research project year 12

Welcome to Research Placements & Experiences (formerly Nuffield Research Placements)

The Research Placements & Experience programme (formerly Nuffield Research Placements) provides engaging, hands-on projects, where Year 12 students have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution towards the work of a host organisation through a well-supervised but independent placement collaboration relating to an area of science, quantitative social science, computing, technology, engineering or maths (or a combination!).

Students can apply via the button below but please make sure you've checked your eligibility requirements

Check eligibility requirements here

Which placement?

Students can participate in Research Placements or Experience Placements. Both offer a rewarding experience for enthusiastic and curious young people

Research Placements

Research Placements are 2-week collaborations with a STEM-related knowledge expert on a live research question or area of development. While producing a scientific or technical report and poster, this opportunity ensures that students contribute meaningfully to the host organisation's current work.

Experience Placements

Experience Placements are 5-day explorations with industry experts to identify essential skills needed for employment in a specific STEM sector of interest. While producing a workbook and reflective report, students gain insight into working in

professional environments as well as knowledge of the challenges for different sectors, in turn preparing them for employment.

Employers who are interested in supporting students through a supervised placement can register below. Alternatively, feel free to contact your Regional Coordinating Team to hear more about the benefits of providing a placement and what's involved. Contact details can be found HERE .

The benefits of a Nuffield Research Placement

Title real-world experience.

Challenge yourself with a meaningful and rewarding supervised research project in a professional working environment.

Title Gain new skills

Learn to write a scientific report and develop your research, critical thinking and time management skills.

Title Valuable insight

Gain workplace skills and take an inside look at the sort of careers available to you.

Title Build your confidence

Take responsibility for your own project that’ll be useful to professional scientists, social scientists, engineers, technologists and/or mathematicians.

Title Exploration

Engage in a unique experience with professionals and become more confident working on novel situations.

Title Networking

Connect with your peers and make new network contacts you can keep in touch with in the future.

Previous student experiences

Title Abrar and Mutahir

Abrar and Mutahir talk about their placements at the University of Manchester.

Title Ife and Ian

Watch what happened on Ife and Ian’s placements at UCL.

Title Asma and Senel

Learn more from Asma and Senel about their placements at the Natural History Museum.

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BUCALEVU SECONDARY SCHOOL " Dare the Heights " FIJI YEAR 12 CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION ENGLISH PROJECT 2016 THEME

Related Papers

Journal of Intercultural Studies

Nikhat Shameem

This paper reports on language use patterns in eight primary schools in Fiji. It looks specifically at the schism between policy and practice in vernacular language use in the classroom for Indo-Fijians, who form nearly half of Fiji’s population. Forty-eight Indo-Fijian children and their teachers were observed in multi- and mono-ethnic (Indo- Fijian) schools and in city, small town and rural schools. Indo-Fijians know Fiji Hindi as their mother tongue, English as the lingua franca and official language, learn Shudh Hindi/Urdu (SH/Urdu) at school and pick up Fijian from their neighbours and friends. SH/Urdu is the educationally acceptable mother tongue for use as the ‘vernacular’ language of instruction in the first 3 years of primary school. Indo-Fijians have limited proficiency in this language. The study looked at how each language was used in the classroom and for which functions as well as current student proficiencies in each language.

Current Issues in Language Planning

Francis Mangubhai

International journal of humanities and social sciences

Prashneel Goundar

Multilingualism is a worldwide phenomenon in today’s multicultural World. There are about thirty times as many languages as there are countries. Nearly half of the world's population speaks more than one language. This article examines the causes of multilingualism, whether it is advantageous or disadvantageous for individuals and the nation. Consequently, it will cover the linguistic landscape of Fiji and explain its causes. Ultimately, one will find that multilingualism has more benefits then setbacks.

English Language Teaching

Language is something many individuals take for granted. It is usually when we discover that our language (or language variety) is different from and perhaps less valued than, the language of others or that our options are somehow limited, either because 'we do not speak/understand a language or language variety, or use it inappropriately or ineffectively in a particular context that we begin to pay attention to language'. This paper gives a sketch of Language Policy and Planning (LPP) which is becoming a well-researched field for many academics as well as postgraduate students. The article provides the latest pertinent information on Fiji's LPP, the linguistic background as well as the medium of instruction (MOI). It further deliberates on the recommendations from the Fiji Islands Education Commission Report of 2000 which is a well-articulated document that provides an overt grounding for LPP in the South Pacific.

