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Evaluating Research Methods

Unit 3 Assignment

Renee C. Bridgeman

Purdue University Global

CJ598: Applied Research Project Capstone

Doctor Mary Lannon

January 23, 2022

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Evaluating Research Methods

Data Collection and Analysis Procedures

Qualitative Studies

The first qualitative article is the article by Farrell et al. (2019). This article evaluates the

challenges of police response to human trafficking. The data collection method used in this

qualitative study is qualitative interviews with law enforcement agencies who are responsible for

human trafficking cases among three different united states communities. The authors used semi-

structured interviews to assess people who had knowledge or experience on how they could

respond to crimes of human trafficking. The interviews were recorded on an audiotape, and they

were then transcribed. The data analysis was carried out using the QSR-NVIVO 11.4 software,

where the interviews were coded to identify the emerging themes related to human trafficking

challenges.

Farrell et al. (2012) is the second example of a qualitative study. The data collection

method that the authors used included interviews and a review of literature related to human

trafficking. The researchers analyzed interviews within individual cases, intending to paint a

picture of what happened in each case. The investigation of interviews entailed the analysis of

depth contextual factors that had been collected from case files and interviews. The authors also

analyzed case information and contrasted it among multiple cases in a single county to

understand possible variations.

The last qualitative study is the Choi et al. (2020) which explores human trafficking. The

data was collected through the use of interviews. The authors used purposive and snowball

sampling, which was used to identify the study participants. The participants involved in the

study were contacted through emails or telephones. Color coding and comments were also used

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in the analysis to establish different categories and notes of the transcripts. The data analysis

entailed coding transcripts and notes using the constant comparative method. This method makes

it possible for researchers to carry out constant comparisons of and categorization of qualitative

data.

Quantitative Studies

The article by Farrell et al. (2014) is one of the quantitive studies related to human

trafficking. The data collection method that the authors used is the textual analysis, where they

collected data from 14 closed human trafficking records and coded the data to describe the

characteristics of human trafficking cases. The data were collected from 12 different counties in

The United States, and the authors used a nonprobability, purposeful sampling design. The

researchers transcribed the data and uploaded it into a QSR-NVivo 9 software for analysis.

The second quantitative article related to human trafficking is Pocock et al. (2020). The

authors used two different data collection methods. The first data collection method was

questionnaires used to measure differences in attitudes, beliefs, and plans. Data was also

collected through the use of interviews and surveys. The data analysis entailed the use of Stata

14. The authors carried out descriptive analyses and paired t-tests to assess if there were

significant changes in the awareness score before and after training. The researchers also used

mixed-effects models in adjusted analyses, and leaner mixed effect modes were used to analyze

continuous scores. The study used mixed-effects logistic regression models for binary outcomes

and mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression models for Likert scores, respectively.

The third quantitative study is the article by Sweileh (2018). The authors used a

bibliometric method. The bibliometric method uses a quantitative approach in the description,

evaluation, and monitoring of studies that have been published. The authors used a total of 2,044

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research studies where they evaluated sex trafficking, labor trafficking, child trafficking, and

organ trafficking. Data analysis was carried out using the SPSS software where it was used to

generate line presentations of the yearly growth of publications. The authors also used the

ArcGis 10.1 software to analyze data, which was made better by understanding the regional

contribution to specific scientific data.

Evaluation and Comparison of Findings of Qualitative Studies

The research article by Farrell et al.(2019) states that one of the challenges that human

trafficking task forces face is the decision by the human trafficking victims to be unwilling to

share details about their victimization or encounters. A high percentage of human trafficking

victims do not report their encounters. Their families also fail to provide information on how

their family members are victims of human trafficking. The lack of cooperation from the victims

and their families has made it challenging for the task force to identify human traffickers and

bring them to justice. The research findings by Farrell et al.(2019) are similar to those of Farrell

et al.(2012). One of the similar challenges includes securing and accessing evidence from human

trafficking victims and corroborating the collected evidence. The second challenge, which Farrell

et al.(2012) has highlighted, is in investigation cases where the credibility of the victims is

questionable. However, these findings are different from those by Choi et al. (2020) since this

study focuses on the needs assessment of human trafficking victims. The study determined that

the survivors of human trafficking should be provided with access to medical care, economic and

job opportunities, legal advocacy, and mental health services.

