Action Research Teachers as Researchers in the Classroom

When one has never performed an action research project before, the task at hand can be quite daunting. Questions of design, content, and components of the project arise. Being so, it was very helpful to have such a great resource as our course text book by Craig A. Mertler. This book was able to outline what an action research project should look like as far as design and also what content to include in the various components. One chapter in particular that I found helpful was chapter four. Chapter four gave an in depth look at such entities as the kind of design that best fits the type of action research question posed. After reading chapter four I was able to understand the methods I would use in how to implement my plan of action. It is important to understand what you are reading and the concepts involved with action research are advanced in terminology. I felt the text to be difficult at times to read due to the vernacular used. I was grateful to have the extra resources such as outlines and powerpoints to help me break down the main points needed. I found myself often using the powerpoints which helped me deepen my understanding. Had those not been available, I am not confident in my understanding of the text. I would recommend this text to other classes. It gave me a clear picture of what a literature review should look like and it really helped me with the difficult component of theoretical framework. I think future classes will benefit from the use of extra recourses and the book itself.

Action Research Proposal

Using Rocket Math Program to Increase Rate of Multiplication Fact Accuracy: A Research Study

Jessica Dennings

TE 808

Michigan State University

Introduction: As I teach a math lesson on multiple digit multiplication, I grow alarmed at the site before me.  When multiplying individual digits, students are using their fingers to count up by the numbers verses remembering the fact.  Multiplication facts that should take seconds are taking longer.  I begin to realize what dilemma I am dealing with.  My students lack the skills of quick recall when it comes to their multiplication facts from numbers 0 – 12.  This basic skill is a must when it comes to mathematics as it works as a building block for other concepts.  For example, when performing three by two digit multiplication problems, it is important to know the single digit facts in order to solve the bigger problem.  Another example is in long division.  The students must know their facts in order to determine the quotient.  The problem my students have is recalling their basic multiplication facts at a fast rate.  To test my theory that this problem existed for my students, I decided to give them a multiplication-timed test.  There were 100 problems of variable facts.  Instead if writing down their answers quickly, I had students counting up with their fingers to solve the problems.  What should have taken 5 minutes to complete ended up being a situation where 75% of my students did not finish.  I must solve this issue in order for them to be successful in more complex problems.  A math specialist at my school told me about Rocket Math which is a program that helps students recall basic multiplication facts at a quick rate.  My question for research is: Will using Rocket Math increase my students’ speed and accuracy for recalling multiplication facts?

Theoretical Framework:  The theoretical viewpoint of behaviorism is, “An approach that focuses entirely upon learners understanding the “what” through methods like rote memorization, identification, and association. This theory is concerned with illuminat- ing only what learners need to know” (Mcleod, 2003). The way my students were taught multiplication in third grade was through songs that taught them to memorize the multiples of each number from two through nine.  They sung songs that had a different tune for each number family.  My theory is that the students are using these songs in their heads when counting up on their fingers.  This is important for my research. I can see that my students do not have their facts memorized and are using a different method that has not benefited them in this subject.  This is a problem because I can see the evidence of them counting up when using their fingers and I have seen them do this while taking a test they knew was timed.  I have also seen them not finish a test they should be able to finish in the time allotted.  Furthermore this problem has affected their other math concepts because it takes them that much longer to finish complex problems that involve these basic facts and in return creates fatigue and disinterest in solving the problems.  Since I have seen all of this occur, I know it is a problem that exists and needs to be resolved. 

Research Design and Data Collection Methods:  The research will be conducted in a classroom setting.  27 fourth graders will be participating in the research.  The ages are 9-10 years old with 70% white, 20% black, and 10% other in ethnicity.  In order to protect the identities of the students, I will be using numbers when referring to the students verses using their names.  The study will be a quantitative study using the descriptive design method of observational research.  The reason for using this method is because my data involves quantitative results in which scheduled observations will be made and will involve the tallying of scores. The data collection methods will include daily assessments and a tally sheet that tracks rate of student progress.  The tally sheet will have each student’s names and the levels of the multiplication assessments.  Each time a student passes a level, I will place a tally in that square.  This will give me a visual to see the progress my students are making.  To ensure trustworthiness, 27 students will be observed and the data will only relate to the research question posed.

Data Analysis: When analyzing the data, a descriptive statistics method will be used.  This is a result of there being  a large number of data and scores recorded to analyze.  The limitations foreseen are the possible outliers of very high or very low scores.  This could change the way in which the data can be interpreted.

Timeline:

Data Collection

Week 1: 3/5- 3/9

Week 2-:3/12- 3/16

Week 3: 3/19-3/23

Week 4: 3/26- 3/30

Data Analysis

Week 5: 4/2-4/6

References

Mcleod, Gregory (2003).  Learning Theory and Instructional Design   Retrieved from

            http://courses.durhamtech.edu/tlc/www/html/Resources/learningmatters/learningt

            heory.pdf.