PLS READ: sociology a level

guys, for education does anyone know the predicted questions for the 10 marker on methods, the 10 markers are relatively easy as they don't require that much knowledge, however I've low key neglected some of the debates also for the 20 marker please, thank you!

Reply 1

shweta05

Original post by amnajsjkkj

cie or aqa?

Reply 2

amnajsjkkj

Original post by shweta05

cie or aqa?

aqa pls

Reply 3

psychstudent2625

does anyone do cie?

Reply 4

shweta05

Original post by psychstudent2625

does anyone do cie?

I do

Reply 5

psychstudent2625

Original post by shweta05

I do

omg A2? wait i do international tho
unit 3 - education
unit 4 - globalisation and media

Reply 6

shweta05

Original post by psychstudent2625

omg A2? wait i do international tho
unit 3 - education
unit 4 - globalisation and media

Same international too

Reply 7

shweta05

Original post by psychstudent2625

omg A2? wait i do international tho
unit 3 - education
unit 4 - globalisation and media

I chose media and religion because in globalisation questions never repeat or so I was told and religion is easy.

Reply 8

amina1122

Original post by amnajsjkkj

ive heard is sociology a science might come up as it hasnt came on for a while. AQA btw

Reply 9

dlois

Original post by amnajsjkkj

i do aqa !! i dont think theres any pattern as:

2017: Outline and explain two practical disadvantages of using documents in sociological research
2018: Outline and explain two problems of using the functionalist perspective to study today’s society
2019: Outline and explain two disadvantages of using personal documents in sociological research
2020: Outline and explain two problems of using primary qualitative methods in sociological research
2021: Outline and explain two arguments against the positivist view that sociology can be scientific
2022: Outline and explain two reasons why official statistics should not be seen as social facts
2023: Outline and explain two reasons why sociologists may choose to use research methods that produce quantitative data

i feel that id be prepared for anything though my personal bet is on social policy or a debate on value-laden/value-free/objectivity/subjectivity but take that with a grain of salt!! for the 20 marker its a mix too: (group) interviews (2022) and observations (non-participant 2020, participant 2018), but they have asked questionnaires (self-completion 2023, written 2019), 2017 was field experiments and 2021 was secondary data! idk what im betting on but i feel like official statistics/documents might be an interesting one for them to ask

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 10

amnajsjkkj

Original post by dlois

i do aqa !! i dont think theres any pattern as:
2017: Outline and explain two practical disadvantages of using documents in sociological research
2018: Outline and explain two problems of using the functionalist perspective to study today’s society
2019: Outline and explain two disadvantages of using personal documents in sociological research
2020: Outline and explain two problems of using primary qualitative methods in sociological research
2021: Outline and explain two arguments against the positivist view that sociology can be scientific
2022: Outline and explain two reasons why official statistics should not be seen as social facts
2023: Outline and explain two reasons why sociologists may choose to use research methods that produce quantitative data
i feel that id be prepared for anything though my personal bet is on social policy or a debate on value-laden/value-free/objectivity/subjectivity but take that with a grain of salt!! for the 20 marker its a mix too: (group) interviews (2022) and observations (non-participant 2020, participant 2018), but they have asked questionnaires (self-completion 2023, written 2019), 2017 was field experiments and 2021 was secondary data! idk what im betting on but i feel like official statistics/documents might be an interesting one for them to ask

thank you how would you approach official statistics as a 20marker xx

Reply 11

dlois

Original post by amnajsjkkj

thank you how would you approach official statistics as a 20marker xx

practical: advantage: - accessibility - eg ONS/Government usage - easy to access and navigate online
disadvantage: - not cheap or not time effective: 2011 Census costed 482 mil quid which may be why the census is every 10 years, especially to collect all that timely data from schools

ethical: advantage: - consent: permission is given before it is publicly available and to take part
disadvantage: - privacy: harmful, private topics are asked to be recorded for example parents household income/poverty - especially if the parent is ethnic minority (overrepresentation) they may not want to answer but are required to for the researcher to form any patterns

theoretical: advantage: - reliability/representativeness: large sample size collected so its also representative if researchers collect data on many schools as its easy for it to be repeatable, allows comparison since its in national interest, able to establish trends/correlations
disadvantage: - verstehen: interpretivists prefer qualitative data for a full picture - official statistics may not be enough to represent/reflect certain views (such as ethnic minorities who are at a disadvantage since they may be overrepresented) so it may just be seen as a generalisation

hope this helped!! xx

Reply 12

amnajsjkkj

thank you sm! also if you have the time could you tell me how you'd structure a question on unstructured interviews please xx

Reply 13

dlois

Original post by amnajsjkkj

thank you sm! also if you have the time could you tell me how you'd structure a question on unstructured interviews please xx

sure! xx

intro: unstructured interviews - free-flowing, no pre-set questions, likely to be open-ended. interpretivists favour them to seek verstehen

practical: adv - flexibility as its not a fixed set of questions. researchers can decide when to start/stop, so it doesnt need to conflict with the students'/schools timetable for instance
disadv - timing: long to conduct, limits sample size. conflicts with lesson time. interviewer must be able to adjust personality like encouraging longer answers etc- some students/teachers answer longer than others like children's shorter attention span

ethical: adv - informed consent/sensitivity: permission for teachers/students to take part and the interviewer can warn asking sensitive questions on sensitive topic/open to harm
disadv - confidentiality: if the research is going to be publicly available their responses aren't confidential. if it is harmful info the interviewer has they may have to voice concern to higher authorities like headteacher so may not be promised confidentiality

theoretical: adv - building a rapport: interviewer is able to be more casual so the students/teachers are more likely to open up.
disadv - validity: if students are questioned they may still view the interviewer as a figure of authority like they fear if the interviewer would tell teachers, so it may be hard to judge the students' response as truthful and giving the fuller picture. younger students will find it to open up to a stranger that fast, body language like limited vocab. for teachers = Goffman's (interactionism/social action) impression management so what they say may not be true either