Annex B - Research Justification

RESEARCH JUSTIFICATION

YEAR ONE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH STUDIES

Research Topic: Health and environment

Chosen Area of Focus: The positive and negative effects of cats in the neighbourhood(Ang Mo Kio)on our health and the environment

1. Framing our research topic

Our chosen area of focus is “The positive and negative effects of cats in Ang Mo Kio on our health and the environment”. We have chosen this topic because we have noticed there are many stray cats throughout and there have both been residents who love these cats and residents who complain about them.We want to see if the cats are actually beneficial for us.

Studies have shown that petting a cat can improve your psychological and physical health.It has been proven to lower blood pressure for both the human and the cat.However,the cats sometimes carry fleas and germs with them,and can cause infections to humans if they lick wounds,or let the fleas jump on you or not washing your hands after petting a cat and rubbing your eyes etc.Their excretion may be left in the open and attract flies and carry bacteria. 

1. The advantages are that going to your void deck to pet and play with the cats can relive stress and lower your blood pressure and can serve as companions and friends.

1. The disadvantages are the germs they carry and pass to us.They sometimes rummage bins for food and spread germs.

1. Reasons for choice of topic

1. We have chosen this topic, as we want to find out more about how the cats can affect the society and our health
2. This allows us to fulfill the requirements of the project task as the project task looks at the cats in Ang Mo Kio from a good and bad point of view, which is also what we will be doing.
3. This topic benefits society as people will know the good and bad things about the neighborhood cats

1. Feasibility of the research

1. There is a need for our research, as we have to find put what these stray cats are doing to our environment and health
2. It is possible to carry out and complete the project, as there are many neighbours to interview and also I can email online surveys for people in Ang Mo Kio to take.
3. The proposed course of action is logical and realistic as it can be completed with the help of some citizens who would be willing to do a survey and with our hardwork and group effort.
4. The research provides sufficient opportunity for generation of ideas, as we will constantly have to think of ways to do certain things in the project. As for analysis and evaluation of ideas, we will certainly have many opportunities to analyse information and evaluate ideas on how to go about deciding what to do next.

1. Manageability of the research

1. The timeline for the different components of the project will be decided later based on the situation then. But overall, the project will be done as quickly and carefully as we can, trying our best not to go out of point and staying as close to the topic as possible.
2. This research provides sufficient opportunity for group work as we will need to discuss a lot of matters regarding the project, for example who will be assigned to do what component of the project and we will have to work together. 
3. We do expect some difficulties along the way, such as poor communication among the group members and lack of data. We intend to cope with these difficulties by trying to get the group to go and upload their findings and their part of the project onto wikispaces.com and other websites and surveys.

1. Accessibility of the information required

1. Information/knowledge that will be relevant to our research would be the effects of cats in Ang Mo Kio
2. We will be obtaining this information from primary and secondary sources, depending on which one gives more reliable and useful information and still use both for better results.
3. Some alternatives that we have thought of would be to ask others for information or where can we find the information that we need.
4. Some problems we anticipate while gathering my materials would be that the information that we can find is not entirely relevant to our project and that that is already the closest piece of information among all others that we have found.Interviewing and surveying might be hard.

REFERENCES

[1] http://www.petstation.com/cat-zoonoses.html for information on transmitting diseases and germs.

[2]http://www.catsplay.com/thedailycat/2003-09-22/mind_happycat/petting/petting.html for information on benefits of petting a cat