Journal of World Englishes and Educational Practices

Dr. Zakia Ali-Chand

This paper traces the development of Fiji English as a variety of English distinct from standard British English. This variety of English has been used colloquially; however, in the recent past, it has been slowly creeping in to students' academic papers. Some of its vocabulary may be seen to be quite distinct from standard British English. This paper will first discuss the classifications and models of World Englishes that have been proposed by scholars such as Kachru, Schneider, Quirk and Bolton, among others. These classifications try and explain the differences in the ways English developed its own varieties in different countries. It will then attempt to explain the stages Fiji English went through to give birth to its own distinct variety of English. Finally, it will examine some of the sources of Fiji English lexis. KEYWORDS World Englishes, variety of English, Fiji English

Language Policy

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International Journal of Educational Development

Rosiana Lagi

English Today 63

FIJI belongs to Braj Kachru's 'outer circle' of English-speaking nations. Although English is one of the three major languages spoken in Fiji (alongside Fijian and Fiji Hindi), it is the first language of only a tiny portion of the popula- tion (± 3%). Nevertheless, it plays a pivotal role in the day-to-day lives of most, if not all, Fiji Islanders. English is the principal language of government, administration, the judicial sys- tem, and commerce, the major, and sometimes the only, medium of instruction in the educa- tion system, and an important, though by no means the only, lingua franca among people with different first languages. English is also the dominant language of the media. The structure, development and nativisation of the lexis of Fiji English is much the same as that of any other variety of post-colonial English. What mainly sets it apart from all other varieties of English is the rich and colour- ful amalgam of Fijian and Hindi expressions. Hindi lexical items found their way into Fiji English (as well as Fijian) after the introduc- tion of large numbers of Indian indentured labourers between 1879 and 1916.

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Trials and tribulations: The stories of Year 12 students amid COVID

After a long and challenging two years, Year 12 students are heading into the final few months of their schooling. Those in Sydney and Melbourne have spent a significant proportion studying from home; for Melbourne’s students, in particular, this was a repeat of their Year 11 experience through the lockdowns of 2020.

Year 12 is challenging at the best of times, with students often experiencing anxiety and uncertainty about their future , along with the pressures of study and achievement in the high-stakes  assessment activities of the year.

This final year of secondary schooling is also traditionally filled with celebration and social events. Commemorations of completion and achievement such as graduation balls and valedictory dinners  are valued milestones symbolising transitions.

Read more: After the 2020 lessons of COVID-19, should we do Year 12 differently?

The year is usually particularly social and relational, with many students bonding over the shared experiences of the year, from the fun of camps and sporting events, to the slog of nights completing assessment tasks and studying for exams.

These experiences have all been disrupted by social distancing measures, and particularly lockdown, over the past two academic years. Anyone with connections to students in these years will know how hard these young people have had it. Students’ attempts to support each other and discuss their circumstances are happening through social media  channels, as they’re confined to their homes.

The struggle for motivation and connection

In a research project last year, we heard from 241 Year 12 students from across the country. The majority were from Victoria and New South Wales, where disruptions to their learning as a result of restrictions were most acute.

Almost all the students reported that the time of learning from home was challenging, most commonly in terms of staying motivated and connected.

“I sat at my desk almost all day every day, but for a few hours each week I sat on a picnic blanket in my backyard. I did this whenever I found myself being unproductive and stir-crazy from being at the same desk all day.”

When asked to share any positives about the experience, the most common responses referred to easier logistical arrangements, such as not having to travel to school, and they valued the extra time this afforded them.

Our further analysis of the responses suggested three key themes that provide insight to understanding how this time disrupted and challenged Year 12 experiences.

Learning and achievement anxieties were heightened by the uncertainty

Year 12 is usually dominated by references to study, exams, scores and pathways, and this remained the case for last year’s students.

The participants told us they had heavy workloads and were dealing with these, while they didn’t know what would happen for exam schedules and how their ATARs would be calculated.

This uncertainty exacerbated anxieties both in terms of managing time and efforts in line with assessment schedules that were no longer fixed, and in terms of concern about the impact that disruption would have on their “score” and on their post-school options.

“I’m unsure if COVID has affected how well I will perform in my end-of-year exams.” “My greatest worry is how this will impact my ATAR and my learning beyond high school. Definitely my biggest stress comes from the fact of whether I will be able to get into the course that I desire in uni.”

