Download Year 10: Sociology revision –Unit 1

Year 10: Sociology revision –Unit 1
Paper 1 section A: Studying Sociology
What is Sociology? : The study of social life, groups and societies.
How is sociology different from psychology?
Sociology examines the structures in society such as the family and the education system
in the process of socialisation. Psychology focuses on the behaviour of the individual
whereas sociology focuses on group behaviour.
How is sociology different from journalism?
Both sociologists and journalists carry out research to answer similar questions about
society such as why more people are getting divorced. However, sociology research is more
structured than journalism. Journalists have less time and need to meet deadlines. Also,
sociologists are more balanced in their views and try not to use evidence to give a onesided viewpoint.
How do we learn our culture?
Primary socialisation: The first place we learn the norms and values of our culture is the
family.
Secondary socialisation: This socialisation that takes place outside the home. The school,
the media and the church are all known as agents of socialisation.
Nature/Nurture debate.
Contrasting sociology with biology:
 Biologists look for biological causes or characteristics when studying human
behaviour.
 Sociologists view behaviour as social or cultural rather than biological
Sociologists believe our culture is based on learning rather than a natural born instinct.
Our race is something we are born into e.g. the colour of our skin.
Ethnicity is something we learn through learning our culture. It is about our language the
food we eat, religion, the norms and values of the culture etc.
In a multicultural society we learn to respect other people’s different ethnicities by being
taught about their religion and traditions in school.
Feral children: children who lived with animals show very few natural skills. They cannot
usually even walk or laugh. This supports the sociologist view that everything is taught and
learned through the process of socialisation.
Gender socialisation:
Sex: this is the biological difference between male and female e.g. men have a penis.
Gender: This is the way you have been socialised based on your sex; how to behave in a
masculine or feminine way.
Gender socialisation can lead to gender stereotypes e.g. girls are taught to like pink and
boys are taught to be more aggressive.
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Studying society: Carrying out research
Primary research and data: This is research carried out by the sociologists themselves in
the form of interviews or questionnaires.
Secondary research and data: This is research that has already been done by others
such as the government and sociologists can use their findings such as official statistics.
(School league tables)
Types of data
Quantitative data: this is data in the form of numbers. It is seen as more scientific and
positivist ;sociologists prefer using it.
Structured Questionnaires/surveys produce quantitative data
Qualitative data: this is data in the form of words and quotes. It is seen as more in-depth
and Interpretivists prefer this type of data.
Unstructured Interviews and observations produce qualitative data
The research process in sociology
Stages in the research
Brief explanation
process
Developing a hypothesis Research aims set out what the researcher intends to
or aim
investigate.
A hypothesis is an informed guess or hunch about a certain
issue and is set out as a statement that can then be tested.
Carrying out a pilot
A pilot study is a small scale trial run carried out before the
study
main research to make sure that there are no mistakes in terms
of the questions asked (e.g. no leading questions).
Selecting a sample
Rather than study the whole population, which would be too
expensive the researcher selects a smaller sample using
sampling techniques such as snow balling or random sampling.
Collecting the data
Sociologists collect data using primary methods such as
questionnaires or observations. They may also use secondary
methods such as official statistics.
Analysing the data
How data is analysed depends if it is quantitative or qualitative
data. Quantitative data can be easily analysed by computer.
Qualitative data is more time consuming as the researcher must
read through all responses in the interviews etc.
Evaluating the study’s
findings and conclusions
Sociologists write articles about their research and other
sociologists can then evaluate it. This is known as a peer review.
Sampling techniques:
Before conducting a piece of research the researcher must select a sample to study.
They select their sample from a sampling frame (a list of the sample population’s names)
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Probability sampling: each member of the sample population has an equal chance of being
selected.
Systematic sampling is an example of probability sampling. The researcher chooses every
10th/20th name from the sampling frame (e.g. a school register)
Non-probability sampling: the sample is not selected randomly and is less representative.
This is usually done if there is no sampling frame available.
Snowball sampling is an example of this method. The researcher finds one person they
want to study and asks them to contact people they know who would also be useful to
study.
