O Level Sociology: Research Methods, Identity and Inequality — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Research Methods, Identity and Inequality revision notes

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Section A

1. Distinguish between primary and secondary data, and between quantitative and qualitative data. [4]

2. Define validity, reliability and representativeness. [3]

Section B

3. Explain two advantages and two disadvantages of using questionnaires in sociological research. [8]

4. Explain the difference between participant and non-participant observation, and between covert and overt research, giving one ethical problem with covert research. [6]

5. Explain the difference between primary and secondary socialisation, naming the main agency of each and giving three agencies of secondary socialisation. [7]

6. Explain three sociological explanations of social class inequality. [9]

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Section C

7. Describe two sampling methods a sociologist could use to select a sample, and explain what is meant by a sampling frame. [5]

8. Explain what is meant by a pilot study, and state two ethical principles a sociologist should follow when conducting research. [3]

9. Distinguish between ascribed status and achieved status, giving one example of each. [2]

10. Distinguish between a subculture and a counter-culture. [2]

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Answers

1. Primary data is collected first-hand by the researcher for the purpose of the study; secondary data already exists, having been collected by someone else [1] [1]. Quantitative data is numerical and can be counted and analysed statistically; qualitative data is descriptive, expressed in words, capturing meanings and feelings [1] [1].

2. Validity — whether the data gives a true and authentic picture of what it claims to measure [1]. Reliability — whether the method would produce the same results if repeated by another researcher [1]. Representativeness — whether the sample accurately reflects the wider population, so findings can be generalised [1].

3. Advantages: they can be distributed to a large, geographically spread sample cheaply and quickly, so results are more likely to be representative and generalisable [1] [1]. They are standardised, so they are reliable and easy to replicate, and closed questions produce quantitative data that is quick to analyse and compare [1] [1]. Disadvantages: response rates are often very low, and those who reply may differ systematically from those who do not, undermining representativeness [1] [1]. They lack depth and validity — respondents cannot explain their answers, may misunderstand a question with nobody to clarify it, and may give socially desirable answers rather than truthful ones [1] [1].

4. In participant observation the researcher joins in the group’s activities; in non-participant observation they watch without taking part [1] [1]. Overt research means the group knows they are being studied; covert means the researcher’s identity and purpose are concealed [1] [1]. Ethical problem with covert research: participants cannot give informed consent [1], and the researcher must deceive them, which may also require observing or even participating in illegal or harmful behaviour without intervening [1].

5. Primary socialisation takes place in early childhood, where the child learns basic norms, values and language; the main agency is the family [1] [1]. Secondary socialisation takes place later, beyond the family, teaching the norms of wider society [1] [1]. Agencies: the education system, through both the formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum of punctuality and obedience [1]; peer groups, which exert pressure to conform and confer status [1]; the media, which presents role models and shapes expectations; religion and the workplace [1].

6. Any three, 3 marks each: Functionalist (Davis and Moore) — inequality is functional and inevitable: the most important roles require the greatest talent and longest training, so higher rewards are needed as an incentive to attract the most able [1] [1]; society is thus a meritocracy in which position reflects ability and effort [1]. Marxist — inequality arises from the ownership of the means of production; the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat by extracting surplus value from their labour [1] [1]; ideology transmitted through education, religion and the media produces false consciousness, so the working class accept a system that disadvantages them [1]. Weberian — class position is determined not only by property but by market situation — the skills and qualifications a person brings to the labour market [1]; Weber added status and party as separate dimensions of stratification, so inequality is multi-dimensional rather than a simple two-class model [1] [1]. Feminist — inequality is structured by patriarchy as well as class; women are concentrated in low-paid, part-time work and carry the “dual burden” of paid work and domestic labour [1] [1] [1].

7. Any two methods, 2 marks each: random sampling — every member of the population has an equal chance of selection, e.g. drawn by computer or from a hat [1] [1]; stratified sampling — the population is divided into groups (strata), and a proportionate sample is taken from each group [1] [1]; systematic sampling — every nth name is selected from a list [1] [1]; snowball sampling — existing participants recruit further participants, used for hidden or hard-to-reach groups [1] [1]. Sampling frame — the list from which the sample is drawn [1].

8. A pilot study is a small-scale trial run of the research method before the main study, used to identify problems with wording, timing or procedure [1]. Any two: informed consent, confidentiality, protection from harm, no deception, right to withdraw [1] [1].

9. Ascribed status is fixed at birth, e.g. gender or caste [1]. Achieved status is earned through a person’s own actions, e.g. becoming a doctor [1].

10. Subculture — a group with distinct norms and values within a wider society, e.g. a youth subculture [1]. Counter-culture — a subculture actively opposed to the mainstream norms and values of society [1].

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Where marks are usually lost

• Confusing reliability with validity.
• Giving questionnaire advantages without linking them to representativeness or reliability.
• Naming the family as an agency of secondary socialisation.
• Describing theories without explaining the mechanism of inequality.
• Describing a sampling method without explaining what makes it more or less representative.
• Confusing a subculture (distinct but not opposed) with a counter-culture (actively opposed to the mainstream).