Cancellations of celebrations and milestones detracted from the significance of the year, and impacted learning motivation

Year 12 is a time of social significance, with a range of formal and informal activities and special events that signify the achievement of completing school. The students from our study were disappointed about missing events that commemorate their schooling achievements and transitions to post-school life, and noted how the removal of the social experiences detracted from their motivation to study.

Read more: Young people, the pandemic, and the shifting post-school transitions to employment

“I feel like the lack of having things/events to look forward to and ‘bookmark’ weeks is getting very tiring and makes me feel demotivated to get large amounts of work done at one time. It feels like every day just bleeds into one, with weeks and weeks just going on and on with zero breaks or reprieve. With events like formals and valedictory events cancelled or being moulded to fit social distancing, it feels like we’re missing out on important things that other year groups got to experience.” “For a lot of us, it felt like all the fun things that make your final year so special had been taken away, and it made some lose motivation and feel like all school was, was classes.”

These events provide a rhythm to the year and can balance the intensity of a focus on academic achievement. They provide important opportunities for students to connect and enjoy this important transitional year.

Relationships with teachers and classmates were diminished and narrowed

In both remote learning and also when at school but subject to social distancing arrangements, participants noticed damage to their relationships.

The students acknowledged the incredible work of their teachers, and the support they received was appreciated, but they found that accessing support for their learning needed to be more intentional, and took greater effort to initiate – for example, sending an email with a question, or taking up time in an online class.

“It is very difficult to comprehend and solidify my understanding of concepts, especially learning new topics, as there is a lack of engagement with teachers.”

The participants also missed general camaraderie with classmates, and they noted their range of social relationships narrowed, as from home they communicated with more select groups of friends and peers than they would at school, often through social channels outside of the school arrangements (for example, Snapchat and Discord).

“The hardest part is overall learning, and the inability to communicate and engage with classmates and teachers during online learning.”

Incidental opportunities to connect were missed for the social opportunities, but also as mental breaks that balance intensity of learning and study at this time.

“The hardest part of these typical school days was finding the motivation to continue, because small rewards such as recess and lunch to catch up with friends in person had been removed.”

As the term “social distance” implies, a disconnection was evident that impacted the students in profound and often damaging ways.

“I found that I was rather unmotivated, and absolutely hated not being in a learning environment with other people, as all the enjoyment was drained from the experience.”

Beyond the challenges of motivation for learning, some of our participants also shared how this time was detrimental to their own, and their friends’, mental health and wellbeing. These stories were harrowing, and add to the significant evidence that many young people have been impacted  in these ways.

These stories from students about how they managed a year like no other provided insight into the importance of balance, connection and enjoyment for this significant, high-stakes final year of schooling.

This article is a summary of a  recently published paper  with co-authors Dr Sally Windsor and Dr Ingrid Henning-Loeb, from University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

• disrupted schooling
• remote learning

Fiona Longmuir

Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Culture and Society; Co-leader, Education Workforce for the Future Research Impact Lab

Social dilemma: The challenges for international students’ mental health

Research focusing on social value systems and international student wellbeing reveals the importance of social connections, particularly during the stressful lockdowns in Victoria.

Schools' social dilemma during lockdown

A study has exposed the yawning gaps in our society due to the removal of face-to-face interactions in schools, and the intense pressure on their leaders.

Levelling the Year 12 playing field

The pandemic has paved the way for much-needed inclusive assessments in Victorian schools, taking into account more than just students’ academic capabilities.

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons licence. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to Monash Lens, and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

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The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project

Student resources.

Examples of Student Research Projects

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How to ace the Research Project in SACE

As daunting as it may sound, let’s dive into what the SACE research project is and how you can make it as useful to you as possible (and maybe even fun!)

2 years ago   •   4 min read

Ahhh the research project - the subject of developing a specific, (but not too specific!) open-ended research question on the topic of your choice. Your entire semester will revolve around this developed question, and you’ll keep on coming back to it to write reflections on your progress as you go. As daunting as this may sound, let’s first dive into what the research project is and how you can make it as useful to you as possible (and maybe even fun!)

So what is the research project?

