WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology sample

238 KEY PEOPLE  Elliot Liebow  Ann Oakley  James Patrick  WilliamWhite WHAT AM I GOING TO LEARN? This chapter will introduce one of the key areas of study in sociology. Research methods are at the heart of sociology. The skills of social research you will learn about in this unit are transferrable into many careers. Most organisations are interested at times in researching their staff, customers or the local community. Sociologists base their ideas about society on research. The aim of sociology is to collect data in a logical and unbiased way. Some sociologists believe that sociology should aim to produce knowledge that is as reliable as that of science. Other sociologists believe that studying society is different from studying people. Sociologists need to try to understand people’s meanings and motives. Thus, there are a range of methods used by sociologists, some collecting numbers and others collecting more detailed information. This chapter aims to show you how to conduct research and all the issues to consider. Introduction to Sociological enquiry and research methods Starter ... Think of all the places that sociologists could gain information from. Sociologists need to study a wide range of people in society. This means they must find representative samples of people. Chapter 6 Research Methods Sociological enquiry and research methods KEY TERMS  Ethics  Interview  Observation  Pilot study  Qualitative data  Quantitative data  Questionnaire  Reliability  Representative  Sample  Validity