I’d never done a blog for a class before and initially I was skeptical about the project. Having done it I think it has worked quite well for me and I have benefitted from the suggestions. I also hope some of my ideas were of use to others.
I think I am coming out of the course with a fairly good understanding of what my project is. There is no question that i’ve found the topic I want to write about. I will be writing about electronic primary sources because I really think I could use them to spark student interest and teach critical thinking skills in my own classes. The only question is whether or not my current ideas about the best procedures for gathering data make sense or not. I think I might be biting off more than I can chew by using four different methods to attack my problem. I might have to drop one but all seem very valuable so i’m not sure which one. I'm also still trying to figure out how focused the survey should be. I might have to make it fairly broad to make sure that I have the ability to fallback on another part of the question of mine doesn't seem to be panning out.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
beating tina to the post.
Research Question:
Subjects: Students will be chosen from a regular level biology course in a school in
Measures/Procedures: The students will take their normally scheduled test on molecular genetics. The test scores for the nine students will be gathered. Within one day of that test, a one on one interview will be conducted with each of the nine students. The interview questions will prompt them to show their understanding of the large concepts covered on the test. The questions will be very broad, urging the students to explain all that they know about topics with minimal guidance and scaffolding. After the interview, the researcher will rank the student’s understanding of the material based on a rubric scaling system. The student will be classified as having one of the following five levels of understanding: very thorough, thorough, moderate, lacking, very lacking.
Analysis: The results from the understanding assessment and the scores on the tests will be compared through a correlation.
Nothing like 11:24 to post my blog!
Research Question:
How do novice and experienced high school Social Studies teachers differ with regards to following state-issued curriculum guides?
Subjects:
4 high school Social Studies teachers will be chosen from different schools in
Measures/Procedures:
The researcher will also conduct classroom observations to collect more data on how closely the teachers’ lectures follow the state-recommended curriculum.
Analysis:
The interviews will be qualitatively analyzed to determine the teachers’ general tendency to follow the state-issued curriculum guides. Common and contrasting themes will be extracted to determine the differences among novice and experienced teachers in regards to the curricular guideline. Additionally, the observations will be analyzed to compare the teachers’ curriculum and use of outside resources to the state-issued curriculum guide. This additional comparison will allow the researcher to further understand the teachers’ curriculum.
Yay for researach! #4
Research Question: How do engaged learning activities influence students' attitudes towards world history and its applicability to their lives?
Sample: 4 focus groups of 6 students each, hand-selected by their teachers and the 4 teachers themselves.
Analysis: Using focus groups, interviews, and classroom observations (for triangulation), I would determine the various types of "engaged learning" activities (operational definition--any activity that forces the student to manipulate information, whether in role-play, research projects, media use in the classroom, etc.) that take place in each classroom and judge its influence thereof. Through talking to students and teachers I would like to find out how different types of activities influence their views on social studies.
Sample: 4 focus groups of 6 students each, hand-selected by their teachers and the 4 teachers themselves.
Analysis: Using focus groups, interviews, and classroom observations (for triangulation), I would determine the various types of "engaged learning" activities (operational definition--any activity that forces the student to manipulate information, whether in role-play, research projects, media use in the classroom, etc.) that take place in each classroom and judge its influence thereof. Through talking to students and teachers I would like to find out how different types of activities influence their views on social studies.
#4
Research Question: Does the classroom environment at the time of
homework assignment and collection affect the likelihood of homework completion, and what rationales do students give for completing or not completing homework?
Subjects: 16 students, 2 teachers. The students will be broken up in to 4 groups of 4. 2 of the groups will classified as having frequent homework completion, and 2 will be classified as having infrequent homework completion.
Measures/Procedures: surveys with Likert scaled and open ended questions, audio-recorded focus group interviews, observation
Analysis: Study and analyze the data collected from the surveys, interviews, and observations; look for common feelings and ideas about homework, as well as behavior patterns of both students and teachers.
Four your consideration...
I still feel a mile wide and an inch deep but it's at least a better vector than I've had to date. I really want to make this a resource I (and dare I be so optimistic as to say "and my classmates") might reference when teaching literature and reading skills in WSFCS (or other) English classrooms a year from this fall. While there is some literature, none I've found yet addresses the "so what" of how to use the clear trends of recreational readers and non-recreational readers, to help all teens be better readers and have better attitudes about reading. Soooooooo....
Research Question(s):
Methodology: I will select for student subjects by administering confidential surveys and consultation with teachers to find four recreational readers and four non-recreational readers. The survey is intended to illicit responses to questions about how frequently students read for fun, why they do so and what their attitudes about reading are all in general terms. Next, detailed observation of their participation in an English classroom will characterize how their attitudes manifest in the school environment. Next, in-depth interviews will be conducted to clarify what was observed and further expand on both the students' responses to the initial surveys and their classroom behaviors. Finally, interview of the teachers who led these classes will be conducted to gain insight into the teachers' perspective of how recreational and non-recreational readers participate in the classroom environment.
Analysis: This data once organized will hopefully inform classroom methods and characteristics/behaviors to be encouraged in order to improve the attitudes towards, and performance of reading.
neat!
Research Question(s):
- What role does recreational reading have in adolescents' attitudes about literacy in the classroom and its importance in their lives?
- What characteristics differentiate recreational readers and non-recreational readers in an English classroom?
- What teaching methods are/are not effective with recreational readers and non-recreational readers?
- Four recreational readers from high school English classrooms
- Four non-recreational readers from same high school English classrooms
- Four English teachers in those high school classrooms
Methodology: I will select for student subjects by administering confidential surveys and consultation with teachers to find four recreational readers and four non-recreational readers. The survey is intended to illicit responses to questions about how frequently students read for fun, why they do so and what their attitudes about reading are all in general terms. Next, detailed observation of their participation in an English classroom will characterize how their attitudes manifest in the school environment. Next, in-depth interviews will be conducted to clarify what was observed and further expand on both the students' responses to the initial surveys and their classroom behaviors. Finally, interview of the teachers who led these classes will be conducted to gain insight into the teachers' perspective of how recreational and non-recreational readers participate in the classroom environment.
Analysis: This data once organized will hopefully inform classroom methods and characteristics/behaviors to be encouraged in order to improve the attitudes towards, and performance of reading.
neat!
Last Chance to claim insanity...
Ah, the final chapter…er… blog. Writing this blog has been an interesting experience and at times, overwhelming. I’m kind of sorry to see it go. As things are wrapping up and I continue to stress about the research project as a whole, I think I’ve come to some conclusions. As stated previously, I would like to do some research about student attitudes and motivations toward their history classes. I would like to incorporate the issue of gender, which of course makes everything more complicated. Most likely I will be using a series of surveys and possibly a few interviews. I’m having a hard time finding research addressing gender, but I am making headway finding research about student motivation in history classes. Let me know if you come across anything!! It seems that more research is being done about student motivation and gender in science and math classrooms in order to increase women in that particular field. That’s funny to me because I remember having mostly female teachers, except in history.
I still am hesitant to approach this topic because I am afraid, in all honesty, that it will peg me as a “feminist” teacher or a “women’s history” historian. While I don’t perceive either of these ideas as inherently negative, I’m afraid the negative association will affect my career choices. Smaller and more conservative communities may not be impressed with my research topic choice and be hesitant to interview me. Hopefully that will not be the case and I will be able to explain to them my rationale: I see gender playing a role in my classroom and I want to find out more about how to make sure the playing field is level. The best example I can give was my AP US History class. Because of the recent curriculum shifts toward social history, I have found female students are easier to engage in the material (and feel more comfortable with) than my male students. Maybe I’m just thinking too much. Here goes…
Research Question: What are students’ attitudes and motivations in regards to their history classes? Do these factors vary according to gender?
Subjects: 6 classes (2 World History, 2 C&E, and 2 US History)
Note: I can’t decide if I want to have them all be College Prep or vary the levels. Comments?
Methodology: All students would complete a survey about attitude and motivation in their class. These would be followed up with student surveys. I would also like to interview teachers about their own experiences with this issue. Lastly, I would like to observe each class to observe students attitude in class. I think I have too much to do…
Analysis: I would like to use SPSS (yikes!) to work with the survey data and include that with any qualitative data I have gathered, probably using the color-coding method to find common themes.
Last Post
Research Question: How are social studies able to balance discussion in the classroom with the need to prepare students for the content centered standardized tests?
Subjects: 5 high school teachers
Procedures: Observations and Interviews
Analysis:
Will use the interviews to learn about teachers’ conceptions of discussion and how they implement it in the classroom
SMART BOARD CONCLUSION
Research Question: Does student interaction with SMART Board technology effect student achievement?
Methodology:
Subjects: Four regular high school biology classes in Forsyth County.
Procedures: All classes will take a pretest to measure their current knowledge. In two classes students will be given a SMART Board activity for two days. The other two classes will be given a PowerPoint activity for two days. The four classes will receive the exact same lesson using PowerPoint. The PowerPoint activity will be adapted to become a SMART Board activity. After two days of instruction the students will be given a post test to access what they have retained.
Analysis: The four classes' test results will be compared using a t-test. The results will be compared to see if there is a significant difference between the groups.
Methodology:
Subjects: Four regular high school biology classes in Forsyth County.
Procedures: All classes will take a pretest to measure their current knowledge. In two classes students will be given a SMART Board activity for two days. The other two classes will be given a PowerPoint activity for two days. The four classes will receive the exact same lesson using PowerPoint. The PowerPoint activity will be adapted to become a SMART Board activity. After two days of instruction the students will be given a post test to access what they have retained.
Analysis: The four classes' test results will be compared using a t-test. The results will be compared to see if there is a significant difference between the groups.
Four
Research Question: What strategies do teachers employ in order to integrate socioscientific issues into the biology classroom?
Methodology
Subjects: Biology teachers withinForsyth County
Procedures: Structured interview questions will be posed to all participants in order to determine the amount of time teachers allocate to teaching and discussing socioscientific issues, to collect data regarding student attitudes toward these issues, and to identify the nature of the relevant issues being discussed.
Analysis: Codification to identify themes
Methodology
Subjects: Biology teachers within
Procedures: Structured interview questions will be posed to all participants in order to determine the amount of time teachers allocate to teaching and discussing socioscientific issues, to collect data regarding student attitudes toward these issues, and to identify the nature of the relevant issues being discussed.
Analysis: Codification to identify themes
I remembered to put a title this week!
Disclaimer: I'm not 100% sold on this idea and fully intend to change my research topic (as I've been doing every week until now), but here's what I've got:
Research Question: What effect do students’ perceptions of the teacher-student relationship have on underprivileged high school students’ motivation and achievement in the classroom? I'm interested in this because I would like to work in a high school with students from lower SES families. I want to know how much significance they place on their relationships with their teachers and how that affects their motivation and achievement in school.
Methodology: The study would be qualitative and consist of individual student interviews using a pre-determined set of questions. I would also sit in on classes and observe the teacher-student interactions.
Enjoy the week off everyone!
Research Question: What effect do students’ perceptions of the teacher-student relationship have on underprivileged high school students’ motivation and achievement in the classroom? I'm interested in this because I would like to work in a high school with students from lower SES families. I want to know how much significance they place on their relationships with their teachers and how that affects their motivation and achievement in school.
Methodology: The study would be qualitative and consist of individual student interviews using a pre-determined set of questions. I would also sit in on classes and observe the teacher-student interactions.
Enjoy the week off everyone!
A Research Question, or, Blog: Part the Last
Ok, so, here goes:
Research Question: How does the use of multicultural literature affect student attitudes towards English classes and literature in general?
Subjects: Local high school English students.
Methodology: I will use a combination of classroom observations, a survey, and student interviews to collect data. The observations will be analyzed and coded to gather insight into students' attitudes towards their classes. The survey will be used to determine student attitudes both towards their class and towards literature in general. After the survey, I will interview some (around 10) students to gain some depth of understanding.
Have a nice week off!
Research Question: How does the use of multicultural literature affect student attitudes towards English classes and literature in general?
Subjects: Local high school English students.
Methodology: I will use a combination of classroom observations, a survey, and student interviews to collect data. The observations will be analyzed and coded to gather insight into students' attitudes towards their classes. The survey will be used to determine student attitudes both towards their class and towards literature in general. After the survey, I will interview some (around 10) students to gain some depth of understanding.
Have a nice week off!
#4 - Research plan
Research question: What strategies do teachers use for developing students' oral proficiency, what are their perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of various methods, and how is students' oral proficiency evaluated both formally and informally?
Method: Twelve French teachers in Forsyth county public schools will be interviewed, six from the elementary and six from the secondary level. Interview questions will include "What specific pedagogical strategies do you use to promote oral proficiency in your students?" and "What, in your opinion, is the most effective way to promote oral proficiency?" Classroom observations of randomly selected interviewed teachers will attempt to reveal concrete examples of their responses as well as evaluate the accuracy of their perceptions. Data acquired will be coded to reveal recurring themes among respondents. Such analysis should provide a clearer picture of when and how French teachers use methods that promote students' oral proficiency skills and how students' skills are evaluated.
