CJS 487 - Research methods in criminal justice with grade A+ and accurate solutions

paradigm - ANSA general organizing framework for social theory and empirical research. More succinctly, a paradigm is a end through which a person views social phenomena. It reflects a researcher's assumptions about reality. positivist - ANSA paradigm of research that assumes social science inquiry is most like research in the natural sciences. A positivist relies on empirical observations and may attempt to establish a causal relationship between variables. interpretive - ANSA paradigm of research that assumes social science inquiry is based on the notion that social science research is fundamentally different from research in the natural sciences. Rather than simply measure human behavior from the 'outside,' interpretive social scientists attempt to get 'inside' to understand the meaning behind human behavior. This involves interpretation rather than simple observation. critical - ANSA paradigm of research that assumes social science inquiry is based on the assumption that research is not value free and that every researcher brings his or her own particular biases into the research process. Critical researchers do not attempt to be unbiased and instead believe that they should use their research skills to effect social change. Critical criminologists tend to focus on the structure of race, class, and gender inequalities and the relationships between these inequalities and crime and punishment. purpose of research - ANSDescribes what the research hopes to achieve. There are three common purposes of research - exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory. exploratory research - ANSIn contrast to descriptive and explanatory research, a type of research conducted on new or emerging social trends. The objective of exploratory research is to find out what is happening. descriptive research - ANSIn contrast to exploratory and explanatory research, a type of research conducted to document or describe social conditions or trends. The objective of descriptive research is to find out what is happening now or what happened in the past. Descriptive research does not attempt to explain the causes of social phenomena. explanatory research - ANSIn contrast to exploratory and descriptive research, a type of research conducted to find a cause or explanation for social trends and phenomena. Explanatory research goes beyond merely describing and attempts to establish a cause and effect relationship between social phenomena.