Student name:

Sylvie Stoloff

Project #:
1

Working version of project title:
Modern Technology and its Effect on Adolescent Independence from Parental Constraints

Research Proposal--first draft

1. State the essential question

How do todays technological innovations in communication affect the ability of
young people (ages 14-24) to think and act independently of their parents?

Good.

2. State the primary research question

How does communication via cell phone affect the ability of young people (ages 14-24)
to think and act independently of their parents?

Good. A question: do you really mean smart phones or cell phones in
general? Arent you thinking about parents ability to not only phone but
text/GPS/find their kids?
3. State the secondary research questions you have (make sure these are fairly
comprehensive and extensive).

-Does the constant availability of cell phones make parents more or less likely to assert
control over their childrens whereabouts/activities?
-Do young people generally ask others advice before making decisions about their daily
lives? How does this compare to past generations?
-How much contact do todays college students have with their parents as compared to in
past generations? How does this affect their sense of independence?
-How many parents put tracking devices into their childrens phones? Why do some
parents do this? Do these kids act out less than others? Are they more or less
independent?
-How often do parents check SIS? How does this affect students abilities to manage their
academics on their own?
-How involved are parents of college students with their childrens school work? How
does technology enable parents to influence their childrens academic lives even after
they have left home?
-Are the children whose parents arent fluent in technology more or less independent of
their parents?
-How does the ability to receive constant feedback from their parents affect teenagers
ability to think on their own without help?
Research questions here looking good.

4. Description of what the final product will look like. (Be sure that you are
very thorough here. Take us through the entire process from now until the final
product. If it would be helpful to you, number the steps and proceed through them
through and including your final product. In short: you MUST describe the process
here. This is vital to the approval process on your research proposal.)

Step 1: Preliminary Research Survey
Compile a list of research subjects composed of high school students, college
students, teachers, and parents. I would find high school students in my age range
by using the morning announcements, making announcements at club meetings,
using social media, posting fliers around the school--hopefully I would be able to
offer community service hours as compensation. Id find college students by
contacting recent BLS alumni, asking current students for their older siblings
information, posting fliers around school. Id ask the teachers Ive had at BLS,
maybe use the announcements to find some more, or ask the Capstone mentors.
Id find parents using the BLS parent listserv.
Formulate a survey intended to gauge different parenting styles. With this survey
I would ask basic questions about the parenting methods of these families--
questions about curfews, how actively parents monitor their childrens academics,
how much freedom teenagers have in choosing/changing their whereabouts--so I
could later group the subjects by relative strictness. The format of this survey
would rank the questions along a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree, so
that I could have a more systematic/mathematical way of later grouping the
families, and of formulating statistics. I would also ask them to rank to what
extent they used technology in a number of different aspects of parenting. Id ask
the teachers mostly about how involved parents are in academics nowadays as
compared to when they first started teaching, and how this involvement has
changed with new developments in technology (i.e., SIS).
I would formulate as many statistics as I have questions with collect conclusive
answers, and compile them into some sort of infographic that will be added to
later on.
Step Two: In-Depth Interviews
Next Id decide on a narrower group of subjects, composed of families with
diverse parenting styles, and diverse levels of involvement of cell phone use in
parenting. These families would become my primary group of study subjects. I
would ask them questions intended to measure independence. While I would use
the answers of each of these more focused/specific questions to generate more
statistics, I would also interview each subject about their answers to get a more
detailed understanding that involved anecdotes and personal stories. An example
question might be how many times a term/semester do you consult your parents
advice before beginning an academic assignment? A numerical response would
help me formulate statistics, but I would probe further in the interview with
questions about what kinds of assignments they need the most help on, why they
go to their parents for help as opposed to teachers/tutors, if they use technology to
do this, how often their parents consulted their own parents about school
assignments, etc.
I would capture as many of these interviews as I could on film. I would also try to
interview teachers on camera to talk about their differing levels of interaction with
parents as technology has changed. I would film interviews with administrators
talking about how theyve incorporated families and/or technology into academic
life. Hopefully, I can get some substance that is more visually appealing than
simple interviews--maybe the image displayed on the screen of a parent-installed
tracking device in a teens phone, or some stock footage of college campuses and
schools. Id incorporate graphic representations of my data into the footage as
well.
Step Three: Contact Experts
Id love to have some experts on camera to talk about their own findings in
similar areas. Most sociological studies are conducted at universities, so I dont
think I will have trouble finding a professor who has studied teenage
independence in the Boston area. Even if their research isnt 100% similar to
mine, it would be nice to have the input of someone with the experience of having
conducted a study over a longer period of time. Id like to talk to someone who
has studied the idea of a modern extension of adolescence, a concept that I have a
feeling the results of my study might reflect. Hopefully I can interview some of
these professors on camera as well.
Step Four: Make Film
I would use the footage I gathered to make a short film highlighting my studies
results. I would probably end up with a few categories my data fit into, such as
academic independence, social independence, transitioning to college, etc.,
which I could use to divide the film into sections. Interviews and graphics would
make up most of the film. One idea I had to diversify the content would be to try
to find cartoon/TV show clips from different eras that illustrated a changing focus
on technology/a changing manifestation of independence, and weave them into
the film as well. Id most likely write a report to go along with the film to better
articulate my findings, and to incorporate any details that didnt make it into the
movie. Maybe do a website to accompany the film rather than a report that no
one would likely see you could use an out of the box web design program
(e.g.--Weebly) so that you could focus on simply housing content


