Last Updated on October 5, 2026 by Karl Thompson
Before a sociologist can choose a research method, they have to choose what to research. The choice of topic is the first stage of the research process, and it is shaped by the same three kinds of factor as the choice of method: theoretical, practical and ethical. On top of those come the researcher’s own interests and the changing concerns of society.
The AQA specification names “the theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic” as part of Theory and Methods, which is assessed on Paper 1 and Paper 3 (mostly Paper 3). For where this stage fits in the research process as a whole, see the stages of social research.
The personal interests and values of the researcher
A sociologist is obviously going to be more motivated to study something they are interested in – and nothing motivates quite like personal experience, so many sociologists choose to study groups or issues they know from their own lives.
This can be a strength as well as a bias. A researcher who shares something with the group they study may find it easier to gain access and build trust. But they may also be less critical of what they find.
Theoretical perspective and political beliefs
Whether one is a Feminist, Marxist or Functionalist/ New Right Thinker/ or Post-Modernist can influence what one studies. Feminists emphasise the importance of focussing on issues of gender inequality, so might choose to research issues such as domestic violence or the impact of the Beauty Myth, while Marxists focus on researching the impact of wealth inequalities, so might research things such as class inequalities in education.
All of this raises the question of whether sociology can remain value-free (unbiased). Weber’s answer was that values legitimately shape which topics a sociologist chooses to study, but should not shape how the research itself is carried out or what it concludes. For more on this debate, see [LINK NEEDED: value freedom post].
Opportunity and access
Opportunity also matters when it comes to research topic – researchers often end up studying the people and places they can actually get access to, such as the pupils in their own school or college.
Some groups are very hard to reach: the powerful, who can refuse to take part, and closed or criminal groups, who have good reasons to keep outsiders away. A topic may be interesting and important, but if the researcher can’t get access, it isn’t a practical choice.
Funding
Sociologists are professionals and need to get funding for their research, so funding bodies can influence topics of research.
Whoever pays for research usually decides, or at least narrows, what it is about. A government department will fund research into the problems it needs to solve. A charity will fund research into the issue it campaigns on. This means some topics attract far more research than others, for reasons that have little to do with the sociologist’s own interests.
Changes in society
Societies change, and so new topics of study will emerge with social changes. For example, sociologists have studied things such as rave culture and virtual gaming communities as these have emerged, which overlaps with the first point above!
Public concern works the same way. A topic that is in the news, or that politicians are worried about, is more likely to attract both the researcher’s interest and the funding to pay for it.
Ethical considerations
Some topics raise ethical problems before any method has been chosen. Research into sensitive subjects, or with vulnerable groups such as children, carries a higher risk of harm and needs stricter safeguards, so a researcher may decide a topic is not worth the ethical cost. Research usually has to pass an ethics review before it can go ahead, and that review can rule a topic out, or change its scope, as well as rule out a method.
Summary: the factors at a glance
| Factor | Type | How it shapes the choice of topic |
|---|---|---|
| Personal interests and values | Theoretical/personal | Researchers study what they care about, often from their own experience |
| Theoretical perspective | Theoretical | Feminists study gender; Marxists study class and inequality |
| Opportunity and access | Practical | Researchers study what they can get to |
| Funding | Practical | Funders decide, or narrow, what gets studied |
| Changes in society | Practical/social | New social developments and public concerns create new topics |
| Ethical considerations | Ethical | Some topics carry too high a risk of harm |
Evaluation: how free is the choice?
The factors pull in different directions. Personal interest and theoretical perspective push a sociologist towards what they want to study. Funding and access decide what they can actually study. In practice the second pair often wins, which means the topics sociology covers are shaped by the priorities of funders and the openness of the people being studied, not just by what sociologists think is important.
This matters for the value freedom debate. Even a sociologist who carries out their research objectively has usually chosen their topic for reasons that are not objective at all, whether those reasons are their own values or a funder’s priorities.
Choice of topic in the exam
Choice of topic is most likely to come up in Theory and Methods. You could be asked to outline and explain two factors that influence it in a 10 mark question, or use it in a 20 mark essay on research design, value freedom or the factors influencing research. The same theoretical, practical and ethical factors also explain the choice of method, so the material here works well alongside the theoretical factors essay.
Related Posts
- Doing Social Research: the stages of social research – where choice of topic fits in the research process
- Factors Affecting Choice of Research Methods – the same factors applied to the choice of method
- Positivism and Interpretivism in Social Research
Theory and Methods A Level Sociology Revision Bundle
If you like this sort of thing, then you might like my Theory and Methods revision notes bundle – specifically designed to get students through the theory and methods sections of A level sociology papers 1 and 3. It contains the following:
- 74 pages of revision notes
- 15 mind maps on various topics within theory and methods
- Five theory and methods essays
- ‘How to write methods in context essays’.
Signposting
This post has been written primarily for students studying the research methods topic within A-level sociology. For links to all of my posts on research methods, see my main page on research methods.
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