week 7

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7

Judging the Feasibility

Judging the Feasibility of a Research Project

The suggested research focuses on identifying the degree to which exposure or perceptions of community policing in the local area have a connection to the level of trust of the residents in the law enforcement agencies and their perceptions of safety in the Miami neighborhood, Florida. The following evaluation uses the feasibility checklist by Ormrod (2023).

The Problem

1. What special qualifications do you have as a researcher for this problem?

Academically, I am very interested in criminal justice, community policing, and police-community relations. My education and training have provided knowledge of research methodology, quantitative research, literature reviews, research questions, and measurement. I have also reviewed research concerning procedural justice, police legitimacy, community engagement, police visibility, trust, and perceptions of safety. These qualifications provide an appropriate foundation for conducting this study. Faculty guidance can provide additional support with research design and statistical analysis.

The Data

2. If relevant, how available are any already-existing data you need?

 Readily available

Secondary data that is relevant to the project is easily available through public means. These could include population demographics for Miami, crime statistics made available to the public, and community-based data. This data would serve to provide information regarding the research environment. Nevertheless, secondary data cannot provide answers to the research question posed since the study is based on people’s perceptions and experiences.

3. Also, if you plan to use existing data, how often are you personally in contact with the source of the data?

Never

I don’t expect to have any kind of regular personal communication with organizations that provide publicly available data. All secondary data can be acquired online when necessary. In cases where certain data requires permission, I will get in touch with the relevant organization before starting work on the research. This aspect of the project is not crucial for the research.

4. Will you collect new data? If so, how do you plan to gather it?

The primary data will be obtained by way of a structured questionnaire which will be given to eligible Miami residents. The questions will cover the perceptions of police visibility, communication, fairness, responsiveness, and community engagement. Other questions will cover the issue of trust in law enforcement and perceived neighborhood safety. Use of an online questionnaire will not only make the process of data collection faster but also save on costs that would otherwise be incurred on printing, mailing, and traveling.

5. Is special equipment or are special conditions necessary for gathering or processing the data?

There is no need for any special apparatus or special circumstances. All that is needed is a computer, internet connection, online survey tool, and appropriate software. Participants will only need to have access to the survey. The lack of any laboratory equipment or special machinery makes the project feasible.

6. If you will need special equipment, do you have access to such equipment and the skill to use it?

There is no specialized equipment required. I have the means of standard computer technologies available that will allow me to create, deliver, and collect results of the survey. Should any special statistical packages or expert knowledge be needed, they can be accessed at the university. Consequently, neither equipment nor technology is expected to pose any difficulties.

7. What is the estimated cost in time and money to gather the data?

The cost of implementing the research should not be high since the survey could be conducted online to reduce printing and delivery costs. There could be costs related to the purchase of statistical software or software for conducting the survey if it is not available in the institutions, and minor incentives to participants, if allowed.

8. What evidence do you have that the data you gather will be valid and reliable indicators of the phenomena you wish to study?

Past literature suggests that the constructs of community policing experience, procedural justice, legitimacy of police, trust, and community safety may be measured using quantitative surveys. Hevi et al. (2022) have assessed community policing experience and trust, and Nix et al. (2015) have assessed procedural justice and police legitimacy. Yesberg et al. (2023) have evaluated police visibility, police legitimacy, and collective efficacy, while Peyton et al. (2019) have evaluated positive police-community contacts and police legitimacy. This past work has provided evidence that these constructs are capable of being measured quantitatively. Validity will be ensured in the process of developing survey questions that will be linked directly to the operational definition of these constructs and will be content-related. Reliability will be ensured in the form of standardized instructions and response options.

Overall Assessment

9. As you review your responses to this checklist, might any of the factors you’ve just considered, or perhaps any other factors, hinder a successful completion of your research project?

Yes, Possible problems may involve getting research approval, finding a sufficient number of diverse Miami residents to participate in the study, ensuring an adequate response rate, maintaining confidentiality, and reducing self-report bias. Participants may have different understandings of certain questions depending on their interactions with law enforcement in the past. However, all these problems can be mitigated using clearly formulated inclusion/exclusion criteria, neutral language, anonymous data collection, pilot testing, and consistent procedures. Another problem with the proposed design is the use of the cross-sectional methodology since it can reveal relationships but not causality.

Conclusion

Having considered the above-mentioned nine feasibility questions, it can be stated that the community-policing research project I am planning to conduct is feasible and practical. Firstly, the research question is clear and concise, the variables are measurable, and a questionnaire is a convenient way to gather the required primary data. Also, the secondary data sources are easy to access. Secondly, conducting the research does not require any sophisticated equipment or significant financial investments. Thirdly, there is a literature base supporting the measurement of community-policing perceptions, trust, and safety, as well as pilot testing and consistent procedures.

Reference

Nix, J., Wolfe, S. E., Rojek, J., & Kaminski, R. J. (2015). Trust in the police: The influence of procedural justice and perceived collective efficacy. Crime & Delinquency, 61(4), 610–640. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128714530548

Ormrod, J. E. (2023). Practical Research: Design and Process (13th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://ccis.vitalsource.com/books/9780138088781

Peyton, K., Sierra-Arévalo, M., & Rand, D. G. (2019). A field experiment on community policing and police legitimacy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(40), 19894–19898. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910157116

Yesberg, J., Brunton-Smith, I., & Bradford, B. (2023). Police visibility, trust in police fairness, and collective efficacy: A multilevel structural equation model. European Journal of Criminology, 20(2), 712–737. https://doi.org/10.1177/14773708211035306

Your Week 3 submission demonstrates a sound understanding of the feasibility assessment process. You have clearly identified your research problem and appropriately selected a quantitative survey approach to examine the relationships among community policing, residents' trust in law enforcement, and perceptions of neighborhood safety. Your distinction between secondary contextual data and primary survey data is particularly important. Additionally, your recognition that a cross-sectional study can identify relationships but cannot establish causation demonstrates an understanding of research design.

There are several areas that would strengthen your proposal. Most importantly, Question 7 requires an estimate of the cost in both time and money. Although you explain that an online survey could minimize expenses, you need to provide a realistic research timeline and approximate budget. You should also clarify your target population, anticipated sample size, and participant recruitment strategy. These details are essential to establishing whether your proposed research is genuinely achievable.

Your discussion of validity and reliability is a positive contribution, particularly your use of previous research to support the measurement of the proposed variables. However, operational definitions and standardized procedures alone do not guarantee validity or reliability. Consider identifying established survey instruments and explaining how you would assess their measurement properties. Also, please ensure that every source cited in your paper appears in the reference list. Hevi et al. (2022) is currently missing.

You have successfully addressed all nine feasibility questions and included the required concluding paragraph. However, the assignment requires you to reproduce the checklist in the textbook's original format, including its response options. Please also review the reference list and correct the remaining APA formatting issues.

Overall, you have developed a coherent and manageable research direction. With a more specific sampling plan, timeline, and budget, your feasibility assessment would provide a stronger foundation for the proposed study.

Grade: 45/50 (90%)