Report Revision
10
Action Research Project Written Report
Latoria Johnson
EDF6487
Professor Adelman
February 28, 2023
Action Research Project Written Report
Introduction:
Changes have occurred in the educational system over time, most noticeably with the advent of electronic tools for teaching and learning. The utilization of educational games and tools to increase student engagement is one of the most talked-about developments in cutting-edge technology. The Marco Polo Learning Tool is an interactive online curriculum for kids ages 3-7 to foster intellectual, physical, and social growth. This resource can be accessed from any internet-enabled device and features games, videos, and interactive information. In this study, I aim to determine if implementing the Marco Polo Learning Tool into the classroom actually does increase student interest and participation. There is little evidence that this tool actually increases student engagement, despite claims that it provides a more entertaining and dynamic learning environment for kids.
Relevant research concerning the topic:
A number of studies have investigated the effectiveness of educational games and technologies in maintaining students’ interest. According to the findings of a study by Alqahtani, the utilization of educational games has been demonstrated to increase students’ involvement and motivation (2018). In another study, Lu et al. (2018) found that students who used interactive technology in the classroom were more interested in the material being taught to them and better able to remember it afterward.
Studies that asked similar questions to mine:
The Marco Polo Learning Tool has only been the focus of a limited number of empirical studies, despite the fact that there is evidence indicating that it raises students’ interest in learning. Kim et al. (2019) conducted research on an online teaching tool that was quite comparable to one they found to be successful in improving student engagement.
Studies that identified a similar research problem:
When investigating whether or not using educational games in the classroom will boost student engagement, Balcikanli and Yildiz (2021) stumbled onto a similar inquiry barrier. The findings showed that students exhibited higher levels of interest and motivation when they were able to participate in educational games. My research is warranted since there is a lack of literature on the tool that I am examining, despite the significance of educational games and tools for boosting student engagement. This is because there is a material shortage on the instrument I am analyzing.
A teacher at Kiddie Academy is expected to pique the interest of their pupils and encourage the children' growth as individuals capable of learning. This study is to evaluate the link between social-emotional learning (SEL) practices and programs and academic achievement, with a specific emphasis on Marco Polo as the focus of the investigation. Since it plays such an important part in supporting students in the development of skills such as communication, cooperation, problem-solving, and decision-making, social-emotional learning (SEL) need to be included into every curriculum. In addition, the development of skills such as self-awareness, self-management, and self-regulation via SEL is a key component of academic accomplishment. SEL may help students acquire these skills. It is for this reason that it is of the highest significance to investigate how SEL might effect the academic progress of kids while they are in the classroom.
In order to increase the number of children who take part in the Kiddie Academy VPK program, the purpose of this research is to examine the many ways in which the learning tool known as Marco Polo may be included into the curriculum for the program. As a metric for determining the level of engagement among the student body, we will look at the number of students who take an active role in the various activities that take place in the classroom, such as submitting their work on time and contributing to the various topics that are brought up in class discussions.
Research Question
“How can I use the Marco Polo learning tool to increase student engagement in my VPK class at Kiddie Academy as measured by an increase in the number of students completing assignments and participating in class discussions?”
Literature Review
Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been identified as a critical element of a successful education system. The literature on SEL is growing rapidly, focusing on understanding the impact of SEL programs on various outcomes, such as classroom climate, academic achievement, and social-emotional skills. Recent studies have shown that SEL programs can positively impact academic skills. For example, McCormick et al. (2021) studied the long-term effects of an SEL program, INSIGHTS, on academic skills. The study found that INSIGHTS positively impacted academic performance, even after two years. Furthermore, Aygün and Taşkın (2022) examined the effect of an SEL program on social-emotional skills, academic achievement, and classroom climate. The results indicated that the SEL program positively impacted all three outcomes.
The impact of SEL on schoolgirls in rural Uganda has also been studied. Malhotra et al. (2021) conducted an impact study of a curriculum-based SEL program in rural Uganda. The study found that the program had a positive effect on the social-emotional skills of the schoolgirls. The study further noted improvements in the girls’ self-esteem and self-regulation skills. Overall, the literature indicates that SEL programs have the potential to have a positive impact on academic performance, classroom climate, and social-emotional skills. SEL programs can also effectively improve school girls’ outcomes in rural areas. More research is needed to understand the effects of SEL on different populations and contexts. Further research is needed to determine the most effective ways to implement SEL programs.
Purpose of the study:
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Marco Polo Learning Tool in improving student engagement in the classroom.
Potential hypothesis:
H1: The use of the Marco Polo Learning Tool will improve student engagement in the classroom.
H2: Students will perceive the use of the Marco Polo Learning Tool positively.
H3: There will be no significant gender or age differences in student engagement when using the Marco Polo Learning Tool.
Research Design
For this research, a qualitative research design has been used. Qualitative research is a sort of research that investigates the subjective experiences, emotions, and views of persons (Allan, 2020). This study’s research plan ideally matches its purpose because it will allow the researcher to investigate how and why the VPK kids at Kiddie Academy use the Marco Polo educational platform.
