N The SBA is a personal research project that you will undertake as part of your Human and Social Biology course. You will be guided by your teacher while you investigate a current health-related or environmental issue and its socio-economic impacts in your territory. The project is designed to help you develop relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes that can be used within your Human and Social Biology learning and beyond. The SBA also tests - your application, evaluation and problem-solving skills. As your teacher has an important role in guiding, reviewing and editing the SBA, itis important that you allow sufficient time to consult with them throughout the process You should practise the skills required for the SBA by working through the Activity and Project boxes in Chapters 1-17. Working on your SBA during your course will also help you to develop the skills and competencies needed for examination success It is important that your SBA meets the criteria set out in the syllabus. Check the most up-to-date guidance. The SBA is worth 20% of your final mark and, along with your exam results, affects your final grade. Paper a2 Allocation of marks for CESC Human and Social Biology. SBA research data can be collected by students working individually or in groups, but you must complete your own unique report on the project, its findings and conclusions. The report should not exceed 1000 words and must include appropriate charts, graphs, tables and pictures. If the report exceeds 1150 words you could lose marks BI482 Components of the SBA In the research project, you should do the following, 1. Background: give the background to the current health-related or environmental issue that you have chosen to study 2. Problem statement: provide a statement of the issue to be investigate: an appropriate form: this can be an observation or question 3. Research objective: state the objective (aim) of the research 4. Methodology: describe the methodology and instraments, including experiments or surveys, used to collect data 5. Presentation of data: present the data obtained using at least two appropriate forms, such as tables and different types of graphs 6. Analysis and interpretation of data: with reference to the issue investigated 7. Conclusion: state relevant conclusions based on your findings 8. Recommendations: make at least two recommendations based on your findings 9. Reflection: make some personal reflections on the completed project 10. Overall presentation: present the report in an appropriate format, including a cover page, table of contents, bibliography and appendices. ‘hose a topic that interests you and which is relevant to you personally, your school or your community. The topic should be extensive enough to fill a research project, but not overwhelming in scale. Find out as much as you can about the background to your chosen topic. Using your developing overview, refine your research question, Your teacher must approve your question or observation before you begin your research project. Respect your teacher's advice and don’t miss deadlines! [Link] This section takes you through planning your SBA. Your SBA project will fee! ‘more manageable if you break it down into stages and allocate time for each task, You should plan a deadline for each stage. Remember to allow time for your teacher to comment on interim drafts, so that you can adapt and improve your work based on their feedback Although you should be thinking over topic ideas and practising skills relating to your SBA from the start of the CSEC Hunan and Social Biology course, you will probably focus on the SBA project itself towards the end of the third term and the beginning of the fourth term. The next few pages will help you draw up your own schedule as timelines will vary from school to school. Your teacher will also offer advice on a calendar of deadlines to fit with the school timetable and their own commitments. Before you submit your final SBA, you must read through your entire report, ensuring that all the components listed above are included. Checking your writing for accuracy and clarity, including grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, all takes time. Factor this in when planning your timelineIdeas for your SBA Start by browsing through the Project topic boxes in Chapters 1-17 (see Table 18.1).Ifone of the suggestions interests you, ty to think of your own variation on the theme. To help you ppin down your idea, use the topic as a heading and then write down anything and everything you think might be relevant. You could do this exercise with a friend or family member. At this stage, don’t worry if some ideas sound silly ~ they could prompt other, more useful suggestions. Eventually, settle on ‘an observation or an idea that prompts you to say'l wonder if, | could find out something more about this topic’ Check your idea with your teacher — hopefully your teacher will approve and you will have started your investigation, Ifyou are stuck for an idea, the Global School-based Student Health Survey (search term: GSHS questionnaire) could be a {good starting point. Itincludes many health-related themes and questions that could be adapted for your SBA. Don't just copy 2 question, consider how you can make it relevant to your ‘own life or local community useful website for background information on environmental issues is Tox Town = US National Library of ‘Medicine (search term: environmental health concerns and toxic chemicals where you live, work and play). Some other useful resources include documents from the World Bank (search term: Health Challenges in the Small Island Developing Countries of the Pacific and the Caribbean) and the University of Pittsburgh (search term: Environmental and Social impacts of Climate Change in the Caribbean). The Pan American Health Organization ([Link]/en/topics) has information on a huge range of topics inthe Caribbean, Remember, the SBA report must be your own work even if you do the project work as part of a group. Ifyou use or adapt sample surveys from the internet you should record the source and give details in the bibliography. ‘Table 18.1. Helpful Project skills and Project topic boxes in this book. ch2p.30 ‘Skils: Presenting data in tables Using tables correctly Ch3p.44 Skills: Presenting information fo discussion designing visual presentations ch5p.79 Skills: Using pie charts and bar charts presenting data ch5p.89 Skills: Surveys: How to ask the embarrassing questions designing survey questions ch6p.105 Skills: Using controls in experiments designing experimental investigations Ch6p.106 Skills: Using line graphs to display data presenting data ch7p.132 Topic: Breathing rate ‘topic ideas: simple experiments Ch7p.145 Topic: Why do young people start smoking? surveys: smoking behaviour and attitudes chap.158 Topic: Blood donation surveys: attitudes to blood donation ch8p.173 Topic: Investigations using breathing rate & pulse rate __topicideas: simple experiments Chi0p.210 Topic: Dehydration -surveys/experiments; advice; starting SBA Chi0p.214 Topic: Investigating changes in body temperature experimental investigation; planning SBA chit p.230 Topic: Measuring reaction times using computer tech _topicideas that use simple experiments chit p.231 Topic: Testing for sensitivity designing experiments chi2p.274 Topic: Survey opinions on reproduction issues ‘questionnaite design, including ethics Ch 13 p.293, Topic: Genetic testing and counselling surveys: genetic testing; socio-economic issues ch 13 p.305 Topic: