Introduction
Social research is not simple to do. A social researcher needs to choose from a variety of options and alternatives and make a decision which research methods to employ. Each choice has its own advantages and disadvantages. Each choice brings with it a set of assumptions about the social world it investigates. The social researcher needs to weight the advantages and disadvantages of each choice and make sure that it is appropriate for the topic the he or she is investigating. There are no right or wrong when it comes to the direction that the researcher wants to take. There is, however, some methods and strategies which are better suited than others for tackling specific issues. In practice, research approaches are selected because they are appropriate for specific aspects of investigation and specific kinds of problems.
Two researches will be studied in this report – one quantitative and one qualitative. The quantitative research is entitled “The effects of service participation, friendship networks, and family support on development outcomes: a study of young people from low-income families in Hong Kong” (hereafter Research 1). The qualitative research is entitled “Images of criminals and victims” (hereafter Research 2).
Research Background
Research 1 contributes to the body of literature that tackles the transition from school to work of young people. The paper specifically focuses on the transition from school to work for young people from low-income families. The paper argues that there are opportunities for these young people to flourish despite their deprived family backgrounds. Thus, the research investigates on the different factors that contribute to the success of young people from low-income families. The authors chose to investigate on this issue because there is very little research available. By conducting the research, the authors aimed to provide information to help in alleviating the problems faced by young people.
Research 2 explores women’s fear of crime. The article advances the view that female fear is exacerbated by images and representations of crime contained in the prevailing ideology of crime. This ideology is shaped by popular images about what is criminal, who is more likely to commit crime and who is more likely to become a victim, what are the connection between criminals and victims, where and when is a crime more likely to occur, and what are the best ways to control and prevent crime.
Research Questions
Research 1 aims to answer the question how do factors of service participation and social capital shape the success of young people from low-income families.
Research 2 aims to identify what are the popular images of criminals and victims in a group of women of different ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The researcher also aims to identify the ways in which the social location of women affect the images of criminals and victims. Lastly, the author aims to ascertain whether those women who hold qualities that match popular representations of ideal victim will report a more heightened awareness to crime than those who do not fit such images.
Research Hypotheses
The research hypotheses stated by the authors of Research 1 were: (1) a young person who has received vocational training, services provided by social workers or other helping professionals will have greater opportunity for positive development despite his/her deprived family background; (2) a young person who has better friendship networks will have a greater opportunity for positive development despite his/her deprived family background; (3) a young person with better family support will have a greater opportunity for positive development despite his/her deprived family background.
The researcher in research two worked on the hypothesis that images of criminals and victims reinforce racial divisions, increasing the disparity between men and women as well as among people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The researcher also hypothesized that popular representations associated with safe and dangerous situations, harmless and menacing individuals, and god and bad victims reinforce overlapping hierarchies of power, amplifying social distances among different groups and severely limiting women’s daily activities.
Methodological Approach
The methodological approach that the researchers employed in Research 1 is quantitative approach. The quantitative paradigm is based on positivism which takes scientific explanation to be homothetic (i.e. based on universal laws). Its main aims are to measure the social world. To test hypotheses and to predict and control human behavior (Newman and Benz 1998). Quantitative research is based on the assumption that the world can be investigated using scientific method and that there is an independent reality. Quantitative research is based on the belief that measurable influences (independent variables) affect measurable outcomes (dependent variables) in a cause-effect manner. Quantitative research is generally conducted in a controlled environment, such as laboratories, or using anonymous data such as statistics collected through surveys, questionnaires, structured interviews or tests. Quantitative studies are studies in which the data can be analyzed using conventional statistical methods (Peat 2001). As its name implies, quantitative research is concerned with quantities – how to measure phenomena and how to express those measurement. A researcher who takes a quantitative approach to investigating a topic aims to learn more about it. Taking a quantitative approach to research implies asking questions about the phenomena that can be counted. Researchers who take a quantitative approach often work within positivism, as this paradigm frames the world as a collection of apparently independent phenomena to be counted, measured and otherwise catalogued as the prelude to deducing the rules or laws underlying them and giving them coherence (MacNaughton et al 2001).
