Examine the reasons why sociologists choose to use secondary sources when conducting research.
Examine the reasons why sociologists choose to use secondary sources when conducting research. Secondary sources of information come in many forms. These can range from official statistics produced by the government on areas such as schools and crime and data published on the internet or in books by other sociologists who did their own research. Many sociologists as well as doing their own research use secondary data to back up what they may have found or also sometimes they use it so they don't have to have the hassle of doing a long winded study when they can just use other findings instead and publish their facts and figures more quickly. However using secondary data can have its limitations and by using it you may come across errors and anomalies which a sociologist may not come across if they had done collected their own primary data. Firstly sociologists are often more likely to use secondary data instead of collecting their own data for a number of reasons. One of these is that it is much more quick and easier to collect secondary data. A lot of secondary data is stored on the internet in big chunks and an upcoming sociologist who may not know much on collecting their own data could easily find and collect this secondary data in just a matter of seconds. If a sociologist was studying children and how well they are doing in certain schools he/she could find league
Examine the factors that influence a sociologist choice of research method
Examine the factors that influence a sociologist choice of research method They are various ways and methods sociologists use to research on society. These can come as a quantitative research method or it could come as a qualitative research methods. Firstly, I would begin by annotating the meaning behind the words, qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative methods are basically used by people that support the use of scientific investigation. Its usually includes numerical statistical methods. Its purpose is to expand and utilize mathematical techniques, conjecture and hypotheses. In contrast to this we got the qualitative research methods. This is usually used by sociologist that supports the use of humanistic research. In contrast to quantitative methods, qualitative research methods depend on the in depth reasons behind the way some people in society behave. In a qualitative method they are more prone to ask questions asking, 'why?' or 'how?' compared to a quantitative data which would more likely ask more straight forward questions like, 'what?' or 'where'. In qualitative methods the research usually focuses on small samples instead of in the case of quantitative research whereas focus lacks and the methods usually inhabits a larger, random samples. Unlike a quantitative method where the research depends restrictedly on the investigation of arithmetical or
Assess different sociological accounts of the role and functions of religion in contemporary society'
'Assess different sociological accounts of the role and functions of religion in contemporary society' Over the years there have been many accounts put forward by different groups of sociologists to try and explain the role and functions of religion in society. The functionalists believe that religion is good and makes a useful contribution to society as it draws people together and makes it a better community. Durkheim believed that when you practice religion you in engage in collective worship of society. Durkheim based his study on Aborigines in Australia. Each clan had a totem that they worshiped, it was a way of worshipping their society, togetherness it was also a symbol of God. He says that society is more important than individual religion as it reinforces collective consciousness and that having a social life would be impossible if people didn't share the same values and beliefs. Durkheim gives an accurate picture of what the aborigine's life was like, and it showed that having the same norms and values can draw people together and give a sense of community but worshipping their own society may be true of the aborigines but may not be true of other cultures or of all societies in the modern world. Also in the modern day society there is more than one religion and everyone worships different things and religion and society are totally separate, there is also the
Assess sociologists explanations for the increase in the number of divorces since 1960?
Assess sociologists explanations for the increase in the number of divorces since the 1960's? Society has changed and developed since the 1960's. One of the ways in which society has changed is the increase in the number of divorces. Although this is a fact, there are a variety of reasons and theories created by sociologists that try and explain this increase. One of the key reasons is the change in law, as three new acts have been created that have affected the divorce rate. The main one is The Divorce Law Reform Act 1969, (although it didn't come into affect until 1971) which allowed married couples to acquire a divorce on the basis that it didn't work anymore, refered to as "irretrievable break down." Before couples had to prove that one partner had commited a matrimonal offence: adultery, desertion or violence, while from 1971, they could divorce if they'd been seperated for a minumum of 2 years. The further two acts since the 1960's: The Matrimonal and Family Proceedings Act 1984 and The Family Law Act 1996 have altered the divorce rate. The former increased the divorce rate, as it allowed couples to get divorced after one year of marriage, which could have stopped people working on their marriage, while the latter increased the time before a couple could obtain a divorce to 18 months and introduced compulsory marriage counselling sessions. Law is an important
Examine The Problems That Some Sociologists May Find When Using Participant Observations In Research
Examine The Problems That Some Sociologists May Find When Using Participant Observations In Research All sociological research methods involve observation, however, participant observations is defined by when the researcher themselves participates in the activities of those he or she is observing and studying. Hughes (1976), describes participant observation as, ' When the researcher becomes part of a daily round, learning languages and meanings, rules of impersonal, relations... and in short, living the life of the people under study.' 1 Participant observations come in two forms, overt participant observations, in which, the researcher informs the groups members about the purpose of the research and othe details, and there is covert participant observations, in which, the researcher joins the group without informing the members, the research is carried out secretly and the members of the group are unaware they are being studied. This in itself can raise many issues. When carrying out participant observations, whether covert or overt, there are many problems that can occur, including time, cost, bias, replication, generalisation, validity, reliability and ethical issues. An important aspect when carrying out participant observations is that the researcher must observe people in their natural settings, the researcher must not disturb that setting. In Parker's study (View
Evaluation of Functionalism and Marxism
Introduction to Sociology - Task 3 Sociology is made up of different perspectives that agree and disagree in many areas, which help to explain the nature of society and its complexities. Two of the most influential perspectives which have helped shape sociological beliefs, and explain how societies function as well as interpret the causes of social change, are functionalism and Marxism. Functionalism and Marxism are structural approaches and therefore agree that society can be analysed in terms of a specific structure, with less emphasis being placed on individuals. They also can be referred to as holistic or macro approaches as they look at society as a whole, or the 'big picture'. Despite these similarities however, there are major contradictions when it comes to explanations of society. Functionalists believe that society is based around consensus which is achieved through most people in society sharing the same values. Marxists discard this theory however, suggesting that conflict between different groups pursuing their own interests is what is important when understanding society. Major functionalist influences including Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and Robert K. Merton (1910-2003) believe that society is made up of different interrelating systems, all of which have their own vital purposes and functions, which depend upon one another. An organic analogy is often used to
How do issues of inequality inform analyses of women(TM)s position in the labour market?
