GCSE Sociology Revision
The Sociological Approach:
Basic Terms:
laws - rules and regulations adopted by society to which people are expected to follow
culture - the beliefs, ideas and practices of a particular group of society
norms - informal rules that influence social behaviour
values - important beliefs held by individuals and social groups
Nature vs Nurture:
nature - born with / inherited ie. genetics
nurture - developed during life / learnt from others
A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age where
they have little or no experience of human care, behaviour, and crucially, language.
Socialisation:
socialisation - a life-long process of social development
primary socialisation - the informal process where you learn the norms, values, attitudes, skills and actions
of your culture.
the main influence is family and home life and happens in early childhood.
secondary socialisation - learning through other agencies like school and media.
this continues to occur throughout our lives.
Sociologists believe that for someone to be human they must interact and learn from others in this process.
Some of our character is inherited, but our behaviour, norms and values are learnt from others.
This process is also one of social control, regulating our behaviour and bringing conformity to the
norms and laws of society. The opposite of this is deviance.
Agents of Socialisation / Social Institutions:
family peer law
school group religion
media
Our agencies of socialisation also act as agencies of
social control as they can impose sanctions to make people conform.
Culture:
culture - a shared learned way of life for a particular group, and their beliefs, ideas and practices
cultural diversity - the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society
subculture - a cultural group within a larger culture, often having varying ideas and interests
sociobiology - based on the idea that some behaviour is at least partly inherited and can be affected by
natural selection.
it focuses on genetics and Darwin’s theory.
sex - the biological traits that society has associated with being male or female
gender - the social differences between the sexes, masculinity and femininity
ethnicity - the group that people belong to based on culture, race and history
Social Structure and Stratification:
social stratification - when society is separated into different layers and groups
strata - the layer or group that a person belongs to, seen as being above or below another
status - the honour or standing connected to somebody’s position in society
diagram overleaf
Social Class:
social-economic class - the status a person has based on things such as income and occupation
social mobility - the movement of an individual up or down the class scale
stratified non- stratified
society: society:
top
, class
(income
a(layers) )
middle
all are equal
bottom
cultural capital - plentiful materials, for example, books, art, music, travel
material deprivation - deprived of life resources, opposite of above
Feminists say that social class is less important than male dominance
Marxists argue that there is a strong correlation between social class and life experience, for example
marriage, family life and education.
Life Chances:
life chances - people’s chances of having positive or negative outcomes
Life Chances affected by Social Class:
life expectancy and health type of house likelihood of being unemployed
diet and how much level of education and amount of disposable income
type of holidays and how qualifications
often chances of being a victim of
Research Methods:
Types of Data:
The job of sociologists is to research trends and problems in society, to come up with solutions. They are
social researchers.
primary data - information gathered at first hand by a researcher
secondary data - data from pre-existing research
some examples are: the office of national statistics, the census
quantitative data - information presented in a numerical form, presented in charts and graphs
+ quick
+ cost-effective
qualitative data - information presented in a variety of forms that is rich in descriptive detail, presented in a
variety of forms
+ descriptive and detailed
– takes time
mixed methods research - generates both qualitative and quantitative data in one study
triangulation - cross-checking the findings from a qualitative method against the findings from a
quantitative method
Process of Research:
The job of sociologists is to research trends and problems in society, to come up with solutions. They are
social researchers.
reliability - if research can be repeated and consistently produce the same results
factors to consider overleaf
Factors to Consider:
Practical: issues that affect how you will carry out your study
Participants: who they are and how you will get them to take part
Time: the deadline you have
Money: how much you have to spend - affects the methods you use
Ethical: issues that address the safety and protection of your participants and yourself
Consent: making sure the participants agree to participate - permission
Confidentiality: keep personal information safe
Protection from Harm: making sure you and the respondents are always safe
Deceit: whether the researcher must lie or pretend
Sensitivity of the Issue
The Sociological Approach:
Basic Terms:
laws - rules and regulations adopted by society to which people are expected to follow
culture - the beliefs, ideas and practices of a particular group of society
norms - informal rules that influence social behaviour
values - important beliefs held by individuals and social groups
Nature vs Nurture:
nature - born with / inherited ie. genetics
nurture - developed during life / learnt from others
A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age where
they have little or no experience of human care, behaviour, and crucially, language.
Socialisation:
socialisation - a life-long process of social development
primary socialisation - the informal process where you learn the norms, values, attitudes, skills and actions
of your culture.
the main influence is family and home life and happens in early childhood.
secondary socialisation - learning through other agencies like school and media.
this continues to occur throughout our lives.
Sociologists believe that for someone to be human they must interact and learn from others in this process.
Some of our character is inherited, but our behaviour, norms and values are learnt from others.
This process is also one of social control, regulating our behaviour and bringing conformity to the
norms and laws of society. The opposite of this is deviance.
Agents of Socialisation / Social Institutions:
family peer law
school group religion
media
Our agencies of socialisation also act as agencies of
social control as they can impose sanctions to make people conform.
Culture:
culture - a shared learned way of life for a particular group, and their beliefs, ideas and practices
cultural diversity - the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society
subculture - a cultural group within a larger culture, often having varying ideas and interests
sociobiology - based on the idea that some behaviour is at least partly inherited and can be affected by
natural selection.
it focuses on genetics and Darwin’s theory.
sex - the biological traits that society has associated with being male or female
gender - the social differences between the sexes, masculinity and femininity
ethnicity - the group that people belong to based on culture, race and history
Social Structure and Stratification:
social stratification - when society is separated into different layers and groups
strata - the layer or group that a person belongs to, seen as being above or below another
status - the honour or standing connected to somebody’s position in society
diagram overleaf
Social Class:
social-economic class - the status a person has based on things such as income and occupation
social mobility - the movement of an individual up or down the class scale
stratified non- stratified
society: society:
top
, class
(income
a(layers) )
middle
all are equal
bottom
cultural capital - plentiful materials, for example, books, art, music, travel
material deprivation - deprived of life resources, opposite of above
Feminists say that social class is less important than male dominance
Marxists argue that there is a strong correlation between social class and life experience, for example
marriage, family life and education.
Life Chances:
life chances - people’s chances of having positive or negative outcomes
Life Chances affected by Social Class:
life expectancy and health type of house likelihood of being unemployed
diet and how much level of education and amount of disposable income
type of holidays and how qualifications
often chances of being a victim of
Research Methods:
Types of Data:
The job of sociologists is to research trends and problems in society, to come up with solutions. They are
social researchers.
primary data - information gathered at first hand by a researcher
secondary data - data from pre-existing research
some examples are: the office of national statistics, the census
quantitative data - information presented in a numerical form, presented in charts and graphs
+ quick
+ cost-effective
qualitative data - information presented in a variety of forms that is rich in descriptive detail, presented in a
variety of forms
+ descriptive and detailed
– takes time
mixed methods research - generates both qualitative and quantitative data in one study
triangulation - cross-checking the findings from a qualitative method against the findings from a
quantitative method
Process of Research:
The job of sociologists is to research trends and problems in society, to come up with solutions. They are
social researchers.
reliability - if research can be repeated and consistently produce the same results
factors to consider overleaf
Factors to Consider:
Practical: issues that affect how you will carry out your study
Participants: who they are and how you will get them to take part
Time: the deadline you have
Money: how much you have to spend - affects the methods you use
Ethical: issues that address the safety and protection of your participants and yourself
Consent: making sure the participants agree to participate - permission
Confidentiality: keep personal information safe
Protection from Harm: making sure you and the respondents are always safe
Deceit: whether the researcher must lie or pretend
Sensitivity of the Issue
