Research Projects
Research Projects
Students apply the scientific method to investigate a question.
Three types of questions
- Type 1: already-known answers (capital of Pakistan)
- Type 2: knowable but not yet known (textbook content)
- Type 3: genuinely unknown (real research)
Only Type 3 produces real research.
Examples
- Morning assembly study (preferences and engagement)
- Studying teaching methods used in school
- Local environmental investigations
- Community surveys
- Behavior or pattern studies
Connection to scientific method
- Question
- Background research
- Hypothesis
- Investigation
- Analysis
- Conclusion
Why All Three Kinds Matter
- Product-focused: design, planning, execution
- Exploratory: observation, real-world adaptation, reporting
- Research: scientific method, hypothesis testing, evidence-based reasoning
A balanced year includes all three.
The chapter ends with the case for using all three kinds across a year.
A teacher who runs research projects builds scientific thinking in students. A teacher who skips them leaves a major gap in development.
What research is
Research projects use the scientific method to investigate questions.
Research investigates questions where the answer is not already known (or not known by the researcher).
Three types of questions
Type 1: Already-known answers.
Already-known questions have clear answers in textbooks. Looking them up is not research.
Type 2: Knowable but you don’t know yet.
These answers exist in books. You can find them. Reading textbooks finds them. This is research-like but not really research.
Type 3: Genuinely unknown answers.
Some questions have no existing answers. The information must be generated. This is research.
Type 3: questions whose answers are not already known and cannot be looked up
Type 1 questions have textbook answers (capital of Pakistan).
Type 2 questions are knowable from books you have not yet read.
Type 3 questions need new data: school assembly engagement, local air quality, community attitudes. Only Type 3 produces genuine research.
Examples of student research
Morning assembly study.
Students study their school’s morning assembly:
- Document what activities occur.
- Track student engagement.
- Interview students about preferences.
- Analyze patterns.
- Draw conclusions.
Or:
Different student groups might find different patterns. Their conclusions are theirs, based on their data.
This is real research. Students apply the scientific method to a question they can investigate.
Other research possibilities.
- Local environmental research. Air quality, water sources, plant diversity in the school grounds.
- Community surveys. What do community members think about specific issues?
- Behavior studies. What patterns of student behavior exist? What triggers them?
- Comparative studies. How do students of different grades respond to the same question?
- Historical research. Local history that has not been documented before.
Connection to scientific method
Research projects directly apply the scientific method:
- Question.
- Background research.
- Hypothesis.
- Investigation/testing.
- Analysis.
- Conclusion.
A research project walks students through this method on a real question.
A broader point
Many adults learned the scientific method abstractly but never applied it. They became judgmental about social issues. They did not investigate; they assumed.
Research projects in school break this pattern. Students apply the scientific method to questions about their own world. They learn to investigate before judging.
Application matters. Theory without application produces theoretical knowledge but no practice. Research projects produce practice.
Why all three kinds matter
A teacher should plan all three kinds across a year. Not just one kind.
Why?
Each kind develops different skills:
- Product-focused: design, planning, execution, user-focus.
- Exploratory: observation, real-world adaptation, reporting.
- Research: scientific method, hypothesis testing, evidence-based reasoning.
A student who only does product-focused projects develops design skills but not research. A student who only does research develops investigation skills but not design. Variety produces well-rounded students.
A balanced year
A typical school year might include:
Term 1: A product-focused project (e.g., a class magazine or food carnival).
Term 2: An exploratory project (e.g., a science field trip with reports).
Term 3: A research project (e.g., investigating a school or community question).
Three projects total. All three kinds covered. Students develop varied skills.
A teacher who plans this way produces students with broad project capabilities. A teacher who only uses one kind produces narrower development.
One project of each kind across the year
Term 1: a product-focused project (cookbook, food carnival, language lab).
Term 2: an exploratory project (camping trip, cultural visit, with structured report).
Term 3: a research project (assembly study, community survey, environmental investigation).
Three projects total. All three skill categories developed. Students leave the year with broad project capability.