ASSESSMENT TYPE 3: EVALUATION

RESEARCH PROJECT
Your Evaluation will have three sections:
1. Written Summary (150 words NOT included in the 1500 word limit)
2. Evaluation of Research Processes (1100 words)
3. Evaluation of the Quality of the Research Outcome (400 words)
Steps to completing your final evaluation:
Use the following outline as a guide for what to write in each section.
Look at the exemplars of past students
Email draft to me asap so I can give you some feedback!!

WRITTEN SUMMARY
Write your Written Summary (150- 200 words) using your answers to the following questions:
a. What was the subject of my research when I started and why was it chosen?
b. What were the main ways in which I collected information?
c. What was my research outcome?
My research topic was.
I picked this topic because.
The main ways I collected research were..
My research outcome was.
See PDF: WRITTEN SUMMARY for more information and an exemplar from SACE

ASSESSMENT TYPE 3: EVALUATION

RESEARCH PROJECT

EVALUATION OF RESEARCH PROCESSES

You should write about each of the research processes you used:
Primary Research Interviews, Surveys, Consultation with experts, Online forums, Observation, Trial and
Error/Experimentation, Workshops, Work Experience, etc.
Secondary Research Internet sites/articles, Books, YouTube, documentaries, etc.
Create sub-headings for each of your research processes and for each PROCESS consider:
How you gathered the information: did the process help you gather credible information?
o Give examples of how the information gathered was useful
Linked to research question/was accurate and reliable/ credible/gave ideas for further research/able to be used in a certain way
o

Give examples of how the information gathered was limited

Possibly biased/inaccurate/unreliable/difficult to read/limited sample size/not the person you really wanted to interview

Consider: effectiveness of this research process; successes you had; limitations of this process; alternate
processes you could have employed
Challenges you encountered and how they were overcome.
Opportunities you had and how you took advantage of them.
What you would do differently in the future (if anything).
How you were ethical as you researched in this way.
THE FOCUS IS ON MAKING BALANCED JUDGEMENTS ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES TAKEN
IN RELATION TO THE VALIDITY OF THE DATA OBTAINED
When talking about validity of the information you obtained, YOU SHOULD:

EXPLICITLY NAME WEBSITES, ARTICLES, PEOPLE, BOOKS (and reference them)

Your focus is on talking about:

1. How each source was CREDIBLE: Show awareness of WHO produced it, WHY it was produced, HOW it could be biased
2. How each source was VALUABLE: Show awareness of LINKS between your sources, IDEAS that you got from sources and how they led
to other sources.
SEE MORE SPECIFIC NOTES For SURVEYS: talk about sample size, demographic, effectiveness of questions,
ABOUT EACH OF THESE For INTERVIEWS: talk about the qualifications of the person you interviewed, what their bias may have been, etc.
RESEARCH PROCESSES
For INTERNET: author of sources, date of publication, ability to cross-reference information, how used information

YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT SIMPLY RECOUNT WHAT YOU DID everything you write should have an evaluative
statement attached. You must evaluate not just HOW you gathered information but also the information itself.
What worked well was how I..
What I should have tried was
The article that was the most helpful was
This source was the most credible because

It was effective that..

It was not as helpful when
A challenge I had to overcome was
An inconsistency that I noticed was.

EVALUATIVE WORDS TO USE!

Effective, helpful, useful, worthwhile, relevant, credible, valid, manageable, beneficial, balanced, practical, challenging, difficult,
inconsistent, contradictory, convincing, appropriate, specific, analytic, detailed, superficial, insightful..
REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE EVALUATING THE PROCESS AND THE INFORMATION OBTAINED everything you say must have a
value judgement attached. Do not say anything without evaluating it as well!!!

ASSESSMENT TYPE 3: EVALUATION

RESEARCH PROJECT

EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF THE RESEARCH OUTCOME

Aim to:
Point to the successes and limitations of the research outcome
Identify key findings which are relevant
Convey an understanding of the quality of the research outcome
Paragraph 1:
How is your Outcome valuable to yourself and others?
What are the good qualities of your Outcome?
Consider.....
What was your research Outcome?
Who was the audience of your Outcome?
In what ways is your Outcome valuable/beneficial to the intended audience?
In what ways is your Outcome valuable/beneficial to you?
What are the good features of your Outcome? (Give specific examples to show quality)
What recommendations or actions might flow from your research outcome?

Paragraph 2:
How is your Outcome limited in value? How could it be more valuable?
How could the quality of your Outcome be improved?
Consider.....
How could your Outcome be improved?
What would make it more useful to others?
What are the limitations of your Outcome? (eg limited by your word limit, research skills, the fact you are a
high school student, etc).

Email your draft to me for feedback!!!!

Be happy....... you are ALMOST finished Research Project!!!!

ASSESSMENT TYPE 3: EVALUATION

Internet research

RESEARCH PROJECT
Process of gathering information:
Internet searching
Assessing credibility of sources
Annotating
Exploring links
Getting ideas
Applying new knowledge to develop the research
Validity of the data/information obtained:
How credible were your sources? WHO WROTE IT? WHY? WHAT IS THEIR BIAS? WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?
How valuable was the information you gained from sources?
Give examples to support what you are saying
Usefulness of the information obtained:
How did you use the information you obtained?
Ethical Appropriateness

Interviews

Manageability
Process of conducting your interview:
Locating credible person
Planning appropriate questions
Ethical considerations
Recording interview
Analysis of interview
Validity & Usefulness of the information obtained:
Assess the quality of the information Useful? Reliable? Biased?
How did you use the information? Links/ideas/applying knowledge
Credibility of source of information:
Who are they?
What is their expertise?
What is their bias?
Ethical Appropriateness
Manageability

Surveys

Process of conducting a survey:

Creating survey questions
Creating survey online
Ethical considerations
Locating a sample to survey
Validity of the information obtained:
Reliability: would I get the same results with a different sample?
Think: sample issues = demographic, size, gender bias, age bias, etc
Validity: did I measure what I was intending to measure?
Think: measurement tools how effective were your questions?
Usefulness of the information obtained:
How did you use survey results?
What did you do with survey results?
Ethical Appropriateness
Manageability