Unlike your other SACE stage 2 subjects being 20 credits, the research project is a 10-credit SACE subject you will either complete in year 11 or 12 depending on which high school you attend. The subject consists of three parts: the folio, outcome, and review for research project A or the evaluation if you are undertaking research project B. Despite research projects A and B having different performance standards, both encourage you to explore a topic of choice in depth, gathering various sources and writing reflections on your learning. In the first few weeks of the subject, your teacher will guide you when developing your question. The folio is 10 pages in length and typically consists of your reflections and the main sources you have collected through your research (both primary and secondary sources!). You will then write an outcome that is essentially answering your original research question. Lastly, comes the evaluation or review where you will write an overall reflection and evaluate the findings in the outcome.

So why is the research project necessary?

While the big workload can be overwhelming at first, the research project is good at teaching you analytical and research skills. Doing source analysis enables you to critically evaluate your chosen sources. You will scrutinize the reliability, credibility, and validity of each of your sources. While the relevance of doing all these analyses may be hard to see at this time, the skills you develop are extremely useful during university and in the workplace. You want to be confident that the information you use can be relied upon and is not something just made up by someone. Treat the research project as a practice for your post-high school life. You want to make sure that you have these skills in your toolbox for when you really need them!

How do I develop the best question for my topic of interest?

The most important part of the research is picking the right topic. You want to pick something you have a strong interest in. This way, it will be much easier for you to feel more motivated to sit down and do your research. However, at the same time, you want to pick a topic that will have lots of research behind it, you don't want to be stuck for sources! To avoid this, write down a list of topics you have an interest in and do some research on each - see what is available online or at a local library. This way, you will be more prepared when your teacher comes over to your desk to ask you what you have done so far! Once you have picked your topic, create another list of possible questions you could investigate. These questions should be open-ended, not just with a simple yes or no answer. Keep in mind you will be writing a 1500 to 2000-word answer to this question, so make it a question you can go into complete depth with. Typical questions should be specific and may begin with ‘to what extent’, ‘evaluate’, ‘what’ or ‘how’. For example, if you picked social media as your topic, your question could be ‘to what extent does social media use impact the attention spans of teenagers aged 13-17?’ rather than ‘does social media impact attention spans?’. You may then have to break down your main question into four more guiding questions to help you structure your folio and outcome. For example, ‘how much time do teenagers aged 13-17 spend on social media every day?’. It is important that you keep documentation of this process as you will be displaying it in your folio.

If you're interested in learning how to write the best SHE task - check out this comprehensive guide.

But how do I complete my folio?

The folio is the first assessment of both research projects A and B. There is no right or wrong way to complete it but you do have to follow specific SACE criteria if you want the highest marks. The majority of students start their project with how they came to their question and a reflection on this process. You can then include the main sources you have used with source analysis. Organising interviews with professionals in your topic’s field and sending out surveys really impresses SACE markers as it shows your engagement with the subject. It demonstrates your research skills and independence to create your own data to support your outcome. Your folio should also include a capability statement to show how you have developed in your chosen SACE capability.

What should I write in my outcome? How do I do my evaluation or review?

Your outcome is the synthesis of all your ideas and findings. You can structure it however you want. This may be in the form of a magazine, report, project, video or in any other form which demonstrates all that research you have done. You must clearly conclude your findings and cite your sources. For research project A, the review begins with a 150-word summary of the process and then a 1500-word review follows which focuses on a reflection of your knowledge and skills as well as the quality of your outcome. For research project B, you should also begin with a 150-word summary of the process and then follow with a 1500-word evaluation, critically evaluating your decisions and processes as well as determining the quality of your outcome. Above all, keep in mind that your teacher is there to help you through this process. It is exciting as you begin to come up with an answer to your question. If you need any help during this time, you can find your best local tutor at: https://kisacademics.com/find-a-tutor . SACE tutors understand how stressful it can be and are more than happy to help!

Written by KIS Academics Tutor for SACE English, Biology and Psychology, Charlotte Kenning. Charlotte is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Speech Pathology at Flinders University and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Charlotte's profile here and request her as a tutor.

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 great research paper topics.

General Education

One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

Are you also learning about dynamic equilibrium in your science class? We break this sometimes tricky concept down so it's easy to understand in our complete guide to dynamic equilibrium .

Thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner? Nurse practitioners have one of the fastest growing careers in the country, and we have all the information you need to know about what to expect from nurse practitioner school .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Mobile phone ownership over time, who owns cellphones and smartphones, smartphone dependency over time, who is smartphone dependent, find out more, mobile fact sheet.

Large shares of Americans are connected to the world of digital information while “on the go” via smartphones and other mobile devices. Explore the patterns and trends that have shaped the mobile revolution below.

