Alcohol Use and Sex Crimes Essay

Social science researchers can use either qualitative or quantitative strategies to develop informed and timely answers to their research questions, but these two approaches involve analyzing fundamentally different data sets. On the one hand, qualitative researchers can use various methods such as case studies, ethnographic studies, phenomenological studies, grounded theory, narrative and/or content analyses (Neuman, 2009). On the other hand, social science researchers can use quantitative strategies such as observational studies, correlational research, experimental, quasi-experimental and survey designs (Neuman, 2009). While both qualitative and quantitative research questions seek to gain new insights into a given phenomenon, there are also basic differences between the types of data that are used.



By definition, quantitative research involves the analysis of numeric data in some form while qualitative research uses words, graphics and other data to formulate answers to guiding research questions (Neuman, 2009). These differences mean that designing a research question from a qualitative and quantitative perspective requires shaping the question accordingly. In the case of a research question such as, "What role does alcohol play as a factor in being a victim of a sex crime?" involves identifying quantifiable aspects of the question for quantitative research while the lived experiences of victims of sex crimes would be more appropriate for a qualitative study.



These types of research questions are important today because of the well documented relationship between alcohol and sex crimes. For instance, Kelley and Lewis (2009) report that, "Alcohol use has been found to have a strong relationship with sexual offenses, including rape and pedophilia. Approximately 40% to 50% of sex offenders have reported that they were drinking at the time they committed the offense, and about 50% were considered to have abused alcohol" (p. 68). Moreover, there is clear evidence that more college-aged students are using alcohol today compared to years past (Devarics, 2006). These findings clearly underscore the importance of developing a better understanding of the relationship between alcohol use and sex crimes.



Framing a qualitative research question concerning the relationship between alcohol use and sex crimes requires using information other than numeric or otherwise quantifiable data. In this context, a viable qualitative research question for this topic would be, "How does alcohol use affect the propensity to commit sex crimes?" In the alternative, another qualitative research question concerning this issue would be, "How does alcohol affect risk-taking behaviors…