Action Research Proposal
Action Research Proposal
ED: 512-01
Kaplan University
Professor Gerstein
January 6, 2009
The final proposal needs all components – introduction, problem statement, lit review – see Action Research Rubric in dropbox.
Introduction
There are many different reading programs available for schools to use. Some programs allow a lot of teacher discretion, and others argue that they are to be strictly followed; teacher satisfaction with a program may vary depending upon this level (or perceived level) of structure. The purpose of this proposed research is to look at how the structure, or perceived level of structure, in the Success for All reading program affects the attitudes of Elementary School teachers in the Bering Strait School District of Alaska. The accumulated data will give a better view of how perceived structure affects teacher attitudes as well as teaching (level of creativity in teaching reading).
Method of Research
This study will be conducted within the Bering Strait School District of Alaska. There are fifteen different villages with K-12 schools within this district (Whales, Brevig Mission, Shishmaref, Teller, Savoonga, Gambell, White Mountain, Golovin, Elim, Koyuk, Shaktoolik, Unalakleet, Diomede, St. Michael, and Stebbins). There are a total of 1692 students enrolled in the district (Greatschools, 2008) and the number of staff in these schools ranges from 5-21 (including the principals). Many teachers teach dual levels or more. The sizes of the villages range from 150 to almost 900 and student populations range from 40 to 225 within the schools (Bering Strait school District, 2007). The student to teacher ratio for the district is 10, with some schools having ratios as low as 6 (Greatschools, 2008). All schools are considered to be in “the bush” of Alaska, meaning that primary access is through bush planes. Very few schools have roads leading out of the village. Almost all students are Inupiat and/or Yup’ik Eskimo and enrollment for the free lunch program is 100% in all villages.
All schools use Success for All as their reading program. All new and returning teachers receive a 2-day training in the program prior to the beginning of the school year. And new teachers receive additional training at an October Inservice. This study will be conducted during the fourth quarter of school, when teachers will have spent the majority of the year using the program. Good
For this study, I propose to send out a request to all Elementary School teachers (Kindergarten through fifth grade) need to specifically state how many from each school in the Bering Strait School District of Alaska to complete a ten-question survey through Polldaddy.com. The e-mail will include a short explanation of the study, and an explanation of informed consent, which teachers will agree to by choosing to open the enclosed link to the survey. Here is what the online survey will look like:
Excellent survey!
For the purpose of this study, I will also ask 7 teachers and three principals (from 5 different schools) explain why you selected 3 of the 5 school principals to be interviewed over the phone or in person. In situations where Interviews are conducted in person, participants will sign a written informed consent form. These will be shredded after information from all interviews is consolidated. In cases where interviews are completed over the phone, informed consent will be given over the phone, verbally. The interviewer will record answers through pen and paper, using key phrases.
Interview Questions
You actually only need 3 to 5 questions – I especially like 2, 3, 6, 7, 8
1. How many years have you worked with SFA?
2. Have you used any other reading program prior to using SFA? Which ones?
3. What is your attitude towards the structure of SFA and why?
4. Has your attitude towards SFA changed as you have taught it longer? Explain?
5. To what degree do you feel free to make changes within the classroom where you see needed? Explain.
6. How do you feel the Success for All program meets the special needs of the
Inupiat/ Yup’ik Eskimo children you serve? Why?
7. What do you think is the greatest benefit of SFA?
8. Do you feel there are any deficits to SFA? If so, what?
9. If you could choose a different reading program for your school, would you?
Why?
10. How specifically does Success for All affect the creativity in your classroom?
Positively and/or negatively:
Information from survey questions will be consolidated into a bar graph as well as percentages for overall response totals. Information from the surveys will be also be compared to look for common trends, such as if higher perceived levels of structure correlate with higher dissatisfaction with the program, if there are connections between years taught and satisfaction with the program, and if teachers’ experience with other programs correlates to satisfaction with success for All, and if perceived level of structure correlates with a teacher’s level of creativity in the classroom.
Information from interview questions will look for commonalities amongst answers to further explain information gathered from the survey questions. It will also be looking for further information, such as the whys of how people feel the way they do about the program. This is excellent.
Time-Line
I will be taking the second half of my Action Research class (the Capstone class) during the spring of 2009, the term following this next one. Therefore I propose the following time-line:
1) I will turn in my IRB Exempt form on January 12, 2009.
After acceptance, I will use the following schedule:
References:
Bering Strait School District (2007). BSSD district profile. Retrieved online January 4,
2009 from http://wiki.bssd.org/index.php/District_Profile#BSSD_District_Profile
Greatschools (2008). Retrieved online January 5, 2009 from
http://www.greatschools.net/schools.page?district=8&state=AK