Surveying views on genetic engineering ‘surveys: GM food; experimental medical techniques. ch 14p.332, Topic: Surveying discrimination of people with HIV. background research/question design ch 15 p.364, Topic: The impact of vector-bome diseases advice: how to decide on your own topic ch 16p.379 Skills: How scientists work advice: scientific method in SBA work ch 16 p.384 Topic: Reasons for taking drugs survey: attitudes to drugs/criminalisation chi7p.397 Skills: Investigating pollution ‘ensuring teliable and valid data [Link], Topic: Recycling plastics ‘topic suggestions/organising SBA 483SUGGESTED SBA PLAN Human Social Biology: Term 3 You will present your final project electronically, but you should keep all your preparatory work together ina notebook of folder as you go along. This is an important resource, so take good care of it. 1. Background: Select your topic Although you have not yet completed your Human and Social Biology course, you have probably studied some potential SBA topics before. You may need to look ahead in your textbook and discuss with your teacher any topics ‘that you haven't studied yet, in order to make an informed decision about your research question. 2. Problem statement: Choose the research problem or observation The reasons for choosing a topic to investigate may be personal, or related to an issue in your school, community fr country. You may have chosen the topic simply because it Interests you. Your teacher may help you to choose or refine your research problem or observation, When you have decided on a topic that interests you or that hhas particular relevance in your community, start thinking about the wording of your question or observation, This will inform the title of your report. Pose just one question or make one observation, and your research should look closely at this aspect of your chasen topic. Ensure that your question or observation provides an opportunity to research the views of different people, if appropriate (see Example SBA 1, page 439). Make sure you can actually access the relevant {group of people to ask your question, or that you can access resources to carry out the experiment. Your research data can be: ‘© quantitative - the data is numerical and can be analysed, Using mathematical methods; clearly written questionnaires and experiments will provide quantitative data Table 18.2 Common methods of investigation. qualitative - the data answers questions about how people behave and why; it provides more in-depth information. Interviews, focus groups and open-ended survey questions will supply qualitative data. 3. Research objective: State the objectives (aims) of the research Your objectives state the aims of our research. Make sure your objectives ae relevant and linked to the problem being investigated (and are realistic for the SBA). They should be clear and not seek to provide evidence to promote an opinion, but aim to investigate in an open-minded way. 4a, Methodology: Method and data-collecting instruments Decide on the experimental method or instrument (e.g. questionnaire) you will use to collect your data (see Table 182)Think about: «+ the level of detail youneed + whether your study requires you to consult people, orto observe experiments situations or environments the number and range of people you need to reach, if appropriate the means you will use to contact people or the equipment you need for your experiment + how long it will take to collect the data + your ability to manage the project. tn your report, you describe your method or data-collecion instrument, but you should also justify your choice. For example + Ifyouare doing an experiment, why did you select the method? What are the controls and variables? «Ifyou are conducting a focus group, how did you select participants? How will you ensure confidentiality in your research? ‘You will observe an experiment, a situation, an environment ota group of people and make detailed notes in ‘order to reach conclusions. Thisis a good method for investigating an envitonmental issue, orfor gaining an impression ofa health situation without influencing it. This method may be combined with another method (such as document research in order to compare a situation or environment today with one in the past. Surveys allow you to collect simple responses to a small number of questions from a wide range of people. Most questions should be closes questions, thats tect and requiring a short yes/no answer about a speciic ‘topic, Using open questions, you can collect mote detailed and personalised information. Traditionally, surveys and questionnaires were printed, ciculated and collected in (see Example SBA 1). However tis now very easy ‘o create online questionnaires and survey, which wil allow you to reach 2 wider audience. Its also easy for respondents to submit their responses. continued on nextpageSS Eee eed Interviews allow you to conduct more in-depth research witha small numberof people. This can be a good ‘method of research for projects that require detailed understanding ofa situation and its effects This method uses the media as a source of facts, opinions and evidence on an environmental or socal issue. It Is often referred to as secondary research and is best combined with other more direct methods. This method involves collecting measurements from an activity or experiment that is designed to answer your ‘This method is similar to an interview but takes place with a small group of people who discuss an issue together, based on questions that you pose. This can be a more effective means than an interview as people ‘an trigger responses in each other, However, people may not ave personal information in front of others and ‘may be reluctant to disagree with the majority view, This requies careful handling. research question (see Example SBA 2) Now you have chosen your research method, you need to design your data-collection instrument (a questionnaire, interview or focus-group schedule, experiment, observation checklist or document search).You will include a copy of your instrument in your SBA Whichever method or instrument you use, your questions or observations need to be clear, havea specific purpose, and ‘work together to provide a complete picture ofthe issue you are researching, Keep in mind that all of your questions should relate back to your main research question. + Observations - be clear about exactly what you are looking for and how your observations will contribute to your research. Create an observation schedule (a checklist detailing what, where and when you will observe). Make a lst of questions that you wish to answer with your observations. © Questionnaires — when composing questions remember that people will be writing out their answers. ‘Questions should not be too long, should focus on just ‘one request at a time for information, and should elicit concise answers. For example, question types that give precise answers are: scoring on a scale of 0-10, yes/no options, tick boxes and multiple-choice. Ifyou want a personal written response, leave an appropriate space to indicate the length of answer you expect. You should ensure that the first few questions on your {questionnaire collect demographic data (see SBA Example 1 questionnaire on page 440) Itisa good idea to pre-test’ your questionnaire to ‘ensure people understand the questions. Test your ‘questionnaire on a few volunteers and ask them to fill itin and tell you how easy they found the process, any ‘questions they struggled with and any ideas they have