Every year the current seniors are tasked with coming up with a research project that will be presented at the end of the year in AP Research.  Many of the seniors decide to do surveys, while others use methods such as content analysis. As a senior, picking my research topic was something that was quite difficult for me, so underclassmen, here are also some helpful tips for picking out your topic. Also, underclassmen and upperclassmen remember to fill out ALL the surveys that are in your inbox!

Senior Topics

Marina Barnes: The Familiarity and Utilization of AI in Medicine in Charleston, SC

I am researching AI in a medical setting and how it’s used.

Sutton Bates: Analyzing the connection between the intensity and number of AP Classes and the effects on students’ health and sleep schedules

My research paper is about determining whether or not there is a correlation between the number and intensity of AP Classes a student takes and a lack of sleep/ increase in stress.

Milla Broadwater: Fashion Marketing on TikTok

I am analyzing the effectiveness of various forms of marketing on TikTok. The forms of marketing include word of mouth marketing, influencer marketing, and direct marketing by the company.

Chloe Carlsten: The Correlation Between Physical Activity and Sports Participation with Academic Performance

I am seeing if people who play sports or workout do better in school 

Jason Gould: Analyzing the effect of music on stress

I’m playing music samples for people and seeing how their heart rates change.  The samples will vary in tempo and chord structure because that is what I’m trying to test and determine which chord structures/tempos have the most calming effect.

Aiden Hanna: Content Analysis of Disability within  Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

It’s about the representation of disability within crime shows, I want to specifically talk about how there’s a visible difference in how visible and invisible disabilities are presented on television.

Holly Manning: Evaluating How Stigmas and Environmental Factors Surrounding Second Hand Fashion and Fast Fashion Affect High Schoolers’ Decisions to Purchase Clothes

I am researching how different factors such as stigmas and environmental factors affect high schoolers’ decisions to purchase fast fashion clothing as well as second hand clothing. I’m asking students what factors they base their purchasing decisions on such as the cost of clothes or how convenient the stores are to the consumers.

John McQueen: Fire Ant Presence on a Sea Turtle Nesting Beach in South Carolina

Kiawah Island is an important sea turtle nesting beach in SC with almost 500 loggerhead nests last year. I’m going to lay out baits to collect ant specimens, then analyze them under a microscope and identify the species to assess the potential risk of depredation.

Lilly Murphy: Examining the opioid crisis through Hulu’s Dopesick, particularly looking at the pharmacological aspects of the series.

While doing her research Lilly decided to question: Does Hulu’s Dopesick contain enough pharmaceutical references to be a valuable tool in teaching clinical pharmacology?

Scarlet Rutter: Paganism in the Eastern Baltic

My research paper is about how paganism impacted the development of feudalism in the Eastern Baltic. This includes mainly Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. I am researching how the dynamic between the partial conversion of the people living there during the Baltic Crusades changed the development and solidification of feudalism and serfdom.

Ava Trolley: The Constancy of Relationship Health in “Enemies to Lovers” Novels

It’s a content analysis comparing the health of the main romantic relationship in Pride and Prejudice to the health of the romantic relationship in The Hating Game, a modern romance novel.

Advice to Underclassmen

To all underclassmen, one thing the majority of the seniors have emphasized is that you should enjoy your topic! No one wants to be writing a 4,000 – 5,000 word paper on something they are uninterested in, so make sure you keep that in mind!

Jason Gould says that other than picking a topic you’re interested in try and pick something that could affect your future, like maybe something you could envision yourself doing in college.

Lilly Murphy said that you should start with a method first. AP research isn’t just about writing about a topic, it’s about doing actual research. In order to do research you need a method and it’s a lot easier to find a topic that fits a method than finding a method that fits a topic. Also, it’s more important to do something researchable than something you’re passionate about.

John McQueen says to choose something that you want to read about and write about, rather than just a study you want to conduct because the study is the smallest portion of your work.

Scarlett Rutter’s advice is very important for those who love history. Don’t do historical analysis unless you’re really committed. It doesn’t work very well with the AP rubrics.

Both Chloe and Ava responded with different viewpoints on picking a topic.

Chloe said that AP Research is not going to be fun no matter your topic unless you like researching, so don’t stress about picking a super interesting topic. On the other hand Ava said to pick something you’re actually interested in, especially if you’re someone who struggles with motivation and focus. Also, you can either pick a topic and then a gap (something that hasn’t been researched yet) or pick a gap (or what you think could be a gap) and build out that way. Just make sure there is a gap and you can come up with a reason why your gap needs to be researched.

Sutton Bates had a new piece of advice for underclassmen. He said that you should think about your topic ahead of time. Sutton picked his topic kind of last minute, so he doesn’t feel passionate or excited to work on his research. He says that if “you can hit the ground running when the year starts” you’ll have a much-improved start to your AP research year.