Data Set A A retired schoolteacher named Yuki Tanaka wrote a blog post in Osaka, Japan, recounting how she had watched gender roles change dramatically over...

(a) What is the sociological term for the process by which children learn the culture of their society from family members? [2]

The term is primary socialisation. This is the process by which children learn the basic norms, values, language and cultural practices of their society through interaction with family members during early childhood. It is the first and most influential stage of socialisation.

Mark allocation: 2 marks for 'primary socialisation' with appropriate development. 1 mark for 'socialisation' without specifying 'primary' or without linking it to the family context.

(b) Describe the examples of cultural transmission that Lourdes mentions in Document 1. [4]

Lourdes describes three examples of cultural transmission:

• Teaching her grandchildren to cook traditional meals, passing on food preparation skills and culinary traditions that are part of Cuban culture.
• Teaching them to celebrate national holidays, transmitting knowledge of national events, patriotic customs and the rituals associated with them.
• Teaching them to respect their elders, passing on the value of deference and courtesy towards older people.

All three are examples of passing on cultural norms, values and practices from one generation to the next within the family. This is the essence of primary socialisation and cultural transmission.

Mark allocation: 1 mark per example identified from the source, plus 1 mark for recognising these as examples of cultural transmission through socialisation.

(c) What sociological concept refers to the shared traditions, language and beliefs that give a group its sense of who they are? [2]

The concept is cultural identity. This refers to the sense of belonging to a group that shares particular traditions, language, beliefs, customs and practices. Cultural identity gives individuals a collective sense of who they are in relation to others and connects them to a community with a shared heritage.

Mark allocation: 2 marks for 'cultural identity' with development. Accept 'culture' or 'cultural heritage' with appropriate elaboration linking to group identity.

(d) What conflict between primary and secondary socialisation does Document 1 illustrate? [4]

Primary socialisation through Lourdes taught her grandchildren traditional Cuban values: cooking traditional meals, celebrating national holidays and respecting elders. These are the norms and values of their family's culture, transmitted through close, personal interaction in the home.

Secondary socialisation through peers and media introduced different values. Document 1 describes the grandchildren adopting school slang and preferring foreign television programmes over family activities. These represent values from outside the family that compete with what Lourdes tried to teach.

The conflict is that the identity the grandchildren are developing through secondary agents (peers and media) contradicts the traditional cultural identity that Lourdes instilled during primary socialisation. This illustrates a common sociological theme: the tension between the values transmitted by the family and those encountered through wider society, particularly in an age of globalised media.

Mark allocation: Up to 4 marks. Credit for identifying the primary socialisation values (1-2 marks), the contrasting secondary socialisation influences (1 mark), and the nature of the conflict (1 mark).

(e) Describe one way in which peer groups influence the language and behaviour of teenagers. [4]

Teenagers adopt the slang, vocabulary and speech patterns used by their friends at school and in their social circles. As Document 1 illustrates, Lourdes' grandchildren preferred the language of their peer group over the language patterns used at home.

This happens because young people have a strong desire to fit in and be accepted by their friends. Being part of a peer group requires using the same language, references and communication styles. Using 'outdated' language or speaking as parents do can lead to exclusion or ridicule from peers. During adolescence, being accepted by the peer group often becomes more important than conforming to family expectations about how to speak, which explains why teenagers may adopt very different language in different social contexts.

Mark allocation: 1 mark for identifying the way, up to 3 marks for development with explanation and reference to Document 1.

(f) What role does television play in shaping the identity of young people, according to sociologists? [6]

Exposure to other cultures: Television exposes young people to lifestyles, values and behaviours from other cultures and societies that may differ significantly from those taught at home. Foreign programmes can present alternative role models, fashion trends, attitudes and ways of living that young people may find attractive and adopt as part of their own identity.

