unit 1 discussion responses

1. I personally like to read the abstract first which I feel is the same for most readers. It gives you an idea of what exactly this article is going to be about and if it will fit the criteria you need. The most important information would be the hypothesis and the results. I say this because it defines the main question that needs to be answered in the research paper and then answers it in the end.This study was conducted by taking a sample of middle school and high school freshman students. They were provided a survey through their schools system. The main goal was to see if low self esteem and deviant lead to cyber crime. If their was a link between cyber crime and future physical crime. One weakness associated with this study is the sample population is predominately white which leaves out a huge group of people. One strength is that they were able to get 50% girls and 50% boys which is a fair ratio of both of the sexes. Over all the study found that low self esteem positively correlated with the commission of cyberdeviance which was originally stated in the hypothesis. It also showed that males did worse when using the computer for personal reasons and their grades over all suffered. On the other hand females grades remained the same/increased due to their cyber deviance which was a correlation they were not expecting to see. This research over all brings up the question of cyber crime and if that will later carry onto crime into the street or if the two are unrelated. Due to the fact that this study was only done in one state and two schools in the country expanding on this research will help to provide more clarity on this topic.

2. In the article provided, the most important information would be the stocks of journals because it holds the key to the most up to date research. Finding the right sources allows the researcher to provide a critical analysis and it shows that he/she understands how everything fits together with your own research and previous studies. An online survey was conducted to gather data at a large metropilian area in central Kentucky (Holt, Bossler & May, 2011). Only eighth graders, freshmen class, technology and business classes had the opportunity to participate in this survey. The author's hypothesis was fully supported. It was found that "low self-control was positively correlated with the commission of cyberdeviance." (Holt, Bossler & May, 2011). In addition, it was found that individuals with lower levels of self-control were more likely to commit cyberdeviance in general (Citation). The study also found that peer offending had a stronger effect on offending than low self-control (Holt, Bossler & May, 2011). One limitation of the study was the participants. The data was collected from one middle school and one high school which limits the researcher to see it from a more broad perspective. Due to that, the researcher was unable to determine whether or not a regional effect exists. The strength of the study was the population because as the author mentioned in the article, researchers would mostly focus on college students but this specific article focused on youth.

3. The most important information can be found in the abstract and in the discussion/conclusion of the article. I personally like to read the abstract of the article and then proceed to the results/discussion portion to get the findings. The study was conducted based on a yearly observation period in which middle and high school students participated in a survey questionnaire. The weaknesses of the article concluded the topic of cybercrime is limited, as not as much information is available. The limitations of the study also included geographical limitations. This study was conducted at one middle school and one high school in Kentucky. As well as access to the internet was also a concern of study weakness. “While basic demographic correlates were examined, there were no measures for parental income or other factors that may affect access to technology and the internet on a regular basis” (Holt et. al., 2011, p. 395). The strengths of the study included identifying the relationship between low self-control and the commission of cyber deviance. As well as identifying that “self-control did not significantly predict any form of cyberdeviance with more emphasis than another” (Holt et. al., 2011, p. 394). Another strength identified was the fair and equal ratio of male to female participants. The study’s findings included a clearly defined relationship between low self-control, deviant peers, and cybercrime, yet a less clear association between real world offending and participation in cybercrime.

4. The main data would be the loads of diaries since it holds the way in to the most cutting-edge research. Tracking down the right sources permits the scientist to give a basic examination and it shows that he/she sees how everything fits along with your own exploration and past investigations. An online study was directed to assemble information at a huge metropilian region in focal Kentucky (Holt, Bossler and May, 2011). Just eighth graders, first year recruits class, innovation and business classes had the chance to partake in this overview. The creator's theory was completely upheld. It was tracked down that "low restraint was decidedly associated with the commission of cyberdeviance." (Holt, Bossler and May, 2011). What's more, it was discovered that people with lower levels of restraint were bound to submit cyberdeviance overall (Citation). The investigation likewise found that companion affronting strongerly affected culpable than low discretion (Holt, Bossler and May, 2011). One impediment of the investigation was the members. The information was gathered from one center school and one secondary school which restricts the analyst to see it from a more expansive viewpoint. Because of that, the specialist couldn't decide if a territorial impact exists.

5. When reading peer reviewed journals, I believe that the most important information within the article is in the beginning when reading the abstract and the results found at the end from the study. The abstract gives an outline of what the paper is about and provide information about how the study would be conducted and the hypothesis of what the outcome could be. The results can be arguably where you can find the most important information as it holds all of the findings that were previously in question. The study itself has its own weaknesses as it only studied one high school and only one middle school, there are many influences that can change the study, for example if the study was conducted in a more affluent town or if it was conducted within a not so affluent town. The strengths within this study can be noted by the fact that they were able to get a fair ratio of boys and girls which allowed for a fair study since there wasn’t a majority group. The study concluded that there is no clear evidence if low-self-control directly correlated to cyberdeviance and would need further exploration on the matter to get a clear answer.