Essay on "Action Research the District"

Quoted Instructions for "Action Research the District" Assignment:

Background

After conversing with my principal we identified a problem that is in need of resolution. Our district is going through a new teacher evaluation system(New Jersey) in which 35 % of the evaluation will be through student achievement. Teachers will need to create student growth objectives, but before you could create your SGO the students must have some sort of pre assessment data. The overall problem that we had was that our district delayed the entire SGO implementation or model process. The district chose not to create universal assessments- we didn't get a district wide pre assessment and a final assessment- which would be needed to calculate student growth. so in all principals and teachers were in the blind. To resolve this matter we decided to create our own pre assessments by units and create our own post assessments- we selected a specific time span in which this was due.

Essay- to create an essay which demonstrates what we actually did- you could feel free to add anything relevant to the study- overall we want to see if our idea is effective enough and fair enough to calculate student growth- at the same time -teachers actually choose percentages of growth as well- will it work?--I have some specifics that Id like added in the essay. I have 5 concept to be covered - please touch on each- I followed them with some questions that may help--you could make up things in study as well- just as long as it flows with the overall background information and the overall study question I provided.

Significance-In two or three sentences, describe the significance of the study. Why should it be done? What is the value of the study? Why is it important? To whom is it important? Ensure that your reader will not react to your topic with "So what?"

Research- What research provides a foundation for this study? Briefly identify the major themes and sub-themes for which you will present the literature in support of this proposed study. Provide a brief description for each theme and sub-theme to show how it relates to the problem being studied. Make sure that part of the outline includes the theoretical framework that will form the foundation for the study?

Methodology

How do you plan to conduct this study? State whether you will use quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods research, and then describe the research design in one or two sentences. Focus on the questions/hypotheses you posed earlier.

Specific research designs are determined primarily by two factors: a) what the research questions require; and b) what is feasible given the resources or conditions at hand. Consider what kind of data will answer the research question/hypothesis: a) qualitative data sources can include field notes from observations, research journals, and interview; b)quantitative data sources could include test scores, frequency counts, percentages, and/or descriptive statistics; c) both qualitative and quantitative data. Consider what instruments will help you collect this data. Three categories of research design: Experimental research design: a) used to test hypotheses regarding cause and effect, b) making causal inferences requires a high degree of experimental control, and c) true experimental design versus quasi-experimental designs.

Co-relational research design: a) examines how variables are related to one another and b) do not reveal whether one variable causes the other. Descriptive research design depicts conditions as they exist in a particular setting. All designs may use qualitative data sources, quantitative sources or both.

Dat collection

Briefly describe how you will collect data to answer the research questions: How will the data be collected? By whom? From whom? When? Where? Briefly describe the instrumentation for a quantitative study and sources of data for a qualitative study. Quantitative data sources typically include test scores, survey responses, and observations of behavior. Qualitative data sources typically include field notes from observations, research journals, and interviews. Who will develop the instruments? If using someone else*****s instrumental, what steps will be followed to obtain approval? If you are developing the instrumental, which will be used: pilot study or panel of experts. Provide a rationale for the choice. Briefly describe the data collection process that you plan to use. What specific requirements does the site for the data collection have for gaining approval to conduct a study using its participants? How will these requirements be met?

Data Analysis

Describe how you will analyze the data. Indicate the type(s) of statistical analysis for quantitative data and briefly describe the data analysis strategy for qualitative data. Organize the data analysis process around the research question or hypothesis.