Interventions to Increase College Students Grades - Research Proposal Example

Does Academic Achievement Increase or Decrease Suicide Rates Introduction Gone are the days when ‘kids can just be kids’. Young people are under enormous pressure today. They have pressure from school, pressure from their friends to fit in, and then there is pressure felt at home. It can seem as though they are getting bombarded on all sides with no relief in sight. With all of this stress being faced, young people often take drastic measures to rid themselves of the pressure. This includes suicide. Sadly, Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people in 15-24 year old range (King, 2011, p. 581). This is a sobering statistic. Much work must be done to help young people overcome the pressures of this life in a safe and caring environment. As such, this student will be studying the cause and effect of academic achievement on the suicidal tendencies in young people. Literature Review According to Jeffrey Klibert, there is a correlation between academic motivation/achievement and a proneness to suicide (2011, p. 625). At the collegiate level, suicide is become an increasing concern. It is reported that approximately 24% of college students seriously consider suicide at some point during their tenure, while 5% of those actually make a serious attempt every year (Westefeld et al., 2005). Depression and poor academic performance “have been identified as the most robust risk factors in predicting suicide ideation, attempts, and completions” (Klibert, 2011, p. 627). It would seem that if poor academic performance leads to greater stress at home, and the pressure builds to do even better, then suicidal thoughts and tendencies are more likely to occur. This issue is especially worthy of study because if a student is demonstrating a lack of academic progress, and they have associated behavioral issues as a result, then school personnel should be alerted. Elaine Walsh notes that, “Youth who experience difficulty in school are at risk for suicide, yet there is little published information specific to risk and protective factors among this group” (2007, p. 349). By closely examining this population, and identifying risk factors, working professional would be better equipped to service any mental health issues that their students may be encountering. This becomes even more vital given the fact that many students who experience academic difficulty also have a poor attendance record. As such, they often go unnoticed by the very people that are trained to catch troublesome behavior and help youth get the help they need (Porter, 2010, p. 3). One other component of any such study is to consider the sex and age of an individual when determining the risk of suicide. Walsh notes that, “Males are four times more likely than females to die by suicide, and females attempt approximately three times more often than do males” (2007, p. 350). This is a troubling statistic on several fronts. First, it tells us that males are more likely to succeed in any attempt to end their life, so intervention needs to occur quickly. At the same time, this statistic, when closely analyzed, demonstrates that females are more likely to try and commit suicide. It is imperative, then, that we identify risk factors, by gender, to help determine when intervention is needed and to develop programs that truly work before any such attempt is made. Of course, problems in school are not the only risk factors that should be considered when considering what causes a young person to consider taking his or her life. Other issues could involve stress, family distress, alcohol and drug use, risky behaviors, and being bullied (Porter, 2010, p. 5). This study, however, will focus primarily on academic performance and its relationship on the suicide rate. Suicide is a primary concern for people in the 15-24 year old range. Ang notes that, “The association between school or academic stressors and suicide ideation among adolescents has been well documented in several research studies” (2006, p. 134). The pressure to excel in school is well documented worldwide. Young people often see their self-worth as being evaluated in terms of their academic performance alone. If the adults in their lives continue to pressure, and they fail to live up to perceived expectation, suicidal thoughts become a concern that must be taken seriously (Shah, 2009, p. 465). Academic achievement is extremely important in some cultures. This is particularly true for Asians. The value of performing extremely well in school is preached to many children from an early age. By the time adolescence is reached, that pressure to perform well becomes more valuable than anything to some young people. The relationship has been well documented. “Not meeting one’s own expectations and the expectations of others is a serious matter which could potentially result in loss of face” (Ang, 2006, p. 134). When this occurs, the student can lose all of his or her own self-confidence. They do not have the capacity to deal with this in a mature manner, so suicide becomes a way out. By studying the ethnic groups and family situations by which suicide is a growing concern, we can all potentially identify groups that are at the most risk of suicide. That is the purpose of this proposed study. Research Method This proposed quantitative study will be conduct by conducting research and gathering data from various school districts. A quantitative approach is used because of the sheer number of students involved in the general population. Since the hypothesis will be that academic performance is directly related to the suicide rate, quantitative analysis is the most useful mechanism for testing and arriving at an eventual