The Problem of Ineffective Prison Programs - Essay Example

Cresswell defines a worldview in the research context as “a basic set of beliefs that guide action” or the relevant paradigm that forms the guiding principles of the research study. The theoretical framework for a research study is referred to as the paradigm and it determines the intent and motivation for a study, as well as the way in which the knowledge is interpreted and studied. (Mertens 2005). World View The objective of the proposed research study is to examine the problem of ineffective prison programs and to address the question of how prison programs can be improved to ensure that juvenile offenders are integrated into society to prevent recidivism. This report will examine how each of these approaches could be applied to the research problem. The most often used research approach is the positivist approach. The positivist paradigm is referred to as the scientific method because it is based on rationalist principles, i.e, that the social world can be studied in the same manner as the natural world.(Mackenzie and Knipe, 2006). Goles and Hirschcheim (2000) have also pointed out that most research efforts, especially those in the field of Information Systems, appear to be guided by the philosophical assumptions of positivism. The positivist research approach focuses upon the testing of a theory or an experience through the tools of observation and measurement, on the basis of which predictions can be made about the object of the test. A positivist research approach requires that a theoretical framework be available before actually commencing the research study. In the context of prison research, as many as 25 different theories have been put forward to explain the reasons for crime, as well as the rehabilitation of offenders and restorative justice. Among these is Braithwaite’s reintegrative shaming theory (1989), which proposes sub-culture, shaming, labelling and similar causal factors as being the ones most likely to breed recidivism by causing resentment in offenders. He proposes that to prevent recidivism and foster integration, a series of strategies must be used to prevent over-shaming of offenders to avoid built up resentment. In this context Hay(2001) has also shown that reintegrative shaming as proposed by Braithwaite may indeed reverse teenage offending. Positivist/ post positivist approaches are centered on theory verification, hence if this approach is used in this study, the focus would be to apply the theory in the context of the participant sample and verify whether it is borne out in actual practice and whether the reintegrative shaming approach could be successful. Although the positivist paradigm is one of the most commonly used research paradigms, a possible drawback on its use for this study is its failure to incorporate a social perspective into research. This lack is addressed by the constructivist approach. The contructivist paradigm suggests that “reality is socially constructed”. (Mertens, 2005:12). The approach utilized under this theory is the intent to understand that which constitutes human experience. As a result, it places greater emphasis on the subjective views offered by participants in a research study and this is used as the basis to inductively “develop a theory or pattern of meaning” rather than starting off with a theory as in the positivist paradigm (Creswell, 2003:9). Burrell and Morgan have attributed two dimensions – objective and subjective – to this range of philosophical assumptions, with the objective perspective being associated with the positivist paradigm and the subjective perspective requiring a contructivist/ interpretevisit paradigm (Grant and Perren, 2002). Since the proposed research study appears to conform to the subjective set of philosophical assumptions, the constructivist paradigm may have greater relevance, because the social context is extremely important in explaining the reasons for recidivism . In the process of developing a substantive theory, Neumann (1997) has pointed out that while the positivist researcher theorizes, develops hypotheses and creates variables before gathering data, the interpretivist researcher starts from a research question and then develops theory as the data is collected. This research study seeks to develop and offer recommendations on how prison programs could be improved by coordinating the views of participants and experts in conjunction with the theoretical framework that exists to explain recidivism. A practical approach appears favourable for this study, or the pragmatic paradigm, because in this study, the research problem of how to improve prison programs is the most important. The pragmatic paradigm rejects the scientific method as a means of understanding the truth of the world. It places the research problem at the centre of focus and applies all the possible approaches to an understanding of the research problem.(Creswell, 2003:11).In understanding the research problem, the pragmatic paradigm also allows the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods (Creswell, 2003). Hence, this paradigm offers flexibility and facilitates the process of applying various approaches towards understanding the research problem and drawing assumptions pertaining to it. Moreover, since this research is an indepth piece of primary research focused on improving prison programs to prevent recidivism which has been researched only to a limited degree, the pragmatic paradigm allows all possible methods to be applied - both qualitative and quantitative – in arriving at conclusions and recommendations. A constructivistic approach utilized in conjunction with a pragmatic paradigm allows the researcher to draw conclusions based upon the empirical evidence that may be gathered during this study. As demonstrated by McKenzie and Knipe(2006) in a table of comparison of the various research paradigms, the pragmatic paradigm is problem centered and the contructivist/ interpretevisit paradigm is the best suited for theory generation. The transformative paradigm, i.e, the advocacy/participatory approach is change oriented, and is also relevant for this study. Since the nature of the research problem is one that has been sparsely researched earlier and actively solicits and proposes to integrate the subjective views of participants in the study, it appears likely that new insights or radical revelations could result. This paradigm is essentially change oriented, and since the problem statement in this study is how to improve prison programs, bringing about changes may not only be desirable but may in fact be inevitable. Moreover, this study also relies heavily upon the participation of the respondents and does not merely seek to collect factual, statistical data from them to confirm a theory that is applied. Rather it seeks to enter new ground and develop radical new approaches to the problem of tackling recidivism through improvements in prison programs. Hence, an advocacy or participatory approach may be quite suitable for use in this study. References: * Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks: Sage. * Grant, Paul and Perren, Lew, 2002. “Small business and entrepreneurial research: meta- theories, paradigms and prejudices”, International Small Business Journal, May 1, 2002. Goles, Tim and Hirschheim, Rudy, 2000. “The paradigm is dead, the paradigm is dead……long live the paradigm: the legacy of Burrell and Morgan”, Omega, 28(3): 249 MacKenzie, Noella and Knipe, Sally, 2006. “Research dilemmas: Paradigms, methods and methodology”, Issues in Educational research, Vol 16(2). Mertens, D.M. (2005). Research methods in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative and qualitative approaches. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks: Sage. Neumann, William Lawrence, 1997. “Social Research methods: Qualitative and quantitative Approaches”, Nelson-Hall Publishers Refer to the topic paper you developed. You will use your research problem statement to complete this assignment. Provide a hypothetical discussion of how each of the four “worldviews” post-positivism, constructivism, advocacy/participatory, and pragmatism (Table 1.1) described in the text might apply to your proposed study. Your paper should a minimum of 4 pages. Read More