Applying material from Item C and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using group interviews to investigate the reasons for subject choices made by pupils - AQA - A-Level Sociology - Question 5 - 2022 - Paper 1

Strengths of Group Interviews

1. Interactive Engagement: Group interviews encourage interaction among participants. This communal setting allows pupils to bounce ideas off each other, potentially leading to richer data. Participants might articulate views they wouldn’t express in a one-on-one setting due to the support from peers.

2. Facilitated Discussion: A skilled facilitator can steer discussions towards topics of interest, such as personal interests and external pressures influencing subject choices. This can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of factors affecting decisions.

3. Diverse Perspectives: Including a mix of pupils in the interviews can provide varied insights, helping researchers to identify common themes or divergent views related to subject choice decisions across different demographics.

Limitations of Group Interviews

1. Peer Pressure: In group settings, some pupils might hesitate to express their true opinions due to perceived social pressures or the influence of more vocal peers. This can skew data and lead to an inaccurate representation of individual choices.

2. Dominant Voices: In some groups, stronger personalities may dominate the conversation, potentially sidelining quieter participants. This can result in an incomplete picture of the views held by all students regarding their subject choices.

3. Logistical Challenges: Coordinating a time that suits all participants can be difficult. Scheduling conflicts may prevent some pupils from attending, which could introduce bias if their perspectives are not captured in the research.

Conclusion

In summary, while group interviews can elicit rich, interactive data and explore diverse perspectives, researchers must remain cognizant of the potential drawbacks such as peer pressure and the influence of dominant voices. Effective facilitation and careful participant selection can help mitigate some of these limitations, but logistical challenges should also be factored into the planning process for such studies.