Preparing African American Female Graduates for the Workforce - Essay Example

Preparing African American Female Graduates for the Workforce: Preparing African American Female Graduates for the Workforce: African American women require a lot of support in regards to skills related to career choice and development. It is noted that many live in economically-deprived surroundings that limit their access to work places. In this investigation, we shall employ the casual-comparative methodology as a design. This is the most appropriate approach as the method, which is sometimes referred to as ex post facto research seeks to establish reasons or causes for existing differences among two groups of individuals.

These differences are based on the independent as well as dependent variables; an independent variable focuses on the cause of the difference such as an action that results in a notable difference between two groups. A dependent variable, on the other hand, refers to the outcome produced by the independent variable; it is thus referred to as the effect. This is the best design to study the subject as both variables are considered to have already occurred. The independent variable in this sense is the education, which is the cause in this research methodology whereas behavior in the workforce is the dependent variable as it is influenced by the former.

Both variables exist and are studied in retrospect. In conducting this research, we analyse the differences between two groups, that is, the female graduates in the work force and the non-graduates in the workforce and try to determine the differences in these groups brought about by sufficient education, or the lack of it. We ascertain this by surveying and interviewing individuals in the two groups and conducting comparisons of statistics discovered. Some of the sample workplaces may have already conducted this research and have the findings, but in others where research of this nature has never been carried out, we will have to run the research and compile the data afresh.

Interviews and questionnaire are known to be highly reliable in gathering information, thus are the preferential means of data collection. Open ended questionnaires guarantee reliable results as they do not have any predetermined answers, therefore, the respondents has to give their own interpretation of the matter at hand, thereby providing valid data. Moreover, interviews are fairly reliable and as face-to-face encounters are liable to reduce the possibility of provision of false data during questioning sessions.

The interviews and questionnaires will be handed out at the end of a work day thereby ensuring minimal interference with normal work. However, secret observation of the African American female workers is done during working hours to determine their career skills in the workforce. An assessment of their relations with the other members of the workforce is critical in determining the career development skills that will be needed by the African American graduates. By compiling all the observations made during monitoring in a systematic way, for instance, entering observations on column layout showing admirable behaviors by the African American women on one side and bad behavior in the other.

This is a great way to compare the data collected as the graduate workforce will manifest behavioral patterns contrasting those of their non-graduate counterparts. Anonymity in data collection is paramount; by ensuring no real names are given during interviews, the interviewees are bound to feel relaxed and may disclose information they would otherwise find too implicating to share. On the other hand, the questionnaire materials should not include provision of names to ensure confidentiality.

All participants can be encouraged to sign a confidentiality agreement which assures them that none of the information they disseminate will ever be disclosed to other parties. This will put them at ease to be honest in data dissemination. The data realized from this research will be nominal. Nominal data makes use of labels in its descriptions of various characteristics. Here, we can group different African American women in the workforce depending on the skills they demonstrate. For instance, graduates who exhibit traits of being organized are grouped separately from non-graduates who exhibit disorganization in the work place.

The organized group can be referred to as such while the disorganized one is also named after its individual member’s characteristics. Probability techniques may be employed here; they are most appropriate as the findings in a group of individuals may be used to predetermine findings of another group. The research findings regarding to, for instance, behavior of graduate African American women in the workforce when dealing with stress, may undoubtedly be used to predetermine the behavior patterns of another group of graduate African American women in a different company or set up dealing with stress.

On the other hand, findings on behavioral patterns in non-graduate African American in one company may be used to predetermine the actions of other non-graduates in other companies. Through application of the probability technique, one is able to determine career development skills in other graduate women and predetermine the skills applicable by the graduating students. The probability approach will also provide necessary knowledge of behaviors to avoid in the workplace, that is, by studying the non-graduate group of African American women.