Agent of secondary socialisation: Sociologists argue that television acts as a powerful agent of secondary socialisation by transmitting dominant cultural values and norms to a mass audience. Through repeated exposure to particular messages about gender roles, beauty standards, consumer lifestyles and social success, television shapes what young people consider normal and desirable.

Cultural homogenisation: Some sociologists are concerned that global television, dominated by Western (particularly American) content, may homogenise identity by spreading consumer culture at the expense of local traditions. Young people in diverse societies may develop increasingly similar identities based on global media consumption, weakening their connection to their own cultural heritage. Document 1 illustrates this when Lourdes' grandchildren prefer foreign television to family activities.

Mark allocation: Up to 6 marks. 2 marks per well-developed point. Credit for sociological concepts and reference to Document 1.

(g) Describe how globalisation has affected the way young people in different societies develop their identity. [6]

Access to global media and culture: Globalisation has increased access to international media, social networks and consumer products, giving young people a far wider range of cultural influences to draw upon when forming their identity. A teenager in Havana can now watch the same television programmes, listen to the same music and follow the same social media trends as one in London or Tokyo.

Hybrid identities: Young people in different societies may develop hybrid identities that combine elements of their local culture with global cultural trends. For example, a young person might celebrate traditional national holidays while also adopting Western fashion and music. This blending of local and global creates new, complex forms of identity.

Weakening of traditional identity: Traditional cultural identities may be weakened as young people are exposed to dominant Western values through global media and technology. Local customs, languages and practices may be seen as less relevant or appealing compared with the globalised culture promoted through television and social media.

Migration and dispersed families: Migration patterns mean that families are dispersed across countries, as Document 1 illustrates (the grandchildren's parents emigrated to work abroad). This can disrupt the transmission of cultural identity between generations, as the family members who would normally socialise children into their culture are physically absent.

Mark allocation: Up to 6 marks. 2 marks per well-developed point. Credit for reference to Document 1 and sociological concepts.

(h) What arguments do sociologists make about whether the family is still the most important agent of socialisation in the modern world? [8]

Arguments that the family is still the most important:

• Functionalists argue that the family remains the most important agent because primary socialisation in early childhood establishes the core values and norms that form the foundation of a person's identity. These early lessons are deeply embedded and difficult to override.
• Parents provide emotional bonds and consistent role models that other agents cannot replicate. The love, trust and attachment between parent and child makes family socialisation uniquely powerful and enduring.
• The family transmits ethnicity, religion, language and social class, which are among the most fundamental aspects of identity.

Arguments that the family is no longer the most important:

• In modern societies, secondary agents such as peer groups, media and education have become more influential, especially during adolescence. Young people spend more waking hours exposed to these agents than to their parents.
• The growth of social media and global television means young people are exposed to a far wider range of influences than previous generations, reducing the family's ability to control the socialisation process.
• As Document 1 shows, grandchildren may reject family values in favour of those learned from peers and media. Lourdes' experience illustrates how the family's influence can be undermined by competing agents of socialisation.
• Changes in family structure (rising divorce, lone parenthood, dual-income families) may reduce the time and consistency of family socialisation.

Mark allocation: Up to 8 marks. 4 marks for arguments supporting the family's importance, 4 marks for arguments challenging it. Credit for reference to Document 1, named perspectives and sociological reasoning.

(i) Identify one way in which identity changes as a person moves through different stages of life. [4]

When a young person leaves home for university or employment, they enter new social environments where they encounter different norms, values and expectations. This transition introduces them to new agents of socialisation, including new peer groups, colleagues and communities.

This can lead them to develop new aspects of their identity, such as becoming more independent, adopting new political views, forming a professional identity or developing new friendships that reshape their sense of who they are. The identity learned during primary socialisation may be modified or challenged as these new agents become influential.

This process illustrates what Giddens calls reflexive identity: in modern societies, identity is not fixed at birth but is continuously renegotiated as people encounter new experiences and social contexts at different life stages.

Mark allocation: 1 mark for identifying the way identity changes, up to 3 marks for development explaining why and how this change occurs.