Sample Empirical Research Report (ERA) The Grange P

Sample Empirical Research Report (ERA)
The Grange P-12 College
Sample ERA Instructions
This sample ERA was developed by the Psychology team to assist students to master their ERA skills to a
level expected at Year 12. Ensure that you revise your understanding of the following before undertaking
your ERA. Some sections must appear on separate pages (these are: the Title Page, Abstract, Body of ERA,
Reference List and Appendices.
Common ERA Errors Made by Students at The Grange P-12 College
Not including an Abstract. This should be written LAST after you have completed your ERA. However, this section MUST be on
page 2 of the ERA.
The Introduction (the first section of the body of the ERA commences on page 3). However, you should NOT label this section
with a subheading as this is not necessary. All other subsections (such as the Method, Results, Discussion) must appear as
subheadings in your ERA.
The Method section must be broken up into the following sub-sections: Participants, Materials, Procedure.
In the Participants sub-section of the Method section – include as much detail about the sample as possible!!! This will help you
work out Extraneous Variables for the Discussion section. Ensure you list a mean (average) age and how many males and females
took part in the experiment.
In the Participants sub-section of the Method section – ensure that you explain how the sample was selected. Many students think
that selecting people who live in their geographical area is a ‘random sample.’ Remember, this is not a random sample. A random
sample means that every person in the population of interest has an equal chance of being selected. In VCE Psychology most
studies are a sample of convenience – unless you are limiting your population to this geographical area.
Use of personal pronouns or language which does not meet prescribed scientific conventions…
Instead of writing…
I think that…
Me, I (etc)
A teacher… other class members if you have
collated data…
People in the study (AKA: your guinea pigs)
It was proven that…
Write…
It can be argued that…
The researchers (speak about yourself in the third
person)
Co-researchers
Participants/Sample
The hypothesis that _________ was supported by
the current study OR The hypothesis that
_________ was not supported by the current
study.
Do NOT think one study can ever prove or disprove anything. This is very arrogant... even of your name should happen to be
Wilhelm Wundt . One study simply cannot prove or disprove anything. Your hypothesis will be supported or it will not be
supported.
Remember, an excellent ERA is like an hour-glass – you should devote as much space and effort to the Introduction as you would
to the Discussion.
The Introduction starts of generally and ends specifically (with information about what you have done). The Discussion is the
reverse – start with the specific (whether your hypothesis was/was not supported) and end with the general (a powerful statement
regarding the area under examination).
Thinking that if your hypothesis is not supported that you have failed. This is not the case – actually, you will have more to
discuss in the Discussion.
Not using APA format for in-text and/or reference lists.
Calling a reference list a Bibliography.
Writing the procedure in dot point format – this should be a DETAILED paragraph. Think about how you conducted the study
from Point A to Point B. Another researcher should be able to pick up your ERA and replicate your study exactly how you
conducted it.
Leaving out Extraneous Variables from the Discussion for fear of failing the task. Do not write 100 points about what you did
wrong. If you leave this out altogether (and do not suggest improvements for future researchers) the person assessing your ERA
will spot it a mile off. You should look at participant and experimenter variables which may have affected the study. You will
find these by thinking carefully about your Participants and Method section of the ERA.
Do not use abbreviations such as ‘don’t’ – this is not academic writing.
Include raw data in an appendix – that is data you have collected and not yet analysed properly. Do not put any data in the Results
sections which has not been analysed (for example, averages, graphs etc).
Do not make ANY comments about implications of data in the Results section – this belongs in the Discussion. The Results
section should ONLY present analysed data such as – the mean score for the control group on ______ was __________. Do not
state what this means. Leave that until the discussion section.
DRAFT your work. Your teacher will ASSESS your work not DRAFT it for you. There is NO excuse for errors of expression or
spelling. Get a friend to DRAFT your work if this is an option – that is look for the latter errors.
As a rule of thumb, A+ ERA’s will ALWAYS use in-text references. Or example, Piaget suggested that children’s development
occurs in a series of stages (Surname, date). Unless it is a direct quote in which case you need to include a page number too
(Surname, date, page number). If the assessor wants to check out this reference – they will find it in the Reference List.
DO NOT bring in any new research in the Discussion. Relate your research ONLY to previous studies which were discussed in
the Introduction. If you include new research at the end you will confuse the reader.
