Posted: September 13th, 2017

Extended Experimental Investigation

Extended Experimental Investigation

Paper instructions:

Senior Biology

EEI
Extended Experimental Investigation

Rationale:

Micro-organisms are vital to humans and the environment, but some are harmful to us. These are commonly referred to as germs. “Germ” is a catch-all term for these

invisible organisms, mainly bacteria, fungi and viruses, which cause disease. Germs in the home can show up where you least expect them, despite good efforts by most

to keep their homes germ free, over 65% of colds, 50% of all cases of diarrhea and 50% – 80% of food-borne illnesses are caught in the home, and common household items

are often to blame.

Research/Focus Question:

Task Summary:
Your task is to carry out a long term experiment of your own design to investigate one of the following:
•    the cost effectiveness of a cleaning or disinfecting product on the destruction of microbes commonly present in our environment
•    the control of a unicellular or invertebrate organism that is of concern to public health
•    the nature of the surface on population density and types of organism present.
•    the effect of storage/preservation conditions on the growth of  unicellular organism that is of concern to public health.
The focus is on planning and problem solving using primary data generated through experimentation by the student.
    a planned course of action
    a clearly stated research question giving a purpose and aim to the investigation
    descriptions of the experiment showing evidence of modification or student design
    evidence of primary and secondary data collection and selection
    the execution of the experiment/s
    data analysis and discussion
    evaluation and conclusion/s with justification
    the presentation of the discussion and findings.
(Biology Senior Syllabus, 2004)

Length:
Approximately 1500 words 2000 words where depth of topic warrants

Conditions:
Students will have 7 weeks in which to design, implement and present findings
•    1 period orientation by teacher
•    2 lessons planning
•    5 Homework sessions background research
•    2  double lessons class time for practical work / week [additional time at lunch or after school may be negotiated if having difficulties]
•    Homework time to analyse data for trends and patterns and graph data
•    12 lessons to understand how to analyse, evaluate and make links to reveal meaningful  interrelationships in experiment
•    Teacher support and monitoring throughout.

Materials:

JOURNAL [complete as the investigation proceeds]

1.    Do research to find what science says about :
a)     factors that affect the …………………… and why each has the effect it does.  (Refer to theory that relates to the concepts that explain the factors that affect

……………………………………..

b)    the effect of your variable and how science explains its effect.  Make initial notes here.   Include diagrams as needed and record sources below.

Bibliographic details
Author    Year    Title    Other details (resource type)

2.    Which option will you investigate?
3.    Write an AIM for the investigation :

4.    What hazards are there in this experiment and what will be done to minimise them?

5.    Which specific factor do you wish to investigate?  (This will be your manipulated variable)

•Which variable/s are you going to measure (your dependent variable)?

6. What is your hypothesis about how your factor will affect the …………………….. as it is changed in a specific way (describe)?
7. Which variable/s are you gong to keep the same to make the test fair (your controlled variables)?   For each, describe exactly how you will control it. (maximum of

5 variables)

i)
It needs to be controlled because

It will be controlled by

ii)
It needs to be controlled because

It will be controlled by

iii)
It needs to be controlled because

It will be controlled by

iv)
It needs to be controlled because

It will be controlled by

6.    You will gather data for 3 –4 different conditions and repeat the experiment.

Design a table that will contain
•    the results for 3 – 4 trials for your variable
•    a place for the  calculation of average measured result for each value

9.    Plan the order of actions that you will do; paying particular attention as to when and how you will make measurements in the sequence of steps
METHOD

Perform the experiment and enter the data in the table above

10.    Make inferences from your results.  What do your results tell you?   Is there a major relationship, pattern or trend in your results?  If, so describe it.

11.    What did you find out about your hypothesis?   Was it supported, unsupported or were the results unclear and inconclusive?

12.    What difficulties or doubts about the results did you have in doing this investigation? (Look at the variation in the results to consider the precision

achieved, were any unexpected?)

