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Youth Research
19th February 2008
SLIG is currently undertaking a significant piece of research into the youth provision in Suffolk and Lenadoon.
The aim of this research is to:
- 1. provide SLIG with a holistic view of youth issues within and between both the Suffolk and Lenadoon areas, from a young person's perspective;
- 2. set the research within the context of these local communities and wider cross community initiatives
- 3. identify the potential, and extent, of future cross community initiatives involving young people in the two communtiies:
In order to gather information on the above issues research will be broken into stages:
Stage 1: Research Design and Issues
This stage will involve the appointed researchers conducting a review of literature relating to significant issues attaching to the project (including comparative data arising from previous SLIG research and other sources), agreement on proposed quantitative and qualitative research methods (to include sampling procedures, taking into account the relative sizes of the two communities, numbers to be involved in one to one interviews and the format of interview schedules, questionnaire selection and design, diary methods, and focus groups with key stakeholders) and identifying topics to be explored in the research. These should include:
- Personal Well-being: Indices of well-being of the young people, relating to factors including general health and self-esteem
- Attitudes: to ingroup and outgroup members;
- Interpersonal Relationships: Identification of who young people engage with, and their relationships within and beyond their community (social networking)
- Leisure activities: Identification of engagement in leisure activities, how often, what services are used etc
- Education attainment and engagement: To include extracurricular activities
- Youth Provision: Current youth provision in both communities, through a mapping exercise
- Key Stakeholders: Interviews / focus groups with stakeholders including youth practitioners, teachers and service providers.
Stage 2: Intervention
This stage will be based on a negotiated process between SLIG and the appointed researchers regarding the development of an intervention model and incorporating measures of its effectiveness in delivery. The intervention will be delivered by SLIG.
Stage 3: Profiling Young People
Alongside the intervention, the research team will profile those young people from both communities who have engaged with the project.
Stage 4: Stakeholder Mapping and Audit
Through focus groups and interviews with identified stakeholders that engage with young people in both communities, a stakeholder map will be developed and the views of these stakeholders will also be captured.
Stage 5: Outcomes
On completion of Stages 1 -4, the researchers will be required to produce a report that will describe the research process, the model underpinning the intervention, the nature of the intervention and its impact on all those attached to the project and including the young people of both communities. The report will also include recommendations for future action.
The research team will also be expected to present their findings through a powerpoint presentation to the management team.
Project Evaluation
At this time it is proposed that a separate piece of research which will run parallel to this research proposal. It will include summative and formative evaluations of changes in behaviour of participants, view of stakeholders (including feeder schools and services) and the measurement of the effectiveness of intervention practices. This will take place at the midpoint of the proposed research and at the end.