cédula jurídica número tres-ciento uno-trescientos noventa y seis

At the beginning of the study it was the researcher’s intention to collect data through conducting face-to-face interviews with sworn Victoria Police personnel. Face-to-face interviews were selected as they allow the researcher more flexibility in observing participants in their natural setting while also allowing for elaboration and clarification throughout, especially in cases where answers appear to be incomplete (Burns, 1994:361). Furthermore, with the use of face-to-face interviews, response rates tend to be higher as respondents are often more willing to give verbal answers to questions rather than written ones (Burns, 1994:362).

One of the difficulties of conducting interviews was the inability in many cases to arrange mutually convenient interview times for the researcher and participants. Issues contributing to this included police personnel obligations such as shift work, annual leave, court appearances and training. In order to overcome such limitations, particularly where several unsuccessful attempts to meet were made, the researcher included telephone interviews. Telephone interviews were selected as an alternative to face-to-face interviews as they possess the same structural characteristics and therefore are a good tool for collecting information-rich data. Telephone interviews can also prove to be more economical and less time consuming while allowing for open communication between the participant and the interviewer (Bailey, 1994:197; Sarantakos, 2005, 283). Time consumption was particularly important given 123

the time constraints placed on police personnel. One notable disadvantage of the telephone technique is that the interviewer is unable to observe non-verbal behaviour expressed by the participant (Bailey, 1994:198; Sarantakos, 2005:283).

Telephone interviews used the same semi-structured interview format as that used in face-to-face interviews. Telephone interviews were also audio taped with the use of a speaker phone. The advantages of telephone interviews were that mutually convenient times were easier to arrange and the use of audio equipment assisted in the accurate recording of data. Where telephone interviews could be arranged, the researcher found that time management was most effective, as time was not spent in having to travel from station to station to find that participants were no longer available, despite confirmations being made (Bailey, 1994:197; Sarantakos, 2005:283). As with face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews allowed for the researcher to prompt, elaborate and clarify answers (Bailey, 1994:198; Sarantakos, 2005:283). Given that the telephone interviews were not solicited in the traditional method, through the use of cold calling or computer-assisted dialling, interviews were not affected by limitations typically associated with this form of interviewing. Due to the pre- arrangement of interviews, limitations such as termination of interview or apprehension on behalf of the participant about interviewer’s anonymity were avoided.

Using telephone interviews did not entirely solve the problem of participants having difficulty committing to a time for an interview. Where participants were finding it difficult to commit to a face to face or telephone interview, they 124

requested to provide written responses to the interview questions. While this seemed to be a solution to data collection issues this too presented limitations.

Limitations included the researcher having to make several follow-up calls to participants who had not yet returned written responses. Due to this limitation, the data collection phase was extremely drawn out. A further drawback was that written responses could be limited due to participants unwillingness to spend time giving detailed answers. The obvious limitation in using e-mail is the inability of the researcher to prompt, elaborate and encourage further information from participants which is possible during face-to-face and telephone interviews. All participants who requested written responses were forwarded these in an appropriate format which were consistent with Appendix Four as per approval from RMIT ethics and the RCC. A further limitation in swapping from face to face and telephone interviews to a questionnaire is that it would have been beneficial to have developed a more comprehensive questionnaire to illicit more in-depth and information rich responses. While swapping data collection methods from interviews to questionnaire responses may initially raise concerns, the consent form participants were required to sign allowed for data collection to be undertaken by interview or by questionnaire. The consent form used to engage participants for the study was an approved RMIT Human Research Ethics Committee form, which was current as at the time of receiving ethics approval from RMIT. This form was also included in the ethics application paper submitted and approved by the Victoria Police RCC.

All interviews whether conducted face to face or via telephone were tape recorded with participants’ consent (Appendix Eight) and subsequently

transcribed. Transcriptions were compiled by a third party, however no identifying features accompanied the tape recordings and therefore participants’ anonymity remained secure. Tape recording of interviews was used to ensure an accurate record of the interview. The use of audiotape can be useful in capturing information that would otherwise be overlooked by written records. Audiotape can capture inflection in the voice of the participant that may help during analysis (Krathwohl, 1993:227). Another advantage of audio data is that it can be revisited throughout the analysis stage for insight. One weakness of this process, which was identified during the data collection process, was the failure of audio equipment. Audio equipment failed during one interview, however as the researcher made it a common practice to take notes during all interviews, data could still be extracted from the interview process (Krathwohl, 1993:228).

Upon the conclusion of the data collection phase, all audio-taped interviews were transcribed and checked by the researcher for accuracy and for a detailed understanding of the data.