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Quantitative Research With Adolescents
Quantitative research methods present many opportunities for meaningful engagement with young and older adolescents. At this station the researcher is reminded of the basic principles of quantitative research and how best to engage adolescents in all stages of HIV and health research. A distinct feature of quantitative research is that it focuses on gathering statistical data that can be generalized across groups of young people that share the same or similar features. The evidence gathered from quantitative research can also be used to explain a particular phenomenon like the increase in pregnancy among 10–14-year-old adolescents in South Africa.
Choosing quantitative research methods enables the researcher to conduct descriptive or experimental studies. With the descriptive research design, one would be able to identify characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories of the phenomenon studied. Staying with the example of the increased pregnancy rates among 10 – 14 years of age in South Africa, the descriptive design would seek to explain more quantifiable information about the pregnant girls, such as; household income of the families the girls come from, the quintile level of the schools the girls are attending, the age of the sexual partners etc. On the other hand, a basic definition of experimental studies is that the researcher sets up an experiment to test the causal relationship between variable A and variable B. For example, does chocolate make you fat. The experimental design requires a good understanding of each of the variables, elimination of any other factors that may have an influence on the outcome of the research as one seeks to establish a clear relationship between the two variables.
Involving the adolescents in quantitative research:
- At what point of the descriptive or experimental study do you involve the adolescents?
Level of responsibility assigned to the adolescents:
- How much responsibility can be assigned to the adolescents in experimental and clinical research studies?
Rigour and reliability:
- Adolescents are not researchers even though they are key role players in youth led research (Youth Research: The Essentials)
Tools and technology:
- Adolescents can be trained at the level of their capacity and depending on how much ethics permits to use research tools like questionnaires or computer software to collect numerical data.
- What this step entails.
- Training adolescents to understand and implement quantitative research promotes equity (they feel and see fairness and justice in that they are not treated as ‘subjects’ of the research, but as equitable partners in research that concerns them)
- Allowing adolescents to conduct surveys and or visit experiment laboratories contribute to the development of critical thinking and skills needed for future research
- Involving adolescents in research develops an interest in health science and research
- Adolescent-driven research projects are based on the idea that adolescents are valuable collaborators in generating evidence-based outcomes that affect their health and well-being
UNICEF Office of Research identifies four interconnected iterative phases of research where young people can be effectively participate in as; issue selection, research design and methods, data analysis and interpretation, and reporting back and taking action for change.
Checklist for quantitative research with adolescents:
- Identify a research problem that is relevant to the wellbeing of the adolescents. For example: Adolescents in schools lack psycho-social support services to deal with the COVID-19 related challenges.
- Prepare research questions that need to be answered by the adolescents to address the research problem. For example: How has the COVID-19 epidemic affected the adolescent’s mental wellness in preparing for their end of the year examinations?
- Review existing literature on the research problem and questions to ensure that there is no duplication. This will assist the researcher in identifying a gap that will be addressed by the evidence that will emanate from the study. This means the new evidence will contribute to new knowledge.
- Develop a research plan. The plan must include the adolescents and how they will be involved during data collection; data analysis; results dissemination.
- Ensure that the adolescent led quantitative research methods used can be scaled up in the fields of public health, international development and education
Other things to consider:
Allowing adolescents to take up meaningful roles in quantitative research and increasing their presence in most stages requires further attention to research principles and protocols. To ensure rigour the researcher must remember to:
- Avoid any breach of research integrity
- Ensure that consent should include data protection
- Give consistent attention to validity
- Balance power between the researchers, adult research staff and the adolescents throughout the research
- Consistently train adolescents on research ethics and the importance of being meticulous in following the rules of research
BY YOLISWA NTSEPE (MA, PhD)
ADOLESCENT PROGRAMMES MANAGER
UPDATED NOV 22, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
REFERENCES & ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Youth Research: The Essentials
Available Online: Youth Research: The Essentials
Ozer, E.J. and Piatt, A.A., 2017. Adolescent Participation in Research: Innovation, rationale and next steps.
https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/IRB_2017_07_Adol05.pdf
Babbie, Earl R. The Practice of Social Research. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage, 2010
Brians, Craig Leonard et al. Empirical Political Analysis: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Longman, 2011
McNabb, David E. Research Methods in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. 2nd ed. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2008
Singh, Kultar. Quantitative Social Research Methods. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2007.
