A Level Sociology WJEC

This subject is broken down into 130 topics in 13 modules:

  1. Socialisation, Culture and Identity 3 topics
  2. Families and Households 16 topics
  3. Youth Cultures 14 topics
  4. Education 9 topics
  5. Media 10 topics
  6. Religion 9 topics
  7. Methods of Sociological Enquiry 8 topics
  8. Power and Stratification 17 topics
  9. Crime and Deviance 14 topics
  10. Health and disability 10 topics
  11. Politics 10 topics
  12. World Sociology 7 topics
  13. Social Inequality and Applied Methods of Sociological Enquiry 3 topics
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  • 13
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  • 130
    topics
  • 47,508
    words of revision content
  • 6+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Sociology

Socialisation, Culture and Identity

Education

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Education

Education and Socialisation

  • Socialisation is the process through which individuals learn the norms, values, and behaviours of their society. Education is a critical part of this process.
  • Formal socialisation occurs in structured environments like schools. Here pupils learn explicit rules, such as dress code, and implicit ones, such as disciplinary expectations.
  • Hidden curriculum refers to the unspoken or implicit lessons that children learn in school, such as obedience to authority and conformity.
  • Education serves as an agent of secondary socialisation, reinforcing societal norms and values and shaping individuals' behaviour and attitudes.

Theoretical Perspectives on Education

Functionalism

  • Functionalists believe education plays a vital role in maintaining social cohesion and order.
  • They argue that education imparts a shared value consensus which is crucial for social harmony.
  • They see education as preparing individuals for their future roles in society; this concept is known as role allocation.

Marxism

  • Marxists view education as a tool used by the bourgeoisie (the ruling class) to perpetuate their dominance over the proletariat (the working class).
  • They argue that education reproduces class inequalities by favouring the rich and disadvantaging the poor.
  • They also believe that education serves to instil the ideology of the ruling class, a phenomenon referred to as ideological state apparatus.

Interactionism

  • Interactionists focus on individual experiences and interactions within the education system.
  • They argue that labelling and self-fulfilling prophecy can impact a child's educational achievement - if a child is labelled as 'bright' or 'dull', they may internalise this label and act accordingly.
  • They also study how factors such as race, gender and class can affect teacher expectations and subsequently impact student performance.

Culture and Identity in Education

  • Education can shape an individuals' cultural outlooks through the teaching of literature, history, and social sciences.
  • It can form a major part of individuals' societal identity – for example, the prestige associated with attending a prestigious university can affect personal identity.
  • Pupils may develop a unique educational identity as a part of a subculture within the school, influenced by factors such as peer groups, teacher perceptions, and academic achievement.
  • The interplay of factors such as gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status can influence a student's educational experiences, outcomes and overall identity.

Educational Policy and Equality

  • Government educational policies play key roles in shaping the education system and attempt to address educational inequality.
  • Policies such as the introduction of grammar schools, the tripartite system, comprehensive schooling, and academies each hold differing implications for social equality.
  • The correlation between social class and educational achievement is a key concern in the sociology of education.
  • Factors such as material deprivation, cultural capital, and social capital have significant impacts on educational access and achievement.

Course material for Sociology, module Socialisation, Culture and Identity, topic Education

Sociology

Methods of Sociological Enquiry

Sampling

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Sampling

Understanding Sampling

  • Sampling refers to the process by which researchers select members of a population to participate in their study.

  • An effective sample should be a representative subset of the population under investigation.

  • Sampling is essential for conducting studies, as studying the entire population can prove impractical or impossible because of limitations such as cost and time.

Types of Sampling

  • Probability Sampling: This type of sampling ensures every individual in the population has an equal chance to be selected, leading to a more representative sample. Examples include simple random sampling, stratified sampling, and systematic sampling.

  • Non-Probability Sampling: This type does not provide all individuals an equal chance to be selected and might not represent the population perfectly. Examples include purposive sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling.

Key Considerations in Sampling

  • Sample Size: The number of participants in the study can impact the reliability and accuracy of results. Larger samples typically provide more accurate results, but also require more resources.

  • Sampling Bias: This happens when certain segments of the population are overrepresented or underrepresented. This could jeopardize the representativeness of the sample, leading to skewed results.

  • Validity and Reliability: The chosen method should result in a sample where the results from it can be extrapolated to the wider population (validity) and where repeating the study would yield the same results (reliability).

Sampling in Quantitative and Qualitative Research

  • In quantitative research, probability sampling methods are often used to ensure representativeness and allow generalisation of findings.

  • In qualitative research, non-probability sampling methods are more common because the goal is to deep dive into specific phenomena, not necessarily to generalise findings to the wider population.

Importance of Sampling in Sociological Enquiry

  • Sampling plays a crucial role in sociological enquiry by allowing researchers to draw conclusions about societies or social groups based on data collected from a subset of the population.

  • The sampling technique chosen has implications for the validity, reliability, and potential for generalization of the study's findings.

Course material for Sociology, module Methods of Sociological Enquiry, topic Sampling

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