Observation Research Phase I: Updated

Active research subjects will be listed in this posting and will be published in the appropriate category shown in the right-hand side navbar. Research presented in the IntelRag Online Log is intended to be understood and useful for most citizens with a high-quality 12th grade education.

Active Research Subject Areas: Events and Issues under consideration for research are listed in broad and general terms below. Specific categories will be assigned during research:

1. Education and the impact on national wealth and individual prosperity.

2. Artificial intelligence, now and the future.

3. Current and future state of science and engineering.

4. Effect of immigration policies on issues 1-3.

Research methods applied are nonparticipatory and passive in nature. This method is based on horizon scanning, a future technique. Observers acknowledge and record external issues and events, similar to noting, recording and reporting news and research narratives.

External events and issues may appear to be interconnected and/or repetitive in nature. When this occurs, the observer may initiate an external search for supporting data and information to explore validity for an initial hypothesis. When supporting data and information validate the initial hypothesis, research may continue to the next phase.

Observation Research Phase II:

1. This phase is conducted as nonparticipatory or passive observation research, meaning there is no contact or discussion with the subject(s) or objects observed. Refer to the Type of Participant Observation Chart.

1. The observation research process moves into a phase supported by multiple observers and/or the use of verified and validated data and information provided by external sources. Outcomes at this step are reported as observations, not as opinions.

1. To form opinions, the research process must include agreement among multiple observers and/or data and information sources on the same issue or event.

1. Observations should include data and information from reliable sources, such as government databases and reports.

1. When presenting data and information narratives acquired from reliable sources, the result is reflected as an observation, not as an opinion.

1. When multiple observers report concurrence regarding the same issue or event, opinions may be stated. However, opinions require credible evidence and proof of the hypothesis to be accepted.

1. An example of an external observation report narrative substantiated by external data and information is the SOTU: State of The Union Backdrop Summary .

1. Active research issues will be documented on individual subject pages with links under the "Research" menu.

Observation Research Phase III:

Observations reported in the Intelrag are summarized for citizens to review.

Upon completion, observations may be published as individual posts in the Online Log under a relative category.

Observation Research Phase IV:

Potential candidate issues to appear:

The Homeless - U.S. Economic Disequilibrium - Digital Warfare - Cultural Warfare & Insecurity - Far-east Instability - North Korea Weapons Test-bed - China Monopoly of World Resources - South and Central America Socialism - Status of the Soft WWIII.

Research Notes:

1. 1. Observation researchers must establish and maintain the research process with care and vigilance. Far too often, personal attitudes or opinions are inserted into the process, thereby misdirecting outcomes away from the issues or events. This results in a case of analyzing a participant or external source thought process, not the issue or event.
1. 1. When performing observations and evaluating outcomes of occurrences, be they related to things, ideas and concepts or actions of individuals or groups; observations frequently demonstrate interacting components forming a system.
1. 1. People interact with things and other people, and express ideas and concepts between them as a system. Even things in the form of technology provide feedback which affects the interaction of things, people and groups as systems.
1. 1. Organizations are hierarchical in nature, with a systemic relationship between levels. Activities and beliefs usually flow through an organization at varying degrees, from the top level to the lower level.
1. 1. Technology systems may have sequential and/or parallel components and systems which are affected by data inputs throughout the main system. An error in data at one component can be feed to other components and systems causing irregular functioning or failure.
1. 1. Refer to the Online Log - Research Category: Success with Complex Issues and Systems, and Complex Ordered Issues and Systems Model.
1. 1. There are numerous research applications and techniques available for evaluating issues, events, conditions, science, engineering, finance, economics, anthropology, humanities, sociology, psychology and more.
1. 1. Frequently research is presented as divided into two regions of logic, qualitative or quantitative. The fact that both of these general research regions are identified as "having issues," is perennial in the research community. Qualitative constantly attempts to prove it is quantitative, and quantitative attempts to prove outcomes are valid. The statement at the conclusion is frequently . . . "requires further study."
1. 1. In reality, it is common, as presented in the process outlined above, to begin with qualitative research, and followup with quantitative research.
1. 1. Another issue is the use of out-of-date references while performing research. There are thousands of colleges, universities and organizations worldwide, where researchers frequently utilize out-of-date and unverified references.
1. 1. Ethnography is a term related to observation research of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits, and mutual differences. Keep in mind that as a nonparticipating and passive observer, the challenges can be significant. Presence of mind, the ability to remain calm and take sensible action is required to achieve success.
1. 1. Research subjects are generally covered in statistics courses at the undergraduate level. Theoretical and applied research courses are required at the graduate level. Review of courses and videos depicts a dearth in the application of ethnography and observation research outside of college degree requirements.

Free Online Open Learning Courses: National University of Singapore (NUS).

Quantitative and Qualitative Research for Beginners: Basic introduction to the complex world of research methods and provides both theoretical and practical information for students to give them a foundation for carrying out research in a wide range of disciplines using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods.

Students Become Terrorists

There are times, when to maintain a neutral mindset during research, breaks are necessary for self-introspection. During twenty-eight years’ experience in military aviation, and twenty years in higher education, the main lesson learned is that observable problems are not the problem. They are the effect for which there are causes.

