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STUDYING SOCIETY

GCSE Sociology

Paper 1

WHAT ARE WE COVERING? Ambitious….a whole GCSE unit in a day!

Key vocabulary Essential knowledge and content Examination questions

PAPER 1 Paper 1 content Studying Society Family Education All questions are compulsory…you have

NO CHOICE and only 90 minutes!

This is also the short course paper – all examples used in the studying society section MUST come from either EDUCATION or the FAMILY

STUDYING SOCIETY You will be given a topic from either the

family or education June 2010 Educational achievement and gender June 2011 Truancy and social deprivation January 2011 Housework and the division of labour in

the home

TYPES OF QUESTIONS PART 1 Responding to sources – graphs, charts,

extracts from sociological studies 1 mark

Identify a research method 1 mark Give one advantage and disadvantage

of the method 2 marks Key concepts – gender, ethnicity,

culture, social deprivation – 4 marks How research can be used linked to a

given situation – 4 marks

TYPES OF QUESTIONS PART 2 Given a situation that they want you to

imagine you are researching

Secondary sources/sampling - 4

Ethics - 4

Research method or sampling methods you would use and why it is better than other methods – 6

Total 30 marks

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?Socio – societyOlogy – study ofStudying human life, groups and societiesInvestigating the social world and our behaviour in itHow society influences us and how it shapes our daily lives.

Social structuresEducationFamilyLegal systemPolitical systemSocial stratification

Social processesSocialisationLabellingDiscriminationUse of power

Social issuesParentingEducation reformTeenage crimeInequalitiesParticipation

SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH

Ask important questions about society• What impact do riots have on local communities?• Why don’t more people vote in elections?• How do girls of South Asian heritage experience university?They use:• A range of specialised terms and concepts• A tool kit of research instruments such as questionnaires and

interviews

SOCIOLOGY AND JOURNALISM• Journalists ask similar questions to sociologists…but their

approach is different!• Research is less systematic and detailed due to lack of time

and pressure to publish• Journalists may side with one political party or use evidence

that contains bias – sociologists aim to be balanced in their use of material

• Sociological research is subject to peer review and criticism – this means that other sociologists check and evaluate their work

SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY

Sociologists and Psychologists both study people and their behaviour

They both use a wide range of research techniques and they both analyse data

BUT…psychology focuses on the behaviour and motivation of individuals and sociology looks at the behaviour of groups and the social processes and social structures that influence us.

Example – genderA psychologist may look at the way that an individual interprets his or her gender but a sociologist would look at the social structures and processes to explain gender identity such as the family and socialisation.

KEY CONCEPTSculture values norms

The whole way of life of a society.Includes the values, norms , beliefs and language of a society.Not universal – can change according to place and time.

Ideas and beliefs that are desirable and worth striving for.• Respect for

human life• PrivacyValues give us general guidelines for conduct.

General guidelines for conduct and are more specific than values. Norms tell us what is appropriate behaviour in different contexts. They provide order for society and help it to run smoothly.Norms are enforced by positive and negative sanctions and they can vary depending on place and time.

SocializationCulture is based on learning NOT instinct – it is not inborn or natural.We are born into a particular culture BUT we have to learn how that culture works and how we fit in and become a member of that culture.Sociologists call this learning process SOCIALIZATONPRIMARY SECONDARYLearning in early childhood

We learn the basic behaviour patterns and language skills that we need in later life

Agency of primary socialization The family

Begins in later childhood and continues for the rest of our lives.We learn societies norms and values for certain contexts.

Agencies of secondary socialization• The mass media• Education• Peer groups• Workplace• Religion

HOW DO SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH? Develop aims and hypothesis – what they

plan to do and what they think they will find out

Pilot study – small scale trial run to overcome any problems

Select their sample – decide how they will reach their target audience

Data collection – by using their chosen research methods

Data analysis – interpret their findings and results

Evaluation – present their findings so they can be assessed by others before publishing

Sampling MethodsIdentify who you want to study – this is called the population.

Too expensive or time consuming to question the whole population so you need a sample of the population. You need a sampling frame from which to select your sample – for example school registers, post code addresses or people registered at a doctor’s surgery.

If the sampling frame is inaccurate it might make the sample unrepresentative and it would be difficult for the sociologist to generalize from the findings.

Sociologists can use different methods to select the sample. These methods can be divided into two groups:• Probability • Non-probability

Probability/RandomEach member of the sampling frame has an equal chance of being selected. More likely to be representative.

