Topic 6 -Participant observation - Methods in context Flashcards
(13 cards)
what are structured observations and who prefer these ?
-structured observations are highly structured methods using pre-categorised observational schedules
-Positivists prefer these methods because they enable them to identify and make quantitative measurements of behaviour patterns
-these methods are usually non participant
what is an example by Flanders of a structured observation and what did this involve ?
-Flanders system of interaction analysis categories (FIAC)
-this is used to measure pupil -pupil and pupil -teacher interaction quantitatively
-the observers uses a standard chart to record interactions at 3 second intervals , placing each observation in one of the 10 pre defined behaviour categories
-observations can thus be easily converted into quantitative data simply by counting the number of times each behaviour occurs
-For example , Flanders found that in the typical american classroom , 68% of the time is taken up by teacher talk , 20% by pupil talk and 12% lost in silence or confusion
what are practical advantages of structured observations such as Flanders FIAC ?
-the relative simplicity of structured observational methods such as FIAC means that they are quicker , cheaper and require less training than less structured methods
Are structured observational techniques such as FIAC likely to have high reliability or low if so why ?
-structured observational techniques such as FIAC are likely to be easily replicated
-this is because FIAC uses only 10 categories of classroom interaction , which makes it relatively easy for other researchers to apply in a standardised way
-it also generates quantitative data , which makes the findings easy to compare with other studies
why do interpretivists argue the structured observational methods of classrooms lack validity - what does Delamont say ?
-interpretivist sociologists criticise structured observation of classroom interaction for its lack of validity
-for example , Delamont argues that simply counting classroom behaviour and classifying it into a limited number of pre defined categories ignores the meanings that pupils and teachers attach to it
who favour the use of unstructured observational methods and why ?
-interpretivists favour the use of less structured , more flexible , qualitative observational methods
-these allow them to gain access to the meanings that teachers and pupils give to situations by immersing themselves in those situations
-unlike structured methods with their observational schedules , this approach doesn’t make assumptions in advance about what the key research issues will be
what are some practical issues of unstructured observations ?
-schools are complex places and more time consuming to observe than in many other settings , For example , it took Lacey 2 months to familiarise himself with the school , while Eggleston needed over 3 months just to set up his cover role for his observations
-personal characteristics such as age , gender and ethnicity affect the process of observation . for example when Wright was carrying out her research , there were few black teachers and she found that her African Caribbean ethnicity produced antagonistic reactions from some of the white teachers , on the other hand , she found that many black pupils held her in high esteem and would ask for her support
-observation of interactions in school settings is limited by the restrictions of the school timetable , holidays , control over access etc
what are some ethical issues of using unstructured observations ?
-the additional ethical issues relating to the observation of young people usually means that a covert approach to studying pupils isn’t appropriate , their greater vulnerability and limited ability to give informed consent means that observation normally has to be overt
-Delamont points out that every observer in a school sees and hears things that could get pupils into trouble , in some cases this may involve the law such as when pupils steal from the school = ethically it could be argued that the researcher is obliged to report the wrongdoing , however , doing so may breach the trust that the pupils have placed in the researcher and may mean pupils will no longer confide in them or cooperate with their research
why when doing observations in schools may they not gain as valid information as if it was on a topic not at school ?
-the power difference between young people and adults is a major barrier to uncovering the real attitudes and behaviours of pupils , they may present a false image when being observed by an adult researcher and thus undermine the validity of the research
why is it very difficult to carry out covert observations in educational settings such as classrooms and what does this mean ?
-its very difficult to carry out covert observations of educational settings , especially classrooms , this is because there are fewer “cover” roles that the researcher can adopt and because he or she will stand out as being much older than the pupils
-this means that most classroom observation has to be overt , but this does make it hard to avoid the Hawthorne effect, where the presence of the researcher influences the behaviour of those being observed
what is an example of Kings study where he tried to reduce the effect of his presence on the pupils behaviour (avoid the Hawthorne effect ) ?
-For example , King tried to blend into the background in an infant school by initially spending short periods of time in the classroom to allow the children to become familiar with his presence , so as not to be seen as a teacher , he avoided eye contact and politely refused their request for help . in an attempt to be unobtrusive , he even used the classrooms Wendy house as a hide
why are observations in school settings not seen as representative - use Willis study as well ?
-observational studies focus on a small number of pupils in just a single school
-for example , Willis studied a core group of only 12 boys
-this means that through observing school behaviour through observations it is unlikely to produce representative data
why do participant observation studies of education tend to lack reliability ?
-Participant observation studies of education tend to lack reliability , this is because data recording is often unsystematic and hard to replicate
-for example , Hammersley found that on one occasion he had to write his notes on the back of a newspaper because he as observing staffroom conversations covertly
-the personal characteristics of different observers may evoke different responses , for example ,Wright found that as a black female , she was met with hostility by some white teachers , but readily accepted by black pupils . A white male teacher may have found the opposite
