What is the true meaning of life? How can a student understand it or discover the true definition of the universe? At WCHS, students can research whatever ponders their curiosity in the academic world. The AP Research course aims to further develop their critical thinking skills and improve their academic research skills.

In the AP Seminar course, students connect their chosen research topic to at least one source from the given stimulus packet that stems from some other topic. However, in AP Research, WCHS students are guided by advisors to conduct their own independent research that does not need to connect to any specific topic from any packet. For AP Research student Shannen Greene, the class has allowed for academic freedom compared to the rest of the classes at WCHS.

“The title of my research is ‘How OMORI Depicts Dissociative Disorders Through Its Design: a Case Study,’” WCHS senior Shannen Greene said. “I was motivated to choose this niche topic of inquiry because of my long-term interest in the convergence between psychological fiction media, specifically video games, and human psychology.”

Greene has been playing the game since 2021 and wanted to explore the game beyond her passion. Through AP Research, Greene has learned the proper skills to analyze different aspects of the game and expand the knowledge open to the academic field.

“I would describe my research project as an in-depth analysis (case study) of the psychological horror video game OMORI,” Greene said. “Where I specifically analyze how the game’s narrative, visual and auditory design each depict the different symptoms of dissociative disorders, specifically in the adolescent mind, as a response to trauma. To conduct my research, I used a case study as influenced by other research papers that studied similar topics, although there were not many.”

AP Research students must write a 5000-word paper that highlights their research and then present an oral defense presentation in front of a panel of two or more individuals. Presentations for the final exam begin on the first week of Apriland end on April 11. At WCHS, students have had the opportunity to work on their presentations during the week of March 24.

“To prepare for my presentation, I have been practicing and editing both my script and my presentation slides themselves—I have not yet completed my presentation,” Greene said. “I feel as though the vastness of this project is more fit for a larger, more significant research paper/project rather than a 5000-word one. I wish I was more specific in my research so that I did not have to cut its content as much.”

WCHS students taking AP Research are not the same students they were at the beginning of the year. They have learned new research methods, improved their vocabulary and have become more patient as they collect data. With these new skills, WCHS students are able to perfect themselves for the final exam presentation.

“During this research project, I have learned about myself that I have trouble keeping an eye on time when presenting, especially something that I’m passionate about,” Greene said. “My project has allowed me to understand that I truly do need a timeline and to check myself continually when presenting or working.”

AP Research requires WCHS students to be dedicated to completing assignments on time and meeting deadlines. For WCHS junior Collete Kendrick, procrastination is not approved for this class. Future AP Research students must be willing to put in the work, more than they did in AP Seminar, to succeed.

“Do not procrastinate!” Kendrick said. “AP Research is different from other classes–even Seminar–in that it is genuinely impossible to complete the paper without spending a lot of time on it. Falling behind is not a death sentence, but taking half an hour or so to work on your project whenever you have free time goes a long way. “