Do not paste a copy of a SURVEY you used in the Method section – out the appendix instead. See sample ERA. When referring
to information in the Appendix just state (refer to Appendix One/Two etc). The assessor will know to flick to this part of the ERA
if they want to see a survey or raw data.
Please use double spacing (especially in drafts) so your teacher can add comments. To do this in Word follow the instructions in
brackets (Highlight text, Tool Bar – Format, Paragraph, Line Spacing – double or 1.5).
Do not use font larger than 12 points – it is annoying to mark and does not make it look as though you have written more… really,
it does not.
Define all key terms in a bracket. For example: “Gibson and Walk determined that neonates (defined as newborn children) had
mastered an understanding of depth perception.” Assume reader knows nothing!!!
Above ALL else follow the formula. An excellent ERA is a matter of following the ‘recipe’ as you would a good meal!!! Good
luck students!!!
Document Key
Blue Text: suggestions for improvement your ERA. Do not re-word this text. These are pointers to ensure
you make the most of your ERA.
Unbolded (black coloured) text: suggestions on how to word key sections of your ERA.
Text Break: means the next section should be on a fresh page.
<<<Text Break>>>
*** A sample ERA follows.
An investigation to determine whether Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
assess children’s cognitive achievements at the Pre-operational level.
An investigation of whether the presence of others influences helping behaviours
of individuals.
The Independent and Dependent Variables should be IMPLICT in the Title –
always!!!
An examination of _____________.
The effect of coffee consumption on examination performance. If we break this
down, the IV is coffee consumption and the DV is examination performance.
<your name> Agata Kula
Submitted to fulfil the requirements of Unit <add> Psychology
< Teachers Name>
Submitted: <due date OR date you handed the task in>
<<<text break>>>
Abstract
The aim of the current investigation was __________ (add – for example –) to
examine whether Jean Piaget’s infamous ‘stage like’ theory of cognitive (relating to
thinking/thought) development is applicable to an Australian sample of Preoperational children. It was (use past tense – like you have conducted the study
already. The abstract should be written last so you can provide a précis of the
study after you have completed the study) hypothesised that pre-operational
children will be able to perform cognitive tasks related to this stage of development as
outlined by Piaget. The sample comprised of ____________ (add sample details
related to your study) prep-aged students selected by a sample of convenience from
a larger cohort at the Grange P-12 College (Melbourne). How many males and
females? How was the sample selected? How many kids took place etc. Brief
summary of method what achievements were looked at and how. Results
summary – no raw data, only include data which has been analysed. The
hypothesis that ________________ (add) was/was not supported by the current
study. NEVER EVER USE PERSONAL PRONOUNS (I found that…) OR
THAT YOU HAVE PROVED DISPROVED ANYTHING!!!! ONE STUDY
CANNOT DO THAT. YOU = researcher PARTNER = co-researcher.
In
conclusion ____________________ (summarise research findings).
NOTE: THIS SECTION OF THE ERA SHOULD BE WRITTEN LAST AND
SHOULD BE ON A SEPARATE PAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<<<text break>>>
NO HEADING FOR INTRODUCTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO SUBTITLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO PERSONAL PRONOUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Intro starts off generally and moves to specific information relating to your
study. Start off with general statement. Make it powerful! Maybe a relevant
quote? Maybe a powerful statement? Your aim here is to leave a lasting
impression on the examiner. What they read first and last will make a HUGE
impression. The issue of whether neonates (new born infants) possess sophisticated
cognitive abilities has been of interest to psychologists for many Centuries. Given that
one can not delve into another individual’s mind…… (Kula, 2008).
Paragraph Two… here you discuss relevant concepts and theories put forward
by past researchers. As a rule of thumb include AT LEAST two/three
researchers if possible. Do not go on and on about their experiments – simply
state what they examined and what they found. Jean Piaget – explain his theory
of cognitive development. Especially focus on the age your child was (Yr 11 Unit
1).
Explain key term cognition. Jean Piaget, the key researcher commonly
associated with preliminary investigations of individual development, was particularly
interested in the development of cognition. He argued that children develop their
cognitive skills through four defined (and sequenced) stages. PAST RESEARCH.
PROBLEMS WITH PIAGET (or other theorist relevant to your research… find
loopholes in their theories you want to examine in detail as a link to next
paragraph).
