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Methods in Context Tips and Advice
Methods in Context Tips and Advice
What is it?
- Methods in Context questions will ask you to evaluate the strengths and limitations of
any of the six main research methods for researching a particular topic within the
sociology of education, applying material from the item.
- Evaluate the strengths and limitation of using (method) to investigate (study). [20
marks]
- You MUST refer to P.E.T Factors in each paragraph
Truancy
Subcultures
Documents
Pupils Achievement
Official Stats
Teachers Parental involvement
Questionnaires
Schools Gender Identity
Interviews
Parents Class, Ethnicity and Language
Experiments
Classrooms Labelling
Observations
Teacher Expectations
Classroom Interactions
Essay Structure
- One 20-mark question that asks you to apply your understanding of research
methods to the study of some aspect in education
- Give yourself 30 mins to answer the question
- The key skill here is application, you need to connect up methods and research issues
- The item is the most important in this question
- Referring to studies is not required but rewarded if you do mention
- The question is based on skill not just content
- Introduction, Advantage (PERC), Disadvantage (PERC), Advantage (PERC),
Disadvantage (PERC), Conclusion
- Introduction: briefly describe the context and the advantages of using this method in
this context to study the topic
- Advantage: identify the method you have chosen, explain the method in more detail,
add to the context or theme of the item, link to the scenario particularly, refer to
theory, include internal criticism
- Disadvantage: identify the method you have chosen, explain the method in more
detail, add to the context or theme of the item, link to the scenario particularly, refer
to theory, include internal criticism
- Conclusion: always say that triangulation is a better alternative, give an example and
explain why it is better
Paragraph Structure
What to avoid
- Use the entire item not just the bit that relates to your chosen method – in your
weakness’s paragraphs use the points made for the other method describe and twist
them to show why they make that option of a method worse than the one you have
chosen.
- REMEMBER: This is methods essay NOT an education one, you do not need lengthy
descriptions for example, of studies that relate to education, however it may be a good
idea in this question in particular to use Willis’ Learning to Labour as an example of a
group interview but in relation to its use as a method NOT the study itself.
- LASTLY: APPLY APPLY APPLY – All examples should be related to the material in
the Item and Education, NOT methods in general.