NCEA Level 3 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 structured research cycle: identifying a social issue, forming a focus question, gathering and evaluating evidence, analysing findings, and reflecting on the process and its limitations.

Multiple perspectives

The requirement to examine a social issue from the viewpoints of different groups, including those with less power, rather than relying on a single dominant account.

Social forces

Broad social, economic, political, or cultural pressures and structures that shape individual behaviour and life outcomes, such as class, gender norms, or economic policy.

Socialisation

The lifelong process through which people learn the norms, values, and behaviours of their society, primarily through family, education, peers, media, and religion.

Social control

The mechanisms, formal and informal, that encourage conformity to social norms, ranging from laws and policing to peer pressure and social disapproval.

Ideology

A coherent set of beliefs and values about how society should be organised, which shapes how people interpret social issues and justify political or economic arrangements.

Power in social analysis

The capacity of individuals or groups to influence decisions, shape discourse, and allocate resources; analysing power reveals whose interests are served by a social arrangement.

Bias in sources

A systematic slant in a source arising from the author's perspective, purpose, or social position, which affects the reliability and usefulness of the information presented.

Reliability and validity

Reliability concerns consistency of a source or method; validity concerns whether it measures or represents what it claims to, relevant when evaluating social inquiry evidence.

Primary and secondary sources

Primary sources are original materials produced at the time (interviews, documents, statistics); secondary sources interpret or analyse primary material (textbooks, articles, reports).

Contested social issue

An issue on which different groups hold conflicting values, interests, or interpretations, meaning there is no single agreed resolution and analysis must weigh competing claims.

Structural analysis

An approach that explains social outcomes by reference to wider structures and institutions rather than individual choices alone, for example examining how housing policy shapes inequality.

Agency versus structure

A central debate in social science about whether human behaviour is primarily determined by social structures or by individuals' free choices and actions.

Social change

Significant alteration over time in social institutions, norms, or structures, driven by factors such as technology, protest, demographic shifts, or economic transformation.

Inequality

Unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, or power across social groups, often measured through income, wealth, health, education, and access to services.

Equity versus equality

Equality means treating everyone the same; equity means allocating support according to need so that outcomes can be fairer given unequal starting points.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between Māori chiefs and the British Crown, a foundational document shaping rights, partnership, and social policy in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Biculturalism

A policy and social framework recognising the partnership between Māori and Pākehā in New Zealand, influencing law, education, and public institutions.

Multiculturalism

A framework that recognises and accommodates cultural diversity within a society, often through policy supporting the maintenance of distinct cultural identities.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of one's own, often leading to misrepresentation or undervaluing of other cultural practices and values.

Cultural relativism

The principle that beliefs and practices should be understood within their own cultural context rather than judged by external standards, though it has limits in social analysis.

Discourse

The ways a topic is talked about and represented in a society, which shape what counts as common sense and which voices are heard or marginalised.

Media framing

The selection and emphasis of certain aspects of an issue by media, which influences how audiences interpret causes, blame, and appropriate responses.

Stereotype

An oversimplified generalisation about a group that is applied to all its members, often reinforcing prejudice and distorting social analysis.

Prejudice and discrimination

Prejudice is an attitude of hostility toward a group; discrimination is behaviour that treats people unequally because of group membership; the two often but not always coincide.

Institutional racism

Racism embedded in the policies, practices, and norms of organisations, producing unequal outcomes even without individual intent to discriminate.

Socioeconomic status

A combined measure of income, occupation, and education that positions individuals and groups within a social hierarchy and predicts many life outcomes.

Social mobility

Movement of individuals or groups between social positions over time, often measured intergenerationally and shaped by education, employment, and policy.

Globalisation

The increasing interconnection of economies, cultures, and societies through trade, migration, technology, and communication, with uneven benefits and costs.

Sustainability

Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

Social action

Collective behaviour by groups aimed at changing social conditions, such as protest, advocacy, or community organising, often analysed for its causes and effects.

Critical evaluation of evidence

Assessing sources for perspective, purpose, bias, and reliability, and weighing conflicting evidence before drawing a reasoned conclusion about a social issue.