To What Age Should Parents Support Children - Research Paper Example

TO WHAT AGE SHOULD PARENTS SUPPORT CHILDREN 0 Research problem 1 The research aim The aim of the current is to identify the most preferred age at which parents are expected to support their children to. This research aim is constructed against the backdrop of ongoing public discourse on the place of parenting in the overall development of children, as well as the need to ensuring that children are given the room to operate as independent social beings (Baumrind, 2011). With the aim of the study, it will be possible to find a common position based on the most preferred age where parent can be obliged to take care of their children and children can also be deemed as mature enough to terminate the support from their parents. 1.2 Research question In order to effectively deal with the aim of the study stated above, a research question will be asked and effectively interrogated through data collection procedures. The research question and its sub questions are presented below. (1) At what age can children be considered mature to have parent support terminated? (a) What are the factors that necessitate parent support given to children? (b) What factors explain the necessity in allowing children to be independence after certain age? (2) How can termination of parent support take place effectively? (a) What factors and conditions should be put in place to ensure that the termination process takes place successfully? (b) What should be the place of follow-up services after termination of parent support? In relation to the research question and the sub-questions, the following hypotheses are developed for further verification. H1: Children are mature enough at the age of 16 to be terminated from parent support H2: Post-termination monitoring is needed to enhance the termination process Dependent variable: Termination age Independent variable Post-termination parent care, parental responsibility, quest for independence 1.3 Discussion of relevance Academic From a more academic perspective, there continues to be discussions and debates on the place of law on termination age. That is, the academic relevance of the study has to do with the legal implications for parents in supporting or taking care of their children. This means that there are two general themes or aspects of the research problem that the current study seeks to unify. The first theme forms of the basis of academic discussion where the important place of parenting in the development of children is emphasised. On this theme of the research problem, Buehler et al. (2014) noted that as social beings, all children are born in to a social setup, where they are expected to be nurtured and brought up in a way that can be considered as consolidating with acceptable social standards. Meanwhile, as parents assume parenthood, they are legally obliged as the people responsible for giving children the necessary social guideline into becoming responsible adults. Whiles doing this, there are different roles that parents play for their children, including financial support, emotional support, social support, moral support, and educational nurturing (Cohen & Wills, 2005). However, it has often been the case that some parents have out of ignorance and in some cases, deliberate intentions disregarded their roles to children, causing children to be stranded and frustrated in the course of their natural development (Buehler & Welsh, 2009). With this problem reported in sections public media, it has become an area of concern to legitimise an age to which all parents of sound mind will be expected to support their children to. Societal From a more socially significant perspective, the research will help in addressing an ongoing problem or issue that has to do with struggle for independence among children. This forms the second aspect of the research problem which focuses on the issue of allowing social independence to children after certain ages of their development. This line of argument has largely been taken from a sociological perspective, where most sociologists have argued that even though it is important that parents be allowed to play crucial roles in the foundational development of their children, it is also important and highly relevant that such roles will be terminated at certain ages so as to instil social independence discipline in children (Judy & Kenny, 2011). Kerig (2006) stressed that the act of seeking social independence is part of every human being, causing people to naturally request for their independence from parents and the family after certain times of their lives. However the problem that has often been faced is that some children ask for such independence far too early in their lives when they cannot be considered as being mature enough to live on their own. In the light of this, a problem often arises when children begin to exhibit behaviour in the home that clearly signifies that they are seeking an independence from their parents and their parents tend to refuse the independence on the basis that the children are not mature enough to be granted such independence. 