After earning a first at the regional competition at Slippery Rock University in February for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, Emma Kennedy achieved first at the state competition at Penn State Main Campus on May 16. PJAS is a statewide organization of junior and senior high students designed to stimulate and promote interest in science among its members through the development of research projects and investigations.
Emma's project was in the Behavioral category of PJAS. Her experiment was entitled "The Influence Academic Levels Have On Cheating." Emma administered a survey to students in Riverside High School. All participating students had a signed informed consent form from their parents or guardians if they were a minor.
Her respondents provided answers to questions associated with cheating, such as "Have you ever looked over at your neighbor's paper to copy down an answer?" and "Do you think it is ok to cheat to keep your grades up?" Based on her literature review before her experiment, Emma's hypothesis was that honors students are more likely to cheat than non-honors students.
Her data did not support her hypothesis, but PJAS projects are scored on scientific method, analysis of data, and reporting of results. Her project earned a score high enough to merit a first place award. She participated at states two years and got two firsts. Her third year, there was no state competition.
Emma says she likes participating in PJAS because she likes being able to create a project and present it in front of her peers. She plans to keep participating in PJAS in the future.