To better understand Americans’ smartphone and broadband adoption, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults from May 19 to Sept. 5, 2023. Ipsos conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included both web and mail. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education and other categories.

Polls from 2000 to 2021 were conducted via phone. For more on this mode shift, please read our Q&A .

Here are the  questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and  its methodology ­­­.

The vast majority of Americans – 97% – now own a cellphone of some kind. Nine-in-ten own a smartphone, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011.

Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2002-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. For more details on this shift, please read our Q&A . Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2002-2023.

Substantial majorities of Americans across a wide range of demographic groups are cellphone owners. The same is true for smartphone ownership – though some differences do emerge, particularly by age, household income and level of formal education.

% of U.S. adults who say they own a __, by …

• RACE & ETHNICITY
• POLITICAL AFFILIATION

Today, 15% of U.S. adults are “smartphone-only” internet users – meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have home broadband service.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2013-2023. Data for each year is based on a pooled analysis of all surveys containing broadband and smartphone questions fielded during that year.

Reliance on smartphones for online access is especially common among Americans with lower household incomes and those with lower levels of formal education.

This fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant  Olivia Sidoti , with help from Research Analyst  Risa Gelles-Watnick , Research Analyst  Michelle Faverio , Digital Producer  Sara Atske , Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Temporary Researcher Eugenie Park .

Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of the impact of mobile technology on American life.

• Americans’ Social Media Use  Jan. 31, 2024
• Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband  Jan. 31 2024
• Q&A: How and why we’re changing the way we study tech adoption  Jan. 31, 2024

Find more reports and blog posts related to  internet and technology .

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PBL for Pre-K Through Second Grade

Very young students can benefit from project-based learning, as these detailed steps for a project conducted by preschool students demonstrate.

Observation, exploration, and discovery are three main skills that young children (kindergarten to second grade) generally develop when they interact with their surroundings. Some children prefer to take time to observe the environment before moving around to explore, while others choose to immediately start actively discovering the wonders within the environment. Nurturing an environment that ignites curiosity and facilitates exploration, therefore, is paramount.

Early-years educators who work with children 2 to 7 years old play a pivotal role in laying the foundation for lifelong learning by creating spaces where children can freely explore their diverse interests and learn how to expand explorations and inquiries into meaningful in-depth projects. 

In this post, I share a project I developed for a pre-K class with 3-year-olds that offers clear examples of each step and process feature. The project began when a boy became fascinated by the sound that came out of a bottle when he blew into it. He shared his findings with his peers, and the Sounds Exploration project began.  

Creating an Environment for Exploration

The environments where young children interact become learning spaces and serve as educators, generating dialogue between children and/or between each child and the environment, developing processes of inquiry, reflection, observation, and active listening. What should these spaces be like? 

Versatility: Design flexible learning environments that allow spontaneous exploration and discovery in different areas and disciplines. Incorporate adaptable learning materials to accommodate diverse interests and activities. Equip your classroom with a rich variety of resources, including books, art supplies, natural materials, and sensory experiences. Allow children to access natural open spaces that offer enough room for free exploration.  

In the example of the Sounds Exploration project, the teacher offered different materials and contexts for the learners to make and identify sounds, both outside and indoors. In the open air, the teacher helped learners focus on sounds by inviting them to close their eyes and name the sounds they could hear. This takes some time and guidance to help learners to listen beyond the sounds in the foreground and pay attention to those in the background. The learners were then made aware of the sounds they made by walking on different surfaces—like pebbles, grass, and mud—and the sounds they made with sticks or by hitting the water. Outdoors contexts are full of discovery possibilities. 

Indoors, the children used materials such as plastic tops, foil, plastic, cellophane, construction paper, and cardboard to make sounds. Wood blocks, musical instruments, and toys (cars, trucks, dolls, balls, construction blocks) are also an option, as are the different surfaces (floor, carpets, tables) in the classroom. 

In both environments, the children had guidance to help them discover more about the sounds they produced. This connects with the next point.

Curiosity: Encourage a culture of inquiry by posing open-ended questions, stimulating wonder, and inviting children to explore topics of interest. Offer provocations and invitations to learning that spark curiosity and prompt further investigation. 

Collaboration: Facilitate opportunities for children to explore together, interact, learn from one another, and question their findings. 

