Using Material from Item B and Elsewhere, Assess the Strengths and Limitations of One of the Following Methods for Investigating the Effects of Streaming: Field Experiments
Carrying out research by field experiment means the researcher can allocate pupils into high streams and low streams and measure the effect. This means that the sociologist can compare the higher and lower streams and look at the impact on how to sets have. This will let the sociologist see if streaming actually makes a difference between achievements.
Setting up and carrying out the field experiment is quick and easy because nearly all schools have streaming. This means that the sociologist can just go into the school and measure the effect the streams are having by looking at test results or performing a simple quiz in the matter of hours.
Field experiments are absent of the Hawthorn Effect. This means that the researcher can see participants in their natural setting so won’t put on an act. This will let the sociology get a valid and reliable result of the effects of streaming.
However, field experiments have ethical objections because of the lack of informed consent because participants lack awareness of even being in a study. This means that the sociologist carries out the study without the permission of the students, who are the most important people to get informed consent from. Even though this is a bad point, it means that the pupils cannot refuse to take part, and therefore the researcher can get all the information needed.
The researcher doesn’t have full control over the environment in which the experiment takes place and cannot control any variables. This means that participants may not behave as they normally would. Because of this, the results may be affected which doesn’t show a valid representative of the research.
Field experiments cannot explore pupil’s feelings and reactions to streaming. This means that the researcher cannot get a full view on how pupils feel about streaming and how it personally has an effect on them. This could affect results because they do not know how the pupils are feeling and could conclude wrongly.
Also, organising
Setting up and carrying out the field experiment is quick and easy because nearly all schools have streaming. This means that the sociologist can just go into the school and measure the effect the streams are having by looking at test results or performing a simple quiz in the matter of hours.
Field experiments are absent of the Hawthorn Effect. This means that the researcher can see participants in their natural setting so won’t put on an act. This will let the sociology get a valid and reliable result of the effects of streaming.
However, field experiments have ethical objections because of the lack of informed consent because participants lack awareness of even being in a study. This means that the sociologist carries out the study without the permission of the students, who are the most important people to get informed consent from. Even though this is a bad point, it means that the pupils cannot refuse to take part, and therefore the researcher can get all the information needed.
The researcher doesn’t have full control over the environment in which the experiment takes place and cannot control any variables. This means that participants may not behave as they normally would. Because of this, the results may be affected which doesn’t show a valid representative of the research.
Field experiments cannot explore pupil’s feelings and reactions to streaming. This means that the researcher cannot get a full view on how pupils feel about streaming and how it personally has an effect on them. This could affect results because they do not know how the pupils are feeling and could conclude wrongly.
Also, organising