A Comparison of Three Studies About Violence in Campuses Essay Example

the university was not very common. They only gathered data for incidents that occurred while the students were attending the university. Once adjustments were made, the investigators conducted a pilot test of the survey and obtained a test-retest reliability estimate of alpha=.82. Citation: Nicholson et al.

(1998) The survey method was used by (author) to collect data. This method has advantages such as versatility, efficiency, and the ease of making generalizations. However, it is subjective due to reliance on the opinions of researchers and respondents, which can challenge the accuracy of findings. The variables examined (non-sexual attacks, undesired sexual activity, alcohol involvement, reporting to authorities, and demographics) were measured at nominal and ordinal levels. To establish measurement validity, the survey was conducted twice on the same population - students enrolled in one-credit health education classes in spring 1994 and fall 1996 at a Northeastern University.

The reliability of the study's findings was ensured by conducting a pilot test. The test-retest reliability estimate obtained from the pilot test was alpha=.82 (Nicholson et al. 1998). These two factors enhanced the construct validity of the study. Another research, conducted by Walter, Florkowski, Anderson, and Dunn (2014), focused on comparing the perception of safety among college students in the United States between non-drinkers and drinkers.

The purpose of the study was to examine the rising occurrences of violence at educational institutions. A total of 56,811 students participated in a survey, which indicated that 94% of alcohol consumers felt secure, while only 92% of non-drinkers reported feeling safe. The researchers considered factors like ethnicity/race, gender, and place of residence to ensure precise results.

A recent study suggests that feeling secure at school increases the

likelihood of student participation in drinking by 20% compared to those who feel unsafe. This finding supports Kapner's (2008) earlier research, emphasizing the detrimental effects of smoking on both smokers and those around them. The negative consequences mentioned, such as decreased academic achievement, engaging in risky sexual activity, and involvement in violent behavior, also apply to individuals who consume alcohol. Additionally, consuming alcohol may subject others to harassment and potential danger.

Walter et al. (2014) conducted a literature search and discovered that 57.5% of females and 62.9% of males aged 18 to 25 years were drinkers. However, the search on race did not yield conclusive results. Conversely, they found that living in a college environment was not advantageous for student welfare and health. This study involved multiple universities and included 55,145 out of the original 56,937 participants, resulting in a response rate of 96.8%. The survey assessed students' perception of safety and their average weekly consumption of beer bottles as measures. Additionally, the researchers considered the respondents' race.

High-risk individuals were described as men consuming over 50 drinks per week and women consuming more than 40 drinks per week. Both Walter et al., who used a survey method, and Nicholson et al. had similar strengths and weaknesses in their research methods. Walter et al.'s study displays construct validity by incorporating pertinent variables regarding the research goal, such as weekly alcohol consumption, safety perception, and occurrences of violence. These variables effectively enhance our comprehension of how college students in the United States perceive safety based on their drinking habits.

The students were asked simple and straightforward questions in the study, such as whether they felt safe in college, to

which they could respond with either "yes" or "no". The study's reliability was ensured by consistent findings across multiple participating colleges (Walter et al., 2014). Another study conducted by Peeler, Far, Miller, and Brigham (2000) examined the effects of a Peer Norms Correction (PNC) procedure on college students' perceptions of drinking on campus and their actual drinking behaviors. A total of 262 students were recruited from various locations including their residence halls, Greek houses, classes, and through advertisements.

62% of the total number of students were females and all of them were enrolled in a 1-credit self-management skills (SMS) program at Northeastern State University. A random selection was conducted to assign these students to either the modified SMS curriculum, which included a 1-hour PNC procedure with 8 sections and 145 students, or the standard SMS curriculum with 7 sections and 117 students. Except for the inclusion of the 1-hour PNC procedure in the modified curriculum, both curriculums were identical. Three separate surveys were carried out to collect demographic information, assess the participants' perception of peers' attitudes towards alcohol consumption, and gather data for the PNC presentation. The PNC procedure aims to change students' perception of others' drinking habits in order to reduce overall group drinking.

At the conclusion of the program, the standard SMS group showed significantly higher perceptions compared to the PNC group, suggesting that PNC could be effective in correcting misconceptions regarding alcohol use norms (Peeler et al., 2000). The third study is a traditional experiment that differs from the first two studies as it involves comparing data from two groups. The main advantages of this study include the random selection of students, which ensures

fairness to a large extent and internal validity. Measurement validity was established by using a separate control group that received a standard SMS course curriculum, while the test group received a modified SMS curriculum with the incorporation of the PNC program. The reliability of the method used was confirmed by the consistent findings in previous studies as noted by the investigators in their literature review.

The only limitation of this type of research is that it is susceptible to human error. Overall, these three studies demonstrate a great eagerness to broaden knowledge, which is highly admirable.

References

1. Nicholson, M. E., Maney, D. W., Blair, K., Wamboldt, P. M., Mahoney, B. S., & Yuan, J. (1998).

Trends in Alcohol-Related Campus Violence: Implications for Prevention. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 43(3), pp. 34–52.

Peeler, C. M., Far, J., Miller, J., & Brigham, T.

A. (2000). An Analysis of the Effects of a Program to Reduce Heavy Drinking Among College Students. Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education, 45(2), pp.

39–54.

48-66.