Master's Project-Action Research
Action Research
In order to fulfill the requirements of the Educational Technology Master's Program at The University of Hawaii at Manoa, students could choose to do an Instructional Design, Needs Assessment, or Action Research Project. I chose to get more hands-on experience with research. Since I was a teacher at the time and had a target audience/study group, I thought it would be to my best interest to conduct an action research study that incorporated a means of technology. It was a rewarding experience that brought light to my future teaching strategies.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate second grade students perceptions of blogging as an accompaniment to a health lesson in a second grade class.
Questions
As part of this study, it was vital to have guiding questions that focused on the purpose of this study. I am definitely learning the process of action research, but realized how helpful it is to have specific questions. The following questions guided this study:
- Will the students perceive blogging as a likeable tool?
- Will the students perceive blogging as a tool they can use?
- Will the students perceptions reveal they have a desire to repeat their blogging experiences?
Materials
Many of materials and planning played an essential role in effectively implementing this action research study. With such a young audience it was vital to have well-planned and age-appropriate resources and lessons to guide the students with blogging.
Since blogging was new to the students and a first time for me to implement an educational tool, I made sure students were somewhat familiar with the blogging site kidblog.org prior to implementation to allow my research to take place. Some important materials used were visual guides for students to use as a reference, rather than asking me first.
Since blogging was new to the students and a first time for me to implement an educational tool, I made sure students were somewhat familiar with the blogging site kidblog.org prior to implementation to allow my research to take place. Some important materials used were visual guides for students to use as a reference, rather than asking me first.
Methods
There were many methods used to validate the results of this study. The following tools were used:
- Observations and Field Notes
- Post Survey
- Small Group Post Interview
- Analysis of blogs
- Daily Reflection
Final Paper
I had the opportunity to present my action research study at the Technology, Colleges, and Community Worldwide Online Conference. If you'd like, feel free to view my final paper and final presentation. It was great experience that not only gave me the experience to present my research, but to learn about many educational technology tools that I hope to integrate into my instructional design and teaching.