Researching Parents

What are the types of social class?

• Working Class

• Middle Class

What types of gender are there?

• Male

• Female

What are the types of ethnic groups?

• Chinese

• Indian

• Pakistani

• Black-Caribean

• Black-African

• White

What are the practical issues of researching parents?

• Access- How are you going to get access to parents?

• Relationships- How might parents perceive the researcher?

• Time- How long will it take to complete the research?

• Sample size- Which parents are more likely to respond?

What are the ethical issues of researching parents?

• Social sensitivity- Are parents going to want to talk about issues such as parenting styles or income?

• Protection from harm- How might parents feel about their input into children’s lives?

• Deception- What methods might create false relationships between parents and researchers?

• Anonymity/confidentiality- How are you going to ensure parents’ details remain safe?

What are the theoretical issues of researching parents?

• Validity- How do you know parents’ reactions are accurate?

• Reliability- Are parents’ actions likely to be repeated by others?

• Values- How might the sociologist’s values influence their interactions with parents?

• Representativeness- With a diverse range of parents are you likely to gain a representative sample?

Which topic areas involve parents?

• Home background- Cultural and material factors

• Choices in education

• Exclusions and discipline

• Cultural capital

What methods should be used when researching parents?

• Unstructured interviews- Establishing a rapport and probing deeper

• Secondary sources- Informing parents’ decisions about schools

• Questionnaires- Gaining a large sample of parent opinions

• Statistics- Useful for analysis of parental backgrounds