Every school that offers Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE) conducts an entrance exam for the incoming 7th grade students to filter the students who qualify for the said program. Students in the STE program hurdle many elective subjects, starting from grade 7 up to grade 10. Research is one of their challenging elective subjects. Most of the students feel anxious when they hear about the word research. Their notion is that research is hard and there will be many sleepless nights.
One of the requirements in research is to present their proposal through proposal defense, which is a culminating activity in the subject. Proposal defense aims to help the students to improve their research projects. However, the panelists always decide if the research project will be continued for the next school year or if they need to make a new research project. Students have a roller coaster of emotions while presenting their research projects. Some are very confident, some are very nervous, and some are just relaxed. You can really see in their eyes their true feelings when the panelists decide if their research project is accepted or rejected.
In conclusion, the research subject helps the students make a research project that can help the community, but this can also enhance their communication skills, their way of presenting their research project, and their confidence.
