AQA Sociology - Sociological Approach

Norms and Values

Norms provide appropriate behaviour in specific social settings. Enforced by sanctions.

Values are beliefs about what is important. Examples: Privacy and respect for human life

Society

A group of people who share a culture or a way of life

Culture

The shared beliefs, values or norms on a groups way of life

Marxism

Marxism is the idea that society is based on class conflict between the rich (bourgeoisie) who own things and the poor (proletariat)

Functionalism

The idea that everything in society has a purpose (or function) that helps keep society stable and working well, like how schools teach skills for jobs and behaviour

Interactionism

Interactionism is a way of understanding how people behave by looking at how they interact with others. It focuses on daily life , such as body language, talking or gestures.

Feminism

The study of gender inequality and the support for women's rights and equality with men. Feminism questions why women are often paid less than men for the same job

Trend

The general direction in which statistics on something change overtime

Hypothesis

A clear testable guess, which is usually a written statement that can be tested with evidence and experiments

Ethical considerations

Sociologists must consider issues such as informed consent, confidentiality and data protection to conduct morally acceptable research

Primary and Secondary Data

Primary data refers to information that is collected first hand

Secondary data refers to information that already exists (has been collected by other people

Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Quantitative data is presented in numerical form

Qualitative data is presented as words or quotations

Snowball Sampling

A method where participants help you to find more participants

Ethnography

An approach to research when you study how people behave in everyday settings

Survey and questionnaire

A survey is the overall method used to collect information from people

A questionnaire is the set of questions used in a survey

A mixed methods research

Triangulation

A mixed methods approach uses more than one method within a particular study to generate both quantitative and qualitative data

Triangulation involves cross-checking the validity of research findings

Open and closed question

An open question allows participants to put forward their own answers

A closed question is a fixed-choice question that requires the respondent to choose between given answers

Observation

When a sociologist observes a group and gathers data

Non participant observations means that the researcher does not take part in the groups activities

Systematic Sampling

Choosing people from a list using a regular pattern

Interview

Unstructured Interview

An interview is a research method used to collect data in a study

An unstructured interview is an interview with no fixed set of questions.

Bias

An unfair influence on results from someone else’s opinion so they don’t reflect the truth properly

Data

Data Analysis

Data refers to the information that is collected and analysed during research

Data analysis involves examining and understanding data to find useful information

World View

A way a person sees and understands the world

Case Study

An approach to research based on a detailed study on a particular individual, group etc

Attitude Survey

A social survey that measures respondents’ views and thoughts on particular issues

Random Sampling

A sampling technique in which each member of the population has a known chance of being selected for inclusion in the sample

Functionally important roles

Roles that are very important for a group or system to work properly

Content analysis

A method of studying information (texts, videos, or messages) to find patterns or meaning

Representative sample

A small group chosen from a larger population that accurately reflects the whole population

Theoretical perspective

A way of looking at and explaining the world using a set of ideas or theories

Reliability

Validity

Reliability refers to consistency. Research is reliable if it is repeated and obtains consistent results

Validity means if something really measures or shows what its supposed to

Focus Group

A type of group interview that focuses on one particular topic

It explores how people interact within the group and how they respond to each other’s views.

Quota sampling

A method of which you select a certain number of people from different groups to make sure all groups are included

Longitudinal Study

An approach to research that involves studying the same group of people over a period of time

Follow-up surveys or interviews are carried out over a number of years after the initial interview/survey