Year 11 – Health and Movement Science

Phase 3: Data Collection

The purpose of Phase 3

Phase 3 is where your group designs the method for the investigation. This is the step-by-step plan for how you will collect data to answer your research question. In the official Phase 3 process, the focus is on the method, resources, ethical considerations, risk assessment, variables, what data needs to be collected or collated, how data will be presented, and a checkpoint for method approval. The Collaborative Investigation must include research design, so this phase is a core part of meeting NESA requirements.

Step 1: Decide how you will collect data

Your first job in Phase 3 is to decide how your group will collect the data.

What to do

choose the main method your group will use
make sure it matches your research question
make sure it is realistic for your school setting
make sure your group can actually complete it well

Common method options

survey
interview
focus group
observation
experiment
content analysis
secondary data analysis

How to choose the right method

Use a method that fits the kind of question you are asking:

Choose a more quantitative method if you need numbers, comparisons, or measurements.
Choose a more qualitative method if you need opinions, experiences, or descriptions.
Best practice: Use a mixed method if both would strengthen the investigation.

Step 2: Write the method clearly

Once you have chosen the method, you need to write it as a clear procedure.

What to do

Outline:

what data will be collected
who or what the data will come from
when the data will be collected
how the procedure will happen step by step

What a strong method should be like

Your method should be:

clear
precise
logical
easy for someone else to follow

A weak method is vague. A strong method leaves little confusion about what the group will actually do.

Example: Instead of writing “we will test students after exercise“, write something more precise such as: “20 Year 11 students will complete a concentration task, take part in 5 minutes of moderate exercise, then complete the same task again during lunchtime over 2 school days.“

Step 3: Identify the resources you need

NESA includes resources as part of Phase 3, so your group needs to work out exactly what is needed before data collection begins.

What to do

Make a list of:

equipment
materials
digital tools
spaces or venues
forms or templates
people or permissions needed

Examples of resources

stopwatch
survey forms
shared spreadsheet
online survey platform
interview questions
sports equipment
access to a class, team, or school group
library or computer room booking

Why this matters

This helps your group avoid designing a method that looks good on paper but cannot actually be completed.

Example: A method that needs heart rate monitors is not practical if your group has no access to them.

Step 4: Plan your ethical considerations

Ethical considerations are a required part of Phase 3. The NESA teaching advice identifies informed consent, privacy, integrity, and respect as key ethical principles in research.

What to do

If your investigation involves people, make sure your group plans for:

informed consent
privacy
confidentiality
voluntary participation
the right to withdraw
respectful treatment of all participants

What this means in practice

Participants should understand what the investigation is about.
They should know what they are being asked to do.
They should agree to take part voluntarily.
Their information should be kept private where possible.
Your group must record findings honestly.

Do not leave ethics until the end. Ethical planning needs to be built into the method from the start.

Example: If your group is surveying students about stress, you need to think about privacy, sensitive questions, and how students can choose not to answer.

Step 5: Complete a risk assessment

Risk assessment is another required part of Phase 3.

What to do

Think about possible risks linked to your method and how those risks will be reduced.

Possible risks

physical risks, such as injury or fatigue
emotional risks, such as discomfort from sensitive questions
practical risks, such as unsafe equipment or poor supervision

What to include

what the risk is
who it might affect
how likely it is
how your group will reduce or manage it

Example: If your group is doing a short exercise task, you may need a warm-up, safe space, supervision, and a clear stop rule if someone feels unwell.

Example: If your group is asking about mental wellbeing, you may need to avoid intrusive questions and tell participants they can skip questions or stop at any time.

Step 6: Identify your variables

NESA includes variables as part of Phase 3, so your group needs to be clear about what is changing and what is being measured.

What to do

If your investigation involves variables, identify:

the independent variable
the dependent variable
any controlled variables

What these mean

Independent variable: what your group changes
Dependent variable: what your group measures
Controlled variables: what your group tries to keep the same

Why this matters

Clear variables make the investigation more scientifically sound and help show whether the method is fair.

