Week 3 Assignment: Background – Developing Your
Action Research Plan
Overview
The
first two weeks provided a variety of readings, lectures, interviews and
activities that helped students recognize the importance of action research in
addressing many needed topics or areas of need in schools. You even had an
opportunity to hear from three school leaders discussing their interests in
action research. As we have explained in our lectures and our written comments,
we did not design this course as a precursor to a dissertation. Instead, we
wanted to provide each of you with the tools to conduct action research in
whatever leadership position you may pursue.
This
week will focus on developing a detailed action research plan. You will see
from our examples, as well as from the readings and resources, there are a
variety of strategies and steps to follow in conducting action research. Two of
the major goals this week will be providing a framework, or a how to approach
action research perspective, as well as sharing strategies that will empower
you to conduct an action research project. Remember the action research plan is
a part of your intern plan – it is an overview, a guide for conducting your
action research. The action research project is the process and product – it is
the implementation and assessment of your plan and it may take several months
to complete. This course focuses on the development of an effective plan that
will guide your action research project.
Learning
Outcomes:
1) Know
which areas for action research to address school improvement are priorities of
the site supervisor.
2) Develop a
clear and concise research question and/or statement to address the school
improvement project(s).
3) Identify
and analyze the common steps or format to design an action research plan (e.g.,
methods for data collection/analysis, research tools needed, etc.).
4) Understand
the importance of disseminating the results of the action research project in
the final intern report and to other scholar practitioners and interested
stakeholders.
Performance
Outcomes:
1) Write a
research question and/or clear statement to address the possible areas for
action research emerging from the interview and brainstorming.
2) Draft an
action research plan that includes:
· Goals and
objectives of the research investigation
· Resources
and research tools needed for data gathering
· Persons
responsible for implementation of the action research plan
· Process
for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives
· Assessment
instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
3) Review
the steps in your research plan and make any needed revisions.
4) Include
in the action research plan, the methods used to disseminate findings of the
research project.
5) VERY IMPORTANT – After
submitting your completed Week 3 Assignment in Blackboard YOU MUST ALSO submit your Week 3 Assignment to
TK20.
Rubric
Use the following Rubric to guide
your work on the Week 3 Assignment.
|
Tasks
|
Accomplished
The evidence suggests that this work is a “Habit of Mind.” The
educator is ready to mentor others in this area.
|
Proficient
The evidence suggests that performance on this work matches that
of a strong educator.
|
Needs Improvement
The evidence does not yet make the case for the educator being
proficient at this task.
|
|
Action Research – Developing your question(s) or problem(s)
statement
|
Student provides a clear description of the
action research question(s) or problem(s) statement that reference rationale
and previous research into this question(s) or problem(s).
(3
Points)
|
Student briefly describes a research question or
problem statement, but does not discuss the rationale or research leading to
the development of the question or statement.
(2
Points)
|
Student fails to identify a research question or
statement and does not discuss any of the rationale or previous research in
trying to develop a research question or problem statement.
(1
Point)
|
|
Draft Action Research Plan and Blueprint
|
Student clearly identifies all
areas of his or her action research plan and includes:
· Goals
and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation
· Activities
designed to achieve the objectives
· Resources
and research tools needed for data gathering
· Draft
timeline for completion or implementation of activities
·
Persons responsible for
implementation of the action research plan
·
Process for monitoring the
achievement of goals and objectives
·
Assessment instrument(s) to
evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
(8 – 10 Points)
|
Student identifies less than the
seven areas addressed in the draft action research plan and does not provide
complete descriptions for each area.
(5 – 7 Points)
|
Student identifies fewer than
five areas of the draft action research plan and does not provide complete
descriptions for each of the areas.
(1 – 4 Points)
|
|
Reviewing, revising and posting the draft action research plan using
the recommended template(s)
|
Student reviews the draft action
research plan and posts a completed draft Action Research Plan that addresses
all elements identified in Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template or completes all
elements of the SIP/PIP (School or Professional Improvement Plan of Action.
(3 Points)
|
Student posts the draft action
research plan using one of the templates (i.e., Tool 7.1 or the SIP or PIP
Plan of Action), but does not complete all elements of the template.
(2 Points)
|
Student posts a draft action
research plan but the plan addresses less than half of the elements of the
recommended template.
