Intro to criminology - Chapter 5: Methods and counting crime

The 9-step research process

A place to start in talking about research methods

Planning

Figuring out the objectives and what the research question(s) might be

Conceptualization

Envisioning, narrowing down and starting to become clearer and more specific on the key question(s)

Choice of method

Choosing a particular method that is suited to answer your research question and examining methods used in other similar studies

e.g Surveys, field research, observation

Operationalization

Figuring out how to measure the concepts

e.g. If you are doing field research, what specific observations will you be making? If you’re doing a survey, how will you word the questions?

Sampling

Picking which part(s) of a population to focus on and study, and determining if it’s a group of people or an official data set you need to draw from

Data Collection

Collecting the data via the chosen methods and recording information

Data Processing

Processing the raw data into a usable form for easy analysis

 Analysis

Making sense of the data and to synthesise and summarise the findings in a way that can be communicated to a larger audience

How can data be summarized

Graphs, tables, and charts can be used to visually present data

Application

Using the conclusions reached from the data to inform or educate others

Quantitative projects

Projects that involve statistical analysis, and tends to use numbers or quantities, along with larger sample sizes and closed-ended questions, as the most important element because this allows for abstraction

Qualitative projects

Projects that involve textual analysis and tend to focus on specific, localized objectives to examine them more in depth, along with smaller sample sizes and open-ended questions

Inductive research

Starts with people’s experiences and then builds ideas around it

Deductive research

Starts with a theory and then tests it

Two-Eyed Seeing

The blending of Indigenous world views and Western science.

Variable

A person, place, thing, or phenomenon you are trying to measure in some way that varies

Hypothesis

An informed thought or expectation of what the relationship is between variables, and it is often written as an “if, then” statement that indicates the directionality of each variable

Academic imperialism

An unequal relation between academics where one group dominates while other groups are ignored or silenced.

Grey literature

Literature or evidence that is relevant to the research question but not published in typical commercial or academic peer-reviewed publications

Uniform Crime Report

Is an official crime data source collected by Statistics Canada and police departments

Uniform Crime Report (con’t)

Crimes discovered by/reported to police are included, along with relevant info like the suspects, victims, offence, etc, are included

Uniform Crime Report (III)

Only the most serious crime will be reported in instances where multiple crimes were committed

Strengths of the Uniform Crime Report

• Provides consistent nationwide data

• Allows for comparisons of different time periods, provinces, etc

• Can be used by governments for policy-making

Weaknesses of the Uniform Crime Report

Only documents reported crimes

General social survey

Captures victimization experiences and certain crimes notoriously under-reported, (e.g.) sexual assault

General social survey (con’t)

Also reveals low reporting rates amongst Indigenous peoples

National victimization survey

Measures responses directly from victims by asking them their about their experiences

National victimization survey (con’t)

Is important as it covers the crimes which go unreported

Self-report data

Captures offender perspective and shows that a majority of seemingly law-abiding individuals engage in crime and deviance

Literature review

A written summary and overview of writings and other sources on a selected topic to gain an understanding of existing research relevant to the topic.

Scientific colonialism

The state in which the transformation of knowledge production is controlled by the colonizers while other ways of knowing, namely Indigenous ways of knowing, are dismissed

Epistemology

The study of knowledge or ways of knowing, which is central to the practice of research (How we know what we know)

Epistemology (con’t)

Delves into the nature of knowledge and truth, and challenges us to consider what it means to know something

Objectivity

Deals with ideas that are based on fact and free from bias or personal opinion; is a cornerstone of of Western research

Empiricism

A method of study based on tangible and observable facts, evidence, and research; is a cornerstone of of Western research

Reliability

The degree to which a measurement or research method produces consistent results

Subjectivity

Perceptions based on one’s own feelings, experiences, and opinions rather than on external, observable facts

Methodology

A system of methods, procedures and principles used in a particular area of study or discipline

Talking circle

A type of discussion with participants sitting in a circle, originated by Indigenous peoples and often used as a part of a healing ceremony; can also be used to value participants’ sharing of personal experiences for the sake of research

Validity

The accuracy of our research methods, and whether they measure what they intend to measure

Generalisability

The degree to which the results of a study can be applied to a larger population