NCEA Level 2 Social Studies flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Social inquiry process

A staged approach: establish a focus question, gather and evaluate evidence, analyse using social science concepts, consider perspectives and values, conclude with justification, and reflect on findings.

Perspectives

The viewpoints held by different groups or individuals on an issue, shaped by their experiences, values, and position. Analysis explains why each group holds its view.

Values

Principles or beliefs about what matters and what is right, held by individuals or groups. They influence how people respond to social issues and justify their positions.

Primary source

Evidence created at the time by someone directly involved, such as interviews, letters, surveys, photographs, or official records. It offers direct insight but may be biased.

Secondary source

An interpretation or summary of events produced later by someone not directly involved, such as textbooks, news reports, or research articles. It synthesises but may distort detail.

Reliability of evidence

The extent to which a source can be trusted, judged by its authorship, purpose, date, method, and whether independent sources corroborate its claims.

Bias

A systematic slant in evidence or interpretation caused by the author's purpose, interests, or limited viewpoint. Identifying bias does not automatically make a source useless.

Justified conclusion

A final judgement that states a clear position, supports it with specific evidence, and acknowledges limitations or alternative interpretations rather than overstating certainty.

Social action

Deliberate individual or collective activity aimed at addressing a social issue, such as a submission, petition, campaign, or community project, evaluated for its impact.

Identity

How individuals and groups understand themselves and are understood by others, shaped by culture, ethnicity, gender, place, history, and social interaction.

Culture

The shared beliefs, values, customs, language, and practices of a group, transmitted across generations and adapting as groups encounter change or other cultures.

Social justice

The principle that all people should have fair access to resources, opportunities, and rights. Injustices arise when structures systematically disadvantage particular groups.

Equality versus equity

Equality means treating everyone the same; equity means distributing support according to need so outcomes become fairer. The distinction underpins many policy debates.

Stereotype

A generalised, oversimplified belief about a group that ignores individual variation. Stereotypes can become the basis for prejudice and discrimination in social structures.

Discrimination

Unequal treatment of people based on group membership such as ethnicity, gender, or disability. It can be personal and direct or built into institutional rules and practices.

Institutional racism

Policies, practices, or norms within organisations that produce unequal outcomes for ethnic groups, regardless of individual intent. It operates through structures rather than only attitudes.

Social stratification

The ranking of groups in society by wealth, status, or power, producing unequal access to resources and opportunities that may persist across generations.

Socio-economic status

A person's or group's position based on income, occupation, education, and related resources. It strongly correlates with health, housing, and educational outcomes.

Globalisation

The increasing interconnection of economies, cultures, and people across borders through trade, migration, technology, and media, producing both opportunities and inequalities.

Migration

The movement of people between places, driven by push factors such as conflict or unemployment and pull factors such as work, safety, or family links.

Urbanisation

The growing proportion of a population living in cities, driven by rural-to-urban migration and natural growth, which shapes housing, infrastructure, and social inequality.

Sustainability

Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing environmental, economic, and social considerations in decision-making.

Treaty of Waitangi

The 1840 agreement between Māori chiefs and the British Crown, with Māori and English texts that differ in meaning. Its principles inform law, policy, and social debate in New Zealand.

Tino rangatiratanga

Māori self-determination and chieftainship, affirmed in the Māori text of the Treaty of Waitangi. It underpins claims for Māori authority over resources and decision-making.

Kaitiakitanga

Māori guardianship and stewardship of the environment, based on whakapapa connections between people and land, water, and living things across generations.

Whakapapa

Māori genealogy and kinship linking people to ancestors, land, and the natural world. It shapes identity, obligations, and relationships rather than being only a family tree.

Human rights

Entitlements held by all people regardless of status, set out in instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and domestic legislation like the Bill of Rights Act.

Democracy

A system where power derives from the people, typically through free elections, rule of law, and protected rights, with majoritarian decisions limited by safeguards for minorities.

Civil society

Organisations and groups outside government and business, such as charities, unions, and community groups, that organise action and influence policy on social issues.

Conflicting values

Situations where groups hold incompatible beliefs about what is right or important, producing social debate that analysis should explain rather than simply judge.

Cause and consequence

A social science concept linking underlying and immediate causes of an event to its short-term and long-term effects on different groups and places.

Continuity and change

A concept examining what has stayed the same and what has altered over time, and for whom, rather than assuming change is uniform or always progress.