VCE Study Designs: Core Curriculum Concepts and Terminology

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, methodologies, ethics, and terminology across VCE Psychology, Biology, Business Management, Mathematics, and English/EAL study designs.

Biopsychosocial Approach

An approach applied to the systematic study of mental processes and behaviour that investigates the interrelated nature of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Repeatability

The closeness of the agreement between the results of successive measurements of the same quantity being measured, carried out under identical conditions of measurement (including the same measurement procedure, observer, instrument, location, and repetition over a short period of time).

Reproducibility

The closeness of the agreement between the results of measurements of the same quantity being measured, carried out under changed conditions of measurement (such as a different method, observer, measuring instrument, location, conditions of use, time, or culture).

Beneficence

The ethical commitment to maximising benefits and minimising the risks and harms involved in taking a particular position or course of action.

Non-maleficence

An ethical concept involving avoiding the causation of harm; when a course of action involves some degree of harm, it requires that the harm not be disproportionate to the resulting benefits.

Consequences-based Approach

An approach to bioethics that places central importance on the consequences of an action (the ends), aiming to achieve the maximisation of positive outcomes and the minimisation of negative effects.

Duty- and/or Rule-based Approach

An approach to bioethics concerned with how people act (the means) that places central importance on the idea that people have a duty to act in a particular way or follow certain rules, regardless of the consequences produced.

Virtues-based Approach

A person- rather than action-based bioethical approach that focuses on the virtue or moral character of the individual, providing guidance on the characteristics and behaviours a good person would seek to achieve to act rightly.

Unit 4 Scientific Poster Format

A presentation format not exceeding $600\text{ words}$ comprising a Title, Student Name, Introduction, Methodology and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References and Acknowledgements, and a central Communication Statement occupying $20\%$ to $25\%$ of the poster space summarizing the major finding in one sentence.

7Ps Model of Marketing

A marketing framework encompassing product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, and process.

Product Life Cycle

The stages through which a commercial product progresses over time: introduction, growth, maturity, decline, and extension.

Force Field Analysis (Lewin)

A change theory and decision-making model that involves identifying driving and restraining forces on a business, weighting and ranking them, implementing a response, and evaluating the response.

Three-step Change Model (Lewin)

A business change implementation model that structures organizational transformation into three sequential stages: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing.

Porter’s Generic Strategies

Two strategic management approaches used to position a business for the future and establish competitive advantage: lower cost and differentiation.

Mathematical Investigation Components

The three structured stages of mathematical inquiry: Formulation (overview of context and mathematisation of questions/hypotheses), Exploration (investigation and analysis using concepts, computational thinking, and technology), and Communication (summary, presentation, and interpretation of findings).

Euler’s Formula for Planar Graphs

A mathematical relationship for simple connected planar graphs stating that $v + f - e = 2$, where $v$ represents vertices, $f$ represents faces, and $e$ represents edges.

Transition Matrix

A matrix used in discrete dynamical situations to model the probability or rate of movement between states from one iteration to the next, assuming the next state depends only on the current state.

Framework of Ideas

A curriculum structure in VCE English/EAL consisting of four broad ideas—Writing about country, Writing about protest, Writing about personal journeys, and Writing about play—through which students engage with mentor texts and craft original writing.

Mentor Texts

Selected texts read and re-read by students as models of effective and cohesive writing to inspire their writing processes, generation of ideas, and structural craft.

Close Reading

A reading strategy requiring deliberate detachment from simple storytelling to pay rigorous attention to vocabulary, language features, and text structures, identifying patterns and details to understand the author's craft and meaning.

Context (English)

The environment in which a text is created or responded to, including broad social, historical, and cultural conditions (context of culture) as well as the specific features of its immediate environment (context of a situation).

Active Listening

A listening practice in which students monitor and evaluate a spoken, audio, or audiovisual text, focusing on key elements to achieve a deepened understanding.