge in this field will be acquired through libraries, the internet, and references from other people. Knowledge will be developed by reflecting on the works of others and by supporting claims made. Information will be demonstrated through presentations in the school and to those that will benefit from this research. Resources that I will consult will be articles available online, possibly some in newspapers, humans through interviews, textbooks, journals, and more advanced articles once I start to feel more comfortable.

 

Research Methodology:

            Research Question:

My research question is: “How indicative are the aspects of environment and conduct disorder / behavior in the development of a criminal?” My hypothesis predicts that children and teenagers displaying these behaviors or traits will most likely display criminal behavior in their adult lives.

            Research Design:

Qualitative research is being conducted in this project. Numerical figures would only provide statistics about criminal behavior as determined by their psychological makeup. This would be redundant, as there are many figures about this topic, by many people and in many different situations. The specific model I am using is a mixed methods which includes causal-comparative and descriptive research. This is because I am looking at data that already exists to link it to something new as well as using interviews and possible observations to draw conclusions. I will most likely collect data from interviews, charts, and anything I can more easily qualitatively organize sources would be important to this research, and these types of sources will be searched for.

 

Logistical Considerations:

            Resources that will be required for this product will be some human help, print sources, and probably institutions such as the library. For human help I will most likely need the assistance of my mentor, Independent Research teacher, and anyone else able to help me. Special considerations of this project are to make the information on the website widely available to those who may not have computer access. This could be done through making outlines of the website, or by handing key pieces such as a checklist to parents who believe they have “at-risk” offspring to see if those children are showing signs of being adult criminality. At this time projected costs look low. I already have a recorder, cars for means of meeting with my mentor, and can’t see anything that would be too difficult for me to obtain.  During second quarter I will write an abstract, continue researching, make a presentation, revise my annotated source list, start a journal, set accomplishments out for myself and fulfill them, and have conferences with Dr. Kiehl. A final research paper will also need to be made in second quarter, -although this is not the final project, the website is. Research will continue throughout the year and so will the refinement of the final product. More detailed information will be added as research becomes more in depth.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.