Research Paper on:
Effects of High School Dropout on Criminal Recidivism

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
rates and recidivism in criminality collected via an online survey, but also to reflect the views of probation officers about the success rates for released African American offender populations and  variations in recidivism based on educational level. An online survey was utilized to collect the quantitative data for the study and structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data from  probation officers working in two urban settings. The purpose of the study was to assess the impacts of educational attainment on recidivism in criminality, with the expectation that  this type of research could be used to support funding mechanisms for educational efforts to reduce dropout rates and also to implement diploma program opportunities in the prison setting.  The outcomes of the study can be used to support educational programming focused on the needs of ethnic minorities who have experienced incarceration in youth as a deterrent to recidivism.  Design The use of a combined methodology, one in which qualitative and quantitative approaches are used, provides substantial support for the reflections of researchers in educational and social  science research. Researchers who choose to use mixed methods tend to seek a deeper reality, with a greater focus on the studying of "things in their natural setting, attempting  to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them [by using] a holistic perspective which preserves the complexities of human behavior" (Greenhalgh 740).  In the case of the assessment of the impacts of factors influencing recidivism in relation to education, the focus on quantitative methods alone may not adequately define the issue  or give a broad enough view of the nature of the problem. Utilizing data collected in a narrative form from probation officers about the factors influencing recidivism can provide