The Strategy for Investigating Hispanic Youth Gang Integration

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Scholarly analysis into the question of why do people join gangs has dealt a variety of results. For the sole analysis of why ethnic Hispanic youth join gang, acculturation theory stands above the rest. Despite repetitive inquiry and answer, the bigger and harder question has been barely touched upon: how and why does acculturation and ethnic marginalization play a crucial role in the decision of some to join gangs? Moreover, why do some youths use gangs as the outlet for their woes while others turn to more institutional and traditional methods?
In an attempt to formulate a solid and satisfying answer to this question, I will investigate raw interviews, statistical data and questionnaires used as part of published and peer-reviewed research. The subject criteria in these researches, though not identical, will be held under scrutiny to meet the criteria for this research. My investigation will identify cases of former and current gang members as well as those youth deemed at-risk for joining a gang. These subjects will be ethnic Hispanic youth in the United States, under the age of 16 and enrolled in a public or private elementary, middle or high school. I have chosen to utilize these cases from different researches because, due to time and resources, I cannot conduct my own, independent research investigating individual reasons behind gang integration. My selection also results from the fact that these subjects fit the selection criteria to advance my research question isolate age and ethnicity in the raw data. Bias can emerge in this research when selecting research, and so I intend to utilize research that fits only the criteria I have just mentioned and has been peer-reviewed by other academic scholars as well.
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Works Cited

Miller, H. V., Barnes, J. C., & Hartley, R. D. (2011). “Reconsidering Hispanic Gang Membership and Acculturation in a Multivariate Context”. Crime & Delinquency, 57(3), 331-355.
Negy, C., & Woods, C. K. (1992). The importance of acculturation in understanding research with Hispanic-Americans. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 14, 224-247.
Wallace, A.F.C. and Fogelson, R. (1965). “The Identity Struggle”. Intensive Family Therapy: Theoretical and Practical Aspects (I. Boszomeniji- Nagy and J. L. Framo, eds). New York: Harper and Row. 365 – 406.
Zane, N., & Mak, W. (2003). Major approaches to the measurement of acculturation among ethnic minority populations. In K. M. Chun, P. B. Organista, & G. Marin (Eds.), Acculturation: Advances in theory, measurement, and applied research (pp. 39-60). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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