Action Research Draft

Action Research Report Draft

Abstract or Executive Summary

This is a ½ to 1 page executive review of the completed action research study - basically, an overall summary.  Wait until you have the results and conclusions of your research study to write this.  The purpose of an abstract is for the reader to quickly see if this is a report that they wish to read.  So, be sure to include the basics, i.e., school, location, problem addressed, intervention, and results as clearly and succinctly as possible.

 

Title and Author

The title of your research report should clearly describe your problem and intervention.  Although some titles need to be longer than usual, please try to limit the number of words you use.   More information on the title will be given in EDLD 5398.

 

When used as a resource for tutoring, can the online educational program Compass Learning increase academic performance in low performing 8^th grade science students?  Compass Learning is a program purchased by the district and I want to know if it is worth the cost.

 

Introduction / Background (Section One) 

This section sets the stage for the reader to better understand the overall action research project.  The first part is typically several paragraphs describing the overall scenario or context of your study, e.g. name of school, location, relevant history, demographics (ethnicity and socio-economic level of students, grade levels, urban or rural, etc.), your position, and any other relevant information that will assist the reader in understanding the context of your study.  Include any significant challenges or biases discovered that might impact the project.

The next part is a description of the problem you confronted, e.g., students disrupting class, detention hall not causing any improvements, low levels of knowledge or skill in reading or computer applications, etc.  In general terms, try to describe to the reader the nature of the problem including severity, how long the problem has occurred,  or any other relevant information so that the reader has a full understanding of the details of the problem or issue.

The next part is typically a brief paragraph stating what you want to find out.  This may be in the form of a research question or simply a statement describing the purpose of conducting your action research.

The next paragraph explains who will benefit from the information that your action research project will provide, and how, or in what ways they will benefit.  Be sure to add a sentence noting that your study will add to the knowledge base of your topic (e.g. middle school discipline, elementary peer tutoring, etc.)

The last part of this section will be a listing of terms that you believe need to be defined so that readers outside of your school or field can better understand.  Education seems to have its own language.

 

John Drugan School is a kindergarten through 8^th grade public school located in El Paso, Texas.  Drugan is a part of the Socorro Independent School District.  The school opened its doors in 2005.  The students involved in the research are of varying socio-economic backgrounds and are mainly of Hispanic decent.

 

The researcher is a 7^th and 8^th grade science teacher with 10 years of education experience.  The researcher has been teaching middle school science at Drugan since 2007.

 

Compass Learning was introduced to Drugan during the Spring semester of the 2012-2013 school year.  The program is designed to provide additional support to teachers of all levels and all subjects.  The version of Compass Learning made available to teachers of Socorro ISD is for middle school Math and Science.  Middle school Math and Science teachers received two, day long professional development courses on how to use Compass Learning.  

 

Teachers were encouraged to work Compass Learning into their weekly lesson plans but with limited computer lab access it quickly became an issue.  Compass Learning modules were designed and assigned to middle school students to complete at home.  Issues with internet access soon arouse and a different use for Compass Learning was then sought.  The educational program was then used with students during intersession tutoring.  Smaller groups of students made the computer lab more accessible and for a longer period of time.

 

Because of the limitations of using the educational program with an entire class it was decided that perhaps it could become a resource for low performing students.  This research will determine if Compass Learning would benefit these students.

 

 

 

Literature Review (Section Two)

 

This may be several pages or many pages that explain what the current research shows about your topic.  You will cite research from articles, studies, books, etc., including district or state information gathered that is pertinent to your study.  You do not need to review all the research, but try to find quality articles from experts in the field.   There is no limit on the number of references cited but typically, 6-8 studies will suffice.  The answer to how many or how long this section should be is stopping whenever you feel you have a good grasp of what the literature shows about your topic.  Remember that each reference cited in the literature review should be written in APA format and included in the references section of your Action Research Project Report.

 

Action Research Design (Section Three)

Subjects

Describe your target population and if you used a sample, how did you select your sample and the rationale for your sample size. 

 

The target population of this action research will be 220 8^th grade students of varying academic levels between the ages of 13 and 15.   The sample will be made of almost entirely Hispanic students with a small percentage of Caucasian and African-American students. These students are students at the school in teach 8^th grade science.

 

Procedures

Describe the actions (in research terms, this is the intervention) you took to address the problem you were trying to solve.  Include a timeline of when you began and the completion date.  If your intervention utilized steps of a longer process, include the timelines for each step.  Also include resources used and persons responsible, if others were involved in your action research project. Remember that other teachers and administrators may read your report, so think about how best to describe what you did so that they may replicate, if desired.

 

The goal of this action research plan is to determine if the online educational resource Compass Learning, made available to Science teachers by the Socorro Independent School District, is worth the expense based on its effectiveness on increasing the academic performance of low performing 8^th grade students.

I plan on beginning this action research plan next year.  I will determine low performers during the first three weeks of school.  Those students will then be brought in for tutoring for the remainder of the 9 weeks.  Three week progress report grades will be used as the baseline for the student’s performance. The research will end at the conclusion of the 1^st 9 weeks grading period.  Final grades will be used to show amount of growth.

