Does being a victim of crime affect the academic life? Off-shoots of this question are how does crime affect studies on the course, the effect of crime on the emotional state of the victims and how do they cope with it.

INTRODUCTION

United Kingdom is regarded as one of the best country when it comes to education. People from all over the world come here to study because the education system over here is very nice and it is useful to them when they go back to their country, but are they safe over here. Can they walk on the streets without any fear or threat? As they use to do in their country, leave the house in the middle of the night in order to get some food. International students face a lot of problems over here when it comes to this. They do not feel safe over here. They cannot roam around the streets freely because they do not know whether it is safe or not and especially in Wolverhampton. The students over here are very scared to walk on the streets at night or even go to a pub with friends cause they do not know whether they would come back home or not.

According to statistics revealed by the West Midlands Police Department (2004), the crime rate has been increasing a lot in Wolverhampton. The main victims in this are students. Statistics show about one third of students have become a victim of crime while at university. Car theft, burglary, having a purse, wallet or bag stolen continue to be the most common crimes affecting students. Being an international student myself and not used to living in such unsafe environments, I am emotionally affected by this insecurity and as such would like to know if other international students feel the same about this situation. According to BBC news the reason why International Students are targeted is because they are the richest people over here. When they come here they have everything, Mobile phones, Digital Camera, Car, Laptop and enough Money in order to live a good life. But can they live a good life? Can they enjoy their life over here as they had decided? This interest has led me to choose the topic:

“Does being a victim of crime affect the academic life”? Off-shoots of this question are ‘how’ does crime affect studies on the course, the effect of crime on the emotional state of the victims and how do they cope with it.

As an international student over here I have seen an immense difference when it comes to crime and protection. In my country (INDIA) the crime rate has been going down because the police over there are taking necessary steps to prevent it. At night whether be a weekday or a weekend the police are patrolling all time, but over here the police patrolling is not much during the weekdays, it is only during weekends. I find the system in India is much better than the system in United Kingdom and because of this the international students are scared. This makes me think about the stress that the international students might be going through. Just sitting in the room and not doing anything can be frustrating for anyone. So I wanted to conduct a research on this to find out how everyone feels? And if it is yes then how has it affected their studies and how are they coping up with it?

My research focus is on the International students who are doing M.A.I.B course in the University of Wolverhampton. In this course there are students from different countries and are having different cultural backgrounds and their way of thinking is also different. When they come here they are in a different state of mind, they think that over here they will be studying and working and enjoying life.

I have conducted interviews of four international students who are doing a fulltime M.A.I.B course in the University of Wolverhampton.Out of these four students two have been a victim and two have not been a victim to crime.

The reason why I chose this particular section is because there are lot of students from different part of the world.

This research is divided into nine parts. The first part refers to a brief description of the topic and points out the main theories of my topic. The second part talks about the different research paradigms and explains the reasons as to why I chose to adopt for this investigation. The third part is describing my assignment and research strategy. In the fourth part I have spoken about the research design and the methods used for my data and why I chose that particular method. The fifth part describes my research method. The sixth part is the analysis. In the seventh part I have spoken about my findings. In the eight part I have spoken about the reliability and validity of my findings and the final part is conclusion of my topic.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Everyday in the papers we read about disturbing crimes affecting young people but it is difficult to get the actual picture of these incidents and the affects. Victim support is the independent charity which helps people to cope up with the effects of crime. Victim support also works to promote and advance the rights of victims and witnesses (2007).According to Victim Support young people have been the victim to crime.

There are various kinds of crime i.e. Burglary, Rape, Physical attack, Theft of car, Theft from car, Mugging etc. According to BBC news the crime in Wolverhampton had increased (as stated by BBC news on September10, 2003) According to them about one-third victims were students. The reason why international students are main victims is becausefor they are easy targets. They are considered as the richest person over here i.e. richer than the local person because when they come from their country they have their own laptop, car, house and lots of money. That is why they are the targets. This in turn affects their mental stability and their studies at the same time.