Ethical issues in sociological research
(You may be asked in the exam to identify and explain one ethical issue that could
arise during your research)
Ethical issues are like moral guidelines the researcher must follow.
 Informed consent: the researcher must always explain what the research study is
about to the participant. They must be told why the researcher is doing the
research and what it will be used for. If they have the full picture then they can
give informed consent. They must also be told that they can stop at any time.

Confidentiality: the researcher must keep the private details of the participant,
such as their name and address, a secret unless they tell them otherwise. The
participant should always be anonymous. This will protect the participant from any
harm.
Types of research methods
Social surveys
Surveys are used to collect data from a large number of people. They are
questionnaires which use closed questions (e.g. yes/no answers) and are given out in a
standardised way (the same questions in the same order).
Surveys can be self-completion: postal questionnaires e.g. the Census
OR
Structured interviews: A trained interviewer asks the closed questions and records
the response.
Self-completion questionnaires:
Closed –ended questions, quantitative data
Advantages
Disadvantages
They can posted to lots of people which
Because the researcher chooses the
makes them more representative.
responses they can impose their own bias
when selecting the answers the participants
can choose from.
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They are quicker and cheaper than
unstructured interviews.
Because there is no interviewer people are
more likely to answer sensitive or
embarrassing questions.
The researcher can never be certain who
actually filled them in.
A lot of people can’t be bothered to give it
back (it may have a low response rate).
However the researcher could offer prises
to try and get them back!!
Structured interviews (structured questionnaires)
Closed –ended questions, quantitative data. A trained interviewer reads out the
questions.
Advantages
The trained interviewer can explain what
the questions mean.
The questions are standardised so
sociologists can compare answers and
make connections. E.g. there is a link
between poverty and educational failure.
Structured questionnaires can be
replicated. Different researchers will get
the same results because the questions
are standardised.
Disadvantages
The participants have a limited number of
response choices. They cannot answer in
their own words. This makes findings less
valid and true to life.
The interviewer cannot develop the
participants answers as there is set
responses (e.g. yes/no) This makes the
research less in-depth.
The interviewer effect. The age or gender
may affect the participant. Younger people
may feel less comfortable with an older
person and might not give truthful
answers.
Unstructured Interviews
Open –ended questions (participants answer in their own words), Qualitative data produced
Advantages
The researcher can develop the
participants’ answers and ask about their
feelings and opinions- more in-depth.
Unstructured interviews are more valid as
the participant can answer in their own
words.
The interviewer can help the participant
understand the questions and can see if
they are telling the truth.
Disadvantages
It is very expensive and time consuming
compared to postal questionnaires.
The interviewer spends more time with the
participant and will have a greater effect on
them. The participant might tell the
interviewer what they think they want to
hear.
Because it is not standardised the research
is not reliable. No two interviews will be the
same.
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Observations
Participant observation: the researcher joins in a group and takes part in its daily
activities in order to study it. E.g. the researcher could pretend to be a support teacher
and take part in classroom activities.
Non-Participant observation: Like a ‘fly on the wall’. The researcher observes the group
at a distance and does not join in their activities. E.g. the researcher could sit at the back
of a classroom watching what happens but not joining in.
Covert observation: this is secret observations were the group does not realise they are
being observed. E.g. pretending to be a support teacher rather than a researcher.
Overt observation: being open and telling the group they are being observed.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Can research the group in their natural
setting e.g. a classroom.
Covert observation is less ethical as the
group cannot give their permission to be
studied.
Covert observation means the group will
It is hard to keep notes and record the
act normally and the researcher can get a
activities, especially if the research is
true picture which makes the research
covert. The research has to rely on memory
valid.
and participants may forget things.
The researcher does not put words in their Observation research is very hard to repeat
mouths like a questionnaire were they
and get the same results. Different
choose the response to the questions. This researchers will interpret the behaviour
increases validity as the group can act
differently. No two studies will be the same,
naturally.
therefore it is not reliable.
