The quality of employees’ working usually depends on the peculiarities of their attitude to jobs and the feeling of job satisfaction. From this point, it is important to examine the most stressful jobs in relation to the question of job satisfaction, job hazards and risks. Focusing on the field of criminal justice and criminology, it is possible to concentrate on the peculiarities of the job of police officers and their attitudes to the working process. The police officers’ functions are based on the principles to protect citizens from the possibilities and consequences of any crimes. This work is full of risks and stresses which are often connected with the risk for an officer’s life. Thus, the police officers’ job is significant for the society and depends on a range of concepts developed in the field of justice and law. To analyze the aspects of the police officers’ job and its impact on their life, it is necessary to conduct the definite research. The main goal of the research is to investigate and describe the factors which the police officers consider as satisfied, risky or hazardous in their work in order to explain the effects of these factors on the quality of the work. The qualitative research is appropriate for achieving the purpose, and the method of a survey should be used while investigating the issue.
Criminal justice researches are usually developed according to the certain criteria used for quantitative and qualitative researches. Quantitative researches are useful for presenting the dynamics of the process or the statistical data in relation to the problem (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2009). To complete the purpose of the research on the issue of the police officers’ job and its aspects, it is useful to use the qualitative research which depends on the significance of the qualitative characteristics, but not on the quantitative data presented in numbers. The survey research with the help of which it is possible to examine the police officers’ attitude to their work, the elements of the job satisfaction and dissatisfaction for them is the most appropriate method to conduct the qualitative investigation. The purpose of the research is to explore and describe the factors which are significant for the police officers’ feeling the job satisfaction. To determine the negative factors and risky situations or positive factors and beneficial factors which can influence the officers’ work, it is necessary to conduct the survey with the help of the series of questions asked in the definite group of officers.
The effectiveness of the conducted survey depends on the sample used in the research and the character of questions asked. The qualitative research is effective when it depends on the analysis of the presented information which can be characterized by its variety in order to meet the requirements of reliability and validity of the research (Hagan, 2010). The sample should include the police officers who are representatives of the different stages of the hierarchy in order to examine the full picture which reflects the peculiarities of the officers’ job and their attitude to it. The interview with the police officers should be face-to-face, and it can be conducted according to the questionnaire the main part of which is provided in the form of the open-ended questions to receive and analyze the qualitative information. The formulation of the questions should be easy to understand in order to avoid the problem of misinterpretation which can influence the respondents’ answers (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010). The purpose of the questions which can be asked is to examine the police officers’ general attitude to their job from the point of job satisfaction and determine the factors which can influence this attitude. The possible questions to be asked are:
- What aspects of your job can be discussed as the most stressful and influential not only for your professional life but also for your personal life and health?
- What factors in your working process or relations with the other officers can make you change the department or even your career?
- Why are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the retirement system and the system of insurance or compensation?
- What components of your work make you feel satisfied with your position? What components are rather problematic to be overcome while working?
The main advantages of a qualitative data-gathering strategy over quantitative approaches are in the fact the results of the analysis are not limited with the statistical data, and the replication is rare. Moreover, it is possible to make the research conclusions depending on the previous generalizations and analysis of the problem. The participant observation can be combined with the general survey in order to receive the complex picture of the problem and explain its characteristic features. Being a student who is interested in Criminology, it is possible to conduct the participant observation along with the survey because it allows exploring the additional aspects of the police officers’ attitude to their job while observing the reality of the working process and the officers’ reactions.
To complete the necessary research successfully and receive the full information with the help of the survey, it is important to pay attention to such ethical issues as the problem of the informed consent and confidentiality. Those respondents who form the sample of the research and participate in the interview should be informed about the purpose of the research and confirm their participation in the survey. The respondents should admit the peculiarities of conducting the research which is realized according to the ethical principles. Moreover, all the respondents have the right for preserving the confidentiality of their answers about which they should be informed before starting the interview. The successfulness of the research depends not only on the data or information collected and its careful description and analysis but also on following the definite ethical principles while conducting the survey.
To conduct the research in which it is necessary to examine the features of the police officers’ job and their attitude to it, it is significant to pay attention to the qualitative research usually used in criminology and criminal justice. The main purpose of such a research can be the exploration and description of the police officers’ job and their attitude to it in relation to the satisfaction, dissatisfaction with the working process and with accentuating such factors as risks and hazards of the work. The most appropriate method to realize the research is to conduct the survey which is based on the answers received during the face-to-face interviews with the respondents who should answer the open-ended questions. The principles of the informed consent and confidentiality should be also met.
done in as little as 1 hour
References
Bennett, J. O., Briggs, W. L., & Triola, M. F. (2009). Statistical reasoning for everyday life. Boston, MA: Pearson/Addison Wesley.
Hagan, F. E. (2010). Research methods in criminal justice and criminology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Maxfield, M. G. & Babbie, E. R. (2010). Research methods for criminal Justice and criminology. USA: Wadsworth Publishing.