Methodology
Study Design
The proposed study design will employ a mixed-methods approach to investigate the relationship between therapeutic intervention on Trans and non-binary youth and academic success. This approach integrates quantitative and qualitative methodologies to offer a comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics of the research topic. The quantitative component involves administering a survey to collect numerical data on academic performance, experiences with therapeutic interventions, and relevant demographic information (Simmons, 2022). The survey will employ closed-ended, multiple-choice questions to gather quantitative data on variables such as GPA, SAT scores, duration of therapeutic interventions, and specific types of interventions received. This structured approach facilitates statistical analysis, allowing for the exploration of statistical relationships and correlations between therapeutic interventions and academic success.
The qualitative component consists of in-depth interviews with Trans and non-binary youth undergoing therapeutic interventions. Through open-ended questions, participants will be encouraged to share their personal experiences, challenges, and successes related to therapeutic interventions and academic pursuits. This qualitative exploration aims to uncover nuanced insights, providing a deeper understanding of the participants’ lived experiences. Qualitative data will be analyzed thematically, allowing for the identification of patterns, themes, and contextual factors influencing academic success.
The mixed-methods design is chosen for its ability to offer a comprehensive and nuanced exploration of the research question. While quantitative data provides numerical evidence and statistical trends, qualitative insights offer a rich narrative that can illuminate the complexities of the relationship between therapeutic interventions and academic success among Trans and non-binary youth. This integrated approach aims to provide a holistic, well-rounded understanding, contributing valuable insights to academic and therapeutic communities.
Sampling and Recruitment
This study sample will include young Trans and non-binary individuals aged 16 to 24. Probability sampling, such as random sampling and equate sampling, will be applied to ensure ad; this method seeks to randomly pick out participants from the population, eliminating selection bias and improving generalizability levels. Most recruitments will be in CHNY (Covenant House New York), a significant source of Trans and non-binary youth. The study aims to integrate individuals from all walks of life to develop a substantial understanding of the nature of therapeutic interventions and academic success.
The CHNY is equipped with a rotating population of about 120 youths who are relatively stabilized in their lives, with approximately 1600 aged youths visiting at least once annually; this provides a robust source for recruitment. This is to ensure representation, and the sampling method includes the selection of 15-20 people who have undergone treatment and an equal number who did not receive any therapy. With this approach th, the objective is to ensure that participants are both novices and experienced therapists from different academic levels. The recruitment will be done with the provision of full descriptions of what this study entails, how it is to be conducted, and any possible benefits that may come out of it while prioritizing the aspect of confidentiality and voluntary participation. Participants’ informed consent will be obtained with their rights protected and data to be collected limited. Random sampling allows for the recruitment of participants with firsthand knowledge of the challenges comprising Trans and non-binary youth, which this study endeavors to implement to garner diverse opinions and provide relevant insights regarding the correlation between therapeutic intervention and academic achievement in that population (Yannalfo, 2018).
Data Collection Procedures
This study will use quantitative and qualitative research processes for data collection, which will collect information about the relationship between therapeutic intervention on Trans and non-binary youth and academic performance. The first data collection method for the quantitative study will be the administration of a structured survey. A mix of close-ended questions in multiple-choice format shall be included in this survey, including the collection of numerical data regarding academic performance and the therapeutic interventions experienced. The questions will focus on elements like GPA level, SAT scores, therapeutic intervention duration, and types of specific interventions received. The survey will be given to the respondents in CHNY electronically, and a certain window of time will be allotted to respond. The data collection process through electronic surveys increases availability and speeds up the information-gathering process.
The qualitative research shall be carried out through in-depth interviews. The semi-structured interviews will permit free-flowing questions to encourage respondents to participate regarding personal testimonies, barriers, and triumphs of therapy interventions and academic goals. The purposive methods will be employed to select the participants for an interview; this ensures different perspectives. The audio recording will be used for the data collection and validated by transcribing the content.
