1. The context of the question is a particular topic in education
Methods in context
The context of the question is a particular topic in education
The question is accompanied by an item containing stimulus material for the candidate to apply in their answer

2. Format: applying material from item b and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate strengths and limitations of using unstructured interviews to investigate attitudes to education
This question always asks about one research method and how it applies to one particular issue in education
The research method could be any of those named in the specification
It will be important to know the difference between covert and overt participant observation or the difference between hand-held and postal questionnaires
The particular issue could be any topic on education that sociologists might be interested in studying, such as labelling in the classroom or anti-school subcultures in schools

3. What you need to know
The methods: for each method the candidate needs to know its key strengths and limitations, based on practical and ethical and theoretical issues – and relationship to the key methodologies
The research characteristics: the main groups and areas hat sociologists study are: pupils, teachers, classrooms, schools and parents

4. Issues that may emerge regarding the research characteristics of the groups under study

5. Ethnicity Language barrier
Difficult to establish rapport with some ethnic groups if they feel embarrassed about underachieving in education, or if they are nervous of researches of other ethic groups
May be sensitive about some areas surrounding religion
Difficulties of avoiding racial stereotypes in discussion

6. Students Hard to access due to parental consent
Opinions may not be valid- influenced by peers
No spare time eg lessons all day
Sensitive topics cannot be researched- not to scare students, be careful with language use
Anti-school subcultures unwilling to take part
Difficult to build rapport

7. Gender
Boys may be unwilling to take part in research – anti school subcultures are often formed by boys by labelling
Different social spaces: boys are harder to access eg football at lunch
Girls are willing to talk about feeling ‘bedroom culture’
Less peer pressure for girls
Research has to be careful not to make gender stereotypical assumptions
Researcher can be the same gender as the participants to build rapport

8. Social class w/c restricted code –Bernstein
Access- w/c may not trust researcher, social class is a sensitive topic, social class is difficult to define
Some social class groups are critical of authority
Researcher should not make assumptions
w/c may have lower literacy levels – lower representativeness

9. Parents
Difficult to access if not interested in childs education – w/c
May not have the time to participate due to work/ younger children/other responsibilities
Language barrier, restricted/elaborated code
Research has to be careful with language used eg short sentences, try not to make them inferior
Go off topic
Defensive – low validity

10. Different regions Access for covert participant due to accents
Travel costs – moving around
Different values for different regions
Hierarchy = researcher may feel like they are authoritative if they have elaborated code, makes individuals feel excluded

11. Synario: covert participation observation for studying pupil teacher interactions

12. Access would be hard because…
Parental consent would be needed
Researcher would not blend in, would be an adult in a room full of children
Need to establish a rule- would be time consuming eg ta
Background checks need to be carried out beforehand

13. Teachers and pupils would be deceived
Do not know the true nature of investigation – deception
No informed consent
Would have no choice but to do overt participation

14. Hard to replicate the investigation – low reliability
Pupil teacher interactions can vary, each lesson tends to be unique
Some lessons may have theory based work, some may be more practical

15. Low representativeness – small scale research
Small group of students – difficult to generalize pupil teacher interactions
Doesn’t always have the time to carry out numerious observations – time consuming

16. Qualitative data = high validity
See what goes on between student and teachers rather than what they say they do
Teacher may not be aware that they are labelling their pupils/ wont admit it in other types of research methods

17. Unstructured interviews for investigating the effect of material deprivation on educational achievement

18. Strengths
Limitations
High validity: qualitative
Useful as it will enable students to tell the researcher accurate examples of how poverty has affected them at school. Example: trips, free school meals
Low reliability: student/ researcher relationship, no preset questions, will be unable to make comparisons between certain age groups as student is a in control of what they talk about. Amy talk about different things to other students
Build rapport: as it is a sensitive topic, students will feel more comfortable if the researcher has build versten between them. They will feel more comfortable to talk about experiences
Example: a time they were bullied/ name called
However needs to be addressed in a way where the student feels in control
Time consuming: students may take time to trust the researcher – to build rapport. Unstructured interviews, no preset questions so can go off topic to make the student feel more comfortable eg ask about their day
Access: time, students have a busy schedule- wouldn’t want to come out of lessons or sacrifice lunch times. Parental consent is an issue. Parents may be wary of the research due to it being so sensitive. Low representativeness

19. Self completion questionnaire to investigate unauthorized absences from school

20. Advantages
Limitations
Time effective – can be completed in a time that suits them. Parents busy schedules can fit it around work hours, check calendars/diaries for reasons of absence
Parents may not receive questionnaire – low representativeness. Passed through child – may have lost it/ forgotten they have it. Child may not be in one of the days they give out the questionnaire, children with high absence rates wont receive it
Cheap
Can be sensitive topic- protection from hard: may not want to share reasons for absence – child eg bullying
If closed it is reliable. Childs responses can be compared to their parents response
Low validity if closed: imposition problem, not true to life if their responses is not on there they may have to pick another. May not understand question – no one to help