- Notes in the field: taking notes and keeping anecdotes of my own classroom experiences.
- Student questions and answers: asking my students questions about my teaching and or their learning experiences.
- Scholarly journals: places where other education professionals share their classroom experiences and findings.
- Unpublished research studies: sparks ideas for research questions and offers related materials to my own research questions. Develops a feeling of interconnectedness in the field, in spite of full conclusions or absolute findings.
- Published research studies: Same as above, but usually with more complete findings.
- Student work: artifacts to represent ideas put to use and lessons in action.
- Content-based websites for educators: NCTE, etc.
- District and state-wide data sites: Performance Tracker, RTI, etc. Gives a more holistic view for observing student achievement and or lack of progress.
October 19, 2009
Methods for Data Collection and Action Research
Throughout this course, we have been exploring a variety of ways to conduct Teacher Research. From our class readings and the time spent in the library, I have discovered the following means for collecting data:
Annotated Bib
During Session 6, Pam, Angela, and I worked on finding any sources related to motivation while researching at Reeves. From this session, we were able to narrow our search and research topic. However, we did find some sources that will help us compile our portfolio and create our presentation.
What interests me about looking into high stakes testing and motivation, is my desire to understand the true effects of NCLB. As teachers, we face the frustrations with high stakes testing on a daily basis through our curricular demands and student reactions. However, I'd like to have some research to back up my experiences- and or, research to complement my own experiential research.
Our group is working together by dividing up individual research tasks for the portfolio then comparing results as we get closer to our actual presentation date.
Here is our Annotated Bibliography, presented in APA format excluding tabs and spacing due to my blog medium.
Megan Hauser
Angela Kuehner
Pam Carstensen
MEDU 500
Annotated Bibliography
Bembenutty, H. (2009). Teaching Effectiveness, Course Evaluation, and Academic Performance:
The Role of Academic Delay of Gratification. Journal of Advanced Academics, 20(2), 326-355. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study discussed how academic delay of gratification is a significant predictor of a student’s final course grade. It talks about how students need to learn ways to motivate themselves and develop learning strategies to achieve success in the class. This will be a good contribution to our research topic to see how those students learned ways to motivate themselves.
Birdsell, B., Ream, S., Seyller, A., & Zobott, P. (2009, May 1). Motivating Students by Increasing Student Choice. Online Submission, http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study tracked 7th grade students’ observable behavior patterns to see if motivation was affected by choice in the classroom. Student survey questions asked how they interpret choices in the classroom according to grouping, curriculum, homework, and assessments. Study showed that there was an increase in student motivation to some degree. This source will provide research on the topic of student choice, should we include this aspect into our research of extrinsic motivators. However, this source maybe problematic because it does not yield strong results.
Haywood, J., Kuespert, S., Madecky, D., & Nor, A. (2008, December 1). Increasing Elementary and High School Student Motivation through the Use of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards. Online Submission, http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study provides strategies to motivate students from extrinsically rewarding behaviors to intrinsically motivating behaviors. Through the use of teacher survey, administrative interview, and an observation checklist, the teacher researchers gathered data to provide evidence of students' lack of motivation. The teacher researchers used verbal and written praise, cooperative learning groups, and tangible rewards. The teacher researchers found that most students responded well to all of the intervention strategies as long as the lessons continued to be engaging and best practices were employed. However, many students reverted to previous performance levels if the reward was not guaranteed or worth his or her effort. This source will be useful to our research if we examine teacher strategies for encouraging both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation into our study. This source may be challenging to use as definitive proof that extrinsic motivation from teachers actually improves student achievement levels.
Hootstein, E. (1994). Motivating Students to Learn. Clearing House, 67(4), 213-16. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This brief study focuses on middle school social studies teachers’ frustrations with motivating their students and the questions they face in trying to do so. The study suggests some techniques which might be used by teachers in order to create motivation. This study is useful because in addition to suggesting techniques, it also expresses constraints felt by teachers. These limitations may be something our group wants to address in order to truly decipher how motivation techniques can be applied to classroom instruction.
Kobus, T., Maxwell, L., & Provo, J. (2007, January 1). Increasing Motivation of Elementary and Middle School Students through Positive Reinforcement, Student Self-Assessment, and Creative Engagement. Online Submission, http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study focuses on selected grades (third- eighth) using student behaviors such as inadequate homework completion, lack of focus during classroom activities, and low achievement on tests to research motivation. Data collection found areas of weakness that were motivationally driven; specifically, off-task behavior, directions not followed, and poor work quality. Researchers concluded that student achievement increased with the use of creative engagement, self-assessment, and positive reinforcement. This source will provide relevant data through teacher research in preselected areas. Should we decide to research these selected topic areas, this will be a valuable source. This source offers data for both elementary and secondary grade levels which will be useful for the dynamics of our group.
