Writing a practical report?

[annaoh_2003]

Hi,

Im wondering if anyone has some tips for writing a practical report for bio (and if applicable, psych)

I think i'm pretty good in terms of my intro, aim and hypothesis, but needing some help with the discussion and conclusion - or any helpful things to include in VCE practical reports that will help me get higher scores. Seems to be pretty inconsistent with teachers and content- some like this, others like that and I just want a straightforward idea of what to include *sigh*

Thanks guys 

[Bri MT]

Discussion:

- respond to the aim - what do your results mean in relation to that?
- does the above match the existing literature/theory? if not, what might have caused that?
- when you're talking about limitations think: what does this mean for interpreting my results?
(direction of impact, likely size of impact,  what could be done to reduce the influence of this   for "impact" you're thinking about reliability, precision, accuracy, validity etc.)
- now that you've thought about these influences, does this change how you interpret your results / the "real world" implications of your data?

Conclusion:   [ not the place to introduce new ideas - this is the TL;DR of your report ]
- go back to your hypothesis, was it supported? to what extent?
- any other major findings (keep v short)
- implications of your findings

For bio:
- think about positive and/or negative controls
-your limitations will still be connected to your method, but this is more open and "common-sense" based

For psych:
- think about the impact of your sampling methodology
- def include the main limitations associated with your research design that are talked about (e.g. order effects for repeated measures)
- can include other limitations too
- psych has more focus on thinking about real-world implications for your research in the conclusion

Make sure you're using precision, accuracy, validity etc. correctly and not interchangeably! Check the VCAA website & go to the "advice for teachers" section from your subject page if you need definitions


If you're able to share some of the conflicting feedback you've received someone may be able to help you figure out why that's happened?


I hope this helps & good luck

[annaoh_2003]

Discussion:

- respond to the aim - what do your results mean in relation to that?
- does the above match the existing literature/theory? if not, what might have caused that?
- when you're talking about limitations think: what does this mean for interpreting my results?
(direction of impact, likely size of impact,  what could be done to reduce the influence of this   for "impact" you're thinking about reliability, precision, accuracy, validity etc.)
- now that you've thought about these influences, does this change how you interpret your results / the "real world" implications of your data?

Conclusion:   [ not the place to introduce new ideas - this is the TL;DR of your report ]
- go back to your hypothesis, was it supported? to what extent?
- any other major findings (keep v short)
- implications of your findings

For bio:
- think about positive and/or negative controls
-your limitations will still be connected to your method, but this is more open and "common-sense" based

For psych:
- think about the impact of your sampling methodology
- def include the main limitations associated with your research design that are talked about (e.g. order effects for repeated measures)
- can include other limitations too
- psych has more focus on thinking about real-world implications for your research in the conclusion

Make sure you're using precision, accuracy, validity etc. correctly and not interchangeably! Check the VCAA website & go to the "advice for teachers" section from your subject page if you need definitions


If you're able to share some of the conflicting feedback you've received someone may be able to help you figure out why that's happened?


I hope this helps & good luck

Thank you !!! Exactly what I needed