According to Victim Support people react to crimes in many ways. Although most of the victims do not suffer for long time. But it does depend from person to person. Most of the victims describe their feelings as shock, upset, worry and fear. They may also be angry with the incident and loose confidence or experience guilt and depression.

If a person is a victim to burglary often expresses feelings of assault and they find it difficult to relax in their own house which is the safest place for them. They would find it difficult to believe that someone was intentionally trying to harm them and this feeling is much different from an accident or illness. (Victim Support, 2007)

Victims who have long lasting reaction are mainly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is an Anxiety Disorder that usually occurs to victims who have been harmed physically or was threatened. (Victim support, 2007)

In the year 1987, American Psychiatric Association (1987; p.250, in British Journal of Psychiatry) defined Post Traumatic Disorder as ‘Sudden acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucination, and flashback episodes, even those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated’.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the product of indelible traumatic memory, which captures the events in the form of cinematic and photographic which is known as flashbacks. (Young, 2002; p.661-683, in British Journal of Psychiatry)

Human possess a physiologically based information-processing system which, under regular situation, will naturally react and resolve small disturbances, however when a trauma occurs this system becomes imbalanced and the information is ‘locked in the brain in the form of input’. (Shapiro, 1999; p.39-40, in EMDR for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

"People who have endured horrible events suffer predictable psychological harm. There is a ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

"People who have endured horrible events suffer predictable psychological harm. There is a spectrum of traumatic disorders, ranging from the effects of a single overwhelming event to the more complicated effects of prolonged and repeated abuse. Established diagnostic concepts, especially the severe personality disorders commonly diagnosed in women, have generally failed to recognize the impact of victimization”. (Judith Herman, 1992, p.3, in Anne Jones.)

According to Judith Herman (1992) in her book “Trauma and Recovery”, the ordinary response to the horrors that occur in our lives is to expel them from our consciousness.

The signs of “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” are:-

1) Repeatedly re-experiencing the incident in the form of flashbacks and memories.

2) Nightmares

3) Frightening thoughts

4) Avoiding any reminders or thoughts

5) Symptoms triggered by an anniversary of the event

6) Emotional numbness

7) Sleep disturbances

8) Depression

9) Anxiety

10) Irritability

11) Outburst of anger

12) Feelings of intense guilt (London South Bank University, 2007)

In my research I want to find out that do the students experience this and if they do then how do they deal with it because the information given by the Shapiro and Young is very disturbing.

The victims may also be distress by the behaviour of the people around them and how they are being treated after the incident and then it is even worse for the victim, as they try to talk to someone about the incident and that person does not know what to say and this leads to depression and loneliness. (Victim Support, 2007)

The survey taken out by Victim support says that 61% victims said they were angry after the crime, 41% said they were upset after the crime, 30% said that they were shocked after the crime and 22% said that they were frightened after the crime. This survey was done basically to find out what the young people feel after being a victim to crime. This is linked to my research also because even I want to find out that how would the M.A.I.B. students in my class would react.

As mentioned earlier that my research topic is “Does Crime Affect the International Students in the University of Wolverhampton” because Wolverhampton was rated as the most crime affected city by BBC news and they also said that the main victims are the international students. Since I do not have much time so my research would be the International students who are doing M.A.I.B course in the University Of Wolverhampton.

There are lots of International students who are doing M.A.I.B course in the University of Wolverhampton and they are from different part of the world; I want to know their feeling and their ideas about this. I want to know whether they feel safe over here or whether they use to feel safe in their own country and before they came what were they thinking about this and what do they think now after coming here.

I am going to interview four international students who are doing M.A.I.B course in University of Wolverhampton. Out of these four students two are already a victim to crime. So I would like to know that what they are going through. I want to know that are they facing any problems after that and how do they think now about this. What impact has it brought to their daily life? The other two students are not a victim to crime but I would like to know that what they think about this. As their friends has been a victim to this dreadful incident of crime. I want to also know from the victims that how are the police behaving with them.

