Research Methods and Terminology

Research Methods and Terminology

GEN 334: Research Methods in Criminal Justice

April 13, 2015

Research Processes and Terminology

In order to become proficient as a researcher in the criminal justice field, one must become knowledgeable in the language, process and have the ability to articulate findings related to research findings. This research is an important and critical field, especially when it involves another’s life, criminal behaviors, and the criminal justice system. In this paper, we will examine terminology, how this terminology and knowledge apply to a career in criminal justice, how not knowing the proper terminology can affect you while conducting criminal justice research, and understanding how these terms will be an asset when evaluating and analyzing research studies or data.

There are many collective research methods in criminal justice. These methods include the collection, observation, recording, and an attempt to resolve any problems yielded while conducting the entailed research. Methods used include scientific research, psychological and sociological theories, and statistical data that have aided in developmental policies and programs.

Upon review and examination of research methods in criminal justice, initial terminology begins with researchese (research shock). Essentially, researchese refers to the language of research and an individual unfamiliar with this language will feel disoriented when first exposed to this style of presentation and research language. This disorientation is merely the unfamiliarity of the language represented in your field of study. (Hagen, 2010). However, “Researchese is a valuable international language and a useful tool for negotiating and understanding the latest literature in your field” (Hagen, 2010, p.15).

Quantitative research bases theory on mathematical models. This style of research is concerned with measuring social or criminal justice reality and focuses on operational and measurement of variables. In the criminal justice system this research is favored for market demands, teaching, but primarily for the predictive advantages this method possesses. Quantitative research has shaped how police are deployed across the nation, including handling calls for service (Worrall, 2000). Quantitative research largely adopts a positivist approach. Positivism applies and suggest that the same techniques used in the hard sciences also applies to social science problems.

Qualitative research conducts research for the purpose of developing “sensitizing concepts” that enhance their explanation and understanding (verstehen) of reality (Hagen, 2010, p.14). “Many field studies and participant observation studies, in which the researcher lives

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