Topic 2: Education the Research Context

Question 1

What are the difficulties with researching pupils?

Answer 1

• Power and status
• Ability and understanding
• Vulnerability and ethical issues e.g psychological harm
• Laws and guidelines

Question 2

What are the difficulties with researching teachers?

Answer 2

• Power and status
• Impression management

Question 3

What are the difficulties with researching classrooms?

Answer 3

• Controlled setting
• Impression management from both teachers and pupils
• Gatekeepers
• Peer groups

Question 4

What are the difficulties with researching schools?

Answer 4

• Schools’ own data, education highly marketised providing data available to researchers but school documents are confidential such as falsifying attendance due to high levels of truancy
• Law
• Gatekeepers
• School organisation

Question 5

What are the difficulties of researching parents?

Answer 5

• Difficulty in contacting and accessing
• Willingness to participate
• Social class attitudes towards school
• Impression management