NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY

ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Student: Jermaine Johnson

THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETELY FILLED IN
Follow these procedures: If requested by your instructor, please include an assignment cover
sheet. This will become the first page of your assignment. In addition, your assignment header
should include your last name, first initial, course code, dash, and assignment number. This
should be left justified, with the page number right justified. For example:
JohnsonJBTM7303-4
Save a copy of your assignments: You may need to re-submit an assignment at your instructors
request. Make sure you save your files in accessible location.
Academic integrity: All work submitted in each course must be your own original work. This
includes all assignments, exams, term papers, and other projects required by your instructor.
Knowingly submitting another persons work as your own, without properly citing the source of
the work, is considered plagiarism. This will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work
submitted or for the entire course. It may also result in academic dismissal from the University.
BTM7303

May Shaw

Research Methods

Week 4 Assignment: Understand the

Qualitative Approach

<Add student comments here>

Faculty Use Only
<Faculty comments here>

<Faculty Name>

<Grade Earned>

<Date Graded>

Leadership in the Black community: Past, Present, Future!

Positive Leadership in the black community has been on the decline since the
assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X. Before diving any further into the
research it should be addressed the reasoning why it is being referred to as Black Leadership
rather than African American leadership. This reason stems from the fact that most blacks in
America are not Africans at all and because of the days of slavery, majority of blacks cannot
speculate on what part of Africa their ancestors originated from. It is most of the time forgotten
that Africa is in fact a continent and within that continent there are numerous countries therefore
one cannot place all black people into the categorical box of African American. The decline in
positive black leaders has led to mass incarcerations for criminal activity, an educational
problem, economical down falls, and has led to the black youth becoming more careless about
life, as well as the losing the idea of the Black American dream. Nowadays, for blacks the
definition of achieving the American dream is to be accepted by the Caucasian community and
be able to escape the harsh realities of predominantly black neighborhoods. For blacks to
measure their success through the eyes of the oppressor are a clear sign that the black community
has been in digress for decades.
According to Hotchkins (2014) pertaining to college and higher learning African
American students have also experienced racial hostility, hiding cultural identity, a pressure to
assimilate and leadership alienation in predominantly White organizations which must not be
trivialized. Could this be one of the defining factors in the decline of positive black leadership?
This situation has led to a rise in leadership from the entertainment industry including athletes
and music artists which goes without saying that this leadership is not always positive and not
always the best advice. Furthermore, a number of these leaders, by default, want to do anything

about the system that has oppressed black growth for decades. With success during the 1920s, in
regards to Black Wall Street, allows one to really analyze where the black community was and
where they currently are and with speculation and trend, it can be theorized where they are
headed if these issues are not addressed immediately. In regards to the research portion of the
problem, the qualitative methodology could be used to address the problem in such a way that
any of the following qualitative research gathering methods could be used:
Participant Observation
A standout amongst the most widely recognized techniques for qualitative data collections,
member perception is likewise a standout amongst the most requesting. It requires that the
analyst turn into a member in the way of life or connection being watched. The writing on
member perception talks about how to enter the setting, the part of the specialist as a member,
the accumulation and capacity of field notes, and the examination of field information. Member
perception regularly requires months or years of serious work in light of the fact that the analyst
needs to wind up acknowledged as a characteristic piece of the way of life so as to guarantee that
the perceptions are of the normal wonder.
Direct Observation
Direct perception is recognized from member perception in various ways. Initial, an immediate
spectator doesn't normally attempt to wind up a member in the connection. Then again, the
immediate onlooker strives to be as subtle as could be expected under the circumstances so as
not to predisposition the perceptions. Second, coordinate perception proposes a more separated
viewpoint. The specialist is observing as opposed to tuning in. Thus, innovation can be a helpful
piece of direct perception. Case in point, one can tape the wonder or see from behind restricted

