COMPONENTS OF SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATION

Overview
One of the distinct traits that separates us from animals is our ability to find answers to
questions and solution to problems that are present in our environment. This same trait is
also contributing factor to our evolution and survival through time. However, how to we
solve problems?
You will have an opportunity to determine how the steps of the scientific method can
be used as a way of solving problems.

Most Essential Learning Competencies

Describe the components of a scientific investigation

Focus Points
by the end of this lesson you should be able to
1. Describe the components of a scientific investigation
2. Follow the steps of the scientific method
3. Conduct a simple investigation using processes involving community based
problems by using locally available materials.

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 Scientists and engineers solve problems using a systematic process of empirical
investigation known as scientific method. When we say empirical investigation, we refer to
the use of our senses together with the utilization of available technology. Scientific method
is the key to unlock the bodies of knowledge by helping the researcher in organizing his/her
thoughts and procedures and making him/her confident of the findings generated from the
experiments.
Following the scientific method, Sir Isaac Newton, the Father of Physics,
demonstrated his theory of the composition of light through his famous experiment, the
Experimentum crusis in the 1660’s.

Components of a Scientific Investigation

1. Statement of a Research Problem
Choosing a problem to be explored also requires preliminary steps to ensure a
successful investigation. First and foremost, you should have an existing knowledge on the
problem. To reinforce that existing knowledge , conduct research by collecting information
from print and multimedia, interviews, and observations in the environment.

Example: How does fertilizer affect the growth of plants?

2. Formulation of Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a simple statement that presents the possible solution to the problem.
It can be tested, and it is based on knowledge and research. A hypothesis can be an overall
statement about the observation (descriptive) or a guess about what caused the pattern in the
observation (explanatory).
Hypothesis may be stated in two ways:
A. Null hypothesis- hypothesis that states no relationship between variables.
Example: the fertilizer does not affect the growth of the plants.
B. Alternative hypothesis- hypothesis that states a relationship between variables
Example: there is no significant relationship between the growth of the plants and the
use of fertilizer.

3. Testing Hypothesis and Gathering of Data

An experiment is a set of manipulations or specific observations of nature, and it is
considered the most important part of the scientific method. It is done to answer the research
question or investigate a problem. There are three types of experiments: controlled, natural
and field experiments.

Controlled experiment generally compares the results obtained from an experimental

sample against the control sample.
A variable is a characteristic, number or quantity that increases or decreases overtime
or takes different values in different situations. It is anything that you can change or control
in an experiment. There are three kinds of variables in an experiment:

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a. Controlled variables are variables that are kept constant. They do not receive any
treatment.
b. Independent variables are the factors that you can change or alter during the experiment.
c. Dependent variables are the variables that you observe, and they are considered the
response to an independent variable. They include the growth of the plants in terms of height,
number of leaves, and other characteristics.

To genuinely test the hypothesis, the experiment should be a “fair test” s phrase that
describes a scientifically valid experiment. Fair testing occurs when you change only one
factor at a time while keeping other conditions the same.

A prediction is a forecast of future events based on past observations. The part of the
experiment without the variable being tested is called control group. The part that contains
the variable being tested is called experimental group. The control group is necessary for
comparison.

Example:
Topic: Does the fertilizer affect the growth of the plants?
Hypothesis: Fertilizers have an effect on the growth of the plants. Plants with
fertilizers will grow bigger.

A group of pupils tested the effect of fertilizer on the growth of the plants. They used
six plants that are all 15cm tall. They grouped the plants into two: Group A and Group B.
They watered the plants in Group A with 200 ml of plain water and 200 ml of fertilizer
solution in Group B. They watered the plants twice a week with the same amount of water
and exposed them to the same amount of sunlight. After three weeks, they measured the
growth of the plants in each group.

The set of plants that received some amount of fertilizer is the experimental group,
while the set of plants that did not receive fertilizer is the control group.
The growth of plant is the dependent variable. This may be measured in terms of the
height of the plants and the diameter of the stem after a period of time. The amount of
fertilizer is the independent variable. The amount of water, amount of sunlight, and the
kind and initial size of the plants are the controlled variables.
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4. Analyzing and Presenting Data
Data obtained from experiments should be analyzed and presented systematically. The
data may be presented using a table for easy interpretation.

Experimental Data

Setup Initial Height of Frequency of Treatment Given Growth of Plants

Plant Watering for Three Weeks
Group A 15cm Twice a week 200 mL of Plain 18cm
water
Group B 15cm Twice a week 200 mL of fertilizer 32cm
solution

A. Which plants have the greatest growth rate?

B. What factor affects the growth of the plants?
C. What is the table all about?

5. Creating Conclusion
A conclusion is a summary of the results of the experiment and the statement of how
the results match up to the hypothesis. There are two options for a conclusion. One is to
reject the hypothesis, and the other one is to accept it. If a good conclusion has been tested
often enough and showed valid and reliable results each time, it then becomes a theory, a
scientifically accepted fact. A theory that has been tested and confirmed by various
experiments becomes a scientific law, a statement or principle that is universally accepted.

6. Reporting of Findings
Once the data have been obtained and analyzed and the conclusion has been drawn,
the next step is to share the result. This stage is important in perpetuating the body of
knowledge gained in conducting the scientific method.

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