Health & Safety

By the nature of the personal investigation involved in this subject, research cannot be supervised by members of staff. It is likely to involve contact with members of the public and representatives of firms, particularly when undertaking primary research such as questionnaires. It may involve visits to particular sites, including shops and other work places. In most cases these will be solo activities, though in some cases pupils may co-operate in, for example, market research activities in order to obtain larger samples. Research will usually take place out of school hours and off school premises. It tends to be in a neighbourhood where a student lives, shops or has a special interest.

As a general rule the teacher will not be familiar with the area in question, nor able to judge the wisdom of conducting research there, and will only be able to give general guidance on procedures. We therefore seek the active co-operation of parents in ensuring that no pupil undertakes research in unsuitable locations or at unsuitable times. Parents should always be aware of and approve of the nature, location and duration of the research proposed.

Title

The normal pattern is for each pupil to set his own title, which the teacher should approve or advise how it might be modified. Pupils are encouraged to avoid seemingly easy or descriptive questions, since these offer little opportunity for analysis and conclusions and therefore rarely score much better than half marks at most.

Examples of a good question in each section of the syllabus might include:

1. Is there a gap in the market for a new type of newspaper?
2. Why do teachers want to work at The Edinburgh Academy?
3. Would a new fish and chip shop in my village be successful?
4. How would the Euro affect Scottish tourism?
5. Should there be wind farms in the beautiful Sottish Highlands?
6. Why did Tesco gain grocery market leadership?

Before starting their first project, pupils are asked to submit a plan of research, ideas for likely sources etc., and the teacher offers comments and suggestions upon these proposals.

Some tips on methods:

1. LETTERS: There will be a lengthy time lag, and possibly no reply. Do not rely on a single source of information or wait too long. Enclose a stamped, self addressed envelope. Keep a copy of your own letter. Be clear and specific in what you ask, and polite. You can some times follow up after about ten days with a telephone call if there has been no reply.
2. TELEPHONE CALLS: Have a pen, paper and diary handy. Politely explain who you are and what you want. Be prepared to wait, or to ring back later if you call is not at a convenient time. Note any names or numbers you are given. Record the details of your call as soon as possible afterwards.
3. VISITS: Before you go, find out what you can about the place you are visiting, and be sure what kind of information you want to gather. Write down details of the visit as soon as possible afterwards. Make a note of who you met and where you went.
4. INTERVIEWS: These may be with friends, parents, other adults, business people, or even people in the street. Think what you want to ask beforehand, but don't stick rigidly to these questions if other interesting topics come up. Don't use a tape recorder without permission.
5. CUTTINGS: Simply cutting out articles or pictures attracts few marks. You need to make use of the information, adding your own comments, and showing how it is relevant to your study. Make sure that you record source and date.
6. BROADCASTS: Make a note of programme, channel and date and time. Try to separate facts from opinions. Show the relevance to your own work.
7. SURVEYS AND QUESTIONNAIRES: If you are going to produce a questionnaire, show the questions to your teacher first. Then try it out on a "safe" audience such as parents or friends. Make sure you have enough copies if the respondents all require one. Be aware of the high margin of error in small samples, and the danger of bias due to the time and place in which the survey is conducted. When you have your results, the most interesting analysis is often obtained by cross- referencing the answers ; eg "Of the 40% who answered "yes" to question 3, only 20% were found by question 6 to be local."
8. THE INTERNET – We have written this down last because weaker candidates have a habit of thinking that internet research will answer all their questions and with a bit of luck will write the project for them. There is much useful material on the internet, but there is also a lot of rubbish. By all means use the net to find out about things that are not local. Do not simply download someone else's material and try to pass it off as your own. Candidates that are found to have done this will be withdrawn from the examination.

This exercise can be hugely valuable and rewarding, or it can be a chore that serves little purpose. It's up to you!

What are the examiners looking for?

1. EVIDENCE THAT YOU HAVE USED A VARIETY OF SOURCES
   Don't just rely on one type of information, or one book or pamphlet.
2. RELEVANCE
   Make sure that you don't include irrelevant material just to prove that you collected it.
3. YOUR OWN WORDS
   Avoid copying out chunks of books. Don't rely on someone else to give you all the information. Explain things yourself.
4. ORIGINALITY
   It is good to air your own ideas, and comment on the data which you present. Always make sure, however, that you give reasons for your opinions. Don't just state your prejudices.
5. DIAGRAMS, GRAPHS, STATISTICS, MAPS etc.
   Illustrative material is valuable, but it doesn't speak for itself. Always explain what it shows and why you have included it.
6. ORGANISATION
   Divide your study into clear sections; each with its own title. This helps the reader to follow what is being said.
7. ANALYSIS
   Collecting information is only half the task. Use the information to solve the problem. For example, cross relate the answers from your questionnaire. If 40% say they don't want a fish and chip shop in the street, it will be interesting to see, for example, if those 40% also live in the street.
8. CONCLUSIONS
   You began by asking a question, and you have to end by answering it. Your conclusion must follow from your evidence and your argument, not simply be a prejudice that you had all along. Don't be afraid of the answer "No." It may be the right answer.

Feedback

We use GCSE standard from the start so that the pupil is able to measure his achievements against the desired end product, and after each project attempt we supply comprehensive feedback, commenting on the strengths and weaknesses of the performance so as to encourage improvement in subsequent attempts. This feedback should be retained in the pupil's notes folder.

For each project a whole page of comments will be supplied, detailing the marks obtained against each criterion set by the examiners, noting the strengths and highlighting the weaknesses of the most recent effort in order to permit improvement in future attempts. It is very important for the pupil to preserve these records and consult them before finalising each subsequent project, in order to avoid making the same mistake twice.

Mark Scheme

SUGGESTED GCSE PROJECT LAYOUT