Crystal Loh Wai Ying; M. Phil Proposal; Dept. of Sociology, HKU. (I) Proposed Title (II) Introduction (III) Brief Literature Review Environmental Variables and Crime Rational Choice Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED) (IV) Methodology Participant Observation Individual Interviews Community Observation Analysis of Official/Unofficial Statistic (V) Proposed Research Time-Table (VI) References

(I) Proposed Title The Relationship between Juvenile Delinquency and Environmental Variables in New Town, Tuen Mun

(II) Introduction The problem of juvenile delinquency in Tuen Mun\\\'s new town\\\' has become more and more alarming in recent years. According to recent police statistics, the figure of 662 recorded juvenile arrests in Tuen Mun was the highest among all police districts in the territory in the first half of 1996. Such figures raise public concern about the occurrence of juvenile delinquency in the context of planned housing in the new towns. A number of questions arise, such as: \\\" Why does Tuen Mun suffer more Juvenile Delinquency than other places? \\\" \\\" Is the environment of Tuen Mun more favorable for Juvenile Delinquency than other places? \\\" and \\\" How far do the environmental features influence the chances of delinquency occurring? \\\". Hence, the following hypothesis will be examined in my proposed study: \\\" The environment of Tuen Mun\\\'s new town invites and provides more opportunities for juveniles to commit delinquency than other new towns and urban areas of HK.\\\" I will compare juvenile delinquency in Tuen Mun\\\'s new town with two other areas in order to make the study more interesting. The first area, also a new town, is Tseung Kwan O, which has similar environmental features to Tuen Mun. The second area, Kowloon City, is an urban district and has different characteristics to Tuen Mun. I will employ the \\\"environmental perspective\\\" in my study in order to attempt to explain the nature of juvenile delinquency. In addition, the related \\\"situation al crime prevention\\\" approach which focuses on the \\\"rational choice\\\" of offenders will also be critically used to supplement an understanding of the factors involved in juvenile delinquency. The following proposal presents the \\\"What\\\" and \\\"How\\\" of my study. Using the \\\"environmental\\\" approach to study juvenile delinquency is a novel attempt in Hong Kong; therefore, I will rely on the ideas and methods developed in the west by, for example, Newman(1972), the Brantingham(1990) and Clarke and Felson(1993).

(III) Brief Literature Review Environmental Variables and Crime The work of the pre-world war II Chicago researchers Shaw and Mcay made a major contribution to criminology by developing the \\\"Ecological\\\" approach to the under standing of the interaction between society and environment in crime causation. They theorized about social relations, urban social structure and their relation ship with crime. Their study \\\"Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas\\\"(1942) showed that high crime areas usually straddled the industrial zone which was character ized by very high rates of residential turnover and low rates of home ownership. Shaw and McKay explained this phenomenon by the theory of \\\"social disorganizati on\\\". In short, they argued that differences in delinquency rates between areas was correlated with environmental variables like housing conditions, demographic stability and ethnic/social status. Later, a geographer Davidson (1981) tried to give a full explanation for the relationship between environmental variables and crime. He classified environment into two categories-- physical environment and social environment. Physical environment referred to the structure and design of an area. For example, parks, leisure grounds, street patterns, commercial complexes and centers are the basic components of the physical environment. Social environment referred to a set of contexts which form the basis for social interaction outside the home such as school, recreation and neighborhood. Davidson\\\'s study suggested how both the social and physical environment provide opportunities for delinquency.

The latest studies about physical environment and crime by Taylor and Harrell (1996) show how physical features like housing design or block layout, land use, erritorial features, and physical deterioration relate to crime risk. My study will attempt to define and examine the pattern of such environmental variables in Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Kowloon City. Differences in the kinds of environmental factors found in the three study areas may provide hypothetically an explanation for differences in juvenile crime in Hong Kong.

Rational Choice Clarke (1983, 1993) has applied the \\\"rational choice\\\" perspective to a range of crimes. His studies examined how offenders think about a crime situation and how they choose the most \\\"suitable\\\" environment and opportunity to operate in or target to select. It suggests that the environmental features of a place will probably affect a potential offender\\\'s perceptions about a possible crime site, their evaluations of the likelihood of success and the availability and visibility of guardians. (Clarke, 1983, 1993, Felson, 1994, Taylor and Harrell, 1996) Therefore, my study will explore how juvenile offenders perceive such environmental variables and test whether they commit delinquency in a rational fashion.

A study by Beavon (1984, cited in Felson,1994) demonstrated this rational choice assumption by showing that a shop located in an area with more converging streets suffered more crime than those located elsewhere. Because the street junctions and intersections made the offender feel that it was more convenient to access, escape and hide. With this kind of example in mind, my study seeks to find out how similar sorts of environmental features in Tuen Mun influence juvenile delinquents to make this type of rational choice.

Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED) CPTED studies provide numerous detailed description and explanations of the relationship between crime and place with a view to minimize crime. For example, Jane Jacobs(1961) found a greater tendency for crime to occur in large publicly accessible areas created by the newer forms of urban planning. She pointed out that the new forms of design broke down many of the traditional controls on criminal behavior, for example, the ability of residents to watch the street and the presence of people using the street both night and day. She suggested that the lack of \\\"natural guardianship\\\" in the environment promoted crime. A decade later Oscar Newman (1972, 1980) contributed a seminal work on crime prevention and environment, using such concepts as \\\"defensible space\\\", \\\"natural surveillance\\\", and \\\"community of interest\\\". Concerning the relationship between the prevalence or absence of \\\"guardianship\\\" or \\\"surveillance\\\" and crime occurrence, my study will examine whether the environment of Tuen Mun\\\'s new town provides insufficient \\\"natural guardianship\\\" compared to Kowloon City which leads to a high delinquency rate.

Another major work on environmental criminology by Pat and Paul Brantingham (1990) further developed the concept of CPTED. The Brantinghams\\\' suggested that \\\"routine activity\\\" such as the way the potential offenders live, work or go to school, and engage in leisure could influence the offenders to search for crime targets. For example, places near McDonald\\\'s restaurants and 7-eleven stores where youths like to gather after school may suffer more property crime than other place s. Hence, the Brantinghams\\\' suggested that schools should be kept away from shopping malls and convenience-stores so youths do not congregate at these places after school or at lunch time. Such a change of space or place could reduce some delinquency such as shoplifting. My research following the Brantinghams\\\' suggestion will examine and compare what sorts of places and why they are prone to high juvenile crime in Tuen Mun.

(IV) Methodology

In order to test the hypothesis of the study and examine the main questions raised, the following methodology will be employed.

Participant Observation Participant observation with a group of juvenile delinquents or marginal youths in Tuen Mun will be carried out. The aim is to collect more qualitative information about their life style and behaviour. Through cautious participation and observation of the juvenile delinquents\\\' daily and routine activities, I hope to find out how their delinquent patterns have been influenced by environmental factors. I propose to associate myself with Tuen Mun\\\'s juvenile delinquents through the help of the district outreaching social work team. I will ask them to introduce me to their clients and rely on a \\\"snowball effect\\\" to approach more subjects. This means making friends with one or more clients and then asking him/her to introduce their friends to me.

Individual Interviews Individual interviews by a way of structured questionnaire will also be used to collect information about the juvenile delinquents\\\' perception of the environment. The interview is especially important for examining questions like \\\"What kind of environment could encourage juveniles to make the rational choice\\\' to commit delinquency?\\\". I will also attempt to interview police officers and security guards about the effectiveness of both natural and official \\\"guardianship\\\" in these communities.

Community Observation To collect information about the physical features of Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Kowloon City, systematic observations will be carried out. Through several community surveys of the physical settings, I will measure the prevalence or absence of environmental features suggested by CPTED as significant to crime control. By comparing the physical environment of the three studied areas the different environmental influences on the opportunity for juvenile delinquency can be gauged.

Analysis of Official/Unofficial Statistic In order to gain a fuller picture of the situation of juvenile delinquency in Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Kowloon City, a comprehensive analysis of the official statistics will also be undertaken. Besides official data, other sources of statistical data produced by agencies such as District Social Service Center or Youth Committee and Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (Crime Victim Survey) will also be used. I will pay especial attention to information about the location of juvenile delinquency and the types of delinquency committed in particular places.

(V) Proposed Research Time-Table

Sept 1996----Apr 1997 : - Literature review - Official contact with the outreaching social work team, RHKPF and other agencies- Community surveys of the three areas - Design the questionnaires- Collection of official and unofficial statistic

May 1997----Jun 1997 : - Statistical analysis of crime and place- Find the targets- Community observation (Tuen Mun)

Jul 1997----Sept 1997 : - Field Work - 1st session Participant Observation of Tuen Mun\\\'s JD

Oct 1997----Nov 1997 : - Field Work - Community observation (Kowloon City and Tseung Kwan O)- Interview the police officers and security guards

Dec 1997----Feb 1998 : - Field Work - 2nd session Participant Observation of Tuen Mun\\\'s JD

