Needing to be ‘in the know’: strategies of subordination used by 10-11 year old school boys



non-judgemental position my ethical position as a responsible researcher meant that some
interventions were unavoidable. For example, I had one firm rule that I would always
intervene if ever a child was in physical danger, and I would try and stop a serious fight if
no other adults were around. However, when I was in the playground and a child came
up to tell me they were being bullied I would refer them to the teacher on duty. Connolly
(1996) notes that not intervening can reinforce and almost condone attitudes and
behaviours and yet, if I overheard examples of swearing, verbal bullying or homophobic
abuse I would try and force myself to ‘turn a blind eye’. For example, here is an instance
which I recorded in my field diary at Westmoor Abbey:

Fieldnotes (22.10.98). As we are leaving the classroom, I see Jack deliberately
barge into Jessie. He knocks her over and she begins to cry. Jack sees that I see it
but I don’t assume the teacher’s role and tell him off, or tell SM [
Sandra Morris,
the teacher
]. Instead I ignore it -wonder if this is the right decision?

There are no easy answers here, and although I felt I might be betraying a trust by
‘telling’ on them, perhaps the question to ask is
whose trust, the perpetrator’s or the
victim’s?

During some interviews it transpired that some boys were being bullied and made to feel
very unhappy. Although I told them that I was unable to intervene directly, I always
asked them if they wanted me to tell another adult in the school, such as their teacher or
headteacher, but this offer was not taken up. Had I ever found out (and I did not) that any
child was in any immediate danger I would then have made every effort to persuade them
to inform and seek help from an adult (see, for example, Alderson 1993, Morrow and
Richards 1996, Hill 1997). There is also an additional issue that I wish to mention
concerning the interviewer’s role during interview when he/she is attempting to elicit
information about another person who is not present at the time. For, although the
interviewer needs to show that he/she is actively involved, and part of the conversation
with the interviewees, I feel that it is important that he/she does not take sides against the



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