Youth-Police Interaction - Dissertation Example

?Youth-Police Interaction of the 4th December Qualifications of the researcher evaluating the questionnaire The researcher evaluating the questionnaire is an experienced researcher in the field of social sciences. He holds a bachelor degree in social sciences with first class honors. On top of this, he has a doctorate in project management from Indiana University in United States. The researcher has worked as an associate professor in a number of universities around the world. Part of the job description for a lecturer is to oversee project research done by students at the university level. This is a rigorous process that entails a review of the project/research from the initial stages of identifying a research topic to the very end of data analysis and drawing conclusions and recommendations. The process entails guiding the researcher in formulating formal questions which inform the design of the questionnaires based on the research objectives. A research supervisor has to possess excellent research and evaluation skills to be able to direct the researcher in the right course, also to provide an academically acceptable assessment. These are some of the skills that the evaluator has gained in the time he has worked as an associate lecturer, also in the many years of study in the field of research. Therefore, he is better placed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the questionnaire to be used for research. 2) Ability of the questionnaire to collect information leading to provide answers to the questions being addressed The principal aim of qualitative research is to understand the issues or situations through an investigation on the perception and behavior of the people in the situations under investigation, and the framework in which they act. For instance, in this research, the purpose is to find out the ‘Adolescents’ Views of the Criminal Justice System Based on Their Interaction with the Police’. In this research, the researcher has employed the use of a questionnaire to serve as a guide in collecting raw data from the respondents in a structured interview. A solid questionnaire has the ability to gather enough data that will provide answers to the questions being addressed by the research. Consequently, the questionnaire should be able to help the researcher in testing the research’s hypothesis regarding the specific hypothesis set for the study. The questionnaire for the research has got the following strengths which will be useful in the collection of data: Demographics The questionnaire begins with questions about the respondent’s background and demographic traits. The researcher has preferred to put it at the beginning of the questionnaire, hence, will offer an easy start for the respondent. The part is well designed as it avoids asking for data that are not pertinent to the objectives of the study. Some of the basic demographics, like gender, age, education, race/ethnicity, and religion, are general and relevant for statistical comparisons. The questions in the questionnaire are open ended The researcher has used a set of systematic and detailed questions to study the individual behavior and reaction in natural settings. The open-ended questionnaires will enable the researcher to elicit detailed in-depth accounts of the respondent’s experiences and perspectives on the issue of their contact with the police. The respondents will be given the freedom to express their answers in a better way. This will enable the researcher to collect a lot of data from the respondents, as open ended questionnaires allow the respondent to offer unlimited responses. Therefore, the researcher will be able to collect enough information in relations to the questions formulated. However, the researcher is likely to encounter problems when collecting data especially where some respondents might engage him in long discussions. This might result into voluminous data, which might be cumbersome to analyze. The researcher might also end up spending a lot of time during the interview especially when dealing with respondents who go beyond the question. The researcher has phrased the questions in the questionnaire in an attractive way. The questions have been phrased systematically as they are placed in specific categories. For instance, there is the first section of background information on the respondent, then the main part which seeks to elicit information based on the research questions, and the final part on recommendations from the respondent. This will enable the researcher gather information that will provide a satisfactory report. The questions are worded in a simple manner, which the respondents can be able to understand with ease. This will avoid a scenario where the respondents give superfluous responses. The questions in the questionnaire are up to date. They address a real problem that is present in the modern world. Hence, the researcher is assured of finding the relevant and enough information from the respondents. On the other hand, the questionnaire has the potential to suggest direction for future research in the same field as it will generate new ideas, as well as exposing new gaps that can be explored in future. The questionnaires are composed of questions that are objective and not biased. It tries to strike a balance between the two variables, the adolescent and the police. For instance, it is not only interested in the police contact, but also on the feeling if the police are effective in their work. The researcher has tried to come up with a descriptive title for the questionnaire. This will act as a guide when gathering data from the respondents during the structured interviews. The use of questionnaires in structured interviews will facilitate the researcher in gathering a wealth of information on the views, perception, feelings and behavior of respondent in line with the topic under investigation. Each question in the questionnaire has a specific purpose in the research. This is in line with the purpose of an appropriate questionnaire where a question should be able to obtain the required information for the research objectives. Some of the questions, though many, are relevant for the study as they can be used by the researcher to create rapport with the interviewee, especially when sensitive data is being sought. For instance, on the part where the researcher wants to find out the number of contacts with the police, and the reaction on the arrests, a question like h (Before your first arrest, what was your opinion of the police? Did this opinion change after the arrest experience(s) and if so, how? Did you feel threatened or protected?), is a relevant question, as it prepares the respondent for the next question, number 2? The researcher has designed the questions using the recommended scientific techniques, especially in qualitative and quantitative researches. The questions are well worded and structured in such a way that they pass the feeling to the respondents that the behavior and attitude under investigation, is common and not unusual. This is a significant aspect of the research as some questions such as one on the number of police contacts are extremely sensitive, and if the respondent is made to feel that the behavior is unusual, they might be reluctant to divulge key information for the study. A well worded and structured question will enable the researcher to collect enough data from the respondents, even on matters that are generally perceived to be sensitive. The questionnaire is well structured in a way that the questions are arranged in a logical sequence. This is an essential aspect of the questionnaire as it will make it easy for your respondents to have a free flow session in answering the questions. For instance, the first questions seek to find out the background information on the respondents. The