Item C
Investigating the role of family in pupils’ achievement
Families have an important influence on pupils’ education. For example, the
family’s income may be able to pay for educational materials and experiences as
well as for comfortable conditions in which to study. Similarly, parents’ own
education, their child-rearing and socialisation practices, and their speech codes
and cultural background can influence children’s’ attitudes to school and their
ability to succeed. In all these respects, there are significant class and ethnic
differences in family life and they help to explain differences in the educational
experiences of different pupils.
One way of studying the influence of the family on pupils’ education is to use
structured interviews. These are a good way of gathering basic data quickly.
Structured interviews also allow researchers to establish patterns and make
comparisons. However, they may be less useful when dealing with sensitive or
private issues.
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate
the strengths and limitations of using structured interviews to investigate the
influence of the family on pupils’ education. [20 marks]
Suggested model of answer: sentence starters to be built into paragraphs;
1. Structured interviews are usually closed-ended interviews which produce
reliable, quantitative data.
● Relatively quick
● Little training
● Possibly get a large sample
● However, positivist approach, questions fixed i.e. limited
● Good for quantitative data e.g. how many parents attend consultation
evening and is there an impact on outcomes
2. However, when asking parents about how they bring up their children there
could be many problems.
Investigating the role of family in pupils’ achievement
Families have an important influence on pupils’ education. For example, the
family’s income may be able to pay for educational materials and experiences as
well as for comfortable conditions in which to study. Similarly, parents’ own
education, their child-rearing and socialisation practices, and their speech codes
and cultural background can influence children’s’ attitudes to school and their
ability to succeed. In all these respects, there are significant class and ethnic
differences in family life and they help to explain differences in the educational
experiences of different pupils.
One way of studying the influence of the family on pupils’ education is to use
structured interviews. These are a good way of gathering basic data quickly.
Structured interviews also allow researchers to establish patterns and make
comparisons. However, they may be less useful when dealing with sensitive or
private issues.
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate
the strengths and limitations of using structured interviews to investigate the
influence of the family on pupils’ education. [20 marks]
Suggested model of answer: sentence starters to be built into paragraphs;
1. Structured interviews are usually closed-ended interviews which produce
reliable, quantitative data.
● Relatively quick
● Little training
● Possibly get a large sample
● However, positivist approach, questions fixed i.e. limited
● Good for quantitative data e.g. how many parents attend consultation
evening and is there an impact on outcomes
2. However, when asking parents about how they bring up their children there
could be many problems.
