Year 11 – Health and Movement Science

What is a collaborative investigation?

1. Overview

The Collaborative Investigation is a mandatory part of the Year 11 Health and Movement Science course. It is allocated 20 indicative hours and must link to content from Health for Individuals and Communities or The Body and Mind in Motion. It must also address HM-11-05.

The purpose of the Collaborative Investigation is for you to work with others to investigate a topic linked to the course and build your skills in collaboration, research, analysis, communication, and problem-solving. NESA also states that the investigation must include research design, documentation, presentation of findings, and a reference list.

Schools can decide when and how the Collaborative Investigation is undertaken.

The main thing to remember is:

  • that the Collaborative Investigation is a required Year 11 course component with a clear NESA structure
  • the topic must come from Year 11 course content
  • the investigation must address HM-11-05
  • the work should move through Phase 1 to Phase 5 in a clear and organised way.

2. What does the investigation need to do?

To meet NESA requirements, the investigation must:

  • link the group research question to a concept taught in Year 11
  • address knowledge, understanding and skill outcomes, including HM-11-05
  • include Design – proposal, Documentation – portfolio, Presentation of findings, and a Reference list.

This means the Collaborative Investigation is not just a general group assignment. It is a syllabus-linked investigation with a clear research question, a structured process, and specific components that must be completed.

3. The 5 phases of the Collaborative Investigation

NESA’s teaching advice organises the Collaborative Investigation into 5 phases. This is the clearest way to understand the overall process.

Phase

Main focus

What is done

Phase 1

Setting up the investigation
  • Investigation introduction
  • syllabus deconstruction
  • group formation
  • topic proposal
  • preliminary research
  • research question

Checkpoint for research question approval.

Phase 2

Building background knowledge
  • Background research, key definitions and processes, related studies
  • a hypothesis if appropriate.
  • Phases 1 and 2 may be compiled into the proposal.

Checkpoint

Phase 3

Planning the method
  • Method
  • resources
  • ethical considerations
  • risk assessment
  • variables
  • what data will be collected
  • and how it will be presented.

Checkpoint for method approval.

Phase 4

Working with the data
  • Data collection: quantitative, qualitative, or both.
  • data presentation
  • data analysis.

No checkpoint here

Phase 5

Finishing the investigation
  • Conclusion
  • evaluation of the investigation

Check point for collaboration and review of findings

  • presentation of the investigation.

4. What do students produce?

Across the investigation, students are expected to produce four main parts.

4.1 Proposal

The proposal sets up the investigation. It usually includes the topic, links to the syllabus, the method, ethical considerations, and how the group chose the topic. In NESA’s sample task, the proposal is a group component submitted for feedback.

4.2 Portfolio

The portfolio documents the process of the investigation. NESA’s teaching advice states that it may include the research design, development of the research question, records of discussion, major decisions, reflections, draft responses, and a personal statement of learning. The portfolio may be individual or group, depending on how the school structures the task.

4.3 Presentation of findings

The presentation of findings may be oral, written, or multimodal. It should clearly communicate the research question, findings, and supporting evidence. Where possible, NESA states it should be presented to an authentic audience.

4.4 Reference list

The reference list must include all sources used in the investigation and should be formatted consistently using a recognised style such as APA or Harvard.

5. What does collaboration actually mean?

In this task, collaboration does not just mean splitting up the work. NESA states that collaboration involves working together towards a common purpose and relying on each other throughout the investigation. It includes skills such as negotiating plans and tasks, distributing leadership, creating and maintaining a positive group environment, and giving and receiving feedback.

This is important because HM-11-05 must be addressed in the investigation. So, how the group works together matters, not just the final product.