Methods In Context

Question 1

What makes pupils unique to study?

Answer 1

• Less power and status than adult
• Lower and varying levels of abilities and understanding
• Vulnerable and ethically unique
• Specific laws (Vulnerable Groups Act 2006)

Question 2

What makes teachers unique to study?

Answer 2

• Increased power and status due to age and responsibilities
• Impression management
• Need to be in lessons at specific times

Question 3

What makes classrooms unique to study?

Answer 3

• Extra surveillance may lead to invalid data (Hawthorne effect)
• Gatekeepers & access
• Peer pressure from subcultures

Question 4

What makes schools unique to study?

Answer 4

• Schools collect their own data (e.g. exam results and SEN)
• The law: captive population, data and restrictions to access data
• Gatekeepers (governors and head) - why they might refuse
• Organisation (timetables, single-sex etc.)

Question 5

What makes parents unique to study?

Answer 5

• How they bring up children
• Involvement in education
• Consumers of education
• Access

Question 6

what are advantages of participant observation?

Answer 6

• Groups are observed in a natural and authentic
  setting, therefore the data is more likely to be a true
  account of the group’s behaviour.
• Data generated is rich in detail and offers insight into social behaviour.

Question 7

what are limitations of participant observations?

Answer 7

• Being open-ended and subjective research, there is no fixed procedure or
  standardised system of measurement and cannot be replicated.
• Most participant observations investigate small-scale groups that are not representative of the wider population.
• The Hawthorne effect - due to how the observer is likely to affect the group’s
  behaviour, and the researcher is at risk of ‘going native’, meaning the researcher over-identifies with the group.
• It is difficult to ensure anonymity of participants.
• There are issues with getting into the group, staying in the group and/or leaving the group.

Question 8

what are advantages of non-participant observations?

Answer 8

There is limited risk of the researcher ‘going native

Question 9

what are limitations of non-participant observations?

Answer 9

• Each observation will be subjective, and therefore the results cannot be repeated.
• They generally use a small-scale research sample

Question 10

what are advantages of overt observations?

Answer 10

• Less ethical issues than covert because the participants know they’re being researched.
• Higher level of reliability than covert.
• The observer can openly take notes.
• Allows researcher to use interview methods too

Question 11

what are limitations of overt observations?

Answer 11

-They can be relatively time consuming.
- Hawthorne effect.
- Difficult to repeat.
- Usually a small sample size.