For Cambridge OCR A Level Sociology, students need to do more than define research methods. Component 02 requires them to understand research methods in the context of researching social inequalities, including class, gender, ethnicity and age. Students also need to consider practical, ethical and theoretical issues, and apply methods to evidence about inequality, work, employment and life chances.
The Method Match activity is designed to help foundation learners practise this skill. Instead of simply asking “what is a questionnaire?” or “what is an interview?”, the activity asks students to match a research aim to the most suitable research method. This helps students develop AO2 application: they have to explain why a method fits a particular inequality topic.
For example, if a sociologist wants to measure patterns in the gender pay gap, official statistics are useful because they show broad labour-market trends. The ONS gender pay gap data is a good example of this kind of evidence, showing differences in median hourly earnings between men and women. However, if a sociologist wants to understand how people experience racism during recruitment, semi-structured interviews may be more suitable because they allow participants to explain meanings, feelings and examples in depth.
This activity also introduces students to key research links. Oakley is useful for thinking about interviews, rapport and feminist methodology. Her work challenged the idea that interviews should always be detached and hierarchical. Willis is useful for ethnography because Learning to Labour used participant observation and interviews to explore working-class boys’ culture and education. McKenzie is useful for researching class, stigma and community because her work on St Ann’s in Nottingham drew on insider knowledge and qualitative depth.
The activity also links to contemporary evidence. The Runnymede Trust report on race and racism in secondary schools is useful for thinking about racism, institutions and educational inequality. The Marmot Review is useful for health inequalities because it argues that reducing health inequality requires action on the wider social conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation provides contemporary research on poverty and inequality in the UK.
How to use the activity
Students work through a series of research aims. For each one, they choose the most suitable method from a set of options. The activity gives instant feedback explaining why the method fits, as well as the main practical, ethical or theoretical limitation.
The activity is especially useful for lower-confidence students because it builds secure AO1 knowledge while quietly developing AO2 and AO3. By the end, students should be able to say not just what a method is, but why it might be useful for researching a specific inequality.
Method Match: Which Method for Which Inequality?
Match each research aim to the most suitable sociological method. This activity helps you practise applying methods to social inequalities, rather than just memorising definitions.
Research aim 1 of 10
Research aim
Which method fits best?
External research links
- ONS — official statistics on work, earnings, employment, population and social trends.
- ONS gender pay gap data — useful for official statistics and gender inequality.
- Runnymede Trust: Race and Racism in Secondary Schools — useful for racism, institutions and education.
- Marmot Review — useful for health inequalities and social determinants of health.
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation: UK Poverty — useful for poverty, class and social policy.
- Lisa McKenzie: Getting By — useful for qualitative research, class, stigma and community.
Write your own methods judgement
Choose one research aim from the activity. Write 3–4 sentences explaining why the chosen method fits, and give one limitation.
Revision table: methods and inequality research
| Method | Best for | Example inequality topic | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official statistics | Large-scale patterns and trends. | Gender pay gap, NEET rates, employment, poverty, attainment. | May not explain meanings, experiences or causes. |
| Semi-structured interviews | Exploring lived experience with some focused questions. | Racism in recruitment, experiences of disability, unpaid care. | Smaller samples may limit generalisability. |
| Ethnography | Studying culture, interaction and everyday life in context. | Class culture in workplaces, school subcultures, community stigma. | Time-consuming and difficult to replicate. |
| Content analysis | Identifying patterns in texts, images, adverts or media. | Ageist job adverts, gender stereotypes, racialised media representations. | Depends on coding decisions and may miss audience interpretation. |
| Questionnaires | Collecting comparable data from many respondents. | Attitudes to welfare, experiences of insecure work, student debt. | Closed questions may reduce validity and depth. |
| Secondary statistical data | Comparing published datasets across groups or areas. | Health inequality by region, poverty by household type. | Categories may be created by governments or organisations, not sociologists. |
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