Backwards Sociology Methods in Context Read Item B
Backwards Sociology – Methods in Context Read Item B below and answer the question that follows. Item B Investigating educational underachievement among boys Boys are more likely than girls to underachieve in school. This may be due to factors inside school. However, other factors may be responsible such as female-headed lone-parent families or absent fathers. Some sociologists may use group interviews to study the causes of boys’ underachievement. These are largely unstructured and allow the interviewer to build a relationship with his or her interviewees. This method also allows the interviewer to observe interactions within the group at first hand. However, there are many practical problems with group interviews and schools may wish to have a say in how the interviews are conducted or in the selection of interviewees. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using group interviews for investigating the causes of educational underachievement among boys. [20 marks] 1 – Highlight some of the strengths and limitations in the item Group interviews are used by many sociologists who are investigating education. Depending upon the structure of the interview they can collect quantitative or qualitative data, which makes they popular with both positivists (who prefer quantitative data) and Interpretivists (who prefer qualitative data). The data collected is dependent upon the structure of the interviews, with more structured interview, those having an interview schedule, offering quantitative data, whilst semi-structured and unstructured tend to offer more qualitative data. This makes them a versatile option for researchers investigating education. One limitation of using group interviews is gaining access to participants. As the research is looking to gain an insight into educational underachievement of boys, consent would be needed if the interviews were to be conducted on school premises from a gatekeeper (usually the head teacher). As the subject in question is the underachievement of boys, it is unlikely that consent will be given for the interview in case the school or certain teachers are portrayed badly. This could result in bad publicity for the school, and therefore head teachers may refuse permission for the research to conduct the interview. On the other hand, some headteachers may want to understand the reasons for this underachievement and a group interview would be a good way for them to obtain valid data from a range of students that they can act upon and improve boys performance.
X X Band X Specific issue Tick in one box – Band 3 Tick in 2 boxes – Band 4 Tick in 3 boxes – Band 5 EG Context Annotate each point with a number – then check each point against the table to the right. S/L Of method A positive of using group interviews to investigate boy’s underachievement is that the interviewer can develop a rapport with his or her participants to illicit worthwhile responses. For example, Paul Willis was able to engage with ‘the lads’ in his research as he came from a similar background to them. However, this raises another issue with using group interviews. Underachieving boys tend to develop anti-school attitudes and as such may not want to engage with a research who they see as being a figure of authority or even if there are status differences, such as social class, between the interviewer and their participants. In conclusion, there are several key issues to consider when using group interviews to investigate boys underachievement. Group interviews allow the researcher to probe for information from boys into a sensitive topic such as their academic performance and attitudes to education. However, the use of group interviews for this topic can be seen as flawed due to the nature of underachieving boys, their anti-school culture and their collectivist ideals – which may also be present in their parents when trying to gain consent. Furthermore, the negative nature of boy’s underachievement might mean that access is not granted by gatekeepers and that other groups that might be interviewed (e. g. teachers) are unlikely to take part in anything that gives a negative impression of themselves. Point EG A further limitation of using group interviews to investigate boy’s underachievement would be the effect of discussing their educational achievement in front of their peers. For many boys, education is seen as part of the feminine domain and engaging in a discussion about why they underachieve could lead them to be ridiculed. This is especially an issue when using group interviews as their peers may be present when they are being questioned. Furthermore, in the presence of their peers, boys may not reveal their true opinion about the education system and instead conform to the view of more dominant members of the group, who may or may not care about their own education. This can lead to inaccurate and invalid responses because of the presence of others and the potential consequences of speaking out. However, if the researcher who is conducting the group interview is skilled enough, they may be able to guide the interview to get students to talk in depth about their experiences. B 5
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