Unit 2: Where to begin

Objectives:

1.1 From personal experience and interest, participants will choose 1 area in their teaching/classroom that they would like to change/improve through the method of action research.

1.2: Participants will identify their topic/problem by posting it in the discussion board.

2.0: Participants will be able to define literature review by giving a written definition in a discussion board.

2.1: Given a number of sources, participants will locate recourses based on their topic.

Overview: This unit will help you find a problem and set the problem in theoretical context by explaining what a literature review is and how to write one.

Action research is an ongoing process!

Determining a general idea and an area of focus:

When beginning of action research, you need to identify the general idea that will be the area of focus. The general idea is a statement that links an idea to an action and refers to a situation one desires to change or improve on.

Read the following examples of a statement based on an observation, followed by a question the teacher asks regarding how the situation can be imrpoved

Example 1:

Statement- Students are not engaged during literature instruction.

Question- How can I improve student engagement?

Example 2:

Statement- Parents are unhappy with the lack of school/home communication.

Question- What can I do to improve home/school communication?

Example 3:

Statement- Students are sounding out words in isolation, but are not applying those skills when reading a story or book.

Question- What can I do to help my students transfer reading skills from isolated words to whole stories or books?

Visit the following site to read about more questions being asked by action researchers.[1]

To give you a better idea of what people desire to change, here are some more examples of action research questions:

1. Does intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation in spelling instruction help student’s grades?

2. Does character education lessons improve student behavior?

3. Does the amount of time parents spend reading to their children affect their reading level?

4. What are some factors and effects of Cooperative Learning?

5. Does student attendance affect scores on the standardized third grade tests our district?

On our discussion page, discuss any examples that stand out to you. Do any interest you? Do you have any questions/concerns? Please begin to list possible topics that interest you.

According to Geoffrey Mills (p. 41), there are criteria for selecting a general idea/area of focus: 1. The area of focus should involve teaching and learning and should focus on your own classroom/job. 2. It should something you feel passionate about. 3. It should be something you want to change or improve. 4. It should be something that you can actually control.

After deciding on a topic, you should begin a preliminary gathering of information. Look at the theories surrounding your practice, think about the educational values you have, and examine the historical context of your school.

Now, you should describe the problem as fully as possible. Essentially, ask yourself who, what, where, when, and why? Basically, determine if your topic/problem can actually be solved.

In the discussion board, please post some ideas for your topic. Please limit this to 1-3 ideas. We will be deciding on one topic in the next unit. The following information will help you better decide on a topic:

Literature Review:

After finding a topic, you should begin looking at professional literature on the topic. This will help you better understand the topic and may give you another viewpoint to look at. Writing a literature review can also help guide you through the topic and clarify what your topic really is; many teachers think they know their topic, and get frustrated when they try to act on it because they are really unsure of what they are asking.

Please visit the following site to explore what a literature is and is not. Literature Review Answer the following questions based on the reading. Post your answers to the discussion board.

1. Name 2 things that a literature review is NOT.

2. True or false?: As a general rule, each paragraph should address more than one points.

3. Why should you avoid Google as a place to find information?

4. True or false?: You should always reject research just because it conflicts with your hypothesis.

5. True or false?: A smaller number of quality sources is far preferable than a long list of irrelevance.

6. In your own words please write: What is a literature review?

Think about a literature review as similar to something that families do before making a large purchase. If a family wants to buy a new car, they often ask other people what they liked and disliked about the car they are interested in. They may read reviews and information about the specific car, and begin to ask questions such as “do I really need 4 wheel drive?” or “do I need a larger engine?” When searching for information, if you do not find any, you should ask yourself “is this topic really important.” Remember, if no one else researched the topic, it is probably not worthy of investigating!

Where do you find reliable articles/sources?

1. Education Resources Information Center (ERIC): This online database provides information on many subjects and is the world’s largest educational database. To begin, visit the following site ERIC The About Us tab will explain a bit more about the center.

2. PsycINFO: This database presents summaries of psychological research studies. Please visit the following site for more information PsycINFO

3. NewJour This site provides a list of journals and newsletters available on any topic.

4. Education Week This database focuses on education reform, schools, and policy.

5. CSTEEP: The Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy: This site contains information on testing, evaluation, and public policy studies.

6. National Center for Educational Statistics: This site has statistical reports and other information on the condition of U.S education.

7. U.S Department of Education This site contains links to the U.S government’s educational databases.

8. Go to your local library and ask for help! They will have computer based card catalogues for easy searching, ERIC on a CD-ROM, and stacks of books for you to look through.

Now that you know where to find information, choose one topic and begin searching for research. If your search is ending with little or no information, please re-evaluate your topic and think about possibly changing it to another one. Post your information on the discussion board. By (insert the due date) you should have a set topic and a literature review written and posted; essentially, connect your research with your topic. Please post any questions or struggles so that I can assist you in your review.

Proceed to Unit 3: Collecting data

Or, return to the main page Action Research