Wk 1 DQ 1 What is qualitative research

Wk 1 DQ 1 What is qualitative research? How does it impact the ability to forecast trends in the criminal justice arena? What would happen if the research was flawed or skewed? Explain.

Qualitative research methods were established from behavioral and social sciences like psychology, anthropology, and sociology. It is of an exploratory nature. Qualitative research uses in-depth studies that have been designed to reveal a target audience’s range of behavior. The methods include group discussions; in-context observations; journal and diary exercises; and interviews with individuals that help guide people and support the construction of hypotheses. The results of qualitative research are descriptive rather than predictive. Qualitative research impact the ability to forecast trends in the criminal justice arena by allowing the opportunity to engage respondents in projective techniques and exercises, the opportunity to interpret, record and observe non-verbal communication as part of a respondent’s feedback, which is valuable during analysis, discussions, and interviews. With this information, researchers can identify why and how crimes are committed by individuals. If the research was flawed or skewed in any way, then the diagnostics could not be completed leaving questions unanswered.