This will be through an amalgamation of research questions and interview prompts that will operationalize the main study variables: therapeutic intervention and academic success. The participants who received therapeutic intervention will be asked participants who received therapeutic intervention will be asked about the type of intervention, duration, and perceived effects. Academic achievements will be evaluated quantitatively through the participants’ self-reported GPA and SAT scores and qualitatively via quotes on what kind of success they feel they have attained in their academic endeavors. To make the study more reliable and valid, scales validated in previous research will be included during survey development, specifically measures for assessing well-being, coping mechanisms, and treatment satisfaction. Additionally, qualitative data analysis will involve multiple researchers to enhance reliability and ensure the validity of findings.
Measurement of Variables
This research’s main variables are therapeutic intervention and academic success among Trans and non-binary youth. Both quantitative and qualitative measures will be used to operationalize these variables. Quantitatively, participants will be given structured survey questions that will elaborate on the type of therapeutic intervention they are receiving, how long they have been receiving such interventions and their perception of them. This will enable the enumeration and quantification of various therapeutic approaches and their possible impact on the student’s achievement (Rivera-Torres, 2020). Among the available response options for the survey, there will be modalities of therapy that have a range from the more commonly used therapeutic modalities like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), group therapy, family therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and art therapy.
Quantitative measurement of academic achievement will take the form of self-reported GPO and SAT scores. Subjects would be requested to report their current GPA and, if available, averaged the highest score from SAT. These numeric indicators will stand as figures of the enactment of academic success. Also, qualitative interview data will provide a deeper insight into academic success. It will reveal the subjective nature of the respondents’ experiences, their difficulties, and the techniques they used to overcome these challenges.
To ensure the reliability and validity of measurement tools, the survey will utilize existing scales and measures that address well-being, coping mechanisms, and satisfaction with therapy interventions. These tested instruments are also medically validated, which makes the collected quantitative data more dependable. Moreover, the standardized measures commonly used in academic outcomes, like GPA and SAT scores, also increase the reliability of success figures. An indicator of the levels in measuring therapeutic intervention and academic success will be made. As the therapeutic interventions will be nominal, they will be used to categorize the variety of administered interventions. The ratio level of measurement will demonstrate academic success; a GPA point measure and an SAT score provide numbers with a true zero point. This distinction allows for a comprehensive analysis of the variables’ categorical and numerical aspects.
Existing Scale/Measurement
To improve the validity and reliability of the study, an existing scale will be used in the survey tool. The well-being aspect of therapeutic intervention will be assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). The WEMWBS is a well-known and established scale for measuring mental well-being among various groups (Beck, 2014). It consists of 14 positively worded questions that assess various aspects of positive mental health. Respondents will answer using a five-point Likert scale, and the data collected is numeric, thus quantifying their psychological well-being. This reliable scale adds a standardized validated dimension to the survey, contributing to the robustness of the quantitative data obtained on the mental well-being aspect of therapeutic interventions in Trans and non-binary individuals.
Protection of Human Subjects
Protecting human subjects is the utmost priority in this study, and various measures will be taken to safeguard ethical norms. Informed consent will always be followed and obtained from all participants to ensure effective and full information about the purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits. This voluntary participation of the participants will be reiterated, and they will also express their right to withdraw from the process at any stage without repercussions. The informed consent form will provide details of the elements set in place to ensure their privacy is protected. To ensure privacy, collected data will be anonymized, and all participant names and information that could identify these subjects will be replaced with unique identifiers. The collected data will only be accessible by the research team, and general descriptions without identifiers will be described in publications or presentations to maintain the participants’ privacy.
Because of the nature of the population under study— Trans and non-binary youth— special consideration will be given in recruiting research respondents. To communicate the purpose of a research study, clear communication about what it entails and the potential benefits will be maintained, promoting a supportive approach. The idea of prevention is one such concept that needs to be focused on by both nurses and clients. If any distress occurs during or after participating in the study, sources and links of information regarding mental health support services will be made available. All risks and benefits to be incurred by the participants will be communicated, and all possible efforts will be made to ensure minimal risk of any harm. When it comes to ethical considerations, they will be grounded on the ethical principles of CITI training and other organizations, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Association for Social Workers (NASW), which are focused on respect for persons, beneficence, and justice throughout the research.
