SBA Guide

This guide is designed to supplement the SBA classes. Please review it carefully, take note of the

due dates, and follow the instructions provided. To enhance your understanding, a YouTube

video is linked beside each section for additional support. The guide includes the following: the

purpose of the SBA, its percentage value, group assignments, and all the required sections of the

SBA.

Rationale of SBA

The SBA Project constitutes 20% of the final CSEC Examination and requires the students to:
1. Select a problem for research from the real world.
2. Select the relevant Mathematics topic from any part of the syllabus in order to
research and investigate the chosen problem.
3. Write a clearly explained, logical and sequenced project that satisfies certain
guidelines stipulated by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
 Groups

Group 1 - Mikhail Lodge, Duhaje Lindo, Stephen Spence, Ajani Salmon

Group 2- Justin Burrell, Dantae Dunkley, Antonio Wilson, Lavaunte Holness

Group 3 – Andrew Neil, Lajaughn Blake, Clive Colquhoun, Devaunie Powell

Group 4 – Rainor Ricketts, Kishmali Nicely , Jahiem Bennett , Dorian Miller

Group 5 – Taejay Patterson , Shammon Gayle , Dusean Miller , Davalier Nelson

Group 6 – Dushon Tomlinson , Romainie Mullings , Jaden Harriott

Group 7 – Romone Williams, Alex Smith , Aaron Smith , Jordane Watson , JOEL LINTON

Group 8 – Romani Austin, Jaden Brooks , Nickaro Powell , TAVAJE BROWN

Group 9 – Kenchi Mullings , Yaccole Brown , Romain Johnson

❖ Joel Linton and Tavaje Brown, having successfully completed their SBA and passed

the CSEC examination, will serve as team leaders for Group 7 and Group 8,

respectively.
 SECTION 1: PROJECT TITLE

The project title is a clear and comprehensive statement that states the real-world
problem which is going to be investigated or explained. It tells the reader what the project is
about.
These videos cover the title, introduction, and method of data collection.
https://youtu.be/z0TPR19sN1E?si=HJJR2FPHlAmAv11i
https://youtu.be/einwYBvsXJ4?si=u6VEVLiCmR0jx7Pn (This has all the sections but for now,
just watch the title, introduction, and method of data collection).
https://youtu.be/_zlf-bCI0ME?si=noyUlvZSYvd0ev8_
https://youtu.be/Som9uJzv7Qo?si=VANewI4ABVeaA_q4
Titles

The titles for the groups are as follows:

1. An investigation into the mathematics performance of boarders versus day students at an

all-boys institution.

2. Investigating the impact of social media usage on academic performance in mathematics

among Grade 11 students at a secondary school.

3. Analyzing the relationship between students' height and age at a secondary school.

4. An investigation to compare hire purchase plans offered by two furniture stores in a town

in St. Elizabeth.

5. Analyzing the relationship between hours spent studying and mathematics grades among

Grade 11 students at a secondary school in St. Elizabeth.

6. An investigation into the average waiting time to be served in the tuck shop line at a

secondary school.

7. An investigation into the average time it takes a student to travel to a secondary school in

St.Elizabeth.
 8. An investigation to determine the number of sugary beverages consumed daily by

students at a secondary school in St. Elizabeth.

9. An investigation into the impact of attendance frequency on mathematics performance

among third-form students in at high school in St. Elizabeth.

SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION
This section outlines the purpose and scope of the project, usually including a hypothesis or a
problem statement related to the topic chosen.
A good introduction has:
• Problem Statement (Has background information)
• Hypothesis
• Objectives of the SBA

Problem Statement
The problem statement is a broader description of the issue or topic you’re investigating. It
provides background on why the topic is relevant, what you aim to understand, and the scope of
the project. In other words, the problem statement explains why the hypothesis is worth testing
and what you hope to learn.
A strong problem statement will:
1. Clearly describe the context or background of the issue.
2. Outline the purpose of the investigation.
3. Specify the population or setting, if applicable (e.g., students at a particular school or
grade level).
Example Problem Statement: "In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of
homework assigned to high school students. This study aims to investigate whether Grade 10
students at a high school are spending a significant amount of time each day on mathematics
homework and how this may impact their academic performance."
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is an educated guess or prediction about what you expect to find in your study,
often based on prior knowledge or initial observations. For a Mathematics SBA, the hypothesis
should be specific, measurable, and relevant to the topic you’re investigating. It can take various
forms, such as:
• A prediction of a relationship between two variables (e.g., "Students who spend more
time studying tend to have higher math scores").
• A claim about a statistical property of the data (e.g., "The average time students spend on
homework is greater than 2 hours per day").
• A comparison between groups (e.g., "Boys and girls spend different average times on
mathematics homework each week").
Example Hypothesis: "The majority of students in Grade 10 spend at least one hour each day
on mathematics homework."
A well-structured hypothesis gives a clear focus for data collection and analysis, allowing you to
test its validity using mathematical techniques.
Objectives
List the specific goals of the investigation. These should be measurable and tied directly to the
study.
Example Objectives: “The objectives of this investigation are:
1. To calculate the average time spent on mathematics homework by students.
2. To analyze the correlation between the time spent on mathematics homework and
students’ performance in tests and exams.
3. To determine whether there is an optimal duration for completing mathematics homework
to achieve the highest academic results.”

