Practical work in sports, exercise, and health science is like the real-life lab of an athlete. Through it

• Experience Methodology: Dive into methods & techniques used in sports investigations, like how a detective investigates a case!
• Hone Scientific Skills: Boost your scientific detective skills - analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information.
• Teamwork Matters: Learn the importance of teamwork & communication, like how a soccer team communicates to score a goal!
• Techy You: Develop tech skills for studying sports & health.

🔍How you'll be assessed is like your game plan! It’s in Table 17.1.

• Problem Creation

  • Teacher gives you a mystery (open-ended problem).
  • Turn that mystery into your personal investigation or research question.
  • Tip: Pick something you're genuinely curious about, like "Why do I run faster when I listen to music?"

• Choosing Investigation Type

  • Cause and Effect: Change one thing (independent variable) and see its impact on another (dependent variable). It's like changing your diet and seeing its effect on your energy level.
  • Correlation Research: Measure without changing variables. Like, does eating more chocolate correlate with happiness? 🍫 But remember, it doesn’t mean chocolate causes happiness!

• Setting the Stage

  • Define a clear research question stating the variables you'll measure.
  • Include precise measurements (like heart rate in bpm).
  • Use different values for the independent variable. If studying temperature, maybe use 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, & 30°C.

• Variables, Variables, Variables

  • List all controlled variables (things you keep constant).
  • Identify confounding variables (those pesky ones you can’t control but may affect your results).

• Hypothesis

  • Not required, but think of it as a prediction or educated guess. If I do X, then Y might happen.

• Controlling Variables
  • Clearly describe how you'll ensure only the independent variable changes.
  • Picture a table layout, and explain why controlling each variable is crucial.
• Describing Participants
  • Mention who's in your experiment and why you chose them.
  • It’s okay to say you picked participants because they were readily available!
• Recipe Time (Method)
  • Write a clear, step-by-step method. Imagine writing a recipe for your favorite dish!
  • Include diagrams, equipment lists, and specifics like timings and intensity.
• Ethics
  • Highlight ethical guidelines followed. Think of this as the rulebook!
  • Include a consent form for participants in the appendices.
• References
  • If using a standard measurement or test, reference it properly. Just like giving credit in a group project!