Questionnaires & Education (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Exam code: 7192

Raj Bonsor

Last updated

Student questionnaires

  • Sociologists use questionnaires to study aspects of education such as:

    • Pupil subject and university choice – how pupils' decisions are shaped

    • Bullying and peer group influence – how peer pressure and can affect behaviour and academic engagement

    • Parental involvement in schooling – how support with homework and communication with teachers affects achievement

    • Attitudes towards teachers and discipline – how pupils experience of fairness influences classroom behaviour and achievement

    • Gender differences in attitudes towards homework and exams - whether boys or girls are more conscientious and exam-focused

  • Questionnaires offer a detached, cost-effective, and replicable method, which is often favoured by positivist sociologists

Research studies

  • Connor and Dewson (2001) sent postal questionnaires to 12,000 final-year students in twelve Higher Education institutions to research decisions about university

    • They found this method efficient, but noted limitations in exploring deeper reasons

  • Forsyth and Furlong (2000) (opens in a new tab) researched why intelligent, working-class students were less likely to go to university using questionnaires and interviews

    • Almost every pupil (around 500) completed the 'classroom' questionnaire, producing a broad picture of qualifications, socioeconomic background and university aspirations

    • When the same pupils were sent a postal questionnaire nine months later, the response rate fell sharply, especially among working-class families

  • Sullivan (2001) (opens in a new tab) gave 465 Year 11 students a questionnaire to investigate the link between levels of cultural capital and GCSE attainment

    • The questionnaire operationalised the concept of cultural capital so that it could be linked statistically to GCSE scores

    • However, she was restricted to four comprehensive schools, so the data collected was not representative of the whole population

Evaluation of student questionnaires

Practical issues

Advantages

Limitations

Efficient for collecting large amounts of data from many students across multiple schools.

Students may rush or leave questions incomplete, especially if they are disengaged or uninterested.

Easily distributed and collected within the school environment using sampling frames like class lists.

Younger students may misinterpret complex sociological terms or lack the vocabulary to answer accurately.

Standardised format allows comparison between groups (e.g. schools, year groups, or classes).

Closed questions limit pupils’ ability to elaborate, reducing the depth and richness of data.

School registers allow access to large and potentially representative samples.

Access may be restricted by school gatekeepers (e.g., headteachers), especially for sensitive topics.

Ethical issues

Advantages

Limitations

Anonymity can encourage more honest responses, especially on sensitive topics like bullying or truancy.

Despite anonymity, pupils may still fear their answers will be shared with school staff.

Less intrusive than other methods (e.g., interviews), reducing pressure on pupils.

Obtaining informed consent may be difficult, particularly with younger pupils

Theoretical issues

Advantages

Limitations

Favoured by positivists for producing objective, quantifiable data suitable for hypothesis testing.

The validity of responses is questionable if pupils do not fully understand sociological concepts or vocabulary.

Researcher detachment reduces the Hawthorne effect, increasing response authenticity and validity of data.

Power dynamics may affect honesty – students might fear their answers will be seen by school staff or peers so validity is lowered.

High reliability due to the standardised format, enabling replication across year groups, classes and schools.

Interpretivists argue that questionnaires lack depth and insight into the meanings behind pupil behaviour.

Parent questionnaires

  • Questionnaires directed at parents are useful for collecting quantitative data on class and ethnic differences in the level of support provided to children

    • E.g., they can measure how frequently parents engage in activities such as reading to their children each week

Research studies

  • Bicknell (2014) used questionnaires to study parental involvement in their children’s education

    • She found parents of mathematically gifted pupils used terms like "maths tutor", "learning coach", and "resource provider", showing how these parents viewed their role in education

    • In-school recruitment produced a high completion rate among the engaged families, but the volunteer approach meant that the views of less-engaged parents were absent

      • This shows that representativeness is limited

  • Forsyth and Furlong (2000) (opens in a new tab) tested whether parental attitudes explained why academically able working-class pupils often decided against university

    • A brief postal questionnaire was sent to 292 consenting households in the hope of linking parental views on finance, loans and “fitting in” to their child’s earlier pupil survey

    • The parental survey suffered the lowest return rate (56.9%), meaning better-off or more engaged parents were over-represented

  • Sylva et al. (2004) used questionnaires to measure the “Home Learning Environment” of children in the EPPE project

    • Researchers issued standardised surveys to over 2,800 parents when their children entered pre-school and again at age 5

    • This produced large-scale quantitative data on home reading, cultural outings and parental qualifications, which they correlated with later Key Stage scores

    • Despite good representativeness, some parents left income items blank, and others may have exaggerated how often they read to their child

Evaluation of parent questionnaires

Practical issues

Advantages

Limitations

Convenient, as they can be emailed or sent home with pupils, saving time and reducing costs.

Low response rates are common, especially among working-class or time-poor parents.

Cost-effective, as there is no need for trained interviewers or in-person meetings.

Working-class parents may face barriers such as a lack of time, language or literacy.

Allows access to large numbers of parents across different schools or areas.

If schools choose which parents to contact, the sample may be biased.

Ethical issues

Advantages

Limitations

Voluntary and non-intrusive, as parents can complete questionnaires privately in their own time.

Some parents may feel pressure to respond in socially acceptable ways, especially on topics like involvement.

Anonymity can increase honesty and openness when giving feedback about the school.

Lack of opportunity to clarify responses could lead to misunderstandings of intent, leading to misrepresentation.

Theoretical issues

Advantages

Limitations

Standardised format allows comparison of parental attitudes across schools, regions, or groups.

Lack of depth, as no opportunity for follow-up questions or clarification, reduces validity.

Researcher detachment reduces interviewer bias and improves the objectivity and validity of data.

Educational terminology may be misunderstood by parents unfamiliar with school language.

Generates large-scale, quantifiable data for generalisation and trend analysis.

Middle-class parents are more likely to respond, making results less representative.

Provides insight into how parents perceive their role in education (e.g., Bicknell, 2014).

Responses may reflect what parents think schools want to hear, affecting validity.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

When tackling a Methods in Context question, it’s important to go beyond the strengths and weaknesses of questionnaires in general.

You may find it useful to remind yourself of the key features of questionnaires (opens in a new tab)and the specific issues involved in researching students and parents (opens in a new tab) within the educational setting.

By applying your knowledge of questionnaires to the educational context in the exam question, you’ll be better equipped to write a focused and high-level response.

You've read 0 of your 5 free revision notes this week

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Raj Bonsor

Author: Raj Bonsor

Expertise: Psychology & Sociology Content Creator

Raj joined Save My Exams in 2024 as a Senior Content Creator for Psychology & Sociology. Prior to this, she spent fifteen years in the classroom, teaching hundreds of GCSE and A Level students. She has experience as Subject Leader for Psychology and Sociology, and her favourite topics to teach are research methods (especially inferential statistics!) and attachment. She has also successfully taught a number of Level 3 subjects, including criminology, health & social care, and citizenship.