AP Research Students Finalize Their Research Topics

 by Susie Berger and Lia Nitzan, SSLI '28

Every year, students who have taken AP Seminar with Ms. Kassell in 10th grade have the choice to continue on to AP Research, which is taught by Ms. DeLaire. Students use skills they learned with Ms. Kassell during their sophomore year to conduct their own studies and write a research paper and presentation about a topic of their choice.

In AP Research, Ms. DeLaire guides the juniors in constructing their research. She helps the students learn various steps in the research and writing processes, how to effectively peer review, and how to properly cite sources based on APA formatting. DeLaire noted that "Throughout the year, students get acquainted with the process of academic research, from exploring the current debates within their field of study, to designing an effective research question, to implementing an ethical methodology, and interpreting the data produced as a result. Ultimately, each student hopes to contribute a new understanding to their field of research that was not previously known before." 

By April, students will have written a paper summarizing their research. They will also create a presentation to defend their research. 

Currently, students in AP Research are finalizing their research questions and methodology so that they can be approved to begin their paper and collect data. With skills from AP Seminar and the skills they have learned so far in AP Research, students are going to be able to create their own research paper of their choice. This year's projects include "investigating a wide range of topics, including viewers' responses to NFL footage, student awareness of learning styles, perception of gender-neutral AI voices, reality television's role in perpetuating stereotypes, and the impact of fitness influencers on adolescents," according to Ms. DeLaire. 

Madison's poster project reflects almost every aspect of her proposed research. (M. Hoffman)

Junior Sam Levenson is researching how social media affects the diet of high school athletes. Levenson is writing about this topic because he frequently sees high school students in our school who are athletes eating specific foods, and he often sees a lot of recommendations for various nutrition trends on social media.

Another junior, Madison Hoffman, will explore the topic of how much the television show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives shapes the stereotypes held by Schechter High School students (ages 14-18) about Mormon women, their religion, and their lifestyles. Hoffman states that she was drawn to this topic because she "kept being pulled back to religion and the entertainment industry.” Her research will aim to address "how people who are not Mormons, who have and have not seen the show, think about Mormon women based on how the show represents them."

Skills learned in AP Seminar have proven to be very helpful to the AP Research students. Hoffman reflected that in AP Seminar, she "did so much data finding and learned about different approaches to take, which definitely helped" her as she developed her topic of research. Likewise, Levenson reflected, AP Seminar "taught me how to look for credible sources online, to sort through them, to extract information that I need, and to cite them." He continued, “I feel prepared for AP Research after having learned those skills in an AP Seminar.”

Ms. DeLaire concluded by saying, “AP Research is a unique and truly valuable experience for high school students, which provides a solid foundation for academic writing and public speaking.”

Susie Berger is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since January 2025. Susie is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: sberger28@schechterli.org.

Lia Nitzan is a new writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2025. Lia is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: lnitzan28@schechterli.org.