Inmates Rights and Special Circumstances
According to the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, one (1) of the founding philosophies of the United States is that each person, citizen or not, is endowed with certain permanent rights. This philosophy extends even to people who have committed crimes that warrant prison sentences. Imagine that you are a commissioner on the Board of State Prison, and you are responsible for making recommendations regarding inmate rights and special circumstances. Use the Internet or Strayer University library (https://research.strayer.edu) to research costs that an inmate could incur if he or she chooses to challenge his or her confinement.
Write a 3-to 5-page paper in which you:

• Analyze the legal mechanisms in which an inmate can challenge his or her confinement. Support or refute the cost of such challenges to the state and / or federal government. Provide a rationale for your response.
• Analyze the grievance process from a state of your choice that inmates must follow while incarcerated. Critique the grievance process and whether it is enough to protect inmates’ rights while incarcerated. Provide a rationale for your response.
• Examine the five largest groups of inmates with special needs that are discussed in your textbook. Prepare one recommendation for each group that management can use to meet the needs of the special need inmate. Provide a rationale for your response.
• Determine whether the use of the death penalty violates offenders’ rights against “cruel and unusual punishment,” as guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Justify your response.
• Use at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Visual displays of data provide you and anyone else with a graphical display of what is often a complex array of quantitative data. A key strength of visualization is the ability to quickly enlighten you with key data. Rather than solely relying on your audience to interpret numerical values and statistics explained in a narrative, a visual display can easily illustrate descriptions, relationships, and trends. Although the focus is on simplicity, the researcher has an obligation to present these graphical displays in a clear and meaningful way.
 
For this Discussion, you will explore ways to appropriately display data.
To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Learning Resources for this week related to frequency distributions and graphic displays of data.
• Using the SPSS software, open the General Social Survey dataset found in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Next, create a figure or table from a few selected variables within the dataset.
• Finally, think about what is good about how the data are displayed in the figure or table you created and what is not so good.

ASSIGNMENT :
Post your display of the table or figure you created and provide an explanation of why this would be the best way to display the data provided, include the General Social Survey Dataset’s mean of Age to verify the dataset you used.

In this week’s Discussion, you determined the benefits of visually displaying your data. You also learned that different types of data require different visual displays to adequately “tell the story” of the phenomena. Although the Discussion was difficult, what is even more difficult and challenging will be deciding on how best to display the data for presentation purposes. As you move further along in your dissertation or doctoral study, you will find that displaying data will be critical component in presenting a robust and clear capstone project.
 
For this Introduction to Quantitative Analysis Assignment, you will explore how to visually display data for optimal use.
To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider visual displays of data.
• For additional support, review the Skill Builder: Unit of Analysis and the Skill Builder: Levels of Measurement, which you can find by navigating back to your Blackboard Course Home Page. From there, locate the Skill Builder link in the left navigation pane.
• Using the SPSS software, open the Afrobarometer dataset or the High School Longitudinal Study dataset (whichever you choose) found in this week’s Learning Resources.
• From the dataset you chose, choose one categorical and one continuous variable and perform the appropriate visual display for each variable.
• Once you visually display each variable, review Chapter 11 of the Wagner text to understand how to copy and paste your output into your Word document.

For this Assignment:
Write a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of your results and include a copy and paste of the appropriate visual display of the data into your document.
Based on the results of your data, provide a brief explanation of what the implications for social change might be. Early in your Assignment, when you relate which dataset you analyzed, please include the mean of the following variables. If you are using the Afrobarometer Dataset, report the mean of Q1 (Age). If you are using the HS Long Survey Dataset, report the mean of X1SES.
Use appropriate APA format. Refer to the APA manual for appropriate citation.
PLEASE USE APA STYLE
TURN IT IN REQUIRED

The language of qualitative research can be confusing. The words sound like regular English, but they have very particular meanings. To make the language even more complicated, the definitions can vary across different qualitative methodological scholars.
 
For the purpose of this course, distinctions between two important concepts should be considered:

1. Theoretical framework: the use of constructs and propositions a recognized theory (or theories) to a research problem, purpose, and question.
   • Examples: Social Influence theory, transformational leadership theory, game theory
2. Conceptual framework: the construction of ideas, assumptions, and beliefs sourced in both the literature and one’s own experience, which identify the main concepts that guide the formulation of the research problem, purpose, and question.
   • Examples: Concepts from positive psychology, mindfulness meditation, language development models

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Learning Resources related to the use of a theoretical or conceptual framework to guide the examination of a research problem in qualitative research.

ASSIGNMENT:
Post an explanation of the role of a theoretical or conceptual framework in qualitative research and provide examples from the resources you read. Use proper APA format and citations to support your post.
 

Required Readings

Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2016). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 2, “Using Conceptual Frameworks in Research” (pp. 33–63)
Chapter 3, “Critical Qualitative Research Design” (pp. 65–110) (focus on pp. 85–89)

Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 1, “Listening, Hearing, and Sharing” (pp. 1–11)
Chapter 2, “Research Philosophy and Qualitative Interviews” (pp. 13–24)

Walden University Writing Center. (2015). Common course assignments: Annotated bibliographies. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies
Use this website to help you as you create your Annotated Bibliography for your Major Assignment 1.

Walden University. (n.d.). How do I write an annotated bibliography? Retrieved from http://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/72682
Use this website to help you as you create your Annotated Bibliography for your Major Assignment 1.

Walden University Writing Center. (2012, October 30). Weathering the storm…of problem statements [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2012/10/weathering-storm-of-problem-statements.html
Use this website to help you as you write your problem statement for your Major Assignment 1.

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Course guide and assignment help for RSCH 8310. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/rsch8310

 

Theoretical Lens

Conroy, N.E.(2013). Rethinking adolescent peer sexual harassment: Contributions of feminist theory. Journal of School Violence, 12, 340-356.

Cleaver, D., & Ballantyne, J. (2014). Teachers’ views of constructivist theory: A qualitative study illuminating relationships between epistemological understanding and music teaching practice. International Journal of Music Education, 32(2), 228-241.

Stahl, B., Doherty, N., Shaw, M., & Janicke, H. (2014). Critical Theory as an Approach to the Ethics of Information Security. Science & Engineering Ethics, 20(3), 675-699.

Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks

Grant, C., & Osanloo, A. (2014). Understanding, Selecting, and Integrating a Theoretical Framework in Dissertation Research: Creating the Blueprint for Your “House”. Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Practice, And Research, 4(2), 12-26.