Mātauranga Māori constitutes concepts and principles that are richly detailed, complex, and fundamental to Māoridom. It is important to remember that the practice of these are wider and more varied than their use within the proposed NCEA Achievement Standards and supporting documentation.

We also recognise that the cultures, languages, and identities of the Pacific Islands are diverse, varied, and unique. Therefore the Pacific concepts, contexts, and principles that have been incorporated within NCEA Achievement Standards may have wide-ranging understandings and applications across and within the diversity of Pacific communities. It is not our intention to define what these concepts mean but rather offer some ways that they could be understood and applied within different subjects that kaiako and students alike can explore.

The intent of the Standard

Different investigative approaches have different functions and purposes. When a scientist is carrying out an investigation, they must choose which approach to use to best answer their questions. Through the teaching and learning of science, ākonga will learn to think critically about information, data, and the claims that they encounter in daily life.

The purpose of this Achievement Standard is for ākonga to show their understanding of different investigative approaches within the same context. Different approaches will lead to different types of data and findings. Ākonga will need to think about the question they are trying to answer, the type of data that they need, and the type of investigation to use. Once they have collected their data, they will need to analyse it to find out what it means. This leads to a finding from the investigation, which could be a conclusion, or something that has been learnt from the results. They will use these findings to reflect on how well the question was addressed by the investigative approach. Ākonga may look at research, or the investigations of others, to determine how valid their own results were in context.

This Standard aligns with the following items of Significant Learning:

• engage with the iterative process of science investigation through innovation, problem solving, inquiry, collaboration, and evaluation
• recognise how different approaches can be used in science investigations
• recognise that scientific ideas are developed through critical and creative thinking, regulated by evidence
• recognise that science ideas are communicated using a range of methods with discipline-specific practices.

Making reliable judgments

Kaiako will support and guide ākonga in developing appropriate research questions and investigative methods. Kaiako may provide a skeletal method to get ākonga started.

Ākonga will be able to describe the purpose of three different investigative approaches used in the same context and understand the relationship between the type of investigation used, and the findings it produced. At higher levels of achievement, ākonga will be able to validate their findings within the context using evidence.

Ākonga should work in groups to carry out their investigations and collect their evidence. Results should be recorded and processed using appropriate scientific conventions. Ākonga will demonstrate their understanding through individual responses to the investigations. These could be in the form of a presentation or report.

Collecting evidence

In this Standard ākonga will carry out investigations within one identified context, using three different approaches. Each investigative approach will explore a specific question that relates to the same context.

Ākonga will gather data in each investigation — this evidence may be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data can be measurements, tallies, statistics, keys, or sample surveys. Qualitative data can be photos, annotated drawings, observations, or interviews.

During their investigations ākonga may wānanga, consult with others, discuss with classmates, or consult a wider body of knowledge as they collect overarching findings that relate to their learning.

Ākonga will reflect individually when validating their findings.

Possible contexts

Ākonga will show an understanding of how to conduct three different types of investigations within a single context. They will understand which investigations are appropriate for which purposes. They will collect, record, and analyse data, report on findings, and compare the different approaches used. Investigative approaches may include:

• pattern seeking
• exploring and observing
• modelling
• classifying and identifying
• fair testing.

The identified context could be an aspect of local environment or a topic of interest to ākonga.

As part of the assessment for this Achievement Standard, an investigation may need to use a model to collect observations or data. Ākonga may change factors to test the effect of different variables and generate results. For example, ākonga may use computer programs or models to explore the effect of introducing a new gene into a population for a certain length of time.

Use of databases forms the foundation of many investigations. Ākonga can use either primary or secondary data to develop their findings.

To achieve this Achievement Standard, ākonga must understand how scientific findings can be verified. Wānanga can contribute to the process ākonga use to verify their findings.

The emphasis is on understanding the purpose of different investigative approaches, rather than analysing the accuracy of a method. Ākonga will understand that different investigations involve several of the same features, but the type of investigation will determine the type of data produced.

Standard Exclusions

This Standard has one or more exclusions, or Standards that assess the same or similar learning. These Standards are excluded against one another to prevent assessing the same learning twice. You can only use credits gained from one of these standards towards your NCEA qualification.

Find out more about the NCEA Level 1 Exclusions List.

Literacy and Numeracy Requirements