( 1 Point)
|
|
Describing your dissemination plan
|
Students provide a thorough
description of a plan to disseminate and share their action research plan,
and their dissemination plan addresses:
· Background information on action research project
· Design of the action research project (must include
procedures, data collection and data analysis)
· Describes what is being learned from the action research
project
· Includes concluding thoughts and recommendations
(4 Points)
|
Students provide a dissemination
plan but addresses only three elements of the plan.
(3 Points)
|
Students provide a partial
dissemination plan.
(1 Point)
|
|
Assignment
Mechanics
|
Responses are relevant to course content; no
errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Students demonstrate proper APA
style.
(3
Points)
|
Responses are relevant to course content; few
errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
(2
Points)
|
Responses do not
reflect knowledge of course content, lack clarity and depth, and/or include
multiple errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
(1 Point)
|
Week Three Assignment, Part 1 – Writing an Action Research Question(s)
or Problem Statement
You have had many opportunities
(e.g., review and conference regarding your intern plan; the interviews with
the school leaders; the Dana text identification of nine common topics for
school action research, Step 1 in the Harris et al. text) to review and analyze
topics or questions for action research. The Dana text provides a sampling of
research questions corresponding to the nine common topics for action research;
see Sample Inquiry Questions, pp. 65 – 66. We have also provided another sample
of action research questions from an action research project; see the Resource
Section for the Equity Audit of Mathematics by Jo Ann Colson and Valerie Petrzelka,
two elementary principals in Tomball ISD, who are doctoral students in the
Lamar Educational Leadership program. Please read their research questions that
guided their equity audit.
Using the various examples of
action research questions or statements, write a research question and/or clear
statement to address the possible areas for action research emerging from the
interview(s), readings and brainstorming. This action research question(s) or
statement describing the action research project should clearly identify the
agreed upon topic that you will research throughout this program, or until, the
project is completed. The question or statement should briefly describe the
rationale or previous research you have conducted leading to this question or
problem statement.
Workspace
Complete Part 1 of this
assignment below. The box will expand as you type.
|
In my action research project,
I will answer the question, “What affect does involvement in extracurricular
activities, such as sports, cheerleading, gymnastics, etc., have on student
performance in the elementary classroom?”
|
Week Three Assignment, Part 2 – Developing an Action Research Plan
Draft an action research plan
that includes:
· Goals and
objectives/outcomes of the research investigation
· Activities
designed to achieve the objectives
· Resources
and research tools needed for data gathering
· Draft
timeline for completion or implementation of activities
· Persons
responsible for implementation of the action research plan
· Process
for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives
· Assessment
instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
Please check the Resource section
of the course for a template, SIP or PIP (School or Professional Improvement
Project) Plan of Action that you may wish to use in developing and submitting
your Action Research Plan of Action Brief or Outline. You may also use the
template found in the Harris et al. text, Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template, p.
85, this is also available as a free download, see p. vii.
Workspace
Complete Part 2 of this
assignment below. The box will expand as you type.
|
In looking at our student
population, I see a large number of students who are not involved in extra
curricular activities such as sports.
I also see that our school is not at the level of achievement on
common assessments, such as STAAR, that we want to be. I am curious to find out if there is
a link between these two things.
It has raised the question, “What affect does involvement in
extracurricular activities, such as sports, cheerleading, gymnastics, etc.,
have on student performance in the elementary classroom?”
The goal is find out if there
is a direct link between student involvement in outside school activities and
performance in the classroom.
The resources I will be needing include access to 5th grade
student common assessment data, access to 2013 STAAR data, access to student
6 week grades. All of these
things I have access to since my target group is 5th graders who
will be my students this year.
Upon completion of the study, if it is determined that there is a
direct link, then an action plan will be created to involve the manager of
the Canyon Lake Community Recreation Center and a contact at our campus,
preferable our PE teacher. This
plan would be developed to include a process of better communication for
upcoming events and seasons, passing out literature and registration forms on
campus, direct involvement between manager and school representative and
possible scholarships to overcome financial hardships of students. This year, I will be responsible for
tracking student achievement for those involved versus those not
involved. I will use two of my
blocks as target samples, which is about ½ of the 5th grade
population. The assessment
instruments will be our eduphoria system with ability to pull data on common
assessments and STAAR. This
process will conclude at the end of the school year, May 2014, when 2014
STAAR data is available. At the
end of this school year, I will compile my data with information for both
students who are involved versus those who are not involved. I will also break out separately
those who may be involved in multiple activities to see if there is a link.
|
Week Three Assignment, Part 3 – Steps to Follow in Your Action Research
Plan
As discussed previously, there
are many how to conduct action research steps or strategies to follow in
developing your Action Research Plan. Some of the readings have already
described the action research process, and some have even provided
illustrations demonstrating the action research cycle.
