A metropolitan local council launches ParkRun Neighbours, a community program designed to increase belonging among residents living in newly built high-rise apartments near a large urban park. The program has three components: (1) a weekly Saturday morning run/walk followed by coffee at a kiosk; (2) a members-only group chat used to organise carpools, share safety alerts and welcome new participants; and (3) a council partnership with the park authority that introduces a new permit system for group activities after complaints about noise and congestion.
After 10 weeks, a student researcher collects feedback from participants. Some report feeling more connected because they now recognise faces in lifts and have a “local routine”. Others report feeling less welcome because conversations in the coffee group often centre on long-term residents’ shared histories, the permit rules limit spontaneous gatherings, and some participants cannot attend regularly due to casual work hours and the cost of coffee. A few participants also report that the group chat is dominated by a small number of confident posters, while others “lurk” and feel invisible.
The student wants to explain the different experiences of belonging within this selected community and to propose improvements that would increase belonging without excluding any groups.
a. Analyse how two different factors from the scenario (selected from technological, economic, social, political, and/or geographical factors) interact to influence unequal feelings of belonging in ParkRun Neighbours.
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Create Free Account Log inThis is a free VCE Units 3 & 4 Sociology practice question worth 6 marks, testing your understanding of Belonging in selected community. It falls under Community in Unit 4: Community, social movements and social change. Submit your answer above to receive instant AI-powered marking and personalised feedback.
In this unit, students explore the ways sociologists have thought about the idea of community and how various types of community are experienced. They examine the relationship between social movements and social change, including the nature, purpose, power, and outcomes of social movements.
Students examine the changing definitions and experiences of community, including the theories of Ferdinand Tonnies and Michel Maffesoli. They analyse factors influencing belonging, the impact of technology, economic, social, political, and geographical factors, and evaluate a specific community experience, considering ethical research methodology.
factors that may have influenced feelings of belonging
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