ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the studies that have used quantitative methods to examine the nature and extent of bullying in penal settings (i.e. structured questionnaires or interviews and examination of official records). (For a comprehensive review of these studies, see Ireland 2002a.) In response to the reliance on quantitative methods, a rationale for using a qualitative method (i.e. focus groups) to assess bullying among a population of young offenders is outlined. The main body of the current chapter outlines a study directly comparing structured questionnaires and focus groups to examine the nature and extent of bullying among a young offender population in Scotland. In this way it builds on the previous chapter by Alexandra Spain by moving away from solely describing the nature of the data that can be obtained by focus groups to outlining the value of comparing such methods directly with quantitative methods more routinely used to explore bullying. The concomitant strengths and limitations of using both methods are discussed in terms of the aims of measurement and quality of information gathered.
