Teachers

Question 1

Time

Answer 1

Teachers often feel overworked and stressed for time.
This may make them less fully cooperative even when they want to be. Short participation limits due to the time limit the amount of data you can get. Participation can be made shorter to ease time constraints

Question 2

Power + Staus

Answer 2

Teachers have more power + status due to their age, experience and responsibility within school. They still work under many other people. Researchers may be seen as a trespasser in ‘their’ classroom. Teachers are also restricted in what they can do/say by their seniors - governors, head teachers etc.
‘Covers’ can be adopted for a covert study that avoids the issue, but covers often taken a role lower in a status to a teacher e.g. teaching assistant

Question 3

Impression management

Answer 3

Teachers are used to being observed and scrutinised. Headteachers may pick teachers who will give a positive impression. Teachers therefore may be more up for being observed, but will be used to ‘putting on an act’ what ‘Goffman’ called ‘impression management’ and having a good ‘front-stage’ persona. Accessing them ‘backstage’ (e.g. staff rooms) is difficult. Use observational methods to avoid asking direct questions which will be obscured by a ‘front-stage’ persona