A good project reflection has five parts: a question, a record, what the record shows, what it cannot show, and a next step. Each part needs a detail from your own project.
This lesson is part of SPM subjects and learning resources. It applies the skills from distinguishing observations from unsupported claims.
How do I choose a question?
Choose a question you can answer with a number you can take yourself. “Does skipping every day improve my endurance?” is hard to measure. “Does my count of skips in 60 seconds change over four weeks of daily skipping practice?” is measurable.
Keep the project safe and small. Check with your teacher before any activity that is new or strenuous.
Worked example: an original four-week skipping project
Question. Does my count of skips in 60 seconds change over four weeks of ten minutes of skipping practice on school days?
Record. Every Friday, same place and same rope, count skips in 60 seconds. The original record is: week one 82, week two 90, week three 88, week four 97. Note any unusual day.
What the record shows. Skips rose from 82 to 97, a gain of 15. The count dipped in week three by 2 skips (90 to 88).
What it cannot show. Only one person, one measurement a week, and no comparison with a week without practice. I cannot say the practice caused the gain. My notes say week three came after a late night, which may explain the dip.
Next step. Repeat the same test two weeks after stopping, to see whether the count drops. Record sleep as well.
Listing activities versus reflecting
| Version | Text | Problem or strength |
|---|---|---|
| Listing | “I skipped every day and counted skips. It was fun and I got better.” | No numbers, no limits, no link between record and claim. |
| Reflecting | “My count rose from 82 to 97 over four weeks, although it dipped by 2 in week three. One person and no comparison means I cannot claim the practice caused it.” | Uses the record, names the exception and states a limit. |
The mistake to avoid
The common slip is to record too much or too vaguely. Five measures taken differently each time leave you with a muddle, and you will not know what to write.
Keep the measure the same, taken in the same way, and write down each result on the day.
Check yourself
An original project measures how far a student can reach in a sit-and-reach test each week: 18 cm, 20 cm, 21 cm, 21 cm. Write the observation, one limit and one next step in three sentences.
Answer
A sample: “The reach rose from 18 cm to 21 cm, a gain of 3 cm, and stayed at 21 cm in the last two weeks. This is one person measured four times, so it cannot show that the stretching caused the change. Next time I would record the time of day and warm-up before each test.”
Check that the observation uses the record, the limit is specific, and the next step would improve the record.
What to study next
Test the wording of your own conclusions with the original Sports Science practice set and the structured-answer self-review tool. If you need a refresher on reading results, revisit interpreting a small sports-data table.
Any school-based assessed project follows the instructions you are given at school. For help planning and wording a reflection, see online one-to-one Sports Science tuition.