Article critique: Student death penalty attitudes
Research question
The study aimed at evaluating the attitudes of social work university scholars concerning the death penalty. The study measured support both alone and together with substitute sentencing. Vignettes were employed for moderating features concerning the respondent and the crime.
Purposes of the research
This research is descriptive because its primary focus is expanding knowledge about the outlooks of a group of social work students concerning death penalty. Descriptive research studies describe the conduct of a sample population. This research aims at describing, elucidation, and corroborating the outcomes. This study is also explanatory as it endeavors to understand the implications of a death sentencing on the social work.
Dependent and independent variables and level of measurement
Dependent variables change due to manipulation of the independent variable and is supposed outcome. The independent variables are methodically manipulated in the research process and remain constant. It is the presumed cause. In this study, the attitudes of the student social workers are the dependent variable as they are subject to change and rely on other variables. The independent variable is the death penalty because it is constant and cannot be altered by other variables. An ordinary scale was used in measuring the variables which allowed for level comparisons to which two matters possess dependent variables. Items in the scale are systematic, ranging from least to greatest.
Reliability and validity of measures
Ordinal scales do not highlight essential information found in the other scales studied. Differences between two levels need not necessarily be equal to differences between two additional distinct levels.
Primary hypotheses of the study and results of the study
The primary hypothesis of this study is the marshal hypothesis which observes that Americans were generally oblivious of vital information concerning the concept and exercise of the death penalty. The hypothesis further suggested that prevalent death penalty support was mainly originating from ignorance about the death penalty and that support and knowledge were contrariwise interrelated. Additionally, it was suggested that presenting accurate information would not affect these outlooks if support for the death penalty could be attributed to vengeance or retribution. Most students in the sample (52.4%) showed disapproval ranging from fervently against to fairly against the death penalty. Sixteen percent were uncertain, and 31.7% conveyed support from strongly approving, to fairly supporting the death penalty. These results support the hypothesis of the study.
Research designs
The study used Qualitative research design which determines associations of collected data with statistical observations. A quasi-experimental design was adopted whereby, the researcher may control of the assignment to the treatment condition using some method apart from random assignment. For example, in our case study, the researcher created a measure for death penalty support using items from previous studies, formulated a questionnaire for the participants and added a follow-up questions.
Sample, population and sampling technique
A population is a whole group about which some information is required to be ascertained. A sample is a collection of objects or people from a wider populace taken for the purpose of research analysis. In this study the population was the students in a southern university (40,000 or so) while the sample was the social work students (between 600 and 900). Stratified sampling technique was used whereby, the population is divided into sub groups who share similarities, in this case the social work students. For example, in this study, the social work students are then divided into five demographic variable; race, gender, political affiliation, religiosity and education level (Cox A, 450).
Causality and threats to causal validity
Researchers in this study could infer causation in the study as knowledge about death penalty directly caused a change in attitudes of the participants. An experimental design is the best design for testing the effect of a dependent variable because it permits the establishment of the three methods of determining causality. Internal validity is the extent of outcomes ascribing to independent variable and no other explanation. Some dangers to internal legitimacy include, history, maturation, testing, instrumentation, selection biases, research reactivity and statistical regression.
Strengths
The study points out opportunities for impacting knowledge about the death penalty to social work students, the perpetrator, victims, relatives, and communities affected by capital retribution.
Weaknesses
Results of the study are obtained from reactions from a subset of the population. Taking into account the liberal nature of the social work field, supporters of the death penalty may are less likely to have participated in the study owing to social popularity prejudices. Therefore, the findings would not be broadly generalizable to this field.
Work cited
Cox, Amanda K. “Student death penalty attitudes: Does new information matter?” Journal of Criminal Justice Education 24.4 (2013): 443-460.