1. You have 2 possible questions for RM:
Research Methods
Research methods comes under the ‘Theory and Methods’ section in Paper 1/3
You have 2 possible questions for RM:
10 mark – Outline and explain…
20 mark - evaluate

2. Do not rush this!! You need to include detail.
Construct
In small groups, you are going to produce either a factsheet or leaflet of the following things for your selected research method:
A summary of your research method e.g. AO1 of what a lab experiment is
Why sociologists choose this method e.g. refer to examples of why this method is preferred by either interpretivists/positivists/ feminists/functionalists etc.
Strengths and limitations of using this research method in sociological research
Do not rush this!! You need to include detail.

3. Elaborate
Speed Dating:
Number yourself 1-2
1s are going to pair up with a 2 from another pair and will swap sharing information about their research method
Each person needs to complete the ‘Revision Clock’ whilst moving around each pair:

4. Review
Now you have filled in the ‘Revision Clock’ – turn the sheet over and complete the clock on the other side WITHOUT YOUR NOTES to check how much you remember

5. Review
Consider what you think the AO’s are referring to for this question:
AO1
AO2
AO3
AO1 – What is the advantage
AO2 – Why is it useful for sociological research
AO3 – Could this be criticised with a disadvantage?
For example:
“One advantage of using statistics is that they are cheap and easy to access, involving little effort on the part of the sociologists.
“This means statistics are cheap and quick to access as its relying on secondary data therefore the sociologist does not need to go out and complete their own research, but rely on the data that iis available e.g. the crime rates of working class men.
“However, official statistics may not present a complete picture of whatever the sociologist is studying For example, the government does not collect statistics relating to the socio-economic background or employment status of people who are arrested, prosecuted or convicted and sent to prison, therefore data collected may be irrelevant to the research.

6. Construct
In pairs – you are going to write a 10 mark question that another pair will later answer.
E.g.
Remember the question will begin with:
“Outline and explain two….”

7. Field experiments
Meghan, Coucou,
Comparative method
Amelia, Holly S
Lab experiment
Annabelle T, Lucy
 Observations (participant / non participant observations)
Alyssia, Emily D
Unstructured interviews
Bella, Holly J, Chris
Structured interviews
Pippa, Annabel, Olivia
 Questionnaires
Lauren S, Livvi, Emily B
 Documents
Lauren D, Jasmine, Tilly
Official statistics
Alex, Amy

8. Elaborate
Pass your question to another pair and you will answer the 10 marker in pairs.
AO1
“One advantage/disadvantage of using ………………………………. is ……………………………………………………..”
AO2
“This could affect sociological research because…..”
AO3
“However this could be criticised because ………(method)…………. does not only have advantages/disadvantages, it also has advantages/disadvantage, for example……”

9. Elaborate
Pass your answer back to the pair who gave you the question and they will mark it out of 10 using the following mark scheme:
TOP
8-10
MIDDLE
4-7
BOTTOM
1-3

10. Lesson 2 - Research Methods
Preparation for learning:
Outline and explain two advantages of using secondary data in sociological research (10 marks)
AO1
“One advantage of using SECONDARY DATA is ……………………………………………………..”
AO2
“This could affect sociological research because…..”
AO3
“However this could be criticised because SECONDARY DATA does not only have advantages, it also has disadvantages, for example……”

11. DISADVANTAGE 1 DISADVANTAGE 2
Outline and explain two advantages of using secondary data in sociological research (10 marks)
DISADVANTAGE 1
DISADVANTAGE 2
AO1: One theoretical disadvantage of using SECONDARY DATA is that it may not provide the precise information the sociologist is interested in. For example, if a sociologist is wishing to examine the social distribution of crimes rates, they may access government statistics of how many crimes are committed in the UK population. If, for example, the researcher wants to investigate a specific social group such as social class, there may be no government stats on social class and crime rates.
AO1: One disadvantage of using SECONDARY DATA is the data may have been collected by someone/an organisation with ulterior motives and therefore may be biased. For example, if a sociologist wants to read reports on class inequalities in Britain, they may access government papers which may tell a distorted view of the true class inequalities in Britain, in order to protect themselves and their own interests e.g. Black Report.
AO2: This could affect sociological research because this will reduce the overall validity of your research because you are relying upon data which doesn’t match your hypotheses and what you set out to investigate. Therefore the researcher wont be certain whether there is a pattern between class and crime.
AO2: This could affect sociological research because this again would reduce the overall validity of the research findings because the sociological would report findings that are not true the current social climate in Britain, e.g. there are lots of opportunities for working class to get a job, when in fact there isn’t.
AO3: However this could be criticised because SECNDARY DATA does not only have disadvantages, it also has advantages, for example, it’s a quick and cheap way of doing research. Therefore, practically it saves the researchers lots of time and money gathering data.
AO3: However this could be criticised because SECNDARY DATA does not only have disadvantages, it also has advantages, for example, the sociologist can have access to large amounts of data. For example, using government education statistics, the sociologist can gather lots of data on GCSEs scores, which makes your findings highly representative.

12. Construct
One half of the room are going to plan an essay together on ESSAY 1; the other half of the room are going to plan a ESSAY 2. Write up your plans on the essay plan sheet.
ESSAY 1
ESSAY 2