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This assignment involves conducting individual research on a chosen issue from the Modern Studies course and presenting findings in a written report.
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What is the Assignment? Individual research into a chosen issue from the Modern Studies course. Presentation of your findings in an appropriate way.
What will you be doing in this assignment? • Researching a topic that interests you from modern studies. • Collecting some pieces of useful information to help you with your assignment. • Choosing how to present your findings and conclusions. • Making sure you follow advice so that you can pass this assignment.
Step 1: Identifying a title for your research study: Your title could be either a hypothesis OR a question, OR a decision. • A hypothesis is a statement which gives an opinion on a given issue, you need to review the evidence to decide if it is true or false. The majority of the Scottish people want independence. • A question will identify an aspect of your issue to evaluate eg How effective is Amnesty International at achieving it’s aims? • You could set yourself a decision to take: eg Should America abolish the death penalty?
Step 2: Design research study Once you have established your title you should break it down into 3 research questions. These should each have a different focus. • Describing an aspect of your issue. • Explaining an aspect of your issue. • Drawing a conclusion, identifying selectivity or making a decision supported by source evidence.
Example • Hypothesis: The use of illegal methods by pressure groups is not effective in achieving their aims. • 1. Describe 2 groups that have used illegal methods in a campaign. • 2. Explain an advantage and a disadvantage of using this method. • 3. How far is it selective to say that illegal methods are not effective.
Step 3: Carrying out your research and collecting information to help you address your research questions. You need to gather useful knowledge to help you understand what your assignment is about. You need to keep a note of where you got your information from. You will need to find information from at least two different sources, eg the internet, a newspaper, an interview, a survey etc. You must evaluate your research methods in your final write up. Use your ‘learning’ log to record your progress.
Choosing how to present your findings and conclusions You must present your information as a written report. You will then use this to structure your timed ‘write-up’ of your research findings. This will be done in 1 hour in exam conditions. This will be sent to the SQA for marking. • You need to prepare: • Your written report • Record of source evidence • 2 A4 sides of evidence to take into your write up.
The Assignment Report Your report is worth 20 marks of your final grade • Research Topic = 2 marks • Research methods = 8 marks • Research findings = 6 marks • Research conclusions = 4 marks You will use a ‘template’ to write up your answers. A copy of this is printed at the back of your instructions booklet. Your instructions booklet also has a page for each of the above 4 tasks.
Research Methods section (8marks) • This section is a ‘source evaluation’ • You should refer to the A5 booklet that includes advantages and disadvantages of different types of research to help you with this. • You must comment on 2 of your research methods: • Internet search • Use of newspaper article • Use of BBC • Official statistics • Youtube search • Use of documentary • Use of news programmes • Use of twitter feed.
Steps to your answer: • Describe first research method • How appropriate was it? – did it give you the information you needed? Which aims did it address? Was it relevant to your hypothesis? Was the evidence useful? • Identify a strength of the method and link to the evidence found. • Identify a weakness and link to the method • Suggest alternative research that would help solve weaknesses. • Repeat above steps for a second research method.
How to identify strengths and weaknesses of source: • How valid? • When was it written? – the more recent, the more valid. • If it is a survey – do you know all the questions/options presented or has the source already ‘selected’ which evidence to use from it? • How reliable? • Who wrote it? – do they have a political bias? Are they a charity or organisation campaigning to change the issue? Do they have ‘expertise’? • Why was it written? – is there a different motive that helps you identify bias?
Research Findings • 6 marks available. • Describe and explain the main findings of your research. • You should refer to the research evidence you take into the assessment.
Research Findings • Brief description of key feature – eg describe youth crime. • Develop further. • Explain this feature with detail and refer to research evidence. Eg causes of youth crime/or explanation of consequences. • Introduce new key feature that links – eg secondary cause. • Develop and make reference to research evidence. Explain how each feature links. • Identify alternative viewpoint and provide counterpoint.
The public are able to influence decisions made in the Scottish Parliament. • The public are able to influence decisions made in the Scottish Parliament in many ways. • They can do so through submitting a public petition through the e-petition system. They could also comment on or sign existing petitions on the Public Petitions website. These petitions are reviewed by the Public Petitions Committee. • This petition could ask the Parliament to ‘look into a matter of national public interest or concern, to amend existing laws or to introduce new laws.’(Source 1) Currently petition PE01507: Funding for Additional Support for Learning in Scotland has over 800 signatures. (source 1)
This type of participation can be effective because it allows people to directly raise an issue with Parliament, and if they make a good argument and have sufficient support they could be asked to meet with the Public Petitions Committee. • This allows the Parliament to work with people who might not otherwise take part. The Hansard Society found that it could be an effective way to reach ‘hard-to-reach’groups such as teenagers. They argue that it works because the Committee can call an investigation into the issue, like when they called an investigation into the public health implications of cheap alcohol. This direct engagement helps improve people’s knowledge of the system and might encourage them to take part in other methods of participation such as voting or lobbying their MSP (Source 1)
However, some might argue that even with this system, the public cannot fully influence decision-making as most new laws are introduced by the Government and there are very few laws introduced after a petition. Furthermore, in an opinion poll 20% of people said that they had not seen or heard about the work of the Scottish Parliament in the last year (Source 3).
Research Conclusions • Clear conclusion/decision made • Supported by your own KU of the topic. (based on evidence and findings) • Provide further detail and link to research question. • 4th mark is allocated if the conclusion is ‘original and insightful’ – this means it is not a basic rewording of your source evidence, but it comes from putting together different evidence.
From researching the issue of public participation I have learnt that there are many ways for a member of the public to participate with Government and influence decisions. Methods such as e-petitions are effective and well-used by some people. However, voting in the Parliament remains low which reduces how far MSPs will feel truly accountable to the public. • I can therefore conclude that whilst the Scottish Parliament has improved participation, it remains limited and people have not always been able to actually influence the decisions made. It is therefore exaggerated to argue that they can influence decisions as they can participate and introduce ideas, but cannot fully change decisions or new laws.
