📋 Part 1: Understanding the Planning Template

Instructions: Use this template to plan your data collection systematically and ethically. Each column helps you think through different aspects of your investigation.

1. What is your investigative question?

2. Match each column purpose to its description using the word bank below:

Word Bank: independent, dependent, studying, collect, ethical, participants, variables, data, method, considerations, survey, graph, hypothesis, control

Variable: Records the _________________ and _________________ _________________

Group: Identifies the _________________ you are _________________

Data Source: Explains where you will _________________ your _________________

Collection Method: Describes the _________________ you will use to gather information

Ethical Notes: Records important _________________ _________________

3. Why is planning data collection important? Tick all that apply:

Ensures data answers your question

Helps identify potential problems early

Makes data collection faster

Ensures ethical practices are followed

📊 Part 2: Complete Your Planning Template

Example Investigation: "How does the number of hours of sleep affect concentration in Year 8 students?"

4. Complete the example row in the template below:

Variable	Group	Data Source	Collection Method	Ethical Notes
Independent: ___________ Dependent: ___________	___________	___________	___________	___________

5. Now complete the template for YOUR investigative question:

Variable	Group	Data Source	Collection Method	Ethical Notes

🤔 Part 3: Reflection and Ethics

6. What ethical considerations are most important for your investigation? Explain why.

7. What potential problems might you face when collecting your data?

8. How will you ensure your data collection method is fair and unbiased?

📝 Ethical Notes

Ethical notes in data collection are records of important considerations to ensure that the investigation is conducted responsibly and respectfully. They help protect the rights, privacy, and well-being of participants involved in the study. Including ethical notes ensures that data collection follows principles such as informed consent, confidentiality, and avoiding harm. For example, when surveying students about their sleep habits, ethical notes might include obtaining permission from parents and ensuring that participation is voluntary and anonymous.