Turn a project interest into a driving question

“People put things in the wrong tray” is not yet a question

• A fictional class shares pencils, rulers, cards and clips. The materials team notices that returns are sometimes mixed. Its first idea is “make everyone more responsible,” but this blames people before examining the instructions they see.
• This original GAC033-aligned sequence develops a research proposal, not an ACT assessment or a completed study. The team will investigate a small design problem with a paper task rather than interfere with the actual class service or publish classmates' behaviour.

Give the project a useful purpose

• A driving question gives a project its wider purpose: “How could we make the materials-return instructions easier for classmates to use?” It invites investigation and a possible improvement, rather than assuming the first design must be correct.
• Name the intended users and setting. The team is working with one classroom and four shared item types. It is not trying to solve every school organisation problem. A manageable boundary makes the project possible within its time and permissions.

Separate observation from explanation

• “Three rulers were in the pencil tray after class” describes an observation. “Nobody cares” is an unsupported explanation. Other possibilities include hidden labels, unclear wording or a rushed return period. An investigation should not begin by treating one guess as proven.
• Record what is known and what needs checking. The team has not counted how often errors occur or asked users what they noticed. It should describe the initial evidence honestly rather than invent a baseline to make the project sound stronger.

{callout:example} Known: some items were found in the wrong trays. Possible explanation: the label layout is hard to follow. Open question: would a clearer layout improve choices on a controlled paper task? {/callout}

Move toward a researchable question

• A research question is narrower and connects to evidence you can collect. A first draft asks whether label layout A or B leads to more completely correct sorting sheets among a small volunteer group. The final variables and procedure will be defined in unit 5.4.
• Keep the driving and research questions linked but distinct. A sorting sheet may test label comprehension; it cannot prove that real trays stay correct all term. The wider purpose guides the project, while the narrow question defines what the study can answer.

{callout:warn} “How can we prove our new labels are best?” builds a preferred answer into the question. Ask what happens under stated conditions and allow the result to disagree with your idea. {/callout}

Agree scope before collecting anything

• The team proposes two printed instruction layouts, a four-item sorting sheet and a short volunteer task. It will seek teacher approval, use no grades and collect no names. The proposal must explain participation and withdrawal before the task begins.
• Assign work by responsibility: question and sources, materials, procedure and ethics, review and presentation. Record dates and dependencies. A teammate producing the task sheet needs the agreed item rules, not just the vague command “make a survey.”

Write a short project brief

• Draft 100 words naming the problem, users, driving question, possible research question and boundaries. Include one alternative explanation and one permission needed. This brief is a plan for inquiry, not a report announcing success.
• A partner checks whether the question is open, useful, manageable and answerable with the proposed evidence. Revise one phrase that assumes too much. Keep the earlier wording so the later proposal shows how the question became clearer.

{callout:key} An open driving question gives the project purpose. A narrower research question identifies evidence the team can realistically collect without assuming the answer. {/callout}