Assignment+3

Darby Sinclair, Dustin Rhoades, Virginia Blais, Janelle Mayer Posting #1: Does the kind of research outlined in the article “Thinkbefore you act” meet the criteria for action research as described inthe article about action research?YES!This teacher took a concern she had (namely, the lack of “pro-social”problem solving skills in her first grade class) and decided to tryand change that by implementing a conflict resolution curriculum(Class Meetings and The Wheel of Choice) over an eight week period.We were particularly impressed with the evidence she gathered tovalidate her assumptions (both quantitative and qualitative) about theeffectiveness of this program. She collected student surveys (pre/postteaching), analyzed student journals dealing with problem solving,collected data in the form of behavior “tally sheets” (this data wasgraphed) to show a reduction in negative strategies (physical/verbalabuse) and an increase in pro-social methods, made observational notesand kept a personal reflective journal. Wow. We think the fact thatshe could so easily cross-check her final conclusions using a varietyof data added a great deal of credence to her final analysis.Additionally, this research embodies Action Research because it is soheavily steeped in the “I.” By this we mean, the teacher/researcherwas indeed the person who was trying to bring about change. Theresearch she conducted had practical implications for her students andher own professional development. She asked a real-world question (Howto increase the use of productive conflict resolution strategies amongfirst graders?), took her class from where they were (she indicatedmost students came from a culture where verbal/physical violence wasthe norm) and effected a change in the way they solved conflicts withone another by making modest changes to her curriculum.Lastly, while the teacher did indicate that she felt her studentswould benefit from increased practice with pro-social conflictresolution strategies, we would have liked her to be more specific inher “next steps” for the program. Specifically, how often and withwhat frequency would she need to revisit the strategies? And, based onher data, is there a plan to implement this program on a larger levelwith different age groups.

Posting #2Post your findings by cutting and pasting into the discussion board.The first vignette is done for you as a sample. Kim, a veteran fourth grade teacher, wanted to know how effective anew A.I.D.S. curriculum would be in helping fourth grade studentsacquire knowledge about the HIV virus and methods of transmission. Shealso had two additional, related action research questions. Kim alwayswanted to find out if her students would display an increasedsensitivity toward HIV positive individuals as a result of materialcovered in the new A.I.D.S. curriculum. In addition she wondered ifher students would be able to demonstrate first aid skills, whichwould prevent the spread of HIV as the result of instruction theyreceived as part of the new A.I.D.S. curriculum. To answer the firstquestion, Kim compared the pre and posttest responses of her 32students. She found that students’ post test scores improved by 88compared to pretest scores. With regard to the second question Kimanalyzed pre and posttest journal entries in which she asked studentshow they would feel toward a classmate who was HIV positive. Kim analyzed pre and posttest journal entries in which she askedstudents how they would feel toward a classmate who was HIV positive.She found that HIV students were markedly more sensitive toward HIVpositive. She found that students were markedly more sensitive towardand HIV infected classmate in the post journal entries than in thejournal entries collected before the new AIDS curriculum was taught.Videotaped data of students performing appropriate first aidprocedures showed that approximately 75% of students were able tosafely control bleeding o a dummy they practiced on. Kim is now fine-tuning the A.I.D.S. curriculum to include additional hands-on examplesdesigned to appeal to the fact that her students are largely concreteoperational thinkers. What did she want to know (Research Question)Kim had three questions:• Will this new curriculum increase students’ knowledge about A.I.D.S?• Will this curriculum increase students’ sensitivity towards HIVpositive people?• Will the curriculum help them develop first aid skills? Independent variable: New A.I.D.S. curriculumDependent variable(s):• More knowledge• Increased sensitivity regarding people HIV positive• Demonstrate first aid skills Kinds of data used:• Question 1 pre and posttest on knowledge about A.I.D.S. Question 2 pre and post journal entries Questions 3 performance assessment as seen on video tapedperformance Results:All questions were answered positivelyAction:Kim will add more hands-on activities to the curriculum as they workedwell for students at that age. NOW TRY YOUR SKILL AT ANALYZING THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES. Karen’s idea for an action research question stemmed from a school-mandated innovation. Karen, in her second year of teaching sixthgrade, was curious about the effect of a math-science core approach inwhich math and science were taught in an interdisciplinary way andwithin a multi-period time block of time Karen was concerned if usingthis approach would improve her 26 students’ attitudes toward scienceand math as well as improve their scores on a district basic skillstest compared to her group of 25 students from the previous schoolyear. She administered a 30-item Likert-scale attitude survey tostudents at the start of the school year and again towards the end ofthe school year and again towards the end of the school year. Karenfound that although her male student’s attitudes did not varysignificantly, her female students were much more likely to indicatethey like studying math and science on the post survey. Aftercontrolling for pre-existing differences, Karen compared her students’basic skills test performance to the students’ test performance fromlast year. Although she did not find a significant difference, she ishopeful that one will emerge in next year’s class, as the teachersbecome more experiences with the math/core block approach.• What did researcher want to know (Research Question)? If, when mathand science are taught with a core approach in an interdisciplinaryway within a multi-period time block:o Will students’ attitudes towards math and science improve?o Will students’ scores on a district basic skills test be higher thanher group of students from the previous year? Independent variable: Math and science taught in an interdisciplinaryway within a multi-period time block. Dependent variable(s): -Attitudes towards math and science improve -Scores from district basic skills test higher than previous year Kinds of data used:-30-item Likert-scale attitude survey distributed at beginning and endof school year -Basic skills test performance data from this group of students -Basic skills test performance data from last year’s group ofstudents Results: Not much of a difference yet, though shehopes for improvement next year as teachers become more experiencedwith the core approach. Action: She will continue the study next year asteachers become more experienced with the math/core block approach. _Another second year teacher, Beth, became interested in actionresearch after reading a journal article on computer-assistedinstruction (CAI). Beth hypothesized that an experimental group of 31eighth grade students who used CAI in conjunction with the traditionaltextbook would significantly improve their science unit test scorescompared to a control group of 29 comparable students who only usedthe traditional textbook. A t-test analysis of scores did, in fact,indicate that Beth’s hypothesis was confirmed. However, although Bethalso expected the experimental group of students to display animproved attitude toward science as compared to the control group, heranalysis of pre and post Likert scale attitude surveys did notindicate this. Beth is continuing to search for ways to improve herstudents’ attitudes toward studying science. What did researcher want to know (ResearchQuestion)? If students use Computer-Assisted Instruction in conjunction withtraditional textbooksWill students test scores on their science unit tests significantlyimprove?Will students who use (CAI) have an improved attitude towards science? Independent variable: Use of Computer-Assisted Instruction forteaching Science Curriculum Dependent variable(s): Students test scores on science units will significantly improve. Student attitude towards science will improve. Kinds of data used: Science Unit Test Scores and Likert ScaleAttitude Survey (pre and post) Results:Beth’s hypothesis that student scores would improve significantly wasconfirmed. Beth’s Likert Scale test regarding Attitude did not show intendedresults. Action: Beth continues to find ways to improve her students’ attitudetowards science.