Process  

1. Progress Update #1: Project Proposal 

• Clearly state your thesis question. If it helps, use the format: “Is there a relationship between….” 

• Clearly state your hypothesis (i.e. what you predict the answer to your question will be) 

• Cite the sources you have already found for your project. Your sources may be online or in printed form. 

• You should include sources where you have found raw data for your project (i.e. Statistics Canada, Nationmaster, etc.) AND sources for related research (i.e. studies performed by someone else that relate to your research question/hypothesis).  

• Use a recognized format to cite sources properly (i.e. APA, MLA, etc.  Easybib.com is a helpful website to cite sources properly). 

Websites that contain data on various attributes of the Canadian population:    

Cansim https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/type/data

Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html 

Websites that compare various attribute measurements between countries. 

NationMaster.com http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php 

Gapminder https://www.gapminder.org/  and a link to their data sets → https://www.gapminder.org/data/

World Health Organization https://www.who.int//health-topics/

Central Intelligence Agency – The World Factbook

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/ 

Sample Projects: https://brocku.ca/cmt/mdm4u/asprojects/index.html

http://ghcimdm4u.weebly.com/powerpoint-exemplars.html

https://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/mathed/meetings/documents/03/Project_Topics.pdf

2. Progress Update #2: Presentation of Data

• Collect data from a valid secondary source (i.e. educational books, magazines, or websites such as Statistics Canada). Primary data (i.e collected through your own, unbiased survey) may be included if you choose, but only to supplement your secondary sources.  

• Aim for 250 – 1000 pieces of raw data (discuss with your teacher based on what your study is on) 

• All of the data should be raw (i.e. just numbers). This means no charts, graphs, summary statistics or conclusions from another source. 

• Organize your data using meaningful tables.  

3. Progress Update #3: Data Analysis 

• Graphs and tables should be formatted so that they are easy to read and understand (i.e. label the axes, title the graph, remove any unnecessary legends, etc.) 

• Look for trends in your data and confirm these trends using statistics. 

• Your analysis should include one-variable statistics AND two-variable statistics (Include standard deviation, variance, line of best fit (linear regression), correlation coefficient or coefficient of determination, etc,) 

• You should do your calculations using technology (i.e. Excel), so there is no need to show all of your calculation steps. You should, however, ensure that you are applying the correct kind of statistical analysis to your data (linear or exponential, etc.).   

4. Final Report

Write a final report taking into account all your research, analysis and any feedback based on your presentation.  See FINAL REPORT section for more information. 

5. Final Presentation

• Create a Powerpoint presentation summarizing your research and findings. 

• The presentation should outline your research question, data, statistical analysis and conclusions. 

Stage 1: Defining the Topic of Interest 

Your first task is to identify a research topic for your project.  It is recommended that your topic is of interest to you personally.  It must also involve sufficient mathematical content and analysis to constitute a reasonable project.  Conversely, the issue cannot be so large that a reasonable analysis using the skills and knowledge from this course is impossible. 

There are many ways to get started on your topic area search.  Some possible sources for ideas include: 

• a social issue of interest to you

• a sport or a hobby you enjoy

• an issue from another course you would like to investigate

• an interesting article from a newspaper

• a question or issue from your textbook that you would like to investigate further

• a smaller project from the textbook which could be expanded

• an interesting issue from the Internet or media

• an issue arising from employment or a possible future career

• an issue generated through brainstorming with others

1. Using Mind Maps to Identify or Refine a Topic 

• a useful tool for generating and organizing related topics is called a mind map

• a mind map begins with a broad, general topic and generates sub-topics related to the main theme

• mind maps typically have several levels: each level flows from the level above it

• the magnitude of the topics at each level is smaller than the previous level 

2. Stating a Question: The Thesis Statement or Question to Be Answered 

One way finding an issue to be investigated is to generate questions from data.  For example, once a general topic has been identified, do a preliminary data search.  The type and quantity of available data may indicate some possible questions. Data from print sources, the Internet, and CANSIM are some resources that may be used. Once you have narrowed down your topic, you will need to state a hypothesis (theory or question) that you plan to investigate.  Use the following checklists to evaluate potential issues to be.  Your project should seek to ask a question or prove a statement, such as: 

 Car prices and costs have been rising more than inflation 

 9/11, traveling and tourism of all types decreased in North America

 Corporations are not spending enough in protecting the environment  

You may find your initial statement or question asked is incorrect, and you may prove the opposite. That is fine – obviously no marks are deducted for making a statement that you prove incorrect.  

3. What Forms Part of Your Hypothesis/Analysis - Checklist 

The hypothesis  should satisfy all of the following:

 • be a significant problem of interest to you 

• involve the organization of a large amount of data (aim for 500 – 1000 pieces of raw data i.e. 100 cases with 10 attributes each would give 1000 data values).

