HSC Community and Family Studies study guide
HSC Community and Family Studies · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Community and Family Studies is a Stage 6 learning area in New South Wales, and the Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the credential students work towards in Years 11 and 12. NESA describes the HSC as a world-class credential that helps young adults on the path to work, training and further education, so the course suits students who want a pathway into community services, health, education, social research or further study, as well as those simply interested in how individuals, families and communities function. The HSC Community and Family Studies study guide has 4 sections and about 1,237 words.
01Resource Management: Choosing, Using and Sustaining Resources
Resource management is about how individuals and families identify needs and wants, then decide how to allocate resources - time, energy, money, knowledge, skills and human capital - to meet them. Candidates must distinguish needs (essential for survival and wellbeing) from wants (desirable but not essential), and recognise that these are socially and culturally shaped rather than fixed.
338 words, about 2 min02Individuals and Groups: Roles, Relationships and Group Dynamics
This area examines how individuals develop and function within groups and how groups shape behaviour. Candidates must understand socialisation (primary and secondary), the development of self-concept and self-esteem, and the influence of family, peers, school, media and community on identity.
307 words, about 2 min03Families and Communities: Diversity, Change and Support
Candidates must understand family structures and types - nuclear, extended, blended, sole-parent, same-sex-parented, adoptive, foster, communal and childless - and recognise that no structure is inherently better. Discuss family functions : physical, emotional, economic, socialising, protective and reproductive, and how these are shared or redistributed.
292 words, about 1 min04Research Methodology: Designing, Conducting and Evaluating Research
Candidates must understand the research process : define the topic and question, conduct a literature review, state a hypothesis, choose a methodology, select participants and sampling method, collect data, analyse, interpret, then report and evaluate. Distinguish primary from secondary research, and quantitative (numerical, measurable, statistical) from qualitative (descriptive, interpretive, experiential) approaches, including mixed methods .
300 words, about 2 min