Lesson 4.1.3.4

4.1.3.4 Considerations in choosing topic and methods Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.1.3.4, Considerations in choosing topic and methods: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Sociology (7192), Unit 1: Education with Theory and Methods, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which is a practical consideration influencing a researcher's choice of method?

    • The number of books in the university library on the topic, regardless of the research aims
    • The colour of the researcher's laptop, which can limit the software available for data analysis
    • The personal religious beliefs of the researcher, which must always determine the method chosen
    • The time, money and access available to carry out the research within the project's constraints

  2. Which is an example of a theoretical consideration in choosing a research topic or method?

    • Whether the researcher can afford the cost of printing questionnaires for the whole sample
    • Whether the researcher has access to a car for travelling to distant schools during the study
    • Whether the method fits the researcher's theoretical perspective, such as whether an interpretivist approach suits a study of meanings
    • Whether the researcher has time to complete the study before the end of the academic year

  3. Which ethical principle requires participants to agree to take part in research on the basis of a clear understanding of what the study involves?

    • Hawthorne control, which requires that participants are observed without being told that observation is taking place
    • Informed consent, which requires that participants understand the research and freely agree to take part
    • Deception, which requires that participants are misled about the aims of the research to obtain honest answers
    • Reciprocity, which requires that the researcher gives participants a financial payment for their time

  4. Which ethical issue arises most clearly in covert participant observation?

    • Participants are always paid for their time, which can create unequal relationships with the researcher
    • Participants cannot give informed consent, because they do not know that they are being studied
    • Participants are always asked to complete a detailed questionnaire before the observation takes place
    • Participants always have full control over the data, which removes any ethical responsibilities from the researcher

  5. Which statement best describes a limitation of choosing a method simply because it is easy to carry out?

    • The method always produces more reliable data, because it has been used in many earlier studies
    • The method may not be suited to the research question, so the findings may lack validity
    • The method removes all need for ethical approval, because it does not involve direct contact with people
    • The method is always the most valid, because easy methods are less likely to be affected by bias

  6. A researcher wants to study the experiences of asylum seekers who have been in detention. Which ethical consideration is most important?

    • The need to avoid asking about the participants' experiences, so that no emotional distress is caused
    • The vulnerability of participants, and the need to protect their confidentiality and avoid causing further harm
    • The need to publish the names of participants so that their stories receive public recognition
    • The need to offer participants a monetary reward so that they feel obliged to say what the researcher wants

  7. Which consideration is most relevant when a sociologist's research is funded by a private company that has a commercial interest in the results?

    • The risk that funding may influence the research design or the way findings are reported, affecting objectivity
    • The fact that private funding always improves the validity of the research, because the company has more resources
    • The fact that private funding means the research must be carried out in a laboratory rather than in the field
    • The fact that private funding removes the need for any ethical approval, since companies are self-regulating

  8. Which factor is most likely to limit a researcher's access to a school for a study of pupil behaviour?

    • The researcher's own knowledge of sociology, which is considered by schools to be too advanced for pupils
    • The researcher's use of a questionnaire, which schools are legally obliged to accept without consultation
    • The researcher's choice of a theoretical perspective, which schools always require to be functionalist
    • The head teacher or governors may refuse access if they judge that the research could harm the school's reputation

  9. Which evaluation of research based on a very small, unrepresentative sample is most consistent with sociological debate?

    • It is always valid because small samples are not influenced by bias or by the researcher's own values
    • It may give rich insight but limits generalisation, so findings should be treated with caution about wider application
    • It is always representative of the whole population, because the researcher chose the participants carefully
    • It always produces the most reliable findings because the researcher can give each participant full attention

  10. Which concept refers to the researcher's responsibility to ensure that participants are not harmed by the research, whether physically, emotionally or socially?

    • Hegemony, which describes the dominance of ruling-class ideas in the culture of a society
    • Operationalisation, which describes the translation of abstract concepts into measurable indicators
    • Triangulation, which describes the use of several methods to check the findings of a single study
    • Non-maleficence, which requires that research avoids causing harm to participants

  11. A researcher is deciding between a structured questionnaire and unstructured interviews to study the reasons why young people leave education early. Which factor is most relevant to this decision?

