Sociology-RM-Questionnaires in context Flashcards
What topics in education do sociologists sometimes use questionnaires to study?
Subject and university choice, bullying and experience of schooling, achievement and school factors, and parental attitudes to education
What points are important to look at when using questionnaires to investigate education?
Operationalisation of concepts, samples and sampling frames, access and response rate
What is operationalisation of concepts?
It involves turning abstract ideas into a measurable form. This can be particularly difficult when creating a questionnaire for pupils. Because their grasp of abstract concepts is generally less than that of adults, it may be more difficult to turn sociological ideas such as ‘deferred gratification’ or ‘cultural capital’ into language that pupils will understand
Why is it a problem that it is difficult to operationalise concepts when creating questionnaires for pupils?
May produce answers that are based on respondents’ misunderstanding of what the questions mean. Alternatively, there is a danger that the sociologist may have to over-simplify the questions so much that they cease to have any sociological value
When investigating education, where can sampling frames come from?
Schools routinely keep lists of pupils, staff and parents, which can provide accurate sampling frames from which the sociologist can draw a representative sample. Schools also have ready-made opportunity samples of pupils and teachers, eg in the form of classes and teaching departments. However, schools may not keep lists that reflect researcher’s interests such as ethnicity, and even when the relevant sampling frame does exist, schools may deny access to such personal information
How are questionnaires distributed in school?
Distributing questionnaires in schools is a fairly easy way to access a large number of potential respondents. However, the researcher will first need the school’s permission to give them out. Parents are harder than pupils or teachers to locate and contact, so using the school to distribute questionnaires is an effective way to overcome this difficulty, eg the school can give out questionnaires for pupils to take home for their parents to complete
How does peer pressure affect the use of questionnaires to investigate education?
Younger children in particular are more open to peer group pressure and it is difficult to prevent pupils who are completing questionnaires that have been distributed in class from discussing responses
How can power and status issues be overcome when using questionnaires to investigate education?
The researcher does not have to be present when it is completed which may help overcome the problem of status differences between adult researchers and younger respondents. However, on the other hand, a questionnaire usually has the appearance of a formal document that pupils may find off-putting
What is the response rate for questionnaires like?
Often low. Schools may be reluctant to allow sociologists to distribute questionnaires because of the disruption to lessons it may cause, or because they object to the research topic. Also teachers are often too busy to complete a lengthy questionnaire, which may reduce response rate. However, when questionnaires are conducted in schools, response rates can often be higher than other areas because once the head has given consent and put their authority behind the research, teachers and pupils may be under pressure to cooperate. Also head may authorise time out of lessons to complete the questionnaire which can lead to higher response rate and more representative data for generalisations. Plus pupils/teachers/parents are accustomed to completing questionnaires issued by the school
What are the practical issues with using questionnaires to investigate education?
Large quantities of basic factual educational information quickly and cheaply (Rutter). However data collected is often limited and superficial. Children need to be able to read and understand questions so may not be suitable for younger pupils. Children have shorter attention spans so questionnaires need to be shorter, limiting the data that can be gathered. Children have fewer life experiences and their recall is different from adults so pupils may not know the answers. Schools have very active informal communication channels so word of the researcher’s presence may spread rapidly therefore purpose and questions may become known throughout school before everyone has completed it. Teachers may not have time to cooperate and are well-educated with experience of completing questionnaires so may be able to recognise patterns of questions and the aims/intentions which may invalidate data
How does Rutter demonstrate practical advantages of using questionnaires to investigate education?
Used questionnaires to collect large quantities of data from 12 inner London secondary schools. From this, Rutter was able to correlate achievement, attendance and behaviour with variables such as school size, class size and number of staff. It would have been very difficult to do this with more labour-intensive methods such as interviewing or observation. However, although the data provided correlations between variables such as class size and achievement, it could not provide explanations for these correlations
Why can questionnaires be useful when researching sensitive educational issues such as bullying?
Particularly useful when their anonymity may overcome pupils’ embarrassment or fear of retribution from bullies. Therefore response rates may be higher and pupils may be more likely to reveal details of their experiences, which may produce more valid data than would a face-to-face structured interview. However, much depends on whether pupils are reassured their anonymity will be safeguarded, though this reassurance may be difficult to achieve with such a detached method as a questionnaire, where there is little or no personal contact with the researcher
How do interpretivists feel about the use of questionnaires?
They emphasise the importance of developing rapport with research participants so reject questionnaires as a means of researching pupils. Because the lack of contact with respondents makes rapport difficult to establish, young people may be less likely to give full and hones responses
How can questionnaires in schools lead to incomplete or invalid data?
Questionnaires are formal, official-looking documents and pupils may equate them with school and teacher authority-especially if completed in class, like a test. As a result, some pupils, particularly those in anti-school subcultures, may refuse to cooperate or to take the activity seriously
How do questionnaires compare to face-to-face forms of research such as interviews?
It is easy to make questionnaires anonymous. As a result, teachers may feel able to set aside concerns about their careers and so give more honest answers to sensitive questions about issues such as their attitudes to pupils
