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When studying sociological methods we
need to draw out links with the areas that we have already studied think
about your Family and Households module and your Wealth, Welfare and
Poverty module.
The AS
specification
The AS module on Sociological Methods is
designed to give you a good understanding of the variety of methods
employed by sociologists in their research process.
You will need to investigate:
-
the strengths and weaknesses of
different methods
-
why they chose a particular method
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illustrate your discussion of a
method with a particular study
Examinable skills
Two types of skills need to be built upon
in your sociology exams these are identified as assessment objectives
your examination is marked out of 60
Assessment objective 1
(AO1)
Knowledge and
Understanding
30 marks are given
to this
Firstly, you need to demonstrate knowledge of your
subject area. This is not enough though you need to show you actually
understand it and are not simply writing down something you've learnt by
heart. So how does the examiner see that you are 'understanding'
this is demonstrated in how you select and utilise your knowledge
to answer exam questions.
Assessment objective 2
(A02)
Identification,
analysis, interpretation and evaluation
30 marks are given
to this
The skill of evaluation is an important
one. You need to develop your sociological imagination and ask yourself
questions "What have other sociologists said?", "How did
they find out ?", "Is there any evidence of this?" etc;
Find criticisms at least two of a particular method or theory . Always
remember to identify the authors and studies that identify with the
knowledge.
-
identify appropriate pieces
of knowledge
-
distinguish between facts and
opinions
-
analyse research methods and
research studies in terms of their strengths and weakness
-
interpret material such as
research findings and statistics in order to identify any trends and
uncover the (sometimes hidden) meanings
-
evaluate all the material you
come across during your course of study
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Topic 1
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Bullet point 1
The different quantitative and
qualitative methods and sources of data, including questionnaire,
interviews, observation techniques and experiments, and documents and
official statistics
Questionnaires
Bullet point 2
The distinctions between primary and
secondary data, and between quantitative and qualitative data
Bullet point 3
The relationship between positivism and
sociological methods
Knowledge
Bullet point 4
The theoretical, practical and ethical
considerations influencing the choice of topic, choice of methods and
the conduct of research
Bullet point 5
The nature of social facts and the
strengths and limitations of different sources of data and methods of
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