SQA Advanced Higher Economics Researching an Economic Issue: a complete overview of research methods, data handling and evaluation

What this area actually demands

Researching an Economic Issue is the research-skills area of Advanced Higher Economics, and it is what most clearly marks the course out from Higher. The SQA description is precise: you "plan and record a programme of research relating to a current economic issue", "detail the research methods you will use and the likely timescales involved", and "explain and use approaches to organising and referencing findings, and in evaluating the research process". These are taught skills, then assessed in the project (Component 2, worth 40 of the 120 marks, a third of the award).

This guide walks through the area, then sets out how the skills are examined. The two dot-point pages cover the planning and the analysis halves in depth; this overview ties them together and links to the project.

Planning the research

The investigation begins by choosing a current economic issue that is focused enough to study in depth yet rich enough for theory and evidence, with accessible data and a conclusion in reach. The issue is turned into a focused aim or hypothesis, a clear question to answer or statement to test. The candidate then plans a programme of research: the methods (primary and secondary), the sources, the data to gather, how it will be recorded and referenced, and a realistic timescale.

Key method distinctions: primary research (original first-hand data: surveys, questionnaires, interviews) versus secondary research (published data: official statistics, reports, articles); and quantitative (numerical) versus qualitative (descriptive) data. Sampling (random, stratified or convenience) chooses who or what to study and affects reliability.

Analysing and evaluating

Once gathered, evidence must be organised and presented clearly (tables, charts, graphs) and analysed. Core data-handling skills are percentage change and index numbers (values relative to a base of 100). Each source is judged for reliability (who produced it and why, how recent, how collected) and validity (does it measure what the aim needs), and referenced to credit it and allow checking.

The analysis leads to a conclusion supported by the evidence and by economic theory, and, distinctively at Advanced Higher, the project must evaluate its own research process, acknowledging the limitations of the data and methods and qualifying the conclusion accordingly.

How this area is examined

This area is assessed mainly through the project, but its skills also surface in the question paper:

• Data handling. Percentage change and index numbers appear in the question paper's data-response questions.
• Source evaluation. Judging reliability and validity informs both the project and exam interpretation.
• The project. Planning, method, referencing, conclusion and self-evaluation are all marked in Component 2.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall and explanation questions covering this area. Attempt them, then check against the solutions.

1. State the difference between primary and secondary research. (2 marks)
2. Calculate the percentage change when a value rises from 50 to 60. (1 mark)
3. What does an index number of 115 tell you, given a base of 100? (1 mark)
4. Name two things that affect the reliability of a source. (2 marks)
5. Why must findings be referenced? (1 mark)
6. What does it mean to evaluate the research process? (2 marks)