13.    Explain how you could improve each of the following and justify why
a)    design of the investigation

b)    the method that was used

c)    the reliability of the results

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA – EXTENDED EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
A    B    C    D    E

Understanding biology

Introduction    The student communicates their understanding by:
Making links between related ideas, concepts, principles and theories to reveal meaningful interrelationships
about infectious organisms and our battle with them    Explaining ideas, concepts, principles and theories and describing interrelationships about infectious

organisms and our battle with them
Defining and describing ideas, concepts, principles and theories, and identifying interrelationships about infectious organisms and our battle with them

Stating ideas and using terminology relevant to concepts and recalling interrelationships about infectious organisms and our battle with them    Stating terminology and

ideas relevant to infectious organisms

Investigating biology    Practical report    The student communicates investigative processes by:
Formulating justified researchable questions

Designing, modifying and implementing investigations

Collecting and organising data to identify trends and interrelationships

Interpreting and critically analysing results with links to theoretical concepts to draw conclusions relating to the question(s)

Evaluating the design of the investigation and reflecting on the adequacy of the data collected and proposing refinements.    Formulating researchable questions

Selecting, modifying and implementing investigations

Collecting and organising data to identify trends

Interpreting results and drawing conclusions relating to the question(s)

Evaluating the design of the investigation and the adequacy of the data collected.
Identifying researchable questions

Selecting and implementing investigations

Collecting and organising data

Discussing results and drawing conclusions.

Following instructions to
collect and organise data

Using data to answer questions.     Following instructions to collect and organise data.
Evaluating biological issues     Discussion, Annotations References     The student communicates by:
Integrating the information and data to make justified and responsible decisions

Considering alternatives and predictions relevant in the past, present and future biological contexts    Integrating the information and data to make supported

decisions

Recognising alternatives and predictions that are relevant in a range of present- day biological contexts    Selecting relevant information and data to make

plausible decisions and predictions in biological contexts

Recognising concepts that form the basis of present-day biological issues    Recognising that a given issue has biological implications.
Using supplied information to make statements.

Discussion:
The discussion may be divided into four (4) sections:

Summary of results
An overall summary of the results, written in paragraphed continuous prose (as opposed to dot points),  and describing any patterns, relationships or trends etc  [eg.

% increase in rate as the concentration is double and tripled etc; or for each 10oC rise in temperature.]

Interpretation of Results:
In this section you should interpret the results, especially with respect to the original aim or research question.
It is also important to elucidate (give an explanation that serves to clarify) how the results relate to the information cited in the introduction. In other words, how

well do your findings agree with what you found in the literature.

Analysis and Evaluation
•    Comment on any unexpected results.
•    Describe sources of error and explain why they are sources of uncertainty / error.  (consider how well you controlled the other variables) Explain precisely

why the ‘improvements’ would make a difference.
•    List improvements to the design,  (in terms of how manipulated variable was changed or variables controlled),  explain why the ‘improvements’ need to be made.

Explain precisely why the ‘improvements’ would make a difference.
•    List improvements to the method, equipment used, how you measured and manipulated mass/temperature/concentration/time measurements.  Explain why the

‘improvements’ need to be made.  Explain precisely why the ‘improvements’ would make a difference.

Conclusion:
You should state very briefly the essential conclusion or conclusions you have drawn from the experiment.
•    It will need to written in 3rd person, past tense.
•     It should satisfy the statement set out in the Aim at the beginning and respond to whether the hypothesis was supported or not.

Be sure to include any conditions that apply to your result (eg ‘at constant temperature’). It is important not to overstate what you can rightly claim from the

results of the experiment. Statements like ‘the results supported…’ are more justifiable than ‘the results proved…’.

Bibliography:
If you used resources to gather information for your introduction, a bibliography is needed.
Guidelines for a bibliography can be found in your Homework Diary and in the College’s Guide for Referencing

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