Agencies of socialisation | AQA A-Level Sociology

For Specification 7192

AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes

Estimated study time: 40 minutes

exam questions by topic 👇

Agencies of socialisation are an explicit part of the Culture and Identity topic in AQA A-Level Sociology. This Agencies of socialisation A-Level Sociology revision page examines their place within the socialisation process, how their influence connects with culture and identity, and why relationships between different agencies matter sociologically. It builds directly on the socialisation process [The socialisation process] and prepares you for examining the self and identity [The self, identity and difference]. AQA requires both the socialisation process and the role of agencies of socialisation to be understood.

Learning Objectives 🎯

By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:

• Identify that agencies of socialisation are explicitly required within AQA Culture and Identity.

• Explain how agencies relate to the socialisation process.

• Examine how agencies of socialisation may connect with culture and identity.

• Analyse relationships between different agencies at the level supported by the specification.

• Relate agencies of socialisation to wider AQA themes including social differentiation, power and stratification.

These objectives reflect the lesson sequence in the supplied AQA Sociology revision plan.

Revision Notes 📚

Agencies of socialisation in the AQA specification

AQA requires students studying Culture and Identity to be familiar with sociological explanations of:

• different conceptions of culture

• the socialisation process and the role of the agencies of socialisation

• the self, identity and difference as socially caused and socially constructed

• the relationship of identity to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and social class

• the relationship of identity to production, consumption and globalisation.

Agencies of socialisation therefore form part of a wider sequence connecting culture, socialisation and identity.

This lesson develops the process introduced in socialisation [The socialisation process] before the course moves on to identity and difference [The self, identity and difference].

What is an agency of socialisation?

AQA explicitly uses the term agencies of socialisation, but the supplied specification does not provide a formal definition of an agency of socialisation.

The secure point is that students need to understand:

the socialisation process + the role of agencies of socialisation

as connected elements of the Culture and Identity topic.

Identifying the major agencies

The learning objective for this lesson asks students to identify major agencies involved in socialisation.

The relationship between agencies and the socialisation process

Although particular agencies are not named, AQA's wording establishes a clear relationship.

The specification requires students to understand:

1. the socialisation process

2. the role of the agencies of socialisation.

This means the two ideas should not be revised independently.

The socialisation process concerns an aspect of social life students are required to understand, while agencies of socialisation concerns the social agencies involved in that process.

What does "role" mean in this specification point?

AQA does not merely state that students should know that agencies exist. It specifically requires students to understand their role within socialisation.

At examination level, this means that simply naming an agency would not necessarily demonstrate a developed sociological explanation.

Students ultimately need specification-compatible knowledge that allows them to explain:

• what a particular agency does

• how it relates to socialisation

• how it may influence individuals

• how its influence may connect with culture or identity.

The supplied material establishes that this type of explanation is required, but does not provide the substantive information needed to complete it for particular agencies.

Agencies of socialisation and culture

One of AQA's two course-wide core themes is:

socialisation, culture and identity.

This means that agencies of socialisation should be considered within a wider sociological framework rather than as a list to memorise.

Earlier lessons introduced the different conceptions of culture required by AQA, including:

• subculture

• mass culture

• folk culture

• high and low culture

• popular culture

• global culture.

The relationship between socialisation and cultural forms therefore forms part of the wider Culture and Identity topic.

You can review these foundations through different conceptions of culture [Understanding culture] and popular and global culture [Popular and global culture].

However, the specification does not state that a particular agency creates or transmits a particular cultural form.

⚠️ Exam warning: Do not invent a specific relationship between an agency and a cultural form unless it is supported by accurate sociological material studied on your course.

Agencies of socialisation and identity

Immediately after the socialisation requirement, AQA requires students to examine:

the self, identity and difference as both socially caused and socially constructed. 

This provides a clear reason for connecting agencies of socialisation with the broader study of identity.

The sequence can be represented as:

culture → socialisation → agencies of socialisation → self, identity and difference

This is a useful way of organising your revision, but it should not be treated as an AQA causal formula. It represents the order and connections within the specification rather than a theory supplied by AQA.

The next lesson, the self, identity and difference [The self, identity and difference], develops how identity and difference can be understood as socially caused and socially constructed.

Agencies and different identities

AQA requires identity to be examined in relation to:

Required aspect of identity	Place within Culture and Identity
Age	Identity in contemporary society
Disability	Identity in contemporary society
Ethnicity	Identity in contemporary society
Gender	Identity in contemporary society
Nationality	Identity in contemporary society
Sexuality	Identity in contemporary society
Social class	Identity in contemporary society

These are explicit specification requirements.

This establishes social identity and difference as an important wider context for the study of socialisation.

However, AQA does not state in the supplied specification that particular agencies produce particular age, disability, ethnic, gender, national, sexual or class identities.

Students should therefore distinguish between:

what AQA requires: the socialisation process, agencies of socialisation, and identity in relation to these characteristics

and:

what requires additional sociological teaching material: specific explanations of how individual agencies influence particular identities.

Later lessons develop these identity requirements through age and disability identities [Age and disability identities] and other specific areas of identity.

How different agencies influence individuals

The lesson objective requires students to explain how different agencies influence individuals.

What can be established securely is that their influence should ultimately be considered within the wider core theme of socialisation, culture and identity.

Relationships between different agencies

The third lesson objective asks students to examine relationships between different agencies of socialisation.

Socialisation and social differentiation

Culture and Identity must also be studied in relation to AQA's second core theme:

social differentiation, power and stratification.

This is important because socialisation should not be considered only at the level of individual experience. The specification asks students to connect substantive Sociology with wider differences and relationships in society.

Within Culture and Identity, this can later connect with the requirement to examine identity in relation to social characteristics such as social class, gender and ethnicity.

For example, the later social class and identity [Social class and identity] lesson examines one of the explicit identity relationships required by AQA.

However, the specification does not identify a particular agency as responsible for class, gender or ethnic differentiation.

Agencies, social structure and social action

AQA also requires students throughout the course to understand the significance of:

• conflict and consensus

• social structure and social action

• the role of values.

These ideas provide a broader theoretical context for the study of socialisation.

Questions about agencies of socialisation may ultimately connect with wider sociological questions about the relationship between individuals and society.

For example, sociological explanations may differ in the importance they give to wider social structures or individual action.

However, the specification does not identify which particular structural or social action theories should be used specifically to explain agencies of socialisation. Those approaches are studied separately in structural theories [Structural theories] and social action theories [Social action theories].

Agencies and contemporary UK society

AQA states that the central focus of study should be UK society today, while comparative dimensions should be considered where relevant, including the position of UK society within its globalised context.

This means that sociological explanations of agencies of socialisation should ultimately be applicable to contemporary social life.

The supplied material does not provide contemporary examples of specific agencies or evidence about their relative influence.

Students should therefore use accurate examples from specification-compatible teaching resources rather than treating personal experience alone as proof of a sociological explanation.

Evidence and sociological explanations

AQA states that students studying Topics in Sociology should examine both:

• evidence

• sociological explanations

for the content listed in the specification.

This applies to agencies of socialisation.

A complete sociological understanding would therefore involve more than saying that an agency influences people. Students should be able to explain the sociological reasoning and consider appropriate evidence.

How agencies of socialisation may be examined

AQA's assessment objectives require students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, apply sociological material and analyse and evaluate sociological theories, concepts and evidence.

For this lesson, these skills can be understood as follows:

AO1: Knowledge and understanding

Students need accurate knowledge of:

• the concept of agencies of socialisation

• their roles

• relevant sociological explanations.

Simply naming several agencies would provide less developed knowledge than explaining how each relates to the socialisation process.

AO2: Application

If a question provides an Item or scenario, students should use details from it to show how a particular social influence relates to socialisation.

A response should do more than repeat a word from the Item. It should explain the sociological connection.

AO3: Analysis

Where a question requires analysis, students can consider:

• relationships between agencies

• differences in their influence

• connections between socialisation, culture and identity

• wider links with social differentiation, social structure or social action.

Any specific claim about particular agencies needs appropriate sociological support.

Key Words 🔑

Key word	Student-friendly definition	How it may be used in an exam
Agency of socialisation	A term explicitly required by AQA in relation to the socialisation process. The supplied specification does not identify particular agencies.	Explain the role of particular agencies using accurate specification-compatible knowledge.
Socialisation	A required process studied alongside the role of agencies of socialisation.	Use when explaining how agencies relate to wider social life.
Culture	Part of the core AQA theme of socialisation, culture and identity.	Connect agencies of socialisation to wider cultural questions where supported.
Identity	A required area involving the self and difference as socially caused and socially constructed.	Analyse links between socialisation and identity.
Social differentiation	Part of AQA's second core theme.	Connect socialisation to wider differences within society where relevant.
Power	Part of the core theme of social differentiation, power and stratification.	May be considered within wider sociological explanations of social relationships.
Social structure	An idea AQA requires students to understand throughout the course.	Can be used when considering wider social influences on individuals.
Social action	Another course-wide idea required alongside social structure.	Relevant when examining the relationship between individuals and society.

Common Mistakes ⚠️

Mistake: Simply listing agencies without explaining their role

Why this is incorrect: AQA specifically requires students to understand the role of the agencies of socialisation, not merely recognise that agencies exist.

How to improve: For every agency you study using your course materials, be prepared to explain how its influence relates to the socialisation process.

Mistake: Treating agencies of socialisation as separate from socialisation

Why this is incorrect: AQA combines the two within a single specification requirement: the socialisation process and the role of its agencies.

How to improve: Always establish the connection between the agency and the socialisation process.

Mistake: Assuming all agencies influence individuals in the same way

Why this is incorrect: The supplied specification does not state this and provides no evidence for such a claim.

How to improve: Compare the roles of particular agencies only when supported by accurate sociological knowledge.

Mistake: Assuming agencies must always reinforce one another

Why this is incorrect: AQA does not specify that different agencies necessarily transmit identical influences or operate in the same way.

How to improve: Treat relationships between agencies as something to examine rather than assume.

Mistake: Making unsupported claims about particular identities

Why this is incorrect: AQA requires identity to be studied in relation to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and social class, but does not state that a particular agency produces a particular identity.

How to improve: Use appropriate sociological explanations and evidence before making specific causal claims.

Mistake: Forgetting the wider core themes

Why this is incorrect: Socialisation, culture and identity is one of two core themes. The other is social differentiation, power and stratification.

How to improve: Where relevant, connect your explanation of socialisation with wider questions about identity, difference and society.

Exam-Style Questions ✍️

Because the supplied specification does not identify particular agencies of socialisation or provide detailed explanations of their influence, the questions below test only material that can be securely established from the provided sources.

Question 1

Identify the process that AQA requires students to study alongside the role of agencies of socialisation. [1 mark]

Question 2

State the two core themes that run throughout AQA A-Level Sociology. [2 marks]

Question 3

Outline two reasons why agencies of socialisation should be studied as part of the wider Culture and Identity topic. [4 marks]

Question 4

Item A

A sociologist is interested in how people's identities develop in contemporary society. The researcher examines the socialisation process and considers the influence of several different social agencies rather than assuming that individuals are shaped by only one source of influence.

Using Item A, explain two ways in which this investigation relates to the AQA Culture and Identity specification. [6 marks]

Question 5

Explain two connections between agencies of socialisation and identity within the AQA specification. [6 marks]

Question 6

Analyse why sociologists studying socialisation may need to consider relationships between different agencies rather than studying each agency entirely separately. [8 marks]

Question 7

Evaluate the view that the influence of agencies of socialisation can be understood without considering wider culture and identity. [10 marks]

Answers and indicative mark scheme

Question 1

Answer: The socialisation process.

Award 1 mark for the correct response.

Question 2

Award 1 mark for each correct theme:

• socialisation, culture and identity

• social differentiation, power and stratification.

Total: 2 marks

Question 3

Award up to 2 marks for each developed point.

Possible content includes:

• AQA places agencies directly within the requirement concerning the socialisation process.

• Socialisation, culture and identity form one of the two core themes.

• The specification moves from socialisation and its agencies to the self, identity and difference.

• AQA expects links between different areas of Sociology to be drawn.

A simple list should receive less credit than two explained connections.

Total: 4 marks

Question 4

Possible developed applications include:

• Item A refers to the socialisation process, which is explicitly required by AQA.

• Its examination of different social agencies corresponds to the required study of the role of agencies of socialisation.

• Its focus on identity links to the specification requirement concerning the self, identity and difference.

• Its focus on contemporary society reflects AQA's emphasis on contemporary social life.

• The suggestion that several social influences may be involved provides an opportunity to examine relationships between different agencies.

Higher marks require the student to use details from Item A and explain their sociological relevance.

Total: 6 marks

Question 5

Possible developed responses include:

• Socialisation and identity are explicitly grouped together within the core theme of socialisation, culture and identity.

• Agencies of socialisation form part of the specification immediately before the study of the self, identity and difference.

• Identity is subsequently examined in relation to several social characteristics, placing socialisation within a wider study of social identity.

• AQA encourages links between different areas of sociological content.

Two clearly developed explanations are required for full marks.

Total: 6 marks

Question 6

A stronger answer could analyse:

• AQA's requirement to study the role of agencies as part of a broader socialisation process

• the possibility that socialisation involves more than a single social influence

• relationships between socialisation, culture and identity

• the importance of drawing links between different areas of Sociology

• the wider themes of social differentiation, power and stratification

• the relevance of social structure and social action.

Students should not make specific claims about how named agencies interact unless those claims are supported by accurate sociological material.

Total: 8 marks

Question 7

Arguments against the view could include:

• agencies are explicitly studied as part of the socialisation process

• socialisation, culture and identity form one combined AQA core theme

• socialisation is followed in Culture and Identity by study of the self, identity and difference

• AQA expects its core themes to operate as threads through different areas of social life

• students are expected to make connections between different areas of Sociology.

A balanced response could recognise that individual agencies require focused study in their own right. However, the specification places their role within a much broader framework of socialisation, culture and identity.

A strong conclusion should therefore recognise that understanding particular agencies and understanding their wider social context are complementary rather than competing tasks.