Description
For the discussion board assignment this week, you should start with a brief summary of the module readings. Your summary should be about 150 words. Then, write about 150 word response to the following prompt:Within the stages of research where do you think that you would experience the most problems or barriers? Discuss how you might overcome these obstacles. Module reading is below
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Chapter 1
Why Study Research Methods?
Learning Objectives
• Define knowledge, social science, research, and
research methods
• Summarize why understanding research methods is
important
• Evaluate and describe each of the major steps taken to
conduct research, as well as the importance of each
step
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
3
Learning Objectives
• Develop research questions that would describe,
associate, and predict variables. Compare the different
types of research questions
• Assess what makes ethics an important consideration
during research by summarizing examples from the
classic cases of unethical research
• Describe the impetus and purpose of the Nuremberg
Code, and the Belmont Report. Evaluate the guidelines
and requirements of ethical research according to
these foundational documents
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
4
What Is Research Methods?
• To understand research methods, you first must
understand knowledge
• Knowledge is defined as information believed to be
true and reliable
• Knowledge can be gained in many ways, including
through science
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
5
What Is Research Methods?
• Science is a branch of knowledge that uses research
to develop that knowledge
• Research in criminal justice and criminology is guided
by the goal of answering a specific research question
• Research methods outline the systematic process,
framework, steps, or procedures used to conduct
research
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
6
What Is Research Methods?
• Research methods identifies the systematic steps used
to gather data, analyze it and reach findings and a
conclusion used to answer a research question
• There are many different research methods that can be
used
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
7
Why Is Research Methods Important?
• Understanding research methods influences what you
know by offering a systematic way to assess and gain
knowledge
• Research methods also provides you with practical
skills that are useful in college and job positions
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
8
Knowledge and Ways of Knowing
• How do you know what you know?
– One way to deciding whether to accept knowledge is
to carefully assess or evaluate it
– You could also accept knowledge based on
characteristics that are unrelated to the actual
knowledge (this is not recommended)
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
9
Knowledge about Violent Crime in
the U.S.
• Crime statistics can be generated through the FBI’s
UCR and through the BJS’ NCVS
• Differences in these two sources of knowledge
because they are constructed in different ways (see
Table 1.1)
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
10
Knowledge about Violent Crime in
the U.S.
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
11
Knowledge about Violent Crime in
the U.S.
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
12
Other Sources of Knowledge
• There are common sources of nonscientific knowledge
– Traditions, customs, and norms
– Personal experience
– Authoritative sources
– Intuition
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
13
Typical Stages of Research
• Research begins with a research question
– The research question when answered increases our
understanding and knowledge about a topic
– Research is never guided by a statement of fact
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
14
Typical Stages of Research
• The next stage of research is conducting a literature
review
• A literature review summarizes existing understanding
of the topic, it identifies limitations and gaps, it offers
justification for the study, and it places the new study in
context of the existing literature
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
15
Typical Stages of Research
• The next stage of research is designing the research
study
• This stage is where you identify the precise steps that
will be used to answer the research question
• Documentation of your methodology is needed for
others to critically assess it
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
16
Typical Stages of Research
• The next step in the research process is to gather the
data or information
– This information will then be analyzed to answer the
research question
– Data may be gathered in many different ways,
including through survey research, through in-person
interviews, and through focus groups
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
17
Typical Stages of Research
• The next step is to select an analytic approach and
develop findings
• The choice of an analytic approach will depend on the
type of data collected and the research question that is
being posed
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
18
Typical Stages of Research
• The last stage of research is generating findings,
conclusions, and policy implications
– Importantly, answering the research question is not
enough
• Researchers must also make sense of the findings by
placing them in the context of the existing literature
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
19
The Essential Role of Ethics in
Research
• Ethical behavior is imperative in the practice of criminal
justice and criminological research
• Attention to ethics must occur throughout the entire
research process (not just the beginning stages)
– Ethics are norms for behavior that distinguish what is
and what is not acceptable
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
20
The Essential Role of Ethics in
Research
• There have been a large number of unethical research
projects that have occurred, including:
– Nazi research in concentration camp prisoners
– Tuskegee syphilis experiment
– Milgram’s obedience to authority
– Stanford Prison Experiment
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
21
The Essential Role of Ethics in
Research
• There are two historical documents that provide the
initial moral framework that guides researchers to this
day
– The Nuremberg Code (1947)
– The Belmont Report (1979)
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
22
The Essential Role of Ethics in
Research
• The Belmont Report requires that all researchers must
adhere to the following requirements when conducting
research on human subjects:
– Informed consent
– Assessment of risks and benefits
– Selection of subjects
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
23
The Essential Role of Ethics in
Research
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) committees frequently
serve as the review committees for human subjects
research
• IRB committees are required to ensure that the
requirements and obligations outlined in the Belmont
Report are followed
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
24
Open-Access Student Resources
• Quizzes
• eFlashcards
• SAGE Journal Articles
• Multimedia Resources
• And more at edge.sagepub.com/rennisonrm
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
25
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
