MDM4U0
Final Summative Project
OVERVIEW
Your task is to choose a question to be investigated from a list of following suggested
topics. Your objective is to form a thesis and defend it using statistical and analytical
techniques on data you have gathered. You will need to find large amounts of data to
investigate your topic. A list of suggested sources has been included. You should use
technology for presenting your data (tables, graphs) as well as performing statistical
analysis.
SUGGESTED TOPICS
The following is a list of suggested topics. Other topics may be chosen with the teacher’s
approval.
1. The effect of salary (or other relevant variable) on team performance. Your
investigation should be focused on a particular sport (e.g. professional hockey,
football, soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.)
2. Investigate trends in Olympic results, perhaps looking at male versus female
results or the extent to which women’s and men’s performances at the Olympics
have changed over time.
3. Ageism (the value of youth) in entertainment industry, suggested data sets include
a. Age / salaries of Oscar winners over time
b. Age / salaries of Golden Globe winners over time
c. Other awards, winners, age, salaries
d. Top-grossing actors / actresses / directors / musicians / groups
4. Ageism in politics
5. The effect of different factors on life expectancy, suggested data sets include
a. Gross Domestic Product
b. Education level in a country
c. Different health indicators, and more
6. Investigate correlations between community size and crime rate.
7. Investigate the outlook for youth employment over the next several years.
8. Technology and enhancement in education?
9. Developing countries, before and now, predictions.
PROJECT STAGES
1. Pose a problem and build a thesis (see pages 482- 487 –Chapter 9 Textbook).
2. Collect Raw Data (see pages 595- 597 Textbook).
A few sites to get you started
Canadian Statistics (http://estat.statcan.ca/ username: peelsb password: estat)
Crime (USA): FBI Uniform Crime Reports
Environment Canada
StatSci.org
American Statistical Association (sports)
MDM4U0
Exploring Data (http://exploringdata.cqu.edu.au/)
3. Organize raw data in tables and graphs.
4. Analyze your data in order to defend your thesis (including complex calculations,
organized graphs, predictions of results).
5. Submit the final written report.
FINAL WRITTEN REPORT
Your written report must be typed (even formulas), double spaced and edited. It is a
formal report, so use an appropriate tone and avoid use of second person and
conversational phrases. The report should be well organized and professional looking.
You must include the following components.
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Cover page
Table of contents
Introduction
o Short general intro to the project.
o A Mind Map leading to the thesis.
o A clear thesis statement of the question being investigated.
o An overview of background information needed to understand the context
or scope of the problem (please keep it short but to the point). This is only
intended to familiarize the reader with the topic at hand.
o Action plan – how so you plan to implement the project.
o Expectations for the project.
Data
o Description of the data (source, how, what and where they were collected).
o Presentation of the data (tables, graphs)
[NOTE: you should focus on collecting and analyzing raw (unprocessed)
data from the Internet and not simply reporting what others have found.]
Calculation, Statistics and Graphs
o Use your skills from the course to analyze the data.
o Describe what statistics you calculated and why.
 Mean, median, range, quartiles, IQR and standard deviation for all
data
 At least 10 correlations in a table with classifications
 5 Linear and nonlinear regression with coefficient of determination
to model data
 5 Inter / extrapolation to predict results
 Probabilities and probability distributions with expected values
 4 normal distribution in order to do some prediction.
3 part conclusion
o Analysis of data, calculations and graphs
o Conclusion - how your analysis based on calculation supports or refuses
your thesis
o Feedback – what you did, what you learned, what would you do differently,
how you managed time and project in total, how you did overcome
difficulties.
MDM4U0
 Bibliography / Works Cited
o Include ALL sources
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Appendix
o Evidence of raw data; any project submitted without raw data to support
your investigation will not be marked. Not all evidence, just a few pages of
raw data (3 to 5 pages are OK).
FINAL REPORT SUBMISSION
The summative final project is worth 30% of your final mark.
Due date: Friday, June 19 on the lesson
Absolute deadline: Friday, June 19 3:00 P.M.
Any project submitted past absolute deadline will receive a mark of 0.
Plagiarized work of any kind will receive mark of 0.
You are going to submit your final report both electronically (no appendix) and
on paper.
Electronic copy
Your report will be submitted on “Turn It In (www.turnitin.com)”. (A class ID and a
password were provided, ask if in doubts). When you submit your electronic copy, you
will be assigned an electronic ID number, the “digital receipt” (no need to print it).
Paper copy
Submit a paper copy of your project in the class or by the absolute deadline.
MDM4U0
WRITING A THESIS STATEMENT
A good thesis statement will help you focus your search for information. Do not your
thesis statement too early. You should do background reading before you know
enough about a subject to identify key or essential question. You may not know where
you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence. You will likely begin your
research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to
refine until you are certain of where the data lead.
Thesis statement are typically located at the end of or after your opening paragraph.
The paragraph serves to set the context for the thesis. Make sure the thesis is clear,
strong and easy to find.
Characteristics of a Good Thesis
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It should be “contestable” – proposing an arguable point which people could
reasonably disagree. A strong thesis is provocative; it takes a stand and justifies
the discussion you will present.
It is specific and focused. A strong thesis proves a point without discussing
“everything about…”
It clearly asserts your own conclusion on data gathered. Be flexible. The data
may lead you to a conclusion you did not think you would reach. It is perfectly
acceptable to change your thesis as you conduct your research and analysis!
It anticipates and refutes counter-arguments.
It avoids vague language, like “it seems”.
It avoids the second person (“you find…”)
Simple equations for a thesis might look something like this:
Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis
What I plan to argue + How I plan to argue it = Thesis
How do I know if have got a solid tentative thesis?
Try these five tests:
 Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to ask, “How?” or “Why?”
 Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with “Duh!”, or “So what?” or “Gee, no
kidding!” or “Who cares?”
 Does the thesis avoid general phasing and/or sweeping words as “all” or “none” or
“every”?
 Does the thesis lead the reader towards the topic sentences?
 Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length of the paper or
project?