Longitudinal studies
This is a study of the same group of people over a long period of time. ‘7 up’ is an example
of this type of research method. The researchers studied the same group of children
every seven years to see how their lives changed. They wanted to know if the middle class
children would be more successful than the working class children.
Advantage: you can make comparisons over time.
Disadvantage: it is hard to keep the same people as many get bored and drop out.
Secondary sources
When they are researching areas such as education or the family sociologists can use
research data that already exists.
Quantitative secondary data: Data in the form of numbers e.g. statistics
Researching education: The researcher can use league tables. It is cheap and easy to
find on the Internet. The researcher can compare results in terms of gender, ethnicity
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etc and find out which types of students are failing in education. However, it does not tell
us WHY they fail- statistics lack any depth.
Researching the family: The researcher can use secondary data like the census. This will
tell them about marriage, divorce and changes in the population. It is done every 10 years
and sociologists have 200 years of information to identify trends and changes with the
past. However, it may contain errors e.g. not every one may fill it in or they may lie.
Qualitative secondary data: This is data that is in the form of words and
descriptions.
Researching education: The researcher could use school prospectuses or OFSTED reports
to see how well a school is doing and what the ethos of the school is. However, we are only
getting a one-sided account and it may contain bias.
Researching the family: The researcher could use magazine articles, diaries etc to get an
in-depth account of peoples’ experiences of family life. They could also use research
already done by other sociologists such as Ann Oakley’s research into housework.
Paper1 Section B: Education
Formal education: teaching particular subjects, e.g. maths, English etc in school.
Informal education: Things that are not taught directly but occur in observing what goes
on around us.
Hidden curriculum: messages that are picked up by the students in the way the school is
organised and through the ethos of the school. E.g. the school hierarchy gives the
students messages about who has power. The subjects/sports students choose give them
messages about gender.
Purposes and functions of schools:
2 points of view: Marxists and Functionalists.
Functionalist sociologists such as Talcott Parsons believe that schools provide positive
functions for society. These functions include:
 Secondary socialisation-teaching the norms and values of society such as working
hard and respecting authority.
 Serving the needs of the economy: schools prepare students for work by teaching
certain skills such as literacy and ICT. Vocational subjects such as health and social
care prepare them directly for work. They are also taught to be punctual and work
hard etc.
 Social cohesion: students are taught the norms and values of being British. They
are also taught to respect other cultures (multiculturalism) in subjects such as
citizenship. This brings people together as one society and unites them.
 Social mobility: schools give student the opportunity to do well in exams and go to
university. By working hard they can aim for a good career and move up from a
working class background to become middle class.
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
Social control: we are taught to accept the rules and obey the teachers.
Marxist sociologists believe that schools and education only benefit the ruling class.
 Teachers ‘brainwash’ the students to make them accept the ruling class values.
 The ruling class can pay for private schools and this means they have advantages
over the working class.
 Marxists do not believe that we have an equal chance to do well in school. The ruling
class will always do better because they have more advantages.
 They do not believe we live in a meritocracy (everyone having an equal chance to do
well).
Who achieves at school?
Middle and upper classes do better than the working class.
Girls do better than boys.
Chinese and Indian students do better than Black students but white working class
students achieve the least.
What factors in school affect achievement?
Teacher labelling
Teachers may label students as lazy or stupid. This causes the student to give up and
fail. This is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Teachers label well behaved students
as bright and this is called the halo effect. Teachers are more likely to label middle
class students as bright. This may be because they may speak better than working class
students who use a restricted code and slang language. Middle class students use the
same elaborated code as the teachers.
Setting and streaming
Setting: where students are separated by ability in certain subjects like maths
Streaming: where students are separated by ability by whole class or all their subjects.
Advantages of streaming and setting:
 It is easier to prepare the classes and teach students of the same ability.
 Less able students can work at their own pace .
 More able students can be challenged and given more difficult work.
Disadvantages of setting and streaming:
 Lower sets can feel stupid and give up leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
 Students in low sets can only sit foundation exam and achieve a grade C.
 Students can be put in lower sets because of bad behaviour not their ability.
