The unconscious curriculum | what is really learnt in school?



AQA AS Sociology Paper 1: Education Past Papers By TopicTopic 1:?The role and functions of education, including its relationship to the economy and class structure.1.Explain what is meant by the ‘correspondence principle’.?(2 marks) June 122.Suggest three criticisms that other sociologists may make of the functionalist view of the education system. (6 marks) June 123.Explain what is meant by the term ‘meritocracy’. Jan 124.Outline some of the functions that the education system may perform. (12 marks) June 115.Assess the claim that ‘the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society’ (Item A, lines 7–8). (20 marks) Jun 096.Assess the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles. (20 marks) Jan 117.Suggest three ways in which Marxists see school as being similar to the world of work. ?(6 marks) Jan 10Topic 2 ?Differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement. (20 marks) June 12Outline some of the reasons for gender differences in subject choice. (12 marks) Jan 12Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the importance of cultural factors in causing social class differences in educational achievement. (20 marks) Jan 12Explain what is meant by the term ‘compensatory’ education. (2 marks) Jun 09Explain what is meant by the term ‘immediate gratification’. (2 marks) June 11Suggest three material factors that might cause working-class educational underachievement. (6 marks) Jun 09Explain what is meant by the term ‘cultural capital’. (2 marks) Jan 09Suggest three reasons for gender differences in subject choice. (6 marks) Jan 09Explain what is meant by the term ‘cultural deprivation’. (2 marks) Jan 11Outline some of the ways in which factors outside the education system have resulted in improved educational achievement for girls. (12 marks) Jan 11Suggest three reasons for boys’ educational under-achievement. (6 marks) Jun 10Outline some of the ways in which cultural deprivation may lead to educational under-achievement for working-class pupils. (12 marks) Jun 10Explain what is meant by the term ‘ethnocentric curriculum’. (2 marks) Jan 10 Assess the claim that gender differences in educational achievement are primarily the ‘result of changes in wider society’?(Item A, lines 6 – 7). (20 marks) Jan 10Topic 3: ?Relationships and processes within schools, with particular reference to teacher/pupil relationships, pupil identities and subcultures, the hidden curriculum, and the organisation of teaching and learning Assess the view that factors and processes within the school are the main cause of differences in the educational achievement of different social groups. (20 marks) June 11Suggest three factors within schools that may lead to the educational under-achievement of pupils from some minority ethnic groups. (6 marks) Jan 12Outline some of the reasons why different pupil subcultures exist in schools. (12 marks) Jun 09Assess the claim that ‘ethnic differences in educational achievement are primarily the result of school factors’ ?(20 marks) Jan 09Outline some of the ways in which the labelling process may lead to educational under-achievement for some pupils. (12 marks) Jan 10 Topic 4 ?The significance of educational policies, including selection, marketization and privatization and policies to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome for an understanding of the structure, role, impact and experience of and access to education and the impact of globalization on education policy for an understanding of the structure, role, impact and experience of education.Outline some of the ways in which government educational policies may have affected social class differences in educational achievement. (12 marks) June 12Identify three policies that may promote the marketisation of education. (6 marks) June 11Identify three educational policies that may have contributed to social class differences in achievement (6 marks) Jan 11Outline some of the policies introduced by governments to create an education market in the United Kingdom. (12 marks) Jan 09Explain what is meant by the term ‘vocational’ education. (2 marks) Jun 10Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the claim that the main aim of education policies in the last 25 years has been to create an education market. (20 marks) Jun 105 ?The application of sociological research methods to the study of education 04445Quantitative and qualitative data in education; the dominance of statistics (eg exam results, league tables)?Positivist and interpretivist approaches as applied to education?Issues, strengths and limitations and examples of the application to the study of education of the main sources of data studied (see Sociological Methods section): questionnaires, interviews(formal/structured; informal/unstructured), participant and non-participant observation, experiments, use of documents, official statistics and other secondary data.The theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research on education.Quantitative and qualitative data in education; the dominance of statistics (eg exam results, league tables)?Positivist and interpretivist approaches as applied to education?Issues, strengths and limitations and examples of the application to the study of education of the main sources of data studied (see Sociological Methods section): questionnaires, interviews(formal/structured; informal/unstructured), participant and non-participant observation, experiments, use of documents, official statistics and other secondary data.The theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research on education.1.