You have explored the two overarching approaches to research, as well as surveyed methodologies, and considered appropriate methods given your framework and specific research interest. Drawing from the readings this unit, discuss how your lens and how it informs interpretation.

The process of identifying a research question is becoming increasingly easier the more I read all the chapters of Reid et al. (2017). Based on Reid’s recommendations and other literature, my research question will be, how does retirement impact a police officer’s health and wellness? I am pleased with its openness because it may provide me with new or unexpected insights into the subject, suggest further practical courses of action to resolve the problem, or open new directions for future research. Participant’s self-care and post-retirement outcomes can be positively impacted as a result of acquiring these insights. The insights I seek can be best found through qualitative research. That must make me a social change-oriented researcher. At the very least, on the path to becoming one.

The case study approach allows me to focus on an already existing concern in society whereby I may shed some new light on the research problem. I will expand on the research by Carney et al. (2019) Exploring the Impact of Retirement on Police Officer’s Wellbeing by searching to uncover new concepts and ideas that could be incorporated.  My work and much of my personal life have been involved in law enforcement. Some of my projects and assignments have involved qualitative (words, understanding, insights) and quantitative (numbers, graphs, generalized facts) research and documentation. However, my preference is qualitative research approaches due to social aspects while associating with real people rather than numbers and statistics. The case study approach involves qualitative methods, but quantitative methods will also be used for my questionnaire.  The case study allows in-depth exploration of issues in their real-life settings and is used to describe, compare, evaluate, and understand different aspects of a research problem.

For my research question, a case study is appropriate because I want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. This approach will allow me to explore the key characteristics, meaning, and implications of my research topic. I do not have the time or resources for a large-scale research project, and a case study will keep my project focused and manageable. I will be exploring one case study and analyze the subject in depth.

I am aware that a case study is an appropriate method for my research topic, but if the case study does not fit, it will be adapted, or a new process or approach will be introduced and developed.

References

Carney, C.,  Bates, L. & Sargeant, E. (2019) Exploring the impact of retirement on police officers wellbeing: Police practice and research, DOI: 10.1080/15614263.2019.1658584 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15614263.2019.1658584?journalCode=gppr20

Reid, C., Greaves, L., & Kirby, S. (2017). Experience, research, social change: Critical methods (3rd ed.). University of Toronto Press.