2. RESEARCH PARADIGM

A ‘paradigm’ provides a conceptual framework for seeing and making sense to a social world. According to Burrell and Morgan (1979, p.24), “To be located in a particular paradigm is to view the world in a particular way.” And paradigm has been termed a “world view” (Patton 1990; p.37).

In management or organizational research paradigm encompasses three levels.

The philosophical- basic belief about the world we live in
The social level- where guidelines exist as to how a researcher should conduct their endeavors.
The technical level- the methods and techniques used while conducting the research.

At the philosophical level organizational theories contrast in five sets of assumptions (Burrell and Morgan, 1979) in a subjective or objective dimension; Ontology, Epistemology, Axiology, Methodology Assumptions, and Assumptions about Human Nature (1).

ONTOLOGY

Ontology is concerned with the nature of the reality to a greater extent than epistemological considerations, this raises questions of the assumptions researchers have about the way the world operates and commitment held to particular views. Questions of social ontology are concerned with the nature of social entities. The central point of orientation here is the question of whether social entities can and should be considered objective entities that have a reality external to social factors or whether they can and should be considered social constructions built up from the perceptions and actions of social actors. (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.108).

‘Objectivism; and ‘Constructivism’ are examples of ontological positions. Objectivism “is an ontological position that asserts that social phenomena and their meanings have an existence that is independent of social actors” (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.108).

Constructivism is an ontological position “that asserts that social phenomena and their meanings are continually being accomplished by social actors” (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.108).

EPISTEMOLOGY

Epistemology is defined as a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge and what constitutes acceptable knowledge in a field of study. (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.102). There are primarily two constracting research approaches- Positivist and Interpretivist.

A positivist researcher has a belief that the world conforms to fixed laws of causation; that there is a complexity that can be tackled by reductionism; and that asserts an emphasis on objectivity, measurement, and repeatability. These researchers have both a realist and an objective view of the world. The methodologies most often used by positivist researchers include quantitative analysis, confirmatory analysis, deduction, laboratory experiments, and nomothetic experiments (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.103).

An interpretivist researcher believes there is no universal truth. This type of researcher understands and interprets from his/her own frame of reference. He/She believes that uncommitted neutrality is impossible and realism of context is important. These researchers have both a relativist and a subjective view of the world. The methodologies most often used by interpretivist researchers include qualitative analysis, exploratory analysis, induction, field experiments, and idiographic experiments (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.106).

ANXIOLOGY

Anxiology assumptions are closely related to the epistemology. These are assumptions regarding the role of values. Can values be suspended in order to understand, or do values mediate and shape what is understood?

METHODOLOGY

Nomothetic methodology focuses on an examination of regularities and relationship to universal laws, while ideographic approaches centre on reason why indivudual create and interpret their world in a particular way (Putnam, 1983; 41).

HUMAN NATURE

Assumptions about human nature are deterministic or voluntarist. One views individuals as product of their environment; the other believes individuals create their own environment (Putnam, 1983; 36).

My Ontological are based on constructivism because I think that knowledge is socially constructed. My research is very much interpretivist in terms of epistemology because of the fact that this study is subjective and it might vary from one student to another. My research is Qualitative in nature.

3. RESEARCH STRATEGY

Research strategy can be used for explanatory, descriptive and explanatory research (Yin, 2003). As my assumption are based on constructivism and interpretivism so my research is qualitative in nature because it involves analysis and experience of International Students who have been the victim of crime and does it affect them mentally and in their studies? And to those students who have not experienced this but how do they feel even if they think about it and whether they find this country safe or not. The data that I have generated from this study is completely interpretive and not Quantitative in nature. From the constructionist point of view we get all the facts from the people, they are the actual one where anyone can get the truth. Hence, it is meaningful to make this choice. In Quantitative method the researchers:

Review conceptual framework and relationships to be studied.
Prepare data for analysis.
Determine if research involves descriptive analysis or hypothesis testing.
Conduct analysis.
Evaluate findings to assess whether they are meaningful. (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.304)

And this is clearly not my area in what I am doing my research on.

There are many approaches to conduct qualitative research, but four of them are widely used which includes Phenomenology, Ethnography, Grounded Theory and Case Study. (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.289).