The methodological approach that the researcher employed in Research 2 is qualitative approach. According to Newman and Benz (1998), a qualitative research involves an interpretative, naturalistic approach of the subject matter. Qualitative research is about studying things in their natural settings. A researcher conducting qualitative research attempts to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them. Qualitative research involves different methods of gathering and collecting of empirical materials such as case study personal experience, introspective, life story, interview, observational, historical, interactions, and visual texts. This method of data collection is about exploring issues, understanding phenomena and answering questions. According to Bryman and Bell (2007) quantitative researchers are of the criticism that qualitative researchers are too impressionistic and subjective. Qualitative research have been criticised because of the assumption that they usually rely too much on the researcher’s unsystematic views of what is important and significant and also researchers often strike up with the people they study.
Research Methods
The research method used in Research 1 was survey. Survey research can be described simply as a means of gathering information, usually through self-report using questionnaires or interviews. In Research 1, the survey method was used to examine relationships between variables (Hutchinson, 2004). The survey method is popular among social researchers because of its utility in countless research situations. Surveys are used for diverse purposes. Another strength of the survey method is its applicability in situations where direct manipulation of variables is unethical (Hutchinson, 2004).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Survey
With an appropriate sample, surveys may aim at representation and provide generalized results. Surveys are relatively easy to administer and need not require any fieldwork. Surveys may also be repeated in the future or in different settings to allow comparisons to be made. Lastly, with a good response rate, surveys can provide a lot of data relatively quickly.
On the other hand, researchers conducting surveys may tend to focus on the data in the form of tables, pie charts and statistics which may lead to a loss of linkage to wider theories and issues. The data provide snapshots of points in time rather than a focus on the underlying processes and changes. In addition, the researcher is often not in a position to check first hand the understandings of the respondents to the questions asked. Issues of truthfulness and accuracy are thereby raised. The surveys relies on breath rather than depth for its validity (Blaxter et al., 2001).
The research method used in Research 2 was focus group and in-depth interview. A focus group according to Anderson (1998) is a carefully planned and moderated informal discussion where one person’s ideas bounce off another’s creating a chain reaction of informative dialogue. The purpose of a focus group is to address a specific topic, in depth, in a comfortable environment to individuals who share common experience relative to the dimension under study. The product of a focus group is a unique for of qualitative information which brings understanding about how people react to an experience or product.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Group
Focus groups, unlike other research methods such as interview and survey, discloses what is important to individual respondents and the group setting attempts to create a synergistic environment resulting in a deeper, more insightful, discussion. The focus group elicits a unique type of in-depth qualitative data which could not be obtained as efficiently any other way. Focus groups provide a natural, relaxed and secure setting where individuals are encouraged to share both positive and negative comments. The group setting allows questions to be clarified and modified, which in turn enhances the group discussion and assists the chain reaction of participant dialogue. On the other hand, focus groups can be problematic when languages pose a barrier or when the group forum for discussion is viewed as socially or politically inappropriate. Focus groups are not recommended for situations where the sample population are emotionally charged. Finally, focus groups are inappropriate if quantitative data are required for statistical projections, when sensitive information must be preserved and remain confidential, or when other means of collecting data can produce similar results more economically (Anderson, 1998).
An interview is defined as a specialized form of communication between people for a specific purpose associated with some agreed subject matter.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Interview
People are more easily engaged in an interview than in completing a questionnaire. Thus, there are fewer problems with people failing to respond. The interviewer can clarify questions and probe the answers of the respondents providing more complete information than would be available in written form. Because of in-depth probing, interview is an attractive method when dealing with informed respondents. Interviewing also enables the interviewee to pick up non-verbal cues, including facial expressions, tones of voice and cues from the surroundings and context. Among the disadvantages of interview is the difficulty to record response, particularly if the interviewer is also responsible for writing them down. The validity and reliability of the responses are dependent on the interviewer. Different interviewers may obtain different answers, particularly if questions, procedures and techniques are not standardized (Anderson, 1998).
