National 4 Added Value Unit
(AVU)
Choosing a Research Topic
Pick a topic that:
 You are interested in!
 That is easy to find information on
 That will allow you to create a detailed
hypothesis
 That will have strong arguments for and
against
Nat 4 Research Instructions
 You will carry out your research at home and
produce a typed (or handwritten) report that
outlines your research methods and findings
 Your report should include evidence of your
research and should provide a detailed
explanation of the knowledge you gained
Methods
 You should use at least two different methods of
research when carrying out your study, this could
include:
 Public survey
 Online news resource (BBC News, Reuters…)
 Letter to MSP/MP (or other professional)
 TV/Radio documentary
 Books
 Any other relevant methods
Report Structure
 Your report should be structured using the
following headings:
⁻ Research Hypothesis and Aims
⁻ Research Methods
⁻ Research Findings
⁻ Conclusion
⁻ References
Creating a Hypothesis
 A research hypothesis is often understood to
be an ‘educated guess’ which you will confirm
or prove or disprove after carrying out
research on the topic
 It is something you may expect to be correct
but you are looking to confirm by carrying out
rigorous testing
 For example…
 “All Modern Studies teachers are smart and
sophisticated”
or
 “The majority of people in Scotland support the
introduction of government funded, universal
childcare provision”
Can you think of a possible research hypothesis?
Research Methods
 You must provide a detailed account of two of
your research methods
 You must explain why you chose each method
 You must also explain the strengths and
weaknesses of each method that you used
 You should also suggest how you could do
things differently
Research Methods
 You must also give evidence for both methods
 This best examples of this would be a
evidence from a news article or internet
search result using a PC ‘screenshot’.
 Other ‘best’ methods could be, a statistical
graphic or chart,
 interview questions
 (examples are shown from slide 18)
Research Findings
 In this section you should provide a detailed
explanation of your findings.
 You must refer to the evidence that you accumulated
during your research.
For example,
“I found out that most people in Scotland support
the idea of banning smoking in motor vehicles
where there is a passenger under 16. This is
shown in the results from my survey which
showed…
This backed up from information from the BBC
News article which shows…”
Conclusion
 In this section you should outline any
conclusions that you have reached as a result
of your research
 You should confirm or reject your hypothesis
and explain why you have come to your
decision
 You may also use this section to identify
further research opportunities for your issue
National 5 Assignment
The Write-up
The Report Assignment (Nat 5)
 The report is worth 20 marks and is worth
25% of your overall grade
 6 marks are allocated to Knowledge
 14 marks are allocated to Skills
 The Assignment Report is marked externally
by the SQA
 Your teacher will not be able to provide you
with feedback on your final piece of work, so
listen to any instructions given carefully.
The Report Assignment (Nat 5)
 You will have 1 hour to produce a written
report of your research findings under exam
conditions
 For this you are asked to provide two sources
of evidence that you used during your
research stage
 Your source evidence should be no more than
two sides of A4 paper
 You must refer to these in your report
Report Structure
 The structure here is the same as for the
report you carried out at home for your
National 4 Added Value Unit
 Each section is allowed a set number of marks:
⁻ Research Hypothesis and Aims (2 marks)
⁻ Research Methods
(8 Marks)
⁻ Research Findings
(6 marks)
⁻ Conclusion
(4 marks)
No copying!
 You will not be awarded any marks for
anything that is copied ‘word for word’ from
your evidence sheets.
 Produce your evidence in a way that will limit
the amount of text that shows on it.
Suitable Evidence for the Report:
 A screen shot of a web page or search that
you have carried out
 Statistical evidence in the form of a graph or
chart
 Image of a book cover
 You must not bring in two pages of detailed
hand written notes!
 For example…
Crime stats:
Poverty stats:
This will not do!