    • Whether the researcher prefers the colour of the questionnaire paper, which can affect the response rate
    • Whether the research is being carried out in summer, when young people are less likely to be in school
    • Whether the research question requires detailed exploration of meanings or measurement of the frequency of responses
    • Whether the researcher has previously worked as a teacher, which determines the type of method used

  12. Which statement about the role of the researcher's values in choosing a topic is most accurate?

    • Values always invalidate research, so researchers should choose topics only if they hold no personal views at all
    • Values can influence the choice of topic, so researchers should be aware of this and reflect on it
    • Values have no influence on the choice of topic, because objectivity means that topics are always chosen randomly
    • Values only matter in the analysis stage, so the choice of topic can always be made without reflection

  13. Which consideration would most likely lead a researcher to choose a longitudinal design rather than a cross-sectional survey?

    • The researcher wants to describe the attitudes of a population at a single point, with no interest in change
    • The researcher wants to avoid contact with participants after the first meeting, for ethical reasons
    • The research question is about how individuals change over time, which a single snapshot cannot capture
    • The researcher has only one afternoon available to collect all the data for the whole study

  14. Which practical limitation is most likely to affect a study of a hard-to-reach group, such as homeless young people?

    • It may be difficult to identify and contact participants, which can limit sample size and representativeness
    • It is always easy to find participants, because hard-to-reach groups are readily available to researchers
    • It is never necessary to consider access, because all groups are equally willing to take part in research
    • It is always possible to use official statistics on the group, because those statistics are complete and accurate

  15. Which statement describes the purpose of ethical guidelines in sociological research?

    • They require all research to be quantitative, so that the findings can be checked by statistical tests
    • They provide a framework for protecting participants and ensuring that research is conducted responsibly
    • They ensure that every study finds the same results, which allows the findings to be generalised easily
    • They prevent all research from being published, so that the researcher's views are never made public

  16. Which consideration best explains why a researcher might choose to use secondary data rather than collecting primary data?

    • The data are always free from ethical concerns, so no consent or confidentiality issues ever arise
    • The data always fit the research question exactly, so no changes to the study design are ever needed
    • The data already exist and may be cost-effective, although they may not perfectly match the research question
    • The data are always collected by the researcher, so the researcher knows exactly how they were produced

  17. A student plans a study of gender differences in subject choice using a small set of interviews. Which limitation should the student most clearly acknowledge?

    • The findings will always be identical to those of the official statistics, which makes the study pointless
    • The findings will be unreliable only if the student uses the word gender in the interview questions at all
    • The findings will always be wrong, because interviews cannot ever produce accurate information about students
    • The findings may not be generalisable to all students, because the sample is small and not representative

  18. A researcher wants to study pupils' experiences in a school, but the head teacher refuses access. Which consideration does this best illustrate?

    • Ethical considerations, because pupils must always be studied without any input from the school community
    • Practical constraints, because gatekeepers can prevent access to the field the researcher had planned to study
    • Theoretical considerations, because the researcher's choice of perspective prevents them from entering schools
    • Methodological considerations, because the sample is always chosen by head teachers before the study begins

  19. Which practical factor most directly limits the size of a sample in a study with a fixed budget and timetable?

    • The time and money available to recruit, contact and collect data from participants
    • The theoretical perspective of the researcher, which determines the size of the population studied
    • The number of books written on the topic, which determines the number of participants needed
    • The ethical guidelines of the professional association, which set a fixed sample size for all studies

  20. Which consideration is most important when a researcher decides whether to record interviews?

    • Whether participants have consented, and how the recordings will be stored and kept confidential
    • Whether the interview can be completed in under five minutes, which is the maximum allowed by ethics boards
    • Whether the recording device matches the colour scheme of the researcher's university department
    • Whether the interview questions have been written in a font that is easy to read on a computer screen

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