I used Phenomenology approach in my research strategy as I intend to interpret the experience in relation to those students who have been the victim to crime and to those students who are scared and have not experienced this and I also want to know that how does it affect them mentally and in their studies. When I am doing this research I as a researcher should set aside my feelings and ideas that I have on this issue.

3.1 PHENOMENOLOGY

PHENOMENOLOGY “is a qualitative research method that studies human experiences and consciousness. It is the study of ‘phenomena’, or how things appear in our experiences, the way we experience things and therefore the meanings things have in our experiences. Phenomenological studies examine conscious experiences from the first person (interviewer or observer) point of view, ranges from experiences involving perception thoughts, desires, memories, emotions and imagination to bodily awareness and social interactions. These studies sometimes are referred to as ‘lived experiences’ because they focus on how human behaviour is shaped by relationships with one’s physical environment, including objects, people and situations. A specialized field of phenomenology is hermeneutics, which attempts to understand and explain human behaviour based on an analysis of stories people tell about themselves.” (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.289).

My research strategy clearly indicated to what the authors have said. The phenomena being investigated from this research is how international students are being the victim to crime and how does it affect their mental status and studies. The methods used for data collection and analysis to develop for exploring the experience will be spoken in the later stage.

4. RESEARCH DESIGN

4.1 Research method

There are two main broad approaches to qualitative data collection- observation and interviews (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.193).

Interview is a conversation. An interview is where the researcher “speaks” to the respondent directly (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; 196). In a qualitative research there are two main kinds of interviews, unstructured interview and semi-structured interview. In an unstructured interview the researcher is directed to the area that is unexplored. It is an open discussion where the interviewer will ask questions to the interviewee who is allowed to respond freely (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.200). It makes an interview sound like a conversation. On the other hand if the questions asked are based on specific topics or are from the list of questions normally included in a research guide then that kind of interview is semi-structured. The interviewee is flexible in answering the questions in semi-structured interview. The questions may not be in the order in which they are categorized in the research guide. The interviewer will always ask questions that are based on issues no matter if it is there in the research guide or not.

I have used semi-structured method because the interviewee is flexible in answering the questions and gives a set of structured questions to the interviewer. I used a relatively small number (four) of open-ended questions that allowed to me to gather the idea of the interviewee on being the victim of crime and how they feel about this. In my research I have taken the interview of two students who have been the victim to this and other students who have not been the victim but how they feel about this. I felt that by choosing semi-structured way of interviewing I would be able to generate in-depth data in order to explore the deeper side of this investigation. That is why I feel that semi-structured interviews are related and appropriate to get to my research purpose.

The various kinds of interviews are Self-completion method which includes mail surveys, internet/electronic surveys, drop-off/pick up. The other method is Interviewer-completed method which involves direct contact with the respondents through personal interviews which is either face-to-face or via telephone ((Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.204). I chose individual face-to-face interview because it more convenient for both the interviewer and the interviewee. It is less time consuming and you can see the reaction of the interviewee as well. It also provides flexibility. The information collected was rather unsystematic and difficult to pull together and analyze. Moreover being an amateur (being my first research project) this process was very difficult.

4.2 INTERVIEW GUIDE

As I have said earlier that I am using the semi-structured method so my interview would be based on that only. I am following the guidelines given by (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2007; p. 328). The questions will be based on the knowledge and preparation by me so that the interviewee will be flexible in sharing the data, the interview will be in-depth, Opinions and values of what a person thinks about this topic.

5 RESEARCH PROCESS

5.1 Interview process

The interview was conducted during the Easter Break. However most of the students were unavailable as they had gone back home for their vacations and few that were present were busy with their assignments. But I was lucky enough as the students that I required for the interview were here only. But it was not easy for me to get time from them as they were very much busy. So I told them that whenever they have the time then we could meet for the interview as this would create a comfortable environment which would also enable a free flow conversation between us. By doing this I learnt that it would be better if they give me time which suited them and the place to meet which was convenient for them to reach and I could get their proper attention which was very much helpful. For example one International student who stays in Telford campus asked me to come there in his room as he was busy with his assignments. By doing this I got full attention from him and it was a big help to both of us.

