The value and challenge of family science research
In the world today it is hard to find various research on families in general but specifically families all around the world. It shocked me to find out that the United States really are the only people taking this topic seriously. I know it can be valuable to so many people around the world and in different countries. Surprisingly a lot of the world bases their statistics about the family off of the United States where it may not be quite the same for them in their own country and culture. It definely is a challenge for them though because they don’t have the resources and funds to head that research themselces.
We are privileged in the United States to have this type of access to so many different resources. But, are we really using it to the best of our advantage? There have been several studies done that are very biased towards one group or to one Side of the research. I wouldn’t really say that this research would be valuable to us because it is so skewed. I think we have great resources in the United States but we could be better at using them and find different ways to actually find research that can help benefit our communities instead of just trying to find evidence that proves one side is right over the other. Often times researchers use very specific control groups that don’t really represent the United States as a whole but more specifically that specific group. I think family science research can be very valuable to our community because there have been studies done that show how much the statistics can change our society for the better. But it is also hard to change the culture with the statistics if people are not willing to open their eyes and see what the statistics are really showing or can prove in their life.
I think one way we can all allow this family research that is being done become more valuable in our lives is know what the reserach means and how to know what the studies really show and if it is a good study or not. You need to look for big sample sizes and see who the group of people are that they are studying and see if it is really what they say they are studying. Make sure that it’s not too specific for such a big broad claim. Know before you vote or take a stance. Read the research for yourselves and don’t buy into the schemes of the researchers who are skewing the data to try and prove a point. Research shows that traditional families are more successful but that isn’t what the world or the media want you to believe. Do your own research and open your mind and eyes. See the true value in the research being done.