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating the effects of streaming:EITHER field experiments?OR unstructured interviews. (20 marks) June 122.Assess the strengths and limitations of using one of the following methods for investigating applications and admissions to secondary schools:EITHER documents?OR official statistics. (20 marks) Jan 123.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating truancy from school:EITHER official statistics?OR participant observation. (20 marks) June 114.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating the role of parents in pupils’ achievement:EITHER questionnaires?OR unstructured interviews. (20 marks) Jan 115.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating anti-school subcultures:EITHER group interviews?OR non-participant observation. (20 marks) Jun 106.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating the effect of material deprivation on educational achievement:EITHER (i) unstructured OR (ii) official statistics. (20 marks) Jan 107.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating teachers’ attitudes towards minority ethnic group pupils:EITHER participant observation?OR questionnaires. (20 marks) Jun 098.Assess the strengths and limitations of one of the following methods for investigating boys’ underachievement:EITHER (i) official statisticsOR (ii) unstructured interviews. (20 marks) Jan 09Research Methods SCLY 2152400-118110Quantitative and qualitative data in education; the dominance of statistics (eg exam results, league tables)?Positivist and interpretivist approaches as applied to education?Issues, strengths and limitations and examples of the application to the study of education of the main sources of data studied (see Sociological Methods section): questionnaires, interviews(formal/structured; informal/unstructured), participant and non-participant observation, experiments, use of documents, official statistics and other secondary data.The theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research on education.Quantitative and qualitative data in education; the dominance of statistics (eg exam results, league tables)?Positivist and interpretivist approaches as applied to education?Issues, strengths and limitations and examples of the application to the study of education of the main sources of data studied (see Sociological Methods section): questionnaires, interviews(formal/structured; informal/unstructured), participant and non-participant observation, experiments, use of documents, official statistics and other secondary data.The theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research on education.June 12Explain what is meant by the ‘operationalisation’ of sociological concepts. (2 marks)Suggest two reasons why the results obtained from a postal questionnaire may not be representative of the population that it aims to study. (4 marks)Suggest two factors that may influence a sociologist’s choice of research topic.(4 marks)Examine the advantages for sociologists of using official statistics in their research. (20 marks)Jan 121.Explain what is meant by ‘the Hawthorne effect’. (2 marks)2.Suggest two problems of covert participant observation. (4 marks)3.Identify two sampling techniques used by sociologists in their research. (4 marks)4.Examine the advantages for sociologists in using unstructured interviews in their research. (20 marks)June 111.Explain what is meant by ‘validity’ in sociological research. (2 marks)2.Explain the difference between a sampling frame and a sample. (4 marks)3.Suggest two problems of using documents in sociological research. (4 marks)4.Examine the problems that some sociologists may face when using different kinds of experiments in their research. (20 marks)Jan 111.Explain what is meant by ‘primary’ data. (2 marks)2.Suggest two disadvantages that sociologists might find when using structured interviews. (4 marks)3.Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of using laboratory experiments in sociological research. (4 marks)4.Examine the advantages of using personal documents and historical documents in sociological research. (20 marks)Jun 101.Explain what is meant by the term ‘secondary’ data. (2 marks) Jun 102.Suggest two factors that may influence a sociologist’s choice of research topic. (4 marks) Jun 103.Suggest two problems of using personal documents in sociological research. (4 marks) Jun 104.Examine the problems some sociologists find with using postal questionnaires in their research. (20 marks) Jun 10Jan 10Explain what is meant by the term ‘hypothesis’. (2 marks) Suggest two advantages of using official statistics in sociological research. (4 marks) Suggest two problems that researchers may face when actively participating in the group they are studying. (4 marks) Examine the extent to which practical issues are the most important influence when selecting research methods and a research topic. (20 marks) Jun 09Explain what is meant by the term ‘triangulation’. (2 marks) Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of a longitudinal study. (4 marks)Suggest two disadvantages that sociologists may find when using unstructured interviews. (4 marks)Examine the disadvantages some sociologists may find when using official statistics in their research. (20 marks)Jan 09Explain what is meant by the term ‘longitudinal’ study. (2 marks)Identify two sampling techniques used in sociological research. (4 marks)Suggest two disadvantages of using media reports in sociological research. (4 marks)Examine the problems some sociologists may face when using experiments in their research. (20 marks) ................
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