Experimental Topic Selection and Topic Research

1. Experimental Topic Selection and Topic Research Generating Experimental Ideas and Using resources

2. Generating a Topic • It is important to have students talk through a topic and to explore many aspects of their topic before they are expected to construct an experiment. • In the writing process, students are asked to list and organize key ideas, make brief notes; then write, revise, and edit. • The experimental design process needs to be approached in the same manner. Students needs to understand all possible parameters in their topic that can be manipulated. • Science teachers should have their students explore the possible variations of a research topic before students attempt to state a problem, a hypothesis, variables, constants, and the control.

3. Specificity of Research Problem • The research problem that students propose for their experiment needs to be very specific. The problem does not have to be of severe importance to human life. • The proposal needs to clearly state one identified area of the general topic that can be tested with a response that can be measured. • For example, a specific research problem can not simply be plants or electricity. However, one could be the effect of colored light on plants.

4. Breakdown of a General Topic • When asked to brainstorm a research problem, students will most frequently propose a general topic. • The best way to narrow a general topic down into a quality original research project is to implement the Four Question Strategy. This strategy is a way that aids students in the identification of various parameters of a topic. • Students can construct a model of their research proposal by brainstorming a topic and then answering the four questions by researching on the Internet and using the resources in the library. • Four Question Strategy • What materials are readily available for conducting experiments on (topic)? • How do (the topic) act? • How can I change the set of (topic) materials to affect the action? • How can I measure or describe the response of (topic) to the change? • Students should be required to justify the method of measurement and the frequency of measurement. • Students can write a hypothesis by relating a response to Questions 3 with a response to Question 4. • The other answers to Question 3 that are not picked to be the manipulated variable become constants.

5. Brainstorming Prompts • Some students may require a little more attention and practice to develop an effective experimental design. • Some effective prompts that may aid students successfully in brainstorming an appropriate research topic include: • Lists of simple and available materials • Questions to be investigated • News briefs or articles that lend themselves to further experimentation by students • Science demonstrations in a book • Textbook or laboratory activities • Library Book • The most important component of the brainstorming process is teacher and peer feedback. Teachers need to determine how students access information most readily, so that they can help students determine how they need to research for their topic. Peer evaluations are also helpful when determining if the topic and issue to be tested is clear.

6. Simplifying Research • For most students, the hardest part about research is staying focused on what the underlying reason for doing the research is in the first place. • The majority of students are impatient, unorganized, have inadequate research skills, and have an unfocused topic. • There is a five stage research model that that helps students to systematically develop library skills critical to various stages of scientific research. • Five Stage Research Model • Establish an Interest • Narrow the Topic • Clarify Variables • Refine the Procedures • Interpret the Unexpected

7. Step 1: Establish an Interest • Simply stated, students will be more focused and execute better research on a topic that they are interested in or a topic that they feel will affect their daily life. • The easiest way to pick a topic that a student is interested in is to use knowledge of the respective student’s favorite school subject, hobbies, extracurricular activities, and career goals. • Once students are aware of their interests, they can browse popular science magazines such as Smithsonian, Discover, Nature, Popular Mechanics, Popular Photography, Popular Science, and Field and Stream. Professional teaching journals such as, The Science Teacher, Science Scope, The American Biology Teacher, and The Journal of Chemical Education can also be utilized. • Many other sources can be utilized as well to find a proper topic like the Internet and many other books available in the library.

8. Documenting Sources • Two of the most important skills for academic research is documenting sources and making note cards. • Source documentation can either have MLA or APA format demonstrated on their websites. • An ideal format for note taking on note cards is displayed on pg. 89. • The two most important questions about the research topic is: • What general topic (X) interests you? • What general action of (X) interests you? • It is of utmost importance to document sources to make sure that credit is given to the source as well as making it easy for the teacher to check the information provided in the experiment and report. • For example: General topic General action Plants Growth Disinfectants Kills germs Music Driving Accidents Glue Sticking Wood Tobacco Cellular Development Planaria Regeneration

9. Step 2: Narrow the Topic • The best approach to having students narrow their topic from plants to testing how the composition of soil affects leaf size is to have students construct a concept map on their topic. • Students need to utilize their resources to define key components about their topic, how their topic interacts in an ideal environment, and what factors affect each component of their topic to name a few. • Students can obtain most of this information from their underutilized science textbook. When students use their textbook for research, they can be taught how to use the glossary, how to use the index, how to scan through a chapter for key terms, and how to paraphrase and summarize. • Students should be required to fill out notes cards from at least four to five sources, so that they have a larger variety of information on their topic. • After students obtain a more narrow focus about their topic, they should answer the questions from the Four Questions Strategy again focusing only on their selected independent and dependent variable.

10. Step 3: Clarify Variables • The scope of scientific research for experimental design is to identify potential independent and dependent variables. • The best way to aid students in identifying potential variables is to educate them how to interpret a scientific articles such as the articles include sections divided into an introduction, problem statement, methods and materials, and discussion-conclusion. • Students can practice identifying experimental components by identifying various components in articles that are supplied to them. • Once students can successfully research library resources to search for potential experiments, they should answer the following questions. • What variable will you change to conduct experiments on (your topic)? • What specific changes will you make in (your variable)? • What action of (your topic) will you investigate? • What specific observations or measurements will you make on (your dependent variable)?

11. Step 4: Refine the Procedures • All of the focus so far has been placed on selecting the independent and the dependent variable to be observed. • There has to be a systematic procedure synthesized and utilized to test how the independent variable affects the selected dependent variable. • In the experiment, there are specific materials that need to be used. The best place to obtain information on materials and procedures include K-12 laboratory manuals, handbooks, and manuals in specific disciplines. • The most important part of constructing the procedure is to clearly define each step that will be followed to maintain consistency. • Students should practice writing the steps to experiments held in the lab to gain practice for experimental design.

12. Step 5: Interpret the Unexpected • Science teachers need to state the idea that the results that are expected are not always the results that are observed. This is the reason why there should not be any observations or data thrown out during or after the course of an experiment. • When data is obtained that is unexpected or unexplained, the previous stages of research and experimental design can be repeated to synthesize a more appropriate procedure to test. • It is perfectly fine to complete each stage in a sequential or non-sequential order, as long as each stage is completed before the course of the experiment.

13. Locating Information Online • It is sometimes overbearing for students to find focused information on the Internet, much less relevant and documented information. • The best sites to utilize are sites that can be accessed through the library such as academic and scholarly journals listed on Galileo. Again, it is key to document all sources that information is obtained from to give credit to the source of the information. • In the library, research can be done through clear subject headings, but on the Internet, searches are done through key words. Here are a few tips to help students search for specific academic information on the Internet. • What special words, names, abbreviations are related to your topic? • Do you know any groups, organizations, or museums that are related to your topic? • Are there words that are likely to be in any Web document on your topic? • Do any of the words commonly appear together?

14. There are over a million topics that one could do a science fair experiment about and time restraints make it difficult for students as well as teachers to brainstorm the best topics to match each individual students’ needs. • However, with distinct stages dividing the seemingly tedious process into steps, it becomes much more manageable for everyone.