Mar 1998----Apr 1998 : - Analysis of the data obtained from the field work

May 1998----Aug 1998 : - Write the Thesis

(VI) References 1. Beavon, D.J.(1984) Crime and Environmental Opportunity Structure: The Influence of Street Networks on the Patterning of Property Offenses Unpublished master\\\'s thesis, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. 2. Brantingham, P.J.and Brantingham,P.L.(1990) Environmental Criminology. Prospect Heights,IL: Waveland. 3. Clarke, R.V.(1983) \\\"Situational Crime Prevention: Its Theoretical Basis and Practical Scope\\\" in M. Tonry & N. Morris (Eds.) Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research Chicag University of Chicago Press. 4. Clarke, R.V.and Felson, M.(1993) Routine Activity and Rational Choice; Advances in Criminology Theory (Vol.5) New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books. 5. Davidson, R.N.(1981) Crime and Environment London: Croom Helm. 6. Felson, M.(1994) Crime and Everyday Life: Insights and Implications for Society Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press. 7. Jacobs,J.(1961) Death and Life of Great American Cities New York: Random House. 8. Newman, O. (1972) Defensible Space: Crime Prevention Through Urban Design New York: Macmillan. 9. Newman, O. (1980) Community of Interest Garden City, NY: Anchor. university of Chicago Press. 10. Taylor, R.B. and Harrell, A.V. (1996) Physical Environment and Crime U.S.A.: National Institute of Justice.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-1-24 1:27:39编辑过]

Research Proposal样本(2)

Topic: This research proposal suggests research on how the level of self- disclosure effects the degree of relationship satisfaction.

Review of Literature: Guerrero & Afifi (1995) conducted a study to examine topic avoidance and self-disclosure in family relationships. They found that males reported avoiding discussion of relationship issues more than females did. As Martin&Anderson(1995)sought to examine the motives behind self-disclosure in father-young adult relationships and the resulting level of relationship satisfaction, their study found that young adults seem to model their self- disclosure after their fathers\' self-disclosure. Pegalis, Shaffer, Bazzini, & Greenier (1994) examined the generality of the opener effect to males and females across different situational contexts. They found that both genders disclosed more and longer to high openers than to low openers across the different contexts, Leaper, Carson, Baker, Holliday, & Myers (1995) used both same- and opposite-sex dyads in order to examine the relationship between listener verbal support and self-disclosure among friends. They found that females tended to be more responsive and supportive than males during discussions in both same- and cross-gender friendships. However, it was also found that men made more disclosing comments than did women, indicating that it is possible for males to disclose as much as females. They also found that imbalances in self-disclosure and verbal support are related to relationship dissatisfaction. Drawing on these findings, it could be possible to anticipate that individuals who have similar patterns of self-disclosure would have higher degrees of relationship satisfaction. Continued research may further explore what other factors affect the degree of relationship satisfaction. Research Question: What effect does the level of self-disclosure have on the degree of relationship satisfaction? Hypothesis: Individuals who experience similar levels of self-disclosure will be more likely to have higher degrees of relationship satisfaction. Method: In congruence with the previous study conducted by Martin & Anderson (I 995), a design involving approximately 200 undergraduate students, I 00 male and I 00 female will be used. They will complete questionnaires consisting of measures of self-disclosure and communication satisfaction. They will also be given a questionnaire to have their significant others complete. This questionnaire will include the same measures. Participants will be informed that this research study focuses on self-disclosure and levels of relationship satisfaction, participation is voluntary, and their responses will be kept confidential. A self-addressed envelope will be enclosed to assist in confidentiality. Participants will complete the Self-Disclosure Scale (SDS) and the Communication Satisfaction Scale (CSS). Their responses will be compared with those of their partner\'s in order to assess the similarities between the pair\'s levels of self-disclosure to each other and their degree of relationship satisfaction. Participants will also be given a second questionnaire, which will ask them to assess what they believe to be their partners\' level of self-disclosure and degree of relationship satisfaction. These responses will also be compared to examine whether individuals\' self-reports of their levels of disclosure and satisfaction match up with what their partners believe their levels to be. Predictions: In response to the study done by Martin & Anderson (I 995), it should become clear that the amount of self-disclosure that occurs between individuals affects the relational satisfaction that is felt by both parties. Leaper et al. (1995) found that imbalances in self-disclosure and verbal support are related to relationship dissatisfaction. This would seem to indicate that the opposite would be true, as well. So, it may be found that individuals who experience similar levels of self-disclosure will have higher degrees of relationship satisfaction. A possible problem using the methods chosen is that self-report may not be entirely accurate. People may not truthfully portray their levels of self- disclosure and relational satisfaction. However, through the use of confidentiality and the second questionnaire that asks the partners to assess each other\'s levels, it is hoped that the potential for this problem may be decreased. References Guerrero, L., & Afifi, W. (Summer 1995). Some things are better left unsaid: Topic avoidance in family relationships. Communication Quarterly, 43, 276-296. Leaper, C., Carson, M., Baker, C., Holliday, H., & Myers, S. (1995). Self- disclosure and listener verbal support in same-gender and cross-gender friends\' conversations. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 33. 3 8 7-405. Martin, M., & Anderson, M- (Spring 1995). The father-young adult relationship: Interpersonal motives, self-disclosure, and satisfaction. Communication Quarterly, 43, 119-130. Pegalis, L., Shaffer, D., Bazzini, D., & Greenier, K. (1994). On the ability to elicit self disclosure: Are there gender-based and contextual limitations on the opener effect? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 412-420.