Conduct an in-depth focus study of one group exhibiting conformity or nonconformity, analysing its norms, control and influence

What this dot point is asking

The option requires an in-depth focus study of at least one group that displays conformity or nonconformity. NESA wants you to choose a real group, investigate it using social and cultural research, and apply the option's concepts (socialisation, social control, deviance and the relationship to social change) to that specific case. This dot point rewards depth and evidence about a chosen group rather than vague generalisation. A well-developed focus study anchors the option in reality and often feeds directly into the Personal Interest Project.

The answer

Choosing and framing the group

Strong focus studies choose a clearly defined group and study it in genuine depth. A conforming group might be a profession, a religious community, the military or a tightly normed workplace; a nonconforming group might be a youth subculture, an activist movement, an environmental or protest group, or a community organised around an alternative lifestyle. The group should be specific, researchable and connected to accessible evidence. Framing the study around a clear question, such as how the group enforces its norms or how it challenges mainstream norms, keeps the analysis focused.

Applying the option's concepts

The focus study should apply the option's analytical tools to the chosen group. Identify the group's norms and values, how members are socialised into them, how the group exercises social control over its own members, and how the wider society responds to the group through informal and formal control. For a nonconforming group, analyse how it challenges mainstream norms, what resistance it meets, and whether it influences social change. Mapping the group onto socialisation, social control, deviance and change demonstrates command of the option.

Using social and cultural research

A focus study uses the research methods of the core. Secondary research provides context: academic studies, reports, media coverage and the group's own materials. Where feasible, primary research such as interviews, surveys or observation gives an original voice, though it must be ethical, with informed consent and care for any vulnerable participants. Triangulating primary and secondary evidence strengthens the study and connects the option to research methods. The researcher should also reflect on their own assumptions about the group, especially when studying a subculture they are not part of.

Cross-cultural and comparative perspective

The course values comparison, so a strong focus study compares the group with another, or compares the group's situation across time or between subgroups. Comparing how two societies treat a particular nonconforming group, or how attitudes to a group have changed across decades, deepens the analysis and prepares the cross-cultural thinking the Personal Interest Project requires. It also helps reveal the relativity of conformity and deviance.

Reaching a judgement and the Australian case

A focus study should reach conclusions, not just describe. Assess how the group maintains conformity or sustains nonconformity, how the society responds, and what influence the group has on wider social change. An Australian study of an environmental or marriage equality movement could evaluate how its nonconformity faced social control and ultimately shifted mainstream norms; a study of a profession or faith community could evaluate how it secures strong conformity among members. The strongest responses turn the focus study into an evaluative argument that connects the chosen group to the option's central question about norms, control and change.