socw 6301 assignment

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Research process

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The research hypothesis is a statement of what the expectations are upon completion of the research. It serves the purpose of defining the relationship between two variables and helps answer the question at hand. A hypothesis can be associative or casual. Associative means a relationship between two variables, while causal hypotheses show cause-and-effect relationships. For my proposed study, the theory would be many sexual abuse victims do not reveal their sexual abuse experience. In this case, the independent variable would be sexual abuse, while the dependent variable would be reporting the issue. It is because the act of reporting depends on the front of sexual abuse happening. It's causal because it is the abuse that would bring about reporting it.

This hypothesis narrows the field of research by pinpointing the specific part of the theory to be tested, which is the relationship between reports filed against sexual abuse. A change in the reporting of sexual abuse would impact the number of sexual offense acts. It is because by them not getting reported, the perpetrators get away with their crimes, encouraging them to continue with their actions. An increase in reports would lead to a decline in sexual abuse incidents. Ultimately many victims are left with a traumatic experience from the ordeal. Even its memory is uncomfortable to them, so opening up is hard; shame could also make them not report. Statistical review of data on sexual abuse cases from hospitals and law enforcement offices could show the relationship between the two variables. Administering questionnaires could also be used to collect data. Ethical issues such as privacy and confidentiality are critical throughout the research as the subjects may not be willing to talk about their nasty sexual abuse experiences. Consent needs to be given without coercion. After the study, I expect my hypothesis would be correct.