5. State how this research will advance the frontiers of knowledge and/or
matter and be significant in a meaningful way.
My research will advance the frontiers of knowledge because it will display the effects
of modern-day, relatively unprecedented parenting on todays teenagers independence.
This will expand frontiers by taking a commonly studied issue--parenting and
independence--and analysing it through the lens of communication via cell phone,
something that is so rapidly changing that even repeating a previously-conducted study
would yield new and interesting results. This is significant and meaningful because, since
independence is one of the primary goals of sufficient parenting, it is extremely important
for parents to know whether their methods are effective in the long-run, and my research
will help them become aware of that. As technology updates at an incredible pace, it is
important that we are up-to-date as well on the sociological effects of its use. The results
of my research could also point to important trends for our current generation as a whole
in terms of independence, which will be important for us to note as we become adults and
continue to embrace technology.


6. State anticipated potential pitfalls or problems of this research effort
One pitfall would be if I were unable to find willing test subjects. Another could be if my
results were too inconclusive to formulate statistics. I could find no correlation at all
between increased cell phone use and parenting styles. The interviews could be too
repetitive or boring to lend themselves to use in a documentary-style film. Time could
always be an issue.

Agreed---all are potential pitfalls.

7. State your a tentative plan to locate and review the literature related to your
project. This includes printed/published sources and online sources. [The research
strategy, part #1]
A lot of sociological studies are published on databases, so I would use the databases the
school has access to to locate some of those. I would also do some simple google
searches, because a lot of news websites and parenting magazines cite studies in their
articles, so I could try to find the studies those articles were based on. There are tons of
books about parenting out there. One self-proclaimed tiger mom has been on all sorts
of news shows talking about her parenting methods, so there is a lot Id find by googling
her. Shes also written a book I could read for some perspective. I would definitely go to
the library for printed sources, and look in the parenting and sociology and maybe even
technology-related sections. College libraries could be useful too, since I could look at
the theses of students who studied similar topics and designed surveys like mine. Ill read
the abstracts of all the scholarly articles I find, and then read all the way through those
that seem most relevant. For books, Id choose the few that seemed most relevant and
read some all the way through. For others Id read specific chapters that connect most
closely to my own research.