next set of question seeks to establish the reasons behind the different treatments for the different groups. This is followed by another part which tries to establish the source of the different treatment, before entering the next part on police contact. The researcher has done well in avoiding a mix up of questions which would make the work of both the interviewer and the respondent quite difficult. The questions have been structured in a professional way in that they will be able to limit responses and save the respondent the agony of having to consider from many alternatives. The open ended questions demands for what he/she has knowledge of. Apart from having the above outlined strengths, the questionnaire suffers from some weaknesses which need to be corrected to enable the researcher collect relevant and reliable data. They include: Some of the questions have been phrased in terms of the respondent and not other people. These types of questions tend to make the research too personal and may be interpreted by the respondent as infringing on their privacy. For instance, when the researcher asks in question 1 about police contacts in question one, the wording is too personal. The question would have been framed in a different way so that they appear less personal to the respondent. Such a wording might prevent the respondents from giving personal responses, something which might affect the validity of the data collected, and the eventual interpretation. The questionnaire lacks an introduction to the questionnaire. An introduction to the questionnaire serves to inform the respondent on the intention of the research, some background information on the researcher, the purpose of the study, its usefulness and more so, assures the respondent of the confidentiality of the responses given. With such information, the respondents are at ease to answer the questionnaires unlike where there is the absence of the introductory part. Wording of the questionnaire Even though, the wording appears to be simple, it might appear ambiguous to some respondents. Some wordings in some questions have not considered the full context of the respondents. This is mostly the case when we look at the who, where, when, why and how aspect of the questions. For example, the question, ‘How could your adolescent cultural expressions have influenced the police actions and which of your cultural expressions do you think played a role? might seems straightforward and clear at first. However, the respondent might be having some other thoughts about the meaning of the question. He/she might consider ‘you’ to be the family or group as a whole, as opposed to the question being personal. This might present a situation where instead of giving a response based on the cultural expression of his/her personal experience; the respondent might give that of the group, or family opinion. The researcher has made a misconception that the survey questionnaire, which in this case, acts as a guide to the structured interview is a stand-alone tool. The questionnaire alone can not be reliable in coming with a substantial research work especially in both qualitative and quantitative researches. The questionnaires are not accompanied with research communication aid tools, rewards for the interviewees, and other forms of field works such as focused group discussions. Double-barreled questions The researcher has employed the double-barrel style of framing questions which makes them more complex for the respondents to answer. The use of such questions in the questionnaire is bound to confuse the interviewee and compound the results. Examples of such questions in the questionnaire include; 1 (h). Before your first arrest, what was your opinion of the police? Did this opinion change after the arrest experience(s) and if so, how? Did you feel threatened or protected? This type of question will appear complex to the respondent and might end up confusing him/her. It might also make it hard to give appropriate responses due to its complicate nature. Other types of double-barreled questions in the questionnaire include 3, 6 a, b, Leading questions The researcher has used some leading questions in the research. These are suggestive in nature and may lead to biased responses, which are against the principles and ethics of research. An example of such a question is in; Question 7 (a) Juvenile behavior is perceived by many as destructive and as a form of retaliation; what elements of this behavior would you consider fitting this perception? This is a leading question as it makes the respondent agree with the perception that juvenile behavior is perceived by many as destructive and as a form of relation. May be the respondent might be having a different opinion from that one proposed by the researcher in the questionnaire. 3) Recommendations and/or suggestions The researcher designed the questionnaire to be used as a guide during the structured interview with the study’s participants. This means that the interviewer, and who happens to be the researcher, will carry the questionnaire and present the questions in person, as opposed to issuing the questionnaires to the respondents. To cover that part of the introduction, the researcher can have a separate piece of paper which carries the introductory part. However, it is better to memorize the introductory part as it will create the feeling that the researcher clearly understands the research topic, as opposed to when he has to read directly from the script. Better wording is recommended to ensure that the respondent get the true meaning of the question, and avoid irrelevant responses. For instance, the quoted questionnaire could assume the following form; ‘ How could have could your adult cultural expressions have influenced the police actions and which of your personal-cultural expressions do you think played a role?’ There should be better wording for the questionnaires to make the questions appear less personal especially on sensitive questions such as the one on police contact. The questions should be phrased in terms of other people and not the respondent. For instance, question 1(a) would be better if phrased, ‘How many police contacts did members of your group encounter as adolescents? How many happened when they were between ages 12-17. What about as a young adult (18-21). The interviews should be supplemented with other tools of qualitative research such as observation and focused group discussions. Focused group discussions will involve interviewing several people put together into groups. It will allow respondents to react and respond to each other’s response, thereby providing a wealth of detailed data. The researcher should try as much as possible to avoid leading the respondent either intentionally or unintentionally into an answer. The questionnaire should provide for fair and honest answers, and not necessarily to suit the feeling and mindset of the researcher. The researcher should try to structure the questions in a simple way. Complex questions tend to be hard to understand and give responses. The respondent tends to be confused by such questions and may be forced to rush throughout the process of giving responses that are not in line with the objective of the research. The questions should be clear, briefly phrased for easy reading and interpretation, as well as unambiguous intention that does not allow for misinterpretation or confusion. When conducting the interview, the researcher should try to be in control of the process so as to guide the respondents and avoid irrelevant responses. This will save on time; avoid superfluous data, as well as exhaustion on the respondent. However, this should be done in a tactful way to avoid a discouraging the respondent. References Dillman, A. D. & Salant, P. (1994). How to Conduct Your Own Survey. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read More