RESEARCH METHODS- USING SECONDARY SOURCES TO RESEARCH EDU Flashcards
What are official statistics on education?
Official statistics on education include quantitative data gathered by schools, local authorities, and the government (Department for Education). This data includes school attendance, truancy, exclusions, league tables, number of children on free school meals, pass rates by class, ethnicity, gender, gender and subject choice, racist incidents, and the number of students who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
What are the strengths of using official statistics to research education?
Time and Money: The data is already published, so sociologists can easily obtain it without the need to collect it themselves.
Comparative Analysis: Stats on pass rates and truancy allow for comparisons between different social groups.
Availability: Stats are published annually, enabling researchers to study changes over time.
Ethical: No ethical issues, as the data is public, in numerical form, and doesn’t reference individuals.
What are the theoretical strengths of using official statistics in education research?
Representative: Schools are required to complete a school census three times a year, covering all students in the UK.
Reliable: Data is gathered uniformly across all schools, ensuring consistency.
Useful for Cause and Effect: Stats, like those on FSM and achievement, reveal correlations, such as the relationship between parental income and academic achievement.
What are the limitations of using official statistics in education research?
Data Gaps: The government collects data for its own purposes, so the specific data sociologists need may not exist.
What are the ethical limitations of using official statistics in education research?
There are generally no ethical concerns as long as the data is public and anonymized.
What are the theoretical limitations of using official statistics in education research?
Validity: Stats may not represent the full picture. For example, data on free school meals (FSM) may not account for students eligible but not claiming them due to peer pressure.
Manipulation: Schools might manipulate the data, such as authorizing truancy or underreporting racist incidents to protect their reputation.
What are public documents used in education research?
Public documents include qualitative data created by schools, local authorities, and the government, such as school websites, government guidance, Ofsted reports, school prospectuses, textbooks, and media reports about education.
What are private documents used in education research?
Private documents include data created by students or teachers, such as pupils’ written work, school reports, personal diaries, graffiti, and text messages.
What are the strengths of using public documents to research education?
Availability: Public documents are easily accessible, often through school websites.
Useful for Research: They provide insights into school policies and practices, as shown in research by Gillborn and Gewritz on racism and marketization.
Ethical: Public documents are available to anyone, so no informed consent is needed.
Representative: Public documents, like racist incident reports, can be used across multiple schools to create a wide-ranging sample.
What are the limitations of using public documents to research education?
Access Issues: Private documents, like student notes or diaries, may be difficult to access, as students may not want to share them.
Confidentiality: Some documents, like disciplinary records, are confidential and cannot be accessed without consent.
What are the strengths of using private documents to research education?
Private documents provide in-depth insights into topics like bullying, stereotyping, and teacher-student interactions.
What are the ethical limitations of using private documents in education research?
Informed Consent: Researchers must get informed consent to use personal documents such as diaries, notes, or text messages.
Anonymity: The anonymity of individuals whose documents are used must be protected.
What are the theoretical limitations of using private documents in education research?
Unreliable: Public and personal documents are collected differently across schools, making replication difficult.
Lack of Standardization: No two documents, such as student diaries or school logs, are identical, which can lead to inconsistencies