Interacting with children during exploration periods

The most successful interactions a teacher can carry out in the period of inquiry are those that don’t have a single answer but allow for different responses. The children’s answers will likely be the result of the connections they make with themselves, their previous knowledge, their interaction with their peers, and the context in which they’re interacting.

As a consequence, the teacher has an opportunity to develop and model an attitude of listening and of inquiry into the children’s responses and the construction of their learning. 

For example, related to the Sounds project, the teacher might ask the following questions: 

• “How do you do it? Can you teach me?”
• “This sound... what does it remind you of?” 
• ”What other sounds can we make?”
•  ”What causes sound to be produced?”
•  ”What can we use this sound for?”

Engage in active observation: Observe children closely as they play: as they interact with each other, the decisions they make, and how they choose to communicate their feelings, emotions, thoughts. Pay attention to their interests, preferences, and inquiries.

Listen actively: Listen to the children’s conversations when you ask open-ended questions to stimulate their thinking and foster reflection and critical thinking. Encourage them to communicate their ideas and their thoughts, share observations, and voice their desire to know. 

Let the children express freely: Let them show you their willingness to deepen their knowledge. Follow their interests and curiosity, allowing them to guide the direction of their exploration. Facilitate support and resources based on their inquiries, empowering them to build knowledge and take ownership of their learning journey.

Provide research tools: Offer the children access to age-appropriate tools and materials, including books, digital resources, and hands-on experiences. Support them in navigating these resources independently, fostering self-directed learning skills.

Facilitate tools to document their findings: Provide materials and resources for learners to document their discoveries in various ways: different art forms, notes, oral dialogues, audio/video recordings. 

Transferring exploration into research projects

Children’s active exploration, properly documented, will generate a lot of information and, in turn, will create the possibility of continuing work on a specific project.

In the example of the Sounds Exploration project, the learners were invited to use the sounds they had collected, identified, and documented to make a Sound Story from a well-known story they usually read in class and enjoyed. The guiding question was this: How can the learners in this class turn [the name of the story] into a sound story?

Assist project planning: Guide children in planning and organizing their research project, and deconstruct the process into manageable steps. Help them create research questions, collect information, and develop a short-term plan of action. 

Analyze the data collected: Facilitate understanding of the findings and guide the children to become aware of which subject area they’re willing to learn more about. 

Ignite Intrinsic motivation: Provide steps for the learners to become aware of  what they already know about the specific topic in that subject area and what more they want to know, and guide them in finding where they can collect the information they’re looking for. 

Foster reflection: Promote reflection throughout the research process. Provide opportunities for children to share their findings with peers and reflect on their learning experiences and strategies.

Research projects enable teachers to empower children to make choices and decisions about their learning journey when they have a range of options and opportunities to explore their interests authentically. In addition, research projects foster collaboration and peer learning by encouraging children to work together and share what they’ve learned. 

It’s important to recognize and celebrate children’s achievements and contributions throughout the research process. Create opportunities for them to showcase their work, share their findings with others, and receive feedback and praise .

In essence, by creating an environment that nurtures exploration, supporting children during their inquiries, and empowering them to take on leadership roles in their learning, early years educators can lay the groundwork for a lifetime of curiosity, discovery, and success.

Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

At michigan state university, frib researchers lead team to merge nuclear physics experiments and astronomical observations to advance equation-of-state research, world-class particle-accelerator facilities and recent advances in neutron-star observation give physicists a new toolkit for describing nuclear interactions at a wide range of densities..

For most stars, neutron stars and black holes are their final resting places. When a supergiant star runs out of fuel, it expands and then rapidly collapses on itself. This act creates a neutron star—an object denser than our sun crammed into a space 13 to  18 miles wide. In such a heavily condensed stellar environment, most electrons combine with protons to make neutrons, resulting in a dense ball of matter consisting mainly of neutrons. Researchers try to understand the forces that control this process by creating dense matter in the laboratory through colliding neutron-rich nuclei and taking detailed measurements.

A research team—led by William Lynch and Betty Tsang at FRIB—is focused on learning about neutrons in dense environments. Lynch, Tsang, and their collaborators used 20 years of experimental data from accelerator facilities and neutron-star observations to understand how particles interact in nuclear matter under a wide range of densities and pressures. The team wanted to determine how the ratio of neutrons to protons influences nuclear forces in a system. The team recently published its findings in Nature Astronomy .

