...theoretical issues involved in using statistics in studying society? Official statistics are quantitative data gathered by the government or other official bodies. Some examples of official statistics would include statistics on marriage, divorce, employment and divorce. There are many practical and theoretical issues as well as lots of advantages when using statistics in your research. These advantages and disadvantages can affect the result of a piece of research. One practical issue with using statistics would be that the government collects statistics for its own purpose and not for the benefit of the sociologists, so the part of society in which they are studying may not have any statistics, so therefore they could have theories about a certain topic, but no evidence to back it up. For example, Durkheim in his study of suicide found that there were no statistics specifically on the religion of suicide victims, presumably because the state had no use for the information. This makes it harder for the sociologist as the research is now harder to find out and therefore this may cause the sociologist to finish the study without key details to that piece of research. One theoretical advantage of using statistics to study society would be official statistics are generally seen as a reliable source of data. They are compiled in a standardised way by trained staff, following set procedures. When you are studying society, your statistics have to be especially reliable as if...
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...wide range of methods and sources to study crime and official statistics can be an important source of information about crime. Although official statistics are often heavily criticised by sociologists they provide a potentially useful source of secondary data, if used cautiously. Official statistics have a number of apparent advantages to the sociological researcher. Firstly, they are relatively cheap and readily available. Government statistics are published annually; they provide data on crime across the whole of the UK and also provide insight into regional differences in crime. As such, official statistics can thus be regarded as providing a good starting point for researchers. Also, official statistics enable sociologists to make comparisons over time and between different parts of the country and between different types of area, e.g. rural/urban. For positivist sociologists (following Durkheim’s method), official crime statistics can be seen as providing a measure of crime which is representative, reliable and valid. Official statistics thus provide a true picture of the extent and nature of crime. Of course, those who support the use of official statistics – such as Roger Matthews and many other sociologists interested in influencing policy would recognise that crime statistics can be heavily criticised. However, those supporting the use of official statistics argue that the deficiencies of official statistics can be minimized by using self-report studies and...
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...and Wales previously known as(the British crime survey) and Official statistics of England and Wales. These statistics have been collected over the years to measure crime that has been occurring in the country. The crime statistics also show whether the crimes in England and Wales, are increasing or decreasing, it lets the government know the percentages of the crimes occurring, and therefore the government can create legislations to decrease and prevent further crimes taking place. Moreover in the assignment I will discuss in depth the disadvantages and advantages which occur when crime has been measured and...
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...Examine the advantages and disadvantages of using both positivist and interpretivist methods of research (20) Positivism is a theoretical point of view which concentrates on social facts, scientific methods and quantitative data. The research methods that are commonly used by positivists are questionnaires, structured interviews, structured non-participant observation and official statistics. These methods are used as they are objective and reliable. One sociological study that used positivist methods was Durkheim’s Suicide Study. Durkheim used official statistics to study suicide and demonstrate society as a science with its own distinct subject matter. One advantage of using positivist methods of research is that the data is that the data is easy to analyse. Using quantitative data means that there is less information which makes it easier to categorise and therefore makes it easy to create tables and graphs allowing easy analysis and making trends more identifiable. Also with the data being easy to analyse and categorise it also makes it easy for comparisons to make against existing research and data. A second advantage of using positivist methods of research is that the data is high in reliability. Positivists often use questionnaires and structured interviews to test reliability as the questions are controlled and therefore can be repeated. Research is considered reliable if other researchers can find similar results asking the same questions and showing consistency...
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...Assess the usefulness of different methods for measuring crime rates in society There are three main ways of measuring crime, these are using official statistics, a victim survey and self-report studies. However there are both advantages and disadvantages within each of these methods that I will continue to assess throughout. Firstly official statistics which are the main method used when measuring crime in society and there are many advantages of using this method. To begin with it allows us to gain a large amount of quantitative data that may not be available elsewhere; this is because only the government has the money and opportunity to conduct large scale surveys on the public which would not be possible otherwise. This can be things such as the census which is conducted every ten years, this is useful for sociologists as these results are available and can be accessed. It is a huge advantage that within the census participants are required to answer and in the last census it was only 5% of the public who refused to take part which still leaves us with most of the public accounted for. Overall it is objective and allows us to gain information on a national scale. Another advantage for official statistics is that they allow us to make comparison between groups, since most people take part in the census and answer the same questions as one another it allows us to compare these answers easily. This even allows us to compare different social groups such as religion. Furthermore...
