Paper Instructions
One way in which
researchers gain information about a topic is to conduct interviews. People are
usually willing to talk about their lives if they feel that the researcher will
treat their information confidentially and ethically. Their comments can be a
rich source of information about human development. You will be conducting two semi-structured interviews on the
same topic with individuals 25 years of age or younger to learn more
about the issue of Drug Use and Health
and the process of data collection/analysis. Please review your potential topic
(Drug Use and Health and the
associated questions listed below. You
will conduct two interviews on your
topic (Drug Use and Health) and use
the data collected from the interviews and information from the review of the
literature to write your paper. The specific requirements for the paper are
outlined in the rubric below. No
interviewee names will be included in the papers.
Your Topic is: Drug
Use and Health
Do you smoke? Do you
drink alcohol? Do you use other drugs? Why or why not? If so, how much? Would
you like to quit? Why or why not? Do you think much about the health hazards?
What drug habits do people you know engage in? What are the reasons? What have
been the results? What healthy activities do you engage in on a regular basis?
Instructions
1.
Read the information about Drug Use and Health in your textbook
(Invitation to the Life Span 5th Edition by Kathleeen Strassen Berger)
and conduct a review of the literature. You must include information from at
least five scholarly sources (journal articles) in addition to you textbook. (Ensure that your journal articles can be downloaded from
Google Scholar or from your school library, cite the pages of any references
you are making from your journal articles).
2.
Select two people and ask if they would be willing to honestly discuss
your topic. Not all individuals will feel comfortable discussing all topics. If
one individual does not want to discuss your topic, ask another individual.
3.
Explain that you are writing a paper for your class and that all
information will remain confidential. Do
not use names in your paper, and do not disclose information shared with
others.
4.
Begin the interview by telling the subject that you will be asking some
questions, but he or she should feel free to expand on your topic or talk about
related ideas. Set a definite schedule for the interview (30 minutes) and stay
on that schedule. Take thorough notes.
5.
If a subject’s answers are too brief or uninformative, follow up with
questions like, “Why did you choose X?” or “Why do you think X happened?” If
something the subject says seems important, follow up with additional probing
questions, like “Tell me more about X.”
6.
Remember,
you are interested in your subject’s life and ideas. Do not involve yourself in
a conversation, offer advice, or talk about your own experiences during the
interview.
7.
Since this paper is discussing interviews conducted as well
as information from the text, a combination of “I” statements and academic
verbiage is acceptable. Cite statements when necessary.
Rubric of your
paper on Drug
Use and Health
(a) Conduct a
review of the literature and utilize at least five scholarly sources (journal
articles) in addition to your textbook Invitation to the Life Span 5th
Edition by Kathleeen Strassen Berger
(b) Conduct two 30-minute
interviews on your topic with individuals 25 years of age or younger. See
Instructions above.
(c) Analyze the
data collected from the two interviews. Discuss any similarities and/or any
differences in the data collected.
(d) How did the
data you collected compare to the information in your review of the literature?
List all
references used on the Reference page and cite all references within the body
of the paper.
Write an APA
formatted paper of 5 pages in length (not including the Title Page or Reference
Page).
