Key term
WJEC A-Level Sociology 601-5237-0
Culture and the Social Construction of Culture
Topic overviewCulture as a way of lifeNorms, values and beliefsRoles, status and role conflictAspects of culture: dress, language, food and musicHeritage and cultural tradition in WalesHigh culture, popular culture and global cultureNature, nurture and the social construction of cultureCultural diversity and sub-cultures
Socialisation and Its Agencies
Topic overviewPrimary and secondary socialisationRole models, imitation and sanctionsFamilies and primary cultural transmissionPeer groups as an agency of socialisationEducation as an agency of socialisationReligion as an agency of socialisationThe media as an agency of socialisationWork, resocialisation and total institutionsFormal and informal social control
Socialisation and Identity
Topic overviewPersonal and social identityTheories of identity: structural, interactionist and postmodernGender socialisation and gender identityMasculinity, femininity and change in gender identitiesSocial class and identityClass change, mobility and the underclassEthnicity and identityNationality, national identity and BritishnessWelsh identity and the Welsh language
Families and HouseholdsAcquiring Culture
Topic overviewDefining families and householdsFamily forms and family diversity in England and WalesEthnic, cultural and religious diversity in family lifeMarriage, cohabitation and singlehoodDivorce and separationFertility, birth rates and family sizeLife expectancy, ageing and the beanpole familyThe domestic division of labourPower, decision-making and domestic violenceChildhood and parent–child relationshipsFunctionalist and New Right theories of the familyMarxist and feminist theories of the familyPostmodernism, the life course and personal life
Youth CulturesAcquiring Culture
Topic overviewYouth and the social construction of adolescenceThe media and the formation of youth cultureEconomic change, consumption and the youth marketGlobalisation and youth cultureSocial class and youth subculturesGender and youth cultureEthnicity and youth cultureNational identity, Welshness and youth cultureNeo-tribes and the changing nature of youth cultureYouth deviance, delinquency and crimeAnti-school subcultures and the labelling of youthFunctionalist and Marxist theories of youth cultureFeminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of youth culture
Research Methods: Primary and Secondary
Topic overviewQuestionnairesStructured interviewsUnstructured and semi-structured interviewsFocus groupsParticipant observationNon-participant and structured observationThe social surveyEthnographic methodsLongitudinal studiesExisting sociological research as secondary dataOfficial statistics and Welsh Government dataPersonal and public documents
Sampling, Ethics and Practical Issues
Topic overviewTarget populations, sampling frames and accessSimple random and systematic random samplingStratified random samplingQuota samplingSnowball and volunteer samplingPurposive and opportunity samplingInformed consent, deception and the right to withdrawAnonymity, confidentiality and privacySensitivity, vulnerability and protection from harmPractical constraints: operationalisation, time and cost
Key Concepts and Theories of Research
Topic overviewValidity in sociological researchReliability and replicationRepresentativeness and generalisabilityObjectivity, value freedom and biasEthics as a criterion for judging researchPositivism and the scientific study of societyInterpretivism and verstehenRealism and the critical realist approachChoosing an approach: theory and method in practice
EducationUnderstanding Society
Topic overviewThe role and function of education in societySocial class and differential attainmentGender and differential attainmentEthnicity and differential attainmentParticipation, choice and the marketisation of educationEducation policy in England and Wales since 1944Welsh-medium education and the Curriculum for WalesMaterial factors and educational attainmentCultural capital and cultural deprivationLabelling, streaming and pupil subculturesFunctionalist and New Right theories of educationMarxist theories of educationFeminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of education
MediaUnderstanding Society
Topic overviewThe role and function of the media in contemporary societyModels of media effects: the hypodermic syringe and cultural effectsActive audiences: uses and gratifications and reception theoryMoral panics and folk devilsNew media, globalisation and the digital divideOwnership and control of the mediaMedia professionals, news values and agenda settingRepresentations of social class and ageRepresentations of genderRepresentations of ethnicity, nationality and disabilityMedia policy and regulation in Wales and EnglandPluralist and Marxist theories of the mediaFunctionalist, feminist and postmodernist theories of the media
ReligionUnderstanding Society
Topic overviewThe role and function of religion in contemporary societyReligion in Wales: chapel, nonconformity and the Welsh languageReligion as a conservative force and as a force for changePatterns of religious participation by social class and ageGender and religiosityEthnicity and religiosity in England and WalesChurches, denominations, sects and cultsNew religious movements and new age movementsFundamentalism and religion in a globalised worldSecularisation in England and WalesReligion and social policy in England and WalesFunctionalist, Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of religionWeberian, feminist and postmodernist theories of religion
Crime and DeviancePower and Control
Topic overviewDefining crime, deviance and social controlCrime and deviance as social constructsThe media, moral panics and the fear of crimeSocial class and crimeGender and feminist explanations of crimeEthnicity, policing and the criminal justice systemAge and crimePolice recorded crime and the dark figureVictim surveys and self-report studiesCrime, policing and social policy in WalesFunctionalist and subcultural theories of crimeMarxist and neo-Marxist theories of crimeInteractionism, labelling and postmodernist theories of crimeLeft realism, right realism and crime control policy
