Key term
AQA GCSE Sociology 8192
The Sociological Approach
Families
Education
Crime and Deviance
Social Stratification
Research Methods
- 6 subtopics
- 18 things to know
- Papers 1 and 2
What Research Methods covers
Research Methods is examined in Both papers, as social theory and methodology. It covers research design, hypotheses and data analysis, sampling methods, questionnaires and interviews, observation and mixed methods, types of data and official statistics and reliability, validity, ethics and practical issues.
Where it is assessed
Papers 1 and 2
Social theory and methodology, applied to the topics on both papers.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Research design, hypotheses and data analysisResearch aims and hypotheses, pilot studies, analysing qualitative and quantitative data, worked percentage and mean calculations, case studies and longitudinal studies.Open →
- Sampling methodsResearch populations and sampling frames, random, systematic, stratified, quota and snowball samples, representativeness and generalisability.Open →
- Questionnaires and interviewsQuestionnaires and social surveys, open and closed questions, attitude surveys and response rates, structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, focus groups and interviewer bias.Open →
- Observation and mixed methodsParticipant, non-participant, covert and overt observation, ethnography, going native and the observer effect, and triangulation and mixed methods.Open →
- Types of data and official statisticsPrimary and secondary, quantitative and qualitative data, positivism and interpretivism, official and non-official statistics, the census, documents and content analysis.Open →
- Reliability, validity, ethics and practical issuesReliability, validity and bias, informed consent, confidentiality, harm and data protection, and the time, cost and access issues that shape a choice of method.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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What is secondary data, and why is it useful to sociologists?
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What is sociological research?
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What is a questionnaire?
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What is observation as a research method?
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What is reliability in sociological research?
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What do sociologists mean by data?
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What is meant by the research population?
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What is a social survey?
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What is participant observation?
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What is primary data?
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Why is a structured questionnaire on truancy more reliable than an unstructured interview?
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What is a research aim?
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What is a sample?
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Who is a respondent in sociological research?
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What is non-participant observation? Give an example.
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What is secondary data?
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What is validity in sociological research?
Take Research Methods further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Reliability vs Validity
Reliability: the consistency of results when a study is repeated. Validity: the accuracy of findings as a true picture of social reality.
Primary data vs Secondary data
Primary data: information gathered first-hand by the researcher for the current study. Secondary data: existing information collected by others for a different purpose.
Quantitative data vs Qualitative data
Quantitative data: numerical information such as percentages, rates and totals. Qualitative data: descriptive information in words about meanings and experiences.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is sociological research?
Model answer
Sociological research is a planned, systematic investigation of social life. Research gathers evidence about social patterns, such as which pupils leave school without qualifications.
- 2
What do sociologists mean by data?
Model answer
Data is the information a researcher collects and then analyses. Data can be numbers, such as exam results, or words, such as interview transcripts.
- 3
What is a research aim?
Model answer
A research aim is a general statement of what a study sets out to investigate. An example is to find out how couples divide housework in dual-earner households.
- 4
Define the term hypothesis.
Model answer
A hypothesis is a testable statement that predicts a relationship between two or more factors. Research evidence either supports or refutes a hypothesis.
- 5
Give an example of a hypothesis a sociologist could test about family life.
Model answer
An example hypothesis is that couples who both work full time share housework more equally than single-earner couples. A questionnaire comparing the two kinds of couple could test the prediction.
- 6
Why might an interactionist researcher start with a broad aim rather than a hypothesis?
Model answer
Interactionists want to discover the meanings people give to their situation without imposing the researcher's ideas. A broad aim leaves room for unexpected findings to emerge.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Research Methods revision questions
- What does Research Methods cover in AQA GCSE Sociology?
- 6 subtopics: research design, hypotheses and data analysis, sampling methods, questionnaires and interviews, observation and mixed methods, types of data and official statistics and reliability, validity, ethics and practical issues. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Research Methods organised?
- By the AQA 8192 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Research Methods, 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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