Several weeks ago, there was a national conversation about sexual harassment and assault with the #notokay moment. I spent some time reflecting on the experiences I 'd had in high school, college and as a young woman. My oldest daughter, who is in seventh grade, and I spoke about my experiences. I wanted her to know that she doesn 't need to accept being treated as prey and that she would be doing these boys a favor by informing a teacher or administrator if a boy touches her or makes lewd comments or otherwise harasses her. My thought was that some of these boys may have a man as a role model who is setting a poor example when it comes to respecting the dignity of others, and that early education/intervention could help the boys. Is this …show more content…
In a naturalistic observation, students could be observed in class, on buses, or in another location where they congregate. There would be an advantage to documenting behaviors from footage, rather than having researchers near enough to the students to possibly influence the behavior of those students. The knowledge of being filmed can also influence behavior, however. In survey research, care would need to be taken not to ask ambigueous questions such as "have you sexually harassed another student in the last month?" In addition to concerns about honestly, I would be concerned about perception. It is my intuition that some boys would not characterize their behavior as harassing. Similiarly, I would not want to ask a question as vague as "have you been sexually assaulted at school?", at least, not without breaking down the exact definition of sexual assault. For example, not all girls and boys would consider groping a form of assault. In essence, with a survey method, I would be concerned about the over and under reporting of the targeted behaviors; with the observational method, I would be concerned about the influence that being observed exerts on the