GPPW Research paper

Guidelines and Requirements

2021/2022
NIS Ust-Kamenogorsk
 RESEARCH REPORT TEMPLATE AND GUIDANCE
The final written Research Report should contain: Title; Introduction; Context; Aims; Method; Results; Conclusion; Evaluation; Further Research; Bibliography;
Appendices. 3000-3500 words (excluding Bibliography and Appendices)
Section Contents
Title A descriptive name or heading
for the report.
Introduction This section provides an
overview or summary of the
+/- 300 words research and explains the
reasons for the choice of the
topic. It may give some
indication of how the outcomes
of the research may be used.
Context This section provides a detailed
description of the background to
+/- 800 words the research which has informed
the development of the research
aims.
Aims This section provides a
summary of the main purpose
+/- 100 words and intended outcomes of the
research.
Method This section describes the
methods used to gather data
+/- 600 words and information which will be
used as evidence.
Results This section summarises the
information and data gathered
Guidance
The title should be short and concise. It should give a clear indication of the purpose of the research.
This section is usually quite brief and provides a summary of the motivation behind the research and the reasons
for the selection of the topic. It could relate to prior learning, influence of past research, previous experience,
personal interest and the beliefs and values of the learner. The advice and guidance of teachers or others could
also be mentioned. Personal values and beliefs that might influence the research and may be a potential cause of
bias may be declared in the interests of objectivity.
This is usually one of the longer sections of the report. It should contain a description of the issue being explored,
key definitions, past research and the main sources that have guided the design of the research project. The
material described should be used to explain how the aims and purpose of the research were developed. This
often takes the form of ‘progressive focusing’ in which learners outline the wider global issue and then explain
how the research is directed towards a narrower aspect of the issue that is suitable and manageable for the scope
of this type of research project. If secondary sources and data are used in the research they are usually described
in this section. Sources and past research should be cited and referenced. Care should be taken to ensure that
the material described is relevant to the purpose of the research.
This is usually a brief statement of the purpose and main aim of the research, which arise out of the context. The
main aim is broken down into sub-research questions and hypotheses to be tested / hypotheses of expected
outcome. Some indication of the possible uses and potential implications of the research may be included, if
appropriate and relevant.
This is usually one of the longer sections of the report. It should describe the overall research design and each of
the methods used. The population and sample for the research should also be described and justified. The
description should be in enough detail to enable another person to repeat the research in the future. The selection
of the methods should be fully explained and justified in relation to the purpose of the research and the type of
data or evidence that is sought. Learners should explain clearly how and why the methods and sources selected
will enable them to fulfil their aims and answer the research questions. Appendices should be added to provide
examples of the research instruments. Learners should be encouraged to use the terms of critical thinking and
research e.g., authority, validity, reliability, representative, generalise, bias, etc.
This is usually one of the longer sections of the report. The data and information gathered from the practical
research should be summarised in a clear, concise and structured way. This may be organised around the
+/- 700 words from the practical research
which is relevant to the purpose
of the project.
Discussion + The purpose of this section is to
Conclusion interpret and describe the
significance of your findings in
+/- 400 words light of what was already known
about the research and to
explain any new understanding
or insights that emerged as a
result of your study. This section
also describes the judgements
made about outcomes of the
research.
Solution and This section provides detailed
product description of the suggested
solution(s) and the instruments
+/- 500 words or the final product(s) that
enable the implementation of the
solution.
Evaluation & This section evaluates the
Further quality of the research and the
Research strength of the conclusions, as
well as suggestions for further
+/- 600 words research that arise out of research
project. It should also contain
reflection by the learner about
what they have learned from
doing the research and how their
personal perspectives may have
changed.
methods used or the research questions. Use of tables, graphs, charts and bullet points may help to maintain
clarity and brevity. Appendices may also be used to present more detail or to illustrate the analysis of data. This
might include exemplars of completed questionnaires, tally tables, transcripts of interviews, and other raw data. It
is not necessary to include all of the data gathered in the appendices.
The discussion & conclusion section will always connect to the introduction and context by way of the research
questions or hypotheses you posed and the literature you reviewed, but the discussion does not simply repeat or
rearrange the first parts of your paper; the section clearly explains how your understanding of the research
problem advanced. This section typically begins with an assessment of whether or not the results support the
hypothesis and why. This should include comment on whether or not the results were expected for each set of
results; go into greater depth to explain findings that were unexpected or especially profound. If appropriate, note
any unusual or unanticipated patterns or trends that emerged from your results and explain their meaning in
relation to the research problem; either compare your results with the findings from other studies or use the
studies to support a claim.
This section summarises the outcomes of the research and provides answers to each of the research questions,
based on the results. The conclusions should be stated clearly and concisely. This section usually includes a
discussion of the implications or consequences of the conclusions for the purpose of the research and the global
issue under consideration. Some discussion of the degree of confidence or level of certainty about the
conclusions might also be appropriate. Conclusion a synthesis of key points.
This section provides detailed description of the suggested solution(s), underpinning the argumentation why it is
an effective way to address the issue.
It clearly indicates how the instrument/product has been developed.
The contextualisation of the use of the product and the anticipated limitations should also be indicated in this
section.
The visual entitled image of the product should be included, if possible.
This section highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the research design, implementation and outcomes.
Each method should be reviewed carefully and suggestions for improvement presented. The degree of
generalisation from the outcomes and applicability of the conclusions should be discussed. Learners should be
encouraged to use the terms of critical thinking and research e.g., authority, validity, reliability, representative,
generalise, bias, etc.
It should also briefly describe several suggestions for further research. These should be carefully related to the
outcomes of the research, perhaps exploring unexpected results or new questions that have arisen. Ways to
improve the confidence of conclusions or generalisation from the research are also possible. Some indication of
the purpose or implications of the further research for the understanding of the global issue should be stated.
Reflection by the learner is also an important element of this section. The learner should carefully describe what
they have learnt about the global issue and how their perspectives have changed. Some discussion of what the
learner has discovered about conducting practical research into global issues is also appropriate.
 Bibliography This section should contain a list The list of references and sources should follow one of the academic conventions in a consistent way. Teachers
of all references and sources will need to give advice and exemplars to learners.
used in the research.

