Year 12 Extended Investigation Units 3 and 4
Overview
If you are interested in university-level research, then VCE Extended Investigation is for you. During the course, you will formulate your own research question; engage with relevant academic literature; design an appropriate methodology; collect and analyse data; and finally, report on findings.
A key focus of VCE Extended Investigation is to develop your ability to think critically. You do not need an extensive knowledge of a field of study. However, the aim of the study is to provide you with the analytical skills and abilities to critically engage with expert knowledge in an area of your choosing.
In Unit 3, you will develop the skills needed for construction and designing of research; explore the nature and purpose of research; identify a specific research question and develop critical thinking skills.
You will use your Extended Investigation Online Journal to record the progressive refinement of your selected area of interest. In Unit 4, you will then shape your research findings into a presentation format. You then present your investigation to a non-specialist panel that will ask questions and challenge your choices made in the project. The subject will give you an understanding of the nature of research and of the complexities involved in university-level research.
Who is it for?
If you are an independent thinker who would like to develop your knowledge and understanding of an area of research then this subject is for you.
If you enjoy working independently and you are self-motivated then you will find this subject gives you the opportunity to engage in inquiry-based learning, pursue an academic interest and focus on a problem for an extended period of time. As such, it requires a degree of passion, self-motivation and self-organisation to sustain and manage their research interest.
This course aims to provide you with the skills needed for success at the tertiary level. The VCAA Study Design has been developed in consultation with various Australian universities and is intended to develop academic thinking and research skills.
What do you do?
Critical thinking: In this course you will have the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of texts. You will need to continually develop your critical thinking skills in order to differentiate between kinds of arguments and research. You will develop your ability to analyse kinds of evidence used to support a view, and distinguish a weak from a strong argument.
Research methodology: A key component of the course is to establish appropriate research methods that are relevant to the research you are undertaking. A research method defines the structure or the types of activities you will undertake to generate an answer to your research question.
Collect and analysis data: Depending on your chosen area of research and methodology, data collection and analysis will form the middle section of your research project, e.g. making observations, conducting interview, conducting questionnaires or searching databases.
Present your research and findings: Ultimately, the outcome of the VCE Extended Investigation is a written report of 4000 words and an oral presentation in defence of the research findings.
What skills do you need?
To be successful in this subject you need a degree of curiosity, passion, self-motivation, self-organisation and academic vigour is much encouraged.
What skills do you develop?
You will develop skills including:
- the ability to independently develop and construct a rigorous research question
- understanding and applying research methods
- exploring a chosen area of investigation in depth
- developing as independent, critical and reflective learners
- developing research project management knowledge and skills
- analysing and evaluating findings and results
- developing your skills in written and oral presentation of research findings.
Requirements
Students seeking to enrol in Extended Investigation at VSV will first need to complete and submit a Letter of Recommendation with their enrolment application.
Internet is needed to access this course.
There is no compulsory text for Extended Investigation, however VSV recommends accessing the following text for supporting material and research guidance:
Writing a Successful Research Paper, Chodorow, S. (2011). Hackett Publishing Company: Indianapolis.
Things to think about
You can begin with brainstorming and refinement of your research topic and research question:
- define the topic – whether your focus is on youth suicide, environmental degradation, or secularisation
- define the nature of the research endeavour – whether your aim is to discover, explore, explain, describe, or compare
- define the questions you are interested in – whether you are interested in what, where, how, when, why
- do you foresee a relationship between concepts you are exploring – whether you are looking for impacts, increases, decreases, relationships, correlations, or causes
Please note that all research undertaken at the VSV must be considered low or negligible risk, under current NHMRC guidelines.
You can familiarise yourself with the rules that govern this type of research in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. The values, principles and themes that must inform the design, ethical review and conduct of all human research are set out in Sections 1 and 2 of this document.
Things you can do now
The State Library of Victoria is an excellent place to start for Extended Investigation research. Online collections are available through the SLV online catalogue.
When you are a registered user of a library service, you can also access online databases and journals they subscribe to.
For Victorian residents, you can access hundreds of databases for free from home by joining the State Library of Victoria.
To find out more about how to access articles online from SLV, watch this video on Finding articles.
More generally, you can begin your research with a search in Google Scholar or Google Books
Go to the VCAA website for more information about this subject.
Things to have a look at
Introduction to Extended Investigation at Virtual School Victoria
Overview of the course
SLV Catalogue
Guidelines to using a simple keyword search on the State Library online catalogue.
The Research Process
Helpful overview in developing your approach to research.