Critique of Learning to Labour

In general, the first section of the book, Learning to Labour reports on the methods and findings used in a comprehensive project financed by England's Social Science Research Council. The project consisted of qualitative, longitudinal research conducted from 1972 to 1975 with the basic purpose of discovering those factors most contributive to working class boys maintaining the family and societal structure by becoming employed in working class jobs after they finished school.

The qualitative data collection methods used in the study involved interview and group discussion techniques as well as methods of participant observation. The sample consisted of selected groups of working class boys who were observed as they finished their last two years of schooling and proceeded to procure employment. The research conducted with these boys was terminated after their first few months of employment.

All collected data and observations were examined for evidence of "cultural processes" inv

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the objectivity of findings using this method can always be reasonably questioned. It is pointed out by Kiess and Bloomquist (1985) that with respect to the limitations associated with interview techniques, the structured interview is to be preferred to the open-ended interview because the structural element allows for a uniformity of questions across all subject groups. Unfortunately, Willis' (1977) provides so little information about his data collection techniques, that the reader cannot determine whether he used structured or open-ended techniques or both. Regarding the method of participant observation, in their discussion of this method of data collection, Eshleman, Cashion and Basirico (1991) point out that this is basically a case study approach in which the researcher becomes an active participant in the event or processes that are being studied thereby acquiring a deeper understanding of the emotions, beliefs, and values of the social collective being studied. The opportunity for acquiring this deeper understanding is the major advantage associated with participant observation. However, this method is also associated with disadvantages. First, there are generalizability problems with such research; this because no
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Approximate Word count = 2947
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)