Education- Research Methods In Context

Question 1

Wjat are questionaires

Answer 1

Questionaires are a written list of questions that are answered by respondants. These queations can be open or closed, depending on the type of data required by tge sociologist

Question 2

Conductimg questionnaires

Answer 2

The researcher needs to consider how to administer the questionnaire. A key consideration will be what type of response rate is required; what proportion of questionaires need to be completed and returned.

Question 3

Methods of administrating questionaires include:

Answer 3

Methods of administrating questionaires include: 
face-face
Telephone
Postal
Internet

Question 4

Advantages of face to face questionnaire’s

Answer 4

Relativley high response rate

Interviewer can clarify questions

Question 5

Disadvantages of face to face questionnaires

Answer 5

Interviewer may influence response (interviewer bias)

Time consuming for the interviewer and interviewee

Potentially expensive

Question 6

Advantages of internet method of questionnaires

Answer 6

Internet questionaires:

Very cheap
Cheap to send to a widley dispersed sample

Question 7

Disadvantages of internet questionaires

Answer 7

Disadvantages of internet questionaires:

Repsonse rate likely to be low

Limited to those with internet access and not inclined to delete spam

Question 8

What are fixed choice questions

Answer 8

Fixed choice questions give respondants a restricted range of options to choose from, eg: agree/disagree, or are asked ratings scale

Question 9

Advantages of fixed choice questions

Answer 9

Fixed choice questions make it easy to produce statistical data and analyse answers

Also good for testing existing theories and producing reliable data which can be checked

Positivists see answers as social fact

Question 10

What are questionnaires

Answer 10

Questionaires are a written list of questions that are answered by respondants

Can be open or closed depending on the type of data required by the sociologist

Question 11

Practical issues using questionaires in education

Answer 11

Practical issues: questionnaires make it possible to access large numbers of respondents concentrated in one place; eg a school. However, researchers need to consider the questions they can ask you g children or those with poor research skills

Question 12

Ethical issues using questionaires in education

Answer 12

Ethical issues using questionaires in education:

Respondants need to remain anonymous. There may be a problem with getting truly informed consent from young children

Question 13

Theoretical issues using questionaires in education

Answer 13

Theoretical issues using questionaires in education:
The dominance of peer groups may influence the types of answers that pupils give; it may be difficult to prevent discussion among pupils so they collaborate on responses, potentially misleading answers

Question 14

What are official statistics

Answer 14

Official statistics are numerical data produced by government agencies, which can be analysed by sociologists to draw conclusions about social institutions, such as education

Question 15

Topics government statistics could cover

Answer 15

Topics government statistics could cover: 
Demography
Crime
Unemployment
Educational achievement 
Births
Deaths
Marriages 
Divorces

Question 16

Positivists view on official statiatics

Answer 16

Positivists view official satatistics as valid and reliable despite others tjinking they may be unreliable

Believe it is possible to use them to produce reliable and valid data, if they conduct their own research to supplement them

Question 17

Interprevists view on official statistics

Answer 17

Interprevists view official statistics as an interpretation produced by government agencies; not the facts

They argue it is impossible to produce objective, reliable and valid statistics. Thwy point out that all data requires classification and interpretation eg- has crime actually taken place

Question 18

Practicial issues of official statistics

Answer 18

Data achievement is usually broken down into ghe performance of males and females, but data on class backgrounds or the ethnicity of pupils and their achievement is less often available

Do not always use the categories that sociologists use, eg official definition of social class does not always match sociological definitions

Question 19

Ethical issues using official statistics

Answer 19

No real ethical issues using official statistics since they are publically available and using them is unlikely to cause harm

Question 20

Theoretical advantages of using official statistics

Answer 20

Official statistics tend to be comprehensive since it is often mandatory for state funded organisations to produce them; they are also generally reliable since the government imposes definitions and categories on educational institutions and stipulates that data is produced using standardised procedures

Question 21

Theoretical issues of using official statistics

Answer 21

The validity of statistics may be open to question. Eg- schools may diliberatley manipulate data in order to secure funding, a favourable inspection report or success in league tables.