Example: If your group is investigating the effect of music on motivation during exercise:
• the independent variable may be the music condition
• the dependent variable may be the motivation rating
• the controlled variables may include time, task, and duration of exercise

Step 7: Work out what data needs to be collected or collated

Phase 3 also requires your group to decide what data needs to be collected or collated.

What to do

Make a clear list of the exact information your group needs.

Ask these questions

What evidence is needed to answer the question?
What details must be recorded every time?
Are there any categories, scores, or responses that could be missed?

Why this matters

This stops your group from getting to Phase 4 and realising important information was never collected. Imagine getting to the end and you can’t analyse relevant data or make any conclusions. This prevents that.

A survey-based study might need:

age group
frequency of exercise
stress rating
one or two open-ended responses

An experiment might need:

pre-test score
post-test score
time taken
number of trials

Step 8: Prepare your data collection tools

Once you know what data is needed, prepare the tools that will collect it.

What to do

Depending on your method, this could include:

survey questions
interview questions
observation checklist
rubric
recording sheet
spreadsheet
prepared results table

What to check

Your tools should be:

easy to understand
linked to the research question
matched to your variables
likely to produce useful data

Example: If you are using a survey, avoid confusing or leading questions.
e.g. “Don’t you agree that fitness tests are a waste of time?” (leading) could be rewritten as “How useful do you think fitness tests are?” with response options from “Not useful” to “Very useful.”

Example: If you are using an observation, make sure everyone in the group knows exactly what they are looking for. e.g. Two group members observe the same 10-minute playground game using the same checklist (e.g., ‘number of passes’, ‘number of verbal encouragements’, ‘any unsafe contact’), and they agree in advance exactly what counts as each item.

Step 9: Plan how the data will be stored and presented

The official Phase 3 process asks groups to plan how data will be presented, so it helps to think ahead before collection begins.

What to do

Decide:

where the data will be stored
who will have access to it
how it will be kept secure
what format it may later be presented in

Common data presentation formats

table
bar graph
line graph
pie chart
written summary
themes for qualitative responses

Why this matters

Planning ahead helps your group collect data in a way that will actually be useful in Phase 4.

Example: If your group wants to compare categories in a bar graph later, your data needs to be collected in categories that can actually be graphed.

Step 10: Organise group roles for data collection

Because this is a Collaborative Investigation, your group should also decide how responsibilities will be managed in this phase. The official advice makes clear that students are expected to negotiate plans and tasks, distribute leadership, and give and receive feedback throughout the investigation.

What to do

Decide:

who will draft the method
who will organise materials
who will check ethics and risk requirements
who will set up data recording
who will communicate with the teacher if needed

Important point

Roles can be shared, but everyone should understand the method. Do not let one person design the whole method alone while the rest of the group barely knows what is happening.

Example: One student may draft the written method, but the full group should still review it, improve it, and agree on it.

Step 11: Review the method critically

Before the checkpoint, read through the method as a group.

Questions to ask

Does this method clearly answer the research question?
Is it realistic in the time available?
Will it produce useful data?
Are the variables clear?
Have ethics and risks been covered?
Could someone else follow this method without guessing?

What to fix before approval

unclear steps
missing resources
weak or biased questions
ethical gaps
uncontrolled factors
unclear data recording

Step 12: Complete the Phase 3 checkpoint

The last step in Phase 3 is the checkpoint for feedback on collaborative practice and method approval. NESA’s process table identifies this as the point where the method is reviewed before data collection begins.

What you should bring

your written method
your resource list
your ethical considerations
your risk assessment
your variables
your plan for what data will be collected
your plan for how the data will be presented

What may happen at the checkpoint

Your teacher may:

approve the method
ask you to clarify steps
tell you to change the sample
point out ethical or safety issues
suggest better ways to record the data

Do not start Phase 4 until the method is clear and approved.

What you should have by the end of Phase 3

By the end of Phase 3, your group should have:

a clear method
the right resources
planned ethical considerations
a completed risk assessment
clear variables, if relevant
a list of what data needs to be collected or collated
a plan for how data will be stored and presented
teacher approval to move into data collection

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