RESEARCH METHODS- USING INTERVIEWS TO RESEARCH EDU Flashcards
What are the strengths of using structured interviews for researching education?
Structured interviews are highly reliable as they are systematic, ensuring consistency and the ability to replicate the process across different schools. This allows researchers to make comparisons and spot trends in results.
How do unstructured interviews improve the validity of research with students?
Unstructured interviews foster rapport between the interviewer and students, making them feel more comfortable. This comfort encourages students to speak more openly, thus improving the validity of their responses.
How can the validity of interviews with pupils be improved?
The validity of interviews with students can be improved by:
Asking open-ended questions to encourage detailed responses.
Avoiding interruptions, allowing students to fully express their thoughts.
Giving them adequate time to think before answering.
Refraining from asking leading questions to prevent biased responses.
Avoiding repetition of questions, as it may cause children to feel their first answer was wrong, leading them to change it.
What are the benefits of using group interviews with pupils in educational research?
Group interviews can be beneficial as students are more accustomed to working with peers, making them feel more comfortable. The discussions between students may prompt additional insights, which enriches the qualitative data collected. The group dynamic can help uncover a broader range of opinions.
What are some practical issues in conducting interviews for educational research?
Practical issues include:
Language skills: Children may have underdeveloped language skills, making it difficult for them to fully express their ideas or understand complex questions. This could lead to misunderstandings and invalid responses.
Cost: Unstructured interviews require skilled interviewers who can identify misunderstandings in responses, which increases the cost of research.
Location of interviews: If conducted within schools, answers may be influenced by peer discussions about the questions, making the data unreliable. The school’s authority and setting can also impact the comfort level of participants.
Time: Unstructured interviews take longer and may disrupt regular school activities, making it difficult to schedule them without causing inconvenience.
How do structured interviews affect validity in educational research?
Structured interviews often lack validity as the formal nature of the process can make students feel uncomfortable or pressured, leading them to give less authentic responses. Students may also fear their answers being shared with authority figures like teachers or parents.
What are the challenges related to access and response rate in educational interviews?
Challenges include:
Head Teacher’s Permission: Researchers need permission from the Head Teacher (HT), which may be withheld if the research topic is sensitive or controversial (e.g., racism).
Parental Consent: Interviews with students require parental consent, which can be difficult to obtain. The Data Protection Act restricts the sharing of parents’ contact information, complicating the recruitment process.
Response Rate: Even with permission, the response rate may be affected as not all parents may be available to be interviewed, particularly if they don’t regularly interact with the school.
How does the interviewer being an authority figure affect responses from students and parents?
Interviewers, often seen as authority figures, may lead students to provide socially acceptable answers to avoid consequences. Additionally, working-class parents may feel intimidated by the interviewer’s perceived higher status, causing them to lie or give less honest responses.
What are the limitations of group interviews with pupils?
Group interviews have several limitations:
Peer pressure: Children may alter their answers to fit in or impress peers, which compromises the validity of the data.
Dominant voices: More confident students may dominate the conversation, limiting the input from quieter students and skewing the data.
Free-flowing nature: The conversations are often difficult to replicate, making the data unreliable.
What was the purpose of Stanworth’s study using semi-structured interviews?
Stanworth aimed to study gendered attitudes among teachers and students at a 6th Form college. Her research revealed that both teachers and students held gendered views—teachers were more engaged with male students, and male students were perceived as more competent.
What ethical issue did Stanworth face in her research?
Stanworth did not fully disclose the true purpose of the study to her participants, meaning she did not obtain full informed consent, which is an ethical issue in research.
How did Willis conduct his research in Learning to Labour?
Willis used unstructured group interviews with 12 working-class boys to explore their counter-school subculture. These interviews allowed the boys to freely discuss their views on school and work. However, Willis noticed that the boys exaggerated their stories in group settings, so he conducted follow-up one-on-one interviews to gather more accurate data.
What was Sharpe’s method for studying girls’ attitudes to education?
Sharpe used unstructured interviews to study the attitudes of girls towards education, family, and work. By allowing girls to express their thoughts in their own words, Sharpe was able to gather rich, qualitative data that provided a clear picture of their views.
