Examining terrorism through five qualitative research methodologies

Terrorism

Intelligence, counterterrorism and protection, and subjects for investigation appear to be relevant, interesting and worthy of detailed examination. The research traditions allowed in mainstream educational systems provide different avenues of approach to examine these ideas. The purpose of this paper is to examine the ideas of terrorism through the lenses of the five research conditions: narrative, grounded theory, phenomenology, case study and ethnography. Additionally, I will propose three different topics for doctoral research and determine why each of these approaches warrant inquiry.

Before examining terrorism, it is a most important challenge to define the term. The defining of this word is perhaps the greatest source of confusion included in this type of research inquiry. How is terrorism related to intelligence and protection? While these are fashionable catchwords of the day, it seems important to link the phrases and terms with concrete and realistic symbols that can be understood by the general populace. Terrorism is an emotional concept. Terror and fear are relative terms within the human psyche and determining specific and limiting methods of examination will no doubt obscure the greater picture of what is important to the purposes of higher education. It is therefore most important to choose an appropriate research method for the appropriate research question in order to paint a coherent and unfragmented picture or argument.

How do we rate the emotional causes and effects within the scientific realm of investigation? This challenge is most prevalent in dealing with ideas as abstract as "protection." Is there too much protection? Does protection not make some forms of terrorism legitimate and worthy of pursuit? It is my opinion that the educational institutions in the Western cultures have not assimilated nor have understood the global and widespread impact of its myopic definition of the word terrorism.

In my opinion, grounded theory has the least relevance in examining this particular idea of terrorism. Emotions and emotional reactions are not systematic in a measurable way. While it is true that humans can relate to each other emotionally, ideas such as happiness, sadness and terror are abstract and intangible when discussing them in an overtly scientific method. Emotions themselves are much more of a phenomenon that any type of measurable and repeatable system that the scientific method can provide illumination towards. Grounded theory itself, and its limiting nature, is not very useful in this instance due to its restrictiveness and inability to incorporate the intangibles. Case studies, with a more subtle approach to these intangibles, seem more appropriate than grounded theory, while phenomenology is most likely the best approach for investigating and assisting in gaining understanding towards this concept comprehensively.

TOPIC #1: DEFINE TERRORISM

Terrorism has no real definition that is useful for any objective analysis in present situations. There are many allusions to this term however. Violent force being used upon non-willing participants is a suitable definition in my opinion. This definition will most likely fall short of total comprehension upon further analysis. The intentional or unintentional habit of associating terrorism with foreign freedom fighters committing acts of war on American soil seems to have attracted the majority of Western consciousness in today's discussions. The aforementioned phrase may indeed be the new, applicable and suitable phrasing for a consensual definition, however this consensus must be collaborated with qualitative research.This qualitative research project may reach out to different segments of society to gather of differing opinions about the word terrorism and how it should be used with today's lexicon. Terrorism and counterintelligence and other terms may also be offered up for redefining in this type of research. The words that are used in associating value to social issues such as personal safety should be selected with extreme care and precision. Confusion and doubt are usually results of miscommunication resulting from such unwillingness to re-examine phrases whose old definitions may seem obsolete.

TOPIC 3: QUALITY VS QUANTITY OF INTELLIGENCE

Information flows freely and abundantly today in the 21st century. It may be time to look at the environment and see if there may be a possible overload of scientific information. Usually this information is classified as intelligence, but intelligence, with fragmented facts, may be more dangerous than its attainment may reveal. There is so much information and intelligence floating in the human consciousness today that it is a task in and of itself to organize the ever-changing, and ever rapidly changing systems of classification. This may be the challenge of all future research, the ability to flow and adapt with quick reacting systems as they evolve towards complexity and chaos. Finding a happy medium where information's quality is more appreciated may be a first step in new approaches of understanding intelligence, terrorism, and living a safe and well protected life.