The process of scientific discovery is first explored in elementary school, usually around the third grade. This is when students are introduced to what is called the scientific method. The scientific method is a step by step process that takes a scientist from a science question to a conclusion. This method can be applied to scientific discovery of all levels, including student science fair projects.
Science Fair Project Research Plan
A science fair project research plan is basically an outline of what the student needs to do to complete their science fair project. It focuses specifically on the research that the student will need to do to understand their topic, to develop their hypothesis, to create an experiment, to analyze their data and finally to draw substantiated results. This research plan will not only identify what needs to be researched, but it will also identify how much time the student has to conduct their research and when each phase of research needs to be completed by.
How to Complete a Research Plan
The first step in completing a research plan is to select a topic. The topic will be used to guide the rest of the research activities.
The second step is to create a time table based on when various parts of the science fair projects need to be completed by. This time table will usually be influenced by the time table offered by the student’s teacher or by the rules and guidelines of the science fair that the student wants to enter. This time table will break up the research plan into sections.
Each section will be assigned a specific amount of time. For example, students can give themselves a week to do what is necessary to get from a topic to a hypothesis. The time frames need to be appropriate for the amount and depth of research required for each stage of the science fair project.
Step four is to list the research that is required during each phase. Between the topic generation and hypothesis creation phase, for example, students will need to conduct basic research on their topic. The information that is collected will help the student to narrow down their topic and to make a prediction that will form their hypothesis.
Other types of research that will need to be done include research that has all ready been done on the relationship that is being explored in the project and about the variables that the student wants to test. Experiment design research can also be helpful.
Step five is to list a desired outcome at the bottom of each section. A desired outcome can be “develop a hypothesis,” “design an experiment” or “outline your methodology.” The desired outcome will help keep students focused on what they need to accomplish during each phase of their science fair project research plan.
The final step is to develop a chart that will help the student track their progress. This chart will need to have rows for each phase of the research project and columns for the description of the phase, the due date and for the marking off the sections that have been completed.
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