Methods in context

• lab experiment

  • controlled environment
  • independent variable changes
  • dependent variable is measured
  • (+)controlled so limits risk of extraneous variables
  • (+) can establish cause and effect
  • (-)artificial tasks
  • (-) hawthorne effect
• field experiment

  • real world environment
  • IV changes
  • DV measured
  • (+) real world application
  • (+) no hawthorne effect
  • (+) larger setting
  • (-) ethics
  • (-) uncontrolled environment so risk of extraneous variables
• Who conducted experiments into teacher expectations?


  Rosenthal and Jacobsen
• What did Rosenthal and Jacobsen inform teachers about the students after administering IQ tests?

  They informed teachers that approximately 20% of the students showed exceptional potential for academic growth
• What was the conclusion drawn by Rosenthal and Jacobsen regarding teacher expectations?


  Heightened expectations of teachers played a role in driving the observed difference in academic achievement
• What ethical concerns were raised about the Rosenthal and Jacobsen experiment?


  The deceptive nature of the experiment misled teachers, so informed consent was not sincere
• What is a limitation of the Rosenthal and Jacobsen study regarding its reliability?

  It is not reliable and cannot be generalized
• What type of behavior did Rosenthal and Jacobsen observe in their study?

  They observed naturally occurring behavior in a real-world educational setting
• What type of experimental design did Rosenthal and Jacobsen use?

  Controlled experimental design
• who conducted studies about documents on academic achievement

  • gilborn 1995
  • gerwitz 1995
  • hey 1997
• gillborn

  • work on racism and schooling
  • looked into school documents including policy statements, local authority guidelines and staff meeting minutes
  • wanted an insight into the institutional dynamics of raism and anti-racism efforts within schools
  • the documents provided gillborn with an 'official' perspective of the prevailing attitudes and strategies concerning race which juxtaposed data from interviews and observations
• gerwitz

  • looked into how scrutinising school brochures and prospectuses to understand the impact on marketisation on education
  • found that these materials offered a window into how schools positioned themselves within the educational 'marketplace'
  • able to find out the ways in which market forces influenced educational institutions affecting for attracting students
• hey

  • investigated friendship patterns amongst young girls
  • found it hard fidning these documents
  • relied on the notes passed between girls in class which gave hey access into their social interactions and alliances
  • they were often concealed from teachers requiring hey to navigate through adolescent communication to access them
  • illuminated the social dynamics within educational settings
• documents

  • valid
  • deep insight of what is going on
  • secondary data
  • qualitative
  • e.g. school report, newspapers, diaries
  • easy to access depending on the document
  • subjective
• observations

  • overt
  • covert
  • e.g. gang leader, tea room trade
  • participant observation
  • non-participant observation
• the man in the wendy house study - Ronald King 1984 (anti-school subcultures)

  • observed a classroom to see the behaviour and interaction between students and teachers
  • hid in a wendy house as being overt could have caused hawthorne effect
  • (+) high validity
  • (+) reduced risk of hawthorne effect
  • (-) high levels of deception
  • (-) small sample - cannot generalise
  • (-) gatekeepers
  • (-) lack of consent
• interviews

  • structured and unstructured interviews
  • qualitative
  • hawthorne effect and demand characteristics
  • ethical however some socially sensitive topics may not be ethical
  • time consuming
  • people may not understand what the question is
  • researcher bias
• structured

  • high reliability
  • low validity
• unstructured

  • high validity
  • low reliability
• practical issues

  • gatekeepers
  • parents not wanting their children to be involved
  • children get distracted and difficult to interview
• interviews as 'teachers in disguise'

  • usually white middle clas
  • girls may not participate
  • black students may not participate
  • low response rate due to parents not wanting to do the interview which makes it harder to generalise
• official statistics and gendered achievement

  • quick and easy
  • lots of topics
  • huge sample
  • different genders, classes and ethnicities
  • quantitative data so not valid
  • collected every year so east to compare
• questionaires and pupil identities

  • large sample
  • sample bias
  • lack of understanding
  • easy
  • quick
  • social desirability bias
  • senstive topics may not be answered truthfully