Data requirements for a research question

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. A student asks: 'Do Year 12 students who sleep more get higher SAC scores?' Which is a data requirement?

A A bar chart with a blue colour scheme

B Hours of sleep and SAC score for each student

2. Which statement best describes data requirements?

A The data items, types, sources and amount needed to answer the research question

B The final conclusions drawn from the data after analysis

3. A research question asks how many students buy lunch at the canteen each day. Which data type suits the 'number of lunches bought' variable?

A Numeric (integer)

B Text (string)

4. A team plans to survey 40 classmates about their screen time. This is which kind of source?

A Secondary source

B Primary source

5. A team plans to download rainfall data from the Bureau of Meteorology website. This is which kind of source?

A Secondary source

B Primary source

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Variables: yearLevel, hoursSleep, testScore		AThe requirements are vague. They do not name the variables (such as hours of sleep and test score), the type of each, the source, the time period or the sample size.
2Source: primary (class survey)		BTime period: Jan 2023 to Dec 2023
3A data requirement can set the time period the data must cover, so the data is relevant to the question		CThe source is labelled primary but the data comes from existing Bureau of Meteorology records, which is a secondary source.
4A data requirement can state the amount of data needed, such as the sample size		DLists the data items (variables) that must be collected to answer the research question
5Research question: Does sleep affect marks? Data requirements: Collect some data about students.		EStates that the data will be collected first-hand rather than taken from an existing dataset
6Data requirements: Variables: rainfall. Source: primary. Sample: 10 years of Bureau of Meteorology records		FSample size: 120 students

Definitions

data requirements

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

_________: hours_slept, test_score

Source: _______ (we run our own survey)

Source: _________ (ABS census tables)

___________: Term 1, 2024

___________: 120 students

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A RQ: Hours of sleep by Year 12s

B Variable: hours slept (number)

C Source: primary (own survey)

D Sample size: 120 hours

Question 2

A RQ: Daily rainfall in Cairns

B Source: secondary (BoM data)

C Time period: not required

D Variable: rainfall (mm)

Question 3

A RQ: Which bus route is latest?

B Variable: route, bus colour

C Source: secondary (PTV data)

D Time period: Term 1, 2025

Question 4

A RQ: Year 11 views on canteen

B Source: secondary (my survey)

C Sample size: 80 students

Question 5

A Variables: sleep hours, shoes

B Source: primary (survey)

C Sample size: 60 students

D RQ: Does sleep affect marks?

Answer Key

Data requirements for a research question

Section A: Quick Questions

B — Hours of sleep and SAC score for each student

A — The data items, types, sources and amount needed to answer the research question

A — Numeric (integer)

B — Primary source

A — Secondary source

Section B: Match the Pairs

Variables: yearLevel, hoursSleep, testScore → Lists the data items (variables) that must be collected to answer the research question

Source: primary (class survey) → States that the data will be collected first-hand rather than taken from an existing dataset

A data requirement can set the time period the data must cover, so the data is relevant to the question → Time period: Jan 2023 to Dec 2023

A data requirement can state the amount of data needed, such as the sample size → Sample size: 120 students

Research question: Does sleep affect marks? Data requirements: Collect some data about students. → The requirements are vague. They do not name the variables (such as hours of sleep and test score), the type of each, the source, the time period or the sample size.

Data requirements: Variables: rainfall. Source: primary. Sample: 10 years of Bureau of Meteorology records → The source is labelled primary but the data comes from existing Bureau of Meteorology records, which is a secondary source.

Section C: Definitions

data requirements — A list of the data items, types, sources and amount needed to answer a research question, such as the variables, primary or secondary source, time period and sample size.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Variables: hours_slept, test_score

Source: primary (we run our own survey)

Source: secondary (ABS census tables)

Time period: Term 1, 2024

Sample size: 120 students

Section E: Spot the Error

D — Sample size is the number of people or records in the data, not a unit of measurement. It should read 'Sample size: 120 students'.

C — Daily rainfall depends on when it was recorded, so the data requirements must state a time period, such as 1 Jan-31 Dec 2024.

B — Bus colour does not help answer which route is latest. The variables needed are route and minutes late.

B — Data collected first-hand by the student's own survey is primary data, not secondary. It should read 'Source: primary (my survey)'.

A — The research question is about sleep and marks, so the variables needed are sleep hours and marks. Shoes is not needed.