Methods in context

?
  • Created by: ssaidi23
  • Created on: 01-05-22 10:40
What are different types of pupils
working class and middle class
male and female
ethnic groups
1 of 54
what characteristics may a black carribean student have
- may view researcher with suspicion
- especially if been subjected to racialised expectations by teacher
2 of 54
what characteristics may a male student have
- less likely to take part in research as fear of being mocked by peers
- may see education as feminised
3 of 54
what characteristics may a female student have
- subject choices
- treatment from opposite sex
4 of 54
what characteristics may a working class student have
- may be more anti-school
- more dismissive of authority figures
5 of 54
what characteristics may a middle class student have
- pro school attitude
- more likely to take part in research
6 of 54
what are the practical issues with researching pupils
Relationship
Time
Access
Sample size
7 of 54
Explain in depth how relationship could be a practical issue
- may be seen as teachers in disguise therefore less likely to give honest opinion
- may have to build a rapport
8 of 54
Explain in depth how time could be a practical issue
- Schools might react to time being taken out of busy students schedules
- Researcher may also struggle to find time to access students
9 of 54
Explain in depth how access could be a practical issue
- may need parental consent
- gatekeepers may be in the way such as headteacher
10 of 54
Explain in depth how sample size could be a practical issue
- on research like exclusion/truancy, how can the researcher collect a large enough sample to find their results generalisable.
- could also be biased from certain classes
11 of 54
What are the ethical issues with researching pupils
Social sensitivity
Protection from harm
Deception
Anonymity/confidentiality
12 of 54
Explain in depth how social sensitivity could be a ethical issue
- Topics such as bullying, material deprivation, teacher labelling and racism
- Researchers need to be sensitive to the feelings of students
13 of 54
Explain in depth how protection from harm could be a ethical issue
- Researchers might observe pupils who are being physically/emotionally harmed by action of peers when investigating anti-school subcultures
14 of 54
Explain in depth how deception could be a ethical issue
- bond of trust may cause harm with students as they pose as a teaching assistant/counsellor then deceive them by reporting their findings
15 of 54
Explain in depth how anonymity/confidentiality could be a ethical issue
- pupils may face mockery (especially WC boys) if known they have co-operated with a researcher
- They may fear the repercussions if they disclose other pupils/teachers behaviour
- Confidentiality must be maintained
16 of 54
What are the theoretical issues with researching pupils
Validity
Reliability
Values
Representativeness
17 of 54
Explain in depth how validity could be a theoretical issue
- if pupils are observed in a room, their behaviour may change
- in a group interview, they may react different in the presence of their peers
18 of 54
Explain in depth how reliability could be a theoretical issue
- students experiences may be unique therefore completing research from different schools may not gather similar results
19 of 54
Explain in depth how values could be a theoretical issue
- Feminist sociologists may feed the interactions between male and female pupils investigating harassment of girls in school
- Marxists may be influenced by study in social class differences in attention paid to WC and MC pupils
20 of 54
Explain in depth how representativeness could be a theoretical issue
- with a diversity of pupils and reluctance of some to co-operate, would the researcher be able to find a representative sample
21 of 54
What methods to use with students
Unstructured interviews
Covert observations
Questionnaires
Official statistics
22 of 54
Why unstructured interviews
- Establish a rapport and probe deeper in topics such as identity labelling and setting/streaming
23 of 54
Why cover observations
- See pupils reactions and behaviours first hand
- (overt may lead to hawthorne effect)
24 of 54
Why questionnaires
- Gain a large sample of student opinions
- may need further research to understand meanings and motives
25 of 54
Why official statistics
- Analyse trends in achievement
- Trends such as exclusion, uni entrances and achievement
26 of 54
What are the characteristics of teachers
Professional
Suspicious of others
Middle class
Employed by school
27 of 54
How would professionalism affect research
- Their actions and behaviours in classroom often differ from behaviours outside of the classroom
- Take on a role infront of students, adapt impression management
28 of 54
How might suspicion of others affect research
- Teachers usually observed by those who have authority/power to impact their career
- May alter behaviour in presence of others including research
29 of 54
How might middle class affect research
- Teachers are educated to a degree level which gives certain amount of cultural capital
