Research Context & Characteristics (AQA A Level Sociology): Flashcards

Power imbalances can affect research in schools because pupils may see the researcher as a teacher and teachers may see them as an inspector, which can intimidate participants and reduce the honesty of responses.

A researcher's gender can affect how staff and pupils respond; e.g. a researcher of a different gender in a single-sex school may struggle to build rapport.

Pupils' answers may lack validity because they give socially desirable answers or say what they think adults want to hear.

False.

These groups are harder to access, which introduces sampling bias into research on schools.

Findings are hard to generalise because studies often involve only a small number of schools.

Observations in schools are hard to replicate because of differences in school cultures and individual behaviour, which lowers their reliability.

Researching teachers lets sociologists explore processes such as labelling, streaming, expectations and classroom interaction.

Teachers may be unwilling to take part because they feel overworked and lack the time or energy to engage, even if they support the research.

Researchers often keep interviews with teachers short, but this can limit the depth of the data.

Impression management can affect research with teachers because teachers may adopt a 'professional front', altering their behaviour to protect their status and avoid negative judgement.

False.

Teachers are used to being observed, e.g. during Ofsted inspections, so they may not resist being studied.

Teachers may withhold information or fail to take a low-status researcher seriously, limiting access to authentic insights.

Teachers might give socially desirable responses to avoid looking unprofessional; e.g. a teacher may deny stereotyping pupils based on social class.

Headteachers can create sampling bias in research on teachers because they may select staff who present the school positively, so participants do not reflect the full staff body.

Confidentiality is essential because teachers may fear repercussions if they speak openly about issues such as labelling or poor leadership.

The Hawthorne effect is when people change their behaviour because they know they are being observed, e.g. pupils acting out for attention in class.

It is hard to stay unobtrusive because classrooms are compact spaces, so the researcher's presence may disrupt the natural environment.

False.

Research must fit the school timetable and avoid exams and holidays, and lessons are often short.

In tight-knit classroom settings, it may be harder to guarantee anonymity when recording specific incidents.

Pupils might try to please the adult researcher in a classroom because they may confuse the researcher with a teacher or authority figure, creating pressure to give the 'right' answers.

Peer influence can affect classroom research because pupils may conform to peer norms during group activities, so they withhold their genuine views.

Findings from classroom studies are hard to generalise because they typically focus on small groups in single settings, so findings are hard to apply to other schools or age groups.

False.

Behaviour may be staged, controlled or limited by school routines, which restricts understanding of pupils' motivations.

Access is relatively easy because pupils are legally required to attend school, so they are concentrated in one place.

Schools provide registers sorted by age, gender, ability, ethnicity or eligibility for free school meals.

False.

Researchers are legally obliged to report any evidence of harm or abuse, so confidentiality has limits.

Questionnaire wording should match the age and cognitive ability of the pupils taking part.

Researchers who work closely or one-to-one with pupils typically need a DBS check.

Pupils in anti-school subcultures may refuse to cooperate or disrupt research activities.

Some pupils might give exaggerated answers to impress their peers.

One advantage of group interviews is that some pupils may feel safer and more open than when interviewed alone.

Interpretivists worry that power imbalances can distort meanings, so researchers may misinterpret children's views or shape responses unintentionally.

False.

A low response rate is a representativeness problem: the parents who reply may not reflect the wider parent population.

Researchers rarely observe parents directly because doing so, e.g. at home, is often impractical, so researchers usually use questionnaires or interviews instead.

Parents are harder to reach because they are not concentrated in one place, so access depends on schools distributing contact details.

Parents who exaggerate how often they help with homework show social desirability bias.

If schools choose who to contact, middle-class or pro-school parents may be over-represented, because schools may share contacts for engaged or supportive parents.

Parents' cultural capital can affect their responses to research because middle-class parents may be more familiar with the language and expectations of school-based research, which shapes how they interpret and answer questions.

Researchers must take care with questions about home life because such questions can feel intrusive, so researchers must avoid causing parents embarrassment or distress.