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CMY3709
EXAM PACK
DISTINCTION QUALITY
UNISA EXAM
,CMY3709 EXAM 2026
CMY3709 Quantitative Research in Criminology
ANSWER ONE 25-MARK QUESTION.
Critically discuss the quantitative research design process in terms of one of the
following:
1.1 Formulating the problem
1.2 Data collection
1.3 Data processing and analysis
Formulating the Research Problem
The research design process in quantitative criminology involves a series of logical
decision-making steps that guide a study from inception to conclusion. These steps
typically include choosing a research topic, formulating the research problem, collecting
data, processing and analyzing data, and reporting the findings. Crucially, formulating
the problem (step 2) requires the researcher to refine a broad topic into a clear, focused
research problem.
This involves deciding exactly what and who to study (units of analysis), determining the
aim of the research (research goal), and outlining an appropriate strategy. As the study
guide notes, formulating a problem “is a complicated part of research design and
,planning” because it depends on prior choices (e.g. whether the research is self-initiated
or contract research) and on conceptual decisions.
Units of analysis
The researcher must identify the entities to study e.g. individuals, groups, organizations
or social artifacts. For example, studying corruption in government might involve
individuals (civil servants), groups (political parties), or institutions as units of analysis.
These units determine the population the entire set of cases of interest, which in turn
informs sampling decisions.
Research goal
The goal defines what the research should achieve e.g. exploration, description,
explanation. In criminology, a descriptive goal might be to measure the prevalence of
crime types, while an explanatory goal would investigate why crime rates differ across
cities. Formulating the problem requires the researcher to spell out exactly which goal
applies.
Research strategy
The researcher must choose an overall approach (e.g. nomothetic vs. idiographic) that
shapes the design. For instance, a nomothetic strategy seeks generalizable laws of
crime (common in quantitative research), whereas an idiographic strategy focuses on
unique cases or contexts.
Formulating the problem thus means integrating these elements into a clear statement
of the research question(s). For example, the study guide illustrates this with a
corruption topic: one must clarify what “corruption” and “government” mean, specify
which kinds of misconduct to study, and decide whether the aim is to determine extent
, or causes. This stage is critical because it sets the direction for the entire project – an ill-
defined problem leads to wasted effort. Critically, researchers must ensure that the
problem is specific, researchable and aligned with the overall design.
As [34] emphasizes, research design and planning must precede data collection. In
summary, formulating the problem in a quantitative study involves (1) selecting clear
units of analysis, (2) defining a precise research goal (exploration, description or
explanation), and (3) choosing a suitable strategy all of which ensure the research is
coherent and methodologically sound.
CMY3709
EXAM PACK
DISTINCTION QUALITY
UNISA EXAM
,CMY3709 EXAM 2026
CMY3709 Quantitative Research in Criminology
ANSWER ONE 25-MARK QUESTION.
Critically discuss the quantitative research design process in terms of one of the
following:
1.1 Formulating the problem
1.2 Data collection
1.3 Data processing and analysis
Formulating the Research Problem
The research design process in quantitative criminology involves a series of logical
decision-making steps that guide a study from inception to conclusion. These steps
typically include choosing a research topic, formulating the research problem, collecting
data, processing and analyzing data, and reporting the findings. Crucially, formulating
the problem (step 2) requires the researcher to refine a broad topic into a clear, focused
research problem.
This involves deciding exactly what and who to study (units of analysis), determining the
aim of the research (research goal), and outlining an appropriate strategy. As the study
guide notes, formulating a problem “is a complicated part of research design and
,planning” because it depends on prior choices (e.g. whether the research is self-initiated
or contract research) and on conceptual decisions.
Units of analysis
The researcher must identify the entities to study e.g. individuals, groups, organizations
or social artifacts. For example, studying corruption in government might involve
individuals (civil servants), groups (political parties), or institutions as units of analysis.
These units determine the population the entire set of cases of interest, which in turn
informs sampling decisions.
Research goal
The goal defines what the research should achieve e.g. exploration, description,
explanation. In criminology, a descriptive goal might be to measure the prevalence of
crime types, while an explanatory goal would investigate why crime rates differ across
cities. Formulating the problem requires the researcher to spell out exactly which goal
applies.
Research strategy
The researcher must choose an overall approach (e.g. nomothetic vs. idiographic) that
shapes the design. For instance, a nomothetic strategy seeks generalizable laws of
crime (common in quantitative research), whereas an idiographic strategy focuses on
unique cases or contexts.
Formulating the problem thus means integrating these elements into a clear statement
of the research question(s). For example, the study guide illustrates this with a
corruption topic: one must clarify what “corruption” and “government” mean, specify
which kinds of misconduct to study, and decide whether the aim is to determine extent
, or causes. This stage is critical because it sets the direction for the entire project – an ill-
defined problem leads to wasted effort. Critically, researchers must ensure that the
problem is specific, researchable and aligned with the overall design.
As [34] emphasizes, research design and planning must precede data collection. In
summary, formulating the problem in a quantitative study involves (1) selecting clear
units of analysis, (2) defining a precise research goal (exploration, description or
explanation), and (3) choosing a suitable strategy all of which ensure the research is
coherent and methodologically sound.
