Classroom-based Research

Lynn WrightFTLA, January 27, 2010

Adapted from a presentation by Darla M. Cooper and Michelle Barton of the RP Group

Action Research is a

participatory process that seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and practice, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern.

(Reason and Bradbury, The SAGE Handbook of Action Research, p. 4)

Classroom-based research can be used to discover

• Students’ knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes

• The impact of interventions made in the classroom

Benefits of Classroom-based Research

• Enables you to plan and teach effectively

• Enhances your research and teaching skills, knowledge and understanding

• Encourages collaborative work that may help you reflect more effectively on the impact you are having on students’ learning

• Provides evidence that can be used to support effective classroom interventions

Linking research to your own practice in the classroom helps address students’ needs

Classroom-based Research: Step 1

Group Activity

• Develop questions based on your curiosity about your students’ learning and your teaching

• Decide on a topic/specific questions or issues to research

Classroom-based Research: Steps 2 & 3

• Investigate your questions with your students, documenting what happens

• Collect and analyze data from your classes, including your own observations and reflections

How to Be a Researcher in Your Classroom

• Become familiar with research designs and the associated data analyses

• Pre/post test• Group comparison• Trend analysis• Surveys

Pre/Post Test: Research Design

Best way to measure improvement over time

O X O

O = Observation (Pre-test)

X = Treatment (Classroom Intervention)O = Observation (Post-test)

Pre/Post Test: Data Analysis

• Compare group’s overall average scores on pre- and post-test

• Compare group’s scores on individual items

• Ensure that only the scores of the students who participated in BOTH pre- and post-test are included

Group Comparison: Research Design

Best way to compare treated and untreated groups

Group 1 O X O

Group 2 O O

O = Observation (Pre-test)

X = Treatment (Classroom Intervention)

O = Observation (Post-test)

Group Comparison: Data Analysis

• Compare overall average scores of the two groups

• Compare scores on individual items of the two groups

• Ensure that only the scores of the students who participated in BOTH pre- and post-test are included

Trend Analysis: Research Design

Best way to measure improvement of similar groups over time

X O1 X O2 X O3

X = Treatment (Classroom Intervention)

O1 = Observation of Group 1

O2 = Observation of Group 2

O3 = Observation of Group 3

Trend Analysis: Research Design• Compare overall average score of each group at

each observation time

• Compare scores on individual items of each group at each observation time

• Be aware that with this design you are not comparing the same group over time; so not measuring the improvement of one group of students, but of students in same class over time (e.g., course success rates)

Surveys: Research Design

Best way to measure students’ attitudes, beliefs, and/or perceptions

• Can be used to enhance quantitative data

(helps get at the HOW to resolve a problem)

• Can be pre/post-test or post-test only• Can be group comparisons

Surveys: Data Analysis

• Look at percentages of students giving each response

• Analyze open-ended questions to identify themes

• If given pre/post, compare group’s responses on individual items on pre- and post-tests

• If given to two or more groups, compare responses of the groups

Qualitative Methods

• Often asks the question of “how” instead of “what”

• Looks at the quality of relationships, activities, situations, or materials

• Types of Methods• Observations• Interviews• Case Studies

Classroom-based Research: Steps 4, 5, & 6

• Examine your own assumptions and beliefs

• Discuss your research to determine your findings and conclusions

• Articulate your findings and conclusions, continuing your discussions with a broader range of colleagues

Classroom-based Research Plan

Group Activity: Mapping out your project

How will you research your topic?

• Which research designs will you use and who will design them? (surveys, pre/post-tests, etc.)

• What kinds of data analyses will you do?• When will it be done? (Create a timeline)

• What will you do with your findings? (Dissemination and other next steps)