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Research Methodology

Research Design

This research will be conducted through a cross-sectional study design. A cross-sectional study design is a research design where information about a variable of interest is obtained only once at a particular point in time and data obtained used to make conclusions and analysis. The cross-sectional research design will examine the relationship between exposure to social media and the outcome prevalence in a defined population of black Americans at a single point in time. The design will help in the collection of quantitative data to describe characteristics of the target population concerning the factors being investigated (Trochim, 2006).

Strengths of Cross-Sectional Study Design

A cross-sectional study is the most straightforward assortment of descriptive or observational the study of psychological analysis that can be directed to delegate tests of a population. It is a study that expects to depict the relationship between maladies (or other wellbeing related states) and different components of enthusiasm as they exist in a predetermined populace at a particular time, without respect to what may have gone before or hastened the wellbeing status found at the season of the study (Mann, 2003).

The development of black Americans psychology as influenced by online networking can be considered by a cross-sectional system to decide the different phases of advancement of a particular conduct among subjects of diverse ages or status bunches inside of the same timeframe. For instance, portraying the generalization promotion of an adolescent inside of a timeframe, for example, a year is thought to be a cross-sectional study (Lindell & Whitney, 2001).

The real advantages of cross-sectional study design in developmental psychology research are down to earth in nature. The principal advantage is that cross-sectional work is economical. The general point of cross-sectional studies is to get a measure of progress with advancement, which might likewise be accomplished by more than once testing the same kids after some time instead of the testing offspring of diverse ages at a certain point. Such longitudinal studies require rehashed testing over several years, bringing about the high staff and center research expenses, a significant responsibility of members, and the danger of information misfortune where that dedication cannot be conveyed (Levin, 2006).

Cross-sectional techniques give a considerable degree to the improvement of exceptionally useful studies without the expense connected with extensive work. The advancement of direction displaying permits a formative viewpoint to be taken, at the heart of which is the point of deciding the instruments of progress in intellectual frameworks (Mann, 2003).

Shortcomings of Cross-Sectional Study Plan

A particular issue for longitudinal studies is that individuals drop out after some time, so for a few members a specialist may have only one information point while others they have a few. Lamentably, who stays in the study and who drops out is regularly not irregular. Members may drop out because they discover the study testing, or maybe due to challenges with travel or unemployment. Not just does this imply information sets are frequently deficient, additionally that the information that is accessible are especially inclined to determination inclination. Cross-sectional studies keep away from at any rate some of this trouble (Lindell & Whitney, 2001).

Cross-sectional studies can contain individual-level information (one record for each person, for instance, in national wellbeing overviews). On the other hand, in cutting edge the study of disease transmission it might be difficult to overview the whole populace of interest, so cross-sectional concentrates frequently include auxiliary investigation of information gathered for another reason. In numerous such cases, no individual records are accessible to the specialist, and gathering level data must be utilized. Routine information may not be intended to answer the particular inquiry (Mann, 2003). Routinely collected information does not ordinarily depict which variable is the reason and which the impact. Cross-sectional studies utilizing information initially gathered for different reasons for existing are regularly not able to incorporate information on perplexing components, different variables that influence the relationship between the putative circumstances and end results. For instance, information just on current liquor utilization and cirrhosis would not permit the part of past liquor use, or for different reasons, to be investigated (Lindell & Whitney, 2001).

Most case-control concentrates gather particularly composed information on all members, including information fields intended to permit the speculation of enthusiasm to be tried. Notwithstanding, in issues where genuine personal emotions may be included, critical inquiries may be a wellspring of inclination. For instance, past liquor utilization may be inaccurately reported by an individual wishing to lessen their sentiments of the blame. Such inclination may be less in routinely gathered measurements, or successfully dispensed with if the perceptions are made by outsiders, for instance, tax assessment records of liquor by range (Levin, 2006).

Study Population and Sampling Method

The target population will consist of black Americans who will be actively using social media. It will include all youth and adolescents who use social media with their peers in their daily endeavors. Snowball sampling (additionally called system inspecting or chain testing) is a variation of accommodation examining. With this methodology, early example individuals among the black Americans are asked to refer other people who meet the eligibility criteria. This research method is most often used when the target population is people with similar characteristics who might be difficult to identify. Analysts utilize this sampling method if the sample for the study is extremely uncommon or is constrained to a small subgroup of the populace. This sort of examining system works like chain referral. In the wake of watching the primary subject, the scientist requests help from the subject to recognize individuals with a comparable quality of hobby (Levin, 2006).

