TCHR2002 Children, Families & Communities

Assessment 2: Portfolio

Summary

Title: Assessment 2: Portfolio short responses to unit content

Due Date: Friday, 10 April 2026 at 11:59pm AEST (Week 6)

Length: 1500 words excluding references

Weighting: 50%

Submission: 1 Word document submitted to Turnitin in the Assessment 2 folder

No resubmissions permitted

Unit Learning Outcomes

You will demonstrate the following Unit Learning Outcomes on the successful completion of this task:

• ULO3: Explain the diverse range of issues affecting children, families and communities including social, economic and educational policies and their impact upon service provision for children and families.
• ULO4: Critically analyse texts, images, and songs in terms of the construction of childhood, and families across diverse contexts.

Assessment Rationale

Early childhood professionals need to critically reflect on the diversity of issues that affect children and families in contemporary society. Working in partnership with families requires effective communication to resolve such issues and understand how these issues affect policy and practice.

Assessment Description

The aim of this assessment is for pre-service teachers to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding regarding the diverse issues facing children and families in contemporary communities and consider links to policy and practice. This assessment aligns with the unit learning modules 4-6 and requires you to reflect upon key issues presented in the unit content and complete three (3) x 500-word responses to the following topics.

Topic 1: Critical Text Analysis

Find a media article from a newspaper, social media, or the Internet focusing on a childhood issue. Pay attention to the ideas about the construction of childhood and family and community diversity explored in the unit. Useful sites include:

• https://theeducationhub.org.nz/ece-resources/
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/parents-and-parenting
• https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/eca-webwatch/
• The education section of the Conversation https://theconversation.com/au/education
• Include a link to the chosen article.

Write a summary, critical analysis, and evaluation of the article. Pay attention to the ideas about the construction of childhood family and community diversity explored in the unit. Write a summary, critical analysis, and evaluation of why this topic is important. (500 words)

Topic 2: Family and Community Diversity

Write about a children’s issue/topic for a family newsletter outlining the ideas from the critical text analysis you explored in topic 1. Even though the language will be written in everyday language rather than highly academic, the article needs to show understandings of the unit content and readings. It should build on evidence of research and other significant literature and critically analyze the ideas presented around the issue. This isn’t about giving your opinion or recommendations, more an opportunity to give an overview of the chosen article to communicate these ideas to families. Pay attention to the ideas about family and community diversity. (500 words)

Topic 3: Impact of Educational Policies and Practices

Now use the issue and understandings you have developed from your chosen text and newsletter article to consider how they align with early childhood policy and practice in an education setting (500 words).

• How might some of the ideas be reflected in policy and practices?
• Give examples of what this would look like in practice.
• How might an education setting develop effective partnerships with families?

Assessment Instructions

Formatting and Style

APA 7 formatting is required for this task.

• Include the Southern Cross University cover page and indicate if and how you have used GenAI in the assessment
• Include clear headings for the topics you are responding to
• Indent the first line of each new paragraph.
• Use 12-point font.
• Use a 1.5 or double-line space for your writing and your reference list

Referencing

• APA 7 Referencing style is required to be used for this task. Please refer to the APA 7th Referencing Guide for this task – https://libguides.scu.edu.au/apa
• Create a reference list on a new page at the end of the task with a minimum of ten references, although you may use more. These are not counted in the overall word count.
• At a minimum, your sources for this task will include the unit-required text, unit readings, EYLF (AGDE, 2022), and broader literature.
• Broader literature may include textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, and other authoritative sources.
• If you have used an AI tool or technology in the process of completing your assessment (for example, brainstorming, understanding concepts, generating examples, summarising readings), an acknowledgment of how you have used AI tools or technologies is required. You can create this acknowledgment by adding a declaration at the end of your reference list. For example: I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT to brainstorm concepts ——- for this assessment as a starting point for initial research before writing my assessment.

