VICTIMOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
July 19, 2011
THE 11TH ASIAN POSTGRADUATE COURSE ON VICTIMOLOGY
AND VICTIM ASSISTANCE
Dr. Yoshiko Takahashi
The 11th Asian Postgraduate Course on Victimology and Victim
Victimological Research
•
Empirical
—Production of knowledge
based on experience or observation
•
No assumptions or thoughts
•
Scientific
—Scientists have certain criteria
to be met
•
An assertion must have both
logical
and
Why Victimological Research?
1. Exploration
•
Explore the nature or frequency of a
problem or policy
•
Might also collect data on some measure
to serve as a baseline for later
comparisons
Why Victimological Research?
2. Description
•
Describe the scope of a problem or
policy response
•
Make more accurate and formal
observations
•
Develop a preliminary understanding
•
Following exploration, we want to know
the problem’s
Why Victimological Research?
3. Explanation
•
Explain things—answer “Why?”
•
Why have we seen a certain change
in scope?
•
Why does a certain problem exist?
•
Example: Why do victims of domestic
The Cycle Theory of
Violence
Tension
building
Honeymoon
Why Victimological Research?
4. Application
•
Applied research
is based on a need for
specific facts and findings—with implications
for policy
•
Two major types of applied research:
Evaluation research
—comparing
program goals to results
Research Methods
Collecting data
Analyzing and interpreting
data
Identifying a purpose
and stating questions
Reporting and evaluating the
study
How to Design a Research Project
•
Beginning points for a line of research
•
e.g., interests, ideas, theories, new
programs
•
Why does something occur?
•
Why is this how it is?
•
What about this possible program?
•
These questions may lead to others you
Getting Started
•
Find out what research has been done
•
Read newspaper stories, journal articles,
check out the Internet, talk to relevant
people
•
Figure out your objective and intended
audience
•
Generally, your purpose for undertaking
Conceptualization
•
What do you mean by the concept being studied?
•
If you are going to study fear of violent crime in
your community
•
What is considered “violent crime”?
•
What is considered “fear”?
•
You need to specify ALL the concepts that you
Choice of Research Method
•
A variety of methods are available, each
with strengths and weaknesses; choose
one after considering the specific concept
you want to study
•
Interviews, surveys, field research,
content analysis, official records
•
The best studies utilize more than one
Zimbardo Experiment
(1971)
Stanford prison experiment
A study of the psychological effects of
becoming a prisoner or a prison guard
24 undergraduate students played a role
The prison environment was created in
Operationalization
•
Create concrete ways of actually measuring your
concept
•
Fear and violent crime:
•
Questionnaire item: “How safe do you feel in
your house, downtown at night, etc.?”
•
Official records of violent crime incidents in
Population and Sampling
•
Exactly who or what will you study?
•
Population—group (e.g., of people) about whom
we want to be able to draw conclusions
•
Because it is generally not feasible to study ALL
members of that population, how will you take a
representative sample?
•
Fear and violent crime: will you include the
Observations
•
Collect the empirical data
•
Qualitative
Non-numerical data
Established through observation and interviews
Open-ended questions, Interview data
Text and image analysis
•
Quantitative
Numerical data
Based on data obtained from measurements,
Application
Utilize the research you’ve conducted
and the conclusions you’ve reached
Make your findings known to others
Develop policy to address your findings
Determine what mistakes were made
that could be corrected in the future
Determine how your research might feed
Official Data vs. Survey
Data
Official Data
Crime reported to police
Uniform Crime Report in the United States
Victimization Survey Data
International Crime Victimization Survey
(ICVS)
Why Victimization Surveys Are
Performed
To describe more precisely the reality of
victimization and victim characteristics
Relationship
Frequency
Severity
Dark Figure
Validity and Reliability
Validity
Measurement approximates a true value
Reliability
The baby’s motion
introduces random
errors
Reliability
The scale reads 1.2
pounds too high when
empty, which makes all
measurements
1.2 pounds too high
Association NOT Causation
• Ice cream consumption and the crime rate are
associated with each other
Program Evaluation
Answer the question: Is your
program successful?
Improve your program
Discover unintended side
effects
Provide program
The Logic of a Well-Designed
Program
Goals
General statements that summarize the
ultimate impact that the social program
is supposed to have on client problems
Example:
You are going to create a shelter
program for abused women.
Goal:
Women who complete the
Objectives
Fit within the scope of stated goals.
Immediate, practical effects that you
want your services to have on the
problem.
Realistic and attainable
Measurable and specific
Example: 90% of the women who
Linking the Process to Evaluation
Process evaluation
Are policies being implemented as
planned?
Impact assessment
Are policies/programs achieving their
intended goals?
Thank you for your