Health and DisabilityPower and Control
Topic overviewDefining health, illness and diseaseThe biomedical model and the social model of healthThe social construction of disabilityOfficial statistics and the measurement of healthSocial class and health inequalitiesGender and healthEthnicity and healthAge and healthArtefact, selection, cultural and material explanationsAccess to and provision of health care in England and WalesMedicalisation and the role of health professionalsHealth policy in England and WalesFunctionalist, Marxist and interactionist theories of healthFeminist and postmodernist views of health and disability
World SociologyPower and Control
Topic overviewDefining and measuring developmentGlobal inequalities in health and educationEmployment, poverty and the global division of labourPatterns of inequality in England and WalesPopulation, demographic change and developmentUrbanisation and marginalisationAid, debt and non-governmental organisationsGlobalisation and developmentTransnational corporations and world tradeModernisation theory and its criticsMarxist, dependency and world systems theoriesFeminist explanations of development
Applied Methods: Designing Sociological Research
Topic overviewChoosing a research topic and framing the aimHypotheses, operationalisation and indicatorsJustifying the chosen methodAnticipating problems with the chosen method and their impactSelecting and justifying a sampleAnticipating problems with the sample and their impactEthical issues in a research designPractical issues in a research designPresenting collected data
Social Inequality: Evidence and Patterns
Topic overviewMeasuring social class in BritainThe distribution of income and wealthWork and pay: occupational inequalityClass inequality: the evidenceGender inequality: the evidenceEthnic inequality: the evidenceAge inequality: the evidenceDisability and inequalityPower and political inequalityPoverty and social exclusionInequality in Wales: the evidence base
Theories and Explanations of Inequality and Stratification
Topic overviewSocial stratification: the core conceptsFunctionalist explanations of inequalityMarxist explanations of inequalityNeo-Marxist explanations of inequalityWeberian explanations of inequalityNeo-Weberian explanations of inequalityFeminist explanations of inequalityPostmodernist explanations of inequalityNew Right explanations of inequalityComparing and evaluating theories of stratification
Education
- 13 subtopics
- 39 things to know
- AS Unit 2
- AS Unit 2, one option of three
What Education covers
Education is examined in Unit 2 Section B — one of three options, studied instead of Media or Religion. It covers the role and function of education in society, social class and differential attainment, gender and differential attainment, ethnicity and differential attainment, participation, choice and the marketisation of education, education policy in England and Wales since 1944, Welsh-medium education and the Curriculum for Wales, material factors and educational attainment, cultural capital and cultural deprivation, labelling, streaming and pupil subcultures, functionalist and New Right theories of education, Marxist theories of education and feminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of education.
Where it is assessed
AS Unit 2
Understanding Society — one option of three, studied instead of the other two.
Check the WJEC specification ↗The 13 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The role and function of education in societyFunction Davis and Moore gave to the education system, human capital theory as Schultz applied it to education and vocational provision available to young people in England and Wales.Open →
- Social class and differential attainmentClass attainment gap, how deferred gratification advantages middle-class pupils and how the fee-paying sector contributes to class inequality in attainment.Open →
- Gender and differential attainmentLaddish subculture, as Jackson describes it and term gender domain.Open →
- Ethnicity and differential attainmentInstitutional racism as Gillborn applies it to schooling, ethnocentric curriculum and what the A-to-C economy describes.Open →
- Participation, choice and the marketisation of educationMarketisation in education, three types of parental chooser identified by Gewirtz and myth of parental choice.Open →
- Education policy in England and Wales since 1944Education Maintenance Allowance, pupil Development Grant and what privatisation of education means.Open →
- Welsh-medium education and the Curriculum for WalesWelsh-medium school, four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales and foundation Phase in Wales.Open →
- Material factors and educational attainmentMaterial deprivation, how overcrowded housing affects school work and opportunity cost of staying in education.Open →
- Cultural capital and cultural deprivationCultural capital as Bourdieu uses the term, bourdieu's concept of symbolic violence and cultural deprivation theory.Open →
- Labelling, streaming and pupil subculturesLabelling as it is used in the sociology of education, self-fulfilling prophecy and pro-school subculture.Open →
- Functionalist and New Right theories of educationRecall questions on moral education, meritocracy, role allocation, the New Right case for competition between schools, the 1988 reforms, and the objections to parental choice.Open →
- Marxist theories of educationBowles and Gintis's correspondence principle and long shadow of work.Open →
- Feminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of educationLiberal feminist view of education, radical feminist view of schooling and interactionist approach to studying education.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Distinguish Bernstein's restricted and elaborated codes.
