Documents

• What are documents in sociology?

  Secondary data created by individuals and groups
• What types of documents do sociologists distinguish between?

  Personal and public documents
• What type of data do documents mainly contain?

  Qualitative data expressing beliefs and meanings
• Why do interpretivists use documents?

  To discover meanings underlying actions
• What do interpretivists value in documents?

  High validity from freely expressed meanings
• Why do positivists reject the use of documents?

  They lack reliability and representativeness
• How might positivists use documents despite their rejection?

  By using statistical data or content analysis
• What are the advantages of personal documents?

  High validity and genuine insights into attitudes
• What are the disadvantages of personal documents?

  May not represent all social groups accurately
• What issues arise from personal documents created after events?

  They may be influenced by hindsight
• How can public documents be biased?

  Content may reflect authors' biases
• What challenges exist when interpreting historical documents?

  Meanings of words may change over time
• What is quantitative content analysis?

  Measures coverage of issues in documents
• What is qualitative content analysis used for?

  To examine meanings attached to words
• What are John Scott's four tests of documents?

  Authenticity, credibility, representativeness, meaning
• What insights can documents provide to sociologists?

  Insights into social behavior and meanings
• What limitations do documents have in sociological research?

  Limited availability and lack of systematisation
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of personal documents?

  Strengths:

  • High validity and genuine insights
  • Cheap and time-saving

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • May not represent all groups
  • Potential bias and hindsight issues
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of public documents?

  Strengths:

  • Plentiful, detailed, and easy to access

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Likely to be biased and selective
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of historical documents?

  Strengths:

  • Provide insights into past societies

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Interpretation challenges and potential loss of documents
• How do interpretivists and positivists differ in their use of documents?

  Interpretivists:

  • Value qualitative data and meanings

  
  

  Positivists:

  • Focus on reliability and statistical data
• How do documents contribute to sociological research?

  • Provide insights into social behavior
  • Offer historical or 'insider' perspectives
  • Contribute important dimensions to research
• What are the limitations of using documents in sociological studies?

  • Limited availability and representativeness
  • Lack of systematisation
  • Rarely the main element in studies
• What is a problem with historical documents?

  they may have been lost or destroyed which would give an incomplete and underrepresented picture of the past
• What is the primary purpose of using documents in education?

  To study educational practices
• Why is most education run by the state?

  Because it ensures standardized education
• How do schools and colleges compete with each other?

  For 'customers' by providing information
• What type of information about education is made publicly available?

  A large amount of information about education
• What types of documents are included in publicly available educational information?

  School policy statements and guidelines
• What other documents are mentioned as part of educational information?

  Minutes of staff meetings and working parties
• What ethical issues arise with public documents produced by schools?

  Concerns about privacy and data protection
• What is a major ethical concern with personal documents in education?

  Using personal documents raises privacy issues
• How do public documents affect the credibility of schools?

  They provide an 'official' picture of schools
• Why do schools want to present themselves positively?

  To attract students and funding
• How are many educational documents constructed?

  With parental audience in mind
• What effect does constructing documents with parental audience in mind have?

  It makes them less believable and valid
• What is happening in a school or college?

  Various educational activities and events
• What do schools want to present themselves as in an education market?

  • The most positive way
  • To attract students and parents
• Why are many documents constructed with parental audience in mind?

  To enhance credibility and appeal to parents
• How does the construction of documents affect their believability?

  It makes them less believable and less valid