A sample is a smaller group selected from the research population to take part in a study. Findings from the sample are used to draw conclusions about the whole population.

What is a sampling frame? Give an example.

A sampling frame is a list of everyone in the research population, from which the sample is drawn. A school register is a sampling frame for a study of its pupils.

Why is it hard to find a sampling frame for a study of homeless people?

Homeless people appear on no complete list, and many move often or avoid officials. A researcher may have to rely on snowball or opportunity sampling instead.

What is a random sample?

A random sample gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected. A computer might pick names at random from a school roll.

What is a systematic sample?

A systematic sample selects every nth name from a sampling frame, such as every tenth pupil on a register. The starting point is usually chosen at random.

AQA GCSE Sociology 8192

The Sociological Approach

Topic overview Key sociological concepts Sociological perspectives: consensus and conflict Durkheim, Marx and Weber How sociological knowledge develops

Families

Topic overview Functions of families Family forms and diversity Conjugal roles and the domestic division of labour Changing relationships within families Criticisms of families Divorce in Britain since 1945

Education

Topic overview Roles and functions of education Education, capitalism and the correspondence principle Class and gender differences in achievement Ethnicity, parental choice and school markets Processes within schools

Crime and Deviance

Topic overview Social construction of crime and deviance Formal and informal social control Explanations of criminal behaviour Patterns of crime and public debates Crime statistics and the dark figure

Social Stratification

Topic overview Functionalist theory of stratification Marx, Weber and socio-economic class Factors affecting life chances Poverty as a social issue Forms of power and authority Power relationships

Research Methods

Topic overview Research design, hypotheses and data analysis Sampling methods Questionnaires and interviews Observation and mixed methods Types of data and official statistics Reliability, validity, ethics and practical issues

Research Methods

Sampling methods

3 things to know
Papers 1 and 2

Overview

Research populations and sampling frames, random, systematic, stratified, quota and snowball samples, representativeness and generalisability.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What makes a sample unrepresentative, and how does that affect generalisability?

Key term

What is meant by the research population?

Key term

What is a sample?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is meant by the research population?
Model answer
The research population is the whole group a sociologist wants to study. An example is all Year 11 pupils in England.
2
What is a sample?
Model answer
A sample is a smaller group selected from the research population to take part in a study. Findings from the sample are used to draw conclusions about the whole population.
3
What is a sampling frame? Give an example.
Model answer
A sampling frame is a list of everyone in the research population, from which the sample is drawn. A school register is a sampling frame for a study of its pupils.
4
Why is it hard to find a sampling frame for a study of homeless people?
Model answer
Homeless people appear on no complete list, and many move often or avoid officials. A researcher may have to rely on snowball or opportunity sampling instead.
5
What is a random sample?
Model answer
A random sample gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected. A computer might pick names at random from a school roll.
6
What is a systematic sample?
Model answer
A systematic sample selects every nth name from a sampling frame, such as every tenth pupil on a register. The starting point is usually chosen at random.

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The Sociological Approach

Families

Education

Crime and Deviance

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A communist society would follow.

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AONS figures show that divorces rose briefly after the Second World War.

BDivorces then climbed steeply from 1971 and peaked in 1993.

CONS figures put the number at about 80,000 in 2022, after a long fall.

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Monogamy means marriage to only one partner at a time.

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