Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 1. Shifting Genre Paper: Quantitative Analysis of At-Risk Youth and Locus of Control

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1 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 1 Shifting Genre Paper: Quantitative Analysis of At-Risk Youth and Locus of Control J. A. Garcia George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia EDRS 810 Problems and Methods in Educational Research

2 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 2 Shifting Genre Paper: Quantitative Analysis of At-Risk Youth and Locus of Control In large part because of my background as a retired federal prison warden coupled with extensive public administration experience; I have developed a personal interest in the problems experienced by young people who continue to fail and experience problem behavior in the traditional high school educational system. I am aware that there are various intervention programs in our schools that have been established to attempt and address this problem. Yet alternative schools have gradually become the primary measure of intervention for many school districts with respect to those students whose problem behaviors extend beyond the scope of regular high schools, many of which include connection with illegal activities. Consequently, I chose an article for my shifting genre paper, which focused on a quantitative study that compared students in alternative schools classified as at-risk youth, with students in regular high school classrooms. Miller, Fitch, and Marshall (2003) stress that there are many indicators that America's youth continue to struggle with school failure and problem behavior. In support of the statement, they rely on an exhaustive study conducted by McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, and McWhirter (1998), which encompasses five categories of at-risk behavior in youths: substance abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency/violence, dropping out of school, and suicide, providing information on the roots, characteristics, and consequences of each behavior, identification, and assessment strategies within each category. Miller et al. propose that to address these issues adequately it is important to understand the personality constructs that contribute to school failure and problem behavior in adolescents. Specifically, then the purpose of their study was to gain insight into how adolescents who exhibit chronic behavior problems individually perceive control over their environment. Their research

3 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 3 compared levels of locus of control between students who had been removed from regular classrooms because of problem behaviors with that of students in regular classrooms. Locus of control is a possible factor in determining individual reasoning for problem behavior. Locus of control is defined as the tendency of people to ascribe achievements and failures to either internal factors for which they are in control (e.g. effort, ability, motivation), or external factors by which they perceive they are being controlled (e.g. chance, luck, others actions) Rotter (1966). Research Methods and Data Sources: The participants in their study consisted of 234 students, enrolled in seventh through 12th grades at five public high schools in Kentucky. Each participant was given a parental consent form, and demographic questionnaires were administered to students with completed parental consent forms. The demographic information, which included ethnicity were completed and selfreported by the participants. Students in regular public schools accounted for 66.7% of the sample and 32.1% were from alternative education settings, four participants failed to identify their setting (Miller et al.). The Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children and Adolescents ((NSLCS)) was used for this study. The scale is a 40 item scale that measures the degree to which people believe that reinforcement is a result of their own actions or result of fate or chance (Miller et al.). Test-retest reliability and evaluation of validity were conducted on the (NSLCS) prior to administering the tests. Validity was reported by correlation with the Bialer-Cromwell Scale. Results suggested that the scale had fair concurrent validity with other locus of control measures and the relationships between locus of control and other constructs were in the expected directions (Miller et al.).

4 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 4 Once all tests had been completed the data was analyzed using statistical methods provided by SPSS. Specifically, comparison of means between the two populations was accomplished using analysis of variance (ANOVA). A higher score on the NSLCS represents a more external locus of control orientation. The data compared population means by traditional ANOVA methods, and indicated that students in alternative schools scored a higher mean average than those in regular schools. The t-test revealed a significant difference between these groups (t = -1.92, p <.10). Furthermore, there were only two classifications of ethnicity with more than five cases represented, African American (n=53) and Caucasian (n=153). A comparison of means for these two groups indicated that Caucasians scored a higher mean average than did African Americans. Additionally, school settings did account for greater mean differences than did either gender or ethnicity. An important point to address is that although causal inference cannot be made between locus of control and placement in alternative education programs. Students in these programs however, are likely to have a more external sense of control. Genre Shift: Quantitative to Qualitative: What qualitative tools could be employed to gather further information about and gain additional insights into the phenomenon of locus of control in Miller, Fitch, and Marshall s research context? 1. Conduct a follow-up study of Miller, Fitch, and Marshall s quantitative study of locus of control between students who have been removed from regular classrooms because of problem behaviors with students in regular classrooms using qualitative methods. 2. Direct Observation of the groups reviewed in the initial study.

5 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 5 3. Unstructured Interview with focus on locus of control, and based in part on rational emotive behavior theory (REBT) as recommended in the original study (Miller et al.). 4. Microethnography of the individual classrooms in regular education high schools and in alternative schools. How could these research tools be embedded in research methods appropriate to Miller, Fitch, and Marshall s context? 1. The qualitative study would view the same classrooms, teachers, and students included in the original study. The focus would be on monitoring behaviors, actions, and responses that indicate directional locus of control. 2. Select at least five students from the alternative school setting and five students from the regular high school setting who participated in the original quantitative study. Conduct unstructured interviews that would focus on generating directional choices on a locus of control spectrum. 3. The Microethnography study could focus on the videotape recording of a one-hour class conducted in both the alternative school setting and the regular high school setting. Although the qualitative proposal that I have described presumes that the study conducted by Miller, Fitch, and Marshall was just completed, and all participants are still available in the same settings. However, because the study was conducted in 2003 it is not possible. However, a mixed methods study of locus of control could be conducted with the same framework that was used in the original study and coupled with the proposed qualitative study. Speculation on Possible Findings:

6 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 6 Based on what Miller, Fitch, and Marshall found by administering the Nowicki- Strickland Locus of Control Survey (NSLCS), it is hypothesized that: 1. The alternative school group will demonstrate a higher tendency toward external locus of control than the regular high school group. 2. The alternative school group will demonstrate a lower awareness of their perception of control and demonstrate a higher history of poor choice decisions. 3. The alternative school group will demonstrate a preference of being considered bad, rather than being seen as dumb or stupid. Explanation of Possible Findings: 1. The alternative school group will demonstrate a higher tendency toward external locus of control than the regular high school group, based on their previous history of problem behaviors. 2. The alternative school group will exhibit a higher level of common turmoil in their lives, which can make them believe in a sense of helplessness and a lack of personal control. 3. Adolescents often make ineffective and self-damaging choices in an attempt to fulfill basic needs of belonging or freedom.

7 Running head: SHIFTING GENRE PAPER: QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE 7 References McWhirter, J., McWhirter, B., McWhirter, A., & McWhirter, E. (1998). At risk youth: A comprehensive response. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Miller, C. A., Fitch, T., & Marshall, J. L. (2003). Locus of control and at-risk youth: A comparison of regular education high school students and students in alternative schools. Education, 123(3), Rotter, J. (1966). Internal-external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1-28.