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Sociology · Oct / Nov 2023 · Paper 12 · Question 1

0495

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Source A 1 Population censuses are conducted in most countries around the world. A census is a government survey investigating who lives in the country and the size of the population. The census includes data on age, ethnicity, health and employment. Different countries all gather similar population data through their censuses. Countries such as the US and the UK complete a census every ten years. Japan and Canada complete a census every five years. A survey is posted out to every household and this must be completed. Completing and returning the census to the government is a legal requirement. The process of conducting a census is time consuming and expensive because the whole population of a country is included. The data collected in the census is useful for sociologists and policy makers. In the UK a census has occurred every ten years since 1801, making it a longitudinal study.

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  • 1(a)[2]

    From Source A, identify two countries that complete a census every five years. Acceptable answers:

    Japan
    Canada One mark for each correct country identified up to a maximum of two.

  • 1(b)[2]

    Identify two types of secondary data, apart from a census. Possible answers:

    statistics – these can be official (produced by the government) or unofficial (i.e. produced by university researchers or students);
    historical documents – anything from the past from which information can be drawn. These may be records, artefacts, photographs etc.;
    personal documents – letters and diaries are the most frequently used examples of these. Anne Frank’s diary, for example;
    previous research done by other researchers e.g. previous study or old statistics;
    media materials – newspapers, magazines, novels etc.;
    any other reasonable response. One mark for any type correctly identified (up to a maximum of two).

  • 1(c)[4]

    Using information from Source A, describe two reasons why a census is useful for researchers. Possible answers:

    it is a government survey – this means that it can be conducted on a large scale which means the data can be generalised;
    a census is a government survey investigating who lives in the country – this may be useful in researching different social groups and how the population is changing;
    a census investigates the size of the population – this may be helpful in planning for the future e.g. health needs;
    because the whole population of a country is included – data sets of this size can only be undertaken by governments because of the scale and complexity and they are highly representative of the population;
    completing and returning the census to the government is a legal requirement – because of this the response rate is very high and researchers can have high confidence in the data provided;
    In the UK a census has occurred every ten years since 1801 making it a longitudinal study – this is particularly useful for identifying patterns and trends, such as population growth;
    The census includes data on age, ethnicity, health and employment – this allows researchers to make comparisons across different social groups and issues;
    different countries all gather similar population data through their census – this is enables researchers to do comparative studies between different countries for example comparing the age make up of different populations;
    a survey is posted out to every household – because every household is included there are no sampling errors;
    Japan and Canada complete a census every five years – so censuses are longitudinal and changes to the lives of the population can be monitored over time;
    the data collected in the census is useful for sociologists – who are interested in different social groups and their characteristics and position in society;
    the data collected in the census is useful for policy makers – e.g. researchers working for a charity may use the census data to argue for new initiatives to help an ageing population;
    any other reasonable response. One mark for each point that appropriately references the source (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each point that is correctly developed (up to a maximum of two).

  • 1(d)[4]

    Describe two strengths of using pre-coded questions in sociological research. Possible answers:

    produce quantitative data – which is readily presented in charts and tables;
    easy to complete – may thus improve the response rate;
    easy and quick to analyse – quantitative data produced by pre-coded questions can readily be turned into statistics or graphs, charts etc.;
    enable comparisons – as pre-coded questions give quantitative data, they allow researchers to spot trends and correlations;
    reliable – researchers can check and repeat the research because pre- coded questions tend to appear in a standardised format;
    gives quantitative data which allows for causal relationships (positivism) to be analysed – finding social facts;
    quick to complete – less demanding for respondent;
    pre-coded questions are quick and easy to answer and therefore they can be sent in surveys or questionnaires to larger samples;
    any other reasonable response. One mark for each strength correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each strength that is developed (up to a maximum of two).

  • 1(e)[8]

    Describe two strengths and two limitations of using interpretivist methods in sociological research. Possible answers: Strengths

    interpretivists work out people’s interpretations of the world by putting themselves in their shoes, develops empathy/verstehen;
    validity – data is trustworthy and honest, interpretivist methods build rapport with participants so they can be open and give more truthful answers;
    qualitative – data is more detailed therefore gives a more in-depth view into what is really happening, the desire for deep and meaningful research is at the heart of the interpretivist methods;
    positivists believe science can describe people’s actions but interpretivist methods allow the researcher to find out why individuals act as they do;
    interpretivist methods are more flexible and can react to the unforeseen, this enables interpretivists to gather data that might be missed by other approaches;
    interpretivist methods develop a relationship between respondent and researcher – misunderstandings can be solved through explanation;
    any other reasonable response. Limitations
    a micro approach – they may be unrepresentative because interpretivist methods are often small scale so it may not be possible to generalise the results for the rest of the population;
    interpretivist methods may be biased e.g. in an in-depth interview the Interviewer Effect may occur;
    researchers may get too close to their participants and lose objectivity which positivists would criticise;
    interpretivist methods may lack reliability, in-depth and flexible methods are almost impossible to replicate;
    when interpretivists use focus groups the data gathered may lack validity if participants begin to conform with others rather than speak truthfully;
    tends to be expensive – answers are extended and therefore take more researcher time both to conduct and to analyse and this brings added costs;
    time consuming – qualitative methods such as unstructured interviews tend to take longer than positivist surveys or structured interviews and this can extend the research time frame;
    any other reasonable response. One mark for each strength correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each strength that is developed (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each limitation correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each limitation that is developed (up to a maximum of two).