Lumsden, L., & ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, E. (1999). Student
Motivation: Cultivating a Love of Learning. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article discusses how motivation is a product of a variety of needs from the school setting. A few of the examples were teacher-student relationships, a meaningful well taught curriculum, and teachers who look for ways to help students connect to the curriculum. This source will be useful to our research study to examine what sources help develop student motivation.
Murayama, K., & Elliot, A. (2009). The Joint Influence of Personal Achievement Goals and
Classroom Goal Structures on Achievement-Relevant Outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(2), 432-447. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study examines junior high and high school students in Japan; it is used to examine three models of goal structures identified in the classroom. Direct and indirect goal structures are studied in order to find relationships between intrinsic motivation and academic self-concept. These goal structures are useful for understanding motivation since they may reveal patterns in student learning that is related to achievement, and thus, increased motivation.
Nichols, S., & Berliner, D. (2008). Testing the Joy out of Learning. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 14-18. http://search.ebscohost.com.
The authors suggest that all standardized testing related with NCLB decreased student achievement and motivation among other unintended negative consequences. The authors argue that standardized tests undermine teacher-student relationships, narrows curriculum, and ultimately bores both low-achieving and high-achieving students. This source may be useful if we decide to include current legislative topics and their effects on classroom motivation. This source would be a viable document to use to strengthen our extrinsic motivators case.
Phillips, S. (2008). Are We Holding Back Our Students that Possess the Potential to Excel?. Education, 129(1), 50-55. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study focuses on high achieving students who are characterized as being intrinsically motivated. The main question being addressed is whether or not these students’ needs are being met within various schools’ current curriculum standards. Although this article does not directly study motivation, it does seem to address the effects of motivation in a population of students that is oftentimes overlooked. This study may apply to our research in that it may spark conversation about what creates motivation and how it is lost and kept.
Walker, C., & Greene, B. (2009). The Relations between Student Motivational Beliefs and
Cognitive Engagement in High School. Journal of Educational Research, 102(6), 463-472. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This was a study involving high school students to see the relations among student perceptions of classroom achievement goals, self efficacy, and a sense of belonging in the classroom. The authors found that a classroom promoting a mastery orientation was predictive of a student's sense of belonging. This study showed the importance of having students be motivated to create and attain their own goals.
What interests me about looking into high stakes testing and motivation, is my desire to understand the true effects of NCLB. As teachers, we face the frustrations with high stakes testing on a daily basis through our curricular demands and student reactions. However, I'd like to have some research to back up my experiences- and or, research to complement my own experiential research.
Our group is working together by dividing up individual research tasks for the portfolio then comparing results as we get closer to our actual presentation date.
Here is our Annotated Bibliography, presented in APA format excluding tabs and spacing due to my blog medium.
Megan Hauser
Angela Kuehner
Pam Carstensen
MEDU 500
Annotated Bibliography
Bembenutty, H. (2009). Teaching Effectiveness, Course Evaluation, and Academic Performance:
The Role of Academic Delay of Gratification. Journal of Advanced Academics, 20(2), 326-355. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study discussed how academic delay of gratification is a significant predictor of a student’s final course grade. It talks about how students need to learn ways to motivate themselves and develop learning strategies to achieve success in the class. This will be a good contribution to our research topic to see how those students learned ways to motivate themselves.
Birdsell, B., Ream, S., Seyller, A., & Zobott, P. (2009, May 1). Motivating Students by Increasing Student Choice. Online Submission, http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study tracked 7th grade students’ observable behavior patterns to see if motivation was affected by choice in the classroom. Student survey questions asked how they interpret choices in the classroom according to grouping, curriculum, homework, and assessments. Study showed that there was an increase in student motivation to some degree. This source will provide research on the topic of student choice, should we include this aspect into our research of extrinsic motivators. However, this source maybe problematic because it does not yield strong results.
