Internal Assessment

1. Internal Assessment From the new syllabus

2. Purpose • The internal assessment is compulsory for both SL and HL students. • SL Internal assessment requires students to plan, undertake and report a replication of a simple experimental study. • HL Internal assessment requires students plan, undertake and report a simple experimental study that may be a replication or a modification of a published study. Additional requirements are also made of HL students.

3. Guidance and Authenticity • The internal assessment must be the student’s own work. • The teacher should assist in both planning and carrying out of the investigation.

4. Teacher responsibility is to ensure students are familiar with: The requirements of the type of work to be internally assessed. The psychology course ethical guidelines. The assessment criteria; students must understand that the work submitted for assessment must address these criteria effectively.

5. Teacher responsibilities: • To ensure that all students understand the basic meaning and significance of academic honesty. • To ensure that all student work for assessment is prepared according to requirements. • To explain to students that the internal assessment must be entirely their own work.

6. Teachers may: • Give advice to students on a first draft of the internally assessed work. • Give this advice in terms of the way the work would be improved, but not heavily annotate or edit the student work.

7. How do I check for authenticity?Discussion and scrutiny of: • The student’s initial proposal • The first draft of the written work • The references cited • The style of writing compared with other student efforts • The use of a plagiarism detection service such as turnitin.com

8. Big issues!! • If the teacher signs the cover sheet with a comment indicating that the work may not be authentic, the student will not be eligible for a mark on the IA. • The same piece of work may not be submitted to meet the requirements of the IA and the Extended Essay.

9. Group Work • May be undertaken by groups of up to 4 students. • Each group must collect it’s own data and this may then be pooled with data collected by other groups of students. • More than one group may investigate the same aim (SL) or hypothesis (HL) but each student must write up his or her own report.

10. Time Allocation • Approximately 30 hours (SL) or 40 hours (HL) • Should include time for: • Explanation of the requirements • Consideration of ethical guidelines • Class time for student to work on the IA • Consultation between teacher and students • Review and monitoring progress

11. IBO Ethical Guidelines for Internal Assessment Any experimental study that creates anxiety, stress, pain or discomfort for participants must not be permitted. Any experimental study that involves unjustified deception, involuntary participation or invasion of privacy, including the inappropriate use of information technology, e-mail and the Internet, must be avoided. All participants must be informed before commencing the experimental study that they have the right to withdraw at any time. Each participant must be informed of the aims and objectives of the research and must be shown the results of the research.

12. Ethical Guidelines (cont.) Experimental studies involving children need the written consent of parents(s) or guardian(s). Studies conducted within a school required the written consent of the teachers involved. Participants must be debriefed and given the right to withdraw their own personal data and responses. Anonymity for each participant must be guaranteed. Teachers and candidates must exercise the greatest sensitivity to local and international cultures. Candidates must avoid conducting research with any adult who is not in a fit state of mind and cannot respond freely and independently.

13. Ethical Guidelines (concluded) If any participant shows stress and/or pain at any stage of an experimental study, the investigation must finish immediately, and the participant must be allowed to withdraw. Non-human animals must not be used for experimental study. All data collected must be kept in a confidential and responsible manner and not divulged to any other person. Candidates must regard it as their duty to monitor the ways in which their peers conduct research, and to encourage public re-evaluation of any research that contravenes these guidelines. Experimental studies that are conducted online using informational technology methods are subject to the same guidelines. Any data collected online must be deleted once the research is complete. Such data must not be used for any purpose other than the conduct of the experimental study.

14. The experimental method must be used for the IA • Experimental research studies for the internal assessment must include the manipulation of one Independent Variable with other variables held constant. • Quasi-experiments, or those using gender or age as an independent variable will not be acceptable. • Since cause and effect may not be assured through a correlational study, this may not be used for the IA.

15. IA Details for SL • 30 recommended teaching hours • IA is weighted at 25% of the total score • Students are to manipulate one independent variable and measure one dependent variable • Correlational studies, quasi-experiments and natural experiments are not acceptable

16. Variables not acceptable for the IA • Gender • Age • Native language • Culture • Education level • Socio-economic status • Handedness

17. Note: • Some of the previous variables may be used if they are not pre-existing conditions. • An example is found on page 44 of the subject guide.

18. Characteristics of the SL Study • Limited in scope • Involves the manipulation of only one independent variable • Involves the measurement of only one dependent variable • Requires the use and interpretation of descriptive statistics • Does not require the use of inferential statistics

19. Choice of Topic • Students should choose their own topic with teacher guidance • Students must adhere to ethical guidelines • Students should identify, refine and define their topic. • Examples are found on pages 46 and 47 of the Psychology Guide, but students are not limited to those examples listed.

20. SL Report Format • Title Page • Abstract • Introduction • Method • Results • Discussion • References • Appendices

21. The SL Report • The word range for SL is between 1,000 and 1,500 works (not counting the abstract, title page, references, section heading, parenthetical citations, graphs, charts, and appendices. • 20 marks may be scored on the IA • Marks are explained in the Psychology guide on pages 50-52

22. IA Details for HL • 40 recommended teaching hours • IA is weighted at 20% of the total score • Students may undertake a replication or a modification of a published experimental study

23. Additional Requirements for HL • Undertake more extensive background research • Provide an operationalized experimental hypothesis and a operationalized null hypothesis • Apply an inferential statistical test to their data and interpret the result of the test

24. HL Report Format • Title Page • Abstract • Introduction • Method • Results • Discussion • References • Appendices

25. The HL Report • The word range for HL is between 1,500 and 2,000 works (not counting the abstract, title page, references, section heading, parenthetical citations, graphs, charts, and appendices. • 28 marks may be scored on the IA • Marks are explained in the Psychology guide on pages 55-58