GCSE Sociology₈₁₉₂

These key terms and concepts are not restricted to the specialist language of sociology. They're intended to indicate the wider range of ideas that students will need to learn to engage meaningfully with the subject content.

Students will be asked to identify definitions for selected key terms as used by sociologists and to make use of appropriate specialist language in their answers. They will not be expected to be familiar with key terms other than those included here.

Terms relating to sociological perspectives and research methods have been integrated into the relevant sections (families, education, crime and deviance, social stratification).

6.1 Families

• Adolescence
• Agency of socialisation
• Arranged marriage
• Attitude survey
• Bias
• Bigamy
• Blended (or reconstituted) family
• Canalization
• Case study
• Census
• Child rearing
• Childhood
• Class deal (in relation to working-class women)
• Closed question
• Cohabitation
• Commune
• Competition (in a variety of contexts)
• Confidentiality
• Conformity
• Conjugal relationships
• Conjugal role
• Consensus
• Content analysis
• Continuity
• Conventional family
• Covert observation
• Crisis of masculinity
• Data
• Data analysis
• Data protection
• Dependent family members
• Discrimination
• Divorce
• Domestic division of labour
• Double shift (women in marriage)
• Double standards (as applied to the behaviour of men and women in society)
• Dual career family
• Dysfunctional families
• Economic function (of families)
• Economy
• Egalitarian
• Empty nest family
• Empty shell marriage
• Ethical considerations
• Ethnic diversity
• Ethnic group
• Ethnic minority
• Ethnicity
• Ethnography
• Expectations
• Expressive role (functions of the family)
• Extended family
• Family
• Family diversity
• Feminism
• Feminists
• Focus group
• Functionalism
• Functionalists
• Functionally important roles
• Gender
• Gender deal (in relation to working class women)
• Gender roles
• Glass ceiling (in relation to women in employment)
• Hypothesis
• Idealisation
• Image
• Immigrant
• Immigration
• Income
• Informed consent
• Instrumental role (functions of the family)
• Integrated conjugal roles
• Interactionism
• Intergenerational
• Interview
• Isolation (social and family)
• Kibbutz
• Kin
• Kinship
• Life chances
• Life expectancy
• Lifestyle
• Lone parent family
• Longitudinal study
• Male domination (of society)
• Marriage
• Marxism
• Marxist
• Mass media
• Matriarch
• Matriarchal family
• Middle class
• Mixed methods research
• Monogamy
• New man
• News value
• Non-participant observation
• Norms
• Nuclear family
• Observation
• Open question
• Participant observation
• Particularistic standards
• Patriarchal family
• Patriarchy
• Pluralism
• Polyandry
• Polygamy
• Polygyny
• Popular press
• Population
• Primary data
• Primary socialisation
• Principle of stratified diffusion
• Privatised (nuclear family)
• Privatised instrumentalism (social relationships centred on the home)
• Propaganda
• Qualitative data
• Quality press
• Quantitative data
• Questionnaire
• Quota sample
• Racial discrimination
• Racism
• Random sample
• Reconstituted (or blended) family
• Reliability
• Representative data/sample
• Research
• Respondent
• Role conflict
• Roles
• Rural
• Sample
• Sampling frame
• Secondary data
• Secondary socialisation
• Secularisation
• Segregated conjugal roles
• Selective use of data
• Separate spheres (in relation to the role of women)
• Serial monogamy
• Sex (gender) discrimination
• Sex (gender) equality
• Sexism
• Snowball sample
• Social change/changing social attitudes
• Social class/socio-economic class
• Social cohesion
• Social construct
• Social control (formal and informal)
• Social convention
• Social exclusion
• Social inequality
• Social mobility
• Social network
• Social order
• Social stigma
• Social stratification
• Socialisation
• Socially defined behaviour
• Society
• Status
• Step parent
• Stereotype
• Survey
• Symmetrical family
• Systematic sample
• Technological change
• Theoretical perspective
• Traditional family roles
• Trend (in relation to data)
• Triangulation (in relation to social research)
• Unrepresentative data/sample
• Unstructured interview
• Universal standards
• Urban
• Validity
• Value consensus
• Values
• Welfare state
• Work life balance
• Working class
• World view
• Youth culture.

