Week 5: Quantitative Research Designs

You are now at a similar point in your understanding of the research process, such that an overall framework, including philosophical orientation, theory, literature, problem, and purpose, is falling into place. This week, you will continue to expand your understanding of this framework by analyzing and evaluating research questions and hypotheses in quantitative studies. You will also learn about various quantitative research designs that researchers use to answer their research questions. You will also continue to analyze the interrelated elements of a research study, making the connection among theory, problem, purpose and, now, research questions, hypotheses, and design.Discussion: Evaluating Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Quantitative Research DesignsWith a clear purpose in place, quantitative researchers have a roadmap for crafting their research questions and hypotheses that will further focus the approach they will take to investigate their topic (i.e., their study’s research design).The selection of a research design is guided by the study’s purpose and research questions and hypotheses, and the design then links the research questions and hypotheses to the data that will be collected. You should keep in mind, however, that the research process is interactive, not necessarily proceeding in a linear fashion from one component to the next. Rather, the writing of research questions could, for example, necessitate adjustments to the study’s purpose statement. Nevertheless, when presented together, the various components of a research study should align. As you learned last week, alignment means that a research study possesses clear and logical connections among all of its various components.In addition to considering alignment, when researchers select a research design, they must also consider the ethical implications of their choice, including, for example, what their design selection means for participant recruitment, procedures, and privacy.For this Discussion, you will evaluate quantitative research questions and hypotheses in assigned journal articles in your discipline and consider the alignment of theory, problem, purpose, research questions and hypotheses, and design. You will also identify the type of quantitative research design the authors used and explain how it was implemented.With these thoughts in mind, refer to the Journal Articles document for your assigned articles for this Discussion. If your last name starts with A through I, use Article A. If your last name starts with J through R, use Article B. If your last name starts with S through Z, use Article C.If your last name starts with S through Z, use Article C.Article C:de la Sablonnière, R., Auger, E., Taylor, D. M., Crush, J., & McDonald, D. (2013). Social change in South Africa: A historical approach to relative deprivation. British Journal of Social Psychology, 52(4), 703–725. doi:10.1111/bjso.12003Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.· Chapter 5, “Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement”Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., & Crawford, L. M. (2016). The scholar-practitioner’s guide to research design. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Publishing.

Gangs in American Today

Review the FBI National Gang Report at the following website https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/national-gang-report-2015.pdf/view. Then visit the FBI’s Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/fbi and the FBI’s “What we Investigate: Gangs” site at https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/gangs. Use the information shared on the FBI website to analyze the following questions:How many gangs are there in the United States?Which gangs are considered the most disturbing by the FBI? How did they come to that conclusion?Looking at the reports from the past year on the the FBI Gang News site (https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/gangs/gang-news), what trends do you see in gang activity? How does it compare with the National Gang Report?Which anti-gang initiatives spearheaded by the FBI do you find most effective? Please explain.Write a 4 page paper answering the questions. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources. You may research local, federal and state statues in Nevada to illustrate your point. A good place to start is the Strayer Library at research.strayer.eduThe paper should follow guidelines for clear and organized writing:Include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph.Address main ideas in body paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting sentences.Adhere to standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling.Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.Course outcomes for the assignment:Critically analyze the historical rise in power of gangs and gang affiliation.Critically analyze the historical rise in power of organized crime families.Demonstrate knowledge of the numerous effects, including addiction, of drugs, which motivate the market.Discuss the historical laws associated with illegal substances.Analyze and address the supply side and demand side of illegal drugs.Distinguish the difference among Italian, Irish, Asian, Russian, and other crime syndicates.Clearly differentiate between productive and non-productive law enforcement strategies used to address the drug problem in America.Examine the activities, motivation, operations, logistics, and finances associated with the world drug trade and their relation to gang and organized crime cultures

A summary of the eight steps in the ethical decision-making model proposed by Bush et al. (2006). A critical analysis of the ethical decision-making model (i.e., analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the model in ethical decision making).

A summary of the eight steps in the ethical decision-making model proposed by Bush et al. (2006).A critical analysis of the ethical decision-making model (i.e., analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the model in ethical decision making). I’m

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People often neglect to consider their own values influence their feeling of fulfillment in their career. If someone feels unfulfilled in any of the basic work values (achievement, comfort, status, altruism, safety, and autonomy) what can they do outside of work to keep their life in balance?This discussion question meets the following CACREP Standard: 2.F.4.b. Approaches for conceptualizing the interrelationships among and between work, mental well-being, relationships, and other life roles and factors.