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...SOCIOLOGY – AQA – UNIT 4 - CRIME AND DEVIANCE The exam is split into 3 questions: • Q.1 is a pure methods section which contains two parts a) 12 marks and b) 21 marks. You should spend 45 minuets on this question. • Q.2 is a method in context question. Part a) is for 9 marks [could also be a 3 and 6 mark question] and part b) is for 15 marks. You should spend 30 minuets on this question. • Q.3 is a theories essay for 33 marks. THIS QUESTION IS SYNOPTIC! You should spend 45 minuets on this question. Below is a list of all the areas and studies you need to know for each section of the exam. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the studies, each college/school are likely to teach slightly different ones, just make sure you know about that amount for each section. Q.1 For the first two pure crime parts you need to know: Functionalist theories of crime and deviance Durkheim – Social control, social regulation including suicide Merton-Strain theory, blocked aspirations Cohen – Status frustration Cloward and Ohlin – Deviant subcultures New Right/Right Realism James Wilson – Strict law enforcement needed Wilson and Kelling – Broken windows, zero tolerance Murray – Cultural deprivation, single parents and ineffective, the underclass Erdos – Families without fathers Subcultural theories Cohen – Delinquent subcultures Cloward and Ohlin – Delinquency and opportunity, criminal, conflict and retreatist...
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...2. Experiments |Type of Experiment |Information |Practical issues |Ethical Issues |Theoretical issues | | | | | | | |Laboratory experiments |• A laboratory experiment is controlled and is |1. Open systems – Can only |1. Informed consent |• Positivists – experiments are good because of| | |in an artificial environment. |work with science. Society is an open system |2. Harm to subjects - everything, including |their reliability. This is because | | |• There must be two groups , an experimental |where the factors cannot be controlled. |risks, must be explained but what if you are |they can control the variables, produces | | |and control group. |2. Individuals are complex – it |Milgram? |quantitative data and is detached. However, it | | ...
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...AS RESEARCH METHODS (UNIT 3) REVISION NOTES A. QUALITATIVE PRIMARY SOURCES (Used by Interpretivists) CASE STUDIES |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Enables you to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of a group under |Not possible to generalize on the basis of its findings. Solutions = carry | |study (Ken Pryce = single West Indian Community in Bristol. Blackman |out a number of case studies of the same type of phenomenon (Zuboff ’88 = | |(’97) = detailed study of homeless in Brighton.) |case studies of 8 organizations to discover the impact of I.T.) | |Generate new hypothesis which can be tested against other data or in | | |later studies (P. Willis = produced a no. of hypothesis about the | | |relationship between education & capitalist societies.) | | LIFE HISTORIES |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Allows the researcher to see the world from the social actor’s point of |Questions raised about the accuracy...
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...controversy has lasted for many decades. Canada’s neighbor, the U.S. government, has forbidden this drug since the early 1900s. However, this implementation didn’t produce a satisfactory result. (National Prevention Strategy, 2011) Marijuana should be legalized in Canada because its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. These advantages are likely to promote the Canadian economy, eliminate social issues and benefit the health of its residents. In terms of the economy, legalizing marijuana could conduct not only negative effects, but also positive effects. In the past decade, underground trade of marijuana has caused harm to Canada’s income. Werner Antweiler, the UBC professor, believes that the marijuana market is sizable. (2013) In B.C., the estimates show that Canadians consume at least 3 billion dollars in marijuana products annually. (Barmak, 2013) Other data from The International Journal of Drug Policy indicate that the retail value of marijuana consumption in B.C is between $443 million and $564 million. In addition, further estimates point out that marijuana legalization is likely to help the government generate $2.5 billion in taxes and license fees over five years. Therefore, these statistics show an enormous potential to boost the Canadian economy by legalizing cannabis. By contrast, some people argue that it is unfair for retailers who plant medical marijuana for sale. (Koski, 2015) Those retailers make great efforts to possess a certificate to sell medical cannabis...
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...General Certificate of Education Advanced Subsidiary Examination June 2013 Sociology Unit 2 Tuesday 21 May 2013 9.00 am to 11.00 am SCLY2 For this paper you must have: an AQA 12-page answer book. Time allowed 2 hours Instructions Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Examining Body for this paper is AQA. The Paper Reference is SCLY2. This paper is divided into two sections. Choose one section and answer all the questions in that section. Do not answer questions from more than one section. Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked. Information The marks for questions are shown in brackets. The maximum mark for this paper is 90. Questions carrying 12 marks or more should be answered in continuous prose. In these questions you will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. A G/K92851/Jun13/SCLY2 6/6 SCLY2 2 Choose either Section A or Section B and answer all the questions in that section. Section A: Education with Research Methods You are advised to spend approximately 50 minutes on questions 0 1 0 6 to 0 4 . 9 . You are advised to spend approximately 30 minutes on question You are advised to spend approximately 40 minutes on questions 0 5 . to 0 Total for this section: 90 marks Education Read Item A below and answer questions...
