Immediate activity Read the article carefully and identify the sociological concepts e.g. a-c economy

Research Methods in context Learning Objectives To understand how methods in context questions work

How do these questions work? You will get one methods in context question. This will be in Unit 1 (Education). The question asks you about the strengths and limitations of looking at a research method in the context of an educational issue. How do these questions work?

Assess the strengths and limitations of using one of the following methods for investigating ethnic differences in education: Either overt non-participant observation or written questionnaires. (20) Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating pupils’ literacy: either self-completion questionnaires or official statistics. (20) Assess the strengths and limitations of using one of the following methods for investigating social class differences in university entrance: EITHER group interviews OR postal questionnaires.(20) Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating the role of linguistic deprivation in educational underachievement: EITHER self- completion questionnaires OR unstructured interviews. (20) Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating truancy from school: EITHER official statistics OR participant observation. (20) Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating the effects of streaming: EITHER field experiments OR unstructured interviews. (20) Methods in context?

Assess the strengths and limitations of using one of the following methods for investigating applications and admissions to secondary schools: EITHER documents OR official statistics. (20) Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating the role of parents in pupils’ achievement: EITHER questionnaires OR unstructured interviews. (20) Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating anti-school subcultures: EITHER group interviews OR non-participant observation. (20) Methods in context?

How do these questions work? Practical Ethical Theoretical (Reliability,Representativeness Validity) How do these questions work?

How do these questions work? Don’t Focus on the specific educational issue Talk about education generally Include the method in every sentence Focus only on the method Refer to concepts of generalisability/representativeness Focus only on the issues Discuss theoretical considerations (positivist)/interpretivist) Talk abut strengths or limitations only Discuss sampling Take too long describing strengths and weaknesses- cover several in reasonable depth Talk about the researcher/social characteristics Copy from the item Conclude/introduce and use the item! Forget time constraints! How do these questions work?

List all the practical factors involved in research

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

practical Time and Cost? To look at certain issues, such as subcultures or labelling, the time/cost might be justified. However, many methods will not be cost effective practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

Workable? Schools are closed settings, therefore it is difficult to gain access Parents consent is often needed Staff may be restricted in what they can say at interviews practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

Practical considering audience? Questionnaires may not be good if the child has poor language, English as a second language or comes from ethnic background. Young children are unlikely to give valid, accurate information. Staff are not going to give out confidential information Teachers are too busy to complete extra work, and many may resit this out of workload concerns. Research may interrupt the work done by children practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

practical Suitable for overcoming resentment? Studying groups which are reserved or anti-authority may present problems. If using a questionnaire it may lead to less trust and validity. Suitable for overcoming resentment? practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

Build trust? Consider the upsetting/personal nature of questions. Unstructured interviews may be better if looking at the issue of what teachers really think of the school practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

Ease of getting an accurate sample? Practical for samples? practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

practical Researcher characteristics right for research? Class, ethnicity, gender match with students? Street cred? Age? practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

Is the research going to influence policy and be value for money? practical

practical Practical considering audience? Workable? Time and Cost? Suitable for overcoming resentment? Build trust? Practical for samples? Researcher characteristics right for research? Funding? Secondary data available? practical

Confidential documents may restrict access to secondary data for researchers practical

List all the ethical factors involved in research

Duty of care Confidentiality Consent Harmful Effects Ethical

Duty of care Schools have to care for students. This involves avoiding harm. Schools may make sure that vulnerable students are protected from the harms of research. Maintain confidentiality in access to confidential records. CRB Ethical

Duty of care Confidentiality Consent Harmful Effects Ethical

Ethical Confidentiality Maintain confidentiality in access to confidential records. Ethical

Duty of care Confidentiality Consent Harmful Effects Ethical

Ethical Consent Research with under 18s would require parental consent Can young people understand enough to give consent Consent Ethical

Duty of care Confidentiality Consent Harmful Effects Ethical

Ethical Harmful Effects Sociologists must try to prevent harm to subjects, and ensure their safety and wellbeing. Some questions asked may be personal or intrusive. Some consequences of the questions may result in harm. Teachers may be sacked for talking too honestly; parents may admit criminal offences for covering up truancy Finding out about abusive teachers, parents or neglect may cause a rift in confidentiality if reported; teachers may be dismissed or parents have care orders against them Deception Ethical

Is the methods used reliable Is the methods used reliable? Will it get the same results if used again and again? It might be difficult to repeat participant observations compared to structured questionnaires. Official statistics are likely to be reliable and cheap as well. reliability

True Data? Imposition? Hawthorne? validity

Validity True Data? Some methods may not provide credible data. Young people may deliberately exaggerate their parents interest into order to protect them Young people may want to impress teachers or the researcher Young men are likely to exaggerate macho tendencies if they subscribe to that subculture. School image may come into play too. Thunder the principles of marketization, they must attract parents to keep student numbers high. They may lie or deceive to maintain a positive image. Teachers want to maintain a positive image which they appear caring and considerate (even if they aren’t, which is often the case) Unstructured interviews may build more trust and therefore more true data from parents and as schools. Validity

True Data? Imposition? Hawthorne? validity

Structured questionnaires may impose answers on children. The vales nay reflect the reserachers views rather than children’s imposing non-valid data. Imposition? Validity

True Data? Imposition? Hawthorne? validity

Validity The hawthorn effect may also be important here. Hawthorne? With school hierarchy and the position of adults being respected, student s may change their answers because of the researchers. Groups may behave differently if they know that they are watched. Children may change answers to please adults who they respect Validity

examples

Can thee method be generalised for the whole UKL population? Small scale studies may nor be representative. The sampling issues should also be considered here. representativeness

Value Free? Positivist/Interpretivist? Theoretical issues

theoretical Value Free? Scientific detachment is sought by positivists they claim that going native and imposition of frame work is risked in actual research if they is no objective element. theoretical

Value Free? Positivist/Interpretivist? Theoretical issues

theoretical Positivist/ Interpretivist? The e positivists are likely to see quantitative methods are highly reliable. Interpretivists are however, looking for verstehen to get a valid true picture. Have theoretical positions risked compromising the research? theoretical