2.0 Methods of data collection As far as the qualitative research is concerned, the researcher shall collect data through the use of focus groups. Sapsford and Jupp (2006) explained a focus group as an identified group of people with similar demographic characteristics from who the researcher collects that which is used to make informed decisions about an issue of academic or professional interest. For the current study, there shall be two categories of identified people who are parents and children below the age of in the age group of 16 and 21. The age range for the children is selected based on most academic researches which recommend these ages as being the most appropriate for termination. The two focus groups shall however have different variables of data presented to them for data collection. For example for the parents, such variables as parental responsibility, termination age, and the impact of post-termination follow up shall be analyzed. On the part of the children however, even though the variables of termination age and post-termination follow up shall be repeated, the variable of quest for independence shall be introduced to this group. To make the data collection process easier, a discussion check list shall be prepared and presented during the focus group discussion. The checklist shall contain different sets of questions set for parents and children. In a panel discussion form, the focus group data collection will take place where the researcher shall lead a discussion where respondents express their opinions on the various variables and questions on the checklist. 2.1 Sample A sampling procedure shall be undertaken for a population of parents and children identified in a given college. That is, students of the school and their parents shall be used as the population. The population has been explained as all people with whom there is some level of possibility of including in the sample size (Yin, 2009). The school has over 130 students, most of who have both parents alive. This means that the population of the study is in the range of 390 people. Because of this large size of people, a systematic sampling procedure shall be used to select 25 students and their parents. The systematic sampling procedure will allow the researcher to use both purposive sampling and random sampling as and when it applicable. For example, a purposive sampling method shall be used to collect names of all students in the ages of 16 to 21. After this, a random sampling technique will be use through the fish-bowl method to select 25 students. Once this is done, one parent each of the 25 students shall also be drawn into a second sample size made up of parents. One parent will be used to cater for the assumption that some of the students will only have one parent supporting them. 3.0 Methods of data analysis Given the research questions and hypothesis set, the researcher shall develop a number of themes that will be used in analysing the findings that will be drawn from the focus group. Whiles the focus group is taking place through the use of panel discussion, the researcher shall be gathering data through two major means. The first shall be through tape recording, where all raw data coming from the discussions shall be gathered. After this, written extracts of the discussion shall also be used. The written form of data gathering will however be the main emphasis of data gathering. This is because through the written form, the researcher will be able to categorise the outcomes of the panel discussion in the form of themes. This is expected to make the thematic data analysis very easy because there will be a great deal of data already categorised under various themes for the study. The content of the answers as related to the various themes will then be analysed by assigning each line of response to information in literature. this means that the researcher shall be able to find gaps in literature based on the analysis of the findings. 4.0 Ethical considerations The main ethical considerations that will be made in the study will come in the form of seeking official permission from all institutions and individuals who will be included in the study. For example, an official letter will be sent to the College officials to inform them of the intent of the researcher. After this, consent form shall be given to the students to be sent to their parents. The consent form will explain the aim of the research to parents and assure them of the confidentiality with the findings to be produced. For example, parents will not be identified by names whiles analysing the research. What is more, participation will be voluntary. References Baumrind, D. (2011). Parenting styles and adolescent development. In J. Brooks-Gunn, R. Lerner, & A. C. Peterson (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Adolescence (pp. 746-758). New York: Garland. Buehler, C., Krishnakumar, A., Stone, G., Anthony, C., Pemberton, S., Gerard, J., et al. (2014). Interparental conflict styles and youth problem behaviors: A two-sample replication study. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60, 119–132. Buehler, C., & Welsh, D. P. (2009). A process model of adolescents triangulation into parents marital conflict: The role of emotional reactivity. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(2), 167-180. Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (2005). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis: An integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2): 310-357. Judd, C. M., & Kenny, D. A. (2011). Process analysis: Estimating mediation in treatment evaluations. Evaluation Review, 5, 602-619. Kerig, P. K. (2006). Assessing the links between interparental conflict and child adjustment: The Conflicts and Problem-Solving Scales. Journal of Family Psychology, 10, 454–473. Sapsford, R. & Jupp, V. (2006) Data Collection and Analysis (2nd edition). London: SAGE. Yin, R. K. (2009) Case Study Research Design and Methods, London: SAGE. Read More