Researching pupils

• Studying young people compared to adults


  • Power
  • Ability
  • Vulnerability
• Examining results of studying young people

  Looking at the laws and guidelines which affect research within pupil
• Power and status

  Younger people generally have less power and status
• Effect of younger people having less power and status

  More difficult to state their attitudes and views openly
• Schools

  Hierarchical institutions so teachers have higher status
• Teachers using their power

  Have an influence on which pupils promote a good image
• Methods used

  • Structured interviews
  • Questionnaire (formal)
• Formal methods


  Reinforce power difference
• Overcoming power differences

  Having group interviews
• Pupils resenting teacher's power

  Less likely to cooperate
• Ability and understanding

  Adults have higher vocabulary skills and confidence
• Sociologists

  Need to carefully word questions so can be clearly understood by young pupils
• Questions too hard to understand

  Difficult to gain informed consent
• Young children

  Take more time to understand as memory less developed
• Have to take into account differences between pupils= class, age, gender, ethnicity
• Vulnerability and ethical issues

  Younger people are more vulnerable to physical and psychological harm
• Vulnerability of younger people

  Raises special ethical issues for the researcher
• Needs informed consent when researching off of pupils not just parents/teachers
• Difficulty of gaining informed consent


  May not be mature enough to participate
• Child protection issues
• Gatekeeping

  Controlling access for vulnerable pupils - heads, teachers, local authorities
• Laws and guidelines

  • Child protection laws= safeguarding vulnerable groups act 2006
  • Disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks
• DBS checks could delay or prevent research due to ethical concerns
• Barnardos and the national children's organisations