One of the better and concise
texts describing steps in action research* is your supplemental text, Examining what we do to improve our schools:
8 steps from analysis to action by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and
Julie Combs, (Eye on Education, 2010). We added this to the course because we
think it provides an excellent how to implement action research blueprint that
you may use for any school or professional improvement project. Here are the
steps they outline:
1. Examining
the work: Setting the Foundation – in other words, identifying needs or topics
for action research and this may emerge from the Site Based Decision Making
Committee, or from needs like those identified in your intern plan.
2. Analyzing
data – you have had many opportunities to do this, and you examined at least 9 data gathering
strategies from your text in Part 2 of this week’s assignments
3. Developing
deeper understanding – these are additional data collection techniques, as well
as, examining qualitative data through active listening, focus groups, etc.
4. Engaging
in Self-Reflection – this summarizes much of what you have been doing in this
course, and throughout the program, beginning with your many self-assessments
of leadership in EDLD 5311
5. Exploring
Programmatic Patterns – This includes asking the appropriate questions,
identifying data patterns and gaps, and learning to address equity issues
6. Determining
direction – Working collaboratively to address action research questions,
monitoring progress, and assessing achievement
7. Taking
action for school improvement – Using appropriate steps or templates like the
SIP or PIP Plan of action to guide the action research
8. Sustaining
improvement – Learning to use the tools of action research as an on-going
process for professional development and school improvement.
*Please see the Action Research
Project Process Overview Example: Student Use of Cell Phones in the Resource
Section for a more detailed outline.
Using
this outline, or the PIP/SIP template, review the steps, make any needed revisions
and submit your draft Action Research Plan. Be sure to also upload your Action Research
Plan on your Action Research Blog for others to view and share insights.
VERY IMPORTANT – After submitting your completed
Week 3 Assignment in Blackboard, YOU
MUST ALSO submit your Week 3 Assignment to TK20. You must upload and
submit the entire Week 3 assignment document to Tk20. Your Week 3 Assignment
will be graded in Tk20. If this assignment is not posted in Tk20, you will receive
a 0 for this assignment and an “I” in this course. This is a requirement of
Lamar University.
Here is a video that should help you posting your TK20 artifacts:
http://screencast.com/t/GuQyv7wHbtwj
If you need further help with posting and submitting your TK20
assignment:
Lamar Education Tk20 Support
Call (409) 880-2126 - 8am - 5 pm, M-F or Email: Tk20@Lamar.edu
Lamar Education Tk20 Support
Call (409) 880-2126 - 8am - 5 pm, M-F or Email: Tk20@Lamar.edu
The Tk20 office is only open on Monday – Friday from 8 am to 5
pm. Do not wait until the last minute to handle this assignment responsibility,
please.
Workspace
Complete Part 3 of this
assignment below. The box will expand as you type.
|
Week Three Assignment, Part 4 – Sharing Your Action Research Plan,
Progress, Findings, and Recommendations
Read chapter 5 from the Dana
text, The Travelogue: Sharing your work
with others, pp. 135 – 169, and
write a description of how you will share the progress and process of your
action research project, as well as discussing ways to disseminate your action
research project findings and recommendations. Be sure to include information
on the four critical tasks you must include in effectively sharing your action
research project, see the Dana text, pp. 163 – 169.
Workspace
Complete Part 4 of this
assignment below. The box will expand as you type.
|
Following my action research
project at year-end, I will share my project in two ways. The first of these is written and the
second is verbal or a presentation.
I will include the 4 critical tasks in both forms of the
presentation. These are
background information on my project, sharing the design and procedures of
the project, stating the learning and supporting statements with data
analysis, and finally a conclusion and recommendations.
For the verbal portion of the
program, I will ask for 10 minutes at a campus faculty meeting to share my
findings. I will put together a
power point presentation, keeping it brief and to the point. I will discuss why I chose this
project, how I conducted the research, how I analyzed the data and drew
conclusions. Finally, I will
discuss the findings and recommendations and ask for input and feedback.
In the written format, I will
discuss the 4 critical areas as well.
I will use tables, charts and graphs as necessary to show the data
analysis and how I drew conclusions.
I will give a hard copy to school administration, but also post to my
blog for all to see.
|
Blog reflections
As noted above, please post your
Action Research Plan template on your blog, read and review action research
plans from at least two other blogs this week and comment on them.
No comments:
Post a Comment