NZQA registered unit standard
27697 version 1
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Title
Evaluate issues in psychological studies
Level
3
Credits
4
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to evaluate
issues in psychological studies.
Classification
Social Science Studies > Psychology
Available grade
Achieved, Merit, and Excellence
Criteria for Merit
The evaluation includes a discussion and critique of the issues
within the psychological studies that shows understanding of
the factors creating the issues.
Criteria for Excellence
The evaluation includes a comprehensive discussion and
critique of the issues and suggested improvements in research
design to address the identified issues in the psychological
studies and rational, logical and reasonable implications of the
improvements for psychological practice.
Explanatory notes
1
Definitions
Critique of the issues refers to a consideration of the impact of the issues on the
reliability and/or validity of the findings of the research.
Issues refer to ethical, professional or methodological concerns within psychology
that are of an enduring or emerging nature and impact on psychological research
practice and psychological discourse.
Psychological studies refers to research, literature, interviews, from historical and
current psychological practice published via a variety of media including books,
websites, podcasts, journals, newspapers, magazines, photographs.
2
This unit standard can be awarded with an Achieved, Merit, or Excellence grade. For
the Achieved grade to be awarded, all outcomes must be achieved as specified in
the outcome statement(s). For Merit or Excellence grades to be awarded, the
candidate must meet the Merit or Excellence criteria specified above.
3
Teachers will provide a range of selected studies relating to a psychological setting
and/or from academic research from which the student must identify the issues.
These may include summaries or extracts of psychological research.
4
Outcome of the evaluation may be conveyed using written, oral, or audio-visual
presentation in response to a given assignment.
NZQA National Qualifications Services
SSB Code 130301
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
27697 version 1
Page 2 of 3
5
Teaching and learning guidelines that inform psychology as it is taught in
Aotearoa/New Zealand schools can be found at
http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences/Psychology. Assessment support
material for these standards can be found at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz.
6
Information on psychology as it is practiced in Aotearoa/New Zealand is available
from the New Zealand Psychological Society, http://www.psychology.org.nz.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Evaluate issues in psychological studies.
Evidence requirements
1.1
The evaluation considers two psychological studies in relation to identified
issues arising from the research methodology and explains the impact of the
issues on the findings of the research.
issues may include but are not limited to – gender, cultural bias,
ethnocentrism, reliability, validity, ownership of knowledge, and the
use of animals in psychological research.
Range
Replacement information
This unit standard and unit standard 27694 replaced unit
standard 20649 and unit standard 20650.
Planned review date
31 December 2016
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process
Version Date
Last Date for Assessment
Registration
1
27 June 2012
N/A
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference
0226
This CMR can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA,
before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses
of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by
NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
NZQA National Qualifications Services
SSB Code 130301
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
27697 version 1
Page 3 of 3
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and
which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that
applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies
to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The
CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing
to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors
and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact NZQA National Qualifications Services nqs@nzqa.govt.nz if you wish to
suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.
NZQA National Qualifications Services
SSB Code 130301
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016