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Why is cultural capital theory difficult to test empirically?
Key term
What did Ball find at Beachside Comprehensive when banding was abolished?
Who and when
According to Durkheim, why does an industrial economy need schools to teach specialist skills?
Evaluation
Which measure is used in England and Wales as the standard indicator of pupil disadvantage in attainment figures?
Key term
Describe the broad pattern of gender and attainment at GCSE in England and Wales today.
Key term
Which ethnic groups have the highest and the lowest average attainment at GCSE in England?
Key term
Define marketisation in education.
Evaluation
Give two criticisms of the tripartite system.
Key term
Explain how overcrowded housing affects school work.
Key term
State the functionalist view of the relationship between education and the wider social system.
Key term
What does Althusser mean by calling education an ideological state apparatus?
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State the liberal feminist view of education.
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What transition did Parsons say the school manages between the family and wider society?
Key term
Define the class attainment gap.
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In which subject area is the gender gap in attainment widest?
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Why must figures on ethnicity and attainment always be read alongside social class?
Numbers
Which reform introduced open enrolment and formula funding to schools in England and Wales?
Evaluation
Give one Marxist criticism of the comprehensive system.
Key term
What is a Welsh-medium school?
Key term
What did Smith and Noble identify as barriers to learning created by low income?
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What did Lacey mean by differentiation and polarisation?
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Why does Parsons describe the school as meritocratic?
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What did Bowles and Gintis find about the personality traits schools reward?
Key term
State the radical feminist view of schooling.
Who and when
How does a child's status change as they move from family to school, according to Parsons?
Key term
What did Douglas conclude was the strongest home influence on a child's progress?
Key term
Explain how changes in the labour market raised girls' motivation to gain qualifications.
Key term
What did Coard argue about the British school system and black children?
Key term
Name the three types of parental chooser identified by Gewirtz.
Key term
What did the National Curriculum introduce in 1988?
Key term
What must each local authority in Wales publish to plan Welsh-medium provision?
Key term
How can poor diet and health affect attainment?
Key term
Define cultural capital as Bourdieu uses the term.
Key term
Describe the pro-school subculture.
Evaluation
Give one criticism of the functionalist claim that education is meritocratic.
Key term
How does the hidden curriculum serve capitalism on a Marxist view?
Key term
What did Weiner argue about the school curriculum before the 1980s?
Take Education further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Streaming vs Setting
Streaming: placing a pupil in the same ranked class for every subject. Setting: grouping them by ability separately in each subject.
Pupil Premium vs Pupil Development Grant
Pupil Premium: the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils in England. Pupil Development Grant: the Welsh Government's equivalent.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What did Durkheim argue education transmits to each new generation?
Model answer
Durkheim argued that education transmits the shared norms and values of a society's culture, creating the social solidarity that binds individuals into one community.
- 2
Why did Durkheim describe the school as society in miniature?
Model answer
Because the school makes a child cooperate with people who are not family under impersonal rules, rehearsing the wider society they will later join.
- 3
According to Durkheim, why does an industrial economy need schools to teach specialist skills?
Model answer
A complex division of labour requires workers trained for particular tasks who can still cooperate, and only a formal system can supply that training on a large scale.
- 4
What transition did Parsons say the school manages between the family and wider society?
Model answer
Parsons said school is a bridge between the particularistic standards of the family and the universalistic standards of the wider society.
- 5
Explain what Parsons meant by calling school an agency of secondary socialisation.
Model answer
He meant that school is where a child first learns the impersonal values of the wider society, such as achievement and equal treatment, rather than the personal standards of the home.
- 6
How does a child's status change as they move from family to school, according to Parsons?
Model answer
Status in the family is ascribed by birth, while in school it becomes achieved through the child's own performance against common standards.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Education revision questions
- What does Education cover in WJEC A-Level Sociology?
- 13 subtopics: the role and function of education in society, social class and differential attainment, gender and differential attainment, ethnicity and differential attainment, participation, choice and the marketisation of education, education policy in england and wales since 1944, welsh-medium education and the curriculum for wales, material factors and educational attainment, cultural capital and cultural deprivation, labelling, streaming and pupil subcultures, functionalist and new right theories of education, marxist theories of education and feminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of education. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Education organised?
- By the WJEC 601-5237-0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Education, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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