Anti-school subcultures
Some students can develop norms and values that are different to the rest of the school.
They can be influenced by their peers and behave badly- being cheeky to teachers,
truanting, not doing homework etc.
Paul Willis: studied a group of students called the ‘lads’. They failed themselves by not
trying and behaving badly.
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What out of school factors affect achievement?
Material deprivation: Lack of money can lead to working class students being
disadvantaged.
They lack money to buy books, computers etc. They cannot afford good food and this can
lead to time off school due to illness. They may be bullied because they cannot afford a
school uniform.
Cultural capital
Middle class parents have been educated themselves and can help their children with
homework, take them to museums and read to them, visit the library etc. All these
activities can give middle class children an advantage.
Cultural deprivation
Working class parents do not value education as much as middle class parents. They might
not attend parents’ evenings, ensure their children get to school on time etc.
Gender and education
Girls now perform better than boys at every stage of the National curriculum.
Reasons why girls are doing better.
 Gils are socialised differently; they spend more time reading and talking to each
other.
 More women are working due to feminism and girls are now more ambitious.
 Higher divorce rates mean that girls have to be more financially independent and
not rely on men. This means they work harder at school so that they can get a good
job.
 The Sex Discrimination Act means it is illegal to discriminate against girls in school.
Books and resources now have more positive role models for girls and have less
gender stereotypical images.
 The National Curriculum means that girls now have to take traditionally male
subjects like science, which leads to an improvement in these subjects.
Reasons why boys are falling behind girls.
 Boys are socialised to be more active and that makes sitting still in class more
difficult.
 Boys try to be ‘macho’ and ‘laddish’. Working hard in school is seen as ‘geeky’
 There is more peer pressure to join anti-school subcultures.
 Working class jobs like working in factories are disappearing and there is more
unemployment. Boys do not see the point of trying, as they might not get a job.
 Boys do not work as consistently hard as girls and the introduction of coursework
helps girls as they are more organised.
 Girls are more willing to do homework.
Ethnicity and education

Indian and Chinese children do very well and are the highest achievers.
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
Black Caribbean. Bangladeshi and Pakistani children underachieve compared to
White British children.
Working class white children underachieve.
Factors affecting ethnicity and achievement
Out of school factors
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
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Indian parents put pressure on their children to succeed.
Afro Caribbean and Asian parents value education but feel frustrated as they lack
the experience of school needed to help them.
Black British and some Asian groups are more likely to be working class. They suffer
from material deprivation and lack of cultural capital.
Language issues: Some Asian groups do not speak English at home therefore their
studies are in a ‘foreign language’.
Afro Caribbean children use a dialect and slang that can cause confusion in schools.
In school factors

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Teacher labelling: teachers have stereotypes of certain students. Asian students
are seen as hard working and Afro Caribbean students are seen as disruptive. This
could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
There may be institutional racism and schools are discriminating against certain
ethnic groups.
Afro Caribbean students are more likely to go into lower sets because of behaviour.
Afro Caribbean students are more likely to be excluded from school.
There are not enough teachers from certain ethnic minorities to act as role models.
Types of state schools in Britain
Comprehensive schools: Aims to educate all students, regardless of social class or ability
under one roof. The aim was to ensure that all children had equal access to the same
quality of education. They felt that the Grammar school system allowed the middle class
students to go to the best schools. However, comprehensive schools in poorer areas tend
to be mainly working class and students underachieve.
Grammar schools: Grammar schools select most of their students on academic ability.
Grammar schools tend to have mainly middle class students as their parents are better
able to prepare them for the selection process.
City academies: In the past OFSTED was given the power to close failing schools and
reopen it as an academy with funding from private business. Many of the new schools being
built are city academies. Schools can now choose to become academies but they must be
‘Good’ or above according to OFSTED.
Faith schools: Faith schools are mainly run like other state schools but they will select
students and staff according to their religion and the curriculum will reflect their religion.
This can lead to segregation in a multicultural society and social cohesion will not be as
strong as students are separated along religious lines.
