OxfordAQA IGCSE Sociology: Socialisation — Revision Notes

Condensed for the final weeks. For the full explanation, use the Socialisation study guide.

Four types, one clean distinction each

Type	Distinguishing feature
Primary	Early learning of norms/values, mainly within the family
Secondary	Later learning, through wider agencies (school, peers, media, workplace)
Re-socialisation	Learning new norms/values that replace previously learned ones, often after a major life change
Inadequate	Socialisation that fails to properly instil shared norms/values

A common error is treating primary and secondary as vague synonyms — the test is simple: is this the family, early on, or a wider agency, later on?

Agencies: name the mechanism, not just the agency

Listing “family, school, peers, media, religion, workplace” earns little on its own. Pair each with its specific process:

• Family — direct instruction and role modelling.
• School — the formal curriculum, plus the “hidden curriculum” of implicit rules and expectations.
• Media — modelling behaviours and norms through the content it presents.
• Peers, religion, workplace — each has its own norm-transmission mechanism; be ready to state one for whichever agencies your revision covers in depth.

Four perspectives — one claim, one mechanism each

Perspective	View of socialisation
Functionalist	Instils shared norms/values, creating value consensus; agencies function positively for social cohesion
Marxist	Ruling class uses it to instil obedience and acceptance of inequality, reproducing capitalism
Feminist	Reproduces gender roles and inequality — e.g. family/media modelling different expectations for boys and girls
Social action/interactionist	Individuals actively interpret and negotiate norms, rather than passively absorbing them

The functionalist/Marxist contrast is the most tested pair: both agree socialisation instils values, but functionalism frames this as broadly beneficial and consensual, while Marxism frames it as serving one class’s interests over another’s.

Structuring a “compare two perspectives” answer

1. State perspective A’s claim.
2. State perspective B’s claim.
3. Give an explicit point of contrast — not just two descriptions placed side by side.

Skipping step 3 is the single most common reason a comparison answer under-scores despite covering both perspectives accurately.

Key term precision

• Socialisation — the lifelong process of learning a culture’s norms, values and behaviours.
• Norms — specific, unwritten rules of behaviour for a given situation.
• Values — broader beliefs about what is important or desirable.
• Social construction of identity — the idea that identity is built through interaction with socialising agencies, not fixed or natural.

Mark schemes distinguish candidates using these terms precisely from those using them as loose synonyms — keep norms and values clearly separate, and be precise about what counts as an “agency” versus a “process.”

Where this fits within the wider topic

3.2.2 Socialisation and Social Control has three parts: 3.2.2.1 Individuals and Society, 3.2.2.2 Socialisation (covered here), and 3.2.2.3 Social Identities and Social Change. These notes deliberately do not cover the sociological imagination or concepts of culture (3.2.2.1) or social control and identity (3.2.2.3) — revise those as separate blocks so this section’s socialisation-specific content stays sharp rather than blurring into the adjacent sub-topics.

Exam traps

• Confusing primary and secondary socialisation.
• Omitting re-socialisation and inadequate socialisation as distinct concepts.
• Naming agencies without explaining their specific socialising mechanism.
• Describing a perspective vaguely (“Marxists think it’s about class”) rather than naming its specific mechanism.
• Comparing two perspectives without an explicit point of contrast.

A new qualification — expect evolving question style

This is a new specification, first examined May/June 2028, so a full run of live past papers is not yet available. Treat OxfordAQA’s own specimen assessment materials as the most reliable guide to question phrasing and mark allocation for this content, rather than assuming question style will exactly mirror an older, more established sociology specification from a different board.

Using evidence, not just assertion

A strong answer on any of the four perspectives supports its claim with a brief, concrete example rather than stating the perspective’s view in the abstract. For the feminist perspective, this might mean naming how media content models different behavioural expectations for boys and girls; for the social action perspective, naming a situation where an individual visibly negotiates or resists an agency’s expected norm. Sociology mark schemes consistently reward this kind of applied, evidenced point over an accurate but unsupported general statement.

Related resources

• Socialisation study guide
• Socialisation practice questions

Self-test

1. Distinguish primary from secondary socialisation.
2. What is re-socialisation, and give an example trigger for it.
3. Name one specific mechanism each for family and school as agencies of socialisation.
4. What is the key point of contrast between the functionalist and Marxist views of socialisation?
5. What must a strong “compare two perspectives” answer include, beyond describing each perspective?

Answers: 1. Primary socialisation is early learning of norms and values mainly within the family; secondary socialisation happens later, through wider agencies like school, peers, media and the workplace. 2. Learning new norms and values that replace previously learned ones, often triggered by a major life change (e.g. joining the military, migration, imprisonment — any valid example). 3. Family: direct instruction and role modelling; school: the formal curriculum and the “hidden curriculum” of implicit rules. 4. Functionalism presents socialisation as broadly beneficial and consensual (creating value consensus); Marxism presents it as serving the ruling class’s interests by instilling obedience and acceptance of inequality. 5. An explicit point of contrast between the two perspectives, not just two separate descriptions placed side by side.