My research interest focuses on how school-based mental health interventions, affect the academic and overall well-being of adolescents. With increasing prevalence of issues related to depression, anxiety and stress among students are increasingly, it is critical to consider how targeted support systems in schools can positively impact their educational performance and emotional well-being. Not only does this topic align with my professional interests, but it also reflects a wider social concern about whether mental health resources are accessible to young people.
The philosophical orientation that effectively fits my worldview is constructivism. Ontologically, constructivism presupposes that reality is not inherent but is socially constructed, context-dependent and does exist as a single objective truth. Epistemologically, it highlights that knowledge is a co-constructed element of researchers and participants, and hence multiple perspectives are valid (Burkholder et al., 2020). This orientation aligns with my view that the lived experiences, personal narratives and the way adolescents interpret their environments influence how they navigate school and respond to mental health interventions.
These ontological and epistemological assumptions align with qualitative research strategies, especially phenomenological research design and case studies. These methods enable the researcher to capture the complexity of students’ experiences more comprehensively than quantitative measures. For instance, in-depth interviews can offer more information on how students view counselling support, whereas thematic analysis may show how school climate impacts mental health outcomes of students. According to Babbie (2017), scientific inquiry is all about making systematic observations but at the same time considering the viewpoints of the subjects. By integrating the assumptions of constructivism with the practice of qualitative methodologies, I will be able to explore not only whether interventions are effective, but why and how they are important based on students’ perspectives.
References
Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., Crawford, L. M., & Hitchcock, J. H. (Eds.). (2020). Research designs and methods: An applied guide for the scholar-
Judy Seraphine (She/Her)
Aug 27 11:38amReply from Judy Seraphine
Yaney,
Thank you for your post! Good discussion! The assumptions you outlined certainly align well with phenomenological research and case study research. What methodological design would you be inclined to use for your research topic of interest?
Best,
Dr. Seraphine