Applying methods to education: pupils, teachers, schools: แบบฝึกหัด

When investigating the impact of streaming on student identity, why might a researcher face practical difficulties in gaining access to low-stream classrooms?

When using official statistics to investigate ethnic differences in educational achievement, which theoretical limitation would an interpretivist sociologist most likely highlight?

A sociologist intends to use longitudinal studies using questionnaires to track the ethnic identity of pupils from Year 7 to Year 11. What is the primary practical difficulty of this method in a school context?

A sociologist wants to study clandestine anti-school subcultures using covert participant observation. Which of the following represents a significant ethical issue specific to this method in a school context?

When applying a research method in context, why might a researcher choose to use unstructured interviews rather than questionnaires to study pupil subcultures within a school?

Briefly explain one ethical issue a researcher might face when using covert observation to study the hidden curriculum.

Briefly describe one ethical consideration a sociologist must address when conducting participant observation with school pupils.

How might the institutional gatekeepers of a school influence a researcher's choice of methods when investigating anti-school subcultures?

A sociologist is planning to use official statistics to compare the academic achievement of students from different ethnic backgrounds across schools in the UK.

(a) Identify one practical advantage of using official statistics for this research. (1 point)
(b) Explain one theoretical limitation of using official statistics from an interpretivist perspective. (2 points)

A sociologist is planning to use participant observation to investigate the development of anti-school subcultures among students.

(a) Identify and briefly explain one practical advantage of using this method in a school setting. (2 points)
(b) Identify and briefly explain one ethical issue the researcher might face when observing students in a classroom. (2 points)
(c) Suggest one reason why an interpretivist sociologist would prefer this method over a questionnaire for this research topic. (1 point)