Qualitative researchers produce a research protocol and a research script. The research protocol is the template the researcher uses to conduct the research and ensures that all aspects of the researc

INTERNET ADDICTION IN ADOLESCENTS

Amenia Payne

University of Phoenix

Introduction

Qualitative research majorly concentrates on collection of non-numerical information. Qualitative research is generally a process of naturalistic inquiry which seek the comprehension of social phenomena in a deeper context. This generally complies with their natural settings. The research essentially concentrates on why on the phenomena unlike other researches why focus on the what of the social phenomena. In this case, the qualitative research on the internet addiction in adolescents will tend to analyze on the why of this social assessment. This include an analysis of why teens are often indulged in internet addiction. The factors that may aggravate their indulgence in internet addiction which explains the question why the social phenomena happen to the adolescents. The qualitative research will utilize the numerous systems of inquiry for the study of human phenomena which include biography, case study, historical analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography, grounded theory as well as phenomenology of the case in which adolescents are often involved in the internet addiction.

Why Internet Addiction in Adolescents Should be Approached in a Qualitative Perspective

There are various concerns that complicate the internet addiction in adolescents. This are majorly the aspects that explain why the internet addiction in adolescents should be approached using the qualitative research perception. To start with, anxiety has acted as a ruling contributor towards internet addiction in adolescents. Many young teens feel anxiety over their respective life, school, achievements as well as relationships. This tend to create a space for the internet to appear more appealing to them. In addition, adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have a feeling that the internet may catch their attention hence getting addicted to it (Bahadir & Bozoglan, 2017). The need to escape may also drive the teens to getting addicted in the internet. This is due to the fact that the internet may act as an escape from the hormones as well as emotions of adolescence. The need to exploring a diverse identity may also drive the teens to getting addicted in the internet. Numerous adolescents feel that once they have a different identity online, they can be better of within social impression. Co-occurring disorders may also lull the adolescents in getting addicted in the internet. This especially include facing obsessive-compulsive disorders other than the ADHD and depression (Bahadir & Bozoglan, 2017).

The reason why this topic would best be researched on a qualitative study is the exploration in it. There is need to explore the reason why teens are normally addicted to the internet. Exploration is one of the imperative interests of the qualitative research. In addition, the qualitative approach may be effective in this study due to the complexity that is involved in the study. There will be need to identify the subtlety of adolescents with the use of internet. This explains why the qualitative approach will be recommendable for conducting this particular study (David, 2016). The qualitative approach will help distill the complication in the internet addiction in adolescents to smaller manageable segments which can be easily solved.

In addition, the context of the study requires a qualitative approach to analyze and evaluate it. The environment in which the social phenomena manifests itself allows it to be investigated or researched using a qualitative approach. There is need to compare the qualitative needs of the internet use in teens over the other social media parameters that the teens normally consume. The qualitative information needed in this study should be gathered from observation and collection of information at a personal level. Explanation required within the study besides calls for the study to be conducted using the qualitative approach (David, 2016). There is need to elaborate the linkages or rather the mechanism which cause the addiction of internet in the adolescents. This will require conducting the testable hypothesis.

Design Appropriate for the Research Problem in Internet Addiction in Adolescents

The internet addiction in adolescents is a research study which tend to dig deeper on why the internet addiction in the adolescents. Due to this imperative nature, the appropriate research design for this study will be case study. This spectacular design will help explore on why the internet addiction especially in adolescents is imperative across the world. Besides, the case study will help examine how the internet addiction in adolescents have been prevalent in the recent days across the world (Frances, Mary & Stephen, 2011). This explain why this design well suit the research topic chosen in this situation. The case study will additionally aim to elaborate the specific issues arising from the internet addiction in adolescents. As mentioned above, this research study will be analyzed in its exclamatory, descriptive as well as explorative aspects.

To concur with the above nature, the research study will therefore be conducted under three major categories of case study. These categories include the explanatory case study, the descriptive as well as the exploratory case study. The explanatory case study will aim to answer the how and why of the research study (Tim, 2002). This include the reason behind why there is prevalence of the internet addiction especially in the adolescents across the whole world. It will focus on this social phenomenon within the contexts of real-life situations. This include an explanative description of the reasons behind too many teens being addicted in the internet across the world. Here, the main question under the focus of this category of the case study is the how and why of the chosen research topic (Frances, Mary & Stephen, 2011).

The descriptive case study in this chosen research topic will aim to analyze the sequence of interpersonal occurrences after a period of time. For instance, it will explain the prevalence of the internet addiction in teens within the last ten years across the world (Cristiano & Kimberly, 2010). The affected genders by the addiction as well as the impact that this addiction has caused to the both genders. The descriptive case study will beside analyze the culture as well as the sub-culture which are encountered in this set of internet addiction in adolescents.

The descriptive case study will additionally narrate the impact of the internet addiction in adolescents to the family, society as well as the nation at large. The exploratory case study under this research study will find the answers to the question of what and who the research topic entails (Patricia, 2014). This include a range of which adolescents should be categorized in accordance to the extent of how the internet addiction have affected them. This exploratory case study will include an addition collection of information especially from the secondary sources. However, the data collection as well as analysis will be conducted within the context of this social phenomenon.

Why Other Qualitative Approaches Would not be Appropriate

There are other qualitative approaches that would be used to analyze the chosen topic. These qualitative approaches include the ethnography research approach. The reason behind this type of qualitative would not be appropriate in studying the internet addiction in adolescents is the fact that this research study does not require the researcher to immerse themselves in the targeted participants which in this case are the adolescents (Ming, 2017). Within the ethnography, the researcher is required to immense themselves into the topic’s environment to understand and investigate on the required goals. Besides, this research study does not have its foundation in the cultural anthropology where the researcher has to immerse themselves within the culture. This describes why the ethnography cannot be appropriate for this chosen topic.

The narrative approach of the qualitative research would also not suit this respective chosen topic. This is due to the fact that this topic does not require a sequence of events to which the researcher would form the internet addiction in adolescents. The research topic does not require the researcher to conduct interviews, reading of documents or even looking for the themes to utilize in the research. This besides explain why the narrative qualitative approach would be appropriate for this particular chosen topic. The phenomenological qualitative approach would also not be appropriate for this particular chosen topic (Patricia, 2014).

This is due to the fact that there is no need to describe the chosen social phenomenon via reading of documents, conducting interviews as well as visiting places. The research topic itself is already known and the main questions emerge in the how and why the emergence of the chosen topic. Grounded theory qualitative theory normally seeks to explain the theory linked with the chosen topic hence no need to utilize this approach (Ariella & Susan, 2016). There is no need also to go through a series of open and axial coding techniques to seek a theory that would explain the chosen research topic hence no need to select the grounded theory for the study in internet addiction in adolescents.

References

Ariella van Luyn & Susan Gair (2016), Sharing Qualitative Research, Showing Lived Experience and Community, pp. 963.

Bahadir & Bozoglan (2017), Psychological, Social and Cultural Aspects of Internet Addiction, pp. 202.

Cristiano Nabuco de Abreu & Kimberly S. Young (2010), Internet Addiction, A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment, pp. 303.

David Silverman (2016), Qualitative Research, pp. 302.

Frances J. Riemer, Mary Lynn T. Quartaroli & Stephen D. Lapan (2011), Qualitative Research, An Introduction to Methods and Designs, pp. 406.

Ming Yan Tsang (2017), Factors Associated with Internet Addiction Among Adolescents, pp. 205.

Patricia Leavy (2014), The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research, pp. 202.

Tim May (2002), Qualitative Research in Action, pp. 203.