Before starting the interview I took the permission of the interviewee to record our conversation. I gave them assurance that the recorded conversation will be used only for the purpose of my research and will be confidential. I used mobile phone voice recorder for recording the interview.

6 PROCESS OF DATA ANALYSIS

Data analysis is the act of transforming data with the aim of extracting useful information and facilitating conclusions. Depending on the type of data and the question, this might include application of statistical methods, curve fitting, selecting or discarding certain subsets based on specific criteria, or other techniques. Respect to Data mining, data analysis is usually more narrowly intended as not aiming to the discovery of unforeseen patterns hidden in the data, but to the verification or disproval of an existing model, or to the extraction of parameters necessary to adapt a theoretical model to (experimental) reality. My data analysis began with data collection. During the process of transmition I started organising the data at the same time and allocated relevant categories to the emergent themes. This helped me build my understandings for their responses.

7 FINDINGS

All the subjects feel that they are much more secured in their own country than over here in Wolverhampton (UK). They say that crime is everywhere in the world but they never use to feel scared but after coming here their views have changed and are scared. For example, one of the subjects said that crime does affect students in the following manner:

Subject 2: Students who are the victim of crime cannot concentrate in their studies and think about the incident all the time and get even more scared. Their confidence level is not there. They cannot roam around the streets freely. They feel unsecured and that is what has happened to one of my friend who is staying in Wolverhampton.

This student was staying in the campus in Wolverhampton, but then she shifted to Telford campus only because she knew that Wolverhampton is not a safe town another reason why she moved away to Telford was one of her friend was ‘mugged’ in Wolverhampton when she was going to Asda. They took away all her money and mobile phone, and she could not do anything. Subject 2 said that after that day her friend is very scared in going out and it has hampered her studies also. All the time she is dependant on someone. From this we can make out that international students are scared of being a victim to crime. For example one of the subjects said:

Subject 1: After being mugged on my way back home after classes, I have been very scared in roaming around the town alone, it has affected my studies and my health. I cannot sleep at night because I keep on thinking about the incident all the time; I have gone into depression and do not like to talk to anyone. It is very frightening.

This subject had finished her classes and was going back home in the evening. While she was going back home she was mugged by four boys and they had knives with them. After that incident this subject cannot forget the scene. It is like her life has changed in a big way which is not a good sign. Even the police over here do not take any immediate action. For example one of the subject said:

Subject 3: There was a burglary in my house. All of us were in the university attending classes. When we came back we saw that our television, laptops and clothes were missing and we had kept £1000 in the cupboard which was also missing. We immediately called the police, they came and investigated everything and before leaving they said that they will let us know soon, and after that day whenever we go to the police station the police do not corporate with us at all. After this incident we cannot trust the police over here as they think that we are from a rich family from India and we can buy all the stuff again. That is what one of the police told me.

According to this subject he does not trust the police over here and is very much upset with the system as they are not taken seriously over here. He had lost valuables worth more than £2000, which is not a small amount for a normal person who is paying for his own living and after getting such an answer from the police they are demoralised, and do not trust anyone. For example one of the subject said:

Subject 4: In Wolverhampton you cannot move alone on the streets. It is not safe at all. Whenever I go anywhere I make sure that I am with a group of friends, I have to be dependant on them. In China it is not like this you are not dependant on anyone, you can walk around freely. After coming here I have changed a lot. I cannot trust anyone so easily over here.

This subject has not been a victim to crime but she is scared in moving around alone and freely and is dependant on her friends. She also cannot trust anyone that easily now.

The international students that I interviewed are doing M.A.I.B course in University of Wolverhampton. My finding indicates that the students are very much scared of being the victim of crime and they are also upset the way police are behaving with them.

The international students who have been a victim to crime have changed completely and are very scared to mix around with new people. They cannot divert their mind from this even if they try to and it affects their studies and health. They cannot concentrate at all because the picture of being the victim is still very much visible to them.

