Forum response

Please respond to the student post listed below and provide substantive comments
that contribute something new and important to the discussion. You may challenge, support or
supplement another students answer using the terms, concepts and theories from the
required readings. Also, do not be afraid to respectfully disagree where you feel appropriate; as
this should be part of your analysis process at this academic level.

Good afternoon, Team,

My Research Question is: What motives do the far right-wing extremists have to execute terrorist attacks on the United States?

In trying to answer my research question I focused on qualitative research methods. In the qualitative methods category, I narrowed my research method between case study research and archival research. To fully understand the why (motive) for this research question I plan on using archival research. This research method will allow me to look at more information than just case studies. I also plan on creating a threat analysis from the information that is being gathered to use data to show the why behind each groups motives. Using the archival method, I will focus my research on all aspects of the groups that I have selected to research. Then by using an expanded information set it will allow for a more robust data collection. In a less constrained environment this would not be the best method for this kind of study. The best method would be for participant observation, though this method would also create challenges. While being able to observe and ask questions of group members the variable of untruthfulness would come into play. By using the archival method is easier to control what information is inputted into the research and what potentially biased information is not used. One outside data set that will be used when generating the threat assessment will be numbers gathered from the FBI in their yearly threat assessment. The numbers that will be used come from the different group types that commit crimes that are investigated and prosecuted by the FBI.

Mary

Federal Bureau of Investigation. Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Data on Domestic Terrorism. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/fbi-dhs-domestic-terrorism-strategic-report.pdf

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