Week 5

I feel that the research in the form of action research will be more efficient and maybe more effective that traditional research. I would also imagine that if our initial research project works smoothly then it will encourageus to continue trying to research various areas or topics with our field. The constant feedback throughout the course has been good for consistent monitoring and revising of our plan. Because research can be so time consuming it would be really frustrating put time and effort on the part of many into a project and end up with a result that will not benefit the campus or district.

Week 4

I liked looking at the various methods of consensus building. I found out that I have used all of these methods in either coaching, through a committee I am on at school or with various school groups. So that helped me to understand the pros and cons of these types of methods by making the connections.

I also have been able to narrow the specifics of my research just a bit to give me a more accurate set of data a results hopefully. From there I should be able to identify a stronger correlation or cause and effect relationship once I am finished.

Week 3 Action Research Plan

This week was tough because there were plenty of steps, tasks and reflections to organize. However, I think this week may help more than any to actually begin to formalize the project from a idea to an attainable study. The difference as we have learned in an action research is that we examine ourselves before, during and after the study to see what our role and how it can be improved (to go along with the findings of the study). I imagine for most of us our topic of research is one that can overlap with most any other campus or district of colleagues or those in which we might move to in the future.


Goals: Determine what factors contribute to school unity and their cause and effect relationship with student achievement.

Outcomes: To develop a plan to generate increased school unity among students and among staff in order to generate a higher level of student achievement.

Activities: Create a database of the number of students involved in extra and co-curricular activities both in and out of the school day. Then I will analyze the amount of programs and activities designed to potentially include all student body members (fundraisers, pep rallies, community events). At that point it will be necessary to examine the current levels of success students are having with a standard measurement tool. Then I can compare the success levels of students who are involved in school activities to those who aren’t. From there I can make an inference as to whether being part of the school unity helps with achievement and if so begin to work on ways to include more students in the unity of the school.

Resources: These will include information from other teachers/sponsors (to collect data regarding student involvement) as well as information from testing coordinators to analyze previous results to the students who are and who are not involved in school unity activities. Perhaps the most important resource will be the information obtained from students. I want to find out from them why they don’t participate more in school-directed activities and what type of activities would appeal to them more.

Timeline: This can begin in the early stages of school to get numbers of student who are participating in activities promoting school unity. Toward the end of the fall semester I can begin to make comparisons from previous standardized scores and fall benchmarks with numbers of students involved in school events and activities and the correlation between them.

Implementation: I will work on the implementation along with help from others sponsors/coaches on campus as well as testing coordinators for test results. Ms. Ellis (my supervisor) will also help with the analyzing of information and the coordination of different personnel.

Monitoring: Each six weeks will provide a good checkpoint for the research. The first will work for the task of gathering numbers of participation. The second will finish in time to match up standardized test results to the involved students. The third six weeks will serve to give me a starting point to begin analyzing the data to look for correlations. Overall, this project will last into the spring and summer to have a complete breakdown of the benefits of school unity to student achievement.

Assessment: Once completed I need to analyze my details to the plan and if I followed the specified steps. Then I need look for adjustments that could have been made and also look for any anomalies that might have taken place during the time of research that could have skewed the results.

Week 2 Reflection

After the interviews from week two and my own deliberating, it seems that action research is one that would not only benefit districts, students and schools but also a tool that allows use as individuals to grow in our pursuit of improving our schools and therefore commnuities. I imagine we have all done lots of research both formally and informally throughout our lives. I think one key to remember when conducting action research is that we must remain focused on the specific topic of the research in order to get valid answers that will promote growth and success within our campus/district.

Reflection

Through a week of discovery I think I have conducted action research before to varying degrees. It would seem that I do this after teaching a particular topic or especially after each six weeks or semester. I know that we use this process in athletics whether it is after a game or a season. However, this is the first time I haven't looked at the possibility regarding administration. I think now that I will practice it in a formal setting for this class I can notice and observe the key points of using action research to steer me in the right direction.

Action Research

From the first week of class I have learned that first of all I would consider some things I have done in the past to be action research. These previous examples include my coaching, raising my kids and growing in my marriage. However, I haven't conducted any action research as it would pertain to the role of an administrator. Through experience in this program I have begun to learn the roles, responsibilities and requirements of an administrator.

Action research will allow me to intentionally examine past decisions, policies and performances in order to make changes for the better. Action research will use data and anecdotal evidence to facilitate these changes.

I think the key to successful action research is to be intentional. By being intentional we can be sure direct our research and the information that we gather toward the proposed area of study and improvement. Without the element of intentionality, we have the chance to conduct great inquiry but deliver the answer to a question we weren't asking. Traditional research is typically given to use to find the answer for someone else or as a means to gain experience in acquiring information. But action research has a goal in the end of improving some practice that is already in existence.

I think the topic of research for most people has a negative connetation of simply finding information that other people have already identified. But when used for action research, this information will have another purpose which is to learn what has already happened and have the vision and insight to make improvements upon the past.