I met with Dr. Robinson this Tuesday for about 45 minutes to discuss my plan for my final narrative paper and my plans for next semester. I wanted to focus on choosing which methodology to use for my paper. I’ve had significant difficulty, throughout the progression of this semester, grabbing hold of a firm research topic. Obviously, I’ve always planned to stay within the realm of HIV. However, as I attempted to fit my puzzle into each methodology, I felt as if I was moving further and further away from what I was actually passionate about. I discussed this with Dr. Robinson, and we essentially developed a new approach to this using existing data that I had at my disposal.
I have at my disposal 30 in-depth interviews with young women, describing their group behavior in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.[1] Using this data from 30 interviews with young women, I plan to ask the question: what explains variation in HIV risk among this group of women in Dar Es Salaam. I plan to investigate this question through a large-n statistical analysis. I will read through and dissect survey responses from young women in order to determine trends in group behavior.
After the meeting with Dr. Robinson, I was very pleased and reassured that my topic was in place for 306. Looking forward to 306, I will use other similar methodologies that were given to me as a model.[2] I am unsure of which correlation test I will perform thus far. However, a comparison of means is currently most appealing to me. That being said, I am unsure if I will change my mind in the coming days.
[1] Thespina Yamanis, “In-Depth Interviews with Key Informants / Leaders of Groups,” 2018.
[2] K.G. Santhya and Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls: Evidence from Low- and Middle-Income Countries,” Global Public Health 10, no. 2 (2015): 189–221, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17441692.2014.986169; AJ Mason-Jones et al., “School-Based Interventions for Preventing HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Pregnancy in Adolescents (Review),” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, no. 11 (2016), http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006417.pub3/epdf; Kaymarlin Govender et al., “HIV Prevention in Adolescents and Young People in Eastern and Southern Africa Region: A Review of Key Challenges Impeding Actions for an Effectiv Response,” The Open AIDS Journal, no. 12 (2018): 53–67.
