HSC Community and Family Studies key terms

The degree to which a person's physical, social, emotional, cultural and economic needs are met, shaping how satisfied and capable they feel in daily life.

Things a person requires in order to survive and function well, ranging from basics such as food and shelter to social connection and a sense of purpose.

Desires that improve comfort or enjoyment but are not essential for survival, such as branded clothing or entertainment subscriptions.

The process of planning, organising and using available resources to achieve goals, balancing limited time, energy and money against competing demands.

Resources that can be swapped for one another to achieve a goal, such as spending money to save time or using energy to earn income.

The value of the best alternative given up when a choice is made, such as missing paid work in order to study.

A staged process of identifying a problem, gathering information, weighing options, choosing, acting and then reviewing the outcome.

Establishing specific, measurable and time-bound targets that direct effort and allow progress to be reviewed and adjusted.

A framework for writing goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, making progress easier to track.

Accepting less of one benefit in exchange for more of another when resources cannot satisfy every want at once.

Deliberately allocating and prioritising time across tasks and commitments so that important obligations are completed without avoidable stress.

Ranking tasks or needs by urgency and importance so that limited resources are directed to what matters most first.

Speaking up or acting on behalf of a person or group to protect their rights, access services or influence decisions affecting them.

Building a person's or group's confidence, skills and access to information so they can make choices and act on their own behalf.

The lifelong process through which people learn the values, norms and behaviours expected in their family, culture and wider society.

Expected patterns of behaviour attached to a position such as parent, student or worker, which carry duties and privileges.

Shared, informal rules about how people are expected to behave in a group or society, learned through socialisation and enforced by approval or disapproval.

A person's overall judgement of their own worth, which influences confidence, motivation and how they respond to setbacks.

The capacity to adapt and recover after difficulty or stress, drawing on personal strengths, relationships and available support.

The people and services a person can turn to for practical help, information or emotional encouragement during challenging periods.

Assistance provided by family, friends, neighbours or community members without payment or formal referral, often based on personal relationships.

Assistance delivered by trained professionals or agencies such as health services, schools or government departments, usually governed by policies and eligibility criteria.

A structured conversation with a trained helper that supports a person to explore concerns, build coping strategies and make informed decisions.

A voluntary process in which a neutral third party helps disputing people reach their own agreement rather than having a decision imposed.

Strategies used to address disagreement constructively, such as negotiation, mediation or compromise, aiming to reduce harm and restore relationships.

A group of people related by blood, marriage, adoption or enduring commitment who share resources, care responsibilities and emotional bonds.

A household consisting of two parents and their dependent children, often contrasted with wider kinship arrangements.

A family group that includes relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins, who may share a household or ongoing care duties.

The web of relationships created by descent, marriage or custom that defines obligations, support and identity among relatives.

The typical way a caregiver exercises authority and warmth, ranging from permissive to authoritative or authoritarian approaches, which shapes children's development.

A person who provides unpaid or paid assistance with daily living tasks to someone who is ageing, ill or living with disability.

Short-term substitute care that gives regular carers a break from their duties to rest, attend to other commitments or protect their own wellbeing.

A group of people linked by place, shared interest, culture or identity whose interactions create belonging and mutual obligation.

The value created by relationships, trust and shared norms within a community, which can be drawn on for support and cooperation.

Giving time and skills to an organisation or cause without payment, strengthening community capacity and personal connection.

A focused, answerable question that guides what data a study will collect and how findings will be interpreted.

A testable statement predicting a relationship between variables, which research then supports, refines or rejects.

The overall design and reasoning behind how a study is conducted, including sampling, data collection and analysis choices.

Selecting a subset of people from a larger population to study, using approaches such as random, stratified or convenience sampling.

The consistency of a measure, meaning repeated use of the same instrument under similar conditions produces similar results.

The extent to which a study or instrument actually measures what it claims to measure and supports sound conclusions.

Principles governing research conduct, including informed consent, confidentiality, voluntary participation and avoiding harm to participants.

Participants' voluntary agreement to take part after being told the purpose, procedures, risks and their right to withdraw.

Protecting participants' identities and data from unauthorised access or disclosure, often through anonymising responses and secure storage.

Information expressed as numbers or counts, such as survey ratings, which can be statistically summarised and compared.

Non-numerical information such as interview transcripts or observations that captures meanings, experiences and reasons in participants' own words.

Any factor in a study that can take different values, including independent variables manipulated by researchers and dependent variables measured as outcomes.