Research Proposal: An exploration of the accommodation of problems faced by immigrants in Ireland

Research Proposal: An exploration of the accommodation of problems faced by immigrants in Ireland

Research Proposal

Ireland has, of late become a home of immigrants but the kind of changes made have been immense despite lacking a long history of immigration. How immigration policies are made highly depends on its history with immigrants. It is, therefore, not even easy to collect data regarding immigrants because it has never been an issue for the country. In this regard, the policies made on immigrants in the country have been ad-hoc in nature because the focus has been on how to handle the challenge when it is experienced. There has, therefore, not been a proper plan for the immigrants as it could be in other countries. However, with the formation of the ministry of Integration in 2007, the country has made some significant steps on issues immigration. Many people have moved from the new member states and are no longer regarded necessary to deal with Irish shortage. In the past, the immigrants were welcomed because they were considered essential in helping the country’s economy. Currently, the idea of immigrants is perceived as a necessity for diversity and vital for the new Irish and the fact that the state promotes the co-existence of many cultures, it is not clear how the idea can effectively be implemented.

The data that will be collected for the study will depend on the relative nature of migration in Ireland because as it stands now, there are no reports on large-scale reports on immigrants. Other resources that will be of great importance will be reports on National Household Survey and other government-related reports which may have some limitation considering that the definition of an immigrant is based on nationality and the fact that such data lack the place of birth for the non-Irish born., instead, only new member state migrants’ information is given. It, therefore, means that the data collected from the government reports may not be as reliable as expected. Another critical issue to note is the idea that academic research on immigrants has since changed, and the primary focus has been on asylum seekers. Little research exists on migration to Ireland.

Immigrants require good life just like any other individual. Proper housing and financial support are some of the basic needs that the immigrants should have. Because of the dangers of diseases, cramped spaces and the social problems of violence are some of the challenges that the immigrants face. Accommodating them is therefore significant in ensuring that their welfare is well taken care of. The research will draw from both primary and secondary resources to show how the government and other related organizations have been accommodating the Ireland immigrants. The study will look into helping problems faced by immigrants in Ireland.

Thesis Statement

Immigrants in Ireland, just like other immigrants in Europe face various challenges including accommodation problems, health risks and exposure to diseases hence the need for better accommodation that can ensure that they live well just like the Irish.

The Research Objectives

The main objective of the research will be to identify how to accommodate immigrants in Ireland. The study will show the steps that the authorities, mainly the government take to assist immigrants and how they are treated. The research will focus on the lifestyle of immigrants in Ireland.

The objectives will therefore be;

• To identify problems faced by immigrants in Ireland
• To determine how the challenges faced by immigrants in Ireland can be accommodated.

The Research Question

The research’s main intention is to promote the lifestyle of individual immigrants.  It helps in identifying the plight of immigrants.

How is Ireland accommodating its Immigrants?

Are the immigrants comfortable with the way they are treated?

Research Design

The study period will take six months, and all the participants will be immigrants in Ireland. Several methods will be applied in the research in which there will be interactions between the researcher and 20 immigrants. The methods of collecting data and presentation of data will be different.  The study will follow a systematic way to ascertain the plight of individual immigrants. Initially, the data from the secondary sources will be analyzed. The secondary data will be gotten from different databases, including government immigration records and policy documents. Also, academic sources, as well as search engines, will be evaluated. The ethnographic methodology that will be utilized in the research will further involve use of many in-depth qualitative techniques that will include analysis of policy documents, relevant legislation and the political perspective as well as including a few focus groups that champion for the rights of immigrants will be involved. The participants will be paid something for their time. There will be interviews that will take between 1 hour to 2 hours, and they will be recorded. There shall be a highly qualitative research method which will allow more insight into immigrants’ experiences. A qualitative approach will help in providing the necessary information. Families that will be targeted are immigrants at their homes. The research team will conduct interviews, and in some instances, interpreters will be used for immigrants who will not. The interactions will take place in both rural and urban contexts to allow for a pattern of theoretically sound respondents.

The data collected from the secondary sources will be tested against the current practice. Testing the historical record against the current exercise will be necessary for ascertaining the accuracy of the data. Important information for quantitative data on accommodating Ireland immigrants will be collected, and a systematic random sample of immigrants’ report will have identified from Ireland’s government system.

The research will be both inductive and iterative consisting dominantly of immigrants identified in strategic places with a range of experience depending on their ages and the years they have taken in Ireland. They will be determined by the researchers who will map areas where they can find the immigrants using government reports. The ethnographic method will be applied during the research. There will be participant observation as well as informal group discussion, which will be carried out in a way that encourages participation. Generating participants’ interest will be of great importance, and that can only be achieved through the ethnographic approach. The technique will help explore immigrants’ perspective on their wellbeing. The sample will purely involve immigrants, both men and women, particularly those that are perceived by the public to be suffering. That will help in making them attentive to the emotional stress, which may make them speak the truth about what is happening to them and express their concern regarding the government’s role in accommodating their challenges.

Some of the variables that will be used are sex, employment status, country of origin, educational background, and experience. However, the primary focus will be the years the immigrants have taken in Ireland and the gender of the participants. A theoretical sample will be based on geographical region. Obtaining participants for the research will include approaching the government organizations, educational institutions as well as developing of snowball sample through informal contacts to reveal the available immigrants.

Methodology

The challenges affecting immigrants and how the problems are tackled will take centre stage of this project. The research will draw upon specific insights that had earlier been developed by researchers. The study will utilize the voices of the immigrants because it will be possible to understand the meaning beyond texts, thus providing a more personal and subjective perspective. This method will be better than that information gathered from a more structured means. What will be of great help is pegging the immigrants’ experiences on a social and cultural perspective of Ireland as well as their personal experience.

Data Analysis

The research questions will be significant in providing a vital analytical framework for studying the data collected because the structural and subjective dimensions and the implications of the interview material will have been taken care of. The research will be mostly exploratory. It will also involve an inductive method with a more open and reflexive engagement with the available literature. Meeting with the previous study will be significant in emerging concepts. It will, therefore, be a better technique compared to a theory-testing strategy. Also, the analytic approach of the study will be a grounded theory. The study will intend to offer both personal and practical processes on the lifestyle of the immigrants and the aspect of accommodating their challenges. A typology of strategies will be developed towards the lifestyle of the immigrants. The study will not make a highly generalized claim; it will provide vital models that can help the steps taken in accommodating immigrants challenges in Ireland. The social and political aspects of issues affecting immigrants and the action taken will be widely considered in the research. Such matters, when discussed both extensively and intensively, may later be expanded or developed. It is worth noting that the data used will not be treated as a resource since coding will be required at different levels. The coding will involve the phenomenon under study, which is the immigrants and the perspective which is about accommodating their challenges.

References

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