This activity helps students practise the difference between correlation and cause and effect by looking at sociological hypotheses and deciding whether the independent variable (IV) has actually caused a change in the dependent variable (DV).

It works especially well for Cambridge OCR A Level Sociology because it gets students thinking about variables, research methods, operationalisation, and the difficulty of proving causation in real social life. It also allows students to apply methods knowledge to issues of age, class, gender and ethnic inequality.

Teacher instructions

Purpose

Students are given a series of short research scenarios. Each one includes:

• a hypothesis
• the independent variable
• the dependent variable
• the method used
• a brief summary of the findings

Students must decide whether the evidence suggests:

• Yes – the IV probably caused the change in the DV
• No – the evidence does not show that the IV caused the DV
• Unsure – there may be a link, but the method or other factors make causation unclear

Students must justify their answer by referring to:

• the method used
• whether the evidence shows only correlation
• whether extraneous variables may be involved
• whether the concepts have been clearly operationalised

How to run it

You can use this as:

• a pair discussion task
• a small-group sorting activity
• a whole-class walkaround task
• a written methods application exercise

What students are practising

Students are applying knowledge of:

• independent variable
• dependent variable
• cause and effect
• correlation
• extraneous variables
• quantitative methods
• operationalisation
• strengths and limits of research design

Suggested extension

After students decide yes, no or unsure, ask them:

• What extra evidence would make causation more convincing?
• What alternative explanation could there be?
• Would a different method improve the study?

Download materials from the link below:

• Fishbowl Debate: Which Feminism Best Explains Inequality?
• New Right Claim Clinic: Evaluating Claims About Family, Gender and Ethnicity
• Functionalism Case Diagnosis
• Key Debates in Social Inequality: Class, Gender, Ethnicity and Age
• Life-Chances Auction: A Classroom Activity for Teaching Weberian Inequality