IGCSE SOCIOLOGY UNIT 1 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
Structuralism - ANSWER An approach focusing on large scale social structures in which people play
defined roles.
Macro/micro - ANSWER large scale, whole societies/small scale social interactions.
Interpretivism - ANSWER Approaches that start at the level of the individual, small scale phenomena,
qualitative methods
Identity - ANSWER How a person sees themselves and how others see them.
Perspectives - ANSWER Ways of viewing social life.
Consensus - ANSWER Basic agreement on a set of shared values + shared beliefs and practices, resulting
in a stable society.
Conflict - ANSWER Disagreement between different groups with different values and interests, an
unstable society.
Positivism - ANSWER An approach to sociology favouring scientific research methods.
Quantiative data - ANSWER Information that can be expressed in statistical or numerical form
Bias - ANSWER Prejudice that distorts fhe truth when research is influenced by researcher's personal
values.
Objectivity - ANSWER Absence of bias
Factors in deiciding research topics - ANSWER -interests
, -new developments in society
-funding
-if it is practical
-ethical issues
Hypothesis - ANSWER A theory or explanation at the start of research that research is designed to test.
Pilot study - ANSWER A small scale test of a piece of a research project before the main research is
started.
Survey population - ANSWER All those to whom the findings of a study apply and from whicj the sample
is chosen.
Sampling frame - ANSWER A list of members of the same population from which the sample is chosen.
Common sampling frames - ANSWER -electoral roll
-telephone directories
-school registers
Generalisability - ANSWER When the findings about a sample can be said to apply to a larger group of
people sharing those characteristics.
Random sampling - ANSWER When each person has an equal chance of being selected.
Stratified sampling - ANSWER When the sampling age is divided eg by gender/race
Quota sampling - ANSWER Deciding in advance how many people with what characteristics to involve in
the research and then identifying them
Snowball sampling - ANSWER When one respondent puts the research in contact with others.
AND ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
Structuralism - ANSWER An approach focusing on large scale social structures in which people play
defined roles.
Macro/micro - ANSWER large scale, whole societies/small scale social interactions.
Interpretivism - ANSWER Approaches that start at the level of the individual, small scale phenomena,
qualitative methods
Identity - ANSWER How a person sees themselves and how others see them.
Perspectives - ANSWER Ways of viewing social life.
Consensus - ANSWER Basic agreement on a set of shared values + shared beliefs and practices, resulting
in a stable society.
Conflict - ANSWER Disagreement between different groups with different values and interests, an
unstable society.
Positivism - ANSWER An approach to sociology favouring scientific research methods.
Quantiative data - ANSWER Information that can be expressed in statistical or numerical form
Bias - ANSWER Prejudice that distorts fhe truth when research is influenced by researcher's personal
values.
Objectivity - ANSWER Absence of bias
Factors in deiciding research topics - ANSWER -interests
, -new developments in society
-funding
-if it is practical
-ethical issues
Hypothesis - ANSWER A theory or explanation at the start of research that research is designed to test.
Pilot study - ANSWER A small scale test of a piece of a research project before the main research is
started.
Survey population - ANSWER All those to whom the findings of a study apply and from whicj the sample
is chosen.
Sampling frame - ANSWER A list of members of the same population from which the sample is chosen.
Common sampling frames - ANSWER -electoral roll
-telephone directories
-school registers
Generalisability - ANSWER When the findings about a sample can be said to apply to a larger group of
people sharing those characteristics.
Random sampling - ANSWER When each person has an equal chance of being selected.
Stratified sampling - ANSWER When the sampling age is divided eg by gender/race
Quota sampling - ANSWER Deciding in advance how many people with what characteristics to involve in
the research and then identifying them
Snowball sampling - ANSWER When one respondent puts the research in contact with others.
