AP Research
Course Overview
AP (Advanced Placement) Research allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this exploration, students design, plan, and conduct a year-long research-based investigation to address a research question. In the AP Research course, students further their skills acquired in the AP Seminar course by understanding research methodology; employing ethical research practices; and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information as they address a research question. Students explore their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of the development of their scholarly work in a portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of approximately 4000–5000 words (accompanied by a performance or exhibition of product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defence.
Course Goals
AP Research is not tied to a specific content area, rather it emphasizes and strives for competency in core academic skills. Students gain Essential Knowledge (EK; “What students will know…”) and develop and apply discrete skills identified in the Learning Objectives (LO; “What students will demonstrate…”) of the Enduring Understandings (EU; “What students will remember in the long term…”) within the five big ideas represented by the acronym QUEST introduced in the prerequisite AP Seminar course:
- Question and Explore: Read critically; pose questions and identify issues that compel you to want to explore further.
- Understand and Analyze: Use specific tools – such as re-reading, questioning in the text, and considering multiple perspectives – to break down an idea or argument into parts that make sense to you.
- Evaluate Multiple Perspectives: Identify a variety of perspectives, viewpoints, and/or arguments of an issue and consider any bias to determine the validity of that point of view.
- Synthesize Ideas: Create new perspectives after evaluating other varying perspectives and establishing a unique position or claim using a variety of resources designed for a specific audience.
- Team, Transform, and Transmit: Communicate the message clearly and effectively so as to transform both participants and audience.
Advanced Placement Performance Task
While the topic of each research study will vary, the course requires students to plan and conduct a study or investigation. The course provides opportunities (activities/assignments) for students to understand principles of discipline-specific research methods (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, mixed) to develop, manage, and conduct an in-depth study or investigation in an area of student’s own interest in order to fill a gap in the current field of knowledge. The final output of these efforts includes:
- A 4,000 – 5,000 word Academic Paper [75 percent of the grade] that includes several components as follows:
- Introduction: This section introduces and contextualizes the research question and initial student assumptions and/or hypotheses. Additionally it reviews the previous work in the field to synthesize information and a range of perspectives related to the research question (e.g., literature review) to allow for the student to identify the gap in the current field of knowledge to be addressed.
- Method, Process, or Approach: This section explains and provides justification for the chosen method, process, or approach.
- Results, Products, or Findings: This section presents the findings, evidence, results, or product from the student’s work.
- Discussion, Analysis, and/or Evaluation: This section interprets the significance of the findings, results, or product and explores connections to the original research question while discussing the implications and limitations of the research or creative work.
- Conclusion and Future Directions: This section reflects on the process and how this project could impact the field while discussing the possible next steps and/or future directions.
- Bibliography: This section provides a complete list of sources cited and consulted in the appropriate disciplinary style.
2. A 15-20 minute Presentation and Oral Defense [25 percent of the grade]: This presentation may be accomplished in a variety of formats, so long as it reflects the depth of their research. Prior to this performance, the students whose academic paper was accompanied by an additional piece of scholarly work (e.g., performance, exhibit, etc.) will arrange for the teacher and panelists to view the scholarly work. The defense will include up to four questions from a panel consisting of the AP Research teacher and two additional members (chosen at the AP Research teacher’s discretion).
Inquiry Proposal Form
Prior to engaging in their research, students must submit to the AP Research Teacher an Inquiry Proposal Form that clearly identifies the topic of study, research question, preliminary research, and the relevant methodological and ethical considerations. Only once approval has been granted will the student be allowed to seek a consulting expert and begin the research process in earnest. If the proposed inquiry requires a more extensive consideration of ethics and potential harm (e.g., involvement of human subjects), approval will not be granted until the inquiry proposal has also passed review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Introduction
Classroom Expectations
Be respectful to your classmates and to your instructor. A productive and respectful classroom atmosphere is essential for learning. Individual behaviour can support or undermine the learning environment for everyone. You are an important part of your class and have a stake in its success. The key to your individual success is developing good work habits and a solid work ethic. If problems emerge like underperformance, excessive absences/tardiness, chronic inattentiveness/sleepiness, disruptive behaviour, or anything that may prevent you from fully committing to this class, you may want to reconsider taking it.
You can get the most from this course by doing the following:
Come into class each day with the intent to improve and master the concepts and ideas in this course. That will not happen without your active participation each day.