Two examples of this is when schools do not accuratley record absences or lateness, or they exclude or fail to enter poorly performing pupils for exams to enhnace league table performance

Question 22

What are secondary sources of data

Answer 22

Secondary sources of data is data that already exists. These can include documents such as any physical artefact that contains meaningful material.

Also includes images, sounds, and digital data, as well as printed documents with words and statistics

Question 23

What are public documents

Answer 23

Public documents are produced by the government, research bodies or companies

Question 24

What are private documents

Answer 24

Private documents are produced by individuals

Question 25

Uses of secondary sorces

Answer 25

Saves money and time Can include data that are beyond the scope of sociologists to collect (eg census data) Allows the study of historical societies, impossible to produce primary sources Allows insight into aspects of social life which arnet accessible to researchers (eg family life)

Question 26

Dosadvantages of secondary sources

Answer 26

Produced by non sociologists for their own purposss. Therefore they may not include specific data that sociologists are interested in, or the data may be collected without the rigour that sociologists use May use categories or concepts that do not fit with sociological theories Categories change, which makes comparison difficult (eg- government changed definitions of poverty and unemployment)

Question 27

Criticisms of historical sources

Answer 27

Historical sources are vital for studying long term social changes, however there is no guarentee that these sources are representitive There also tends to be few surviving documents produced by individuals, so that often the data that sociologists would like is not available Qualitative sources reflect the subjective views of those who produced them

Question 28

What are life documents

Answer 28

Life documents are private documents created by individuals, which record subjective states. They include diarie, letters, photos, biographies, memoirs, suicide notes, films and pictures

Question 29

Plummer Criticisms of life documents

Answer 29

Surviving documents may not be representative They are open to interpretation and highly subjective The content may be influenced by the identity of the person, or the intended readers

Question 30

Plummer view on life documents

Answer 30

Plummer still sees them as useful because they allow insights into people subjective states, and symbolic interactionists see them as revealing the personal meanings and self concepts which they see as shaping behaviour

Question 31

Pros of The mass media and content analysis

Answer 31

Content analysis (analysing content by the meida) tends to be relatively cheap as media is easy accessible

Question 32

What is Formal content analysis (mass media)

Answer 32

Formal content analysis is content classified and counted, allowing patterns to be discovered. However this is a subjective process and may not reveal the meaning behind the content

Question 33

What is Thematic analysis (mass media and content analysis)

Answer 33

Thematic analysis examines the messages behind the portrayal of a particular topic, making it impossible to look at the messages behind media coverage. However the messages are open to interpretation; readers may not interpret in the same way as researchers

Question 34

What is Textual analysis (mass media and content analysis)

Answer 34

Textual analysis involves detailed analysis of small pieces of text, providing an in depth interpretation of media content, but not an overall understanding. Can be subjective

Question 35

What are structured interviews

Answer 35

Structured i terviews are pre set questions asked in the same order without variation

Question 36

Advantages of structured interviews

Answer 36

Structured interviews are favoured by quantitative researchers. Easier to replicate and compare results Less chance of interviewer bias

Question 37

Disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 37

Structured interviews offer no opportunity for deeper questioning Less chance of dicovering new hypothesis Harder to discover what is important to the interviewees

Question 38

What are semi structured interviews

Answer 38

Semi structured interviews are some fixed questions with a list of topics to be covered

Question 39

Advantages of semi structured interviews

Answer 39

Semi structured interviews provide some opportunity for respondents to lead the interview, while covering the main topics

Question 40

Disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 40

Steuctured interviews lack specific advantages of both structured and un interviews

Question 41

What afe unstructured interviews

Answer 41

Unstructured interviews are few or no fixed questions, more like a conversation

Question 42

Advantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 42

Unstructured interviews are favoured by qualitative researchers Allows respondants to direct the interview More opportunity for developing new hypothesis

Question 43

Advantages of individual interviews

Answer 43

Individual interviews prevents respondents being influenced by others Less time consuming

Question 44

Disadvantages of individual jnterviews

Answer 44

Individual interviews give mo opportunity to observe interactions

Question 45

Advantages of group interviews

Answer 45

Group interviews enable interaction to be observed Encourages deeper thoughf about issues, and more developed answers Closer to normal social life

Question 46

Disadvantages of group interviews

Answer 46

Group interviews mean respondants may be influenced by the desire to conform to the view of others Dominant memebers of a group can sway opinion of others

