ABSTRACT
Annette Lareau, a sociologist, wrote the following piece as an appendix to her book Home Advantage: Social Class and Parental Intervention in Elementary Education. Lareau's essay lays bare some of the common trials and tribulations faced by a graduate student engaging in his or her first field study. When she considered publishing the piece, she worried that her fieldwork mistakes were so serious that revealing them could have a negative impact on her scholarly reputation and, possibly, her future career. Drawn from the research for her doctoral dissertation, Lareau's study examines social-class differences in parental involvement in schools. Using case studies, Lareau shows positive consequences for some children from involvement as well as negative consequences when working-class parents adopt a separation between home and schooling. This chapter focuses on method of home advantage, and problems with the research question.