for improving it. Then, adapt your questionnaire to be as User friendly as possible Interviews and focus groups - inexperienced and Unqualified interviewers should avoid asking over- personal questions. Focus group questions should encourage discussion - open questions are best for this, ‘As the Chair of the focus group, you must make sure ‘everyone gets a chance to express their opinions and that all members of the group are respectful to one another. The benefit of focus groups and interviews is that you are face-to-face with the people you are questioning, This allows you to steer the conversation if itis going off the point, add in any extra questions that occur to you as you are talking and show samples, photographs of case ‘studies to prompt reactions, Remember also to collect demographic data from your respondents, ‘Surveys - these can include results of interviews, focus ‘groups and questionnaires. Ensure that the questions you ask will provide all the information for a thorough piece of research (see Table 18.2) Media/documentary research - this is generally used to complement more direct methods of research. It can provide background or supplementary information to consolidate your findings. The internet contains a huge amount of information, including archive footage and newspaper articles. Be discerning and only use trusted sources, such as those belonging to recognised public bodies (for example, the World Health Organization and, national news broadcasters) Popular social media sites, such as Facebook and YouTube, ‘an contain useful content on current issues. However, be sure to cross check information on social media with reputable sources. Other media, such as TV, newspapers and books, can also provide useful information to introduce, back-up or complement research. Keep afull record of all the sources you consult as you have to provide a bibliography for your report. Itis much ‘easier to do this as you go along than to go back to every source to complete the task later. Investigation - in Human Biology, many topics lend themselves to taking measurements. However not all ‘experiments are suitable for an SBA, which must focus ‘ona current health-related or environmental issue. In addition, you must be able to link measurements to your identified problem, There are health problems in the Caribbean that you could link to measurements of BMI, heart rate, breathing rate and reaction rate, for example. You can combine this with another method, such as a questionnaire, interview, survey or secondary research 8586 eri 12 Open and closed questions Closed questions are answered quickly with one word or a short, specific answer, like a name. They do not encourage further discussion. Multiple choice questions are closed questions, Here are some more: * [Link] bananas? A. Yes. + [Link] is your favourite colour? A. Blue ‘Open questions require a longer answer. You use them to find out more about person or a situation. They are often used deliberately during interviews and sometimes in conversation. Open questions elicit longer, personal and ‘more interesting answers: + [Link] do you prefer ripe bananas to green ones? © Ripe ones are sweeter. Green ones can be bitter. + [Link] did you buy a red sweatshirt and not blue? © I prefer blue but the red one was my size. 1 For each pair of questions below, identify the open question and the closed question. a) i) Would you like a chocolate ice cream? ii) Why is chocolate your favourite ice cream flavour? b) i) Doyouhavea pet dog? ii) Why do you prefer dogs to cats? ©) i) Whatare the benefits of studying HSB? Have you completed your SBA? 4) i) Which is your favourite school subject? Can you describe the life skills you have learned in your favourite subject? @) i) How do you like to celebrate your birthday? When is your birthday? 2 Change these closed questions into open ones: a) Are you feeling better today? b) Is honesty your best quality? ©) Have you met Serena before today? 4) Do you like working with children? 3 ‘Avegan diet is healthier than a balanced diet containing meat! Write three closed and three open questions to find opinions on this statement.Human Social Biology: Summer break 4b, Methodology: Conduct research and collect data “The summer breakis the ideal time to conduct your research. However, if any of your research needs a school setting, you will have to do this before you break up for the holidays. If you {are using questionnaites, work out the best way to circulate and collect these in for example, see SBA Example 1), ‘One way to ensure return of questionnaires is to attend an ‘event, such as 2 community meeting, youth club or church service, and ask people to fill out the questionnaires while you walt. This way, you can also answer any queries. When conducting a focus group or an interview with a group ‘r individual, choose a setting where people will feel relaxed {and where you won't be interrupted. If your focus group or interview is with people you do not know well, meet ina public place, such as a library or school. Alternatively, ifat your home, ensure that a parent or other trusted adult is ‘around for personal safety, Whichever form of data collection you use, remember to collect appropriate demographic information from your respondents (gender, age, religion ifrelevant). Store completed questionnaires or notes from focus {groups and interviews carefully, and do not show them to other people. This will protect people's anonymity and. confidentiality, as well as protecting your work. (In the interests of anonymity, you should also avoid including the names of any respondents in your report) It is also a good idea to write-up your observations, notes or data as soon as possible while they are fresh in your mind, ‘You will need to describe your data-collection procedures in your final report. Keep anote ofthe procedures used for your written report. Your account should include + a description ofthe procedures you used to collect data (random sampling, street survey or selected sample) an explanation if applicable, of how your sample ‘was chosen (how many people were in your sample, the gender balance and age range). Remember, your sample is a portion ofthe population you are interested in. You are conducting your research to represent the larger population. Your sample should provide a good representation of the population you are investigating a surnmary of the data-collection method (for example, how the questionnaire was distributed and collected, how the interview was conducted or observations made ‘and what response you gave ifa person declined to participate) the research duration (a day, a week two weeks?) SS Eee eed SUGGESTED SBA PLAN Human Social Biology: Term 4 5. Presentation of data: Use at least two different methods ‘Once all of your data has been collected, you have to present it. Note that you must use at least two different methods. Choose the most appropriate ones. For example: '* bar and pie charts are good ways to present percentages '» for statistics over time, line graphs are effective and clear + in the case of observations, diagrams, tables and even photos may be the most appropriate method to use. ‘Some of these are in the Example SBAs (from page 439). Remember also that all diagrams and tables must be labelled appropriately (Figure 1, Table 1 and so on) along with a ‘caption that explains what the diagram or table shows. Before you present your data, it may be useful to group similar answers together. For straightforward (closed) survey ‘questions (such as Do you have asthma attacks”), answers ‘can be recorded as a tally (see SBA Example 1, page 443). For ‘open questions (such as What impact do you think diet has ‘on the level of ype 2 diabetes in your community?’ group together similar answers to give an overall impression of the different issues people raise or thoughts that they have. Once you have grouped data it will be easier to present. Your data must be reliable. just 10 people completed your questionnaire, for example, the answers are less likely to reflect the opinions of a cross section of the wider community, than if you gather 50 or 100 responses. The more data you collect within the project’ time constraints the better. 6. Analysis and interpretation of data You need to analyse the data you have collected and presented in tables and charts. Your analysis should also relate back to your original research question. You will receive ‘marks for how well you analyse data in your final submitted report, and how well this analysis relates back to the original environmental or health issue, You must also say how you analysed the data, for example, by carrying out calculations or using spreadsheets to do this, for you. Data can be analysed in relation to age, gender or geographical location. For example, you might compare what ‘one age group said about an issue compared to another age ‘group. Data can also be analysed in relation to the different views presented, Terminology is importantin your analysis. Research terms, such as the majority/minority, more than/less than and percentages should be used, continued on next page 87Remember you can also bring in secondary sources of research, such as background reading, media studies and observations. Do these back up or contradict the results of your survey, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups or experiments? Analysis should take the form of your own written ‘observations, statements and opinions based on the results of your data. You can also include short quotes from respondents that are representative of the general findings. 7. Conclusion: Base this on your findings You need to give a summary of what your research has shown, based on the analysis and interpretation of your data, You need to provide summary statements based on your investigation. Keep in mind the original question that your research is addressing, and ensure that your findings tie in with this. (For examples of relevant and irelevant conclusions see Example SBAs 1 and 2, pages 445 and 451) Human Social Biology: Term 5 8. Recommendations: Make at least two based on your findings Examine the findings you reported in the conclusions (above), Respond to the isues raised from your investigation by giving atleast two recommendations, Your recommendations must relate diectly to your research question, data, analysis and findings. Your recommendations should address problems raised through your research ina realistic way (see Example SBAs 1 and 2, pages 487 and 452), [Link] Thisis your opportunity to reflect on the time you spent doing your project. Record your reflections. ist two lessons you have learned, Then write down how you could apply one of these lessons to your personal if. Next, read through your project. Suggest one way your project could be improved, For example, could you broaden or narrow the age range of respondents toa survey, increase ‘the numberof people surveyed, or change a question? Finally, describe one social and one economic impact the issue could have on your school or community 438 10. Overall presentation Draft, edit and rewrite your SBA so that the inal, submitted report is complete and accurate, Ensure that your work is of the highest possible standard. You should produce your report electronically Check your spelling, sentence structure and use of grammar. Remember, sometimes predictive text can change what you have written. When checking your work, place a ruler under ‘the line you are reading and move it down slowly. If you read ‘00 quickly, your brain makes automatic corrections and you Your report should include: a cover page (a page at the beginning that includes the title of the study, your name, candidate number, name of subject and the name of your schoo!) a table of contents with page numbers for the different sections of your report acknowledgements (where appropriate) listing people and services that helped you with your research project (but not names of respondents to surveys) the main components of your report: 1. Background, [Link] statement, 3. Research objective, 4. Methodology, 5. Presentation of data, 6. Analysis and interpretation of data, 7. Conclusion, 8. Recommendations, 9. Reflection, a bibliography including any books, journals, websites, newspapers or TV programmes you used in the course of your research. Hopefully, as advised, you recorded all the details atthe time you consulted the sources! Make sure you present the bibliography in the correct format for an SBA. You can find information about bibliographies online fr you could follow the format used in the resources section of the syllabus. any appendices (this includes any reports, magazine articles, questionnaires or surveys that were used in your research),——_—__ — Peer etrtd [Link] ‘These example SBAs are offered as guidance. They are not intended to be perfect bbut to replicate the type of work that students commonly submit. They illustrate the main points of the SBA and demonstrate some of the errors that students often make. The numbering in the SBA examples follows the numbering of the assessment criteria in the syllabus. Example 1 is based on a health survey and is linked to environmental issues posed by a waste disposal facility. Example 2 is based on measuring reaction times and considers the problem of whether distractions when driving increase reaction times resulting in more accidents. SBA-Example-Tfirst-draft Does the Waste-Away Dump affect students’ 1. Background Landfils and dumps are major contributors to the worlds greenhouse gas emissions] because they produce methane and carbon dioxide when waste decomposes. Landfill operation may result in contamination of surface and groundwater by |from the landfill, particularly in dumps where there is no liner. Other types ‘of nulsance are bad smells loud noise from landfil machinery and dangerous chemicals which may pass into the air or ground. The storage of leachate in open lagoons can cause bad smells The decomposition ofthe sold waste i affected by what has been dumped and the age ofthe landfl st, Old sites were not ned with plastic liners so leachate would trickle into the soil. Modern landfills have liners, the waste is squashed by machinery ‘and each layer is covered with soil to reduce ‘Some landfil gases cause il health in people. These include nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide (which smells lke rotten eggs). ‘The sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have been found to cause asthma in non- asthmatics, Increase asthma attacks in asthmatics and increase the risk of respiratory infections. Breathing in methane continuously can cause loss of coordination, nausea and vomiting, Short-term exposures to raised levels of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in air can ‘cause coughing, irtation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headache, nausea, and breathing difficulties. These signs and symptoms disappear when the gas level ‘goes down. Because of the damage caused to health by the pollutants its not advisable to build homes