Great





8. State a tentative plan for research and data collection. (Data collection can
take multiple forms--surveys, test groups, interviews, observations, etc etc. This will
differ from project to project. [The research strategy, part #2]
My plan is to utilize a combination of surveys and interviews. The interviews will be
based loosely on the surveys (and each interview subject will also complete a survey) so
that I can analyze my research graphically with mathematical data. The interviews and
surveys will ask about parenting and independence both in current times and in the era
the parent-subjects grew up in, so I can compare independence relative to changes in
technology.

Great




9. State a tentative plan for research and data analysis and
interpretation. [The research strategy, part #3]
The interviews, for the most part, I wont have to analyze with too much depth. The
teenagers and parents I interview will come from different pre-assigned groups
based on parenting styles. Because of this, I can group the interviews with respect
to those groups, but since the interviews will pretty much stand alone in the film, I
wont have to individually interpret them.
The surveys, on the other hand, I will have to analyze. I will phrase them in such a
way that the answers can be pretty easily converted to percentages. For example,
Ill use the percentage of those surveyed who answered strongly agree to a
particular question as a statistic. Ill graph those statistics using a number of
infographic strategies. For questions that are more ambiguous, I can try to gauge
whether they have a positive or negative response, and try to form statistics
around that.
I will have to use the results from both the interviews and the surveys to answer my
primary research question--that is, to determine what effect cell phones have on
independence. Ill have to take a holistic approach to this, but it will most likely
be qualified, pointing to increased independence in some areas and decreased in
others.

Excellent...one thought though: how would you factor for economic class? Is there a
difference in making use of the tech tools available (e.g.--smart phones) if you are
poor or middle class or affluent? Indeed, is your parenting style realistically
affected by class (irrespective of cell phones)? Likely answer is yes.
9. List the tools you will need to complete this effort. Identify tools that might
currently be unavailable to you
-Video camera
-Editing software
-Access to parent listserv, SIS hits, contact of recent alumni
-Fliers

I dont think anything is too inaccessible.



10. Budget: what materials do you anticipate needing for your project? Please
provide a list with quantities and an approximate cost per item, along a brief
description of why you need this for your project. Use the chart below; feel free to
add more cells if you need them.

item quantity cost per item why you need this item for your
project
video camera 1 ~$400(??) to make a film
editing
software
1 ~$40-$50 to edit film

11. Bibliography- early draft. This bibliography must include at least 5 books, 5
scholarly journal articles, 5 websites, and least one potential source who you might
interview. Use proper bibliographic citation (MLA or APA format; your
choice). You are welcome to use EasyBib or refer to the formatting template
created by Purdue University: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ Explain why
you anticipate (at this point) that these sources would be relevant.

Books:

Boyd, Danah. Its Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven: Yale
UP, 2014. Print.
This source is relevant because it explores the lives of teenagers who grow up
surrounded by technology. On the authors website, a synopsis of the book claims that
society fails young people when paternalism and protectionism hinder teenagers ability
to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens through their online interactions.
This discusses both parenting and technology, like my project.

Chua, Amy. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. New York: Penguin, 2011. Print.
This source is relevant because it is a discussion of a parenting technique that has
emerged relatively recently, and involves lots of parent involvement in the lives of
adolescents. The tiger mother who wrote this book will provide an interesting
perspective for my research.

Gardner, Howard, and Katie Davis. The App Generation: How Today's Youth Navigate
Identity, Intimacy,
and Imagination in a Digital World. New Haven: Yale UP, 2013. Print.
This source is relevant because it explores the effects of growing up in a
technological era on teenage development, some of which includes independence. The
studies that the book is based on studied focus groups of people who interact with youth,
some of which must include parents.

Housman, Brian. Tech Savvy Parenting: Navigating Your Child's Digital Life. Nashville:
Randall House,
2014. Print.
This source teaches parents how to understand their childrens digital lives, and
how to incorporate some of the same technology into their own parenting styles. This is
very relevant to my project.

Palfrey, John G., and Urs Gasser. Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of
Digital Natives.
New York: Basic, 2008. Print.
This source is relevant because it explores how teenagers who have grown up in a
digital environment were shaped and affected by technology. Much of this relates to
independence and the process of growing up, which is very relevant to my topic.