6.2 Education

• Academy
• Achievement (in education)
• Anti-school sub-culture
• Attitude survey
• Bias
• Case study
• Census
• Citizenship
• Closed question
• Competition (in a variety of contexts)
• Comprehensive school
• Compulsory state education
• Confidentiality
• Conformity
• Consensus
• Content analysis
• Continuity
• Correspondence principle
• Counter school subculture
• Covert observation
• Cultural capital
• Cultural deprivation
• Cultural values
• Culture
• Curriculum
• Dark figure of crime
• Data
• Data analysis
• Data protection
• De-schooling
• Discrimination
• Economy
• Education
• Education reform
• Egalitarian
• Eleven plus
• Employment
• Ethical considerations
• Ethnic diversity
• Ethnic group
• Ethnic minority
• Ethnicity
• Ethnocentric curriculum
• Ethnography
• Ethos (of the school)
• Exclusion (from school)
• Expectations
• Fee paying, public, independent or private school
• Feminism
• Feminists
• Focus group
• Formal curriculum
• Formal education
• Free school
• Functionalism
• Functionalists
• Functionally important roles
• Further education
• Gender
• Gender roles
• Gendered curriculum
• Glass ceiling (in relation to women in employment)
• Hidden curriculum
• Higher education
• Home tuition
• Hypothesis
• Image
• Immigrant
• Immigration
• Inclusion (in education)
• Income
• Informal education
• Informed consent
• Institutional racism
• Intelligence quotient
• Interactionism
• Interest groups
• Interview
• Labelling
• League tables in education
• Life chances
• Lifestyle
• Lone parent family
• Longitudinal study
• Marketization of education
• Marxism
• Marxist
• Mass media
• Master status
• Middle class
• Mixed ability
• Mixed methods research
• News value
• Non-participant observation
• Norms
• Observation
• Ofsted
• Open question
• Organised religion
• Participant observation
• Particularistic standards
• Pluralism
• Popular press
• Primary data
• Privatisation (economy)
• Propaganda
• Public examinations
• Qualitative data
• Quality press
• Quantitative data
• Questionnaire
• Quota sample
• Racial discrimination
• Racism
• Random sample
• Reliability
• Representative data/sample
• Research
• Respondent
• Role conflict
• Roles
• Rural
• Sample
• Sampling frame
• Sanctions
• SATs
• Secondary data
• Secondary socialisation
• Selective schools
• Selective use of data
• Self-fulfilling prophecy
• Setting in education
• Sex (gender) discrimination
• Sex (gender) equality
• Sexism
• Snowball sample
• Social change/changing social attitudes
• Social class/socio-economic class
• Social cohesion
• Social construct
• Social control (formal and informal)
• Social convention
• Social exclusion
• Social inequality
• Social mobility
• Social network
• Social stratification
• Socialisation
• Socially defined behaviour
• Society
• Special school
• Specialist school
• Status
• Stereotype
• Subculture
• Survey
• Systematic sample
• Teacher expectations
• Technological change
• Theoretical perspective
• Trend (in relation to data)
• Triangulation (in relation to social research)
• Tripartite system
• Unrepresentative data/sample
• Unstructured interview
• Universal standards
• Urban
• Validity
• Value consensus
• Values
• Vocationalism in education (work related curriculum)
• Welfare state
• Working class
• World view
• Youth culture.

6.3 Crime and deviance

• Agenda setting (and the media in relation to crime/deviance)
• Agent of social control
• Alienation
• Anomie
• Anti-social behaviour
• Attitude survey
• Bias
• Case study
• Census
• Chivalry thesis
• Closed question
• Community service
• Confidentiality
• Conformity
• Consensus
• Content analysis
• Continuity
• Control theory (in relation to women and crime)
• Corporate crime
• Covert observation
• Crime
• Crime rate
• Criminal justice system
• Criminal subculture
• Dark figure of crime
• Data
• Data analysis
• Data protection
• Delinquency
• Deviance
• Deviancy amplification
• Deviant career
• Discrimination
• Economy
• Established (state) church
• Ethical considerations
• Ethnic diversity
• Ethnic group
• Ethnic minority
• Ethnicity
• Ethnography
• Expectations
• Feminism
• Feminists
• Focus group
• Folk devils
• Functionalism
• Functionalists
• Functionally important roles
• Fundamentalism
• Gender
• Gender and criminality
• Gender deal (in relation to working-class women)
• Gender roles
• Hypothesis
• Identity
• Identity theft
• Image
• Indictable offence
• Informed consent
• Injustice
• Institutional racism
• Intelligence quotient
• Interactionism
• Interview
• Judiciary
• Labelling
• Law
• Legislation
• Legislative process
• Legislature
• Life chances
• Longitudinal study
• Magistrate
• Male domination (of society)
• Marxism
• Marxist
• Mass media
• Master status
• Media amplification
• Media stereotype
• Miscarriage of justice
• Mixed methods research
• Moral panic
• National curriculum
• News value
• Non-indictable offence
• Non-participant observation
• Norms
• Observation
• Official crime statistics
• Open question
• Participant observation
• Pluralism
• Police caution
• Popular press
• Poverty (linked to crime)
• Primary data
• Prison system
• Privatisation (economy)
• Probation system
• Propaganda
• Qualitative data
• Quality press
• Quantitative data
• Questionnaire
• Quota sample
• Racial discrimination
• Racism
• Random sample
• Recorded crime
• Reliability
• Reported crime
• Representative data/sample
• Research
• Respondent
• Right of appeal
• Role conflict
• Roles
• Rural
• Sample
• Sampling frame
• Sanctions
• Scapegoat
• Secondary data
• Selective use of data
• Self-fulfilling prophecy
• Self-report study
• Sex (gender) discrimination
• Sex (gender) equality
• Sexism
• Snowball sample
• Social change/changing social attitudes
• Social class/socio-economic class
• Social cohesion
• Social construct
• Social control (formal and informal)
• Social convention
• Social exclusion
• Social order
• Social stigma
• Social stratification
• Socialisation
• Socially defined behaviour
• Society
• Status
• Status frustration
• Stereotype
• Subculture
• Surveillance
• Survey
• Systematic sample
• Technological change
• Terrorism
• Theoretical perspective
• Trend (in relation to data)
• Triangulation (in relation to social research)
• Unrepresentative data/sample
• Unstructured interview
• Unwritten rules
• Urban
• Validity
• Value consensus
• Values
• Victim survey
• Welfare scrounger/benefit cheat
• White collar crime
• World view
• Youth crime.

