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Component 2: Methods of Sociological Enquiry

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do experiments and questionnaires work, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

Component 2: experiments (laboratory and field experiments, the comparative method) and questionnaires (structured, postal and online), including their practical, ethical and theoretical strengths and limitations and the factors affecting the choice between them.
An Eduqas A-Level Sociology Component 2 guide to experiments and questionnaires. Covers laboratory and field experiments, the comparative method, structured, postal and online questionnaires, and the practical, ethical and theoretical (PET) factors that shape their strengths, limitations and use, with the methods skills the paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How do interviews and observation give access to meanings, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

Component 2: interviews (structured, unstructured, semi-structured and group) and observation (participant and non-participant, overt and covert), including their practical, ethical and theoretical strengths and limitations and their appeal to interpretivists.
An Eduqas A-Level Sociology Component 2 guide to interviews and observation. Covers structured, unstructured, semi-structured and group interviews and participant and non-participant, overt and covert observation, the practical, ethical and theoretical factors that shape them, and why interpretivists favour these qualitative methods.
15 min answer →

How do positivism and interpretivism shape the way sociologists study society?

Component 2: the philosophical foundations of sociological research, including positivism and interpretivism, the question of whether sociology is a science, primary and secondary data, quantitative and qualitative data, and key concepts such as reliability, validity, representativeness and objectivity.
An Eduqas A-Level Sociology Component 2 guide to the foundations of research. Covers positivism (Comte, Durkheim) versus interpretivism (Weber, Verstehen), the debate over whether sociology is a science, primary and secondary data, quantitative and qualitative data, and the key concepts of reliability, validity, representativeness and objectivity.
15 min answer →

How do sociologists sample, and what ethical and design principles must research follow?

Component 2: sampling techniques (random, systematic, stratified, quota, snowball and opportunity), the research design process (aims, hypotheses, operationalisation, pilot studies), and research ethics (informed consent, confidentiality, harm and the BSA guidelines).
An Eduqas A-Level Sociology Component 2 guide to research design and ethics. Covers the sampling techniques (random, systematic, stratified, quota, snowball and opportunity), the stages of research design (aims, hypotheses, operationalisation, pilot studies), and the ethical principles of informed consent, confidentiality and avoiding harm, with the methods skills the design question rewards.
15 min answer →

How useful are official statistics and documents as secondary sources of data?

Component 2: secondary data, including official statistics (hard and soft) and documents (personal, public, historical), their practical, ethical and theoretical strengths and limitations, and the positivist and interpretivist views of their value.
An Eduqas A-Level Sociology Component 2 guide to secondary data. Covers official statistics (hard and soft), personal, public and historical documents, the four document checks (authenticity, credibility, representativeness, meaning), and the positivist versus interpretivist debate over their value, with the methods skills the paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How are sociological theory and research methods connected, and can sociology be value-free?

Component 2: the relationship between theory and methods, including how perspectives shape method choice, the factors affecting the choice of method (PET), triangulation and mixed methods, and the debate over objectivity and value freedom (Weber, Gouldner, Becker).
An Eduqas A-Level Sociology Component 2 guide to theory and methods. Covers how perspectives shape method choice, the practical, ethical and theoretical (PET) factors, triangulation and mixed methods, and the value-freedom debate (Weber, Gouldner, Becker, positivism and the influence of values), with the synoptic skills the paper rewards.
15 min answer →