Haywood, J., Kuespert, S., Madecky, D., & Nor, A. (2008, December 1). Increasing Elementary and High School Student Motivation through the Use of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards. Online Submission, http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study provides strategies to motivate students from extrinsically rewarding behaviors to intrinsically motivating behaviors. Through the use of teacher survey, administrative interview, and an observation checklist, the teacher researchers gathered data to provide evidence of students' lack of motivation. The teacher researchers used verbal and written praise, cooperative learning groups, and tangible rewards. The teacher researchers found that most students responded well to all of the intervention strategies as long as the lessons continued to be engaging and best practices were employed. However, many students reverted to previous performance levels if the reward was not guaranteed or worth his or her effort. This source will be useful to our research if we examine teacher strategies for encouraging both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation into our study. This source may be challenging to use as definitive proof that extrinsic motivation from teachers actually improves student achievement levels.
Hootstein, E. (1994). Motivating Students to Learn. Clearing House, 67(4), 213-16. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This brief study focuses on middle school social studies teachers’ frustrations with motivating their students and the questions they face in trying to do so. The study suggests some techniques which might be used by teachers in order to create motivation. This study is useful because in addition to suggesting techniques, it also expresses constraints felt by teachers. These limitations may be something our group wants to address in order to truly decipher how motivation techniques can be applied to classroom instruction.
Kobus, T., Maxwell, L., & Provo, J. (2007, January 1). Increasing Motivation of Elementary and Middle School Students through Positive Reinforcement, Student Self-Assessment, and Creative Engagement. Online Submission, http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study focuses on selected grades (third- eighth) using student behaviors such as inadequate homework completion, lack of focus during classroom activities, and low achievement on tests to research motivation. Data collection found areas of weakness that were motivationally driven; specifically, off-task behavior, directions not followed, and poor work quality. Researchers concluded that student achievement increased with the use of creative engagement, self-assessment, and positive reinforcement. This source will provide relevant data through teacher research in preselected areas. Should we decide to research these selected topic areas, this will be a valuable source. This source offers data for both elementary and secondary grade levels which will be useful for the dynamics of our group.
Lumsden, L., & ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, E. (1999). Student
Motivation: Cultivating a Love of Learning. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article discusses how motivation is a product of a variety of needs from the school setting. A few of the examples were teacher-student relationships, a meaningful well taught curriculum, and teachers who look for ways to help students connect to the curriculum. This source will be useful to our research study to examine what sources help develop student motivation.
Murayama, K., & Elliot, A. (2009). The Joint Influence of Personal Achievement Goals and
Classroom Goal Structures on Achievement-Relevant Outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(2), 432-447. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study examines junior high and high school students in Japan; it is used to examine three models of goal structures identified in the classroom. Direct and indirect goal structures are studied in order to find relationships between intrinsic motivation and academic self-concept. These goal structures are useful for understanding motivation since they may reveal patterns in student learning that is related to achievement, and thus, increased motivation.
Nichols, S., & Berliner, D. (2008). Testing the Joy out of Learning. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 14-18. http://search.ebscohost.com.
The authors suggest that all standardized testing related with NCLB decreased student achievement and motivation among other unintended negative consequences. The authors argue that standardized tests undermine teacher-student relationships, narrows curriculum, and ultimately bores both low-achieving and high-achieving students. This source may be useful if we decide to include current legislative topics and their effects on classroom motivation. This source would be a viable document to use to strengthen our extrinsic motivators case.
Phillips, S. (2008). Are We Holding Back Our Students that Possess the Potential to Excel?. Education, 129(1), 50-55. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This study focuses on high achieving students who are characterized as being intrinsically motivated. The main question being addressed is whether or not these students’ needs are being met within various schools’ current curriculum standards. Although this article does not directly study motivation, it does seem to address the effects of motivation in a population of students that is oftentimes overlooked. This study may apply to our research in that it may spark conversation about what creates motivation and how it is lost and kept.
Walker, C., & Greene, B. (2009). The Relations between Student Motivational Beliefs and
Cognitive Engagement in High School. Journal of Educational Research, 102(6), 463-472. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This was a study involving high school students to see the relations among student perceptions of classroom achievement goals, self efficacy, and a sense of belonging in the classroom. The authors found that a classroom promoting a mastery orientation was predictive of a student's sense of belonging. This study showed the importance of having students be motivated to create and attain their own goals.
Reflection on Group Roles
Although many jokes were made about some of the dysfunctional roles listed, the overall list of role descriptions was a good way to introspectively consider the strengths and weaknesses that I bring to a group. While working with Pam and Angela on high stakes testing and student motivation, I am trying to be mindful of the ways that I give or take in the group. As I describe each role that I associate with myself, be it positively or negatively, I will add in any comments related to this specific group task in MEDU 500.