close to dumps or landfill 2. Problem statement ‘The Waste-Away Dump is 1 km from our school, Some students have to walk past the dump to get to school. Other students approach school from the opposite direction ‘and do not have to pass the 89[though afew words longer this is much better way to approach this section ofthe SBA. An observation has been made andis cleat stated, Scientific reports shoulé not be written in the fst person ‘The Waste-Away Dump is 1 km from our school. My fiend has to walk past the dump. ‘to get to school and she is always coughing. Other students approach school from | [want to find out ifstudents who live near or walk past the dump have more signs ‘and symptoms of respiratory disease resulting from air pollution, than those who live further from the dump. These two objectives total 30 words and assume that there willbe evidence. The objective should not be to provide evidence ‘topromote an opinion butt investigate inan open-minded way In adétin, the second objective snot relevant tothe problem being investigated 3. Research objective ‘To provide evidence tothe managers of Waste-Awayabout the sks to heath fom alr pollution associated with rubbish dumps. To find out if air pollution from the Waste-Away dump causes an increase in respiratory | [eomplaintsjin students attending my school This rewritten objective is shorter ands 2 ‘lea statement. tis inked tothe question andis 2 ealstic aim forthe SBA 4 [Methodology “The method used was preparing disvibuting and colecting 3 GURSHIORNATeto ask selected students about the presence or absence of signs and symptoms which might be expected from the elects of pollutants caused by the dump. Hf you write an online survey, testi to check ‘thatit works well andallows respondents to completeit without technical glitches. Half the respondents live close to the Waste-Away Dump or pass it on the way to school. The other half live on the opposite side of the school so are usually at least 1 km away from the dump. Before distributing the questionnaire, | asked volunteers Here the student has succesfully described ‘the data-colletion instrument, i they live on the dump side of the school or in the opposite direction. I chose 25 | respondents from each[group). ‘The questionnaires were printed and distributed. The completed ones were left in a - “The student has made sue that respondents represent both groups y ‘boxin the élassroom! This allowed the results to be anonymous so respondents did ‘not mind answering personal questions about their health, [One limitationiof this method was | did not know who had responded, so| could ‘Thisis a description ofthe method of data collection. - ‘The student as stated limitation ofthe method and alo said how twas overcome inthis case. Itmay not always be possible to ‘overcome the imitation ‘The questionnaie should not appea inthe ‘main body ofyour report should be removed toan appendix atthe end. Here you can see the student’ draft questionnareand the reasons forremoving some ofthe questions. Remember the questionnaire does notadé te the word length when itis included as an appendix not chase up missing questionnaires. | set up a WhatsApp group so I could prompt everyone at the same time, Questionnaire about the Waste-Away Dump I wish to find outif living near to the Waste-Away Dump or walking past it every day on the way to school has an effect on health. [need to know approximately how far you live from the dump and some information about your health. All, answers will be anonymous. Please complete the questionnaire without writing your name on it and return it to the box in Room 101 by September 30th, Please join my WhatsApp ‘group called Waste-Away’so that | can send reminders to the whole group and inform you of my findings. 1. How close do you live to the Waste-Away Dump? fee one [answer] (f possible use mobile[phone|data) This question asks forthe distance but not hich side of the dump the respondent lives. However this is clarified by 02 Most mobile phones can calculate the distance between two points on a map. The student could remind respondents tha the schol s 1k from the dump asa guide ‘ohelp ther estimate the distance they cannot use mobile phone data —eceaea_—_—r—o_ 440 O5km about 5km about 20km. 2. Do you pass the dump as you walk tolsehool|? Cirle one answer. YesNO | IF'¥es,is this the shortest route? Yes/No IF"¥es, is there an alternative route that avoids the| ‘about 1km More than 2km [BURBP Yes/No continued on next page ‘This question tells the investigator Whether or not he person tives on the dump side of the school This question allows the student to make 2 recommendation ft becomes clea that walking past the dump increases health problems.Preeti 3. Have you ever noticed a smell of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide) as you walk to’ [Yes every day Yes~ about once a week Yes— about once a month Yes less than once a month LNo IFYes, go to question 4. No’ go straight to question 5. 4, Can you smell hydrogen sulfide as soon as you leave your house? Circle one] Everyday Sometimes Never 5. a. Have you had any of these signs or symptoms during the last! Symptoms and Every [oncea [oncea |Lessthan |isigns| day week month | oncea month Asthma attack No | | ‘term cough} | | | | Sore eves Nausea Sore throat Headache Respiratory infection (agnosed bya doctor) Shorter breathing difficulty (other than asthma or bronchitis) 5. b. If youhave asthma, do you think the atmosphere near the dump is a trigger for an asthma attack? Circle one answer. Notlkely Quitelikely—Veryiikely don] ‘a. Within the last month, have you seen the following animals and ms on the roadside on your way to school? [Gircleal that apply. Rats Flies Paperliter Plastic bottles Glessbottles Cans "6, Bb, Would you say that litter is ajprablem|on your route to school? Tickone answer. Very serous ~ there ialot of lite piled up by the raid Oo (Quite serious =the liters scaterect Oo Not very serious = the ters collected regularly oO continued on nextpage aa7. Please respond to each of the follewing| the options. ‘The Waste-Away Dump is well managed to reduce pollution. strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know ‘The Waste-Away Dump causes noise pollution strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know The flies from the Waste-Away Dump increase the level of disease in people [near myhome strongly agree / agree / disagree /stronaly disagree / do not know ‘The dust from the durmp settles on our property and leisure] strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know We offen have rats in our yard due to the| strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know ‘Mental health is adversely affected by living near the dump. strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know People fing near to a dump are less healthy than those who live in rural areas, strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know People living more than 1 km frarn the dump are less likely to suffer the effects of any pollution. strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / don't know ‘Would you like to add any further comments about the Waste-Away Dump that are not covered by this Thank you for answering these questions, Please remember to return your questionnaire by placing it in the box provided (labelled ‘Waste-Away' questionnaires} in Room 101 by September 30th), 18.3 Editing the questionnaire Look through the questionnaire again. Compare the questions that have been retained and those that have been edited out because they are not directly inked to the problem. Could you simplify the questionnaire further? 