Bringing Them Together

• Hypothesis gives a specific, testable prediction within the problem’s context.
• Problem Statement describes the general issue and the reason for the study, giving
context to the hypothesis.
• Objectives lists what the SBA hopes to achieve

These elements work together to create a focused, meaningful investigation that connects real-
world concerns with mathematical analysis.
 SECTION 3: METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
This is a detailed description that states exactly how and where the data for a project was

collected. It is important to remember that the research is seeking to answer a problem that the

student has identified. Hence, in order to help the student to answer the research problem, data

must be carefully collected and studied. Data can be collected in a number of different ways. The

particular method chosen for data collection will vary and depends on what type of data the

student is looking for. AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THE METHODS THAT YOU

CAN USE TO COLLECT DATA, GO AHEAD AND FOR EXAMPLE, MAKE YOUR

QUESTIONNAIRE, TYPE UP YOUR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, HAVE YOUR OBSERVATION

CHECKLIST OR GET ACCESS TO THE RECORDS (MARKS REGISTER OR GRADEBOOK)

REMEMBER IT IS UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE THE BEST METHODS THAT CAN COLLECT

THE PAPRTICULAR DATA YOU ARE USING. HOWEVER I RECOMMEND ALL STUDENTS

TO HAVE A QUESTIONNAIRE ALONG WITH ANOTHER DATA COLLECTION METHOD. A

QUESTIONNAIRE CAN EASILY BE DESIGNED ON GOOGLE FORMS (THIS IS GOOD

BECAUSE GOOGLE FORMS ACTUALLY GENERATE THE GRAPHS FOR YOU).

The following are a few different methods that can be used to collect data:

(a) THE QUESTIONNAIRE

In this method, the student gives the respondents written questions on a question sheet. The

questions are standardized which means that all the respondents must answer the same set of

questions. This method is an inexpensive way to collect data from a large number of persons. It

also allows for collecting data easily without revealing the respondent’s identity.

However, some disadvantages of using questionnaires are:

• Respondents are sometimes not motivated to answer all the questions.

• If some responses are confusing, they are usually difficult to clarify.

• Sometimes questionnaires are not returned on time

(b) PERSONAL INTERVIEWS

Here, the student can structure some questions that he or she wants to be answered. The student

can then question respondents and record the answers on a sheet. In this method, the student has

the flexibility to probe the respondents in order to clarify answers and ask follow up questions.

However, since the student is face to face with the respondent, this may cause discomfort to the

respondent and he or she may not answer truthfully. In addition, the personal nature of the

interview may cause the student to ask subjective questions that could lead the respondent in a

particular direction.

(c) OBSERVATION

Without conducting interviews the student can integrate into a population and quietly record data

on it. This data can then be studied in order to make inferences about the population. Note, that

in this method of data collection, the student will have no control over the group that is going to

be observed.

(d) EXAMINATION OF RECORDS

The student can seek permission to peruse records, reports, statements and regulations in order

to collect data on a particular group.

However, the disadvantages of this method are:

• It can take a long time to sort and collect data from reports and records.
• The student may not understand the data from the records and arrive at faulty conclusions
VARIABLES
Remember, that research investigates the relationship between variables. A variable is any factor

that has a quantity or quality that can change.

For example:
• A dependant variable is a variable that can change based on the impact of another variable.
• An independent variable is a variable that affects a dependant variable which can cause it to
contribute to a problem.

For example, in this sample project:

Service at the cafeteria is an independent variable that can impact on the waiting time for the

service. Waiting time is the dependant variable. When collecting data for a project it is good

practice to identify the different types of variables. 11 For example, in this sample project the

method of data collection could read as follows: The method of data collection chosen was

personal interviews. “A form class was selected from each year group from Forms 1 to 5. The

names of all the students from each class were placed into five (5) separate boxes. Each box was

shaken and then the names of twenty (20) students were randomly selected from each box. This

created a sample size of one hundred (100) students for the purpose of the research.” The one

hundred (100) students were then each asked the standardized question: “How long did you

spend waiting in line for service at the school’s cafeteria during the lunch break?” The data was

collected from Monday to Friday, over a one-week period. Permission to survey the students

during the period immediately after the lunch break was granted by my teacher.
PLEASE NOTE: SECTIONS 1-3 ARE DUE FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2024 @11:59 pm

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME ON

WHATSAPP

EACH GROUP SHOULD ONLY MAKE ONE SUBMISSION

EMAIL SUBMISSIONS TO kressan.elliott@munrocollege.edu.jm

IN THE SUBJECT OF THE EMAIL SHOULD BE YOUR GROUP #: EXAMPLE GROUP 1