Websites:

Buckingham, Jane, and Marcus Buckingham. Note to Gen Y Workers: Performance on
the
Job Actually Matters. Editorial. Time 28 Sept. 2012: n. pag. Business.time.com. Time
Inc.,
28 Sept. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
This source would be relevant because, although it mostly about adolescents
entering the workforce, it discusses independence excessively, talking about different
parenting techniques. It also touches on technology when it discusses the concept of
immediate feedback.

Kalogeraki, Stefania, and Marina Papadaki. "The Impact of Mobile Use on Teenagers'
Socialization."
Academia.edu. Common Ground Publishing, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
This source is relevant because it talks a lot about the relationship between parents
and teenagers in the context of cell phones. The website academia.edu as a whole can be
a good source as well.

Krauss Whitbourne, Susan. "The Myth of the Helicopter Parent." Psychology Today.
Sussex
Publishers, 23 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
This source will be relevant because it explores one of the parenting methods I will
be studying in my research. The website as a whole should be helpful because much of
my project revolves around psychological developments, and Im sure the website has a
number of articles on adolescence.

"Monitoring Your Teen's Activities: What Parents and Families Should Know." (n.d.): n.
pag. Cdc.gov.
Center for Disease Control, Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
This source will be relevant because it is a guide for parents in how to monitor their
childrens activities, which includes some tips for how to do so using cell phones.

"Parents, Teens, and Online Privacy." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life
Project RSS. Pew
Research Center, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
This source will be relecant because it explores the way parents have adapted their
parenting styles to accomodate their childrens use of technlogy.

Scholarly Articles:
Bengtson, Vern L. Longitudinal Study of Generations, 1971, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994,
1997, 2000
[California]. ICPSR22100-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for
Political and Social
Research [distributor], 2009-05-12. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR22100.v2
This source is relevant because it investigates how intergenerational relationships
influence peoples behavior as they transition through the stages of life. A big part of this
transition is independence, and parenting is inherent in the Longitudinal Study of
Generations, so this study should provide some useful background information for my
research.
Calam, R., M. R. Sanders, C. Miller, V. Sadhnani, and S.-A. Carmont. "Can Technology
and the Media
Help Reduce Dysfunctional Parenting and Increase Engagement With Preventative
Parenting
Interventions?" Child Maltreatment 13.4 (2008): 347-61. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
This source is relevant because the question posed as the studys title is very similar
to the one I am exploring, and this study no doubt answers that question. It will be useful
for me to know what these other researchers have found.

Feinstein, Sheryl. "Parenting the Teenage Brain: Understanding a Work in Progress."
Education
Resources Information Center (2007): n. pag. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
This source is relevant because it discusses methods of parenting teenagers. It
includes a chapter on technology called Technology: The Medium and the Message.

Wang, R., Bianchi, S. M. and Raley, S. B. (2005), Teenagers Internet Use and Family
Rules: A Research
Note. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67: 12491258. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-
3737.2005.00214.x
This source explores parental monitoring of internet use. This will be relevant to me
in investigating whether parents use technology to control their childrens social lives.

Williams, Stephen, and Lynda Williams. "Space Invaders: The Negotiation of Teenage
Boundaries
through the Mobile Phone." The Sociological Review 53.2 (2005): 314-31. Web. 18
Oct. 2014.
This source will be extremely helpful. It is a sociological study that explores how
parents and teenagers negotiate spacial boundaries in the context of mobile phones. This
is one of the major areas of focus of my project.

Potential Interview Source:

Danah Boyd, author of Its Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Her work
has been referenced in a lot of the articles Ive found, and she seems to be a leader in the
study of parental control via tenchology and its impact on teenage independence and
development.



Wow Sylvie--you are really in great shape now. Its a relief to see this looking so good.

Know that you will have to do a week-by-week schedule (from Nov 1->Mar 31) in the
final draft of the project you choose to pursue. You are nearly there in this draft!

Ms. F and Mr. M