mirrors. Third, coordinate perception has a tendency to be more engaged than member
perception. The analyst is watching sure inspected circumstances or individuals as opposed to
attempting to wind up submerged in the whole connection. At last, coordinate perception tends
not to take the length of member perception. For example, one may watch youngster mother
cooperations under particular circumstances in a research facility setting from behind a
restricted mirror, searching particularly for the nonverbal signs being utilized.
Unstructured Interviewing
Unstructured talking includes direct communication between the scientist and a respondent or
gathering. It contrasts from customary organized meeting in a few essential ways. To start with,
despite the fact that the analyst may have some introductory managing inquiries or center ideas
to get some information about, there is no formal organized instrument or convention. Second,
the questioner is allowed to move the discussion in any bearing of interest that may come up.
Thusly, unstructured meeting is especially helpful for investigating a theme comprehensively. In
any case, there is a cost for this absence of structure. Since every meeting has a tendency to be
remarkable with no foreordained arrangement of inquiries asked of all respondents, it is
generally harder to dissect unstructured meeting information, particularly when blending
crosswise over respondents.
Case Studies
A contextual investigation is a concentrated investigation of a particular individual or particular
connection. Case in point, Freud created contextual investigations of a few people as the premise
for the hypothesis of therapy and Piaget did contextual analyses of kids to think about formative

stages. There is no single approach to lead a contextual analysis, and a mix of techniques (e.g.,
unstructured meeting, direct perception) can be utilized (Trochim).
The purpose of the research effort is to speculate on the reasons behind the decline in
positive black leadership or if the reason behind it isnt an actual reason at all but merely a
figment of our imagination pertaining to the lack of positive media coverage involving the black
community. If the stated problem could be theorized, then it can be speculated what would have
to be done to reverse the situations of today or to show the positive actions of these unnamed
community activists that are not being identified by oppressor owned media companies.
According Smith and Walters, as blacks gained more rights and more aggregate assets in the
post civil rights period, gatherings focused on the freedom of blacks modified their
methodologies. Specifically, he takes note of the methodology shift from the peaceful dissents to
dark patriotism to discretionary legislative issues. The mainstreaming or organization of dark
legislative issues harmonized with the ascent of the dark white collar class and the extension of
the pipeline callings for dark authority. Along these lines, as blacks got to be installations in
world class business, social, and instructive establishments and began moving into more
prestigious elective workplaces at higher numbers, Walters saw that blacks began to forsake
challenge methodologies for a more incremental methodology that grasped campaigning and
utilizing elective office to look for change from inside of American political foundations (Smith
and Walters, P.126 37).
Questions associated with theorizing the problem of positive black leadership appropriate for a
qualitative study include but are not limited to:
1. What was your view of black leadership in the 1960s? 2000s? Speculation on the future?
(The question of the 1960s is directed at adults aged 60 and older)

2. Do you believe the media has placed a limitation on the amount of positive black
leadership it will allow to be covered (for example; the anniversary of the Million Man
March having one station covering it; not even BET) ?
3. What can be done to shift the mass following of black entertainers back to the following
of positive black Doctors, Lawyers, and Activist etc.?
As the aforementioned information stated, there are numerous ways to answer a qualitative
study. Currently the preferred method of information gathering would be a mixture of case
studies, unstructured interviewing and participant observation. Using these methods, it would
allow for an individual who fits the profile of the subjects to infiltrate the community and gather
information as one of their own. After researching the aforementioned information, it is believed
that the qualitative methodology would be a great fit for speculating on the problems associated
with the topic of discussion. The reason behind that is within the qualitative methodology there
are subgroup named above in which an individual collecting information could utilize to gather
all necessary data.

Reference
Hotchkins, B. K. (2014). GUESS WHO'S COMING TO THE MEETING? African American
Student Leadership Experiences Unpacked. College Student Affairs Journal, 32(1), 171188.
Smith, Robert C., Johnson, Cedric, and Newby, Robert G., eds. SUNY Series in African
American Studies : What Has This Got to Do with the Liberation of Black People? : The
Impact of Ronald W. Walters on African American Thought and Leadership. Albany, NY,
USA: State University of New York Press, 2014. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 13 November
2015.
Trochim, W. (n.d.). Qualitative Methods. Retrieved November 13, 2015, from
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/qualmeth.php