Application of research methods to education

Question 1

Considering strengths and limitations of a method - PERVERT model

Answer 1

Practical issues
Ethical issues
Reliability of the information collected
Validity of the information obtained
Examples from research or your own understanding to illustrate the points you’re making
Representativeness of the information
Theoretical issues

Question 2

Practical issues

Answer 2

• time and cost
• is the suggested method likely to work in the setting
• is the suggested method likely to work with the participants being researched (eg language barrier, young kids lacking maturity etc)
• schools are hierarchal, so even if headteachers agree individual teachers may not
• schools are very busy and very structured routines (harder to interrupt)
• is there resentment, hostility or resistance from participants (members of anti-school subculture might not answer questionnaires)
• will the method build sufficient rapport and trust for participants to discuss personal, sensitive or upsetting topics
• is the research practical to identify samples (eg can a sample be easily representative if some families entitled to FSM don’t claim)
• will the researcher have the right characteristics for this method (eg old people can’t pretend to be students)
• if it uses secondary data, is this data available (eg documents restricted to public access)
• availability of funding

Question 3

Ethical issues - the duty of care and confidentiality

Answer 3

• schools have a duty of care towards pupils, which means they have a legal obligation to care to ensure their safety and well-being, which would involve protecting vulnerable students and maintaining confidentiality
• teachers have to maintain professional standards, so this may make them reluctant to discuss confidential or damaging information about pupils, families or schools
• adults working regularly with children may need a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check to ensure they have no criminal record which might pose a threat
• researchers also have a moral or ethical duty of care

Question 4

Ethical issue - informed consent

Answer 4

• participants have to know what research is about and what it is for to give informed consent
• this is difficult in methods like covert observation
• any research involving people under 18 needs to have their parents’ informed consent
• younger children may not be able to understand what the research is about, making obtaining informed consent hard

Question 5

Ethical issues - intrusive and harmful effects

Answer 5

• is using the method likely to upset or harm participants (eg through invasive and sensitive question, could make parents feel bad about themselves, protecting confidentiality and identity, building up rapport then leaving quickly and abruptly)
• will the method put the researcher or those being researched at risk of harm (will teachers be fired for talking frankly about schools or students, will parents who neglect education eg through unauthorised absences be fined etc)
• is the method likely to undercover unexpected or unwanted information which might compromise confidentiality (eg revealing abusive or dysfunctional families and the debate on whether to report it or not)
• is the method likely to involve deception

Question 6

Reliability

Answer 6

• is the method suggested reliable (would other researchers be able to repeat it and get similar results eg difficult to repeat research on some deviant groups)
• is the method likely to use reliable data (eg official statistics are more reliable than interviews, as participants may produce answers intended to please or annoy the researcher)

Question 7

Validity

Answer 7

• is the method the best way to produce valid (true, authentic, genuine) information about the topic (eg participants may exaggerate or lie - using a method that builds rapport is a good way to improve validity)
• will the method suggested impose answers on respondents (risk that answers may reflect what participants think the researcher wants)
• The Hawthorne Effect (presence of a researcher affecting behaviour or answers)

Question 8

Using examples

Answer 8

• should provide examples of real research or hypothetical scenarios to explain or illustrate points

Question 9

Representativeness

Answer 9

• is the method likely to produce results that can be generalised to the rest of society (large, longitudinal studies are usually more reliable, and sometimes there may be a very small or unavailable sampling frame - eg of students with a lot of unauthorised absences)

Question 10

Theoretical issues

Answer 10

• is the suggested method more associated with interpretivists, positivists, feminists, marxists, structural or action theorists etc
• will the method produce value-free objective information (remember Becker suggesting that objectivity, detachment and value freedom are desirable when studying disadvantaged people)