Foundations of Scientific Thinking and Method

An original Mai Studies course in how science actually works. You study hypotheses, variables and controls, measurement and uncertainty, sampling and bias, statistics without the jargon, and how to read a paper critically. Mai Studies is independent. This course is professional learning and is not a regulated qualification, degree or accredited award.

8 weeks 24 guided hours Foundation to Practitioner

Join membership to study

Included with Mai Studies membership at no extra cost. Fee waivers are available through scholarships and open access.

Foundations of Scientific Thinking and Method course artwork

What you will achieve

Turn a question into a testable hypothesis
Identify independent, dependent and controlled variables
Report measurements with appropriate uncertainty
Judge whether a study supports the claim made about it

Entry guidance

— None

Original Mai Studies learning material. This is a professional completion programme, not a regulated qualification or university accreditation.

Programme syllabus

3 applied modules

Lessons: 3
Assessed tasks: 3
Practice questions: 36
Timed mock papers: 2

Questions, hypotheses and variables

Turning curiosity into something that can actually be tested.

1 lesson · 12 practice questions · 1 assessed task

1. From question to testable hypothesis21 min study · 3 learning objectives · practical activity
What separates a scientific question from an interesting one, and how variables are controlled.

Questions, hypotheses and variables: marked task — marked out of 100, pass at 80%

Measurement, uncertainty and data

Why every number carries a range, and how to report one honestly.

1 lesson · 12 practice questions · 1 assessed task

1. Measurement, uncertainty and significant figures21 min study · 3 learning objectives · practical activity
Every measurement is a range, and reporting it as a single number is a claim you cannot support.

Measurement, uncertainty and data: marked task — marked out of 100, pass at 80%

Evidence, bias and reading a study

Sampling, confounding, peer review and the gap between finding and headline.

1 lesson · 12 practice questions · 1 assessed task

1. Bias, confounding and reading a study critically22 min study · 3 learning objectives · practical activity
Why sample, comparison and effect size matter more than the headline.

Critical appraisal of a published study — marked out of 100, pass at 80%

Timed mock papers

Foundations of Scientific Thinking and Method: timed mock paper 1 — 180 minutes, 30 objective questions plus written and computational tasks
Foundations of Scientific Thinking and Method: timed mock paper 2 — 180 minutes, 30 objective questions plus written and computational tasks

Lesson pages, assessed tasks and mock papers open the moment you join this programme. Teaching material is studied online; the notes you write are yours to download.

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