Creating a Case StudyGCSE Coursework

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21st Century Science

IntroductionEveryday life has many questions science can help to answer. You may meet these in media reports, e.g on television on radio in newspapers, or magazines. A case study is a report which weighs up evidence about a scientific question

Where do I start?

Sources of information could includeInternetSchool libraryYour Science Textbook and notesLocal public LibraryTVRadioNewspapers and magazinesMuseums and exhibitions

Information from specific people or organisations

You could:Interview a scientistWrite a letter to an organisation To get useful information from other

people, make sure you have detailed questions beforehand.

Speak or write to them and explain who you are and what you are doing

Make sure you ask for just the information you really need.

When will you be doing this?

Your Case Study may be done in class time

You may also do some research out of class

Your Data Analysis must be based on a practical you do in class

TopicsCase study

Choose a topic from one of the following categories

A question where the scientific knowledge is not certain. For example, ‘Does mobile phones cause brain damage?’

A question about decision-making using scientific information. For example, ‘Should cars be banned from a shopping street to reduce air pollution?’, ‘Should the government stop research into human cloning?’

ExamplesA question about a personal issue involving

science. For example ‘Should my child have the MMR vaccine?’

You should find out what different people have said about the issue. Then evaluate this information and make your own conclusion.

Selecting InformationCollect information from different

places- books the internet, newspapersSay where your information has come

fromChoose only information that is

relevant to the question you are studying

Decide how reliable each source of information is

Understanding the QuestionUse scientific knowledge and

understanding to explain the topic you are studying

When you report what other people have said, say what scientific evidence they had(from experiments, surveys etc.)

Making your own ConclusionsCompare different evidence and

points of viewConsider the benefits and risks of

different courses of actionSay what you think should be done

and link this to the evidence you have reported.

Present your StudyMake sure your report is laid out

clearly in a sensible orderUse pictures, tables, charts, graphs

etc to present informationTake care with your spelling,

grammar, punctuation, and use scientific terms where they are appropriate.