CR5012 - Research Methods for Policing

The module aims to further develop your skills and knowledge of research methods in policing through applied lectures, group discussion and debate, as well as independent learning. Weekly lectures will frame the discussion of each area of the syllabus. Teaching will employ the use of a set of key policing tasks that will be worked through and revisited throughout the lecture and seminar workshop programme. The learning experience on this module will outline research methods that might be applied to these tasks and will contribute to the development of Evidence Based Policing. Lectures will introduce methodological theory, applied policy and practice and will stimulate and provoke your thinking. Seminars will follow a more student-led, workshop format. For each seminar workshop you are likely to engage in work as part of a discussion group to research and analyse a set of provocative questions via a case study or alternative exercise. You will also have space to develop your own thinking and position as a scholar of policing and criminology. The seminar workshops are tailored to the learning preferences of the students on the module each year and these are determined in consultation with you and your cohort in the first weeks.

The learning and teaching on this module allows us to oscillate between theory and practice. Formative assessment is built into the seminar workshop and lecture programme. Further development of your confidence in synthesising, explaining and discussing information from a range of sources is also a key aim of the approach taken in this module.

Developing your ability to reflect on sources of data, the design of research questions and selection of appropriate methods to applied policing tasks is central to this module. The module encourages you to make appropriate connections between theory, research, policy and practice in terms of policing, partner agencies and the wider criminal justice system. As part of your intellectual development, you will receive support from your peers in the classroom and from the module tutor/s throughout the module. Support outside the classroom includes additional academic support via 1-1 tutorial support opportunities that we encourage you to take up with the module tutor/s.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the module you should be able to: 1. Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of key principles of research methods and practice in the context of given scenarios encountered by police. 2. Demonstrate your ability to identify, explain, evaluate and interpret relevant data sources and the role of research evidence in relation to policing. Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities: By the end of the module you should be able to: 3. Demonstrate understanding of a range of research methods that can inform Evidence Based Policing. 4. Communicate that you understand how to design and implement research methods in an applied context. Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA): By the end of the module you should have developed the ability to:
5. understand the ethical implications associated with conducting research in a professional capacity 6. Enhance your ability to analyse research studies in terms of their methodology and design.

Summative assessment You will prepare a 3500-word research proposal, including identification of research questions, hypothesis, method, ethical considerations, and schedule for a project on a policing task (as agreed with the module tutor).Summative feedback will be available in written form on scripts, via the eLP as notes for guidance and orally from module/seminar tutors. Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria will be made available to you to support you in completing assessments. Grade-Related Descriptors are descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge and/or attributes that you need to demonstrate in order achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment, providing a mechanism by which the quality of an assessment can be measured and placed within the overall set of marks.

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In this module you will learn how the development of research and scientific analysis can develop Evidence Based Policing and the benefits and limitations associated with this. You will learn how to conduct systematic literature reviews and critically evaluate available evidence.

Quantitative and qualitative research techniques are introduced, including survey design and implementation, research interviews, data analysis, sampling, and data processing. Practical matters relating to the conduct of research are addressed in terms of planning and selecting different methodologies for specific types of research question, the ethics of research and presentation of data.

In this module you will learn how the development of research and scientific analysis can develop Evidence Based Policing and the benefits and limitations associated with this. You will learn how to conduct systematic literature reviews and critically evaluate available evidence.

Quantitative and qualitative research techniques are introduced, including survey design and implementation, research interviews, data analysis, sampling, and data processing. Practical matters relating to the conduct of research are addressed in terms of planning and selecting different methodologies for specific types of research question, the ethics of research and presentation of data.