Topic 8 - Methods in Context Flashcards
Ethical problems with lab experiments
Charkin et al used real pupils. Young peoples vulnerability and thier limited ability to understand what is happening means greater problems of deception, lack of informed constent and psycological damage. These ethical concerns are a major reason why lab experiments play only a limited role in eduactional research
lab experiments and narrow focus
lab experiments usuaully only examine one aspect of teacher expectations, like body lanuage. This can be usefula as it allows the resercher to isolate and exmaine this varaible more thoroughly
However this means that teacher expecttaions are not seen within the wider process of labellling ans the self fufilling prophecy.
for exmaple Charkin found existance of positive and negative body lanuage but they did not examine how it might effect pupils perfromace.
practical problems with lab experiments
schools are large, complex institutions in which many vairiables may affect teacher ecpectiations.
For exmaple thier expectations may be influcneced by a wide range of variables such a class size, streaming, type of school etc. In practice it is impossible even to idenitfy, let alone control all the variables that might exert infulnce on teachers expectations
Sociologists are often intrested in the role of large scale social factors and processes such as the impact of governmental polices on educational achievemnt, which cannot be stsudied in smal scale lab settings
lab experiments and artificiality
the artificiality of lab experiments may mean that the results lack validity. for exmaple, Charkin used univerity students rather than teachers, it is unlikey that univerity students may behave the same way as techers.
ethical problems with feild experiments
Oak school ‘Rosentahall and Jacobsen’ the non spurters may have been held back educantionally becuase they recieved less attention and encourgament. (children have more rights today than the 60s duty of care means this experiemnt would not be carried out nowdays)
reliablity of feild experiements
Rosenthall and Jacosons reserch design was relitivey simple and therefore easy to repeat.
validity of feild experiments
Rosenthall and Jacobson claimed that teachers expectations were passed on through differnences in the way they intercated with pupils . However the reaserchers did not carry out any observation of clasroom interaction so they had no dtat to support this claim.
broader focus and feild experiments
Rosentahll and Jacobsons did look at the whole labelling process. Thier study was longdidtudeinal which allowed them to ideinfty trends over time
operanisialtion of concepts questionares
This is difficult for pupils becuase thier grasp of absrract ideas is a lot less than adults. This may produce answers that are based on students misunderstanding of what the questions mean, lowering the validity.
Or sociologists may have to oversimplify the questions so much that they loose sociological value
samples and smapling frames questionaress
schools rountinely keep lists of pupils staff and parents , these can provide accuarte sampling frmaes from which the sociologist can draw a representive sample. Schools have ready made opportunity smaples of pupils and teachers for exmaple in the form of classes and teaching departements.
distributing questionares in schools is a fairly easy way to acess a large number of potential respondednts. However will need the gatekeepers permisiions first.
a questionare that does not involve the researcher being presnt, overcomes the problem of status differences between adult reasearcher and younder respondednt.
access and response rate questionaress
questionares may disrupt learning time in schools, so acess is deneyed. Certain topics the school may be put of by, schools are businesses, marketistation.
high response rate in schools due to a member of authoriyty giving out questionares
practical issues with questionares
quick and cheap,
children have short attention spans, limiting the amount of information being gathered.
people hearing about it throught the grapevine so people may be put off completeing it. lowering the response rate
anonymity and detatchemnt questionares
useful for researching bullying senstive topics, overcome fear of retaliation and embassesment
higgher response rate, more vlid data
interpretivists, without a rapport young people less likey to open up.
antischool subculture less likey to complete the questionare
practical issues with interviews
young interveiwees may be
less articlute or more reluctant to talk
not understanding long comlex questios
limited vocab and use words incorretly
shorter attention span
read body langauge differently from adults
reliablity and validity interviews
structure interviews produce relibale data becuase they are standradsized
but
structured interwies may not produce vaild data since young people are unlikey to respond favourably ‘teacher in disguise’