  • 1(f)[10]

    Explain why ethical issues may cause problems when conducting sociological research. Possible answers:

    ethical issues may cause problems with funding – research projects that would be deemed unethical may negatively impact future funding opportunities for the researcher as their reputation may have been damaged due to, for example, harming participants;
    it is not ethical to experiment on human beings if it might impact on their well-being e.g. Milgram’s electric shock experiment caused physical harm and mental anguish which is unacceptable;
    the requirement to get informed consent may be difficult to achieve where the researcher wants to do the research covertly or wants to research a group who cannot give consent, e.g. children, persons in institutions who may be viewed as not of sound mind;
    researchers involved in covert observation may face the dilemmas of having to report illegal activity e.g. James Patrick in ‘A Glasgow Gang Observed’ which may mean going into hiding due to safety fears;
    the requirement to not invade the participant’s privacy can limit any type of observation or limit the use of personal documents and thus negatively impact they quality of data gathered;
    researchers must not lie to or deceive subjects but then it may be difficult to get valid results, e.g. you must ask the subject to agree to be part of the research but they are then aware they are being researched and could change their behaviour (Hawthorne Effect);
    researchers should try to ensure anonymity but this can make follow up research difficult, e.g. an anonymous survey where people do not give personal details cannot be followed up;
    it can be difficult to achieve confidentiality if the researcher is researching a small social group, they may be too readily identifiable;
    racism or sexism from a researcher is unethical and may cause distress or offence to a respondent who may then withdraw from the research or refuse to co-operate OR may cause data to be biased due to the researcher’s racist/sexist interpretation;
    any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4–7 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [8–10 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well-developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well-focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.

  • 1(g)[15]

    To what extent are structured interviews the best method for sociological research? Possible answers: Arguments for:

    if the participant does not understand a question the interviewer can explain it thus minimising any confusion;
    there is a higher response rate than with self-completion questionnaires as the respondent has agreed to participate and is being asked questions by an interviewer rather than being sent a survey which they may or may not respond to;
    easy to analyse/quantify and categorise responses to produce quantitative data due to the closed nature of the questions asked;
    they tend to have good reliability due to the standardised nature of the questions i.e. the same questions are asked in the same order to all respondents;
    relatively large numbers can be undertaken because the interviews are relatively quick and easy to administer, which improves representativeness over methods such as unstructured interviews;
    positivists prefer structured interviews because they have less subjectivity than unstructured interviews leading to more objective data – the questions are pre-set in advance and all respondents are asked the same questions;
    practical advantages – they are quick and easy to administer due to them being a list of pre-set closed questions, so they do not necessarily require a highly skilled interviewer;
    practical advantages, as they are standardised and use closed questions, structured interviews can easily be completed over the phone or online;
    any other reasonable response. Arguments against:
    they tend to be inflexible due their structured nature and therefore the respondent’s view cannot be explored in any detail through probing using additional questions;
    they may take more time and are therefore more expensive than other methods such as self-completion questionnaires;
    interviewer effect – the answers given by respondents may be influenced by the interviewer through their social characteristics (age, gender, etc.), tone of voice or manner and this may lower the validity of the data gathered;
    the questions tend to be closed and are therefore limited in terms of the level of detail which may negatively affect validity;
    semi-structured and unstructured interviews are higher in validity than structured interviews because they allow the researcher to ask supplementary questions and probe for more detail;
    semi-structured and unstructured interviews are more informal and relaxed than structured interviews which helps build rapport and trust allowing the respondent to be honest and be open, thus encouraging valid answers;
    semi-structured and unstructured interviews allow flexibility according to participant’s social identity so some questions may be missed out altogether or re-phrased to suit the situation;
    semi-structured and unstructured interviews can gather qualitative data enabling a deeper insight into the respondents’ thoughts;
    triangulation may be needed to add qualitative data to the quantitative data gained from structured interviews, to give a more balanced and holistic picture;
    any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one- sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5–8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two- sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list-like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9–12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well-developed, focused on the questions and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two-sided response, but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13–15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well-developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two-sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.
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