Students becoming terrorists have causes:

Student learning environments and experiences for success. Negative learning environments.
Information students receive does not prepare them to think critically and make correct choices.
Forty-four percent of High School graduates unqualified to enter college.
Fifty percent of college graduates feel unqualified for entry-level jobs. Wish they had taken math and science track.
Severe Teacher Shortage: 100,000 qualified math and science teachers needed over the next decade!
Underqualified teachers in low-income areas are a larger percentage than in high-income areas.
Education building campuses for prestige, not education.

The above list does not address all the causes however, they are the main topics.

Student learning environments have become more unsafe places recently, requiring institution of preventive measures. This very fact causes students to feel unsafe and obviously impacts the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

The U.S. Department of Education: Administers multiple federal programs designed to improve school safety, address critical areas of need for improving the conditions for learning and school climate, and to improve access to systems of support for schools, such as mental health services, trauma, violence prevention, social emotional and behavioral learning, school climate, and school emergency management planning.

Primary School: Attacks that have occurred on school property or related primarily to school issues or events.

Secondary School: Attacks that have occurred on school property or related primarily to school issues or events.

Post-Secondary School: Attacks related to postsecondary schools, such as universities or colleges. These are attacks that occurred on school property, faculty or related primarily to school issues or events.

Education Week: Shadowy criminal gangs with sinister names like The Dark Overlord are terrorizing schools. They hack into district networks and then demand hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom payments, making threats of terrible consequences if schools do not agree to hand over the money.

Very Well Family: Comprehensive Sexuality Education is a program that starts in early childhood and continues through high school. It teaches that sexuality is a natural, normal part of healthy living and brings up age-appropriate sexuality topics.

Critical Race Theory: The Communist Marxist Left built its political program on the theory of class conflict. Critical race theory (CRT) has become a divisive ideology-based on race as a form of class conflict. It pits proponents and opponents against each other.

CRT: Has become a racially charged debate which is a misguided way to examine the inequalities in American society through the lens of racial injustice. Marxist-style revolutions based on race, ended in disaster. Socialist governments in the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, Cuba, and elsewhere racked up a body count of nearly 100 million of their own people.

National Education Association (NEA): Education is political. When teaching about U.S. elections or politics, many educators will strive for neutrality. They may insist these discussions have no place in the classroom.

NEA: Adopted an agenda item stating, “It is reasonable and appropriate for curriculum to be informed by academic frameworks for understanding and interpreting the impact of the past on current society, including critical race theory.” This is considered a socialist political propaganda approach by some, not neutral.

Political Corruption in the United States: There’s a lot of corruption associated with political machines, particularly though not exclusively in urban areas. The political machines provide jobs for supporters, who use their positions to generate illicit income for themselves and the party bosses.

Public Education is Political: School is a hazardous environment. Poor quality education, unhealthy environments, narcotics easily available, and sex crimes. U.S. schools rank very poorly in international testing with a science and math ranking of 37th while China ranks first. Even in the arts and humanities, U.S. students rank 25th.

National Institute on Drug Abuse: In 2021, provisional data from CDC estimate more than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose, with 75% of those deaths involving an opioid. The overall rise in overdose deaths is largely attributable to the proliferation in the drug supply of illicit fentanyl.

In-School Surveys for Drugs Prevalence trends by drug for 8th, 10th, and 12th Grade Students. People who reported multiple symptoms consistent with severe substance use disorder at age 18 exhibited two or more of these symptoms in adulthood according to a new analysis of a nationwide survey.

Sex Crimes: An analysis found that at least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested in 41 states between January 1 and May 13, which works out to about an arrest a day on average. The vast majority of the arrested educators were men.

National Center for Education Statistics: It is apparent the environment and experiences students encounter are not friendly in many instances. In conjunction with the internal environment on campus, there is the external environment off campus. Annual Reports . and Information Staff.

Research.com: Forty (40) Student crime statistics for 2021/2022, analysis and predictions. Reported incidents of violence in schools over the past few years have left parents, students, and even educators to question how safe campuses really are.

The Squad: Four members of Congress representing themselves as progressive women of color may have much in common with student protestors. They may be the image that student protesters emulate, however, in a violent way.

Student Protests: Theft, robbery, rape, carjacking, arson, gang activity, use and sale of drugs and many more activities, may be a response to the perceived and real environment. The negative issues addressed above are abnormal in an advanced, enlightened society.

COVID-19: Education, the lingering effects of unfinished learning. U.S. states and districts have the opportunity to not only help students catch up on unfinished learning from the pandemic but also tackle long-standing historical inequities in education.

American Psychological Association: Students and others who are more open to terrorist recruitment and radicalization tend to:

Feel angry, alienated or disenfranchised.
Believe that their current political involvement does not give them the power to effect real change.
Identify with perceived victims of the social injustice they are fighting.
Feel the need to take action rather than just talking about the problem.
Believe that engaging in violence against the state is not immoral.
Have friends or family sympathetic to the cause.
Believe that joining a movement offers social and psychological rewards such as adventure, camaraderie and a heightened sense of identity.

Terrorism and Schools: As terrorism evolves and as more youth embrace extremist ideologies, there is a growing need to include processes to assess, prepare, protect, mitigate, respond, and ultimately recover from terrorism-motivated incidents within district and school safety plans.

On a good note:

American Heart Association: The House Education and Labor Committee approved the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, which would reauthorize federal child nutrition programs and help guarantee that kids are not only fed but have access to the healthy meals they need to learn. The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health.