Questions About Controversy

For project 3, I will be writing about the debate over the ethics of spanking children. Below is a list of questions that I will use to find out more information about my topic.


Who is involved in the controversy?

1. Are there surveys that have been done of how many parents actually use spanking as a form of punishment?
2. Does this controversy apply in other countries/cultures? How is it looked at/viewed in those places?
3. What prominent psychologists have spoken on this issue? Which side of the controversy were they on?
4. What organizations have done surveys or studies on this topic? What were the findings?
5. Can I find any other personal stories that I can reference in my project?

What is being debated?

1. Who is speaking the loudest; those opposed or those in favor of spanking?
2. How much is this a debate of ethics and how much is it legality?
3. Has this issue become political (liberals vs. conservatives) or is it sill mostly a debate of personal opinion/beliefs?
4. What is the logic/science behind why some people who were spanked are strongly opposed to it and others see it as a perfectly fine method of punishment?
5. Why has physical punishment been eliminated in school systems but not in personal households? Is it an issue of enforcement? 

Image by Reynolds, Leo. "question mark." Uploaded 4/22/13 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. 

What is the time period of the controversy.

1. Was spanking more common in past times or is it used more commonly now?
2. How has the legality of spanking changed over time?
3. In a day and age where there is immense social change happening, has this controversy become any more hotly debated than it was, say, 20 years ago? 50 years ago? 
4. How was spanking viewed by the majority of people when my generation's parents or even our grandparents were growing up?
5. What evidence is out there that shows how long spanking has been used to punish children?

Where has this controversy unfolded (physical and cultural locations)?

1. Have there been public debates between experts over this controversy (like there have been with evolution vs creationism)?
2. Have any politicians spoken about this issue? Any prominent celebrities? If so, did this help draw more attention to the debate?
3. Are other countries more/less in favor of spanking than the United States? (Especially Northern Europe: Denmark, Netherlands, etc)
4. Is there any race division when it comes to how this issue is viewed? (This could become too sensitive of an issue very quickly)
5. Why should people care about this issue? How does it affect the average person?

How has this controversy unfolded in the media?

1. What kinds of websites have published articles that focus on this issue? 
2. What side of the controversy is the writer on in the majority of cases?
3. How have average people reacted to this issue on social media? Are the majority of people that speak out (especially on Twitter) for or against spanking?
4. Are the more scholarly pieces written on this debate written from a purely scientific standpoint or are some more broad in their focus?
5. Has this issue been spoken about on any popular TV shows or Youtube channels? Especially with Youtube, how do the commenters feel about the issue? 
6. What kind of discussions have been happening in comment feeds and on discussion boards?