Findings
Research 1:
The researchers found that service participation has a positive effect in young people’s academic achievement, work performance and mental health. The researchers also found that social networks are important to young people’s engagement in pro-social activities. From the findings of the research, the researchers argued that both helping professionals and positive peer groups provide role models as well as social and emotional support for young people to integrate with the institutional spheres, particularly the school system and the labor market. The research results also points to the importance family, parents in particular in youth development.
Research 2:
By conducting focus group discussions and interviews, the researcher were able to found out that women from different social groups do not have unified images of criminals and victims. Regardless of the race and socioeconomic background of the participants, the researcher was able to draw conclusion that the participants’ images of criminals include the characteristics of Black poor men. Images of victims are predominantly those of White middle-class women. Ideal criminals according to many of the participants are ‘weird’, ‘dirty’, ‘tall’, and ‘big’. Ideal victims according to many of the participants look ‘normal’, ‘small’, and ‘tiny’. The participants also consider criminals as different morally and psychologically. They were labeled as ‘dehumanized’, ‘immoral, ‘animalistic’, ‘irrational’, ‘violent strangers’ who are murderers and rapists who attack their victims randomly and in the streets. Ideal victims on the other hand, were described as ‘fragile’, ‘good’, ‘innocent’, ‘vulnerable’, women.
According to the results of the research, women are not only controlled by images of ideal criminals and victims but also by images of nonideal or undeserving victims. These are those women who do not follow appropriate codes of behavior. These images are influenced by the social position of the participants.
Evaluation
Research 1:
The method employed in the first research was quantitative survey. This is appropriate for the research topic since, the researchers intended to measure the impact of factors such as service participation, friendship networks, family factors, and other demographic data on youth development. The survey enabled the authors to describe the characteristics of a large population. The survey allowed the researchers to include large sample therefore making the results statistically significant. Through the survey, the researchers were able to standardized questions, therefore making measurement more precise. Standardization also enabled the researchers to collect similar data from groups to be interpreted comparatively. While enabling the researchers to include a large sample, it also allowed the researcher to analyze data more quickly and easier. The survey method was appropriate for the research topic since the researcher intended to include a large sample from varied locations.
Research 2:
The researcher combined focus group and interview methods. This enabled the researcher to explore the issue more deeply. Focus group method is advantageous since the researcher wants to explore the attitudes, behaviors, and thoughts of women from different groups. Through the focus group approach, the researcher was able to group the participants according to their social background. This way, the researcher was able to determine the attitudes, behaviors, thoughts and experiences of the participants per group. Through the focus group, the researcher was able to dig deeper into the issue. There is however, a problem with conducting a focus group in this type of topics. Since, the researcher investigated a topic that may explore stereotypes and discrimination, ethical issues can arise. In topics such as the one explored by the researcher, it is important for the researcher (facilitator) to remain objective which is difficult to do since, the topic may give rise to stereotypical and discriminating comments from the participants.
Interview was also employed in the research. Interview is a useful method for this kind of research since the researcher was exploring attitudes and beliefs. Through the interview, the researcher was able to collect detailed information and explanations of the topic under investigation.
References
Anderson, G. (1998). Fundamentals of Educational Research. London: Falmer.
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2001). How to Research. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007) 2ND Ed, Business Research Methods, Oxford: oxford university press.
MacNaughton, G, Rolfe, S and Siraj-Blatchford, I 2001, Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
Newman, I and Benz, C R 1998, Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL.
Peat, J K (ed.) 2001, Health Science Research: A Handbook of Quantitative Methods, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
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