SIMPLE RANDOMPeople chosen at random like drawing names out of a hat. Researchers use computer programmes to select simple random samples.

SYSTEMATICTakes every nth item from the sampling frame. For example every 10th name from a school register. If the frame is 1000 and the researcher needs 100 then a number between 1 -10 is selected at random. For example if the random number is 6 then every 6th person would be selected.

STRATIFIED Used if the researcher wants the sample to reflect the age and gender characteristics of the sample. Stratified sampling involved dividing the population into strata (layers or subgroups) and then a random sample is drawn from each sub group.

Non-probabilityUsed when there is no sampling frame.

SNOWBALLA good examples of their being no sample frame are benefit fraud, football hooligans, members of youth sub-cultures or the homeless. Using this technique the researcher contacts one member of the group and by gaining their confidence in the hope that they will introduce them to others in the group.

QUOTAUsed by market researchers – they have to interview a given number from a category.

PURPOSIVEThe sample is selected by known characteristics – for example by profession.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL SURVEY? Collection of information from a large

group of people Questionnaires or structured interviews Standardized – everyone receives the

same questions in the same order Three main ways: Postal questionnaires Hand delivered questionnaires Formal/structured interviews

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Closed questions – respondents choose

between a fixed range of answers they are easy to convert into charts and statistics THIS IS QUANTATATIVE DATA

Open questions – respondents can put forward their own answers and give their own opinions THE IS QUALITATIVE DATA

POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRES - ADVANTAGES

Cheap, quick, and efficient way of getting large amounts of data from large numbers of people

Researcher not present – people may be more open and more willing to answer questions about personal issues

Provides quantitative data which makes it possible to look for patterns between different factors e.g. age and gender

It can be repeated by another researcher to check that the research findings are reliable

POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRES DISADVANTAGES Researcher not present can not explain

questions so they could be answered incorrectly

The response rate is very low and may not be representative of the general population

No guarantee that the questionnaire was answered by the right person

Excludes the homeless and those with literacy problems

Gives the respondent no chance to explain their answers, the answers have been chosen for them

STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS - ADVANTAGES

Everyone answers the same questions, patterns between factors can examined as it provides statistical data

The interviewers are trained and can clarify the meanings of the questions

The interviewer can make sure that all the questions are answered

The questions are standardized so other researchers could repeat the interviews and check for reliability

STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS - DISADVANTAGES Interview effect – respondents may give the

answers that they think are socially acceptable or they may lie, try to shock or impress the interviewer

The interviewer effect – the age, gender, ethnicity, accent, appearance of the interviewer may affect how the respondent answers the questions, also known as interviewer bias

The pre set questions limit the responses, the responses have already been decided and people can not express their own opinions

Time consuming and expensive

UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS - ADVANTAGES

Informal, guided conversation, no two will be the same

Much more flexible, questions can be explained and rephrased and other questions can be asked in response to what the interviewer has been told

Provided much more depth as people can talk at length and develop their answers fully and the researcher can explore more complex issues

DISADVANTAGES Time consuming and very expensive Highly trained interviewer to keep the

conversation flowing Interview and interviewer effect Difficult to replicate and check for

reliability Few can be carried out in time available

so sample size is small, generalisations make more difficult

GROUP INTERVIEWS Advantages Access a wide range of opinions People may feel more comfortable putting

their ideas across when they are supported by other members of a group

Disadvantages Interviews may influence each other –

some may dominate discussion so everyone’s voice may not be heard

Some people may be less open in a group setting and prefer one to one

Confidentiality can not be assured

LONGITUDAL STUDIES Studies conducted with the same group

of people over a long period of time. 1970 – babies born in April have been

followed up at 5, 10, 16, 26,and 34 to monitor their health and physical development – British Cohort Survey

Millennium cohort survey 2001 babies at 9 months, 2003 and 2006 (University of London)

Look how society changes over time

DISADVANTAGES Expensive May affect behaviour, they may behave

differently if they had never been involved in the study

Maintaining contact over a long period of time, some people may be lost through change of address etc.

People may change their minds and decided not to be involved in the study

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION Watching and listening top a group of people to

study their attitudes, values and how they may change over time. The researcher joins the group and participates in the daily activities of the group.

