AQA A-Level Sociology: Research Methods

Read Item A below and then answer the question that follows.

Item A — written for this exercise

A sociologist wanted to understand how young carers experience looking after a sick or disabled parent. She felt that a fixed list of questions would not capture the complicated and changing nature of their feelings, so she chose to use unstructured interviews. Working through a local support group, she spent time getting to know fourteen young people before each interview, and in the interviews themselves she followed wherever the conversation led, asking participants to say more whenever something interesting or unexpected came up. She found that, once trust had been built, the young carers spoke openly about painful experiences they had never disclosed to teachers or social workers.

Critics of her approach pointed out that no two interviews covered the same ground, that the sample was tiny and self-selected, and that another researcher could not have repeated the study and obtained the same results. They also suggested that the warmth of the relationship she had built might have led participants to tell her what they thought she wanted to hear.

Question: Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using unstructured interviews in sociological research. [20 marks]

Read Item B below and then answer the question that follows.

Item B — written for this exercise

A research team was awarded a small grant to investigate bullying in secondary schools. The funding body wanted results within a single school term, which ruled out any method that would take years to complete. The team also found that gaining access was difficult: head teachers were reluctant to let outsiders observe lessons, and worried that pupils might be upset by questions about being bullied. Some members of the team argued that, whatever the practical difficulties, the most important consideration was getting valid, in-depth data on how pupils themselves understood their experiences, rather than simply counting incidents.

Question: Applying material from Item B, analyse two factors that may influence a sociologist's choice of research method. [10 marks]

Outline and explain two advantages of using official statistics in sociological research. [10 marks]

Outline three problems of using participant observation in sociological research. [6 marks]

Outline two ethical issues that sociologists must consider when conducting research. [4 marks]

Outline two features of the positivist approach to research. [4 marks]