Participants
Nine children who are now enrolled in Kiddie Academy's VPK program will serve as participants in this research. To choose participants for the study, we will utilize a method known as purposeful sampling, which is a kind of non-random sampling in which people are chosen based on certain criteria. The participants in the study will consist of VPK students who volunteered to take part in the research and will get priority for selection. Even though there are only nine students represented in the sample, this is regarded to be a suitable amount for qualitative research. This is due to the fact that it enables the researcher to get a decent sense of what the students are going through.
Data Collection
The data for this research will be gathered using a combination of observation and semi-structured interviews. Observation will be the primary data collection method and will be used to analyze the student’s level of involvement and participation in the classroom. This involvement and participation will be measured by things like the student’s contribution to class discussions and the completion of assigned work. The researcher will carry out the observations during the duration of the VPK class, and field notes will be gathered to capture the activities and behaviors of the students.
We are just going to conduct interviews that are only partly prepared in order to obtain the thoughts and impressions that pupils have about the Marco Polo tool. After the VPK session, the researcher will conduct interviews with the students. During these interviews, the students will be given open-ended questions at many points. The researcher will have the chance to work on in-depth analyses of the student's experiences and ideas, which will be of tremendous use to the project. This is because we will utilize a semi-structured format for the interviews. In spite of this, some structure will still be maintained in order to assure that each participant will be asked the same thing and that there will be no repeat.
The researcher is going to participate in a number of different tasks in order to guarantee that the data are of a high quality and that they can be depended upon. The researcher will start by carrying out the observations, during which they will be careful to take extensive notes on the activities and interactions that take place among the children while they are out in the field. These activities and interactions will be observed while the children are playing together. To ensure that they have acquired all of the pertinent data, the researcher will record and transcribe the semi-structured interviews that they conducted. A technique known as triangulation, which requires the researcher to obtain information from a range of sources, will add to the credibility of the study. Triangulation is one of the methods that contribute to the credibility of the study. Interviews and observations will both be carried out at the same time in order to guarantee the trustworthiness of the data that is acquired and to ensure that it is reflective of the real experiences and opinions of the students.
Data Analysis
The information that was gathered will be evaluated using a number of different qualitative methods, such as content analysis and coding that is based on grounded theory. Content analysis, which involves coding and classification of the data, is one of the qualitative methods that may be used to uncover repeating themes and patterns within the data. This analysis is one of the qualitative techniques that can be employed. The purpose of this study is to use content analysis in order to uncover recurrent patterns and topics that emerge from the experiences and viewpoints of students who have used the Marco Polo teaching tool. The responses that the students provided in response to the survey questions will be used as the primary source material for these experiences and perspectives.
The interpretation of qualitative data may be accomplished in a variety of ways, one of which is by using coding that is directed by grounded theory. This is only one of the many possible approaches. Developing a hypothesis is the first step that has to be taken in order to be able to provide a reasonable explanation for the findings of this research which used this approach. The implementation of grounded theory coding is going to take place so that an analysis can be done to determine the impact that Marco Polo has had on the level of academic motivation shown by the children who are participating in the VPK program at Kiddie Academy. The results of the research are going to be presented in a way that is not only easy to understand but also gets right to the heart of the matter. The results that are regarded to be the most important will be given particular emphasis, as will the importance of these findings in relation to the use of the Marco Polo teaching tool in classrooms for children in preschool and kindergarten.
In a nutshell, the purpose of this research project is to evaluate, within the context of a VPK class that takes place at Kiddie Academy, how the implementation of the Marco Polo learning tool influences the levels of interest and accomplishment among the kids. Through qualitative observation and interviews with students, this research will provide insight into how students' opinions of the tool's utility and its influence on their involvement in class have developed throughout the course of the study. This will be accomplished through the use of student interviews. The classroom will serve as the location for these interviews and observations to take place. This kind of study has the potential to help teachers figure out how to make use of technology in a manner that would capture the interest of even their youngest pupils in the subject of education. This is one of the many possible applications of this sort of research. This is because it has the ability to assist instructors find out how to utilize technology in an engaging manner, which is one of the reasons why it is so important.
Reference
Allan, G. (2020). Qualitative research. In Handbook for research students in the social sciences (pp. 177-189). Routledge.
Aygün, H. E., & Taşkın, Ç. Ş. (2022). The Effect of Social-Emotional Learning Program on Social-Emotional Skills, Academic Achievement, and Classroom Climate. Psycho-Educational Research Reviews, 11(1), 59-76.
Malhotra, N., Ayele, Z. E., Zheng, D., & Amor, Y. B. (2021). Improving social and emotional learning for schoolgirls: An impact study of curriculum-based socio-emotional education in rural Uganda. International Journal of Educational Research, 108, 101778.
McCormick, M. P., Neuhaus, R., O’Connor, E. E., White, H. I., Horn, E. P., Harding, S., ... & McClowry, S. (2021). Long-term effects of social-emotional learning on academic skills: Evidence from a randomized INSIGHTS trial. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 14(1), 1-27.
Sharma, H. L., & Sarkar, C. (2019). Ethnography research: An overview. Education.