How do issues of inequality inform analyses of women's position in the labour market? By Zhamilya Azerbayeva Wikipedia defines gender inequality as "obvious or hidden disparities among individuals based on performance of gender". The development of feminism had led to attention being focused on the subordinate position of women in many societies. Many feminists put more emphasis on the position of women in the labour market as an important source of female disadvantage. Both Marxist feminists and liberal feminists see employment opportunities as crucial to understanding gender inequalities. Liberal feminists aim to combat the gendered division of labour. They believe that women as individuals deserve the right to pursue their interests without any barriers halting such progress. They want to bring about changes in existing systems that will allow women to progress to their desired occupation. However it can be argued that they are combating the problem in the wrong way. Instead of changing current systems and barriers in the law they need to seek out the major root of the problem which, many sociologists claim, is the upbringing and socialisation of children. Minimising gender divisions at an early age will minimise the future gendered division of labour. Generally, the issues of inequality brought up by feminists' movement drew attention to the fact that women are being
Culture Awareness
Culture Awareness I was planning to take a leisurely trip this summer, but now I think I'll have to change my plans. Instead I'll probably have to take a crash course in Sensitivity for the Culturally Unaware. Maybe it's because I grew up in Chicago, perhaps the most culturally diverse city in the country. Maybe it's because I have a mulatto niece and nephew. Maybe it's because my cousin's last name is now Hernandez. Maybe it's because my wife's cousin is a Native American. Or maybe it's because we Poles have borne the brunt of more jokes than any other ethnic group, but all this time I thought I was aware of other cultures and the feelings of members of other ethnic groups and minorities. Now I guess I'm not. At least my union newsletter, the BEA_Messenger, says I'm not in an article on multicultural awareness. I for one take pride in our nation's history in regard to minorities. Minority groups founded this nation. The religious groups who felt the pressure of persecution in their homelands came here to begin new lives, and eventually a new nation. The ethnic groups that came in a great flood of immigrants came to escape the economic oppression of their homelands. Those groups, too, found a way to become part of the American experience. They didn't need, nor did they demand, any laws requiring acceptance into society. Kindness, tolerance and respect
Sociology Essay: Where should we look to explain working class failure?
Sociology essay: Where should we look to explain working class failure? From a consensus perspective societies are held together by a common interest between the people therefore society's institutes like schools serve this function i.e. everyone's interests. From a conflict perspective society is viewed very differently, it's seen as a power battle between rich/poor and powerful/weak. They also view society's institutes in this way e.g. schooling does not serve everyone's interests according to the needs of society but instead serves the interests of the middle class and the powerful. Parents and peers influence academic achievement a great deal the parents values and language skills and the level of education they received has a great deal to do with how they view their Childs educational attainment. The parents economic position influences how the children are brought up many parents who live in poor housing and are unemployed and not very well educated pay less of an interest and encourage there children to do well a lot less than middle class parents. The teachers influence also effects how pupils perform in the class, children already coming into school labelled as less smarter or thick or pushed aside by the class they already lack motivation and encouragement to succeed. Equal educational opportunities don't really seem to exist. The working class and the middle
Examine the sociological explanations of the process of socialisation.
D) Examine the sociological explanations of the process of socialisation. Socialisation is the name given to the learning of one's culture and how to live within it. One of the sociological theories is that of the Functionalist. They believe that the child is born a blank slate and that the family is a "personality factory". Since the family is the primary stage of socialisation, the function of the parents is to train and mould the child into the image of society and the child will often imitate and learn from the parents and their actions. For example, if the child sees its mother expressing a discriminatory opinion about a minority group, the child might see it acceptable to do the same. The child is filled up with the same shared values as the parents so it automatically assumes those values to be his own. This guarantees that the child has a strong valued consensus and feels a strong sense of belonging to society. Functionalists see secondary stages of socialisation as agents that reinforce a stronger valued consensus. Education is seen as an essential system that transmits shared cultural values. Certain subjects such as History and religious education link the individual to society by encouraging a sense of pride in historical and religious achievements. This reinforces their sense of belonging into the society and makes for a stronger valued consensus. Education