The aim of the current study was to conduct a series of experiments to determine
whether Piaget’s observations regarding the cognitive abilities of pre-operational
children (as they relate to key stage achievements) can be replicated. (next list your
hypothesis) It was (use past tense) hypothesised that ______________________.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUSMTANCES WRITE THE IV IS BLAAA THE
DV IS BLAAAA. This should be implied in your hypothesis, for example, It is
hypothesised that the (IV) will impact on the (DV) ___________ (in what way).
Method (first sub-heading in ERA body)
Participants: The sample comprised of _________________. Include the Male
Female Ratio. How the sample was selected. Ages. Geographical location. Any
information about the sample (or demographic of the sample) the reader needs
to know to determine if your results can be generalised to the population of
interest. Mean age of sample. The average age of the current sample was 6 years
old. Do this properly as you will find your PARTICIPANT extraneous variables
here to discuss in your Discussion. *** If you separated the sample into
CONTROL and EXPERIMENTAL groups discuss this in detail in the
Procedure section. In terms of the Participants section you could state: Half of
the sample was assigned to the control group (not exposed to IV) whilst the other
participants were exposed to the experimental condition. *** If a SINGLE or
DOUBLE blind study was employed this should be discussed ONLY in the
Procedure section (see below).
Materials: List everything you used in dot points. The participants are not a
material.
Do not list pen and paper – it can be assumed you used these
materials. Instead: surveys, books. Refer to appendices here (refer to Appendix
1).
Procedure: THIS IS NOT TO BE WRITTEN IN DOT POINTS OR AS A LIST –
IT SHOULD BE A FORMAL PARAGRAPH. Use the term – the researchers
then collated the data if working with others and their data. Do this properly as
you will find EXPERIMENTER extraneous variables here to discuss in your
Discussion. Ensure you list any PLACEBOs utilised in the course of research.
YOU WILL JUSTIFY THE ETHICAL USE OF DECEPTION IN THE
DISCUSSION SECTION – NOT HERE!!!
Results (next subheading)
Year 11s Semester One – Qualitative explanation of what you found. NO
CONCLUSIONS!!! The latter belong in Discussion. RAW DATA should be in
Appendix not here. Ask your teacher what analytical methods should be used for
your study.
Discussion (next subheading)
The hypothesis that _____________ (restate hypothesis) was (OR) was not
supported by the current study/examination. THE OPPOSITE OF THE
INTRODUCTION!!!!!! Start with specifics of your study and end with general
statements. THIS SECTION SHOULD BE AS LONG IF NOT LONGER THAN
YOUR INTRODIUCTION. Students always leave this section until last.
Remember, this is the last section your assessor will read – therefore, the
assessor will remember this section when assigning a final grade. If your
discussion consists of two sentences you will be graded down. Provide evidence
for why your hypothesis was or was not supported. The great majority (mean =
______) of the sample was unable to complete key achievements of the Formal
Operational stage of cognitive development developed by Piaget. This finding
suggests that children of a Pre-Operational age have not yet achieved mastery of the
latter cognitive abilities.
Compare your findings to pervious theorists. NO NEW THOERISTS HERE!!!
For example, These findings are/not congruent with those of Piaget. Why AND
how?
Extraneous variables and suggestions for future researchers to improve
reliability/validity of YOUR study. Common issues involve Sample size and
composition/who was tested on; whether results cannot not be generalised to the
population of interest. Mention both PARTICIPANT and EXPERIMENTER
extraneous variables. Ensure you include suggestions for future researchers –
To address the latter in future researchers, the sample should be increased to ensure
that results can be generalised to the wider population of interest (namely, preoperational children in the case of this study). Future researchers are also advised to
employ random sampling techniques (…) to ensure that the gender distribution of the
sample is representative of the population of interest1 (…) etc etc etc. Maybe the
Method needs adjustment? Experiment/Naturalistic Observation… there are
many options to avoid PARTICIPANT EXPECTANCY.
Concluding statement regarding BROARD area of study. Make this statement
(quote) powerful to make a lasting impression.
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1
Stratified Sampling Techniques
Reference List (fresh page and sub-heading)
APA Format MUST be followed – if unsure see your teacher (10-12 cohort).
Check that all in-text references are included here. Check your use of Internet
APA format with your teacher.
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Appendices (separate heading – leave page blank)
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Appendix 1: Raw data collected during the examination.
You should refer to appendices in the BODY of the ERA (between Introduction
and Discussion) by stating in a bracket – (refer to Appendix One). Explain what
data is included in the appendix as has been done above.
<<<text break>>>
If including more than one appendix section – each one should be on a separate
page.