Question 47

Practical issues of interviews in education

Answer 47

Interviewing children in school requires consent from headteachers and parents, which can limit acces; those in authority may wish to limit the scope of the interview Interviewers may also need to undergo a disclosure and barring service check Interviews need to be carefully designed to take into account childrens less developed language skills and shorter attention span- questions need to be shorter and phrased simpler

Question 48

Ethical issues on interviewing in education

Answer 48

Interviews with children must be carefully deaigned to not cause distress or fatigue. Therefore sensitive issues should be avoided Confidentiality of interviews need to be assured, although if the interview reveals evidence of abuse, interviewers have a duty to report it, thus compromising confidentiality

Question 49

Theoretical issues on interviews in education

Answer 49

The validity of the interview respondents may be affected by the way in which the interview is conducted and by interview bias Interviewees may see the interviewer as an authority figure, like a teacher, and therefore may be unwilling to give full and truthfull answers Group interviews risk the responses being influenced by peer group pressure, although may be useful for finding shared values of pupils which they may be reluctant to give in an individual interview

Question 50

What is random sampling

Answer 50

Random sampling means every sampling unit has an equal chance of being chosen, eg- pulling names out of a hat or a computer generated list.

Question 51

Advantages of random sampling

Answer 51

Random sampling means it is free from researcher bias as researchers cannot choose the people who they think may support their hypothesis Usually failrly representative as it relies on statistical odds- meaning we are able to generalise to the wider population

Question 52

Disadvantages of random sampling

Answer 52

Random sampling is difficult and time consuming Can still be unrepresentative- large sample needed to make sure Selected participants may refuse to take part

Question 53

What is stratified random sampling

Answer 53

Stratified random sampling means population is divided into groups according to important variables (class, gender and ethnicity) Sample is then chosen in the same proportions as is found in the population

Question 54

Advantages of stratified random sampling

Answer 54

Random sampling is free from researcher bias, as researchers cannot choose people who they think may support their hypothesis Fairly representative, even with a small sample, meaning that we are able to generalise to the wider population

Question 55

Disadvantages of stratified random sampling

Answer 55

Stratified random sampling is difficult and time consuming Requires sampling frame which include details of significant characteristics of population being studied Complete representation is not possible, as the identified strata cannot reflect all the ways that people are different

Question 56

What is quota sampling

Answer 56

Quota sampling establishes a pre determined number of people with each particular characteristic. Once quota is filled, no more people in that category are included

Question 57

Advantages pf quota sampling

Answer 57

Quota sampling can be conducted without variables being available from sampling frame usually fairly representative even with a small sample Able to generalise to the wider population

Question 58

Disadvantages of quota sampling

Answer 58

Quota sampling is difficult and time consuming Complete representation is not possible; the identified strata cannot reflect all fhe ways that people are different

Question 59

What is snowballing sampling

Answer 59

Snowballing sampling is where members of a sample put researcher in touch with other potential member. Used mainly with groups who are hard to identify or access (eg- criminals)

Question 60

Disadvantages of snowballing sampling

Answer 60

Snowballing sampling is very unlikely to be truly representative since its based on people who have contact with one another

Question 61

What is opportunity sampling

Answer 61

Opportunity sampling is when people are chosen on the basis of being easily accessible and willing to participate in research

Question 62

Advantages of opportunity sampling

Answer 62

Opportunity sampling = easiest Quickest cheapest May lead to a good response rate

Question 63

Disadvantages of opportunity sampling

Answer 63

Opportunity samplinv makes no attempt to be truly representative- cannot generalise from the findings

Question 64

What is positivism

Answer 64

Positivism suggests sociology can be scientific To be scientific you should only study what can be observed, not emotions, meanings or motives Objective social facts which can be expressed quantitatively Look for correlations, which can represent represent causual relationships Possible to discover laws of human behaviour Human behaviour is shaped by external rather than internal stimuli

Question 65

What is interpretivism

Answer 65

Interpretivism is an advocate for the use of quaLitative data, with a focus on meanings and motives Prefered methods include in depth interviews ans participant ovservations Understanding of peoples subjective states is required, and cannot be reduced to statistical data

