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PSC032
Exam ques on example 1
Imagine you are advising a group of parents about the normal process of growth and
matura on in children. Reflec ng on what you learnt in the module – describe the points that
are most important to communicate. (10 marks)
Example good answer:
All children have the poten al for a patern of growth typically human, and all children will go
through the same stages of growth.
Children are not miniature adults, and grow at different rates and paterns.
The speed and ming at which each child passes through the growth stages varies, and the
range of varia on is wide in both amount and ming.
Children’s growth is not a con nuous process – it occurs with ‘stepwise’ increments in growth,
interspersed by periods of no growth.
Girls mature on average 2 years before boys of the same age (but some boys will mature
earlier than some girls).
However, boys on average will end up taller because of more me of growth before
adolescence, a greater dura on and size of the growth spurt, and con nuing growth un l later
than girls.
Changes in body propor ons and growth in different body ssues (e.g., nervous system)
happens at different ages during childhood and adolescence, and these changes will have
impact on func on and motor performance.
The centre of gravity moves down in girls, with girls ending up with a bigger propor on of their
height above the waist which could enhance balance; whereas boys on average will have
rela vely longer legs and broader shoulders.
PSC032
Exam ques on example 2
You have been asked to provide advice on what single measurement method/tool is best to
use for assessing type and intensity of physical ac vity of young children playing in a private
primary school playground.
Describe which you believe to be the most appropriate method in this scenario, and provide a
ra onale as to why you chose that method. In your answer please include a descrip on of the
method as well as the strengths and limita ons. (10 marks)
Example good answer:
Method choice:
Direct Observa on, as it can assess type and intensity of children’s physical ac vity.
Measurement descrip on:
A trained observer classifies children’s free-living physical ac vity by objec vely recording their
behaviour for a prespecified length of me.
All the recordings are registered into a computer-based or paper-and-pencil form.
There are several validated protocols which can collect not only intensity and dura on of
physical ac vity but also contextual informa on (e.g., the type or the loca on of ac vity), such
as the Observa onal System for Recording PA – Preschool (OSRAC-P).
Strengths:
It is a direct measurement method, avoiding recall bias from subjec ve methods
There are validated and reliable protocols which ensure validity and reliability of the data.
It can collect contextually rich data that other objec ve methods such as an accelerometer
cannot collect (e.g., type or loca on of ac vity)
Limita ons:
There is poten al for reac vity of children to the observer which can introduce measurement
bias (e.g., children being more or less ac ve than usual)
Although validated protocols exist, intensity is s ll subjec vely assessed by the observer.
It can be costly due to the needed staff me for observa on and prepara on.
PSC032
Exam ques on example 3
One of the most well-known social marke ng interven ons targe ng children’s health and
physical ac vity in England is Change4Life. The campaign focused on three main behaviours
that contribute to the risk of children suffering for obesity – physical ac vity, sedentary
behaviour, and diet.
Cri cally discuss the merits and shor alls of “Change4Life” for reducing obesity in children
(including evidence from independent evalua ons), as well as the exis ng evidence for a
rela onship between sedentary behaviour and obesity in primary school children. (10 marks)
Some key points to consider for your answer:
1) The ques on asks you to cri cally discuss both (i) merits and (ii) shor alls of the campaign, so
a good answer would include points on both of these, and show cri cal thinking (i.e., not just
making brief statements, but explaining the ra onale for why something might be a
merit/posi ve or a shor all/nega ve for the aim of reducing obesity in children)
2) It also asks you to include evidence from independent evalua ons, so I would expect to see a
men on of evidence (e.g., from reports, research studies, etc) that is not from
people/ins tu ons linked to the campaign in itself, but from evalua ons made by someone
independent of the campaign. Discussing evidence from any evalua on made by the campaign
or individuals/ins tu ons linked to the campaign would not be answering what is asked in the
ques on and, thus, would not earn you marks.
3) The last part of the ques on asks you to cri cally discuss the exis ng evidence for a rela onship
between sedentary behaviour and obesity, and specifically in primary school children. Again, I
would expect to see a men on of exis ng evidence (e.g., from reports, research studies,
systema c reviews) on the rela onship between sedentary behaviour and obesity (e.g.,
associa on between BMI/% body fat and sedentary behaviour indicators), but only from data
that comes from primary-school aged children.
Discussing evidence from, for example, studies that only included young children or that are
repor ng on the associa on between moderate-to-vigorous physical ac vity and obesity would
not be answering what is asked in the ques on and, thus, would not earn you marks.
4) Remember to be specific and detailed in your statements – e.g., when answering the part
about the exis ng evidence for a rela onship between sedentary behaviour and obesity – if
there is evidence for a significant associa on of sedentary behaviour with obesity, where more
me spent in sedentary behaviour is associated with higher risk of being obese, a good answer
would describe clearly what the direc on of that associa on is (e.g., the previous statement
“more time spent in sedentary behaviour is associated with higher risk of being obese”) instead
of just sta ng that there is a rela onship between the 2 variables. The later would not show me
that you understand what that rela onship is, how the 2 are related.
Addi onally, because you are asked to “Cri cally discuss”, a good answer would include some
“cri cism” of that exis ng evidence – e.g., what are some poten al limita ons of that exis ng
evidence, how they “limit” what you can say about that evidence, is the evidence base
consistent or are there studies with contradictory results
5) Ques ons may assess content from more than 1 source – e.g., to answer this ques on to a
good level, ensuring you include informa on on all that is asked of you, you would have to
PSC032
draw in content from 2 different lectures. In some ques ons this may happen, where part of
what is asked of you might come from the content of 1 lecture and another part may come
from the content of another lecture; or it may be that one part of the ques on assesses
content from 1 lecture and another part of the ques on assesses understanding of content
from a compulsory reading.