Students will introduce themselves to the professor and fellow classmates by writing a 3-4paragraph (approx. 500-600 words) description of their capstone project and research plan that will guide thei

EXAMPLE

[Name]and Areas of Study

It is common for expecting parents to have a preference for the biological sex of their unborn child, and when parents discover that their child will be of the less preferred sex, they can experience a unique form of discontentment referred to as gender disappointment. While humans have likely dealt with this phenomenon longer than it has had a name, in recent years it has become a more popular topic of discussion, particularly for mothers who are seeking advice and coping methods. While some parents may experience a fleeting moment of dissatisfaction upon finding out the biological sex of their child, other parents may feel more long-term effects that can contribute to postpartum depression (Boyce & Hickey, 2005).Less discussed, however, is the effect on the child of the disappointed parent, and how it has impacted their life. My research asks: for those who feel their parent(s) was/were disappointed by their biological sex, how has it impacted their upbringing, parental relationships, and gender identity?

I have chosen to write a research paper for my capstone project. I plan to use both quantitative and qualitative methods of collecting and analyzing data, as is common in the various studies and sociological research that inspired this project. First, I plan to draft survey questions to gather information about each participant and their perceived experiences. Using a Likert scale of 1-10, or a selection of answers categorized in a similar way in which each answer would correspond to a number, would give me the ability to organize, compare, and interpret the quantitative data. I will also craft open-ended questions to allow participants to share their comments in a more flexible and unrestricted manner for a more in depth understanding of their feelings and personal experiences with both their gender identity and their relationship with their parent(s). Open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews, in person or through email, would likely be the best methods to use, as many of my questions warrant answers more complicated than what can be selected on a numbered scale.

Second, I will also turn to online communities together data via surveys and interviews. One benefit of using internet-based communities is that I will not be limited by physical boundaries, and people from potentially all over the world may be willing to take part in the study. Although I would not be opposed to conducting face-to-face interviews, I believe people may be more willing to share their true feelings on a sensitive issue this way, rather than in person, especially if they are used to doing so as one might be as a member of an online community.

I’m hoping to collect data on :participants ‘biological sex at birth, how they identify presently in terms of gender, how or if this identity has changed throughout their life, the level to which they feel their parents are/were disappointed by their biological sex, and if their parents have definitively communicated this or if it is solely based on the participant’s perception. Additionally, I would like to gather information on the quality of the parent/child relationship from the child’s perspective with consideration to potential differences between childhood and adulthood, and how or if the participant feels the perceived gender disappointment has influenced their sense of self, or life, in other aspects.