Question 66

What is quantitative data

Answer 66

Quantitative data uses quantities, ammounts or ranges

Question 67

Advantages of using quaNtitative data

Answer 67

QuaNtitative data is easy to analyse and spot trends. Can be used to create general laws

Question 68

Limitations of using quaNtitative data

Answer 68

QuaNtitative data doesnt reveal motives/meanings of behaviour

Question 69

What is quaLitative data

Answer 69

QuaLitative data is not easily reduced to numbers. Qualitative data tends to answer questions about the 'what', 'how' and 'why' of a phenomenon, rather than questions of 'how many' or “how much”

Question 70

Advantages of quaLitative data

Answer 70

QuaLitative data reveals motives/meanings of behaviour- more detailed info

Question 71

Limitations of quaLitative data

Answer 71

QuaLitative data is difficult and time consuming to analyse

Question 72

What is primary data

Answer 72

Primary data is straight from the researcher themselves

Question 73

Strengths of primary data

Answer 73

Primary data can be tailored to your own research, more specific

Question 74

Limitations of primary data

Answer 74

Primary data is time consuming and expensive to conduct your own study

Question 75

What is secondary data

Answer 75

Secondary data is gathered from other researchers

Question 76

Advantages pf secondary data

Answer 76

Using secondary data saves time and money

Question 77

Limitations of secondary data

Answer 77

Secondary data may not be completely appropriate for your research study

Question 78

What are experiments

Answer 78

Experiments are when researchers set up an artificial situation and manipulate it to test their theory/hypothesis. They will try to control extraneous variables and follow ethical guidelines for their research

Question 79

Advantages of experiments

Answer 79

Experiments allow them to investigate the influence of different variables under a controlled environment- offers more control than other research methods

Question 80

Disadvantages of experiments

Answer 80

Experiments can sometimes lack validity due to the artificial environment (unless its a field experiment- in a natural environment)

Question 81

Criticisms of official statistics

Answer 81

Goverment reported crime dropped by 13% but the office for mational statistics said this is not true- the stats excluded fraud and tech crimes. Real figure increased by 15%

Question 82

What can case study’s be used for

Answer 82

Case studys can be used for: Another highly unrepresentative form of sampling is to use a particular case study. Case studies can be used for: - To develop a comprehensive understanding of something by studying it in depth - To develop a general theoretical approach by falsifying a theory/proving it wrong - To develop typologies, e.g. different school subcultures - To generate new hypotheses or theories

Question 83

Problems with case studies

Answer 83

Case studies cannot be generalised BRYMAN suggests that this can be overcome through using multiple case studies, however, it can be difficult to compare the findings of case studies carried out by different researchers

Question 84

What are pilot studies

Answer 84

Pilot studies are small scaled trial study conducted before the main study in order to test the feasibility of the main study, and to refine the research methods being used

Question 85

What can pilot studys be used for

Answer 85

Pilot studies can be used to: -Test how useful and unambiguous interview questions are * develop ways to gain the cooperation of respondents * develop the research skills of the researchers * decide whether or not to proceed with research

Question 86

What are longitudinal studies

Answer 86

Longitudinal studies involve the study of a group of people over an extended period of time

Question 87

How is data from longitudinal studies collected

Answer 87

Data from Longitudinal studies is usually collected periodically, with respondents being asked to provide information every few months or years

Question 88

Types of research Methods used in longitudinal studies

Answer 88

Longitudinal research can use a wide variety of methods, for example, periodic focus groups or group interviews. Most common method is the use of questionaires

Question 89

Advantages of longitudinal studies

Answer 89

Longitudinal studies allow the researcher to loom af processes over time does not require respondants to recall information retrospectively = data may be more valid, and it is invaluable for studying topics that look at long term changes over an individuals life course

Question 90

What is multi stage sampling

Answer 90

Taking a sample of a sample; eg a sample of voters in a sample of constituencies. This allows a broad base sampling while saving time and money

Question 91

Advantages of multi stage sampling

Answer 91

Multi stage sampling allows a broad based sample while saving money and time

Question 92

Disadvantages of multi stage sampling

Answer 92

Doesn’t include all potential sources. Less representative than other methods, as many members of the population have no chance of being selected