VCE Extended Investigation
A senior secondary study
for the 21st century
Characteristics of the study
Designed for independent learners seeking
challenge
•
No set curriculum
•
Student led, minimal teacher direction
•
Formulation of research question and pursuit of
findings
•
Critical thinking
•
Research methods
Assessment in the study
Unit 3:
3 outcomes
• 2 SACs and CT test
= 40% of study score
Unit 4:
2 outcomes
= 60% of study score
• Externally-assessed Task
- Written report
- Oral presentation
No statewide written examination
Assessment
Validity and reliability
• Submission of research questions
• Mandated assessment criteria
• Critical thinking test
• Highly specified conditions of assessment for
orals
Quality assurance
Fairness
• Statistical moderation
internal assessments against external
assessments for the group
Checks
• Inter-rater reliability
• Application of school assessment criteria
Authentication
•
•
•
•
•
Extended Investigation student journal
Submission of research question
Critical thinking test
Oral defence
Authentication declaration
Approval of research question
Criteria:
 substantial and significant
 practical, realistic and manageable
 critical distance and an impersonal or objective stance
 systematic and sound research methods
 access to appropriate and relevant primary and secondary
sources
 likely to produce a useful result
 clearly and precisely worded
 contained and focused scope
 responsible and ethical research
 sustain student inquiry
 no duplication with any current VCE study
Sample research questions
 How is awareness of Kyphosis and Scoliosis promoted to young people in
Australia and what programs are needed to support young people diagnosed
with these conditions?
 How does the current model of mental health funding and programs provided
by the public health system meet the needs of young people in XXXXXX (city)
and what alternative models could be considered?
 Has the 21st century brought the need to legalise performance enhancing
drugs in sport?
 How have Karen refugees been integrated into the XXXXXX (city) community
and in what ways have these interactions challenged the perceptions of local
residents towards refugees?
 How did the introduction of steam technology to the construction of the
Panama Canal affect the development, efficiency and success of the project?
 What is the difference between Australia's cultural constructs of poverty and
those in East Timor?
 Does the use of educational apps on Apple iPads in the junior section of
XXXXXX Special School Bundoora have an impact on students' ability to work
autonomously whilst engaged in classroom activities?
 Examined through poetry with focus on two particular points in time, how has
existential thought progressed?
 Was Osama bin Laden the most dangerous man alive in the 21st Century to
date?
 To what extent do migration waves affect the enrolment at selective entry
schools and what predictions can be made about future enrolment?
 Are the promoted strategies of conservation at the Melbourne Zoo an effective
method of informing people about the importance of wildlife conservation?
 How effective is the Karkarook Park wetland filtration system in improving
water quality? A case study.
 Can Israel and a potential future state of Palestine coexist?
 What is the effect, if any, on an XXXXX High School middle school student’s
academic results when they are using their mobile phones in class?
 What change of attitude towards speeding whilst driving do the Transport
Accident Commission (TAC) ads have on young XXXXXX High male and
female drivers?
 How have traditional cultural values and modern feminism shaped the
identity and roles of Aboriginal women in contemporary Australia?
 How does human presence contribute to environmental degradation?
Current and future threats to native flora and fauna in Blind Creek flood area
and reserve: a case study.
Critical thinking
 Skills of questioning, evaluation of evidence
 Argument and reasoning
 Fact and belief
 Qualitative and quantitative
 Socio-cultural influence
Sample of CT questions – drag and drop
1
No one should be
excluded from tertiary
education because
they cannot pay, but if
and when they can
pay, they should pay.
2
Tertiary education is
very important to the
country and tertiary
studies should be
made as accessible as
possible.
For
3
Those who directly
benefit should pay for
that benefit. Those
who do not directly
benefit should not
subsidise those who
do.
Against
Like primary and secondary education,
free tertiary education should be a
right.
Answer
Tertiary education is a privilege rather
than a right.
The more tertiary education the better
for the country as a whole.
Answer
Economic growth is dependent on a
skilled educated work force in the
modern world.
More students are studying at tertiary
institutions, and the system is very
expensive.
Australia needs more tertiary
graduates and tertiary fees dissuade
students from further education.
Students should be properly motivated
and fees mean that students have to be
serious about their studies.
Free education at all levels is a
cornerstone of equality of opportunity
Answer
Answer
Providing large numbers of
government funded tertiary education
places leads to a dumbing down of our
universities and the graduates they
produce.
Tertiary education is a benefit to
students, and it will continue to be
popular even if it is not free.
Sample CT questions – multiple choice
The more closed-circuit television cameras in public
spaces the better.
Choose the alternative (A–D) that most appropriately describes the relationship
of the statement to the proposition of the debate about closed circuit
television (CCTV) cameras.
The statement ‘CCTV cameras do not reduce crime; they simply move it to
different locations’




A
B
C
D
is most likely part of the argument for the proposition.
is most likely part of the argument against the proposition.
could possibly be part the argument for or against the proposition.
is not relevant to either the argument for or against the proposition.
Sample CT questions – short answer
Below are four possible research questions (A to D) about music and study.
A
B
C
D
What is the relationship between listening to
music and the amount of study done?
Does listening to music have an effect on
understanding and memory?
Why do students listen to music while studying?
What effect does listening to music have on the
success of studying?
Which one of the research questions do you think is most specific and
answerable? Justify your answer.
Setting different parameters
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Cross-curricular
Role of the teacher
Resourcing
Mentors
Links with universities
Linkage between written report and
oral presentation and defence
What’s in it for students?
 Follow a passion
 Develop skills of inquiry and the nature of the
dialectic
 Learn about each other’s research
 Get a taste of expectations of tertiary study