Methods in Context links: Research Flashcards
1
Q
(Research characteristics in education) What are the 5 main groups and settings in education?
A
- Pupils.
- Teachers.
- Parents.
- Classrooms.
- Schools.
- Each of these create certain problems and opportunities for sociologists when choosing a research method.
- Researchers’ own personal characteristics may make certain educational topics easier, or more difficult or easier to research.
2
Q
- Pupils.
What 3 major differences did Hill (2005) identify between studying adults and young people?
A
- Power and status.
- Ability and understanding.
- Vulnerability.
These differences can create practical, ethical and theoretical (PET) issues that need to be taken into consideration.
3
Q
(1. Pupils) How is power and status taken into consideration?
A
- Less power and status than adults.
- More difficult to express views openly.
- Schools = hierarchical institutions. Teachers may have power to influence which pupils are used for research.
- Formal research methods tend to reinforce power differences → the researcher determines what questions are asked and how answers are formulated.
- Can this be overcome through group interviews?
- Pupils’ attitude towards power may also affect the relationship with the researcher.
4
Q
(1.Pupils) How is ability and understanding taken into consideration?
A
- Pupils’ vocabulary, powers of self-expression, thinking skills and confidence → it is likely to be more limited than adults, especially the expression of abstract ideas.
- Abstract ideas = central part of sociological research.
- Questions need to be worded clearly in order to be understood.
- Younger children may need more time to understand questions.
- Young people’s memories are less developed so may be unable to recall in detail when asked to.
- Class, age, gender impact. It could be important to match gender and ethnicity of the young person and the researcher.
5
Q
(1.Pupils) How is vulnerability and ethical issues taken into consideration?
A
- Young people are often more vulnerable to physical and psychological harm than adults.
- The sociologist needs to consider whether participation is actually necessary.
- Young people should be aware of what the research entails.
- Child protection issues.
- What form will participation take? Stress?
- More ‘gatekeepers’.
6
Q
(1.Pupils) What sort of laws and guidelines are there for researching pupils/ young people?
A
- Child protection laws.
- Researchers must have DBS checks.
- Special codes of practice for researching young people.
7
Q
- Teachers.
How do they work with research?
A
- Often feel overworked, resulting in them sometimes being less than fully cooperative.
- Interviews and questionnaires need to be kept short → restricts the amount of data.
- More likely to be sympathetic to educational research as fellow education professionals.
8
Q
(2. Teachers) How is power and status taken into consideration?
A
- Power relationships in schools are not equal.
- Teachers have legal responsibilities and a duty of care towards the young people they teach.
- The nature of the classroom reinforces the power of the teacher.
- Researchers may be seen as trespassers.
- Covert investigations mean that researchers would need to develop a ‘cover’.
- Often go into lower status roles and therefore may not be treated as equals by the teacher.
9
Q
(2. Teachers) What is meant by impression management?
A
- More willing to be observed (used to it).
- Often highly skilled at ‘impression management’ - Erving Goffmann (1969) teachers put on an act, manipulating the impression other people have.
- The researcher may need to find a way to get behind the public face that teachers put on.
- As social actors we behave differently when ‘front stage’ as opposed to backstage. Teachers may be different in the backstage setting, e.g. in the staffroom.
- A newcomer to somewhere like the staffroom may be treated with suspicion.
- Any critical comments a teacher makes could affect their career. Could be overcome through observation.
- Headteachers may try to influence which staff are used for research and therefore may not be representative of the school.
10
Q
- Classrooms.
How do classrooms work with research?
A
- A closed social setting with clear physical and social boundaries.
- A highly controlled setting.
- Young people rarely experience this level of surveillance and control in other areas of their lives.
- Classroom behaviour may not accurately reflect the thoughts and feelings of those studied.
- Impression management.
- Gatekeepers.
- Peer groups.
11
Q
- Schools.
How do schools work with research?
A
- Different types of schools in the UK → research may be unrepresentative if observational methods are used.
- Large scale surveys or official stats could overcome this → lose insight detailed observations might give.
- Identifying the research population is easier because data is published regarding names of schools, types of schools and locations.
12
Q
(4. Schools) Do schools have their own data?
A
Yes.
- Large availability of school data.
- Data rich environments.
- School records are confidential so may not be able to gain access to these.
- Schools might falsify their own data.
- Examination data → also not necessarily a true reflection.
13
Q
(4. Schools) What has the law got to do with research conducted with schools?
A
- As students are expected to be in school, this creates a ‘captive population’ for the researcher.
- Advantages and disadvantages.
- Schools operate within a legal framework - they must collect data on school attendance, achievement, FSM etc.
- This can be useful for sociologists, however they may have some issues gaining other types of information from data gathered by schools due to the duty of care that schools have towards their pupils = restricted access.
14
Q
(4. Schools) What are school gatekeepers?
A
Headteachers and governors.
15
Q
(4. Schools) How do gatekeepers impact the research conducted with schools?
(Meighan and Harber 2007, including Meighan’s study)
A
- Researchers can be refused access by school gatekeepers (headteachers, governors).
- Meighan & Harber (2007) - headteachers can view research negatively. Meighan’s study - headteachers said:
1. It is dangerous to involve pupils in commenting on their teachers.
2. Discipline would be adversely affected
It would be bad for classroom relationships.
3. Children are not competent to judge teachers. - Some situations and settings may be ‘off-limits’. Gatekeepers can choose to steer the research away from certain situations.
