Mixed Methods in Criminology

315 Pages·2018·8.677 MB·English

by  Vicky Heap, Jaime Waters (eds.)

Mixed Methods in Criminology
Mixed Methods in Criminology is the first book to bring together the discipline of crimi-
nology with the mixed methods research strategy, which has become increasingly
prominent within criminological teaching and research.
The book is structured so that it charts the course of a criminological mixed methods
study. Starting with an introduction to mixed methods and its implications for crim-
inology and criminological research, the book then works systematically through the
planning stages of a research project. Developing research questions, aims, and objectives
is discussed alongside literature searching skills and the project planning process, before
the principles and practice of ethical research are summarised. Next come chapters on
philosophy, mixed methods design, combining the data, research design and sampling,
data collection methods, and data analysis, delivering a comprehensive overview of how
to undertake a mixed methods research project in practice. This is followed by a chap-
ter on troubleshooting, which provides useful advice from experienced mixed methods
researchers, before a detailed account of how to write-up mixed methods research is
presented. The book concludes with a range of real-life mixed methods case studies to
demonstrate how the techniques outlined in this book have been employed in reality and
to inspire new criminological mixed methods projects.
Providing straightforward, easy-to-follow guidance, Mixed Methods in Criminology is
the essential student companion for any criminological mixed methods research project.
Drawing on the authors’ years of experience teaching research methods, the book is writ-
ten in a supportive and encouraging tone that will serve as a reference and guide for those
embarking on their adventures ‘in the field’.
Vicky Heap is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Fellow of the Sheffield Institute
for Policy Studies at Sheffield Hallam University. She conducts research and lectures in
the areas of anti-social behaviour, crime prevention, and research methods. Her current
research examines victims’ experiences of anti-social behaviour and the implementa-
tion of the Community Trigger and Community Remedy policies from the Anti-Social
Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act (2014).
Jaime Waters is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Fellow of the Sheffield Institute
for Policy Studies at Sheffield Hallam University. She has been teaching criminological
research methods since 2004 and publishes on methodological issues. Her main research
interests include illegal drug use, gambling, and emotional labour, and she published
her first research monograph, Illegal Drug Use Through the Lifecourse (with David Moxon,
Routledge), in 2017.

Mixed Methods in Criminology
Vicky Heap and Jaime Waters
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
 2019 Vicky Heap and Jaime Waters
The right of Vicky Heap and Jaime Waters to be identified as
authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Heap, Vicky, 1983- author. | Waters, Jaime, author.
Title: Mixed methods in criminology / Vicky Heap and Jaime
Waters.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. |
Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018036528| ISBN 9781138309456 (hardback)
| ISBN 9781138309463 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315143354
(ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Criminology—Methodology. | Mixed methods
research.
Classification: LCC HV6018 .H43 2018 | DDC 364—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018036528
ISBN: 978-1-138-30945-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-30946-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-14335-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
Contents
List of figures ix
List of tables xi
Foreword by Professor Shadd Maruna xiii
Acknowledgements xiv
1 Introduction to mixed methods 1
Introduction 1
Quantitative and qualitative research strategies 2
Introducing mixed methods 5
Why use mixed methods in your research? 10
Mixed methods vs multiple methods 11
Mixed methods in criminology 11
Chapter outlines 12
Summary 14
Learning questions 14
2 Creating a mixed methods question and project planning 15
Introduction 15
Developing a mixed methods research project 16
Research questions 19
Literature searching 28
Research aims 39
Research objectives 39
Clarifying your ideas and planning your project 42
Initial mixed methods project planning checklist 43
Summary 44
Learning questions 44
3 Ethics 45
Introduction 45
The importance of ethical research 46
Key principles 48
vi Contents
Governing research ethics 55
Situating ethics in a criminological mixed methods context 59
Mixed methods ethics in practice 61
Ethics checklist 75
Summary 77
Learning questions 77
4 Philosophy 78
Introduction 78
The importance of research philosophy 78
Epistemology 82
Ontology 88
Pragmatism, multiple realities, and mixed methods 90
Summary 92
Learning questions 92
5 Mixed methods design 93
Introduction 93
The priority question 93
The sequence question 96
Priority, sequence, and overall mixed methods design 100
Summary 105
Learning questions 106
6 Combining the data 107
Introduction 107
The mixed methods minefield 108
Triangulation 110
Complementarity 115
Development 118
Initiation 120
Expansion 121
Evaluating attempts to combine the data 123
Summary 124
Learning questions 125
7 Research design and sampling 126
Introduction 126
Research design 126
Sampling 133
Summary 139
Learning questions 140
Contents vii
8 Data collection methods 141
Introduction 141
Primary data collection methods 142
Secondary data collection methods 165
‘Doing’ mixed methods data collection 168
Summary 175
Learning questions 176
9 Data analysis 177
Introduction 177
Quantitative data analysis 178
Qualitative data analysis 196
Summary 206
Learning questions 206
10 Critique 207
Introduction 207
The importance of critical evaluation 207
Quantitative terminology: reliability and validity 209
Qualitative terminology: trustworthiness and authenticity 216
Mixed methods terminology: inference quality and
inference transferability 223
Summary 226
Learning questions 226
11 Troubleshooting 227
Introduction 227
Solutions to common problems in mixed methods research 227
Troubleshooting: a worked example 232
Top tips 234
Summary 235
Learning questions 235
12 Writing-up 236
Introduction 236
How to write-up mixed methods research 236
Proof-reading and terminology checking 257
Writing-up checklist 257
Summary 259
Learning questions 259
viii Contents
13 Case studies 260
CATRIN ANDERSSON
Introduction 260
Case study 1: Criminality, consumption and the counterfeiting
of fashion goods: a consumer perspective 260
Case study 2: Evaluation of the Gateway Protection Programme 264
Case study 3: Families living with problem gambling 268
Case study 4: Sexual victimization, disclosure, and
accountability: organizational responses of the Boy
Scouts of America to child sexual abuse 271
Case study 5: Investigating recovery capital whilst identifying
gender similarities and differences in pathways to recovery
from problematic alcohol use: a mixed methods study 274
Summary 277
Learning questions 277
Glossary of key terms 278
References 287
Index 296
Figures
2.1 The mixed methods research process 17
2.2 Visualisation of a mixed methods central research
question and subsidiary questions 20
2.3 Funnelling big ideas into concepts for a central research question 26
3.1 The hierarchy of research governance 56
3.2 Example of an invitation letter 66
3.3 Example of an information sheet 67
3.4 Example of a consent form 71
3.5 Example of a debriefing sheet 72
3.6 Example of an information sheet and consent form as
part of an online questionnaire 73
4.1 Relationships between theory and data collection 81
4.2 Epistemological questions 82
4.3 Assumptions of positivism 83
4.4 Assumptions of interpretivism 85
4.5 Links between epistemology, ontology, and method 89
4.6 An example of the impact of philosophical approach on
answering a central research question 91
5.1 Simultaneous design 97
5.2 Sequential design 99
5.3 Convergent parallel design 102
5.4 Exploratory sequential design 104
5.5 Explanatory sequential design 105
7.1 Example of multi-stage sampling used by Heap (2010: 82)
when examining public perceptions of anti-social behaviour 137
8.1 Fish AND chips 162
8.2 Fish OR chips 163
8.3 Fish NOT chips 163
8.4 Boolean search box 163
8.5 Completed Boolean search box for fish and chips example 164
8.6 Example A of a convergent parallel project 169
8.7 Example B of a convergent parallel project 170