Overt Participant observation – the researcher COMES CLEAN and the group is aware that the researcher is studying them – there is o problems with this – the observer effect, being observed may change their behaviour.

Covert participation – the researchers hide the fact that they are studying the group, they keep their real reasons for being with the group a secret.

ADVANTAGES Allows the researcher to observe a

group in their natural everyday settings Researchers can see things from the

groups point of view/perspective The researcher can develop a deeper

understanding of how the groups works Some groups may not agree to be

interviewed so covert observation may be the only way to gain access to the group – violent football fans, religious cults etc.

DISADVANTAGES The observer effect – the presence of the interviewer

may change the behaviour of the group It may be difficult to gain entry to the group and hard to

gain their trust and acceptance It may be difficult to write notes and make records –

have to rely on memory, especially if the research is covert

The activities of the group may put the researcher in danger

Time consuming, could be out of date before it is published

Researcher could become too involved with the group and become biased

Impossible to repeat and check for reliability Ethical issues, is it right to research a group without

their consent

NON PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION The researcher is a fly on the wall observing a

group’s activities On the plus side….. Researcher less likely to become involved with

the group and produce a biased report More objective, less influenced by the feelings

or opinions of the group On the negative side…. More difficult for the researcher to see the

world through the eyes of the group Observer effect – the presence of the

researcher could change the behaviour of the group

ETHICS Ethical research involved protecting

the rights of the research participants and ensuring that they are not harmed in any way by the research

The main issued are… CONSENT ANONIMITY PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

CONSENT Participants need to agree to be part

of the study, this is giving their permission or their consent

The sociologist should explain the purpose of the study

The participants must be made aware of their right to refuse to participate AND the right to leave the study at any time for any reason

ANONYMITY, PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY Privacy should be respected Personal information should be kept

confidential You should not be able to identify

people from the research

SOME FAMOUS STUDIES Making of a Moonie – Eileen Barker

(1984)– Participant observation Street Corner Society – William Foote

Whyte (1943)– participant observation A Glasgow Gang Observed – James

Patrick (1973)– covet The Tearoom Trade – Laud Humphreys

(1970) - covert

SECONDARY DATA Collected by other people Not collected by the researcher – it is

second hand information Can be quantitative – birth rates, death

rates, suicide rates, crime rates, census Can be qualitative – diaries, letters,

autobiographies, photographs, novels, mass media products, studies carried out by other sociologists

ADVANTAGES OFFICIAL STATISTICS Cheap, readily available and cover many

aspects of social life May be the only source of data on a

topic Allow sociologists to do before and after

studies E.g. impact of the Divorce Act 1969

Allows the study of trends over a long period of time - crime, abortion, unemployment

Can be used as part of research design

DISADVANTAGES OF STATISTICS Handle with caution!!! Collected by officials so may use

definitions which are not acceptable to sociologists

Not possible to check their validity – the record of births may be accurate but what about crime statistics? Are all crimes recorded?

They are socially constructed – they are the outcomes of a set of decisions made by the people recording them or reporting them.

ADVANTAGES OF QUALITATIVE SECONDARY DATA Can help to build a picture of a situation

in the present and the past Documents such as school

prospectuses, OFSTED reports and newsletters can help to build up a picture of a school’s ethos

They may be the only source of information available, especially when looking at historical documents

Provide high validity

DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY QUALITATIVE DATA May be forged – letters, diaries Even if they are not forgeries they may

not give an accurate representation of the events – think about autobiographies!

Misinterpretation – do they mean the same thing today as at the time they were written?

Making linksCan sociology contribute to social policy?Can sociology address social problems in contemporary British society?

WHAT IS SOCIAL POLICY?Social policies are plans and actions put into place by governments or local authorities to address social problems such as poverty, discrimination and racism.

Practical SociologySociological research is useful to governments when designing and implementing social policy – research can make suggestions for change and these changes could be implemented by government

ExamplesStephen Lawrence MurderStephen was killed in 1993 by a group of white men in South London1997 – public enquiry on police handling of the investigation1999 – Macphereson Report published – the investigation was hindered by INSTITUTIONAL RACISM – sociologists played a key role in the reportSociologists submitted work in such areas as policing, race and community relations and they were also key in defining the term INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

Education debates – Bagguley and Hussain 2007Explored the experience of South Asian women’s experience of going to university and their barriers to higher education. A key finding was that in order to improve their experience unacceptable behaviour from staff and students needs to be challenged.