Methods In Context (Documents In Education)

Question 1

What are the ‘Practical Issues’ using documents to study education?

Answer 1

Information on education is made publicly available E.g. Policy statements + websites

Question 2

What are the ‘Ethical Issues’ using documents to study education?

Answer 2

• Produced in a public domain with less ethical concerns

- Ethical implications using personal documents E.g. Pupil’s workbooks

Question 3

How ‘Reliable’ are documents in studying education?

Answer 3

• School documents are in a systematic format so easy to draw comparisons
• Accidental mistakes can occur

Question 4

How ‘Credible’ are documents in studying education?

Answer 4

• Public documents provide a ‘Official’ picture

- Documents are often constructed with parental interest in mind (Less valid)

Question 5

How ‘Representative’ are documents in studying education?

Answer 5

• Documents are legally required of all schools/colleges
• Not all behaviour is recorded
• Personal documents are collected in a unsystematic way

Question 6

How ‘Valid’ are documents in studying education?

Answer 6

• Provides important insights into meanings held by teachers + pupils
• Researcher can’t guarantee it’s meaning