Research planning

Assignment Research Question   Now you have chosen a relevant area of study, it is time to create a research question. The research question will determine how you carry out your research, and show what you are trying to answer in the overall conclusion of your assignment. It is important to make sure your research question is specific and manageable to enhance your findings and make the rest of your assignment easier to plan and research.

Assignment Research Question   The research question will determine how you carry out your research, and show what you are trying to answer in the overall conclusion of your assignment. Your research question will be judged on factors such as… Relevance of question to the research topic Level of detail Degree of insight Extent of Focus

A useful way to form a research question is to create a hypothesis.   A useful way to form a research question is to create a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement and, during the investigation, you will prove whether it's true or false. TIP - Don't ever be tempted to write a hypothesis in the form of a question…

These are questions not Hypothesis What not to do! Who commits crime in Scotland? How much does crime cost? These are questions not Hypothesis There are many different crimes committed in Scotland Lots of punishments are used in Scotland. These are too vague

You are researching the topic of Voting Systems in Scotland. ◦ AMS is a good voting system for Parliamentary Elections in Scotland for producing proportionate results. ◦ People in Scotland are confused by the many different voting systems. Both of these are accurate, factual and are open to discussion to be proven true or false: - AMS IS the voting system used in Local Government (council) elections in Scotland, and it could be proven to be a proportionate system, or alternatively it could be proven that it is not proportional and an alternative may be better, - There ARE many different voting systems used in Scotland (General Elections, FPTP, Scottish Parliament, AMS and Council, STV) and people may be confused, or, they may understand each system fine.

A helpful way to create a hypothesis is to remember G-RAT: G – Gender R – Race A – Age T- Time   These are all factors that can influence economical, international, political and social topics. A solid hypothesis in Modern Studies will allow room for comparisons, contrasts and an alternative to be discussed, and therefore give evidence for your conclusion.

Example Hypothesis 1. Scotland should become an independent country 2. The voting age should be lowered to 16 in all elections 3. Pressure groups are effective/ineffective in influencing decision making in the Scottish parliament 4. Women and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in Scottish Parliament 5. The work of the Scottish Parliament has helped it achieve it’s founding principles.

Try to create two hypotheses for each research topic: Here are some research topics that you have to create a hypothesis for.  Remember – a hypothesis is a statement that you can prove or disprove if you were to research and investigate the issue:  Try to create two hypotheses for each research topic:   Mobile phone ownership in Scotland Young people and technology Sports and gender Music choice and age Education in the USA Crime in Scotland Health care around the world Employment in the UK

 Aims – what do you want to find out? As well as a hypothesis, it can be very useful to break your research question down further by producing aims of what you would like to find out to help you prove or disprove your hypothesis. An aim is a statement or question that starts with “To find out…” (or something similar!) It will help identify sub-topics for your research, and ensure you are on track throughout your research project.

Two possible aims to prove or disprove this hypothesis might be: We will use the same research topic as the last working example, Voting Systems in Scotland.   Our chosen hypothesis is: “People in Scotland are confused by the many different voting systems.” Two possible aims to prove or disprove this hypothesis might be: To find out the different voting systems used in elections in Scotland To find out what people in my town think about the different voting systems they use to elect representatives These are relevant and relate directly to the chosen hypothesis because: Refer to key terms (voting systems) Link to the main focus (confusion – views of “people in my town)

Try to create two aims for each research topic Here are some research hypothesis statements that you have to create aims for.   Remember to start each aim with “To find out…” and ensure they link to the original hypothesis by linking in key words or topic areas. Try to create two aims for each research topic iPhones are the most popular mobile phone in the UK. The internet is the most popular form of media used in the UK. Males are more likely to attend live sports matches. Chart music is most popular among under 25’s. Asians are the ethnic group most likely to attend College in the USA. Crime is more common in cities in Scotland. The UK has the best free healthcare system in the world. Unemployment is lower today than it was 10 years ago.

For next TUESDAY – 8th October Complete research planning sheet Bring in three online sources (or notes from sources) that relate to your research topic / aims