STRENGTHS:
* I see myself as an Information/Opinion Seeker because I am always concerned with everyone's feelings. Therefore, I think it's important that each person is understood within a group, and that everyone feels she has a voice that is heard. Due to its description, I think this also makes me a good Orienter. One way that I can bring this strength to my group is by making sure that we have all expressed our ideas before making a big decision. I think we have already done a good job of this by clarifying what our expectations and specific interests were before committing to our clearly defined research question.
* In the same breath, I am not afraid to give my opinion when I feel it is relevant; I enjoy sharing personal stories or ideas. Therefore, I think I am also an Information/Opinion Giver. I know that I learn best by asking questions and talking about things, which makes me more willing to share information and opinions- through doing so, I clarify my own learning while hopefully serving the greater goals of the group.
* Many colleagues have commented on my passion and energy for my work, therefore I would be happy to believe that I can be an Energizer for my group. I do my best to keep a positive outlook, even when things are most stressful in a group setting. Everyone has bad days, though, so I don't want to sound my own horn too much! However, I do feel that my upbeat nature is an asset for most group situations.
* I love writing things down and staying organized, so I think I make a good Recorder. This will be useful as my group works to individually gather a variety of information for later use; my sense of organization and keeping things written down in a way that makes sense will help us to move forward in the short amounts of time we have together. I think simple things like color coding highlights and typed up note sheets before sessions will also help us to be efficient.
* Lastly, in conjunction with some of the roles I've already described, I think I make a good Encourager and Harmonizer. While checking in with other people's opinions and keeping the group moving, I am working to maintain harmony and offering encouragement. I am non-confrontational to a fault, therefore I tend to gravitate toward the opposite direction- encouragement and harmony.
WEAKNESSES:
* Now, Pam was mostly joking when she called me an Aggressor, however it is a concern of mine! While offering information and sharing opinions, there is a fine line to be had between knowing when to open up and when to back down. I do sometimes fear that I believe in my opinion so much that it may come out too forceful. This doesn't match up with the exact description on our sheets, nor do I think the description on the sheet is something Pam believes about me, but I do think that the related ideas I've addressed are things I need to work on about myself.
* It seems like my description of the Aggressor is borderline Dominator. As I start to mention above, I think it's important for me not to get too excited about having things "done a certain way" or to flaunt my personal opinions.
STRENGTHS:
* I see myself as an Information/Opinion Seeker because I am always concerned with everyone's feelings. Therefore, I think it's important that each person is understood within a group, and that everyone feels she has a voice that is heard. Due to its description, I think this also makes me a good Orienter. One way that I can bring this strength to my group is by making sure that we have all expressed our ideas before making a big decision. I think we have already done a good job of this by clarifying what our expectations and specific interests were before committing to our clearly defined research question.
* In the same breath, I am not afraid to give my opinion when I feel it is relevant; I enjoy sharing personal stories or ideas. Therefore, I think I am also an Information/Opinion Giver. I know that I learn best by asking questions and talking about things, which makes me more willing to share information and opinions- through doing so, I clarify my own learning while hopefully serving the greater goals of the group.
* Many colleagues have commented on my passion and energy for my work, therefore I would be happy to believe that I can be an Energizer for my group. I do my best to keep a positive outlook, even when things are most stressful in a group setting. Everyone has bad days, though, so I don't want to sound my own horn too much! However, I do feel that my upbeat nature is an asset for most group situations.
* I love writing things down and staying organized, so I think I make a good Recorder. This will be useful as my group works to individually gather a variety of information for later use; my sense of organization and keeping things written down in a way that makes sense will help us to move forward in the short amounts of time we have together. I think simple things like color coding highlights and typed up note sheets before sessions will also help us to be efficient.
* Lastly, in conjunction with some of the roles I've already described, I think I make a good Encourager and Harmonizer. While checking in with other people's opinions and keeping the group moving, I am working to maintain harmony and offering encouragement. I am non-confrontational to a fault, therefore I tend to gravitate toward the opposite direction- encouragement and harmony.
WEAKNESSES:
* Now, Pam was mostly joking when she called me an Aggressor, however it is a concern of mine! While offering information and sharing opinions, there is a fine line to be had between knowing when to open up and when to back down. I do sometimes fear that I believe in my opinion so much that it may come out too forceful. This doesn't match up with the exact description on our sheets, nor do I think the description on the sheet is something Pam believes about me, but I do think that the related ideas I've addressed are things I need to work on about myself.
* It seems like my description of the Aggressor is borderline Dominator. As I start to mention above, I think it's important for me not to get too excited about having things "done a certain way" or to flaunt my personal opinions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
