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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Patrick J. McGeever, LCSW, MSW, MPH, College of Public Health, Dept of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC-56, Tampa, FL 33612, (941) 587-3107, pmcgeeve@comcast.net

This qualitative research was a pilot study where the researcher interviewed 16 middle school age males in Sarasota County, Florida for the purpose of discovering the characteristics and traits of an adult male role model in their life. The outcome measures from this study have been utilized to formulate a questionnaire that can be distributed to middle school age males in the same school in a future research study and the response to it will determine if they have an adult male role model in their life. The participants of the pilot study were randomly chosen from the school roster at a middle school in Sarasota County. The researcher gained permission from the school principal, school board and IRB followed by the parents' consent and study participants' assent prior to inception of the study. The interviews were conducted over 2 school weeks averaging 45 minutes each. Each interview included 12 interactive open-ended questions designed to extract pertinent information from the study participant. The researcher was careful to state similarly focused questions in diverse terms and phraseologies, avoiding repetition and offering the interviewee more clarity about what was being asked. One question asked the participant to draw a poster soliciting adult men to be role models for middle school age males; it was suggested the posters highlight characteristics an adult male respondent should have for the job. Overall the questions covered the importance, benefits, characteristics, and impact an adult male role can have on a middle school age male's life.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Create a qualitative research study to evaluate middle school student's input and opinion on a specific topic related to their lives.
• Define pertinent characteristics, according to a middle school age male teen, that a male role model ideally would have.
• Analyze and process qualitative data collected from a randomized sample of middle school age male teens in a pilot study and establish a instrument based on these conclusions to be utilized on the general population of middle school age male teens.

Keywords: Adolescents, Roles

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered