21 Why do Maya and Declan decide to focus on rural communities?
A There is a lack of existing research.
B They have personal connections there.
C The data is easier to collect.
22 What problem did Declan face with his initial case study idea?
A It was too expensive to travel to.
B The local council refused permission.
C The population was too small.
23 How will they distribute their questionnaires?
A By mailing them directly to homes.
B Through local community centres.
C Via an online social media group.
24 What is their next immediate step?
A Draft the interview questions.
B Contact their academic supervisor.
C Read previous dissertation papers.
Questions 25 to 30
What specific aspect of each potential case study town are they most interested in?
Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to Questions 25-30.
Aspects of Towns
A bus networks
B medical services
C shopping facilities
D affordable homes
E youth activities
F job opportunities
G broadband speeds
Case Study Towns
25 Oakhaven …………………
26 Maplecroft …………………
27 Pinebridge …………………
28 Ashbourne …………………
29 Willow Creek …………………
30 Cedar Grove …………………
Keys
21 A
22 B
23 B
24 C
25 E
26 A
27 G
28 B
29 D
30 C
Transcripts
Part 3: You will hear two university students, Maya and Declan, discussing their project on selecting case studies.
MAYA: We need to finalize our sociology project today. Have you thought about our case studies?
DECLAN: Yes, I know we considered urban neighborhoods, but we should focus on rural communities instead.
MAYA: I thought about that. My concern is data would be harder to collect out there. I have no personal connections to rural areas.
DECLAN: Gathering statistics takes effort. Searching the database, I realized there is a lack of existing research on these villages. That is a brilliant opportunity.
MAYA: You make a great point. A fresh angle is better. Okay, rural communities it is. What about the village you suggested last week?
DECLAN: Not exactly. I was keen on it because the population size was ideal for our sampling methods.
MAYA: Did it turn out to be too expensive to travel to?
DECLAN: The problem was the local council. They refused permission for us to conduct interviews on their property. We must drop it.
MAYA: That is a shame. How will we distribute questionnaires to the residents of these villages?
DECLAN: Well, we could try mailing them directly to their homes.
MAYA: Printing and postage cost too much. The return rate is terrible.
DECLAN: Fair enough. What about a link via an online village group?
MAYA: Older demographics here do not use social media. The best strategy is to leave stacks of them at community centres. The staff can hand them out.
DECLAN: A practical idea. We will get a better sample. What should we do right now? We met our supervisor yesterday, so we do not need him.
MAYA: Right. It is too early to draft the interview questions. We need to understand the theoretical framework first.
DECLAN: Exactly. Let us spend the afternoon reading previous dissertation papers. We can see what methodology past students used.
MAYA: Agreed. Let us choose six villages as our main case studies. We should look at a different core issue for each. Let us start with Oakhaven.
DECLAN: I read up on Oakhaven recently. It used to be quite a bustling place for families, but things have changed over the last decade.
MAYA: Yes, they have seen a drop in their teenage population. Families are moving away because there is nothing to do. We should investigate the lack of youth activities.
DECLAN: They desperately need sports clubs or a skate park. Let us assign that to Oakhaven. Next is Maplecroft. Have you been there?
MAYA: A few times, actually. It is quite isolated now. They had a major infrastructure change recently when their train line closed down last year.
DECLAN: Oh, I see. So people are entirely reliant on bus networks, which are very unreliable. We should analyze that impact.
MAYA: Good idea. The third one is Pinebridge. I read an article about their local economy.
DECLAN: Oh, is that the place struggling with job opportunities?
MAYA: Actually, no. Unemployment is very low there, and they have plenty of new startups. However, their main fight is about broadband speeds. Businesses are threatening to leave because the internet is too slow for commerce.
DECLAN: Let us focus on that technological aspect then. What about Ashbourne?
MAYA: Ashbourne has a unique demographic. It is incredibly popular with retirees, which brings its own set of challenges.
DECLAN: Right. They have a crisis regarding elderly residents. They had a clinic, but it shut down. Now, anyone needing medical services must drive to the hospital.
MAYA: That is a critical issue to cover. We will assign that to Ashbourne. Number five is Willow Creek.
DECLAN: I heard Willow Creek is actually attracting a lot of new residents lately.
MAYA: They are, but they cannot accommodate them. They were supposed to be expanding. Are they building more affordable homes?
DECLAN: That is the problem. The developer cancelled the entire estate project. Young families cannot find anywhere to live. The market is frozen.
MAYA: Let us track that situation. Finally, we have Cedar Grove.
DECLAN: Cedar Grove used to be famous for its historic town centre. It was packed with local vendors.
MAYA: Not anymore, unfortunately. It is a dying high street. The council built a massive supermarket on the outskirts, and as a result, independent shopping facilities have gone bankrupt.
DECLAN: It is sad, but it makes a perfect final case study. We have our six towns.
