EE

IB Extended Essay

MethodologySubject-Specific

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How is the focus maintained throughout the essay?

How will the research be undertaken?

<Criteria A: Focus and Method>

Explanation of the focus of the research.

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Discussion/evaluation

• Reasoned argument is developed from research.
• Research is evaluated.

Analysis of Research

• Conclusions are supported by evidence.

<Criteria C: Critical Thinking>

Application of research to support the argument.

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Focus on intent

• Sources are in alignment with the research question.

• Avoid irrelevant information

• How do the sources/methods help maintain the focus throughout the essay?

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data gathering methods

Where does methodology go: Introduction What did you do? Explain your strategy for answering the research question. Why are your sources/methods reliable and valid?

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data gathering methods

Where does methodology go: Critical Thinking Are all materials relevant to the question? How did methods/sources help to produce a reasoned argument? Evaluation of sources/methodology. Strengths/limitations/alternatives

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Individuals and Societies

Experimental Sciences

The Arts

Mathematics

Language and Literature

Language Aquisition

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studies in language and literature

• Primary Sources:
• Work by the author
• Secondary Sources
• Books
• Academic Journals
• Essays
• Reviews

Argument:

• Critical perspective on secondary sources.
• Analysis and argument should support personal interpretation.
• Argument should be supported by sources.

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Language acquisition

Primary Sources: Texts:Literary (book chapters, essays, poems, etc.) Media (interveiws, headlines, articles, etc.) General (hisotrical documents, advertising, etc.)Specific cultural artifacts (art, architecture, films, radio, lyrics, etc.) Secondary Sources: Scholarly research. Argument:

• Analysis based on literary criticism.
• Analysis based on culture and society.
• Present argument based on research.
• Persuasive analysis of viewpoint.
• Descriptions and narratives will not be rewarded.

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individuals and societies - HOA

Primary sources - at least 10 years ago. Secondary Sources - may be recent but talking about a historical event. Argument: Critical analysis of source material Establish historical context, significance, and why it is worth investigating. Think of: causation consequence change continuity significance perspective

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individuals and societies - PSYCHOLOGY

Secondary sources - only Primary sources - prohibitedSelf-help and pop-psychology are not allowed. Argument: Evaluation of theory and research.

• The research question should analyze and evaluate different perspectives.
• Analysis of the study must include the following:
• Context of study or research (participants, design, etc.)
• Cultural, ethical, gender, and methodological considerations.
• Awareness of possible research bias and methodological biases.
• Draw conclusions consistent with the argument.

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Argument:

• Critical evaluation
• Suitability and reliability of sources
• Accuracy and precision of measuring equipment
• Sample size
• Validity and reliability of statistics
• Biological limitations
• Repeatability
• Controls
• Generalizations

The sciences - biology

Primary Research:

• Experimentation
• Survey
• Microscopic observations
• Biological drawing
• Fieldwork
• or some other appropriate biological approach.

Secondary research: Ideally, they can obtain data from literature and manipulate it another way.

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Argument:

• Critical evaluation
• Suitability and reliability of sources
• Accuracy and precision of measuring equipment
• Sample size
• Validity and reliability of statistics
• Biological limitations
• Repeatability
• Controls
• Generalizations

The sciences - sports, exercise, and health science

Primary Research:

• Experimentation
• Questionnaires
• Other appropriate SEHS approach

Secondary research: Ideally, they can obtain data from literature and manipulate it another way.

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Mathematics

Primary Research:

• Data-gathering
• visualization
• Abstraction
• Conjecturing
• Proof

Secondary research: Ideally, they can obtain data from literature and manipulate it another way. Argument: Deductive reasoning. Must show the steps to demonstrate they really understand what they are doing. Evidence of students doing mathematics.

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The arts - visual arts

Primary Research:

• Artwork
• Secondary research: material about visual arts
• Avoid:
• Narrative or descriptive use of secondary topics.
• Biographical studies of artists.

Argument:

• Show values and limitations of art through analysis of its origin and purpose.
• Artistic understanding.
• Clear and logical argument.
• Evaluate research in terms of unresolved issues and further research questions generated by the study.

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Argument:

• Evaluative
• Explore a broad range of ideas from different sources
• Reliablity of sources
• Construct, present, and support specific areas of discussion.

Student's arguments should be rationally justified by research.

The arts - Film

Primary Research:

• Films
• Script
• Screenplay
• Score
• personal correspondence with individuals involved in making the film

(at least 2 should be referenced) Secondary sources:

• Books
• journals
• reviews
• DVD "Extras"
• promotional material
• internet material

Clear focus on film or television. Not literary, sociological, political, or historical issues.

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<QUIZ>

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What makes a resource valuable (or useful)?Its degree of objectivity (how factual it is in structure or approach) It provides insight into thoughts or behaviors Reveals weaknesses (for example, of a method, approach, or historical figure) Provides accurate statistics or figures It relies on a host of other sources Contains quotes from key figures Written during the period in question (eyewitness account) A first-hand account of a party official or politician who had access to relevant information It was not written under a censorship regime Covers a wide period, placing events in a wider context Offers insights into personal views or opinions Suggests motives for public actions and opinions Indicates effects of an event or era on an individual It may indicate how the author (in the case of memoirs) wishes to be seen by the public May offer an expert’s view May offer insight into emotional responses May suggest correlations between indicators (for example, unemployment and voting patterns) Can give a sense of a scene or event (images) Adheres to agreed methodological standards Considers variables or anomalies Was it peer-reviewed or validated by multiple (recognized) external agents Is free of bias Produced a wide array of qualitative statements Contained closed or open questions (depends on what is being investigated) It could be applied to a multitude of cultures (that is, is not ethnocentric) Results in the source were standardized Results were gathered in real-world and thus carry ecological validity

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What makes a resource valuable (or useful)? Methods used to produce results in the sources are not time-locked (that is not applicable to the current time frame) What problems or weaknesses do the sources indicate? It contains bias (important to identify the nature of the bias and comment on its implications) The purpose of the source is to sway the opinion Its degree of subjectivity or one-sided perspective Contains hyperbole (exaggeration) Not written in the time in question (how many years removed is important sometimes as there could be issues with translation, and so forth) [this works in reverse too - for example, sometimes texts written close to the event may not give a true account due to sensitive nature of topics] Not written in a place where events took place so access to information could be limited. Lack of peer review or external moderation Proximity of author to figure in question (for example, a wide may be purposely misleading about her husband) Political interference may mean the author was not willing to express true sentiments. Non-specialist (for example, an economist writing about politics) Intention: Was it created for a specific audience (for example, humor or summary)? Is it a hagiographical (saintly) account of a key figure? Could be a dissenting voice (thus offering an alternative interpretation) Cannot see beyond the lens of perspective intended by image maker (images) May wish to highlight strengths of his/her actions Offers only a partial understanding of the topic The approach followed may be limited in scope Based on leading questions Omitted variables or anomalies Produced a wide array of qualitative statements Contains closed or open questions (depends on what is being investigated) It is ethnocentric and thus cannot be used to generalize across cultures Results in the source were lacking in sufficient standardization Results were restricted to a lab and thus lack ecological validity Results may not be applicable to current time frame (this is, they’re time locked)