Audit a Psychology research proposal from question to instrument
A Psychology IA for the course first assessed in 2027 proposes research rather than presenting invented or collected findings as an experimental report.
Keep the proposal distinct from findings
A Psychology IA for the course first assessed in 2027 proposes research rather than presenting invented or collected findings as an experimental report. Start by checking the current requirements with your teacher. Write the question, population and proposed method on one page. The reader should be able to see how the design addresses the problem. Your rationale, instrument and procedure need to agree with that design throughout the proposal.
Operationalize the question
Identify what you need to observe, ask or measure to investigate the question. Define key terms in a way that fits the population and method. Explain why the proposed instrument captures the relevant psychological issue. A questionnaire item or interview prompt is not automatically suitable because it uses the vocabulary from the question. Check whether participants could understand it differently, and whether its wording encourages an answer rather than revealing their perspective.
Try an ambiguous-item example
Imagine a proposed questionnaire asks whether students receive enough useful feedback. The item combines amount and usefulness, which participants may judge differently. Separate the dimensions or refine the question. A more precise design could ask about specific feedback experiences within a stated period, with appropriate response options. Explain what the responses would reveal and what they could not establish. Do not imply that a proposed score would diagnose a psychological condition.
Evaluate sampling and ethical choices
Explain the population and how the proposed sample would be recruited. Identify whose experiences may be missed and what that means for interpretation. Consider consent, privacy, withdrawal and the sensitivity of questions in the context of school guidance. These decisions should shape the design, not appear only in a final generic ethics paragraph. If an issue requires a method change, revise the question, procedure and instrument together.
Conduct a consistency audit
Read the proposal as a chain: problem, literature, question, method, sample, instrument, procedure and limitations. At every link, ask why this choice follows. Remove claims about results that the proposal cannot supply. Where you describe planned analysis, explain its purpose without fabricating outcomes. Bring unclear links to your teacher with the attempted rationale. A coherent proposal justifies what could be learned through the design and keeps the limits of that learning explicit.
Test the reasoning in a new situation
Change one feature of the example: the population, setting, measurement or researcher's role. Explain which part of your interpretation would change and which could remain. This checks whether you understand the reasoning rather than recognize a familiar study. Keep your revised explanation concise and compare it with your course materials. When uncertainty remains, bring the attempted explanation to your teacher with a specific question. In practice tasks, label invented findings as hypothetical; an imagined result should never appear in coursework as if participants actually produced it. Check method terminology against your class materials, especially when distinguishing observation, association and causation. Precise language helps the reader see what your design or evidence permits and where the interpretation must remain limited.
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Official references
This is an original practical guide from IBvia. The examples are illustrative; your subject guide, assessment year and school instructions determine the requirements.
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