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AQA A Level Sociology primary sources 10 mark essay
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Full 10 mark essay (with plan) on the use of primary sources in sociological research for AQA A Level Sociology papers 1 and 3 research methods
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Outline and explain two strengths of using primary sources to understand society (10 marks)1) Probably more recent than a pre-existing secondary source so will give you more
accurate data on the topic you are studying
- E.g. ‘Poverty in the United Kingdom’: Townsend aimed to measure levels of poverty
in the UK, but was sceptical of government studies (thought them inaccurate +
subject to change in order to make political gains), so performed his own study;
concluded that other research was inaccurate as his ‘poverty index’ found much
higher levels of poverty than had been reported
- Allows for greater understanding of society in its current form, rather than society as
it was many years ago
2) Often considered more accurate because the researcher can ensure that terms are
operationalised appropriately/the research is valid/the sample is representative/the
best method is used
One strength of using primary sources to understand society is that it can provide the
researcher with the most recent data on a topic, which allows them to form an accurate
picture of the topic they are researching. Secondary sources might be less useful for a
sociological study, because they can quickly become outdated, which impacts the quality of
new research that uses these sources. Therefore, primary sources are often very important
for a researcher to ensure they are understanding society in its current form. For example,
Townsend wanted to explore poverty levels in the UK, however he was sceptical of
government studies on the topic, thinking them inaccurate, and that they might be altered to
suit the government’s messaging; to rectify this, he carried out his own study, and found that
the level of poverty he measured was far higher than any government statistics available,
which led him to conclude that the government was using an out of date methodology when
performing their studies. This demonstrates that primary sources are incredibly
advantageous for a researcher who is seeking to understand a part of modern society.
Another strength of using primary sources to understand society is that they can be more
valid, as the researcher is able to ensure that a representative sample is used, or that the
optimum method is used for the topic, or that the research is carried out in sufficient depth to
allow them to gain verstehen. This is particularly important when a researcher is studying a
topic that they are not familiar with through personal experience, as they will wish to ensure
that they understand to the fullest extent a person’s experience; the best way to do this is
through the use of primary sources, because they are able to make the research fit the
parameters of their study. For example, in Barker’s study “Making of a Moonie”, she spent
more than six years carrying out her research, using triangulation to ensure that she
collected a large amount of data and explored the topic in enough detail to come to a
conclusion about why people felt compelled to join the Unification Church. Therefore, using
primary sources can help a study appear more authoritative, because the researcher can
carry out their own research with a sufficient level of detail which can mean the study is more
valid than if they used less detailed secondary sources.
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