Evaluation and Comparison of Quantitative Studies

The quantitative article by Farrell et al. (2014) highlights some of the challenges law

enforcement officers have to deal with in their fight against human trafficking. One of these

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challenges is the failure of human trafficking victims to share information about their encounters.

According to Farrell et al. (2014), this is a major concern since law enforcement agencies rely

heavily on human trafficking victims to come forward and report their encounters. However, the

finding by Pocock et al. (2020) is different from the findings by Farrell et al. (2014); this is

because the author focuses on preventing human trafficking cases among immigrants. The study

determined that it is important to educate immigrants to prevent human trafficking cases. The

article by Sweileh (2018) evaluates the research carried out on human trafficking. The authors

determined a need for further research since human trafficking research studies are

underrepresented, especially regarding health aspects.

Application of Findings

The research findings of the six research articles will be incorporated into my research topic in

several ways. The first way that I will incorporate them is by evaluating their validity and

applicability to the Arizona human trafficking task force. These can be determined using the

qualitative approach, where the experiences of the task force members are collected using

different data collection methods. I will also incorporate the findings of these research articles by

including them in my literature reviews and using them to inform my research process and

findings.

Appropriate Method and Design

The appropriate research method which I will use for my study is the qualitative research

method. This research method collects, analyzes, and interprets non-numeric data to understand

the human trafficking task force's challenges. The qualitative study method will make it possible

to identify and understand the experiences of the Arizona human trafficking task force as they

fulfill their responsibilities (Abedijafari & Amiri, 2019). I will use the qualitative because of its

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flexibility; it makes it possible to follow up on answers to the research question, which generates

depth and complexity of the collected data. The research design I will use for the study is the

descriptive research design. This design will make it possible to describe the Arizona Human

Trafficking Taskforce's situation, especially their challenges and successes. This design is a

theory-based design method created through the collection, analysis, and presentation of the

collected data.

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References

Abedijafari, A., & Amiri, M. (2019). Meta-Synthesis as a Method for Synthesizing Qualitative

Researches. Methodology of Social Sciences and Humanities, 25(99), 73-87.

Choi, K. R., Beck, D. C., Khan, M. A., Bell, S. A., Beza, L., & Munro-Kramer, M. L. (2020). A

qualitative needs assessment of human trafficking in Ethiopia: recommendations for a

comprehensive, coordinated response. International journal for equity in health, 19(1), 1-

11.

Farrell, A., Owens, C., & McDevitt, J. (2014). New laws but few cases: Understanding the

challenges to the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases. Crime, Law

and Social Change, 61(2), 139-168.

Farrell, A., Dank, M., de Vries, I., Kafafian, M., Hughes, A., & Lockwood, S. (2019). Failing

victims? Challenges of the police response to human trafficking. Criminology & Public

Policy, 18(3), 649-673.

Farrell, A., McDevitt, J., Pfeffer, R., Fahy, S., Owens, C., Dank, M., & Adams, W. (2012).

Identifying challenges to improve the investigation and prosecution of state and local

human trafficking cases.

Pocock, N. S., Kiss, L., Dash, M., Mak, J., & Zimmerman, C. (2020). Challenges to pre-

migration interventions to prevent human trafficking: Results from a before-and-after

learning assessment of training for prospective female migrants in Odisha, India. PLoS

One, 15(9), e0238778.

Sweileh, W. M. (2018). Research trends on human trafficking: a bibliometric analysis using

Scopus database. Globalization and health, 14(1), 1-12