Paper 2 - Mock Preparation

Question 1

One strength of quantitative data is…

Answer 1

it has a high level of reliability. This means that if the research was repeated, you would likely get fairly similar results. This would be supported by positivists who believe that sociological research should always follow scientific research methods to understand society. (Insert source) This means that the research is reliable because if we did this research again, we would likely get similar results.

Question 2

Another strength of quantitative data is…

Answer 2

it has a high level of objectivity. This means that the researcher will be able to keep the research unemotional, unbiased and scientific. This would be supported by positivists as they believe that sociological research should stay scientific and unbiased to observe the social facts of the social reality being studied.

Question 3

One disadvantage of quantitative data is…

Answer 3

it lacks validity. This means the research will not give us true, accurate picture of the reality of what’s being studied. This would be supported by interpretivists because the data doesn’t tell us about the personal experiences of the lives of the individuals being studied. (Insert source). Doesn’t provide any insights into the lives of those affected.

Question 4

Another disadvantage of quantitative data is…

Answer 4

it lacks verstehen. This means the researchers will not be able to see the world from the standpoint of the ppts. This would be supported by interpretivists because it doesn’thelp us to explain the social actions taken by the individuals being studied. Doesn’t provide any insights into how the individuals affected feel about the results of the research.

Question 5

Assess view that ethnic inequalities are result of immigrants not adopting norms and values (40)

Answer 5

• Durkheim - Value consensus - norms and values of society are shared and accepted and this leads to social cohesion.
• Parsons - Society is meritocratic and everyone has the same equality and opportunity, but not outcome.
• Patterson - Immigrants subscribe to different norms and values which leads to culture clash. This leads to fear of different cultures and competition.
• Sewell - Young African-Caribbean boys raised in lone parent families that lack male role models vulnerable to peer pressure. Reinforced by media.

Question 6

Assess view that ethnic inequalities are result of immigrants not adopting norms and values. (40)

Answer 6

• Connelly - Gender inequalities established in colonial times embedded in current attitudes to race, ethnicity and gender.
• Castles + Kosack - Most immigrants work in poor working conditions in low paid and skilled jobs due to being a reserve army of labour.
• Barron + Norris - Ethnic minorities concentrated in secondary labour market due to lower cultural status.
• Miles - Nationalism replaced racism as white working class stress importance of their ethnicity and nationality though prejudice and discrimination.