6.4 Social stratification

• Absolute poverty
• Achieved status
• Affluence
• Ageism
• Aristocracy
• Ascribed status
• Assimilation
• Asylum seeker
• Attitude survey
• Authority
• Bias
• Bourgeois
• Bourgeoisie
• Bureaucracy
• Bureaucratic authority
• Capitalism
• Capitalist
• Case study
• Caste
• Censorship
• Census
• Charismatic authority
• Class alignment
• Class dealignment
• Class struggle
• Classless society
• Class struggle
• Classless society
• Closed question
• Communism
• Community
• Competition (in a variety of contexts)
• Confidentiality
• Conformity
• Consensus
• Constituency
• Content analysis
• Continuity
• Covert observation
• Culture of dependency
• Cycle of deprivation
• Dark figure of crime
• Data
• Data analysis
• Data protection
• Deferential
• Dictatorship
• Direct action
• Discrimination
• Distribution (of power and of wealth)
• Economy
• Egalitarian
• Elite
• Embourgeoisement
• Emigration
• Employment
• Environmental poverty
• Ethical considerations
• Ethnic diversity
• Ethnic group
• Ethnic minority
• Ethnicity
• Ethnography
• Expectations
• False class consciousness
• Fascism
• Feminism
• Feminists
• Feudalism
• First past the post (electoral system)
• Focus group
• Functionalism
• Functionalists
• Functionally important roles
• Gatekeeper (mass media)
• Gender
• Gender roles
• Glass ceiling (in relation to women in employment)
• Hypothesis
• Image
• Immigrant
• Immigration
• Income
• Industrial dispute
• Informed consent
• Institutional racism
• Interactionism
• Interest groups
• Intergenerational
• Interview
• Isolation (social and family)
• Left and right wing
• Legal rational authority
• Liberal democratic values
• Life chances
• Life expectancy
• Lifestyle
• Longitudinal study
• Lumpenproletariat
• Male domination (of society)
• Market situation (in relation to Weber on class)
• Marxism
• Marxist
• Mass media
• Means of production
• Means testing
• Member of Parliament
• Meritocracy
• Middle class
• Migration
• Mixed methods research
• Monarchy
• Multiculturalism
• Nation state
• Neo-conservatism
• Neo-liberalism
• New Right
• New social movement
• News value
• Non-participant observation
• Norms
• Observation
• Oligarchy
• Open question
• Organised religion
• Participant observation
• Patriarchy
• Petty Bourgeoisie
• Pluralism
• Political party
• Political socialisation
• Popular press
• Poverty
• Poverty trap
• Power
• Prejudice
• Pressure group
• Primary data
• Prime Minister
• Privatisation (economy)
• Proletarianisation
• Proletariat
• Propaganda
• Proportional representation
• Qualitative data
• Quality press
• Quantitative data
• Questionnaire
• Quota sample
• Racial discrimination
• Racism
• Random sample
• Relative deprivation
• Relative income standard of poverty
• Relative poverty
• Reliability
• Representative data/sample
• Research
• Respondent
• Role conflict
• Roles
• Ruling class ideology
• Sample
• Sampling frame
• Secondary data
• Selective benefits
• Selective use of data
• Sex (gender) discrimination
• Sex (gender) equality
• Sexism
• Slavery
• Snowball sample
• Social change/changing social attitudes
• Social class/socio-economic class
• Social cohesion
• Social construct
• Social control (formal and informal)
• Social exclusion
• Social inequality
• Social mobility
• Social network
• Social order
• Social security
• Social stratification
• Socialisation
• Socialism
• Society
• State standard of poverty
• Status
• Subjective class
• Subjective poverty
• Surplus wealth
• Survey
• Systematic sample
• Technological change
• Theoretical perspective
• Trade union
• Traditional authority
• Trend (in relation to data)
• Triangulation (in relation to social research)
• Underclass
• Under-employment
• Unemployment
• Universal benefits
• Unrepresentative data/sample
• Unstructured interview
• Upper class
• Validity
• Value consensus
• Values
• Wage
• Wealth
• Welfare benefits
• Welfare reform
• Welfare scrounger/benefit cheat
• Welfare state
• White collar worker
• Work life balance
• Working class
• World view.