Students are to propose a scientific research question that relates to one or more of the science disciplines, formulate a relevant hypothesis and conduct scientific research into an issue, problem, emerging theory or discovery, using relevant publicly available data sets. Students create a Scientific Research Portfolio to evidence and substantiate the research process.
Successful scientific research depends upon the quality of the scientific research question. It must be meaningful, significant and feasible and clearly guide the scientific research process. It should be framed with consideration of methodologies, data collection and processing issues.
Students will learn to develop a question that enables scientific research by exploring peer-reviewed published literature for guidance. Students will be guided to undertake relevant scientific research and to develop a detailed plan that lays the foundations for the subsequent processes to be employed to address a developed hypothesis.
Students are provided with opportunities to use established scientific methods to gather, process, analyse and represent valid, accurate and reliable quantitative and qualitative data. They will also apply methods to appropriately store, record and organise data.
Inquiry question: What are the processes needed for developing a scientific research question and initial hypothesis?
Students:
– the scope to perform an investigation to obtain primary data
– the availability of secondary-sourced data
– the availability of a relevant publicly available data set(s)
– reliability and validity
– assessing the current state of the theory, concept, issue or problem being considered
Inquiry question: How is scientific research planned, based on a relevant hypothesis?
Students:
– the overall strategy
– methodology
– data analysis
– representation and communication of the scientific research
– timelines
– benchmarks
– APA
– Harvard
– MLA
Inquiry question: How is an appropriate methodology developed to collect valid and reliable data?
Students:
– systematic errors
– random errors
– mathematical calculations involving degrees of uncertainty
– graphical representations from curves of best fit
– design of method
– gathering of data
– analysis of data
– remote sensing
– streamed data
Inquiry question: How is data processed so that it is ready for analysis?
Students:
– LHC (Large Hadron Collider)
– Kepler Telescope
– Human Genome Project