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Specialist schools: These schools can select 10 % of their students and get extra funding
to support their subject expertise. The idea behind them is to raise standards in
secondary schools.
School selection:
Types of education post 16
Further education colleges (FE): Caters for those who have completed compulsory
education. A levels and Vocational courses are provided in FE colleges ad sixth form
colleges.
Higher education (HE): This includes universities that provide degree level courses.
Alternatives to state funded schools
Home schooling
Advantages
 It is a legal option if you do not want to send your child to a state school and cannot
afford private school.
 A parent or tutor usually carries out home education and the child gets individual
attention.
Disadvantages
 Few parents have the time or ability to home-school their child.
 The children miss out in the socialisation process and spending time with their
peers.
Independent schools
Advantages
 Class sizes are smaller and students get more teacher attention.
 They have better resources and facilities such as sports fields and computer labs.
 Children from private schools have a better chance to succeed and go to universities
such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Disadvantages
 State schools are free and private schools are extremely expensive.
 It is only the children from rich families who can afford these advantages which
means that social class inequality remains.
Government policy and education
1944 Tripartite system:
This policy introduced three types of school.
Grammar: they selected students using the 11 plus exam and took 20% of all school
children (mainly middle class students went to these schools).
Secondary modern school: They took all the children who failed the 11 plus (about 75% of
all children).
Technical colleges: took the other 5% who wanted to do vocational studies.
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1965 Comprehensive system
This tried to end the separate Grammar and secondary schools and have only one type of
schools called comprehensives.
1988 Education Reform Act
This policy introduced the following
 A national curriculum (the same subjects for all students).
 SATs and GCSEs: all students sit the same tests and exams.
 Leagues tables: the results of these exams are published in leagues tables.
 Parental choice: parents can look at the league tables and choose their preferences
about which school they send their child to.
Paper1 Section C: Families
What is the difference between a family and a household?
Family: can be defined as a married, cohabiting couple with or without dependent children,
or a lone parent with children.
Household: can be defined as people (either a family or non family) living under one roof
sharing facilities or a person living alone.
Family diversity: sociologists prefer the term ‘families’ as it recognises diversity in Britain
today. Families can be nuclear, reconstituted (step), lone parents, same sex, cohabiting or
married.
Cereal packet families: these are traditional nuclear families in which the couple are
married, heterosexual, with their own biological children. The man takes the breadwinner
role and the woman takes the carer role.
Alternatives to the family: Communes such as the kibbutz in Israel. Everyone shares
ownership and helps to bring up the children.
Functions of the family
Positive views of the family
The functionalist approach:
Talcott Parsons believes the family provides essential functions:
 Primary socialisation: teaching the children the norms and values of the society.
 Emotional support: the nuclear family gives emotional support to its members. The
women take care of the needs of the men. The warm bath theory: women take the
stress away from the breadwinner by providing a nice home life.
 Economic support: the nuclear family provides all its members with financial
support.
 Reproduction: the nuclear family produces the next generation.
New Right
 They believe in the cereal packet family; women should be the carers and look
after the rest of the family.
 Lone parents and same sex families are wrong and do not socialise the children
well.
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Lone parents are part of an underclass whose children will fail in school an
become NEETs (not in education, employment and training).
The best type of family is the nuclear family.
Critical views of the family
Marxist approach:
 The family teaches the children the norms and values of the ruling class.
 Rich families pass on their wealth and advantages to their children e.g. sending
them to private school.
Feminist views:
 The family reinforces gender stereotypes; girls see their mothers doing the
housework and think this is normal.
 The family is patriarchal (men have the power and control to dominate women).
Changes in the family
Population changes
 People are having fewer children (average number is 1.8).
Reasons for fewer children:
 Contraception is better and women can choose how many children to have.
 Feminism: women have more independence and are more career minded. They want
fewer children so that they can have a career.
 Children are now so expensive people cannot afford too many.
 There are fewer horizontally extended families (aunties and uncles and cousins).
 People are living longer. There is an aging population with life expectancy becoming
longer than in the past.
Reasons why people are living longer
 Better health care, more hospitals looking after the sick and elderly.