4a5. Presentation of Tally charts were used to analyse the survey results. The totals for each set of answers were counted and entered into a table, Here is an example for question 5a SI _ Note: the taty char for those who ‘do not pass dump’is not shown below. Have you had any of these signs or symptoms during the last year? Bronchitis (alongs HH HHH Figure 1 The Waste-Away Dump. smoot Soreeyes Hl al HH HH HIT Nausea u 7 HA) HE HE we Saretroat " Mm HH HHH Headache u HHH HEHE spay Ht HH HEE HE infection HH (Gagnosed bya co Soret He HOHE HE um breathing difaly ‘Combined results of two tal mT (respondents who pass the dump. ind respondents who aaa SE Asta attack ET 1 0 0 0 w § » ‘term cough) Sore eyes 4104 0 5 1 0 22 Nawsee oo 2 0 21 6 ob DB Sotht == «0 0 2 0) 3 3 A Heche = 102 27 3S Respiratory o 0 0 0 6 9 W 4 OH infection (diagnosed bya eco) Short-term oo 7 0 © 2 5 3 3 wD breathing cific other ‘thanastma or bronchitis) 83For some results bar charts were created. Here is an example. 7 lease respond to each of the follo\ options. statements by circling one of the The Waste-Away Dump is well managed to reduce pollution. strongly agree / agree / disagree / strongly disagree / do not know 0/0 3/8 15/10 5/3 2/4 (pass dump /do not pass dump) ‘The Waste-Away dump swell managed te reduce peluton vw. Srongly "agree" diagree |" strongly” donot now [lessee [eonorenscine Figure 2 Graph of data from Q7. 18.4 Creating tables and charts Look at the raw and processed data in Section 5 above. Decide if it could be combined in tables or illustrated with bar charts or pie charts. Use the data to practise creating charts and tables electronically. 6. Analysis and interpretation of Health Both groups contained students with asthma, but the number of dally or weekly asthma attacks is nearly four times as many in the group that pass the dump on their Nearly all the students who pass the dump have long-term coughs as 13 cough every day, whereas only 3 of those living away from the dump have a chronic cough. 19 of ose who lve the furthest fromthe dump reported no| 23 of the 25 students who pass the dump reported having sore eyes at some point ina month, 4 of them every day and 4 once a week. Most (22) of those who live away “fom the dump do ot have soreeyes) ‘There didnot appear to be an obvious eect of the dump onthe number of headaches suffered by students, This is possibly because there are many reasons Soca | More than twice 3 many students who live near the dump had a respiratory infection during the last year.eee eterad Nuisance caused by the dump: 11 students overall think the dump is well managed but only 3 of these live near the dump. 33 students do not agree that the dump is well managed, with 8 of them strongly disagreeing with the statement. Students who live near the dump are more likely to say itis not being well managed. The nuisance from liter is less easy to evaluate because all items were seen by ‘most of the students wherever they lived. However those who live near the dump reported seeing] ‘Most students think the dump results in noise pollution ‘Students who live near the dump are more likely to say it increases the level of disease, and affects mental heatth ‘Most students agree that its healthier to live in a rural area and those living more than 1km away are less likely to suffer the effects of pollution, fee students agree that dust from the dump settles on their property. The results indicate that students living close to the dump, or who pass it on the way to school, are more likely to suffer the effects of hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and methane than those who live at least 1 km from the dump. The same students are also affected by higher levels of pollution from litter. Most students reported dust, which could adversely affect those who are susceptible to coughs. ‘More than 8036 of the students living near|the|Waste-Away site suffered from respiratory problems. From this it was deduced that the air pollution from the dump, affected the respiratory health of these students. 8. Recommendations Where possible, students should avoid walking near the dump on their way to school, even if it means taking a longerlroute, [The management team at the Waste-Away Dump should belinformed|of these findings and asked to cover the waste more frequently with ayers of soil to reduce the decomposition of materials in the dump, prevent vectors reaching [the waste) and prevent solid waste moving away from the dump, 9. Reflection Living near a dump site can cause a series of respiratory illnesses. Now | understand the importance of constructing landfill sites more than 2km away from residential areas and schools. improved my project by concentrating on health rather than the issue of litter. {A social impact is the loss of school time by those who are badly affected by ‘The community is affected when poor health results in loss of productive working days and decreased family income due to sickness. 4sSM elit lm eile) 0) Does air pollution from the Waste-Away Dump affect students’ respiratory health? Cover page This should include your candidate name, candidate number, name of subject and date of submission Table of contents (One of the last things to do is put in your table of contents. You will need to include ‘the page numbers in the table. 1. Background Landfills and dumps produce methane and carbon dioxide when waste decomposes. Other types of nuisance are bad smells, loud noise from machinery and dangerous chemicals which may pass into the ait. Some landfill gases cause il health in people. These include nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide (smells like rotten eggs). Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have been found to cause asthma in non-asthmatics, increase asthma attacks in asthmatics and increase the risk of respiratory infections. reathing in methane can cause nausea (see newspaper articles Short-term exposures to raised levels of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in air can ‘cause coughing, iritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headache, nausea, and breathing difficulties. These disappear when the gas levels go down. Figure 1 TheWaste-Away Dump. 2. Problem statement ‘The Waste-Away Dump is 1 km from school. student has to walk past the dump. to get to school and always seems to be coughing. Other students approach school from the opposite direction and appear not to have so many coughs. ‘Students who live near or walk past the dump may have more signs and symptoms of respiratory disease resulting from air pollution than those who live further from, the dump. 3. Research objective To find out fair pollution from the Waste-Away Dump causes an increase in respiratory complaints in students attending my school. 4, Methodology The method used was preparing, collecting and distributing a questionnaire to ask selected students about the presence or absence of signs and symptoms which might be expected from the elects of pollutants caused by the dump. Half the respondents lve close tothe Waste-Away Dump orpassiton the way to school. The other half live on the opposite side of the school so are usually at least 1m away fom the dump. Before distributing the questionnaire volunteers were asked if they live on the dump side of the school or in the opposite direction. 