Evaluate the strengths and limitations of using covert participant observation to investigate pupils with behavioural difficulties

The second practical issue is the characteristics of the researcher. The sociologist may have a hard time fitting in unless they possess the characteristics a working class boy might respect. For example, a female sociologist is most likely to fit the criteria for the interviewer. This is because a large majority of working class boys are raised in lone parent families, 90% of which are headed by a woman. Working class boys may look to the sociologist as a mother figure, increasing the chances of them confiding in her. Furthermore, she would have to be working class and use restricted code when communicating with the children to become more ‘relatable’ to the social group. This would allow the sociologist to build a rapport with the children, further increasing the validity of the investigation.

The Item suggests that behavioural problems stem from external factors such as cultural and material deprivation. Therefore it would be impossible to understand why these issues come about, as the sociologist cannot continue the research outside of the school. Carrying further cpo within the home would raise numerous ethical issues such as confidentiality and protection of the family. It would also be near impossible to do without practical problems arising. For example, accessing the home in a covert manner would be very difficult.

In conclusion, a method such as cpo would be favoured by interpretivists for it allows for data to be collected in a qualitative way. It is subjective and individual. Factors leading to behaviour are complex just like human beings. The problem with cpo is that it is unrepresentative, and does not allow sociologists to record a pattern of how someone might behave, depending on their background. For this reason, sociologists such as positivists would reject this method of collecting information. If an interviewer creates a rapport with the students, it might affect their opinions on the children. Their views could become twisted and biased, not emphasizing the reality of the situation out of favouring the child. It is difficult to access areas without being deceitful and failing to protect the individuals within school. A search would also have to be conducted to find the sociologist with the right characteristics to fit the regulations needed in order to gain respect of the interviewees.