Potential Challenges and Proposed Solutions.
Potential Challenges
A possible difficulty is that Trans and non-binary youth who did not receive any therapeutic interventions could be denied access. The recruitment of this subgroup could be limited due to resource constraints, resulting in a non-representative sample that does not reflect the diversity of the population. Furthermore, discussions concerning mental health and gender identity are a difficult topic, and emotional suffering might be the result of interviewing or giving answers in surveys, which might lead to non-cooperation or withdrawal.
Proposed Solutions
To mitigate the challenge of low accessibility, improved levels of outreach and engagement will be realized. Collaborative efforts with the CHNY staff, community organizations, and LGBTQ+ support networks will be intensified to allow targeted recruitment. To help avoid the potential emotional trauma caused by this event, a trauma-informed approach will be adopted during data collection. Research personnel will be trained in trauma-sensitive practices, and participants will be offered some mental health support resources. Furthermore, respondents will be free to fill in some questions or withdraw from the questionnaire at any point without hurting them. Building trust is important, and researchers should show transparency and empathy during the recruitment and data collection, indicating the study’s goal and confidentiality measures, such as anonymity or not publishing the results, if possible, allowing individuals to be identified individually or by group. Training for researchers will focus on cultural competence and has to be used to recognize and appreciate the different cultural backgrounds of Trans and non-binary youth. This allows for an inclusive study that promotes individuality around the unique challenges individuals from various cultural settings face. Proactively considering these potential obstacles aims to provide a supportive and respectful atmosphere for participants, thus allowing them to be forthcoming with their observations on the connection between therapeutic interventions, academic performance, and the target population.
Study Limitations
Despite careful planning, however, a few limitations will affect the study. To begin with, the main issue is relying on self-reported data, particularly concerning success indicators such as GPA and SAT scores, but also inherent with many other metrics, which introduces the possibility of recall bias or social desirability bias. On the other hand, data is obtained from the participants based on memory, which often causes inaccuracies. Moreover, the cross-sectional design of the research precludes establishing a correlation between therapeutic intervention and academic achievement. It would be more competent to perform longitudinal studies to capture the temporal nature of these associations over time.
Secondly, there is a possibility of selection bias given the study population being at risk, and that is likely to skew the results because not everyone in the population had access to the services. The positive results that participants have gained from therapeutic interventions will likely enhance participation. Therefore, the conclusion could lean towards a more favorable view of the impact of the intervention. Additionally, its scope of generalizability may be limited because it was done on the 16-24 years group and CHNY. In the illustrated case above, the statement ‘The experiences of Trans and non-binary youth in various geographical places or age groups may vary extensively.
Although participants will be selected with efforts to incorporate as many representatives from the diverse sample as possible, the study may still have difficulty recruiting a representative number of participants without therapeutic intervention. This might, however, impair the ability to make valid comparisons between individuals who have and have not undergone such interventions. These limitations notwithstanding, the study attempts to present useful information regarding the connection between therapeutic intervention and academic achievement among Trans and non-binary learners in this setting.
References
Beck, B. L. (2014). Trans/forming Educational Leadership: Retrospectives of Transgender Persons as Public Intellectuals in School Contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(5), 761-793. https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/5245
Rivera-Torres, K. (2020). An Ethnonarrative Inquiry Approach to Understand the Role of Context-Specific Languages in the Socio-Academic Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse College Students. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved from. https://escholarship.org/content/qt8k4732cq/qt8k4732cq.pdf?t=qgjjki&v=lg
Simmons, D. E. (2022). The International Academy of Language and Culture: The Global (pre) K-12 Charter School Network.
Yannalfo, A. (2018). Pink, Blue, and Everyone In Between: School Support Personnel’s Perceptions of Work with Transgender and Gender Diverse Students (Doctoral dissertation, Miami University). Retrieved from. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6129164/
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