National 5 AVU Learning Intentions: To gain knowledge on how to present information, form a conclusion and make a research sheet.

Dates Draft N4 due end of January (26 th ) – we will use this for you to get feedback on your AVU so that you can make improvements and will also help you with preparation for N5 assignment. Final N4 due February (24 th ) Final write up for N5 in March under exam conditions. Use your checklist sheet to make sure you have done everything you need to have completed by the end of February in time for submitting your N4. This will give us time to make changes or improvements if necessary.

Presenting your information You should display the results from your survey in the form of a graph or pie chart You can put this into the report itself for N4 and on your research sheet for N5. You can use meta-chart.com, excel or survey monkey to create these – avoid a tally chart – it is easier for you to interpret data from a graph or pie chart.

Research Sheet Two sides of A4 – minimal information on this, just an aid to remind you what to do. Remember, you get 0 marks for directly copying – you must do something with the information. E.g. a chart showing that 23 out of 30 people strongly agreed with the statement that poverty is the main cause of crime – you shouldn’t copy this but use a term such as almost all, most, the majority, of survey respondents agreed that poverty is the main cause of crime.

Evaluation of research - reminder You must refer directly to what you are evaluating. You must have at least two positives and two negatives about each method. You must also have at least one improvement you would make in future for each method. This is worth 10 marks and must be specific. E.g. An advantage of using a survey was that it was very efficient since I did it online using survey monkey. It did not take me long to carry out and I received a lot of responses very quickly. NOT surveys are good because they are not time consuming – too vague. State where you did your survey and how many responses you got. Your green sheet will help – see me if unsure.

Show examples of research sheets

Conclusion Worth 4 marks in N5 You must demonstrate the skills of making decisions, explaining exaggeration or SUOF, or reaching conclusions based upon evidence

Writing a Conclusion You need to make an extended overall judgement of what you have learned from your research findings. This should not just be a summary of your research findings (though you may wish to include this) – you must give a sense of completeness to your research. Try giving perspective to the future or try one final challenge to the key points you have made. You also need to make it clear if you proved or disproved your hypothesis. You should make reference to any other arguments you found. You need to state which piece of evidence helped you to come to your conclusion.

Guidance on conclusions If you have chosen an issue where there is a difference of opinion, you can say which opinion you agree most strongly with and explain why. If you have chosen an issue where a decision has to be made, you can say which decision you would make but you must justify this. You can select one of your research methods and say which is the most trustworthy and explain why. You must back up your conclusions with evidence

For four marks, try this Make it clear whether you have proved or disproved your hypothesis You should make reference to any other arguments you found What is your overall opinion despite the research and say why Give one final challenge to the points you have made Give perspective to the future

Example conclusion In my opinion, based on my research findings, I support the lowering of the voting age to 16. My research has proved that some teenagers are more engaged than adults in politics and are therefore capable of making an informed decision (you should make reference to where in your research you have proved/disproved your hypothesis). If you can have a family or fight for your country then you should be able to vote for how you would like the country to be run. Young people in general take an active interest in politics, with 75% of 16 and 17 year olds turning out to vote in the 2014 referendum as shown in …… (quoting from research). We are the future and deserve to have a say and be respected. This view is reflected in my survey.

To pass N4, you must: SQA indicatorWhat it means 1.1 Choose an appropriate topic or issue for study Use your hypothesis 1.2 Collect relevant evidence from at least 2 sources of different typesMust have 2 different sources 1.3 Organise and use the information collected to address the topic or issue Select relevant information from a larger source and present it in a logical order. 1.4 Use K and U to describe and explain the features of your topic Give factual information e.g. descriptions, explanations and relevant examples 1.5 Apply the skills of either detecting bias and exaggeration or making decisions or drawing conclusions Draw a conclusion and give supporting evidence. Give your overall opinion and try to say whether or not you agree with your hypothesis.

Draft N4 Due in Tuesday 26 th January You must lay this out in a report style with the following headings: – Research topic/issue - why you chose it and your hypothesis and aims – Research methods – what you did and evaluate them – Research findings – the information that you found out – A conclusion – A bibliography – a list of sources you have used On a separate piece of paper (not part of your N4!) I also want you to hand in a draft research sheet for N5.