Introduction
Research is defined as a form of investigation which aims at obtaining new knowledge, confirmation of a theory or hypothesis. The two main research methods include qualitative and quantitative research methods, which are used by researchers to collect information about a certain phenomenon. The information collected is referred to as data. Quantitative research aims at collecting data in terms of numbers or quantities, while the qualitative research method collects descriptive data, aimed at explaining a given behavior or a certain phenomenon. Data collected may either be primary or secondary. Secondary data has got its advantages and disadvantages. In this assignment, I will discuss secondary data as well as the most appropriate method of data collection or approach to the case of the Orlando, FL police department on community policing (Vartanian, 2010).
Discussion
Secondary data analysis is an analysis of data that is done on an already existing data set. The secondary analysis presents conclusions, interpretations, or some knowledge that is different from or an additional to the one presented during the first analysis report of the data. It is very common in disciplines like economics, demography, and sociology (Vartanian, 2010).
Secondary data is any data that has already been collected by other people or sources and can be accessed by other people for their research or other purposes. Such sources may include books, journals magazines, or electronic data found on the internet. Many scholars and researchers rely on secondary data when doing their academic research mainly for a literature review so that they can outline what is already known or what has been done already about the topic so that they could identify the gap(s) which they intend to fill with their research. Secondary data has got its advantages and disadvantages which are explained below:
Advantages of secondary data
- Secondary data is time-saving because the researcher does not need to go and collect the data himself/herself.
- It is economical in the sense that it saves time, effort, and expenses.
- It makes the process of primary data collection more specific because it identifies the gaps of knowledge or information which need to be filled through primary data collection.
- Secondary data forms a basis for the comparison of data collected by the researcher from various sources.
- Secondary data gives the researcher a wider view of the problem thereby improving his/ her understanding of the problem (Vartanian, 2010).
Disadvantages of secondary data
- The data available may be outdated.
- The accuracy of some secondary data may be questionable, which ends up making the researcher do a wrong or poor literature review.
- Some topics of study may be too specific, so it may be hard to get such specific data from secondary sources (Vartanian, 2010).
Evaluation research is defined as any research which is done to know the worthiness or effectiveness of a program or project. Evaluation research is more concerned about the purpose of the research because it is the purpose of the research which helps the researchers in designing an evaluation research design that is relevant to the issue being researched. Validity and reliability in evaluation research are very important because they determine whether the data collected is a true reflection of the program or project. Researchers are therefore highly advised to avoid any form of bias in their research, which may render the results invalid, unreliable, and therefore a waste of time and resources (Bennett, 2003).
In the case of the Orlando FL police department, there is the need to approach the issue with a lot of care because any small miscalculation in the research design may render the results of the research unusable due to biases that may be brought about by the nature and purpose of the evaluation. The challenge in the research is that the people who are supposed to give information about the evaluation may be victims of the recommendations of the evaluation.
As a researcher in this kind of evaluation, I would do what is called participant observation. I would get recruited as police or as a staff in the department. When I’m already in the system, I would be interacting openly with the police, to understand what they think about community policing. When I’m in this kind of a position, I will be having an excellent opportunity to study and understand the views of the police about the idea of community policing. This will serve as a baseline survey for my research
After getting the views of the police about the idea of community policing, I would proceed to come up with a research plan, which will entail the research design, the participants of the research, the time frame of the research, and the method of data collection and analysis. The research design will be made in such a way that it would capture the required information without any biases from the participants or me as the researcher. After the analysis of the data, I will do a cost-benefit analysis to compare the benefits of the program of community policing, and its benefits to society in terms of reduction of crime, and then give my recommendations in form of a report.
References
Bennett, J., (2003). Evaluation Methods in Research. London SE1 7NX: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Vartanian, T.P.,(2010). Secondary Data Analysis. Oxford OX2 6DP: Oxford University Press.