Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Sociology
Lesson Topic: Approaches to sociological research
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the philosophical underpinnings of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‑methods research.
  • Compare the strengths and limitations of each research approach.
  • Apply appropriate sampling strategies for different methodological designs.
  • Evaluate reliability, validity, and ethical considerations in sociological research.
  • Construct a concise comparative table of research approaches.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • PowerPoint slides summarising each approach
  • Handout with comparative‑table template
  • Sample questionnaire and interview‑guide excerpts
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Sticky notes for group activity
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll asking students how they would investigate young people’s attitudes toward social media. Link their responses to the need for different research approaches and remind them of prior work on research methods. Explain that by the end of the lesson they will be able to select and justify the most suitable approach for a given question.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5’) – quick poll and brief whole‑class discussion of responses.
  2. Mini‑lecture (15’) – overview of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‑methods paradigms, key features and typical data collection methods.
  3. Group activity (20’) – using the handout, students fill a comparative table and note advantages/disadvantages of each approach.
  4. Case‑study analysis (15’) – evaluate sampling, reliability, validity and ethical issues for a provided research scenario.
  5. Whole‑class debrief (10’) – groups share findings; teacher clarifies misconceptions.
  6. Exit ticket (5’) – each student writes one strength and one limitation of the approach they would choose for the scenario.
Conclusion:
Summarise the key differences between the three approaches and why methodological choice matters for research quality. Collect exit tickets as a retrieval check and assign homework: draft a brief research design (including method, sampling and ethical considerations) using the approach they feel is most appropriate for a given question.