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...surpass each problem that they encounter everyday * Are they knowledgeable about the programs that the government has for them? If yes, what are those programs that they know and if not, why so? * Does the government gives help to them? What are those? How well did it help them? V. Summarization of the problems the interviewee had said and clarify them, if possible, to the person who is in the position of clarifying (agree or disagree to it) them. (Government officials, could not be the official who has the highest rank) * If possible, we would ask the side of the government official/s about the said problem * Clarification can also be done by the documentarians in terms of showing some proofs / evidences like statistics of to where in manila (or metro manila, Philippines) has the most number of ‘people living under the bridge’. Also, show the viewers the contribution of the said social problem to our environmental problem VI. End of the documentary * Disadvantages and if ever, advantages of living ‘under the bridge’ * Solutions that we, as a student can contribute to the said issue...
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...General Certificate of Education Advanced Subsidiary Examination January 2011 Sociology Unit 2 Tuesday 18 January 2011 For this paper you must have: an AQA 12-page answer book. SCLY2 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm Time allowed 2 hours Instructions Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Examining Body for this paper is AQA. The Paper Reference is SCLY2. This paper is divided into two sections. Choose one section and answer all questions from that section. Do not answer questions from more than one section. Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked. Information The marks for questions are shown in brackets. The maximum mark for this paper is 90. Questions carrying 12 marks or more should be answered in continuous prose. In these questions you will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. G/T61607/Jan11/SCLY2 6/6/ SCLY2 2 Choose either Section A or Section B and answer all the questions from that section. Section A: Education with Research Methods You are advised to spend approximately 50 minutes on Questions You are advised to spend approximately 40 minutes on Questions 0 0 1 0 6 to to 0 0 4 . 9 . You are advised to spend approximately 30 minutes on Question 5 . Total for this section: 90 marks Education Read Item A below and answer...
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...Liberalism, Radicalism and Post-modernism. Each of them believes that crime, or the lack of crime, is a result of the patriarchal dominance in society. Feminists believe that the patriarchy generates crime against women whilst discouraging deviancy amongst women. The official crime statistics show that men tend to commit more crime than women, and some Feminists would agree with this. One theory put forward is that this is because of the differential socialisation of males and females. Oakley argues that males are socialised to be aggressive, self-seeking and individualistic, which can therefore lead to them taking more risks and committing criminal acts. For example, if a boy is socialised into an aggressive role then he might express this through domestic violence against his partner when he is older. In the same way, a self-seeking male will do anything to satisfy his needs, which may explain male rape against women. Oakley states that females, however, are socialised into non-criminal norms and values that stress co-operation, tenderness and caring for others. This tells us that women are much less likely to commit crimes that would hurt another person, such as murder and rape, and this is reflected in the statistics. Moreover, Radical Feminist Heidensohn claims that most academics in the area of sociology and crime are men and so the research produced is ‘malestream’ and ignores the subject of female criminality. She believes that females are conformist because the patriarchy...
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...consistent problem with our crime reporting system. The system emphases the gaps that we have and how different reporting information that are not accurate and is considered unworthy of support by the DOJ (Department of Justice) (Loftin, & McDowall, 2010, p. 528). We will use a Contextual-level data source which will use various sources that will assist with this research that will be amalgamated with the SCPS (State Court Processing Statistics) data. Sampling process that researchers will or consider using to recruit participants Being that this research would be beneficial to the Public Safety Field and LEOs (law enforcement...
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...negative impact on capitalism and foreign investment in that; it changes the environment which in turns affects decisions and actions. Corruption causes discriminatory treatment along tribal, ethnic, race and class. It also impacts in decision making process. Multinational corporations (MNCs) may be unable to compete in certain countries due to dishonesty by government officials, dependent upon a system of graft and bribery to approve and facilitate permits and various company operations. Corruption may be at the highest levels of government, where government decisions regarding military equipment, civilian aircraft, infrastructure or broad policy decisions about industrial subsidies are made, based upon favoritism rather than ethical weighing of facts. Corruption may involve elected officials and politicians as well as nonelected officials. Corruption may be voluntary and petty, for instance, paying to expedite a building permit. It may be extorted, in which a licensing officer holds up a building permit until a bribe is pad. It can also be grander, in which a voluntary bribe is paid to a public elected official in exchange for awarding a contract for a large municipal building, despite the contractors lack of experience. Or a grand extorted bribe might be having a high-level...
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