Researching pupils

What are the practical issues with researching pupils?

• time + funds may be higher when involving children whose 1st language isn’t English & who have special needs/learning or speech difficulties

• members of counter-school cultures may be reluctant to participate if fear researcher will report back

What might impact the research method chosen when investigating pupils?

• primary school children may not be able to understand/express abstract ideas

• children may be reluctant to directly disagree with adult interviewers

• children vulnerable to influence + persuasion

• Keith Punch: research methods need to be appropriate to child’s developmental stage

What are the ethical issues with researching pupils?

• informed consent from both parents/guardians & students themselves (headteacher may think too time-consuming)

• 6th-form/older pupils may feel patronised if informed consent required —> damaged rapport

• participation not in practice always voluntary eg. if form tutor distributes questionnaires & expects everyone to complete one

• right to confidentiality may be broken if researcher thinks someone is in danger/ there’s risk of harming others (may gain “guilty knowledge”)

• Qs may cause embarrassment/distress (exam results, friendships, bullying, FSM)

• participation could distract from education

What are the theoretical issues with researching pupils?

• Hawthorne effect (eg. classroom observation)

• researcher’s characteristics impact how pupils interact eg. female pupils may be uncomfortable sharing some things with male interviewer/ LC pupils may feel patronised by MC interviewer

• social desirability effect reduces validity

• if parents from particular social groups withhold consent, data not representative eg. WC parents might be suspicious (can’t generalise)

KEY TERM

knowledge acquired by researchers about illegal or unethical behaviour that they are obligated to report or act upon

guilty knowledge