Assessment Submission

• Submitted using the submission point in the Turnitin folder in the Assessments Tasks and Submission section on the Blackboard TCHR2002 site.
• Label your final submission with your surname and initials and the assessment task’s name, e.g. SmithJ_PortfolioTask1.doc
• You are strongly advised to undertake your own SIMILARITY CHECK via Turnitin, PRIOR to the due date, to identify and resolve any academic integrity issues prior to submitting – see SCU Academic Integrity and Turnitin. You can submit up to three times and receive the similarity match report immediately – after three attempts, you will need to wait 24 hours.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted the correct file and the final version of your assessment for marking before the due date/time.
• Turnitin does not generate an automatic email receipt. If you have successfully uploaded your assessment, a green bar will appear at the top of the screen that says: Submission uploaded successfully: Download digital receipt. Use the hyperlink to download your digital receipt and store this with your assignment file.
• If you have any difficulty submitting your assignment, log a job with Technology Services by email so you have evidence of your attempted submission. To avoid any last-minute problems, make sure you submit well before 11:59pm on the due date.

Generative AI

For the assessments in this unit, students are permitted to use Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to:

• clarify concepts, theories, ideas, etc., discussed in class
• generate preliminary ideas for writing
• edit a working draft of the assessment
• read and summarise research and supporting evidence for the assessment

Students are not permitted to use Generative AI to:

• generate definitions or writing used in their final submission.
• produce arguments or refine thinking on their final submission

Any of these actions will constitute and be treated as a breach of academic integrity.

Do not post confidential, private, personal, or otherwise sensitive information into these tools. If you use these tools, you must be aware of their limitations, biases, and propensity for fabrication. Your use of AI tools must adhere to the SCU Academic Integrity Framework, including upholding honesty, ethics, professionalism, and academic integrity.

Grades & Feedback

Grades and feedback will be posted to the ‘Grades and Feedback’ section on the Blackboard unit site using the following rubric for the marking criteria and grading standards. Please allow 7-10 days for grades to be posted.

Assessment Rubric

Marking Criteria and % Allocation

High Distinction + (100%)

High Distinction (85-99%)

Distinction (75-84%)

Credit (65-74%)

Pass (50-64%)

Marginal Fail (35-49%)

Fail (1-34%)

Not Addressed (0%)

Criteria 1: Critical text analysis of a media article from a newspaper, social media, or Internet focusing on a childhood issue. /15

Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard. There are no errors in this submission. Comprehensive and detailed critical understandings and review of key issues contained in the article. Each viewpoint is supported

Media articles often portray childhood mental health as a pressing crisis influenced by modern societal pressures. Such representations challenge traditional views of childhood innocence and highlight the need for protective measures. Educators must consider these constructions when developing supportive practices in diverse settings. Family newsletters can bridge understanding by explaining these issues in accessible terms while respecting cultural differences. Policies like the EYLF promote holistic approaches that integrate emotional well-being into daily routines. Effective partnerships involve open dialogues with families to address specific concerns collaboratively. Research emphasizes early interventions to mitigate long-term impacts on child development. Howe et al. discuss how policy frameworks shape social-emotional outcomes in educational contexts. Howe, N., Yoshikawa, H. and Clements, D.H., 2020. The impact of early childhood education policy on children’s social and emotional development: A review of the literature. Educational Researcher, 49(3), pp.232-248. Community resources play a key role in reinforcing these efforts beyond the classroom.

References

• Carrington, V. and Livingstone, S., 2018. Reconceptualizing childhood in a digital age: A critical review of the literature. Children & Society, 32(3), pp.235-248. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12263
• Howe, N., Yoshikawa, H. and Clements, D.H., 2020. The impact of early childhood education policy on children’s social and emotional development: A review of the literature. Educational Researcher, 49(3), pp.232-248. DOI: 10.3102/0013189X20909841
• Nxumalo, F., Gagliardi, L.M. and Won, H.R., 2020. Inquiry-based curriculum in early childhood education. In: Oxford research encyclopedia of education. Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1292
• Phillips, L.G., Ritchie, J. and Adair, J.K., 2020. Young children’s citizenship membership and participation: comparing discourses in early childhood curricula of Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(4), pp.592-614. DOI: 10.1080/03057925.2018.1534819