official stats

• What do official statistics refer to?

  Quantitative data collected by the government
• What types of data may official statistics relate to?

  Births, deaths, crime, migration, marriage, divorce
• Why do positivists prefer official statistics?

  Because they produce quantitative data
• Who can produce official statistics?

  Central government, local government, or government agencies
• What distinguishes hard statistics from soft statistics?

  Hard statistics are objective and cannot be manipulated, while soft statistics are subjective and can be influenced
• Give an example of hard statistics.

  Births and marriages
• Give an example of soft statistics.

  Statistics on poverty, crime, and employment
• How did the government change its method of measuring employment in the 1980s and 1990s?


  They changed their method 20 times
• What is the UK Census?


  A survey of every household carried out every 10 years
• What are non-official statistics?


  Statistics collected by organizations other than the government
• Who collects TV ratings in the UK?


  The British Audience Research Bureau
• What are the strengths of official statistics?

  • Cheap and easy to access large amounts of data
  • Can explore changes over time
  • High in reliability
  • Can isolate variables and establish cause-and-effect relationships
• What are the weaknesses of official statistics?

  • Do not explain why things happen, lacking meaning
  • May not meet specific needs of researchers
  • Definitions and data collection methods may vary over time
• Why might official statistics not be valid?

  Because the government may present them in a biased way to favor their policies
• What do crime statistics reveal according to the study material?

  They may tell us more about policing than actual crime figures
• What are some areas where Official Statistics can be used to investigate in education?

  Ethnicity/class/gender achievement
• What is one area of investigation related to school performance using Official Statistics?

  League tables/school performance
• What is a potential strength of Official Statistics in education?

  They save time and costs for data collection
• Why can comparisons be made using Official Statistics?

  Because they are collected based on specific characteristics and over time
• How can Official Statistics measure the effectiveness of government policies?

  By analyzing changes in educational outcomes over time
• What is a weakness of Official Statistics in education?

  They may not align with the definitions used by sociologists
• Why might data on social class not be fully representative in Official Statistics?

  Because some students may not claim Free School Meals due to stigma
• What does the data from Official Statistics fail to explain?

  Why certain educational phenomena occur
• How often do schools conduct a census for Official Statistics?

  Three times a year
• What is the reliability of Official Statistics?

  They are very reliable and can be retested
• How have government definitions of educational success changed over time?

  Different governments have used varying criteria for league tables
• What is a potential issue with the validity of attendance statistics?


  They can be manipulated by schools
• How might schools manipulate attendance data?

  By claiming poor attenders are on 'study leave'
• What are the five main groups that can be studied in education research?

  Pupils, teachers, classrooms, schools, and parents
• What is one challenge when studying pupils according to Hill (2005)?


  Pupils may find it difficult to express views that challenge adults
• How can researchers overcome the challenge of power and status when studying pupils?

  By using methods that empower pupils to share their views
• What is a challenge related to pupils' ability and understanding in research?

  Pupils may have limited understanding of questions
• How can researchers address the challenge of pupils' limited understanding?

  By carefully phrasing questions and providing context
• What ethical issues arise when researching young people?

  They are more vulnerable to physical and psychological harm
• What is emphasized in ethical research involving young people?

  Informed consent and child protection
• What problems might arise when researching teachers?

  Power imbalances and overwork can affect responses
• How might impression management affect teachers during research?

  Teachers may act differently when they know they are being observed
• What is a challenge when researching classrooms?

  Classroom settings may not reflect true pupil thoughts and feelings
• Why might some schools view researchers as 'the enemy'?

  They may feel threatened by external scrutiny
• What is a challenge when researching parents?

  Access may be difficult and responses may be unrepresentative