What makes a Psychology EE excellent? RQ styles, good sources, general structure..etc

[meowchelle]

Hi guys!
I'm planning to major in Psychology in uni, and am taking Psychology HL. Originally I wanted to do my EE in English, however my supervisor was against some of the books I intended to do (even LOTR) as she prefers something older, more classic. She suggested some books but I didn't really like them, as in I don't find them SO interesting to want to do extensive research on, hence I'm switching to Psychology, which is another subject I'm interested in.

However my supervisor is new (this is her first year) and my EE will probably be the first one she supervises. She's good in her lectures and teaching but not experienced in EE-supervising, so what I want to ask here is for any specific tips and advice for Psych EEs in general?

Like what to do, what to avoid, what IB examiners love and what they would cut marks off. Also, what kind of RQ is the best and good sources that I can get my research? My supervisor says that Psych resources are much less than other subjects, so I'll have to show her many sources for my RQ so that she'll approve it.

What makes an excellent Psych EE?

Thanks! Any help is greatly appreciated!

[The Rainbow Connection]

Hi there I completed a psych EE recently although am not sure of the grade yet, my supervisor wasn't even a psych teacher so I know where you're coming from! These tips and such helped me write my ee:

Firstly, i wouldn't necessarily say that psych resources are less of other subjects - you have plenty of journals and studies! It really depends on your topic. So choose a topic where there are resources and information!

Secondly, while you're writing your EE read some past subject reports specifically for psych EEs - this really helped me work out what I was missing. So look up a few of these. Also make sure you constantly refer to the psych EE subject specific section in the EE guide. This helped me form a topic and I kept on referring it to make sure I was fulfilling the criteria.

Always stay refer to your question and try not to steer off track. Choose something that is interesting as well! it makes it more fun. I also went to the library quite a bit to get resources, so check out local ones near you for resources. You'll be able to find resources from JSTOR, google scholar as well - it depends on your topic, there are plenty of psychological journals as well.

There are also plenty of online resources helping psych students write their EEs. Just browse the net for a bit

Your RQ needs to be specific and attainable in 4000 words, but not so specific that there is a lack of information.

From reading subject reports, examiners love evaluation of the studies - so GEMS. Also make sure you reference well.

Hope it helped!

[meowchelle]

Hi there I completed a psych EE recently although am not sure of the grade yet, my supervisor wasn't even a psych teacher so I know where you're coming from! These tips and such helped me write my ee:

Firstly, i wouldn't necessarily say that psych resources are less of other subjects - you have plenty of journals and studies! It really depends on your topic. So choose a topic where there are resources and information!

Secondly, while you're writing your EE read some past subject reports specifically for psych EEs - this really helped me work out what I was missing. So look up a few of these. Also make sure you constantly refer to the psych EE subject specific section in the EE guide. This helped me form a topic and I kept on referring it to make sure I was fulfilling the criteria.

Always stay refer to your question and try not to steer off track. Choose something that is interesting as well! it makes it more fun. I also went to the library quite a bit to get resources, so check out local ones near you for resources. You'll be able to find resources from JSTOR, google scholar as well - it depends on your topic, there are plenty of psychological journals as well.

There are also plenty of online resources helping psych students write their EEs. Just browse the net for a bit

Your RQ needs to be specific and attainable in 4000 words, but not so specific that there is a lack of information.

From reading subject reports, examiners love evaluation of the studies - so GEMS. Also make sure you reference well.

Hope it helped!

Thank you soooo much for the advice! It really encourages me that there are actually good resources for psych (cause I've never taken the subject before!). Also, I really admire you for choosing a subject with a supervisor who isn't good in the subject. You must have done a lot of research about EE itself to know how to write a good essay.

Can I ask you some more questions:

1. Are psychology magazines allowed as a resource?

2. Is it really tough reading all the academic journals and books on the topic? I found some journals but they look SO academic and scholarly that I feel it would be difficult going through them.

3. What is your predicted grade for your EE, out of curiosity?

Is it okay if I PM you after this, if I have any more questions? Thank you so much!

[The Rainbow Connection]

Can I ask you some more questions:

1. Are psychology magazines allowed as a resource?

2. Is it really tough reading all the academic journals and books on the topic? I found some journals but they look SO academic and scholarly that I feel it would be difficult going through them.

3. What is your predicted grade for your EE, out of curiosity?

Is it okay if I PM you after this, if I have any more questions? Thank you so much!

Feel free to PM me anytime

Hmm, you've never taken the subject before? You need to be really careful, I wouldn't recommend someone do a psych EE fi they haven't completed it, but if you're confident that you have the abilities to pull it off, by all means. If this is the case, then read some past psych EEs that scored well - this will help you gain a more fuller understanding of what you have to do.

1. I don't think they are banned but i wouldn't use them as a main resource, i'd read these magazines to gain some background knowledge about the topic. I'd stick to the actual published journals and material because they are more legitimate

2. Admittedly, when I was looking into my topic it did get really technical especially with all the studies. However, I enjoyed researching my topic so it wasn't a huge struggle. I just made sure I understood everything and read up on the bits of details I didn't understand. It all became very clear after I read a few books and journals

3. I don't have a predicted grade unfortunately :/ I'm fairly confident in it though as I put quite a large amount of effort into it If I get a predicted grade I'll let you know

4. My supervisor was an english teacher, so that was fun - my friends and I checked each others so that helps as well! We both take the subject at a different school (weird system, don't ask) and took a look at each others EE. If you have this opportunity, take it.