25 respondents were randomly selected from each group. “The questionnaires were printed and distributed. The completed ones were left ina box in the classroom. This allowed the results to be anonymous so respondents did not mind answering personal problems about their healtheee eterad One limitation of this method was not knowing who had responded, so chasing Up missing questionnaires was difficult. A WhatsApp group was set up so all respondents could be prompted at the same time, For questionnaire and completed questionnaires see Appendix 1 5. Presentation of data See pages 443 to 444, 6. Analysis and interpretation of data Health Both groups contained students with asthma, but the number of daily or weekly asthma. attacks s nearly four times as many in the roup that pass the dump on thelr way to school, Nearly all the students who pass the dump have long-term coughs as 13 cough every day, whereas only 3 of those living away from the dump have a chronic cough, 19 of those who live the furthest from the dump reported no coughs. 23 of the 25 students who pass the dump reported having sore eyes at some point ina month, 4of them every day and 4 once a week While most (22) of those who live away from the dump do not have sore eyes. ‘More than twice as many students who live near the dump had a respiratory infection during the last year. Nuisance caused by the dump 11 students overall think the dump is well managed, but only 3 of these live near the dump. 33 students do not agree that the dump is well managed, wit 8 of them strongly disagreeing with the statement. Students who live near the dump are more likely to. say tis not being well managed. Most students agree that dust from the dump setles on their property 7. Conclusion ‘More than 80% of the students living near the Waste-Away site suffered from respiratory problems. From this it was deduced that the air pollution from the dump affected the respiratory health of these students. 8. Recommendations Where possible, students should avoid walking near the dump on their way to school, even iit means taking a longer route. This would reduce inhalation of initant gases l)_ The management at the Waste-Away Dump should be informed by letter (Appendix 3) of these findings and asked to cover the waste more frequently with layers of soil to reduce the decomposition of materials, which results in the emissions of gases that cause an increase in respiratory complaints 9. Reflection Living near near a dump site can cause a series of respiratory diseases. Now | understand the importance of of constructing landfill sites more than 2km away from residential areas and schools ‘The project could be improved by relating evidence from this project to published data about emissions. There was no method available to measure the gas emissions and match the days of high emissions to the number of coughs, asthma attacks or sore eyes. Ifthis was possible, the evidence could have been more conclusive. 447‘A social impact is the loss of school time by those who have increased numbers of asthma attacks or bad coughs. days and family income due to sickness. Bibliography Advice from the Health Protection Agency. Health Protection Agency July 2011, Phil Gadd and Niva Miles, Human and Social Biology, Ed 7, Macmillan 2021 Department of Health, New York Stata, April 2010 ([Link] [Link]/environmental/outdoors/air/landfill_gas htm) Appendix 1 Blank questionnaire and scans of completed examples would be attached Appendix 2 Results from questionnaire about the Waste-Away Dump 1. How close do you live to the Waste-Away Dump? 0-05 km(1) about 1 km (9) about 1.5 km (6) about 2.0 km (7) ‘More than 2km (27) 2. Doyou pass the dump as you walk to school? Yes (25) No(25) If*Yes; is this the shortest route? Yes (25) No(0) It*Yes is there an alternative route avoiding the dump? Yes(10)_No(15), 3. Have you ever noticed a smell of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide) as you walk to school? Pass dump. Do net pass dump Yes- everyday a (0) Yes- about once a week 5) (0) Yes - about once a month @) a Yes ~less than once a month a 8) No CO} an 4, Canyou smell hydrogen sulfide as soon as you leave your house? Every day (1) Sometimes (12) Never (37) 5. a, Have you had any of these signs or symptoms during the last year? (Data is shown as part of the first draft on page 443.) 5. b. Iyouhave asthma, do you think the atmosphere near the dump is a trigger for an asthma attack? (close / distant) Notlikely (1/3) Quitelikely 5/2) Verylikely (10/1) don't know (4/2) 6, The Waste-Avvay Dump is well managed to reduce pollution. strongly agree (0 / 0) / agree (3 / 8) / disagree (15 / 10) / strongly disagree (5 / 3) / don't know (2/4) 7. Would you lke to add any further comments about the Waste-Away Dump that are not covered by this questionnaire? 4 people suggested that schools or houses should be built at least 2-3km from a dump 2 people suggested that the Waste-Away Dump should be capped as itis too near the school éerent Appendix 3 Letter to Waste-Away manager Newspaper articles about the Waste-Away Dump COMPLAINTS ABOUT. @ Lai 18.5 Using the mark scheme to assess the SBA Compare the final and draft versions of SBA Example 1 against each other. Now attempt to mark them against the mark scheme published by the exam board. In both versions, think about where marks may be lost and where improvements could be made. SBA-Example 2 Does reaction time increase when a person is distracted? “T. [Background] When a driveris faced with a hazard, usually they should bring their vehicle toa stop in the shortest distance possible. Ifthe driver is distracted, ther reaction time could be slow. They may not be able to stop quickly as their thinking distance will be longer. stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance ‘+ The thinking distance is the distance a vehicle travels inthe time it takes for the driver to apply the brakes after they notice the hazard, + The braking[distaneals the distance a vehicle travels after the driver has fully applied the brake until it comes to a complete stop. Reaction times vary from person to person but are typically 0.2 seconds (5) to 0.95. Reaction times can be affected by age, alcohol, drugs, tiredness and distractions. 49This the general human biology background tothe project Some of his introduction could be edited to allow room toinlude more relevantbackground esearch on the effec of stration on eaction time, Reactions can be summarised as: stimulus > sensory neuron — spinal cord or brain —» motor neuron — response ‘The reaction time is the time it takes for the stimulus to cause a response. In this project the stimulus will be a change from a red to green colour on a virtual traffic light in an online test, The response happens when the subject presses a ‘The student could add some evidence for this perhaps the diver looks down to locate the botton onthe steering wheel to answer the call ‘or tums ther head tolookat the crying baby. button on the keyboard, The stimulus impulse must pass from the sensory neurones in the retina, via the optic nerve to the brain, which sends an impulse to the muscles ‘in thefingers, which respond This type of reaction is slower than a reflex action because it involves the thinking part of the brain, Ifthe student had included published data about accidents involving the use of mobile phones, the problem statement could be made less personal The student has stated the objective and linked it tothe issue of distraction on reaction time. The ideas simple s0tisa realistic project fran SBA. The use ofa distraction technique sa good idea and isan improvernent on continuous talking or playing music Aclstraction is unexpected compared with continuous music Thoma carralo. However, to accurately reflect ‘the conditonsin the student’ observation, they could have sed the rng ofa mobile phone orthe recorded cy ofa baby asthe distraction, “The sample group sidentfied Te student has decid to use ane age group. nts investigation t would be posible to use ary age. Theivestigation could be improved by wing people who can drives subject 2. Problem statement have noticed that, when they are driving, my parents get distracted by the ringing of the hands-free mobile phone or if my baby brother starts tolery, | wondered if this distraction could increase their reaction time if they need to stop suddenly. 