AP Research Initial Inquiry Proposal Form

Utilize your notes, past PREP reflections, and annotated bibliography to complete the following prompts. Be as
specific and narrow as possible - leave nothing to assumption.

1. Research Question (with associated project goals if applicable).

How does participation in extracurricular activities impact teens mental health?

2. Problem statement (using appropriate template and containing evidence) speaking to the issue at hand
and new knowledge sought.
Extracurricular activities play a crucial role in shaping many highschool students' lives. These sports and
activities can teach students many life skills and important lessons however when does it reach a point where
it's either too much to the point where students grades began to suffer and self worth becomes tied with success
in sports and activities or a student does not participate at all and therefore suffer from never gaining these
important lessons that only sports and activities can teach? Despite all of this, teens should be aware of both
benefits and also be able to understand when it becomes overwhelming. This problem has continued to
negatively impact teens mentally on both ends of the spectrum of ones who continue to not participate in sports
and ones who take it too far. A possible cause of this problem is most likely pressures from schools, parents,
coaches and so much more.

3. Value statement (The proposed findings of this research could hold value to ______)
The proposed findings of this research could offer clarity to any highschool teen whether they participate in
sports or not as well as schools, coaches and parents to help them navigate and understand the root causes of
the importance of understanding teens mental health when it comes to activities and sports.

4. Briefly explain the gap in knowledge this research seeks to fill and how the literature in this topic or
discipline supports that gap? Include a list of the top three articles (title and source) from the body of
knowledge that could be used to defend/ justify the gap.
One huge gap is that every individual is different. Some teens have supportive parents and help which helps
them navigate crazy schedules and overwhelming situations.
https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/give-teens-more-downtime-and-support-with-time-management
This article explains how support with time management not all teens have that support from parents
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/teenagers-and-communication
Communication with parents is not something that all teens have.

5. What data could be collected to answer the research question/ address the project goal?

A survey of data about activity and sports participation could be a helpful resource to accurately measure the
question at hand. But also then to figure out and understand the correlation to mental health.

6. What equipment or resources might be needed to collect or access this data (surveys, forms, existing data
bases, science equipment, etc.)?

Existing data will be needed and helpful as well as understanding similar studies that have already been done.

7. What anticipated challenges to implementing this research (collection or analysis of data) need to be
addressed?
There will be many challenges specifically with my gap as it is a large one. Every individual is different and can
handle different things better mentally based on what their homelife looks like and what other challenges they
are facing whether it's mentally or physically.
8. What expected approvals may be needed and from whom/ where for what purpose (ethics review, data
collection/ access, organizations, individuals, etc.)?

Making sure that all information is true and relevant and making sure that teens specifically are able to speak
upon the fact.

9. Teacher’s feedback.

10. Teacher’s Approval (signature): ___________________________________