When designing an investigation, two important elements that you should consider are Population and Outcome. Population includes all of the members of some defined group such as all of the high school seniors at Aiea High School or all of the homeowners living on the Big Island. The outcome represents the result or consequence of your study. For example, the outcome might be finding out if a difference existed between two populations (e.g., freshman students and senior students) and their attitude toward school spirit on campus. In other words, do freshman students have a different attitude toward school spirit than senior students or vice versa?

Keep in mind that your performance task requires that you prepare a marketing campaign for a particular consumer population based on a research study that you complete. Review the sample research questions below that attempt to find a difference between some characteristic of the consumer population and their attitude toward energy conservation and/or environmental preservation.

• To what extent is the attitude of high school students toward conserving energy affected by their grade point average?
• To what extent is the attitude of high school students toward conserving energy affected by their participation in school-related extra-curricular activities?
• To what extent is the attitude of high school students toward photovoltaic (PV) system technology affected by their parent's attitude?
• To what extent is the attitude of citizens toward photovoltaic (PV) system technology affected by their years of education?

It is recommended that you begin your research study with an introduction that describes (1) the consumer population you are studying, (2) the research question you are trying to answer relating to either energy conservation or alternative energy sources, and (3) how this study will help you complete a marketing campaign that promotes energy conservation and/or alternative energy use by the consumer population you are researching.