MDM4U0
Final Summative Project
OVERVIEW
The task is to choose a question to be investigated from a list of following suggested
topics. The main objective is to form a thesis and defend it using statistical and analytical
techniques on gathered data. The students will need to find large amount of data to
investigate their topic. A list of suggested sources has been included. They should use
technology for presenting their data (tables or/and 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. The
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 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)
Exploring Data (http://exploringdata.cqu.edu.au/)
MDM4U0
3. Organize raw data in tables.
4. Perform calculations and analyze the data in order to defend the thesis (including
complex calculations, organized graphs, predictions of results).
5. Submit the final written report.
FINAL WRITTEN REPORT
The written report must be typed (even formulas) and edited. All formulas and calculations
must be typed using equation editor. It is a formal report, so use an appropriate tone and
avoid use of second person and conversational or colloquial phrases. The report should be
well organized and professional looking.
The following components must be included.
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Cover page with all info required
Table of contents (the pages must be numbered)
Introduction
o Short, general introduction
o A clear thesis statement of the question being investigated
o Expectations
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 A Mind Map leading to the thesis
o Action plan – steps how to implement the project
Data
o Description of the data (source, how, what and where they were collected)
o Presentation of the data (tables, graphs)
[NOTE: the students should focus on collecting and analyzing raw
(unprocessed) data from the Internet and not simply reporting what others
have found.]
Calculations and Statistics
o Use skills from the course to perform calculations
o Describe what statistics were calculated and why
 Mean, median, standard deviation, first and third quartiles, iqr and
range
 Correlation coefficient
 Linear / non-linear regression with coefficient of determination to
model data
 Inter / extrapolation to predict results
 Probability distributions and expected values
 Normal distribution in order to do some prediction.
Analysis, Conclusion and Feedback
o Analysis of Calculations and Statistics (“what you see”)
o How an analysis supports or refuses the thesis (“what you get”)
o Personal reflection: what would students do differently, problems
encountered (“what you did”)
MDM4U0
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Bibliography / Works Cited
o Include ALL sources
Appendix
o Evidence of raw data; any project submitted without raw data to support
the investigation will not be marked. Not all evidence, just a few pages of
raw data
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
The Final Project Proposal is due Friday, December 11 on the lesson. This is the
absolute deadline. Any proposal submitted past this time will receive a mark of 0.
FINAL REPORT SUBMISSION
The summative final project is worth 15% of course final mark.
Due date: Monday, January 25, 2016 on the lesson
Absolute deadline: Monday, January 25 2:45 P.M.
Any project submitted past absolute deadline will receive a mark of 0.
Plagiarized work of any kind will receive mark of 0.
The students have to submit their final report both electronically (no appendix) and
on paper.
Electronic copy
The report will be submitted on “Turn It In (www.turnitin.com)”. (A class ID and a
password were provided, ask if in doubts). When submitting the electronic copy, the
students will be assigned electronic ID numbers, the “digital receipt” (no need to print
it).
Paper copy
Submit a paper copy of the 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?