VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
For this assignment, you will make a 2-3-paragraph posting to the Discussion Board in which you must answer the following questions:
• What are some potential methods of researching violence against women?
• Specifically, what are ways in which violence against women could be studied using interpretative and critical frameworks?
• What would you change and why?
• What different types of information would you likely obtain using this research process?
One method that could assist in acquiring information would be by interviews. Highly qualified personnel are needed as some of the respondents tend to be overcome by the memories of the incident thus never give the whole information. This should involve considering the gender of the interviewer and the level of training of the interviewer. Privacy during this time is essential and presence of a violent individual may hinder her from relaying the necessary information.
Surveys can also be conducted. This would use questionnaires in the conduction of the surveys; other methods that can be applied for the survey are telephone and face-to-face interviews (Kruttschnitt, McLaughlin, Petrie, National Research Council (U.S.). & National Research Council 2004).
Interpretive and critical frameworks
Some of the effective methods of researching on violence against women are qualitative and quantitative research methods. Quantitative employs the use of surveys and experiments and through manipulation of collected data a summary is made. The most important concerns in this method are the external and internal validity of the research. Qualitative research involves naturalistic observation, ethnographies and may use content analysis in the generation of themes that are a summary of the research. (Felson, Tedeschi, & American Psychological Association, 1993).
In critical framework, approaches developed are meant to expose imbalance of power and to empower those participating in the transformation and understanding of the world. Critical framework emphasizes on unearthing the relations of power which are based on gender, ethnicity and class. Critical researchers have relied on this idea of the combination of both qualitative and quantitative information in their persuasion of the public and policy makers. (U.S. Department of Justice. 2004).
Quantitative data collection methods are the best for the making of conclusions that are sound to the population n which a research is being carried on. The show how frequent the occurrence happens and how it is distributed within the population. i.e. The page affected most and the numbers of times women in the area under study have faced violence.
Things that I would change
Surveys do not give adequate information on the causes of this violence thus their use does not provide enough information making them somehow unreliable as sources of information. I would use the triangulation method.
The information types likely to be obtained.
Triangulation allows for validity and utility of a given research and the trustworthy of the collected information is valid. It allows different perspectives to be generated from viewing the subject and gives one a chance to check of any potential inconsistencies. (Ellsberg, Heise, L., Program for Appropriate Technology in Health. & World Health Organization. 2005).