Transcript 2-hypothesis-and-aims

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
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…
What not to do!
• Who commits crime in
Scotland?
• How much does crime cost?
• There are many different
crimes committed in
Scotland
• Lots of punishments are
used in Scotland.
These are
questions not
Hypothesis
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 GRAT:
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.
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:
1) Mobile phone ownership in Scotland
2) Young people and technology
3) Sports and gender
4) Music choice and age
5) Education in the USA
6) Crime in Scotland
7) Health care around the world
8) 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.
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)
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
1. iPhones are the most popular mobile phone in the UK.
2. The internet is the most popular form of media used in the UK.
3. Males are more likely to attend live sports matches.
4. Chart music is most popular among under 25’s.
5. Asians are the ethnic group most likely to attend College in the
USA.
6. Crime is more common in cities in Scotland.
7. The UK has the best free healthcare system in the world.
8. 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