Documents & Education (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note
Exam code: 7192
Documents in education
Documents (opens in a new tab) are written, visual, or digital sources of data. In educational research, sociologists use both public and personal documents
Public documents
Produced by schools, local authorities, and the Department for Education (DfE)
Preferred by positivists for their standardised, objective content
Examples include:
School websites and brochures
Ofsted inspection reports
School policies (e.g., anti-racism, homework)
School textbooks and classroom displays
School league tables
Personal documents
Created by individuals such as pupils, teachers, or parents
Preferred by interpretivists for their insight into personal meaning
Examples include:
Pupils’ written work
Notes passed between pupils
Reports on pupils from teachers or parents
Emails or social media (e.g., Facebook)
Messages between teachers and parents
In educational research, documents can be used to investigate:
Ethnic, class, and gender differences in achievement
Stereotyping in textbooks and displays
Curriculum content
Racist incidents and anti-racist policy
Special educational needs (SEN) provision
School culture and marketisation
Pupil friendships and identity
Research Studies
David Gillborn (1995) used public documents like school policies and staff guidelines to analyse how racism was officially addressed
The policies were easily accessible and showed the school's official view of how racism was addressed
However, policies may not reflect actual practice—what’s written doesn’t guarantee it’s implemented, so triangulation was necessary
Gewirtz et al. (1995) analysed school brochures and marketing materials and found that schools promoted themselves to attract 'ideal' middle-class pupils
The analysis revealed a hidden class bias and allowed for comparative analysis across schools
However, prospectuses may not reflect how families interpret or respond to these messages
Valerie Hey (1997) used personal notes passed between girls in class to explore peer relationships and gender identity, and found girls used notes to resist school norms and express emotions
The documents had high validity as they captured real, spontaneous interactions
However, many notes were collected without consent (e.g., from bins), raising issues of privacy and confidentiality
Evaluation of documents in education
Practical issues
Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
Public documents (e.g., school websites, policies) are easily accessible and cost-effective, as they are already produced. | Personal or confidential documents (e.g., disciplinary records, teacher files) are often restricted or unavailable. |
Useful for historical research, such as tracking policy changes over time. | Some documents may be incomplete, outdated, or not collected consistently across schools. |
Ethical issues
Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
Public documents pose minimal ethical risk—no need for consent or direct contact with participants. | Accessing personal documents (e.g. pupil diaries or notes) raises ethical concerns around consent and privacy. |
Documents allow researchers to study sensitive topics (e.g., racism, school ethos) without involving individuals directly. | Issues of confidentiality and data protection arise, especially with documents involving children or staff. |
Theoretical issues
Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
Personal documents (e.g., notes, reports) provide insight into beliefs, values, and school culture. | Personal documents are often unrepresentative, reflecting a small number of individuals or unusual cases. |
Documents can support triangulation when combined with interviews or observations. | Schools may produce biased materials (e.g., prospectuses) that present an idealised or misleading image. |
Systematic documents like attendance registers allow for comparisons across schools or time periods. | Deliberate falsification or administrative errors (e.g., off-rolling pupils) may reduce reliability. |
Less assumption-laden than structured methods, it can reveal themes the researcher hadn’t anticipated. | The meaning of documents may be open to interpretation, and researchers may impose their assumptions. |
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