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Covers the whole AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) specification: the sociological approach and research methods, families, education, crime and deviance, and social stratification, for Paper 1 and Paper 2.

The sociological approach and research methods

Papers 1 and 2

  • The sociological approach: perspectives, key thinkers and how 8192 is assessed3.1, 3.2
    • Compare consensus and conflict views, and the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and interactionist perspectives
    • Place Durkheim, Marx and Weber in their time and say what each added to sociology
    • Use key terms precisely: socialisation, norms, values, roles, status, labelling, power and authority
    • Answer each question type as it is marked, from the 3-mark describe to the 12-mark discuss how far
    LessonPractice
  • Sociological research methods3.7
    • Design research: aims, hypotheses, pilot studies, sampling and analysis
    • Weigh questionnaires, interviews and observation, qualitative and quantitative data, and mixed methods
    • Judge primary and secondary sources, official and non-official statistics, and read tables and charts
    • Handle practical issues (time, cost, access) and ethical issues (consent, confidentiality, harm)
    LessonPractice

Families

Paper 1 Section A

  • Functions of families and family forms3.3.1, 3.3.2
    • Explain the functions of families and how functionalists, Marxists and feminists see them
    • Describe Parsons' view of primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities
    • Describe family forms in the UK and globally, and the Rapoports' five types of family diversity
    LessonPractice
  • Conjugal roles and changing relationships within families3.3.3, 3.3.4
    • Explain joint and segregated conjugal roles and the domestic division of labour
    • Describe Oakley's feminist view of the conventional family, and Willmott and Young's symmetrical family
    • Explain changing relationships between partners, parents and children, and the elderly, over time
    LessonPractice
  • Criticisms of families, and divorce3.3.5, 3.3.6
    • Explain criticisms of families, with Zaretsky's Marxist view and Delphy and Leonard's feminist view
    • Explain why divorce has risen since 1945: the law, attitudes, secularisation and women's status
    • Explain the consequences of divorce for family members and the rise of lone-parent families
    LessonPractice

Education

Paper 1 Section B

  • The roles and functions of education, and education and capitalism3.4.1, 3.4.2
    • Explain Durkheim's view of education and social cohesion, and Parsons' view of meritocracy
    • Describe types of school and alternatives such as home schooling and deschooling
    • Explain Bowles and Gintis's correspondence principle and how other perspectives respond
    LessonPractice
  • Factors affecting educational achievement3.4.3
    • Explain how social class, gender and ethnicity affect achievement
    • Describe Halsey's work on class-based inequalities
    • Describe Ball's work on parental choice and competition between schools
    LessonPractice
  • Processes within schools3.4.4
    • Explain streaming, setting, mixed-ability teaching, labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy
    • Describe Ball's work on teacher expectations and banding
    • Describe Willis's work on counter-school culture
    LessonPractice

Crime and deviance

Paper 2 Section A

  • The social construction of crime and deviance, and social control3.5.1, 3.5.2
    • Explain how crime and deviance are socially constructed
    • Describe Merton's strain theory and Becker's labelling theory
    • Explain formal and informal social control, and Heidensohn's view of female conformity
    LessonPractice
  • Factors affecting criminal and deviant behaviour3.5.3
    • Explain how class, gender, ethnicity and age relate to crime
    • Describe Albert Cohen's delinquent subcultures and Carlen's work on women, crime and poverty
    • Explain public debates over violent crime, sentencing, young offenders, prisons and the media
    LessonPractice
  • Data on crime3.5.4
    • Describe the main sources of data on crime: police recorded crime, victim surveys and self-report studies
    • Explain the dark figure of crime and why crime goes unreported or unrecorded
    • Judge how useful each source is, and how perspectives read crime statistics
    LessonPractice

Social stratification

Paper 2 Section B

  • Theories of stratification and socio-economic class3.6.1, 3.6.2
    • Explain Davis and Moore's functionalist theory of stratification and its critics
    • Explain Marx's view of class and Weber's view of class, status and party
    • Describe socio-economic class divisions in the UK
    LessonPractice
  • Life chances and poverty3.6.3, 3.6.4
    • Explain how class, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, sexuality and religion affect life chances
    • Describe Devine's study revisiting the affluent worker
    • Explain Townsend's relative deprivation and Murray's underclass, and how governments have tackled poverty
    LessonPractice
  • Power and authority, and power relationships3.6.5, 3.6.6
    • Explain Weber's traditional, charismatic and rational-legal authority, and formal and informal power
    • Explain how class, gender, ethnicity, age and other factors shape power relationships
    • Describe Walby's view of patriarchy
    LessonPractice

Independent practice for AQA GCSE Sociology (8192). Not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA.

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