Prior to class, think about what your questions are and then ask them. Due to the pace of this course, if you fall behind, you will have a difficult time getting caught up, so you must proactively raise your questions/concerns as they occur.
Expect that there will be things you do not get immediately—this is an AP course! Its college-level expectations and material are by definition more difficult than that in a regular high school classes. Learn to be persistent in your thinking and problem solving, and you will overcome.
Do not get in a cycle of falling behind and catching up or wondering what is due next. If you simply do what you are supposed to do, to the best of your ability, your grade and your AP score will take care of itself.
Even the best students will have a bad day occasionally, but that will average itself out over time. If you come to class unprepared, you are letting yourself and your classmates down, and you are failing yourself. A mark in the grade book just makes that more visible.
AP Capstone Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification or Fabrication of Information
Participating teachers shall inform students of the consequences of plagiarism and instruct students to ethically use and acknowledge the ideas and work of others throughout their course work. The student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged, attributed, and/or cited.
A student who fails to acknowledge the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else through citation, attribution or reference in the body of the work, or through a bibliographic entry, will receive a score of 0 on that particular component of the AP Seminar and/or AP Research Performance Task. In AP Seminar, a team of students that fails to properly acknowledge sources or authors on the Team Multimedia Presentation will receive a group score of 0 for that component of the Team Project and Presentation.
A student who incorporates falsified or fabricated information (e.g., evidence, data, sources, and/or authors) will receive a score of 0 on that particular component of the AP Seminar and/or AP Research Performance Task.
In AP Seminar, a team of students that incorporates falsified or fabricated information in the Team Multimedia Presentation will receive a group score of 0 for that component of the Team Project and Presentation.
Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP)
Note: You will be graded cumulatively for all reporting periods based on your PREP. This portfolio will be organized and accessed via your O-365 Teams account and rubric and targets will be communicated once class has begun and post again here.
AP Research is not merely about collecting evidence or facts and then piecing them together. Instead, the research process is about true inquiry—asking questions and coming to solutions and conclusions through serious thinking, discussion, and reflection. The student researcher will seek relevant information in articles, books, and other sources and develop an informed perspective built upon, but not merely a derivative of, the ideas in the examined material. As a result, the research process is recursive, meaning that students will regularly revisit ideas, seek new information when necessary, and reconsider and refine their research question, topic, and/or approach. While the academic paper, presentation, and oral defense are the assessed manifestations of this process, other products, exhibits, and/or performances may be used by students to develop their ideas further. Specifically to keep track of the inquiry process, students are required to keep a digital Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP)—a formative assessment tool that will be shared in real time with their AP Research Teacher. The PREP will allow students to document their experiences in the course and to manage specific checkpoints along the way.
Some examples of what may be expected of your PREP:
- Choice of the research question and interest in the subject matter
- Research process, including resources (documents, people multimedia), analysis of evidence, directions in which the inquiry or project seems to lead, changes to initial assumptions, etc.
- Ways in which students have worked both on their own and as a part of a larger community
- Challenges encountered and solutions attempted
- Students document their inquiry processes, communicate with their teachers and any expert advisors, and reflect on their thought processes.
Check-in dates of the PREP will be communicated in class. It will include the following:
- Title page and table of contents
- Copy of the completed and approved Inquiry Proposal Form
- PREP entries made throughout
- Specific pieces of work the student feels best showcases his/her work, including
- Annotated bibliography of sources important to the student’s work
- Photographs, charts, spreadsheets, and/or links to videos or other relevant visual research/project artifacts
- Draft versions of selected portions of the paper
- Notes in preparation for the presentation and oral defense
- Copy of the academic paper
- Documentation of permission(s) received from primary sources, if required, such as IRB permission
- Documentation or log of the student’s interactions with expert advisor(s) and the role the expert advisor(s) played in the student’s learning and inquiry process (e.g., what areas of expertise did they have, did they give the help the student needed, areas the expert advisor was able to help, etc.)
- Questions asked to and feedback received from peer and adult reviewers both in the initial stages and at key points
- Reflections on whether or not the feedback was accepted or rejected and why
- Attestation signed by the student which states, “I hereby affirm that the work contained in this Process and Reflection Portfolio is my own and that I have read and understand the AP Capstone Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification or Fabrication of Information.”