Prof. Moses Revision Action Plan

Action Plan

Belinda Rector

EDGR 698

Cindy Sutton

November 21, 2014

Implementation Plan, Procedures and Measures, Data Collection

Participants

The study will include four teachers and seventy fourth-grade students in general math class. There are approximately male 50 students and 70% who are males and 30% females. There will be one male teacher and three female teachers who will be involved in the study. Most of the population in this school is mainly composed of Africa American (30%), Haitian (20%) and Hispanic (40%) and others (10%). Participants in the study will be students who are enrolled in first-year and second-year general math class.

In order to ensure success of my study, I had to collect a team of participants to study. To obtain the right of entry to other classes I did not teach, I sought the agreement of the other staff. After getting assent from my fellow staff and participation of all the involved, ill then distribute permission forms for approval from both the students and the parents. The signed forms will be expected to be signed by at least 80% of the participants before I commence with the study. Each participating teacher will be required to spot one high performing student from each class and one a low achieving without consideration of motivation or attitude towards technology.

From the ten students identified, I’ll randomly choose four participants for achievement case studies. The students chosen will be selected randomly from a set of participating students and will be questioned about their feeling towards technology in mathematics. To determine how integrating technology applications affect the comprehension of mathematics, I will study several interventions previously implemented in the classrooms. After studying the traditional methods used to present information and to practice certain math concepts

. Measures

A variety of measure will be used to compare technology-enhanced math’s instructions with traditional math teaching in student academic attainment, student inspiration, and student mindset towards math. In order to measure student achievement in both the traditional and classes taught through virtual manipulative applications, I’ll use math final exam as a pretest and a posttest. Student interviews, achievement surveys, teacher comments and completed case studies using student work will also serve the purpose of determining achievements.

Student motivation will be measured by administering a survey on motivation to both students and the teachers. In addition, the student participation checklist will be used observe the mathematics classrooms. For the determination of student attitudes towards technology in mathematics, a student attitudinal survey combined with student interviews will be sued. Finally, I will use a classroom observational checklist in classroom observations. This will be used to document the manner in which technology is being utilized by teachers and students in teaching and learning math concepts.

Procedures

My study will involve fourth-grade students in general math class. For comparison purposes, I’ll use technology in a section of the class then include the section taught using traditional mathematics teaching and learned concepts. Some of the technological application that will be used alongside teacher-focused mathematic instructions include; graphic utilities, computers, PowerPoint presentations and virtual manipulative among others. An additional first-year class will be included in order to compare with the group using computer-enhanced applications. A random selection of one traditional first-year algebra classes and classes in Algebra Logic Lab will be done. The lab uses computerized teaching in first-year algebra with an instructor serving as a facilitator.

All data will be collected in the mathematics classrooms during the regular class period. Every participating student will be given a number with which to code the test. They will also be given surveys, and interviews to safeguard privacy but uphold a connection among the data measures for assessment. The content-based pretests and post tests will be run at during the first week of the semester and the third week of the semester. Every time, the usual classroom teacher will administer the tests, and the students will be given one hour to complete the test. All three student surveys will be administered at the same time, and the surveys administered by the regular classroom teacher. The students should approximately twenty minutes to complete all the three surveys. No special instructions will be issued apart the first explanation of the study given on the consent forms and a meaning of technology.

A total of 50 participants in the technology-enhanced classes will be used. The second-year algebra classes consist of 14 students. The other class consists of 18 participating students. The technology-enhanced Algebra Logic Lab participated will comprise of 20 students. 30 participating students will be in the first-year algebra traditional class. In the second-year algebra traditional class, there will be 10 participating students.

The performance case studies will be completed after the analysis of the surveys. They will include an interview of the students during the normal class time and a ten-minute interview of the student outside of the class. Short interviews involving the student and the teacher will also be conducted. Student’s work will be reviewed, and a general observation of the student in the class made. A random selection of the four student taking part in the study students will be done from classes with class sizes 14, 18, and 20. Two students will be selected from the 50 member class. Similar the attitudinal interviews shall be completed during class time outside of the classroom. Data collection will be complete after observing every two classroom two times for twenty minutes each time. This will be completed by the use of a student participation checklist in measuring student participation. In measuring technology, an observational checklist will be used.

After data completion, I will analyze the data to get solutions to my research questions. In order to compare the technology-enhanced mathematics classrooms with the traditional mathematics classroom, I will use Microsoft excel. It will also be used to organize the data collected from the case studies, observation of the case studies, and from the various surveys. I will organize the data by the students’ assigned numbers. In calculating the descriptive statistics and to counting the frequency of descriptive data, I will make use of the Microsoft Excel.

References

Cook, A. M., Polgar, J. M., Cook, A. M., & Hussey, S. M. (2008). Cook & Hussey's assistive technologies: Principles and practice. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby Elsevier.