The victims also incur losses through crime such as loss of money, which they have earned, then physically, as well as loss of confidence among friends and other people as they think that these people may be criminal and wants to harm him or her. They do not trust anyone after that.

The findings discussed in this section clearly show that the students have a negative thinking now and they are not the same person as they use to be before. Thus, the sign of “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” as mentioned in the literature review is exactly the same that these students are going through and it holds true for my research.

8 Discussions: Validity and Reliability Issues

Following a qualitative research strategy is very advantageous because it focuses on “natural occurring, ordinary events in natural settings”, which is an indication to what “real life is like”. Data collected from provides richness and detailed account of the phenomena under investigation. (Miles and Huberman, 1994).

The sample used in the project was small and I knew that I could not generalise my findings. My sample is consisting of four international students from different part of the world who are doing M.A.I.B course in University of Wolverhampton for the year 2007-2008. Therefore, I cannot claim validity for my findings. An effort was made to set up all the essential conditions for validity of my research. This research is a pilot for the final investigation. For actual investigation more samples are required.

Time factor is also important, the course is not over as yet, six more months are left and students might change their opinion or might not change their opinion about crime and they being the victim.

To add to this, I am doing this subject for the first time and it took me time to understand all the terminologies and concepts which are associated with qualitative study. I have used a phenomenological focus for data analysis to answer my questions and I hope I have done it in a right way.

9 Conclusion

My research questions are based on how do crime affect students in their studies and are they mentally disturbed and how do they deal with it? I chose to take the international students who are doing M.A.I.B course in University of Wolverhampton for my research. This research was an attempt to study how the students feel after being the victim and those who are not a victim what do they feel about this. Whatever information given by the students one could make out that the students are not happy at all with the way things are going. They are very much upset with the whole scenario around them and they would like it if some steps are taken by the police.

They are very much upset with the police also over here, because they being an international students expect more from the police than the local people over here and if the police also do not corporate with them, then they do not know where to go for help as they do not know anyone in this town.

But as I said earlier still six months are left for them to finish their course so things might change for better or for worst, so the conclusion drawn for this research cannot be generalised.

REFERENCES

1) BBC, BBC News 24 (2003) Students Easy Prey for Criminals [online]. [Cited on 10th April, 2007].

<Http: //news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3096388.stm.>

2) Victim Support, Familyrapp (2007) Helping young people cope with crime attacks themselves [online]. [Cited on 05th May, 2007]. <http://www.familyrapp.com/Results/archive_results_details.asp?ArticleID=556>

3) British Journal of Psychiatry (2003), Flashbacks and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Genesis of a 20th Century Diagnosis [online]. [Cited on 15th July, 2007]. <www.google.co.uk>

4) OST, J., & Easton, S. (2006), NICE recommends EMDR for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Why? [Online]. [Cited on 15th July, 2007] <www.google.co.uk>

5) Jones, A. (1992) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [online]. [Cited on 1st May, 2007].

<http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/student/postram.htm>

6) London South Bank University (2007) Signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [online]. [Cited on 25th April, 2007]. <http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/current.student/PTSD.html>

7) Burrell, G and Morgan, G. (1979) Sociological paradigms and organisational analysis: elements of the sociology of corporate life. London: Heinemann.

8) Patton, M. (1990), Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, Newbury Park, Sage.

9) Saunders, M, Lewis, P, Thornhill, A (2006) Research Method for Business Students 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson.

10) Putnam, L. (1983), The interpretative perspective: An alternative to functionalism, in L. Putnam, and M. Pacanowsky (Eds.), Communication and organizations, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

11) Yin (2003), Case Study Research Design and Methods 3rd ed. [online]. [Cited on 27th April, 2007]. < http://books.google.com>

12) Hair, J, Money, A, Samouel, P, Page, M (2007) Research Methods for Business: John Wiley & Sons. Ltd.

13) Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S. (1994), "Entering the field of qualitative research", in Denzin N.K., Lincoln Y.S. (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA