Action Research Ideas by Katie

Katie Anderson- Topic

walkerka33 — 2016-01-23 19:15:58 UTC

Fostering self-regulation during independent or partner work.

Interesting Topic - Dr. Sprague

debbiersprague — 2016-01-27 00:35:09 UTC

This is an important topic as it impacts so much of our lives. We all need to self-regulate, although this is very difficult for children with various disabilities. I think you will be able to find research on this issue. Check the studies that have been done to see how you would measure self-regulation.

Katie Anderson-Problem Statement

walkerka33 — 2016-01-27 19:46:34 UTC

Problem Statement:

Students, particularly in the upper grades, are expected to work independently sometimes following multiple step directions. In an ideal situation, all of the students in the classroom would be able to quietly finish their work in a reasonable amount of time without distraction. While some students can be successful in this environment, others struggle with self-regulation. These students need strategies that they can implement in order to be successful during their school day. Without these strategies, these students will have trouble finishing their work and therefore, will not get the practice that the more focused students would. If their work is for a grade, the teacher will be forced to either give them more time, thus sacrificing another aspect of their schedule, or deduct points for their work not being completed. In order to address this situation, students will be given self-regulation strategies which will be geared towards their preferred learning style. This action research will test how these self-regulation strategies affect students' focus during independent and partner work.

Research Question:

How will the implementation of self-regulation strategies affect focus during independent and partner work?

Hypothesis:

1) Self-regulation strategies will cause more time on-task for students who struggle with self-regulation.

Well Done - Dr. Sprague

debbiersprague — 2016-01-28 02:16:09 UTC

This is well written and covers the format needed. However, you have also included some of the components that you need later (data collection). I suggest that you mention the strategies that you plan to teach the students, but not the parts on data collection (observations, survey, etc.) These are included later so save the sentences.

The research question is fine. As for the hypothesis, the first one is fine, but the other two read more like assumptions than hypotheses. I recommend including them under Assumptions.

One other thing. When doing a research study we write in third person, not first person. Avoid the use of I, me, my, etc.

Context

walkerka33 — 2016-02-07 21:32:30 UTC

The school that is the focus of the research is a Title I school located in a suburban neighborhood. It serves 757 students, 56 percent of which require free or reduced lunch. There is a high population of students that have limited English proficiency, at 40 percent, with 33 percent of the school requiring English Language Services. There is also a smaller population of students who require special education services, at 15 percent of the total school population. The school has 209 students who get Advanced Academics services at levels two and three, which make up 24 percent of the total school population.

The demographics of the school are somewhat even for boys and girls, with 48 percent female and 51 percent male. There’s a large Hispanic population at the school, with Hispanic students making up 38 percent. This is followed by Asian at 24 percent, Caucasian at 21 percent, African American at 12 percent and finally other demographics make up 5 percent of the total population.

The classroom that is the specific focus of the study is a fifth grade classroom with nine girls and eight boys. The demographics of the classroom are similar to the school, since the largest percentage of students are Hispanic. Hispanic students make up 41 percent of the classroom, followed by Asian at 29 percent, African American at 12 percent, Caucasian at 12 percent, and 6 percent identify as two or more races.

In the classroom the levels of the students are somewhat similar in reading. All students in the classroom are a DRA 40 or above. There are two exceptions to this, two students who are in self-contained special education class during reading, writing, and math but are in this classroom during science, social studies, and specials. Those two students are at a DRA 16 and a DRA 6. There are also two students who leave once a week for Advanced Academic services during reading and writing. Once a week four students also leave for the Young Scholars program.

This study is geared towards a small group of students who struggle with self-regulation during independent and partner work. These students often get distracted during instructions and either need to ask for instructions again, or they do work incorrectly. The planned instructional change is to have this small group of students make lists detailing their instructions for independent and partner work when instructions are given. Students are expected to do independent work often throughout the day, and usually during the time when teachers are working with other students at teacher station. Students need tactics that they can use independently to maintain their focus and get work done in a timelier manner. This will be an important skill as they get closer to going to middle school when they will be expected to work independently more often.

Context- Erin Stansel

estansel — 2016-02-09 01:35:13 UTC

Katie, your context has great detail and I got a very good sense of the classroom and school you're conducting your research in. I like that you added in detail on their DRAs and the range of services the kids in the class receives.

My only suggestion would be if you had a specific number of students the study is geared toward and if there's anything about the students that may cause challenges with self-regulation and become distracting, etc- such as are they any of the SpEd kids or are they ELL kids or kids with an IEP? Even if they are typically developed, native English speakers, then that could be added info on the kids too.

It looks great though and I can't wait to hear more!

Good Context, More Intervention - Dr. Sprague

debbiersprague — 2016-02-09 19:29:50 UTC

I agree with what Erin says. If you are focusing on a small group of students as opposed to the whole class then you need to describe these students as part of your context. You can send this to me separately if you are not comfortable putting it on here.

Your Intervention needs more details. How long will you do this research? Will you start out helping them develop the list (and then gradually back away and see if they do it on their own)? Will they have to write everything down or just for certain subjects/activities? Adding in the details helps your reader understand what you are doing and what you are measuring.