A graduate student is interested in understanding how many youth have engaged in a violent offense and at what age they committed the offense. Her advisor suggested that she engage in what type of social science research?
A) exploratory
B) explanatory
C) evaluative
D) descriptive

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Descriptive research is aimed at accurately and systematically describing a population, situation, or phenomenon. In this case, the graduate student is looking to understand the number of youth who have engaged in a violent offense and at what age, which involves describing specific aspects of the youth's behavior rather than explaining why they engaged in violence (explanatory), exploring a new area without specific expectations (exploratory), or assessing the effectiveness of a program or policy (evaluative).

A Graduate Student Is Interested in Understanding How Many Youth