AQA Sociology: Education and Theory & Methods Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering AQA Sociology units on Globalisation, Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, the New Right, inequality factors, and Research Methods.

Globalisation

The increasing connection between countries through technology, media, business and communication.

Usher

Postmodernist sociologist who argued education has become more flexible and diverse due to globalisation and technological change.

Durkheim

Functionalist who argued education creates social solidarity by teaching shared norms and values.

Social Solidarity

A sense of being part of a wider community and the maintenance of value consensus within society.

Parsons

Sociologist who believed schools act as a bridge between the family and wider society, moving children from particularistic to universalistic standards.

Meritocracy

A system where pupils achieve through talent and hard work rather than social background.

Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)

Althusser's term for education as a tool used to spread ruling-class ideology and encourage acceptance of capitalism.

Correspondence Principle

Bowles and Gintis's theory that schools mirror the workplace through hierarchy, discipline and obedience.

Hidden Curriculum

The teaching of obedience, punctuality and conformity to prepare working-class students for exploitation in capitalist society.

Becky Francis

Researcher who found that gender stereotypes influence teacher expectations and subject choices.

Marketisation

The educational policy of encouraging competition between schools to improve standards, supported by the New Right.

Chubb and Moe

Sociologists who argued that parentocracy and school choice encourage schools to become more efficient and successful.

Parentocracy

A situation where parents have more influence over school choice, often benefiting middle-class families.

League Tables

Rankings that allow parents to compare school performance, introduced as part of the 1988 Education Reform Act.

Cream-skimming

A process where schools select higher-achieving middle-class students to improve their position in league tables.

Material Deprivation

A lack of financial resources such as textbooks, technology, study space and adequate housing that affects achievement.

Cultural Capital

Bourdieu's term for the language, attitudes and behaviour possessed by middle-class students that are valued by schools.

Ethnocentric Curriculum

A curriculum that focuses mainly on white British history, literature and culture, which may exclude ethnic minority students.

Gillborn and Youdell

Sociologists who found that Black students are more likely to be negatively labelled, placed in lower sets, and entered for lower-tier exams.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

The process where a student acts upon a teacher's label (negative or positive), making the label come true.

Questionnaires

A research method where participants answer written questions, preferred by Positivists for collecting quantitative data.

Reliability

The consistency of a research method and whether it can be repeated to achieve similar results.

Validity

How truthful and accurate research is in reflecting real life; often high in qualitative methods like unstructured interviews.

Interviewer Bias

A potential weakness in research where the researcher influences the participant's answers.

Hawthorne Effect

When participants change their behaviour because they are aware they are being observed by a researcher.

Official Statistics

Secondary numerical data collected by governments or organisations used to identify social patterns and trends.

Random Sampling

A sampling process where every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected to reduce researcher bias.

Stratified Sampling

A sampling method used to ensure different social groups are proportionally represented in a study.

Ethical Issues

Concerns involving the protection of participants, including informed consent, confidentiality and avoiding deception.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data that is easy to analyse and compare, typically valued by Positivists.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive data based on words and meanings, providing depth and understanding, typically valued by Interpretivists.