The procedure of snowball sampling is much like requesting that the subjects designate someone else with the same attribute as the next subject. The specialist then watches the selected subjects and proceeds in the same path until the getting adequate number of respondents.

Data Collection Procedure

Research Instrument

The study will use a researcher developed and administered a structured questionnaire to collect data from the target population. The questionnaire will have to be administered by the researcher because it improves the reliability of the data and eliminates the chances of respondents not returning the questionnaire. The content of the questionnaire will cover the major objectives of the research, and the questions will reflect the replication of the research questions. Moreover, the open and closed-ended questions will be used. The appropriate mix of the open-ended and closed-ended questions will be done in conjunction with the recommendation from the research supervisor (Levin, 2006).

Pre-Testing and How to Determine Validity and Reliability

A pilot study will be conducted by administering questionnaires to 10% of the population. The questionnaires will be pre-tested in an area with similar characteristics respondents, within the eligibility criteria to fill. The pilot study will be used to test the efficiency and effectiveness to collect the required quantitative data so as to meet the set objectives. Adjustments will be done to ensure validity and reliability of the data collected by using the questionnaire in the actual study.

Data Collection Process

Data collection will involve administration of open and closed ended questionnaires to the respondents in the target population. The researcher will explain to the respondents on the procedure for the respondents to give informed consent. The respondents will then give an informed consent first for them to fill the questionnaires. After giving informed consent, the researcher will carefully explain to the respondent on how to fill the questionnaire and assist the respondents in case of any difficulty. The respondent will be given time to fill the survey. After completion of the survey questions, the researcher will thank the respondents for the cooperation and the support (Lindell & Whitney, 2001).

Data Analysis and Data Presentation Process

Every individual participant in the study will be regarded as a unit of analysis during the data processing. Data coding will be done so as to eliminate biases and enable correct data entry into the computer. Data collected in the study will be compiled and analyzed using SPSS Version 20, Microsoft-excel and simple scientific computation. The results got from this study will then be presented using graphs, charts and tables for easy analysis.

Limitations and Assumptions of the Study

The primary study limitations of this research are that being a cross-sectional study, it only gives data on utilization of free delivery care services at one point in time. It also does not cater for the fact that utilization of delivery care may vary over a period of the same individuals. The other limitation is that the study relies on the respondent giving accurate information that may not be true for some respondents. Financial limitation hence selection of a small the sample size for efficiency, representativeness, reliability and flexibility so as to reduce financial limitation. Lack of enough time and, therefore, the study was conducted in one area hence generalization was not possible

Dissemination of research findings

The data collected and research findings, in this study, will help to emphasize the importance of understanding the role of individual psychology in the development of stereotypes. The results will also be used to strengthen the weaknesses realized in other studies linking social media to stereotypes, thus improving the understanding of how it affects a person’s mindset. The data collected in this study will also help in determining the need for improvement of counseling strategies to create awareness and knowledge about effects of social media on the people. The data will also add to the one available and, therefore, enable other researchers in the future to obtain recent information on adverse effects of social media.

References

Bryman, A. (2006). Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: how is it done? Qualitative research, 6(1), 97-113.

Kenny, D. A. (2005). Cross‐Lagged Panel Design. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Levin, K. A. (2006). Study design III: Cross-sectional studies. Evidence-based dentistry, 7(1), 24-25.

Lindell, M. K., & Whitney, D. J. (2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of applied psychology,86(1), 114.

Mann, C. J. (2003). Observational research methods. Research design II: cohort, cross sectional, and case-control studies. Emergency Medicine Journal, 20(1), 54-60.

Sadler, G. R., Lee, H. C., Lim, R. S. H., & Fullerton, J. (2010). Recruitment of hard‐to‐reach population subgroups via adaptations of the snowball sampling strategy. Nursing & health sciences, 12(3), 369-374.

Trochim, W. (2006). Quasi-experimental design.

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