- Similar status to researcher
30 of 54
How might being employed by school affect research
- Less likely to talk to outsiders about problems in the school as fear of disciplinary action
- Therefore less likely to admit to unethical practices such as institutional racism
31 of 54
What are the practical issues with researching teachers
Access
Relationships
Hawthorne effect
Sample size
32 of 54
Explain in depth how access could be a practical issue
- Gatekeepers less likely to grant permission if topic of research could have negative impacts for the school
- Teachers may not want to take part as risk of disclosing something that will get them into trouble
33 of 54
Explain in depth how relationships could be a practical issue
- They may similar status and teachers may be open with researchers if anonymity is guaranteed
- Teachers suspicions may prevent them from engaging with the researcher (their motives)
34 of 54
Explain in depth how hawthorne effect could be a practical issue
- Even researcher conducts overt/covert observations, teacher is unlikely to display their natural behaviour
- Adapt their behaviour to suit circumstances so observations may not be effective to use
35 of 54
Explain in depth how sample size could be a practical issue
- Researcher needs enough teachers to form a representative sample
- Interpretivists think this is a less of a concern
36 of 54
What are the ethical issues with researching teachers
Social sensitivity
Protection from harm
Deception
Anonymity/confidentiality
37 of 54
Explain in depth how social sensitivity could be a ethical issue
- being perceived as racist or having labelled students negatively may go against what got teachers got into education
- if this revealed, could cause distress
38 of 54
Explain in depth how protection from harm could be a ethical issue
- teachers may disclose information that puts their job at risk
- discussing issues that causes psychological harm, researchers need to be careful
39 of 54
Explain in depth how deception could be a ethical issue
- research can involve covert observations by researchers posing as teachers
- form of deception
40 of 54
Explain in depth how anonymity/confidentiality could be a ethical issue
- considering potential implications for teachers careers
- confidentiality are ethical considerations that researchers need to make when researching teachers
41 of 54
What are the theoretical issues with researching teachers
Validity
Reliability
Values
Representative
42 of 54
Explain in depth how validity could be a theoretical issue
- even if teachers are aware of researchers presence, researcher cant be sure that teachers aren't protecting themselves
- by disclosing false information or underplaying the impact of processes in the school
43 of 54
Explain in depth how reliability would be a theoretical issue
- although teachers may have similar characteristics, how reliable are teachers actions when compared to others
- some teachers argue to structural nature of education, may determine their behaviour more
44 of 54
Explain in depth how values could be a theoretical issue
- Marxists are generally skeptable about the purpose of education and this may influence their interaction with teachers
45 of 54
Explain in depth how representativeness could be a theoretical issue
- are teachers going to be able to comment on the full range of pupils that they are researching information about
46 of 54
What are topic areas for studying teachers
- School policies (uniform)
- Behaviour in class/exclusions
- Anti/pro school subcultures
- Labelling
- Racism
- Setting and streaming
47 of 54
What topic areas might teachers feel different towards these groups
Behaviour in class/exclusions
and
Anti/pro school subcultures
48 of 54
What topic areas might be difficult to get teachers honest responses unless detached
Labelling and racism
49 of 54
Methods to use with teachers
Unstructured interviews
Covert observations
Questionnaires
Secondary sources
50 of 54
Why unstructured interviews
- They try gain valid in-depth data
- Establishes a rapport and probes deeper
51 of 54
Why covert observations
- See teachers attitudes toward students, their reactions and behaviours first hand
52 of 54
Why questionnaires
- Less time consuming and gain large sample of teachers opinions
- Offers anonymity for teachers too
53 of 54
Why secondary sources
- Investigates reasons for bullying/exclusion as teachers write up disciplinary reports
- Seeing how teachers portray student behaviour
54 of 54

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

what characteristics may a black carribean student have

Back

- may view researcher with suspicion
- especially if been subjected to racialised expectations by teacher

Card 3

Front

what characteristics may a male student have

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

what characteristics may a female student have

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

what characteristics may a working class student have

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Education resources »