Overview of Key Terms:
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In order to complete the project, you should be familiar with the following terms:
- Statement of the Problem: Explain the problem behavior. Convince the reader it needs to be observed very closely before one could decide how to change the behavior.
- Theory: This is a prediction. What do you expect to observe. The theory is a general statement. For example, most males or females do not wash their hands after using the restroom. Most people will not pick up after themselves after eating in a public place.
- Hypothesis: The hypothesis must be written in such a way as to test the theory. A theory is like an umbrella covering behaviors with the presumption that they are related. A good hypothesis rains on the umbrella to see if there are any holes. For example, between the hours of 11:00 and 1:00 on Monday and Wednesday at McDonald’s most patrons (or males, females, adolescents) will not place their napkins, cups, plates, and eating utensils in the trash and return their tray to the rack.
- Procedure: This is a description of the step by step process used during the observation. Where did the observer sit? Was the observer visible to the subject being observed? How was data collected? The description needs to be written in sufficient detail that someone else could attempt to replicate (repeat) the procedure to determine if the same results could be obtained.
- Results: The results are given in the form of numbers. This is the count. It is often presented in complex statistical terms. A numerical count and percentages will be sufficient for our purposes. Projects earning a grade of A usually include a graph or chart at this point.
- Discussion This is a summary of the results in simpler, more practice language. The numbers are converted to statements of meaning and application.
| Statement of the Problem | |
| Theory | |
| Hypothesis | |
| Procedure | |
| Results | |
| Discussion |