Method: Twelve French teachers in Forsyth county public schools will be interviewed, six from the elementary and six from the secondary level. Interview questions will include "What specific pedagogical strategies do you use to promote oral proficiency in your students?" and "What, in your opinion, is the most effective way to promote oral proficiency?" Classroom observations of randomly selected interviewed teachers will attempt to reveal concrete examples of their responses as well as evaluate the accuracy of their perceptions. Data acquired will be coded to reveal recurring themes among respondents. Such analysis should provide a clearer picture of when and how French teachers use methods that promote students' oral proficiency skills and how students' skills are evaluated.
# 4
I recognize that I still need plenty focus and refinement with my methodology, but here it goes....
Research Question - How can teachers fairly and effectively assess student performance in the social studies classroom?
Methodology - Interview 5-10 social studies teachers in varying local public schools. The interview will contain questions concerning their motivation/preference to use certain types of tests (multiple choice, short answer, essay, etc...) and to find out how often they test and the variety of test types they use throughout the school year. 10 students from varying social studies classes will take a short survey to to answer questions about the test types they prefer and what they perceive as a fair way to be assessed of their performance. Survey construction will be critical so that I can gain some sort of consistency in student's responses.
Research Question - How can teachers fairly and effectively assess student performance in the social studies classroom?
Methodology - Interview 5-10 social studies teachers in varying local public schools. The interview will contain questions concerning their motivation/preference to use certain types of tests (multiple choice, short answer, essay, etc...) and to find out how often they test and the variety of test types they use throughout the school year. 10 students from varying social studies classes will take a short survey to to answer questions about the test types they prefer and what they perceive as a fair way to be assessed of their performance. Survey construction will be critical so that I can gain some sort of consistency in student's responses.
Fourth and Final
Research Question: What is the attitude of Hispanic students toward school, and in particular, mathematics?
Subjects: 3-6 high school students in the local school system
Methods/Procedures: The research will be conducted through a case study, possibly along with follow up interviews. The students will be categorized by their teacher as high, average, or low achievers, with at least one student in each category. Each student will be observed in-class, and based on those observations, I will decide whether or not an interview is necessary.
Analysis: The in-class observations and interviews will be analyzed for common themes.
Subjects: 3-6 high school students in the local school system
Methods/Procedures: The research will be conducted through a case study, possibly along with follow up interviews. The students will be categorized by their teacher as high, average, or low achievers, with at least one student in each category. Each student will be observed in-class, and based on those observations, I will decide whether or not an interview is necessary.
Analysis: The in-class observations and interviews will be analyzed for common themes.
#4 - El último
Alright, the last blog. Here goes:
Research question: What are the specific strategies employed by Spanish instructors to elicit oral language in their foreign language classrooms?
Subjects: about 10 High School Spanish teachers of various levels from “a school district in
Measures/Procedures: Administer a structured, audio-taped interview to each of the subjects and follow up with classroom observations to see the strategies in action.
Analysis: Codify and categorize the responses and observations from the field-notes taken during observation and the audio-taped interview. Extract common themes from all the subjects; perhaps compare frequencies of different strategies reported and observed.
El Blog-o #4
Research Question: How do secondary Spanish teachers promote reading proficiency? What kinds of reading materials are used in the classroom, how is reading incorporated into grammar and writing lessons, what are reading strategies used during instruction, and how are proficiency and/or comprehension assessed? Subjects – 6-8 high school Spanish teachers in Winston-Salem; all who teach different levels of Spanish
Measures – Teachers will be interviewed using research-designed interview questions. Class periods of Spanish 1-AP will be observed to compare and contrast reading strategies and texts used in the classrooms.
Procedures – Interviews will be audio recorded. A focus group may be used. Questions will focus on areas such as: What types of reading materials do you use in the classroom? Do you incorporate pre-reading, reading, and post-reading techniques while instructing reading? How do you incorporate pre-reading, reading, and post-reading techniques? How do you teach grammar through reading passages? Do you use collaborative techniques to allow students time for cooperative learning while reading? How do you assess comprehension of texts? What level of comprehension do you look for? How do you stimulate students' schemas before beginning reading passages? Do you collaborate with teachers who teach higher/lower levels of Spanish to ensure that reading techniques are shared and built upon throughout students' careers?
Analysis – Interviews and field notes will be coded according to the Mac method. From the coding, general themes will be extracted and traced using Inspiration. Researcher is looking for common themes: techniques to teach reading, types of texts used, frequency of reading in the classroom, and proficiency and comprehension/assessment of such after completion of passages/texts.
Measures – Teachers will be interviewed using research-designed interview questions. Class periods of Spanish 1-AP will be observed to compare and contrast reading strategies and texts used in the classrooms.
