2.2 RESEARCH METHODS: EDUCATION IN CONTEXT Flashcards
Researching pupils:
-* Hill (2005) identifies 3 major differences in studying pupils and adults
○ POWER AND STATUS:
§ Young people have less power and status making it difficult to express attitudes and views.
§ Are hierarchical institutions where teachers have higher status than pupils and so researchers would have to use group interviews.
○ ABILITY AND UNDERSTANDING:
§ More likely to be limited and sociologists have to be careful of questions because they need to be understandable.
§ Sociologists should match the criteria in order to reinforce differences.
○ VULNERABILITY:
§ More vulnerable to physical and psychological harms raising ethical issues
§ Difficult to gain informed consent from pupils because of immaturity.
§ Greater the vulnerability means more ‘gatekeepers’ making it difficult to gain access and informed consent.
Researching teachers:
-* POWER AND STATUS:
○ Have more power and status and have legal responsibilities and duty of care.
○ Will have to develop a ‘cover’ when carrying out covert investigations in order to gain access to the school.
- IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT:
○ Can be more willing to be observed because of previous experiences.
○ Goffman (1969) argues that teacher puts on an act called the impression management.
○ Can pose problems in the staffroom because the researcher will stand out and are treated with suspicion.
○ Are aware of critical comments and are reluctant to answer to questions said by the researcher.
Researching classroom:
Classroom - a closed social setting with clear physical and social boundaries where it is highly controlled.
- Behaviour in classroom does not reflect thoughts and feelings and teachers are experienced in controlling thoughts and feelings.
- In classroom, there are only two social roles - teachers and pupils.
○ GATEKEEPERS:
§ Access to a classroom is difficult to obtain as there are many ‘gatekeeper’ preventing access to the researcher.
§ This includes headteachers and child protection laws.
○ PEER GROUPS:
§ May be insecure to their identity and status meaning more sensitivity to peer pressure.
§ It is necessary to supervise pupils to prevent peer pressure and so group interview shows true attitudes which could be hidden.
Researching schools:
- Observations can help to investigate a large-scale and quantitative data such as surveys and official statistics can overcome problem. This is because it only takes a few minutes.
○ SCHOOL’S DATA:
§ Are closely scrutinised by the media, parents and politicians and there are a great deal of secondary data.
○ THE LAW:
§ Are legally obliged to have an education and so are easily found which builds a ‘captive population’.
§ However, involvement in education research can interfere with the school’s main functions.
○ ORGANISATION:
§ Seen as part of a hierarchy and some schools are single-sex causing problems.
§ The size and complexity can cause difficulties to the researcher especially if there is limited time and if there is a school timetables.
Researching parents:
- They play an important part in the education process which influences education.
- Are a difficult group to research as their class, ethnicity and gender can affect willingness of research.
- Parental permission is required and some depend on sensitivity making it less likely to consent.
- May engage in impression management exaggerating positive light which result in invalid data.
○ ACCESS TO PARENTS:
§ Most interactions occurs in the home presenting difficulties as they are located outside the school which makes contacts difficulties and research.
§ Happy to send questionnaires and letter but are not guaranteed parents receives them.
why might members of an anti-school subculture be unwilling to cooperate with a researcher who wants to interview them?
-don’t like being told what to do (due to authority)
-don’t associate with school values (don’t assimilate)
-don’t see the benefits (need incentives)
how can you overcome the problem of ant-school students not wanting to participate?
-use rewards as a benefit for taking part
-make it seem more like a conversation (informal interview)
-find interviewer for them to relate to (w/ age, language)
how might teachers’ front stage and back stage behaviour differ and how can you research the difference?
-use a covert researcher
-will differ with the language used/ topics discussed
-their actions will change
what motives might pupils have for concealing their real thoughts and feelings from the researchers?
-there may be consequences if they tell the truth
-feel embarrassed to share
-won’t be able to confide into a stranger
what kinds of things could staff other than teachers tell a researcher?
-the truth behind what students do outside class
(their behaviour and language differences)
-can find out about how teachers feel about certain things
