In-school factors that sociologists have researched
Teacher expectations and interactions with pupils
Student subcultures
Setting and streaming
Institutional and teacher racism
Student achievement and identity formation
Researching student subcultures
Using multiple methods like group interviews and observations
How students might react when asked about their education
Researching setting, streaming, institutional and teacher racism
Require more objective approaches
Discrimination can be observed or disclosed in interviews
Covert methods may be necessary
Researching student achievement and identity formation
Long processes that are difficult to gain insight into
Appropriate methods to use
Practical issues with conducting research on in-school factors include access, time, sample size, and operationalizing variables
Ethical issues include researching socially sensitive topics, dealing with subcultures and peer interactions, and obtaining consent
Theoretical issues include measuring complex interactions, impact of the school environment, reliability, and the researcher's theoretical perspective
Appropriate research methods for in-school factors
Observations (including covert)
Unstructured interviews
Group interviews
Theoretical perspective
The theoretical approach that influences a sociologist's choice of research topic, e.g. Marxist, feminist
Area of interest
The specific aspect of society that a sociologist specialises in, e.g. education, media, beliefs, family life
Sociologists influenced by Marxist traditions will ordinarily look at inequalities in society based on social class
Feminist sociologists will ordinarily look at inequalities between genders in an area of society
In contemporary society, research in a topic can take years rather than the past where sociologists developed a more theoretical approach
Funding agencies
The sources that provide funding for sociological research, e.g. universities, charities, government
Fundingagencies often set the research topics that sociologists have to propose to receive funding
Career trajectory
The stage of a researcher's career, which influences their ability to choose their own research topic
Early career sociologists may have to research areas outside their field of interest to help their career progress
Established mid-career academics have more freedom to direct their research interests
Quantitative methods
Research methods that collect large-scalenumerical data, e.g. closed questionnaires, structured interviews
Qualitative methods
Research methods that collect in-depth, non-numerical data, e.g. unstructured interviews, observations, personal documents
Teachers
They are human beings and will react in many different ways
They are professionals and their actions and behaviors in the classroom often differ from their behaviors outside of the classroom
They take on a role in front of students which makes them adept at impression management
They are stereotypically quite suspicious of outsiders in their domain the classroom
They are usually observed by those that have some form of a power to impact on their careers such as heads and Ofsted inspectors, which may alter their behavior
They are not exclusively middle class but their professionalism creates an air of being middle class
They are educated to degree level and often above which gives them a certain amount of cultural capital
They are employed by schools, which makes them less likely to talk to outsiders about problems in the school for fear of disciplinary action
Quantitative methods are more likely to be used for research requiring large-scale responses within a set timeframe
Gaining access to teachers
1. Gatekeepers such as head teachers are less likely to grant permission if the topic being researched could have negative impacts for the school
2. Teachers may not want to take part if they have suspicions about the motives of the researcher or if they think that they may disclose something that gets them into trouble
Qualitative methods are more likely to be used for researching hard-to-reach or vulnerable groups
Relationship between teachers and researchers
Teachers may be more likely to be open with researchers particularly if anonymity is guaranteed
However, teacher suspicions may prevent them from engaging with the researcher
Quantitative methods are preferred by governments as they allow for planning social policies and addressing large-scale issues
Overt or covert observation in the classroom
The teacher is unlikely to display their natural behavior due to the Hawthorne effect
Sample size
Researchers may not be able to get enough teachers to form a representative sample, although this is less of a concern for interpretivists
Universities and charities may stipulate preferred methodologies for the research they fund
Ethical issues such as socialsensitivity are another consideration for researchers
Teachers being perceived as racist or having labelled students negatively
It may go against what the teachers got into education for in the first place and could cause them distress
Functionalist sociologists prefer positivist, quantitative methodologies, while feminist sociologists have developed their own qualitativefeminist methodologies
Protection from harm is a consideration as teachers may disclose information that puts their job at risk or discuss issues that cause them psychological harm
Ethnographic approaches are favoured by sociologists studying the lived experiences of individuals, particularly the disadvantaged
Confidentiality and anonymity are other ethical considerations that researchers need to make when researching teachers
Hawthorne effect and impression management
It poses a theoretical issue for researchers in terms of validity, as teachers may be protecting themselves by disclosing false information or underplaying the impact of processes in the school
The values of a researcher
Influence their choice of topic and methods
Funding bodies
Have significant influence over the choice of research topic and methods
Sociologists should strive for objectivity in conducting research, even if their personal values influenced the initial topic and method selection
Marxists are generally skeptical about the purposes of education and this may influence their interactions with teachers