Stage 2 Psychology

1
Stage 2 Psychology

• Research Program Information
• February 2009

2
Research Program Access

• Password required
• Email Curriculum Services Officer, providing
• Teacher and school name
• Number of classes
• Stage 1 and/or 2

3
Stages Collaborative

• Class selects research program
• Supervision and verification forms distributed,
  due dates decided
• Class conducts research program
• Groups formulate questions or hypotheses, develop
  proposal and suggest how data are to be used
• Teacher approves proposal. Groups may modify
  proposal

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Stages Collaborative

• 6. Teacher supplies relevant data. Group analyses
  data and discusses with teacher
• 7. Teacher marks how each group has functioned
  (collaboration)
• 8. Individuals write reports and submit with
  Supervision Forms and notes
• 9. Teacher marks individual reports
  (presentation, interpretation, and evaluation)

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Collaborative Investigations

• Criteria for judging performance
• Proposal development and data analysis (group of
  students)
• collaboration
• responsibility
• reliability
• productivity
• NB proposal is not assessed but feedback and/or a
  new proposal is given before individuals write
  report

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Collaborative Investigations

• Report writing (each student)
• presentation
• explain how data used
• organise and present data
• interpretation
• interpret patterns
• discuss sample size
• evaluation
• identify strengths and weaknesses
• discuss ethics
• communication

7
Stages Individual

• Class selects research program
• Supervision and verification forms distributed,
  due dates decided
• Class conducts research program
• Individuals formulate questions or hypotheses,
  develop proposal and suggest how data are to be
  used

8
Stages Individual

• Teacher marks proposal. Proposal may be modified
• Teacher supplies relevant data
• Individuals write reports and submit with
  Supervision Forms and notes
• Teacher marks individual reports (presentation,
  interpretation, and evaluation)

9
Individual Investigations

• Criteria for Judging Performance
• Proposal development
• investigation skills
• construct question or hypothesis
• explain how data relate
• NB individual proposal is assessed and feedback
  and/or a new proposal is given before individuals
  write report

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Individual Investigations

• Report writing
• presentation
• explain how data used
• organise and present data
• interpretation
• interpret patterns
• discuss sample size
• evaluation
• identify weaknesses and strengths
• discuss ethics
• communication

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FAQs

• 1. Do quotes count in the word count?
• Every word counts except title page, index,
  tables, graphs, and the reference list.
  Include, footnotes, headings, quotes but not
  appendices. 2. Is there leeway in the word
  count?
• No. Teachers to manage in drafts.

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FAQs

• 3. How much information needs to be included in
  the proposal development?
• A question or hypothesis needs to be formulated
  and how the data may be used to support or not
  support the hypothesis. (No need to meet the
  maximum of 250 words.)

13
FAQs

• 4. Abstract, theory, referencing required?
• No. This is a stage 2 summative assessment item
  that should be achievable by most of the student
  cohort. It is not a scientific report.
• 5. Introduction required?
• Yes, but brief (100 words). Students should
  describe the focus of their investigation.

14
FAQs

• 6. Method required?
• A detailed method is not required because it is
  contained in the research program.
• Students could evaluate the strengths and
  weaknesses of the design within the discussion
  section of the report
• 7. Marks scheme
• Stage 2 has a mandatory scheme in the Science
  LAM.

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FAQs

• 8. Can the report have headings?
• Yes. We suggest introduction, results,and
  discussion which contains the concluding
  remarks.
• 9. Are drafts, appendices and Student Supervision
  and Verification forms sent off to Central
  Moderation?
• No. They are retained in the school .

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FAQs

• 10. Do students need to use all parts of the data
  in their analysis, proposal and report?
• No
• 11. Do all students work on the same
  SSABSA-approved research program at the same
  time?
• Yes

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FAQs

• 12. Do all students need to have a different
  hypothesis or research question?
• No. Several students or groups of students may
  independently come up with the same or very
  similar questions. NB Reports must be individual.

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FAQs

• 13. How do students cope with the word count
  maximum when they are writing a qualitative
  report?
• They can enclose the data in a text box or
  attach as an appendix.
• 14. Are penalties imposed by moderators for
  plagiarism or for exceeding the word limit?
• Yes.

19
FAQs

• 15. Up to 8 sets of student work are submitted
  for Central Moderation. Does this mean any
  variance in the standard of thetask or the
  standard of themarking is applied to the whole
  class?
• Yes.