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

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board. Paper 1 sets three questions with no lettered sections: Question 1 (Research Methods) is compulsory, and candidates answer either Question 2 (Identity) or Question 3 (Inequality), not both.

Related: Research Methods, Identity and Inequality revision notes

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Question 1 (compulsory) — Research Methods

(a) Explain the difference between primary data and secondary data, and between quantitative and qualitative data. [4]

(b) Define validity, reliability and representativeness. [6]

(c) Explain two advantages and two disadvantages of using questionnaires in sociological research. [8]

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

(e) Describe two sampling methods a sociologist could use to select a sample, and explain what is meant by a sampling frame. [6]

(f) Explain what is meant by a pilot study, and state two ethical principles a sociologist should follow when conducting research. [4]

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Question 2 — Identity

Answer this question or Question 3, not both.

(a) Explain the difference between primary and secondary socialisation, naming the main agency of each and giving three agencies of secondary socialisation. [8]

(b) Explain the difference between ascribed status and achieved status, giving one example of each. [4]

(c) Explain the difference between a subculture and a counter-culture. [4]

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Question 3 — Inequality

Answer this question or Question 2, not both.

Explain two sociological explanations of social class inequality. [8]

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Answers

1. (a) 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].

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

(c) 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].

(d) 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].

(e) Any two methods, 2 marks each: random sampling — every member of the population has an equal chance of selection [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, and without one the researcher cannot guarantee every member of the population has a known chance of selection [1] [1].

(f) 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 [2]. Any two: informed consent, confidentiality, protection from harm, no deception, right to withdraw [1] [1].

2. (a) Primary socialisation takes place in early childhood, where the child learns basic norms, values and language; the main agency is the family [2]. Secondary socialisation takes place later, beyond the family, teaching the norms of wider society; the main agency is the education system [2]. Three agencies of secondary socialisation: 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 [1]; plus one further mark for a developed explanation of how any one of these three actually operates, rather than just naming it [1].

(b) Ascribed status is fixed at birth, e.g. sex [2]. Achieved status is earned through a person’s own actions, e.g. becoming a doctor [2].

(c) Subculture — a group with distinct norms and values within a wider society, e.g. a youth subculture [2]. Counter-culture — a subculture actively opposed to the mainstream norms and values of society [2].

3. Any two, 4 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] [1] [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] [1]. (Also accept: Weberian — market situation, status and party as separate dimensions of stratification; Feminist — patriarchy and class combined, the “dual burden” — marked on the same pattern.)

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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).
• Attempting both Question 2 and Question 3 instead of choosing one.