Week 2

LESSON 2
MODULE 2
WAYS OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE AND SOLVING PROBLEMS
Investigation usually starts with an
observation—that is, something that
catches the scientist attention.

How do scientist follow up on these observations?

 
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD/
INVESTIGATION
 The scientific method is an orderly process of empirical investigation that is focused on
solving problem.
 when we say method / investigation we refer to the use of our senses together with the
utilization of available technology
COMPONENTS OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION
1. STATEMENT OF THE
RESEARCH PROBLEM
 Choosing a problem to be explored also requires preliminary steps to ensure a
successful investigation. First and foremost, you should have prior knowledge
of the problem.
STEPS IN FORMING STATEMENT OF
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM:
 Step 1: Observation
 An observation is the beginning of everything

 What you perceive with your senses? What can you observe about the
chosen topic?
 Step 2: Forming a Question
 Based on your observations, developing a problem that can be solved by
the process of experimenting
 Usually a “How’ or “Why” question?
 Step 3: Complete Background Research

 Have the subject knowledge and collect information needed to know

about the subject of the experiment
 This is used to build the hypothesis

Example: How does fertilizer affect the growth of plants?

2. FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS

 It is carried out based on research and prior knowledge.

 An answer to the question framed.

 There is no right or wrong hypothesis using our question

lets develop a hypothesis.
A HYPOTHESIS MAYBE STATED IN TWO WAYS:

a. Null hypothesis (Ho) hypothesis that states no relationship between variables.

 Example: The fertilizer does not affect the growth of plants.

b. Alternative hypothesis (Ha) hypothesis that states a relationship between

variables.

 Example: There is significant relationship between the growth of

plants and the use of fertilizer.
 Although the first alternative hypothesis states a relationship between two
variables (A and B), it fails to show what kind of relationship exists. To
clearly show the relationship, you may state your alternative hypothesis in
the following manner:
a. Ha: A < B There is a negative relationship between A and B.
Here, the “<” suggests that the less A is involved, the better B.

b. Ha: A > B There is a positive relationship between A and B.

Here, the ”>” suggests that the more B is involved, the better A.
3. TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS AND
GATHERING OF DATA
 This is where an experiment is conducted.
 A set of repetitive methods is developed to conduct the experiment.
 The main aim is to test our hypothesis by collecting the facts and
data
 Includes variables – a measuring quantity that is used or changed
during the experiment.
AT THIS POINT, YOU ARE READY TO TEST YOUR HYPOTHESIS BY CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT

An experiment is a set of manipulations or specific observations of nature and is

considered the most important Part of the scientific method. It is done to answer
the research question or investigate a problem.

There are three types of experiments:

a) A controlled experiment generally compares the results obtained from an
experimental sample against the control sample. Under this type, the observer tests
a hypothesis by looking for changes brought about by alteration to a variable.
  A variable is a characteristic, number, or quantity that increases or decreases over
time Or takes different values in different situations. It is anything that you can
change or control in an experiment.
THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF VARIABLES IN AN EXPERIMENT.

1. Controlled variables, also called constant variables, are variables that are kept
constant. They do not receive any treatment.
 In your previous activity, the controlled variables are the amount of water and sunlight
received by the plants, the temperature, the amount and type of soil, and the size of the pot
where the tomato seeds have been planted.

2. Independent variables are the factors that you change or alter during the experiment.
These variables cause corresponding effect in other variables. The amount or the presence of
nitrogen fertilizer is considered as the independent variable in our experiment.
3. Dependent variables, on the other hand, are the variables that you observe and are
considered the response to an independent variable. These include the growth of the plants in
terms of height, number of leaves, and other characteristics.
b) Natural experiments or quasi-experiments are those that rely solely on
observations of variables of the system under study. Here, the observer does not
manipulate any variable but simply collect all the possible data to determine the
factors affecting a particular phenomenon.

c) A field experiment, the third type, is named to draw a contrast with laboratory
experiments. It examines the real world using scientific methods and is often used
in social sciences, such as political science, economics, and psychology.

NOTE: To genuinely test the hypothesis, the experiment should be a

”fair test,” a phrase that describes a scientifically valid experiment.
GOING BACK TO OUR PROBLEM IN ITEM 1, THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN MAY FOLLOW THESE STAGES:

First, you will need to gather your materials. Second, you need to come up with
the step-by-step procedure in carrying out the experiment. Experimental design must
consist of setups. Try to identify as many variables as possible which can interfere
with the experiment. By fixing these variables , you will have a fair test. A fair test is
where you test the influence of one variable on the other variable without other
variables interfering with the investigation. It ensures that your data is reliable. The
part of the experiment without the variable being tested is called the control group.
The part that contains the variable being tested is called the experimental setup. The
control setup is necessary for comparison.
READ THE SITUATIONS OF A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO WANTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF
FERTILIZER ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS.

