Topic 4 - Questionnaires - Methods In Context Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is meant by operationalising concepts ?
-operationalising concepts involves turning abstract ideas into a measurable form
Why is Operationalisation of concepts more difficult when creating questionnaires for pupils ?
-this is particularly difficult when creating questionnaires for pupils , because their grasp of abstract concepts is generally less than that of adults , so it may be more difficult to turn sociological concepts such as deferred gratification into language that pupils will understand
-this may produce answers that are based on respondents misunderstanding of what the questions mean
-alternatively , there is a danger that the sociologist may have to Over simplify the questions so much that they cease to have any sociological value
Why are the sampling frames that schools keep most of the time not useful for sociological research ?
-schools keep lists of pupils , staff and parents . These can provide accurate sampling frames from which the sociologist can draw a representative sample , school also has ready made opportunity samples of pupils and teachers , for example , in the form of classes or teaching departments
-however , schools may not keep lists that reflect the researchers interests such as the sociologist may wish to take a representative sample of pupils from a particular ethnic group , but it’s very unlikely that the school keeps a list of pupils sorted by ethnic group so there is no sampling frame to draw a sample from
-even where the relevant sampling frame does exist , schools may deny access to such confidential information
Why is distributing questionnaires in schools easy and hard in some aspects ?
-distributing questionnaires in schools is a fairly easy way to access a large number of potential respondents , however the researcher will need to first get the schools permission to give them out
-parents are harder than pupils or teachers to locate and contact , so using the school to distribute the questionnaires is an effective way to overcome this difficulty , for example , the school can give out questionnaires for pupils to take home , for their parents to complete
-young children in particular are more open to peer pressure which may impact the answers they give
-a questionnaire that doesn’t involve the researchers interests such being present when completed helps to overcome the problems of status in differnces between the adult researcher and young respondent
-on the other hand , a questionnaire usually has the appearance of a formal document that pupils may find off putting.
What are some reasons for the response rate for questionnaires in school to be low ?
-response rates for questionnaires are often low , schools may be reluctant to allow sociologist to distribute questionnaires because of the disruption to lessons that it may cause , or because they object to the researchers chosen topic , for example , some schools might object to questionnaires about under age sexual activity
-also teachers are often too busy to complete a lengthy questionnaire and this may reduce the response rate
However , what are a reason response rates of questionnaires can also be high in schools compared to other areas ?
-However , when questionnaires are conducted in schools , response rates can be higher than in other areas
-this is because once the head teacher has given their consent and put their authority behind the research , teachers and pupils may feel under pressure to cooperate
-similarly , the head teacher may authorise time to be take out of the lessons so that the questionnaires can be completed
-the higher response rate may produce more representative data from which generalisations can be drawn
-another reason why response rates might be higher is that pupils , teachers and parents are accustomed to to completing questionnaires issued by the school
Practical issues - What were the benefits of Rutters study on questionnaires but what were the limitations also ?
-Rutter used questionnaires to collect large quantities of data from 12 inner London secondary schools
-from this Rutter was able to correlate achievement , attendance and behaviour with variables such as school size , class size and number of staff
-however , the data generated by the questionnaires is often limited and superficial
-In Rutter’s study , the data provided correlations between variables such as class size and achievement but offered no explanations for these correlations
What are some other general practical issues of using questionnaires with children ?
-written questionnaires involve participants being able to read and understand the questions , thus they are unsuitable for those who cannot read well such as young children and those with certain learning difficulties
-children generally have a shorter attention span than adults and so questionnaires need to be relatively brief if they are to stand a chance of being completed , this limits the amount of information that can be gathered
-children’s life experiences are narrow and their recall is different from that of adults , this may mean children especially of primary school age do not know the answers so the questionnaires are of little value
Why is anonymity of questionnaires in school more likely to lead to a high response rate ?
-questionnaires can be particularly useful when researching sensitive educational issues such as bullying , where the anonymity may help to overcome the pupils’ embarrassment of fear of retribution from the bullies
-as a result , response rates may be higher and pupils may be more likely to reveal details of their experience which may provide more valid data than a structured face to face interview , for example
Why do interpretivists argue that questionnaires may lead children not to give full honest answers and how this impacts validity ?
-interpretivists emphasise the importance of developing a rapport with research participants and so they reject questionnaires as a means of researching pupils.
-this is because , they believe the lack of contact with the respondents makes a rapport less difficult to establish so young people are less likely to give full and honest answers