Procedures – Interviews will be audio recorded. A focus group may be used. Questions will focus on areas such as: What types of reading materials do you use in the classroom? Do you incorporate pre-reading, reading, and post-reading techniques while instructing reading? How do you incorporate pre-reading, reading, and post-reading techniques? How do you teach grammar through reading passages? Do you use collaborative techniques to allow students time for cooperative learning while reading? How do you assess comprehension of texts? What level of comprehension do you look for? How do you stimulate students' schemas before beginning reading passages? Do you collaborate with teachers who teach higher/lower levels of Spanish to ensure that reading techniques are shared and built upon throughout students' careers?
Analysis – Interviews and field notes will be coded according to the Mac method. From the coding, general themes will be extracted and traced using Inspiration. Researcher is looking for common themes: techniques to teach reading, types of texts used, frequency of reading in the classroom, and proficiency and comprehension/assessment of such after completion of passages/texts.
Haha, still not sure this makes sense.... :)
I think I still have a ways to go before nailing down my final procedure/methodology, but as of today, my research question is... *drum roll please*
How do various instructional methods influence student perceptions of learning chemistry?
The samples will be drawn from "regular"-level chemistry classes taught by WFU Master Teachers in Forsyth County. Students will be asked to fill out a Likert-scale questionnaire that assesses their perceptions of learning on three levels:
1. self-efficacy (does the student think he has the ability to do well)
2. science learning value (does the student think chemistry is relevant)
3. learning strategies (does the student attempt to understand material on a deeper level)
Students will also be chosen at random from each classroom to participate in a short interview to gain student feedback about his/her teacher's methods of instruction. This feedback will be compared to the results of the questionnaires, to see if any trends are evident.
How do various instructional methods influence student perceptions of learning chemistry?
The samples will be drawn from "regular"-level chemistry classes taught by WFU Master Teachers in Forsyth County. Students will be asked to fill out a Likert-scale questionnaire that assesses their perceptions of learning on three levels:
1. self-efficacy (does the student think he has the ability to do well)
2. science learning value (does the student think chemistry is relevant)
3. learning strategies (does the student attempt to understand material on a deeper level)
Students will also be chosen at random from each classroom to participate in a short interview to gain student feedback about his/her teacher's methods of instruction. This feedback will be compared to the results of the questionnaires, to see if any trends are evident.
Final Blog
So many research topics…so little time! I have moved away from teacher attrition and on to the use of technology in social studies classrooms. I think I have finally arrived at a topic that will work out. I had first thought that I would want to study the use of the Class Performance System (CPS) technology and its impact on teachers and students. I had the opportunity to use this technology in my own teaching and found that it was effective in engaging all students. It was an excellent resource that facilitated student centered learning. Unfortunately, I have found out that this technology is not being used in Winston-Salem schools (as of yet). I have since changed my research study to look at how a current unit topic in social studies is being taught with technology in social studies classrooms (more detailed description of the unit in my proposal for Friday). This study would take place in several 9-12 grade classrooms in Forsyth County school district. Semi-structured interviews, in class observations and field notes would be taken to collect data. I am also going to do a pre and post test as another data collection method. I have not quite figured out all the issues involved with the study but I feel like I am on a better path. Hopefully, this will be the topic that will become my fall project!
I am so excited to finally be done with teaching and headed to Winston-Salem soon! Can’t wait to meet everyone!
I am so excited to finally be done with teaching and headed to Winston-Salem soon! Can’t wait to meet everyone!
Blog #4 at 4:30 am
I'm getting ready for my 6:30am flight out to DC and remembered that I had one final piece of business to take care of before I could bid summer 1 classes farewell:
Research Question:Forsyth County US
I'm pretty excited with this topic, so I would have to come across something super fascinating to change it for the fall. And now that I have said that, that's probably what will happen. Well folks, this is Biser signing off. See you in July!
Research Question:
How do high school social studies teachers integrate current events into their classrooms?
(and more specifically...)
a. How often do social studies teachers incorporate current events into their classrooms?
b. At what point during the instructional period are teachers most likely to incorporate current events?
c. What sources or teaching materials do teachers use or encourage their students to use to access current event information?
d. Do, and if so, how, do teachers assess their students’ knowledge and comprehension of current events?
Subjects in this study will be six to eight high school social studies teachers in theI'm pretty excited with this topic, so I would have to come across something super fascinating to change it for the fall. And now that I have said that, that's probably what will happen. Well folks, this is Biser signing off. See you in July!
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