FS Proposal outline 5/11/11

Research Proposal: Family and Community Perceptions of Children Who Have Disabilities or Special Needs, the Ranches near Irapuato, Guanajato, Mexico

Purpose:

My purpose in going to the Ranches near the city of Irapuato in Guanajato, Mexico is to gain insight into how parents from these rural areas of Mexico perceive children who have special needs. I would also like to understand how families who have a child with special needs are viewed by their communities. In general what are these communities understanding of a child with a developmental delay or disability.

Conceptualization:

A child who has a delay or disability is someone who does not reach the community’s definition of age appropriate milestones on time. Parent’s perceptions will be analyzed into areas of feelings they have toward their child and what they understand and believe their child can do and cannot do when looking at their developmental progress.

Method:

This information will be gathered in a variety of different ways. Observations will be done in homes where there is a child with special needs or disabilities. Interviews will be conducted with those who have children with special needs. As well surveys will be conducted to community members throughout the ranches connected to their feelings towards families who have a child with special needs and their general beliefs towards that family’s child on how that can grow and progress in there development.

Operationalization:

The observations will be done through a rubric that will take into account the environment, for example shelter, food, and materials. There will also be a connection to interactions with that child, with whom and how frequently, etc. The interviews will be a serious of open ended questions that will be given to the child’s parents. The surveys will be given orally to those from the community. These questions will include both how the family is perceived as well as how the community perceives the child and their ability to make developmental gains.

Population Sample:

This sample will be done with a percentage of the people being geographically close to a child who has special needs and the other percentage not having a close proximity to a child with special needs. Hopefully information will be gathered from a variety of ranches outside Irapuato.

Observations:

Will be concluded through data collection.

Data Processing:

The data from observations, interviews, and surveys will be gathered and organized on a weekly basis. Based on findings, patterns will be noted and decisions on which direction to continue will be made.

Analysis:

I intend to look for patterns or trends in the different areas explained above in my purpose. A big enough sample from each of the ranches should be gathered to give generalization to the perceptions of the people and families from these communities.

Application:

I intend to write a paper that accurately reflects the communities of the Ranches perceptions of families and children who have special needs. I would also like to point out the patterns of feelings these parents have from these communities of how they perceive their child with special needs.