Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 Hours (includes practical sessions) |
| Lecture | |
| Seminars / Tutorials | 6 Hours. 3 x 2 hour seminars. |
| Practical | 6 Hours. 6 x 1 hour or 3 x 2 hour practical. |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 3000 words required in week 12 | 100% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 3000 words | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic methodological principles underpinning evaluation research.
2. Show an appreciation of some of the technical, practical and ethical problems encountered when evaluating the impact of criminal justice interventions.
3. Design a simple evaluation study.
4. Appreciate the difference between formative and summative evaluation research strategies.
5. Apply core criminological theories and reasoning to applied topics and policies in areas such as crime control and prevention.
6. Display a critical awareness and understanding of the respective strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative analytical methods in different research contexts.
7. Present statistical data in a variety of different formats.
8. Draw appropriate inferences from statistical data and establish statistical significance.
9. Distinguish what constitutes good ethical practice when conducting empirical research in criminology and identify the personal risks that may be encountered when undertaking fieldwork in particular research settings.
10. Critically assess evidence-based policy reports.
11. Produce a research report based on an analysis of empirical data.
Aims
The first year core module CR10220 (Criminology Research Skills) provided a basic grounding in the fundamental principles of qualitative and quantitative methods and methodologies in criminological research. The current module builds on this foundation by enabling students to appreciate how these research methods and techniques can be applied to the evaluation of crime policy initiatives and intervention programmes. It introduces students to more advanced ideas and techniques in both qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
Brief description
The module covers the principles of evaluation research and demonstrates how social science methods and methodologies are applied to the study of planned interventions and treatment programmes in the criminal justice field. It will provide the student with the knowledge and skills to conduct their own empirical research and critically analyse existing studies.
Content
Experimental and quasi-experimental research designs in policy contexts.
Qualitative approaches to evaluating practices and policies in criminal justice.
Collecting qualitative data: participant and non-participant observation, focus groups and interview techniques.
Basic psychological tests
Quantitative methods: Inferential statistics, statistical significance and Chi-square.
Introduction to quantitative software.
Evaluating crime reduction programmes, and crime prevention initiatives.
Ethical principles and practices in criminological research.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6