Category: Writing

For each of the following descriptions, indicate the type of
mixed method design used:
a. A quantitative review of elementary school discipline
records indicates that males are signifi cantly more likely to be sent to the
principal’s offi ce for behavior problems. The researcher decides to observe
classrooms to describe the types of behaviors that result in being sent to the
offi ce. Based on qualitative observations, the researcher believes that
teachers’ reactions to the same behavior exhibited by males and females tend to
be different. A quantitative measure of gender bias response is then given to
teachers.
b. A researcher conducts qualitative interviews with
teachers to assess how well they are implementing a new instructional strategy
that the school has adopted. During the same week, another researcher who is
part of the team conducts random observational assessments using a quantitative
tool to determine the frequency of use of the strategy. Both sets of data are
used to answer the research question about teacher changes in instruction.

You have been asked to prepare a brief presentation on a
criminological topic or issue of interest to you. Go to the BJS website
(https://www.bjs.gov/). Browse the BJS publications for a topic that interests
you. Write a short outline for a 5- to 10-minute presentation regarding your
topic, including how the data were collected, statistics, and other relevant
information.

Which question most interests you? Would you prefer to
attempt to answer that question with quantitative or qualitative methods? Why?
Web Exercises

1.What topic would you focus on if you could design a social
research project without any concern for costs? What are your motives for
studying this topic?
2. Develop four questions that you might investigate about
the topic you selected. Each question should reflect a different research
motive: description, exploration, explanation, or evaluation. Be specific.

1. Continue the debate between positivism and interpretivism
with an in-class discussion. Be sure to review the guidelines for these
research philosophies and the associated goals. You might also consider whether
an integrated philosophy is preferable.
2. Outline your own research philosophy. You can base your
outline primarily on your reactions to the points you have read in this
chapter, but try also to think seriously about which perspective seems more
reasonable to you.
Developing a Research Proposal

Find a report of social science research in an article in a
daily newspaper. What are the motives for the research? How much information is
provided about the research design? What were the major findings? What
additional evidence would you like to see in the article to increase your
confidence in the research conclusions?

1. Develop four research questions related to your chosen
topic or issue, one for each of the four types of research (descriptive,
exploratory, explanatory, and evaluative). Be specific.
2. Read the abstracts of several articles in a recent issue
of a major criminological journal. Identify the type of research conducted for
each study (you can also find articles on the Student Study Site,
http://edge.sagepub.com/bachmanprccj7e
).

What criminological topic or issue would you focus on if you
could design a research project without any concern for costs? What are your
motives for studying this topic? List at least four of your beliefs about this
phenomenon. Try to identify the sources of each belief (e.g., television,
newspaper, parental influence).

In a job interview with a principal you are asked the
following questions, “If a new immigrant with limited English proficiency were
assigned to your class, what would you do to help the student become acclimated
to your class? How would you support the student in his or her English language
learning?”

Considering the true state of affairs, indicate whether the
researcher was correct or incorrect in the following interpretations of the
data:
a. The data analysis showed that the results were
statistically signifi cant ( p< .01).="" the="" researcher="" rejected="" the="" null="" hypothesis="" and="" accepted="" the="" alternative.="" (in="" reality,="" there="" is="" a="" genuine="" difference="" between="" the="" groups.)="">
b. The results were statistically signifi cant ( p< .001).="" the="" researcher="" rejected="" the="" null="" hypothesis="" and="" accepted="" the="" a="" lternative.="" (in="" reality,="" there="" is="" no="" difference.)="">
c. The results were not statistically signifi – cant. The
researcher retained the null hypothesis. (In reality, there is no difference
between the groups.)
d. The results were not statistically signifi – cant, and
the researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis. (In reality, there is a
difference between the groups.)