An extended essay (EE) in sports, exercise and health science (SEHS) provides students with an opportunity to apply the wide range of skills in the field of sports, exercise and health science to research into a topic of personal interest. SEHS covers a wide range of topics from human physiology to principles of biomechanics and the nature of skill acquisition. It is an applied science course so its EE investigates a sporting or health-related issue using the principles of science.
Choice of Topic
The EE must have a clear SEHS emphasis. This incorporates knowledge from a variety of fields, in particular biology, chemistry, physics and psychology, but the essay must focus on human health and performance in relation to sport and exercise. The topic must allow for an approach that relates specifically to:
human performance in sport or exercise, or
an understanding of the role of exercise or nutrition in improving or maintaining health and managing disease.
For example, an essay that deals with the physiological responses to exercise should emphasize the relationship between the exercise and relevant bodily responses rather than the biological understanding of anatomy. Inappropriate topics Some topics may be unsuitable because of ethical or safety issues arising from the means of investigation. The following are inappropriate:
experiments in which the student is likely to inflict pain on, or cause undue stress to, subjects or compromise their health
experiments involving body fluids (as there is a risk of the transmission of blood-borne pathogens)
studies that require access to, or publication of, confidential medical information.
The investigation must comply with the IB animal experimentation policy . An experiment involving human subjects must be carried out with their, or their guardian’s, written permission. It is recommended that all test subjects complete a PAR-Q or similar readiness questionnaire before taking part in rigorous exercise, to ensure that they are not likely to be subject to activities that could affect their well-being. Other topics may be unsuitable because the outcome is already well known and documented in standard textbooks.
Examples of Topics
Treatment of the Topic
Primary and secondary data Students can base their essay on primary data collected through:
experimentation in the laboratory or in the field
questionnaires
some other appropriate SEHS approach.
Alternatively, essays may be based on secondary data or information obtained from literature or databases. If students choose secondary data, they must manipulate or analyse it in an original way to answer their research question. Students can also use secondary data in conjunction with primary data that they have collected themselves.
Whichever approach is chosen, students must ensure that they have access to sufficient data or information to research and analyse their topic effectively. Essays that simply restate facts or data taken directly from the sources are of little value.
Essays that involve practical work carried out in the laboratory or in the field should include a clear and concise description of the experimental procedure. Students should attempt to specify how the research approach and methodology were decided.
Supervision Ideally, students should carry out the research for the essay under the direction of a school supervisor. Where this is not practical, for instance in testing multiple subjects in the field over a long period of time, every effort should be made to keep accurate documentation of the testing procedures.
It is possible to complete a good essay using the basic equipment available at most schools and this approach is to be encouraged. Regardless of where, or under what circumstances, the research is carried out, students must provide evidence of their personal contribution to the research approach and to the selection of the methods used.
Essays based on research carried out by the student at a research institute, university or club under the guidance of an external mentor must be accompanied by a covering letter outlining the nature and level of guidance provided. If this is the case, students must also have a school supervisor to guide them through the process and to undertake their reflection sessions with them.
Analysis and argument Generating and presenting data should not be an end in itself; analysis using appropriate techniques is essential.
The main body of the essay should consist of an argument or evaluation based on the data or information presented. Here, the students should point out the significance of any graphs, tables or diagrams.
Students should ensure that the main body of the essay is well structured and has an obvious logical progression. They can use numbered and headed paragraphs to impose a clear structure. Their evaluation should show they understand the results and their significance in the context of wider academic reading on the topic.
Depending on the topic chosen, students should allow room for discussion of conflicting evidence. The ability to analyse from different perspectives is very important in these circumstances.
It is not always appropriate to include graphs and tables for analysis, but every effort should be made to provide clear pathways to the outcome of any experimentation.
Students must be encouraged to undertake a critical evaluation of the work they have done.
In their analysis, the student should describe and explain the limitations imposed on the research by factors such as:
the suitability and reliability of the sources accessed
accuracy and precision of measuring equipment
sample size
validity and reliability of statistics.
When students’ research has included experimentation, limitations should be considered, such as:
the problem of repeatability and control when using human subjects
the difficulties of generalizing from research based on small group samples
elements that are difficult to control, such as weather conditions, prior health of the subjects or effort applied during testing.
Examples of Topics, RQs, & Approaches
Note: All information on this webpage has been copied or adapted from the IB Extended Essay Guide (2018) and is used for educational purposes only.