3. Research objective ‘The objective of this research was to test and compare the reaction times of volunteers when they were concentrating on the task and when they were suddenly © distracted by someone [unexpectedly taking to them. 4, Methodology ‘The subjects for this investigation were volunteers. As the aim was find out ifa distraction resulted in a change in the reaction time (not whether age plays a part in distraction), those taking part were limited to a small age range (15-17 years). There \ ere 20 volunteers in otal, ‘The investigation used the online Red Light-Green Light reaction time test from the University of Washington which gave accurate readings as the measurements were [calculated by the App. The test was easy to use for the volunteers} Subjects had to click key on the keyboard when the light changed from red to green, Here the student has justified the method, ‘The online testi easier to use than the classic reaction time investigation the dropped ale experiment, whichis subject tohuman entorin several ways. The online test has the advantage of alving accurate and comparable results, and gives the experimenter the freedom to distract the subject The instructions for the test are as follows. Instructions: 1. Click the large button on the right to begin. 2. Wait for the stop light to turn green, 3. When the stop light turns green, cick the large button quickly! [4 Glick the large button again to continue to the nextest. Each subject practised with the first five attempts. When they were confident, they had another ten attempts but were randomly interrupted by speaking in aloud The online test collet the experimental dat, sothe dta-olectioninstumenthasbeen icentied, voice during five of these. For a fair test, the same five distraction phrases were used for each subject (Appendix 1). ‘The number of each attempt (1 to 10) and whether they was a distraction was noted [on atable| There was alist of possible phrases to use forall the subjects (Appendix 1) Here the method of data collection lentes, Thisisareasonablectcsm ofthe method 450 ‘They are short phrases because the maximum time from a red to green light was 7 seconds. There was time to record each result before the subject moved to the next attempt (instruction 4). One limitation of this method is that it does not exactly match reactions to hazards when(drivingwith distractions, Drivers usually apply the brakes for ared light or a hazard.‘Average reaction times without ‘distraction snd with distraction Bwithovesinaction Bhwenasvacton 07, os: 02, “Time in seconds Figure 1 Graph showing reactions times with and without distraction. erent 5. Presentation of data Table of results N=No distraction, Y nempt 12 5 6 7 8 8 10 [Distraction NON Y ON Y Y Y oN YN ‘Subject 0240 0238 0500 0235 0510 0512 0497 0244 0505 0239 [oN Yo oN Y Y NON ON YY [Subject2 0250 0.560 0266 0574 0566 0253 0.263 0258 0568 0567 [oN Yo oN Yo N NY No YY [Subjects 0290 0428 0280 0414 0291 0279 0423 0285 0405 0400 NON Y YON YON ON 0370 0365 0646 0650 0351 0642 0339 0300 NY Y NY NON Y 0350 0388 0.398 0370 0380 0345 0.355 0.385 ‘Table showing average for each|subject) 1 0239 0.505 2 0.258 0567 3 0.285 0414 4 0345 0.646 5 0355 0389 6. Analysis and interpretation of data © Allthe subjects reacted more slowly when they wereldistracted) When they were distracted, their reaction times nearly The subject who had the slowest reaction time without distraction had the smallest ‘change when they were distracted, 7. Conclusion Sudden distractions increase reaction time n an online test using a trafic ight that changes from red to green, “Tistening to talking while diving could cause anlaedident, J Starting a conversation witha person isa istraction| which slows ther reaction time. Starting a conversation with a driver could be dangerous. 8, Recommendations Drivers should when driving. Distractions could include responding to the sudden ringing of a hands-free mobile phone, so the use of © mobile phones should be banned while driving, Talking to a driver should be discouraged when they need to 9. Reflection When I tested the first subject, | did not have a prepared table and it was more difficult to record their times in an orderly way. For all the other subjects | was better prepared and the exercise took less time as a resull, 451‘This was an interesting project but | think I could have expanded itto include older people who have driving licences, rather than concentrating on young people who do not drive. This would have made the project more relevant to the problem stated, Also, it would be interesting to find out if trying to hold a conversation during the tests (rather than speaking unexpectedly} affected the subject’ ability to understand that distracting people can increase their reaction times, but that this, varies for different individuals. I should have done more background research so | could relate the experiment to ‘the number of accidents caused by mobile phones on my! A social consequence of accidents involving drivers who are distracted is loss of life or life-changing injuries. Passengers, pedestrians and other road users may be affected by accidents, as well as the drivers themselves. ‘The economic impacts of accidents due to driver distraction are immediate medical bills, temporary or permanent loss of earnings due to injury, complete loss of income if provider dies, loss of family support if @ caregiver dies and the cost of long-term care fora severely injured person. Accidents also cause road closures, which can result in lost work hours when people cannot get to work, and sometimes require attention by accident investigators. Phil Gadd and Niva Miles, Human and Social Biology, Macmillan 7e 2021 [Link], Reaction Times and Hypothesis testing, Radford Education (no date available) https/faculty. washington edu/chudler/java/redgreen html) Appen Phrases used to distract the subject: + Bytheway Have you wondered if How about going out Have you noticed ‘Ohno! I dropped it oI 18: Marking the SBA Work in pairs or groups. Read through the sections of SBA Example 2 and identify where you think it could be improved. ‘Mark SBA Example 2 against the published mark scheme. 10. Presentation of your final report Iyou work hard at your SBA, choose an engaging topic, plan well, carry out your investigation or survey with care, conduct sensible analyses and draw thoughtful Conclusions, produce an orderly report, heed your teachers advice and follow the guidelines in this chapter, you should do welll Don't forget to include the cover page, table of contents, bibliography and appendices. Finally, before submitting your SBA, reread your entire report Ensure that all sections are included and check your report for clear presentation, accurate spellings, excellent grammar, appropriate punctuation and correct sentence structure. 452