Appendices This section should contain This is the final section of the report. The appendices are useful for providing exemplars of research instruments
additional material that and summaries of data analysis.
illustrates key aspects of the
main report.

GPPW RESEARCH PAPER CHECKLIST 2019/2020

Research Paper Section Questions Y/N

Title Is my research title SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely)?

Does my research title indicate the purpose of my research?

Introduction Do I have a “hook” and description of the issue (attract the reader)?
Have I explained the motivation for choosing my topic clearly and concisely?
If there are references, do I cite them?
Have I indicated my potential personal bias?
Do I give some indication of the implication of my research or how the outcomes of the research may be used?

Context Do I provide a detailed description of the background to the research that relates to the research aims?
Did I discuss at least 2 lenses through which this issue is being considered?
Have I presented two or more perspectives (of people or groups involved) regarding the issue?
Do I discuss and narrow the topic effectively from a global to a local scale, in my secondary research?
Did I explain how the research and the aims developed? (How secondary research lead me towards my research questions/deciding upon my primary research aim)

Are all my claims supported by evidence? (Claim – support – conclusion)

Do I cite all my references? Are they in my bibliography?

Aims Do I provide a clear aim for my research?

Do I have at least 3 specific research questions/objectives that will be answered through my primary research?
Do I provide a hypothesis (intended/expected outcomes)?

Methods Did I describe how my research tools and their populations work together towards collecting/drawing reliable and generalisable result/conclusion?
Did I use qualitative and quantitative data/methods?
Did I describe each of my 3 research methods / tools?
 Did I describe and justify the population and sample for each method/tool?
  Did I explain the choice of research methods and which research questions were addressed?
 Did I discuss the suitability of each method in relation to MY research? (successes and difficulties, I experienced)

Did I write the section using the past tense?

Did I use passive verb forms to eliminate the pronoun I?
Have I referenced examples of material used to my appendices? E.g. (Appendix A)

Results Did I provide the results from my investigation, for each of my research questions, in a logical way? (either according to research questions or according to research
method/tool)
Did I provide detailed analysis of the results of my primary research?
Did I use tables, graphs, charts (especially for quantitative data) or bullet points (especially for qualitative data) to make it clear and brief? (not just providing all answers I
received)
Did I cross tabulate some of my data/information?
Did I label tables and figures correctly in text?
Did I use reporting language and the passive voice to describe the results?
Did I mention what I’ve learnt from the research?

Discussion & Did I present the conclusion in sections with headings for each of the research questions so that the conclusions for each could be easily identified by the reader of the
Conclusion Report?
Did I summarise the main findings for each of the research questions in the conclusion –is this clear, structured and concise? Did I explain how I have come to these
conclusions? (claim + evidence)
Did I re-visit key sources already cited in my introduction and context sections (literature review) to compare with my primary research results? (connection between
primary and secondary research)
Did I qualify the conclusions and discuss the extent of generalisation and confidence levels that can be assumed? For example: due to the narrow age range of the
sample.
Did I discuss the implications of the conclusions for the original motivation and purpose of the research? (refer to Introduction)
Did I discuss the consequences or implications of each of my conclusions?
Did I explain and interpret the significance of the results?

Solution and Did I provide the detailed description of the suggested solution(s), underpinning the argumentation why it is an effective way to address the
product issue?
Did I indicate how the instrument/product had been developed?
Did I indicate the contextualisation of the use of the product and the anticipated limitations should also be indicated in this section?
Did I include the visual entitled image of the product?

Evaluation & Further Did I evaluate my research plan / design (strengths and weaknesses specific to MY research), implementation and outcomes?
research Did I carefully review each method, its implementation (how I conducted it) and suggest improvements? Have I triangulated / drawn connections between my research
methods?
Did I discuss the degree of generalisation from the outcomes and applicability of the conclusions? (population & sample groups)
Did use the terms of critical thinking and research (authority, validity, reliability, representative, generalise, bias, triangulate etc.)?
 Did I describe, if there were any, new/unusual/unexpected/unanticipated findings?
Did I make suggestions for further research questions?
Did I indicate the purpose or implications of the further research for the understanding of the issue?
Did I indicate if my personal perspectives (globally, nationally, locally) have changed? (refer to Introduction)
Did I provide suggestions to strengthen my conclusions?

Bibliography Did I provide a list of ALL references and sources (minimum 6 sources) used in the research using APA academic style consistently?

Appendix Did I include all additional data into appendix?

Survey questions; Interview questions; Observation outline; Focus group discussion outline; Analysis outline; Photos etc.
Evidence that all three research methods were conducted has to be shown to your GP teacher – Completed surveys, transcripts / recordings from interviews, focus group
discussions, and summaries of data analysis etc.

Format Title page; Word Count 3500 (+/- 10%) (excluding title page, graphs & tables, bibliography and appendices)
Page numbering – Top right; Font – Times New Roman; Font size - 12
Line spacing – Single spacing; APA in-text citation
Section headings are in bold and underlined (New sections do not have to start on a new page. Standard 1-line spacing between headings and sections)
File Name: GP Teacher Initials _ Your Last Name _ First Name _ Class _ GPPW Final Project 2021
E.g. YMN_Semeibekova_Rizael_11C_GPPW Final Project 2021