• all of the data should be raw (i.e. just numbers); this means no charts, graphs, summary statistics or conclusions from another source

• organize your data using meaningful tables, graphs and charts YOU create

• allow the use of technology

• allow the use of diagrams The analysis should use some of the following: 

• one-variable statistics tools

• two-variable statistics tools

• simulations 

4. Some Potential Topics 

Tourism in Canada

Modes and Destinations of Travel by Canadians 

Scientific Innovation

Employment of men/women in Canada 

Movie/Box office popularity 

Health Behaviour of school aged children

University and School board funding

Sexual Assault 

Causes Of Death NFL comparisons 

Crime Rates 

Murder Rates

Teen Pregnancy factors 

NHL, NBA scoring statistics

Sources of Pollution and Waste in Canada 

Unionization in Canada

Life Expectancy factors

Baseball Statistics / Home Runs Statistics 

Stage 2: Locate Secondary Data 

Your study will be based on secondary data collected by others, the purpose of this study is not to create a metric and gather your own data. 

Your next task is to locate secondary data relating to your topic of interest; this data will help determine what variables you will be able to measure and what direction your study will take. If you cannot locate secondary data relating to your topic you will need to choose a new topic.  The point of the study is to examine the relationship between or among different sets of data in order to draw inferences or predictions of one from the other.  For example you might gather data about video game usage over time and school attendance over time and attempt to show that here is a predictive relationship between the two.  

Stage 3: Defining Your Research Question 

Once you have posed a problem that you want to investigate, you need to clearly define exactly what your research question will be.  You will have a primary research question and possibly two or three secondary questions. 

Examples of Research Questions 

1. Is there a relationship between video game usage and school attendance?

2. How do the voting intentions of OTHS students compare to the results for the 2011 general election? 

As your research question comes into focus based on your interest and the available data you will have to state your hypothesis explicitly that is to state your prediction prior to analyzing your data.  The analysis will determine whether the available data supports or refutes the hypothesis.   

Examples of Hypotheses: 

1. It is my belief that there has been an continued increase in the time spend video gaming by school age children over the past 20 years which can be correlated with a declining school attendance or increase truancy rate over the same period; it is expected that students who spend more time gaming will attend less often due to the addictive nature of video games. 

2. It is my expectation that OTHS students will be more likely to agree with the positions of left leaning parties which support the educational and economic interests of young people who have low incomes and benefit from government funded social programs; it is expected that young people will be less interested in the platforms of more right leaning parties which focus on reducing social programming and conserving the wealth of the rich. 

Stage 4: Developing and Implementing an Action Plan 

Your action plan is a logical sequence of specific steps that must be carried out to test your hypothesis.   

Typical steps in an action plan include: 

• state your hypothesis

• determine what data needs to be collected

• decide how these data should be organized

• decide how these data should be illustrated

• determine what analysis needs to be done on these data

• draw a conclusion based on your analysis

• evaluate the quality of your investigation

• write a report of your investigation and its results

• develop the presentation of your investigation

• establish time lines for each step of your plan (though Mr. Seldon will offer help in this regard) 

Stage 5: Reporting 

You are expected to compile a clear, well-organized, and fully justified report of your investigation and its results.  Your report should outline in detail your investigation and its conclusions. 

What Must Be Included 

Appendices

• Data  (include source)

• Bibliography with references (and citations) provided in APA format. 

Introduction

• Introduce your study. 

• Discuss the importance of your study.  (Why would someone want the results of your study?)

• Make a/some hypotheses. 

Part 1:     Discussion on Data

• Discuss what data is used and how you chose your sample.

• Discuss any biases and limitations.

• Discuss how your data could have been improved with better resources. 

Part 2:  Descriptive Statistics 

• Find and deal with outliers if you have them.

• Determine the mean, median, mode, modal interval and standard deviation.

• Create histograms (and other graphs if needed).  You must group your data before making the histograms.  (The histograms should be created on Excel.)

• Discuss the relevance and meaning of what you have determined in this part of the project.  How does it apply to your study? 

Part 3:  Relationships Between Data 

• Create scatter plot(s).  (Re-include the outliers taken out in Part 2.)

• Find and deal with outliers.

• Determine correlation(s).

• Find the curve(s) of best fit and show how you arrived at this curve.  (i.e.  discuss r2)

• The curve of best fit should be shown on your scatter plot using Geogebra.

• Analyze the relationship between the data.  Is there a cause and an effect?  What are the

       extraneous or hidden variables? 

Part 4:  Predictions 

• Make predictions using the curve of best fit (ie. How do(es) the relationship(s) in the data allow you to predict one variable form the other.

• Use your data to discuss probabilities and odds. 

Part 5:  Conclusion 

• What conclusions can you draw from your study? How do the data and analysis support or refute your hypothesis 

• Discuss how the outcome of the project relates to the world. 

• Discuss the steps that one can take as a result of the study to make improvements.  For example, if it is proven that the there is a correlation between access to sanitation and life expectancy, discuss how we can help improve the access to sanitation in 3rd world countries in order to improve the life expectancy of the citizens.   

Maintaining Quality of Your Written Report 

• mathematical terminology is used correctly and consistently throughout

• mathematical notation is used correctly and consistently throughout

• mathematical content is used correctly and consistently throughout

• mathematical development is logical

• all important steps in mathematical development are included

• any assumptions used in your analysis are explicitly stated

• any limitations of your analysis are identified and explicitly stated

• possible extensions of your analysis are identified and discussed

• conclusions follow logically from your analysis

• possible audience questions are identified in advance and can be justified mathematically 

Stage 6: Presenting 

In addition to your written report, you will present a brief overview of your project.