“In nuclear physics, we are often confined to studying small systems, but we know exactly what particles are in our nuclear systems. Stars provide us an unbelievable opportunity, because they are large systems where nuclear physics plays a vital role, but we do not know for sure what particles are in their interiors,” said Lynch, professor of nuclear physics at FRIB and in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Physics and Astronomy. “They are interesting because the density varies greatly within such large systems.  Nuclear forces play a dominant role within them, yet we know comparatively little about that role.” 

When a star with a mass that is 20-30 times that of the sun exhausts its fuel, it cools, collapses, and explodes in a supernova. After this explosion, only the matter in the deepest part of the star’s interior coalesces to form a neutron star. This neutron star has no fuel to burn and over time, it radiates its remaining heat into the surrounding space. Scientists expect that matter in the outer core of a cold neutron star is roughly similar to the matter in atomic nuclei but with three differences: neutron stars are much larger, they are denser in their interiors, and a larger fraction of their nucleons are neutrons. Deep within the inner core of a neutron star, the composition of neutron star matter remains a mystery. 

  “If experiments could provide more guidance about the forces that act in their interiors, we could make better predictions of their interior composition and of phase transitions within them. Neutron stars present a great research opportunity to combine these disciplines,” said Lynch.

Accelerator facilities like FRIB help physicists study how subatomic particles interact under exotic conditions that are more common in neutron stars. When researchers compare these experiments to neutron-star observations, they can calculate the equation of state (EOS) of particles interacting in low-temperature, dense environments. The EOS describes matter in specific conditions, and how its properties change with density. Solving EOS for a wide range of settings helps researchers understand the strong nuclear force’s effects within dense objects, like neutron stars, in the cosmos. It also helps us learn more about neutron stars as they cool.

“This is the first time that we pulled together such a wealth of experimental data to explain the equation of state under these conditions, and this is important,” said Tsang, professor of nuclear science at FRIB. “Previous efforts have used theory to explain the low-density and low-energy end of nuclear matter. We wanted to use all the data we had available to us from our previous experiences with accelerators to obtain a comprehensive equation of state.”   

Researchers seeking the EOS often calculate it at higher temperatures or lower densities. They then draw conclusions for the system across a wider range of conditions. However, physicists have come to understand in recent years that an EOS obtained from an experiment is only relevant for a specific range of densities. As a result, the team needed to pull together data from a variety of accelerator experiments that used different measurements of colliding nuclei to replace those assumptions with data. “In this work, we asked two questions,” said Lynch. “For a given measurement, what density does that measurement probe? After that, we asked what that measurement tells us about the equation of state at that density.”   

In its recent paper, the team combined its own experiments from accelerator facilities in the United States and Japan. It pulled together data from 12 different experimental constraints and three neutron-star observations. The researchers focused on determining the EOS for nuclear matter ranging from half to three times a nuclei’s saturation density—the density found at the core of all stable nuclei. By producing this comprehensive EOS, the team provided new benchmarks for the larger nuclear physics and astrophysics communities to more accurately model interactions of nuclear matter.

The team improved its measurements at intermediate densities that neutron star observations do not provide through experiments at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany, the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science in Japan, and the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (FRIB’s predecessor). To enable key measurements discussed in this article, their experiments helped fund technical advances in data acquisition for active targets and time projection chambers that are being employed in many other experiments world-wide.   

In running these experiments at FRIB, Tsang and Lynch can continue to interact with MSU students who help advance the research with their own input and innovation. MSU operates FRIB as a scientific user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. FRIB is the only accelerator-based user facility on a university campus as one of 28 DOE-SC user facilities .  Chun Yen Tsang, the first author on the Nature Astronomy  paper, was a graduate student under Betty Tsang during this research and is now a researcher working jointly at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Kent State University. 

“Projects like this one are essential for attracting the brightest students, which ultimately makes these discoveries possible, and provides a steady pipeline to the U.S. workforce in nuclear science,” Tsang said.

The proposed FRIB energy upgrade ( FRIB400 ), supported by the scientific user community in the 2023 Nuclear Science Advisory Committee Long Range Plan , will allow the team to probe at even higher densities in the years to come. FRIB400 will double the reach of FRIB along the neutron dripline into a region relevant for neutron-star crusts and to allow study of extreme, neutron-rich nuclei such as calcium-68. 

Eric Gedenk is a freelance science writer.

Michigan State University operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. Hosting what is designed to be the most powerful heavy-ion accelerator, FRIB enables scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes in order to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security, and industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.