Different types of pupils:

• Social Class:

  • Working Class

  • Middle Class

• Gender:

  • Male

  • Female

• Ethnic Group:

  • Chinese

  • Indian

  • Pakistani

  • Black-Caribbean

  • Black-African

  • White

Practical Issues:

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

• Relationships- How might students perceive the researcher?

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

• Sample size- How many students will you need?

Ethical Issues:

• Social sensitivity- What issues might be distressing for students?

• Protection from harm- What methods might place students in psychological or physical harm?

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

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

Theoretical Issues:

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

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

• Value- How might the sociologist’s values influence their interactions with pupils?

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

Methods to use with students:

• Unstructured Interviews- Establishing a rapport and probing deeper

• Covert Observations- Seeing pupils’ reactions and behaviours first-hand

• Questionnaires- Gaining a large sample of student opinions

• Official Statistics- Analysing trends in achievement