 TOPIC: Does fertilizer affect the growth of plants?

 HYPOTHESIS: Fertilizer have an effect on the growth of plants.
Plants with fertilizer will grow bigger.
 A group of pupils tested the effect of fertilizer on the growth of plants. They used six
plants that all 15 cm tall. They grouped the plants into two: Group A and Group B. They
watered the plants in Group A with 200 mL of plain water and with 200 mL of fertilizer solution
in Group B. They watered the plants twice a week, they measured the growth of the plants in
each group. The results are shown below.

The set of plants that received

some amount of fertilizer is
the experimental group and
the set of plants that did not
receive fertilizer is the control
group.
 MANIPULATED VARIABLE/ INDEPENDENT VARIABLE-
amount of fertilizer

 DEPENDENT VARIABLE -growth of plants . This may be

measured in terms of the height of the plants and the diameter of
the stem after a period of time.
 CONTROLLED VARIABLES - amount of water, amount of
sunlight, and the kind and initial size of plants.
4. ANALYZING AND PRESENTING DATA
 Explaining the data gathered from the experiment.

 Lastly, observations, information and data are collected from the experiment
 Use of pictorial representation via charts, graphs, averages, percentages,
etc.
Data obtained from experiments should be analyzed and presented
systematically. The data may be presented using a table for an easy
interpretation. If the data are placed on a table: It is easy to make
comparisons, to see patterns and trends as whether there is increasing
or decreasing size or height of plants parts, and to show the
relationship of the two factors, which will serve as the bases in
drawing conclusions
LOOK BACK AT THE RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT
ON THE PROBLEM: DOES FERTILIZER AFFECT THE
GROWTH OF PLANTS? YOU IDENTIFIED THE
CONTROL GROUP AND THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP
TO SEE WHETHER THE VARIABLE HAD AN EFFECT ON
THE RESULTS.
DIRECTIONS: STUDY THE TABLE AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW

         

Frequency of Treatment Given for Growth of Pea Plants

Setup Initial Height of Plants
Watering Three Weeks The table shows that Group A was
          the control group, while Group B was
Group A 15 cm Twice a week 200mL of plain water 18cm the experimental group. Aside from the
         
qualitative difference in the two groups,
the quantitative difference was also
Group B 15 cm Twice a week 200mL of fertilizer 32cm
solution observed. The difference in the growth
  of the plants measured in centimeters Is
1. Which plants has the greatest growth rate? quantitative.
 ­­______________________________________________________________________

2. What factor affects the growth of plants?

______________________________________________________________________ The differences in the height
 
3. What is the table all about? between the plants in Group A and those
­ in Group 8 showed that the variable being
__________________________________________________________________________ tested (in this case, the presence of
  fertilizer) had an effect on the growth of
plants. Thus, it appears that fertilizers
have an effect on the growth of the plants.
5. CREATING CONCLUSION

 The fifth step of the scientific method is drawing a conclusion. A

conclusion is a summary of the results of the experiment and the
statement of how the results match up to the hypothesis.1’here are two
options for a conclusion. One Is to reject the hypothesis, and the other
one is to accept It. A good conclusion that has been tested often
enough and showed valid and reliable results each time becomes a
theory, a scientifically accepted fact.
 6.REPORTING OF FINDINGS
 Once the data have been obtained, presented, analyzed, and a
conclusion has been drawn. the next step is to share the results. This
stage Is Important In perpetuating the body of knowledge gained in
conducting the scientific method.
SAMPLE PROBLEM :
DEPENDENT AND
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
EXAMPLE # 1:
 Students watched a cartoon either alone or with others and then rated how funny they
found the cartoon to be.
Independent Variable:
Watching cartoons solo or with others
Dependent Variable:
How funny the cartoon is
EXAMPLE 2:
A comprehension test was given to students after they had studied textbook material
either in silence or with the television turned on.

 Independent Variable:

Studying with or without TV

 Dependent Variable:

Achievement on a test
EXAMPLE 3:
Some elementary school teachers were told that a child’s parents were college graduates, and
other teachers were told that the child’s parents had not finished high school; they then rated the
child’s grades.

 Independent Variable: Education of parents

 Dependent Variable: Children’s grades

3. A shopping mall wanted to determine whether the more expensive “Tough Stuff” floor wax was better
than the cheaper “Steel Seal” floor wax at protecting its floor tiles against scratches. One liter of each
brand of floor wax was applied to test sections of the main hall of the mall. The test sections were all the
same size and were covered with the same kind of tiles. After 3 weeks, the number of scratches in each of
the test sections was counted to observe the wax’s effectiveness.
Independent variable:
Tough Stuff floor wax
Dependent variable:
The number of scratches in each test section
Constants/ Controlled Variable:
same size are applied, same area of main hall, same amount of wax
Control group:
Steel Seal Floor wax
Experimental group:
Tough Stuff floor wax