Education: the research context: a summary
- Created by: Azia Singh
- Created on: 01-05-16 20:06
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- Education: the research context
- Researching pupils
- Malcolm Hill (2005): there are 3 major differences between studying young people and studying adults
- Ability and understanding
- Children are less able to grasp the abstract concepts that sociology deals in
- It is more difficult to gain children's informed consent
- Children may be less able to recall detailed information
- Vulnerability
- There are more 'gatekeepers' controlling access to pupils than most other social groups
- Child protection issues are very important
- It is not enough simply to obtain the informed consent of parents or teachers
- Ability and understanding
- Researching teachers
- Power and status
- Teachers have more power and status because of their age, experience and responsibility within the school
- The nature of the classroom reinforces the power of the teacher
- Researchers have to develop a 'cover' if they wish to carry out covert investigations
- Impression management (Erving Goffman (1969))
- Teachers are used to being observed and scrutinised
- Teachers are often highly skilled at 'impression management'
- Teachers may not be completely honest if they think it will affect their career prospects
- Headteacher may try to influence which staff are selected to be involved
- Teachers are often highly skilled at 'impression management'
- Teachers are used to being observed and scrutinised
- Power and status
- Researching classrooms
- Access to classrooms is controlled by a wide range of gatekeepers
- When in school-based groups children may be more sensitive to peer pressure and the need to conform, affecting the way they respond to being researched
- Researching schools
- There is lots of secondary data available but schools may alter it or influence it in their favour
- Heads and governors act as gatekeepers. Roland Meighan and Clive Harber (2007): heads sometimes view research negatively
- Beynon and Atkinson (1984): gatekeepers often steer the researcher away from sensitive situations
- The population is captive
- Schools are formal organisations with rules and hierarchies. Researchers may come to be seen as part of the hierarchy
- A school's timetable will restrict when the research can be carried out
- The size and complexity of a school can mean the researcher has to familiarise themself with their surroundings for a while first
- A school's timetable will restrict when the research can be carried out
- Researching parents
- Parents influence education through how they bring up their children, their involvement in PTA's, parents evenings and as governors, and marketisation policies
- Parents are more difficult to contact and research because they are mostly physically located outside the school
- Parental permission is required for many types of research with pupils
- Power and status
- Having less power generally makes it more difficult for children to state their attitudes and views openly
- Formal research methods such as structured interviews or questionnaires tend to reinforce power differences
- Malcolm Hill (2005): there are 3 major differences between studying young people and studying adults
- Ability and understanding
- Children are less able to grasp the abstract concepts that sociology deals in
- It is more difficult to gain children's informed consent
- Children may be less able to recall detailed information
- Vulnerability
- There are more 'gatekeepers' controlling access to pupils than most other social groups
- Child protection issues are very important
- It is not enough simply to obtain the informed consent of parents or teachers
- Ability and understanding
- Classrooms are highly controlled settings
- The classroom behaviour that the researcher observes may not accurately reflect what those involved really think and feel
- Classrooms are less open than many other settings
- Researching classrooms
- Access to classrooms is controlled by a wide range of gatekeepers
- When in school-based groups children may be more sensitive to peer pressure and the need to conform, affecting the way they respond to being researched
- Researching classrooms
- Classrooms are less open than many other settings
- The classroom behaviour that the researcher observes may not accurately reflect what those involved really think and feel
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