 

Using the Compass Learning system I will be creating a pre-test that coincides with TEKS being covered.  Based on the student’s performance on the pre-test, compass learning designs a learning path best suited to address the student’s needs.  The students will follow the learning path which includes different modules made up of videos, quizzes, and interactive activities for the student to complete.  At the end of the learning path the student will then take a post test to evaluate student growth.

 

Data Collection

Describe the methods you used to collect data.  For example, this could be collecting data from observations, journals, surveys, interviews, homework, tests, office referrals, test score data, etc.  Be sure to accurately describe the method.  For example, if you used a survey, was it for the entire group or individually; was it a pre and post survey; or was it a checklist or open ended questions?  Give enough information that the reader fully understands what and how you collected the data.

 

Computers with internet access will be the main tool needed to complete this research.  The Compass Learning program not only provides the learning modules, quizzes, and tests, but it will also track student progress. Compass Learning will keep track of the student’s scores are each test they take on the program.  The student’s class grade will also be taken into consideration.

 

 

Findings (Section Four)

 

This section presents the findings from your study.  If you collected quantitative data (numbers of office referrals, grades, etc.) you should present the data in a clear fashion with tables, bar graphs, etc.  In short, present numerical data in a simple way that the reader can easily see the results.  If you collected qualitative data (observation notes, interview highlights, etc.) you may present your findings in narrative but bullets or sub-headings may help the reader better understand your results.  This is not the section for long explanations of how’s or why’s, but the simplest and clearest way for the reader to see your results.

 

Conclusions and Recommendations (Section Five)

 

The previous sections presented the facts of your action research project.  This final section is for you to present the conclusions that you believe can be drawn from the results you found.  This is your judgment, as you are now an expert on your study.   Your study may have shown major or minor results or no changes in the problem you were trying to solve.  Regardless of whether you got the results you hoped for, the findings of your study are a help to others.  To know whether a particular intervention in a particular context works or not, is good information for educational leaders to have.  So, be honest and do not feel your study failed if you did not have major changes or you completely solved the problem. 

Following your conclusions, you should reflect on your entire study and findings and conclusions.  Since you led the action research project, you are in the position to best advise the reader with recommendations.  A recommendation could be for all teachers or administrators with the same problem you solved to use your intervention or not to use.  Most often you will recommend better ways to implement the intervention due to all the lessons you learned in your study.  In short, the section is your opportunity to teach those reading your study what worked, what did not, and ways to better solve the problem.  You might add specific actions that the field of education needs to conduct further research on. 

 

References (Final Section)

 

References are listed at the end of your report.  Review carefully the APA guidelines to ensure all references and citations are formatted correctly.  Be sure to double check that each of the references listed in this section are cited within the report using APA guidelines.

Relections of an Action Researcher

 

So it turns out that the "Let’s see what happens if I (fill in the blank)" experiments that I perform on my students in my classroom have a name and that name is Action Research. Who knew that all these years I was an Action Researcher. As a science teacher I have been referring to these experiments as my "science projects". I would propose a question, create an experiment, make observations, collect data, analyze that data and make a conclusion. If the results were not what I wanted I would either scrap the idea or make adjustments and retest.

The Action Research that I have performed in my class has ranged from seating arrangements to the implementation of different teaching methods. I have learned to put aside any fears or concerns about change in my class in order to find the best way to pass on information and to motivate my students.  Sometimes finding the best way to teach a topic means eliminating the bad ways.  Certain assignments that seemed like good ideas at the time had to be reevaluated and altered upon completion.  I am not afraid to do more Action Research by asking my students their thoughts on certain assignments or teaching techniques.  Their feedback means the most to me because they will benefit the most from the results.

Without Action Research,  growth cannot occur.  The unwillingness to accept the idea of “This is as good as it gets” is what will keep our education system moving forward.  I am always looking to improve on the methods that I use in class and Action Research plays a huge role in that progress.  In my class Action Research slays contentness and gives birth to educational evolution.  I am no stranger to Action Research.  I AM AN ACTION RESEARCHER!

Look Ma! I'm blogging! Action Research and the use of blogs

Action Research
Based on what I have read, Action Research sounds like a very effective way of not only identifying and solving issues in a school or district but also an extremely effective way of building a team. I like the idea of breaking the barriers between administration and faculty to help a school reach its potential. Administrators would have a better idea of what the educators are experiencing on a day to day basis in the classroom. Educators would have a better understanding of what needs to be done on the administrators side. Action research allows the two groups to work together to determine what needs to be done and how to do it and how every one's needs can be addressed. If implemented properly the winners will inevitably be the students.  Action Research creates a team atmosphere in which every one has a hand in the creation of the ideal school setting.  Because the ideas come from within the system, the solutions are individualized for the school, its administrators, its faculty, and its students.  Identified strengths of the school and its members can be used and weaknesses on the whole can be strengthened.  Because both faculty and administration had a hand in identifying the problem and developing the solution, the steps required to solve the problems are more likely to carried through to the end by the entire campus.

Use of Blogs
Educational leaders could use blogs as a reflective tool to help track progress of themselves and their campus.  The leaders can have their faculty use a blog for the same purpose.  Blogs could be used to create Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) within the school, the district, the city, the state and nationally.  Blogs can link educational leaders and educators throughout the United States providing a pathway for shared problems and solutions.