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The Research Context (Research characteristics (Research pupils - many of…
The Research Context
Research characteristics
Research pupils - many of the people that sociologists study are children and young pupil. Malcolm Hill suggests that there are three major differences between studying young people and studying adults.
Power and status - children generally have less power and status that adults. this makes it more difficult for them to state their attitudes and views openly. this is particularly true in schools, because they are hierarchical institutions that give teachers higher status. this power can influence which children should be picked to research, because teachers can choose this. formal research methods such as structured interviews reinforce the difference in power because the researcher chooses the questions being asked and sort of how they are answered. .
Ability and Understanding - Pupils vocabulary, power of self expression, think skills and confidence are likely to be more limited then an adults. particular when trying to express abstract ideas. Given that abstract concepts are a central part of sociological investigation, this poses problems for researchers. limitations in pupils understanding also make it more difficult to gain consent. this is because the researcher may not be able to explain the nature of the research in words so that young people can understand. A young persons memory is less developed than an adults, so they may be unable to recall in detail relevant material.
Vulnerability and ethical issues - as a result of their more limited power and ability, young people are often more vulnerable to physical and psychological harm from adults. this raises ethical issues for the researcher. the sociologist should therefor should consider whether the participation of young people in the research is actually necessary. it is not enough to gain consent from schools and parents the young person should know what the research entails. Given the vulnerability of school age pupils, child protection issues are very important. The greater the vulnerability of young people means that there are more gatekeepers controlling access to pupils.
Laws and guidelines - child protection laws such as the safeguarding vulnerable group act operate a vetting and barring scheme on adults working in schools. they have to require DBS checks. so this delays research. One advantage to working with children is that they are legally required to go to school, so researchers know where to find them.
Researching teachers -Teachers often feel over-worked and may be less than fully cooperative, even when they want to be helpful. this may that interviews and questionnaires need to be kept short.
Power and Status - power relationships in the schools are not equal. teachers have more power and status because of their age, experience and responsibility. the nature of the classroom reinforces the power of the teacher. they often see it as 'my classroom' in which researcher are trespasser. however they are not fully independent of their classroom. Heads, governors, parents all constrain what teachers do. so researchers may have to research using covert research as a supply teacher so they have lower power.
Impression management - Teachers are use to be watched/observed and scrutinized. as a result, they may well be more willing to be observed by a researcher since it is something they are accustomed to. However because teachers are a major part of the teaches roles is to put on an act for pupils and others. Teachers will be aware that any comments made about the school may affect their career. Head teachers have more power so may try to influence what the staff say and do. getting backstage with teachers poses particular problems for example the staff room is a small space off limits to outsiders.
We can identify five main groups and settings in education whose distinctive characteristics may make them easy or difficult to study. 1-pupils. 2- teachers. 3-parents. 4-classrooms. 5-schools.
Researching Classrooms - The class room is unusual in being a closed social setting with clear physical and social boundaries. The classroom is a highly controlled area, for example the teacher controls the access, layout tot eh room. Meaning that research taken place may not be accurate.
Gatekeepers - Unlike many other social environments, access to classrooms is controlled by a wide range of gatekeepers. this includes head teachers, teachers and child protection laws.
Peer groups - Young people ,at be insecure about their identify and status, therefore, when in school-based groups such as classes and friendship groups, they may be more sensitive tp peer pressure and the need to conform, this may affect the research. so it may be necessary for example to supervise pupils when they are filling out the questionnaires.
Researching Parents - While it is obviously important to study pupils, teachers, classroom and schools if we want to understand education process. They can also control for example how to bring up children, how much they are involved in the instructions.
Access to parents - Many sociologists see parents as a vital role in children's education. however most parent-child interaction takes place at home which is hard for researchers to access. They are also located outside of school so are hard to access.
However parents are not an easy group to study. for example they are not a single homogenous group. heir class, gender and ethnicity may all affect how willing or able they are to participate in research. Parental permission is required for many forms of research with pupils. how likely parents are to give their permission may depend on the sensitivity of the research issue and on whether they can see their children benefitting from being involved.
Researching schools - There are tens of thousands of schools of many different kinds in the UK. if the sociologist uses observational methods. using large scale surveys or official statistics instead may overcome this problem.
Schools' own data - What goes on in the education system is closely scrutinised by the media, parents and politicians. The education system is also highly marketised, with parental choice and competition between schools at its heart. There is a great deal f secondary data publicly available about schools, often produced by the schools themselves. This includes exam results and league tables. Schools are data rich place and sociologists may be able to make use of some of these secondary sources.
The law - The law effect requires young people to attend school in order to be educated. the only other major institution whose immates are legally compelled to be there is the prison systems. Having such a captive population to study has both advantages and disadvantages. Schools operate in a legal framework.
Gatekeepers - Head teachers and governors are gatekeepers who have the power to refuse the researcher access to the school or undermine teachers authority. it is dangerous to involve pupils in commenting on their teachers, discipline would be adversely affected, it would be bad for classroom relationships, children are not competent to judge teachers.
School organisations - Schools are formal organisations with rules and hierarchies. researchers may come to be seen of the hierarchy. Unlike most other organisations in todays society, many schools are single sex. this may pose problem where the researcher id of a different gender to the pupils. Schools are relatively large scale, complex, highly organised social institutions. this may mean that they are hard to study.