This week I learned that it is not only okay; but, it is actually encouraged to do action research studies on topics that interest the researcher. That means me!
It is also ok to take an idea that has been successfully done at another school and use it as an action research project at your own school. I was very happy to hear that every action research doesn’t have to be a new idea that I have come up with. It takes a bit of the pressure off. My plan is, however, my own.
I am very excited about my action research study. I will be comparing end of chapter test results from last year to test results from this year. The difference will be that students this year will have feedback for every question given on daily assessments. The goal is to show that by providing immediate feedback, even if that feedback is delivered electronically, students will do better on the end of chapter tests.
In this scenario, students will take a ten minute online quiz at the beginning of each period that mirrors the most significant questions from the prior day’s assignment. The assessment will be set so that, after each question, the student will be told if his answer was correct. They will not be given the correct answer but will, whether his answer was correct of incorrect, be given a short explanation of the correct answer. For the results to be meaningful, the students must read the feedback. Therefore, students will be strongly encouraged to read the explanation before going on to the next question. Students will benefit from immediate feedback and reinforcement of learner objectives.
I can’t wait to get started!
The topic sounds interesting. Are you going to compare the test results for last year's and this year's tests for the same group of students or are you going to use a specific grade level? I think it would be interesting to see if the students from last year actually perform better this year using the new strategy.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, all but 2 of our 8th graders from last year have moved on. So, I will be comparing 8th graders to 8th graders. I really think this will be the more accurate of the two options because some (not all) 8th graders tend to mature a bit as they move to high school. I will however pay special attention to my repeaters.
ReplyDelete