Researchers investigated whether attempting a problem before seeing its solution improved adults’ ability to solve unfamiliar problems. Forty-eight adults volunteered after seeing an advertisement at a community education centre. All were attending evening courses, although none had previously studied the particular problems used in the research. Participants agreed to complete a learning activity and were told that their individual scores would not be shared with their course teachers.

A computer randomly allocated participants to two equal groups. One group spent three minutes attempting each problem before studying a worked solution for three minutes. The other group studied the worked solution for six minutes without first attempting the problem. Both groups encountered the same six problems, worked individually in the same room and received instructions from the same researcher. Participants were told that the researchers expected attempting problems first to be helpful.

Immediately afterwards, everyone completed ten new problems without assistance. These required the same solution principles but used different situations. A second researcher, who did not know which learning activity each participant had completed, scored the answers using a common marking guide. The first group obtained a mean score of seven correct answers; the second group obtained a mean score of five. The researchers described this as better immediate performance following an initial attempt.

Participants also rated how useful they thought their learning activity had been. Several who attempted problems first reported frustration, although everyone completed the session. Participants could stop at any time and received an explanation of the comparison afterwards. There was no later assessment, and the researchers recommended that the approach should be investigated further before being introduced across adult education courses.

Discuss this study with reference to two or more of the following concepts: bias, causality, measurement and responsibility.

A research team investigated how paid overnight care workers understood the barriers to obtaining adequate rest between shifts. A care agency circulated an invitation to its employees, and twelve workers volunteered. An agency administrator arranged two discussion sessions, each involving six workers. Each session included a senior employee who sometimes coordinated the other participants’ shifts. The agency funded the research to help plan support for staff.

Before the sessions, participants received written information explaining that participation was optional, discussions would be recorded and names would be removed from the report. They were asked not to repeat other participants’ comments outside the session. The researchers explained that they could protect the recordings but could not guarantee that everyone attending would keep the discussion private.

An independent researcher guided each discussion using the same opening questions about rest, household commitments and working arrangements. Follow-up questions allowed workers to explain unexpected issues. Participants could respond to one another rather than answering only the researcher. In both sessions, senior employees spoke first and gave lengthy accounts of successful routines. Some other workers agreed briefly, while several described difficulties only near the end. One participant began discussing a disagreement about shift allocation but stopped after another worker reminded the group that the agency supported the project.

The researchers examined the recordings and identified recurring explanations. Planning a regular routine was mentioned frequently, while unpredictable shifts and caring for relatives were discussed less often but in greater detail by some workers. The report concluded that workers mainly viewed inadequate rest as a problem of personal organization. It included short quotations without names but identified participants’ job roles and years of service. The agency proposed using the findings to develop a workshop on planning rest between shifts.

Discuss this study with reference to two or more of the following concepts: responsibility, perspective, bias and measurement.

Researchers investigated whether children’s cooperation changed after a nursery introduced a shared outdoor construction area. Two nurseries agreed to take part. One was already planning to replace separate play stations with a large area containing movable boards, boxes and fabric. The other retained its existing outdoor equipment. The researchers did not decide which nursery would make the change. Twenty children aged four to five participated at each nursery, with parental consent and the children’s agreement.

The same children were observed during outdoor play before the change and again six weeks later. At each stage, two researchers visited each nursery on four mornings. They remained outside the activities and recorded behaviour during equal-length observation periods. Children and staff knew why the visitors were present. Before data collection, the researchers agreed that a cooperative event involved at least two children exchanging materials or coordinating actions towards a shared task. They practised applying this definition to recordings not included in the study.

One researcher knew which nursery had introduced the new area. The other scored recordings labelled only with identification codes, although the equipment was visible. Staff at the nursery with the new area had also attended training on encouraging children to work together. No corresponding training took place at the comparison nursery.

The researchers reported that cooperative events became more frequent at the nursery with the new area, whereas there was little change at the comparison nursery. Staff described children as becoming more socially mature. However, some children spent much of their time playing alone, and the researchers did not ask children how they experienced the activities. The report concluded that the new area may support cooperation but acknowledged that equipment, staff practices and other differences between nurseries could not be separated by this study.

Discuss this study with reference to two or more of the following concepts: change, causality, measurement and perspective.