conclusion. This student will focus on ten different school districts taken from a cross sampling of socio-economic backgrounds as determined by property values in the district. The first set of data gathered will revolve around discovering how many students committed suicide in the past decade within the district. Only successful attempts at suicide will be analyzed, since an unsuccessful attempt often goes unreported, thereby potentially skewing the data. Once the numbers of suicide have been discovered, academic records will be asked for. Naturally, school districts will not release personal information, but they will likely release the age, gender, and grade point average of the student who killed him or herself. The next set of data that must be gathered is the overall academic achievement levels of each district being studied. This proposal is narrow in scope, with only ten districts being studied. This is due to the time limitations imposed on this student, but it will certainly provide a baseline with which the conclusion can potentially be used for a larger study in the future. Once this data is compiled, trends can be noted between the academic achievement levels of those who committed suicide when compared with the general population who did not. A further goal of study must be to compare these rates by gender and socio-economic status. As such, particular care will be taken by this researcher to note what the economic status of each student committing suicide was. Also, it is important to note the gender and use that information to determine suicide rates and their relation to academic performance based on the sex of the individual as well. This data will be collected through public information sources and by approaching district offices. No participants will be involved in the study, as it is purely a quantitative study designed to draw conclusions based on sound data already recorded and in existence. Reflection When I was younger, research was a painstaking process. Reflection on this is, I now realize this was because I was not an active participant in what I was learning. It was simply a project I was assigned to do, without any real care as to eventual outcome. Now, however, I see the value of research and what it brings to me as a future professional. Through this process, I have learned that there are real people behind the studies I have already read. Studying suicide is quite serious and should invoke the researcher’s full attention. As I gathered articles for my initial literature reviews, I found myself captivated by the statistics and the sadness of it all. It seems that if there were more studies done, society would be more equipped to truly identify young people at risk of committing suicide. If this were the case, then even if one life were saved, the research becomes worth it. So, the first thing that I learned through this process is that research is about real people and the offering of real solutions. The second thing I learned is that research involves an organized process. The studies I have already encountered about this topic involve a set methodology and approach. I now realize that is important to maintain the integrity of the conclusions that are eventually drawn. It also makes the study readable and easier to understand for the average layperson. This is particularly important for research related to social issues because the studies conducted and conclusions designed need to reach as many people as possible in order to help. Finally, I learned that social research is extremely useful to society. This is true of most topics I considered for this proposal, but is especially true of suicide. To be blunt and clear, if a suicide attempt is a successful one, then all of the research in the world makes no difference. There is obviously more work to be done here because there are countless suicides committed every year that catch everyone involve off guard. They ‘never saw it coming’. Social research, then, becomes vital in terms of providing community members with the tools and resources they need to potentially help a person in the time of need. Information is power. Without it, we are left to flounder in a sea of helplessness. Ethics Statement This study will be conducted ethically and responsibly. No personal data will be solicited in the study, nor will any subjects be interview. Throughout the written work, no names will be written and research will only be reported in a general fashion. As such, all privacy issues have been considered and this student is confident that this proposed study meets all of the ethical standards of the National Association of Social Workers. References Ang, R. (2006). Relationship between academic stress and suicidal ideation: testing for depression as a mediator using multiple regression. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 37(2), 133-143. Kilbert, J. (2011). Suicide proneness in college students: Relationships with gender, procrastination, and achievement motivation. Death Studies, 35(7), 625-645. Porter, S. (2010). Counseling, suicide risk assessment, and retention in a community college. College Quarterly, 13(3), 1-6. Shah, A. (2009). (2009). The relationship between general population suicide rates and educational attainment: A cross-national study. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 39(5), 463-470. Walsh, E. (2007). Suicide risk and protective factors among youth experiencing school difficulties. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16(5), 349-359. Westefeld, J. S., Homaifar, B., Spotts, J., Furr, S., Range, L., & Werth, J. L. (2005). Perceptions Concerning college student suicide: Data from four universities. Suicide and Life- Threatening Behavior, 35, 640-645. Read More