 Better education means we now how to look after ourselves better.
 More advances in medicine such as cancer treatments.
 There are more vertically extended families: beanpole families with grandparents,
great grandparents etc because people are living longer.
Changes in the extended family

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More beanpole families.
More modified extended families; people stay in touch by phone, email etc.
Grandparents are helping more with looking after grandchildren because more
women are working.
Fewer classic extended families with every one living together in a household.
Changes in gender roles
Some sociologists argue that the roles of men and women in families have changed in the
last 50 years. However, many feminists disagree with this view.
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Evidence that gender roles have changed
Young and Willmott: the family has become
more symmetrical. Conjugal (married) roles
are more equal.
More women work so men help out in the
home more.
Men stay at home more and help and do not
spend all their time in the pub.
Feminism has led to more equality for
women. Policies like the Equal Pay Act means
they are more likely to work.
Evidence that gender roles have not
changed that much
Ann Oakley disagrees with Young and
Wilmot’s research .Men only had to do one
chore a week to be considered helping which
she did not think was enough
Women still do a triple shift; housework,
paid work and emotional work.
Men and women still do gender stereotyped
jobs. Men do the gardening, DIY and women
do most of the cleaning.
Feminists believe that the family is still
patriarchal. Bernard believes that men
benefit more from marriage than women.
Changes in the parent and child relationship:
In the past:



Children were treated like ‘little adults’, doing the same work and wearing the same
clothes as adults.
Children were seen and not heard, their opinions were not listened to.
Children were beaten at school and had very few rights.
Children today
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Parents are closer to their children and listen more. Families are more democratic
(children have a say).
Families are more child-centred (the children are the most important members).
Children have more rights e.g. not beaten in school.
Childhood has got longer; children spend longer in school and are financially
dependent for longer.
Changes in marriage, cohabitation and divorce.
Is marriage in decline?
o
o
o
o
Fewer people are getting married than in the past.
Less people are getting married in a church.
Civil partnerships (gay marriages) are now legal.
People are getting married later (average age of getting married is around 30).
Reasons for these changes
 Secularisation; people are less religion so are more likely to cohabit (live
together without being married) or get married in places like the London Eye.
 Women are more independent because of feminism and more likely to be in paid
work. They do not need to get married to rely on men for financial support.
 Changes in norms and values; it is more acceptable to live together and is no
longer seen as a sin.
Divorce:
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o More people are getting divorced.
o Many people get remarried after divorce (they are known as serial monogamists;
married to one person at a time one after another).
o There are more lone parent families because of higher divorce rates.
Reason for these changes:
 Legal changes; the Divorce Reform Act has made divorce easier.
 Government benefits mean women do not have to stay in unhappy marriages for
financial reasons.
 Changing attitudes mean that people will no longer stay in empty shell (loveless)
marriages.
 Secularisation; it is more socially acceptable to get divorced.
 Feminism has meant more women are working and are financially independent.
 Media role models; more celebrities are getting divorced and remarried e.g. Jordan.
Changes in family structure
Is the nuclear family still important or is family diversity such as lone parents
becoming the norm?
Evidence that families are more diverse Evidence that the nuclear family is still
important
Fewer people are getting married and
Most people do eventually get married at
more people are cohabiting today than in
some point in their lives.
the past.
More children are raised by lone parents.
7 out of 10 people still live in a household
headed by a married couple.
We have the highest teenage pregnancy
Only 3% of all mothers are unmarried
rate in Europe.
teenagers. This shows a moral panic
because there are too few to be a big
problem.
Government policy and the family
Policies to help the elderly:
State Pensions: provide financial assistance to buy food, pay rent etc, which means that
old people can look after themselves better and therefore live longer.
Policies to help children
Free education: this means children are not forced to work and can enjoy childhood for
longer. It also means children can be socially mobile if they do well in school and get a
good job.
Policies to help families:
Government benefits are provided for lone mothers. The money can ensure the children
do not have to live in poverty and prevents them getting sick if there is not enough
money for good food etc.
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