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Qualitative Research Hypothesis

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Research is critical to the advancement of our current knowledge and plays a significant factor in addressing challenges we currently face (Hagan, 2010). Through research, new methods of solving problems, as well as gaps which exist in current practice are identified and new methods of resolving them identified. Research also helps policymakers within the system of law enforcement to recognize gaps which may exist in the enforcement of law and come up with solutions to such. For research to be undertaken, a clear research problem needs to be identified. According to Hagan (2010), a research problem is an expression or detail of a clear statement touching on the area the research is concerned about, a specific condition which needs to be improved, …show more content…

A research hypothesis states an expected relationship between variables in positive terms (Hagan, 2010). According to the study, "females may be more likely than males to identify social and interpersonal factors as causes of youth violence." The study also suggests that males may be more likely than females to identify causes of youth violence related to factors that help them avoid being victimized. According to Vogt, et al. (2012), dependent (outcome) variables are the variables the researcher tries to predict while independent variables are variable as causes, determines, or precedes in time the dependent variable. The independent variables in this study were sex of the participant, individual, peer, family, and societal factors of youth violence. The dependent variables for this study were the various subgroups of the factors of crime which included sports rivalries, violence on media, and gang membership among others. Operationalization is a process of defining the measurement of a phenomenon that is not directly measurable, though its existence is indicated by other phenomena (Vogt, 2012). The qualitative analysis, in this case, was first done by developing a coding outline based on the individual, peer, family, and societal causes of youth violence. Different subgroups were later developed from these causes of youth violence based on what had been written by the students. The coders first broke each essay into quotes by dividing the text into distinct fragments that represented a coherent idea. Each data chunk was coded and placed into one or more subcategories, as

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