Observation - Methods in Context: Unstructured Observation

Question 1

What observational methods do Interpretivists favour?

Answer 1

Less structured, more flexible, qualitative observational methods

Question 2

What do unstructured observations allow sociologists to do? How?

Answer 2

To gain access to meanings that teachers and pupils give to situations by immersing themselves in them

Question 3

What don’t unstructured observation researchers make in advance of the research?

Answer 3

They do not make assumptions in advance about what the key issues will be

Question 4

What practical issue do unstructured observations in schools have due to schools being complex places?

Answer 4

Schools being complex places means unstructured observations are more time consuming to observe than many other settings

Question 5

How long did it take Lacey to familiarise himself with the schools he was observing? (Practical issue)

Answer 5

2 months

Question 6

Why may unstructured observations in schools be more suitable than interviews? (Practical issue)

Answer 6

It may be easier to gain permission to observe lessons than to interview pupils and teachers

Question 7

What factors about the researcher may affect the process of observation? (Practical issue)

Answer 7

The personal characteristics of the researcher (such as age, ethnicity and gender)

Question 8

How did Wright identify that personal characteristics affect the process of observation? (Practical issue)

Answer 8

Wright (African Caribbean researcher) produced some antagonistic reactions from some white teachers

Question 9

Antagonistic

Answer 9

Someone who actively opposes someone else

Question 10

What are observations of interactions in school settings limited by? (Practical issue)

Answer 10

The restrictions of school timetables, holidays and control over access

Question 11

What may the observer find difficult as a result of schools being busy public places? (Practical issue)

Answer 11

Observer may find it difficult to find privacy needed to record observations

Question 12

Due to ethical issues, what approach to studying research is inappropriate?

Answer 12

Any covert approach

Question 13

Why does the observation of pupils usually have to be overt? (Ethical issues)

Answer 13

Due to greater vulnerability and the limited ability to give informed consent to pupils

Question 14

What does Delamont point out that every school observer sees and hears?

Answer 14

Every school observer sees and hears things that could get pupils into trouble

Question 15

Ethically, what could be argued that the researcher is obliged to do when hearing/seeing something that could get the pupil into trouble? (Ethical issues)

Answer 15

Could be argued that researcher is obliged to report them, however doing so may breach trust between researcher and pupils

Question 16

What is the main strength of unstructured observations according to Interpretivists?

Answer 16

The validity of them because they give them an authentic understanding of the topic

Question 17

What is a major barrier to uncovering real attitudes and behaviour of pupils? What is the affect of this?

Answer 17

The power difference between young people and adults. May present false image, undermining validity

Question 18

Why are observations more likely than any other research method to not be limited by the power difference?

Answer 18

Because it gives the researcher an opportunity to gain the pupils’ acceptance

Question 19

What characteristic of the teacher means that the sociologist’s data from the classroom observation may lack validity?

Answer 19

The teacher may be quite skilled at disguising their feelings and altering their behaviour when being observed

Question 20

What characteristic of the pupil may be different to that of the researcher? How does this limit the validity?

Answer 20

The language spoken by the pupil may be different to that of the researcher, making it difficult for researcher to be certain that they understand the pupils’ meanings

Question 21

Why is it very difficult to carry out covert observation in an educational setting?

Answer 21

Because there are few cover roles the researcher can adopt primarily due to their age

Question 22

What is very hard to be avoided in the overt observation of classrooms?

Answer 22

The Hawthorne Effect

Question 23

Around how many secondary schools are there in England and Wales?

Answer 23

Around 4000

Question 24

Around how many primary schools are there in England and Wales?

Answer 24

30000

Question 25

Sample that most observational studies focus on

Answer 25

Most observational studies focus on small number of pupils in just one school

Question 26

Example of small sample observation carried out in school

Answer 26

Willis who studied a core group of only 12 boys

Question 27

Why is it difficult to complete a large scale observational study in schools? (Representativeness)

Answer 27

Because it takes a long time for the researcher to become familiar with the setting, to gain the teachers and pupils trust and to carry out the actual observations

Question 28

What two factors of schools means that observing school interaction is unlikely to produce representative data?

Answer 28

Limited scale of typical observational study
Sheer size of education system

Question 29

Why do PO studies of education tend to lack reliability?

Answer 29

Because data recording is often unsystematic and hard to replicate

Question 30

What factor of the researcher may alter the validity?

Answer 30

Personal characteristics of different observers may evoke differing responses