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This Qualitative Methods bundle within the Theory and Methods component of A Level Sociology (AQA 7192/1 and 7192/3) equips students with a clear, structured, and evaluative understanding of the non-numerical research methods sociologists use to explore meaning, experience, and context. The PDF summary covers key qualitative methods including: unstructured interviews, participant, ethnography, personal documents and alternative secondary sources. It explains how these methods allow researchers to uncover depth, insight, and the subjective experiences of individuals.

The bundle examines each method’s strengths and limitations, with a strong focus on validity, reliability, representativeness, ethics, and practicality. It also introduces relevant theoretical perspectives—such as Interpretivism, Symbolic Interactionism, and Feminist methodologies—to show how qualitative methods are underpinned by sociological theory.

The PowerPoint presentation provides engaging visual summaries of each method, along with real-world research examples (e.g. Whyte’s Street Corner Society, Venkatesh’s Gang Leader for a Day, and Oakley’s feminist interviews). It also includes key comparisons with quantitative methods to support evaluation and exam preparation.

To build strong exam responses, the bundle includes connectives worksheets and skills-based activities such as method evaluation grids, theory-method matching exercises, and application tasks involving hypothetical research scenarios.

Altogether, this bundle gives students the tools to understand, apply, and critically evaluate qualitative methods in both Paper 1 (Methods in Context) and Paper 3 (Theory and Methods), making it a vital part of their A Level Sociology success.