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Methods of Sociological Enquiry

2 dot points across 2 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you read a research scenario, design a sound study, justify your methodological choices, and evaluate a piece of sociological research?

Designing and evaluating research (Component 2): applying methodological knowledge to a research scenario; designing a study and justifying the choice of method and sample; the relationship between theory, methods and topic; and evaluating the strengths, limitations and ethics of a piece of research.
The applied skill at the heart of WJEC A-Level Sociology Component 2: reading a research scenario, designing a sociological study and justifying the choice of method and sample, understanding how theory, method and topic connect, and evaluating the strengths, limitations and ethics of a piece of research.
14 min answer →

What methods do sociologists use to study society, what shapes their choice, and how do validity, reliability, representativeness and ethics judge the quality of research?

Methods of sociological enquiry (Component 2): primary and secondary methods (questionnaires, interviews, observation, experiments, official statistics, documents); quantitative and qualitative data; positivist and interpretivist approaches; sampling; and the key concepts for evaluating research (validity, reliability, representativeness and ethics).
The core content of WJEC A-Level Sociology Component 2: primary and secondary research methods (questionnaires, interviews, observation, experiments, official statistics, documents), quantitative versus qualitative data, positivist and interpretivist approaches, sampling, and the concepts that evaluate research, validity, reliability, representativeness and ethics.
15 min answer →