Over the past 16 years, only two building permits for new housing construction have been issued in Sedgwick County, Colorado. This is consistent with the depopulation (particularly of younger persons) and economic diminution that is attributed to a declining rainfall since the 1970s. These are quantitative details. It is unclear how much of the depopulation was due to perceived opportunities elsewhere, to copycat or fad behavior, and to perceived change in local economic opportunity. Why is qualitative analysis more likely to identify the leading cause of Sedgwick County’s out-migration than quantitative methods? Which characteristics of qualitative research most influenced your response to this question?

1.2

In the GCU library, locate four empirical studies you have not used before on a topic you are interested in researching (Use the Empirical Research Checklist to determine if a study is empirical). List the theoretical foundation and Permalink for each study, and add the studies to your RefWorks list. Then determine a theoretical foundation (laws, theories, models, concepts) for a study that you might like to research for your dissertation. Why did you select this foundation? Finally, comment on other learners’ theoretical foundations and if/how they can be improved.