Syllabus
Master of Science in Education
EDU 690 Action Research – Fall A 2019
Credits - 3
Description
In this course, educators will explore action research within their own work setting. Educators will formulate a problem statement, conduct a literature review, design a study, identify which data to collect, conduct the study, analyze data, report the results of the analysis, and develop an action plan. The resulting product will be a professional quality action research report. Through a systematic and collaborative process, participants will utilize action research to reflect, analyze, and enhance their professional practice. Educators will also develop technical writing skills which are important for professional communication, grant-writing, and administrative reporting tasks.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
- Determine the importance and value of teachers becoming action researchers
- Examine the relationship between action research and traditional educational research
- Explain the characteristics of action research useful in the teaching profession
- Apply collaborative inquiry skills and engage in reflective practice
- Utilize the principles of action research to define problems and identify appropriate data-driven solutions to address the problems
- Clarify ethical issues involved in conducting action research and recognize the challenges and procedures for obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.
- Apply the process of action research to your own educational setting
- Understand the mechanics of writing a graduate-level research report
- Use appropriate technology in the data collection and analysis process
Assignments
Most school systems greatly emphasize data-driven or evidence-based teaching strategies. In this course, you will explore action research in your work setting. You will formulate a problem statement, conduct a literature review, design a study, identify which data to collect, conduct the study, analyze data, report the results of the analysis, and develop an action plan. The resulting product will be a professional quality action research report. Through a systematic and collaborative process, you will utilize action research to reflect, analyze, and enhance your professional practice. You will gain experience in developing Action Research studies and determine their value to teaching and school practice. You will also develop your technical writing skills, which are important for professional communication, grant-writing, and administrative reporting tasks.
In addition to weekly small group or full-class discussion boards, you have eight written assignments for this course. Specific instructions for each assignment can be found within the weekly modules.Action Research Concept Form
After discussing your concept with classmates in Discussion 2, complete and submit the Action Research Concept Form for faculty feedback and approval. Although this assignment is not graded, it is an important step in gaining preliminary approval of your Action Research Concept.
Complete CITI Training and Submit CITI Training Certificate of Completion
The University of New England like many other colleges and universities uses the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training to ensure those doing research are appropriately informed regarding Human Subject Research Protection.
Assignment 2 is the completion of this training and submission of the Certificate of Completion.
Submit Introduction, Problem Statement, Research Questions, and Hypothesis
Present your Introduction Problem Statement, Research Questions, and Hypothesis(es) as Assignment #3. In the final project, these four elements are included in the Introduction section of your proposal.
Submit Title Page, Revised Assignment 3, and References Page(s)
This assignment is an opportunity for your faculty member to provide additional guidance about the nature and appropriateness of the sources you are working with.
The Literature Review process often refines the researcher’s thinking about the project and provides additional focus. It also provides the greatest number of source materials that need to be referenced. Now is the time to create a title page and reference list for your study.
You will be submitting one document containing your title page (with a proposed title for your study, not the assignment name), a revised version of Assignment 3, and a reference list.
Literature Review
The Literature Review provides justification and a theoretical foundation for your research project. The Literature Review is more like a typical research paper synthesizing the material and should include appropriate citations in APA format.
Draft Methodology
Your Week 7 Methodology assignment is an ungraded draft, but it should include your research design, what you plan to implement as a strategy to improve the situation, how you will actually implement your strategy, your data collection plan (including instruments you plan to use and how they will be administered), a description of how you plan to analyze the data, and a full description of your sample population. This assignment will be returned to you as soon as possible along with any requirements for changes to your design, intervention, or data collection plan.
Methodology Section
The Methodology section of your proposal describes in detail your action research plan. A revision of your Draft Methodology with attention to any gaps that were identified in the draft in Week 7, the Methodology as a whole is a cohesive presentation of the methods used to conduct the study. This assignment should include all previous sections (Title Page, Introduction, Problem Statement, Research Questions, Hypothesis, Literature Review, Methodology, References, and Appendices) all in proper sequence as shown in the EDU 690 Action Research Report Template
Final Action Research Study Report
For your final assignment, you will submit a completed Action Research Study Report that incorporates writing from earlier assignments and some new writing organized into a comprehensive and cohesive report of the study you conducted during EDU 690. This final version should reflect careful attention to any and all feedback you received during the course and represent your best work.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Week | Assignment | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Action Research Concept Form | N/A |
| 2 | CITI Training | 10 |
| 3 | Problem Statement, Research Questions, and Hypothesis | 3 |
| 4 | Title Page & References | 3 |
| 6 | Literature Review | 3 |
| 7 | Draft Methodology | complete/incomplete |
| 8 | Methodology | 3 |
| 14 | Results & Discussion | 3 |
| 16 | Final Report | 30 |
| Discussions (15 @ 3 points each) | 45 | |
| TOTAL | 100 |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
|
Week #: Dates |
Topic |
Assignments |
Assignment Due Date |
|
|
Week 1: 8/28-9/1 |
An Introduction to Action Research |
Post to Week 1 Discussion 1: Introduction posting (ungraded) Read:
Assignment: Submit Action Research Concept Form Post to Week 1 Discussion 2: Brainstorming Your Project Proposal |
Assignment #1: Action Research Concept Form; due 9/1 at 11:59 PM ET Week 1 Discussion Board closes on 19/ at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by FRIDAY night |
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Week 2: 9/2-9/8 |
Ethical Considerations for Action Research |
Read:
Submit CITI Training-Certificate of Completion View Frontline Video Post to Week 2 Discussion: Ethical Considerations View Frontline video Meet with your Administration and gain preliminary approval for your research project. Determine if there is a local approval process that you must follow and what you need for that. |
Assignment #2 Complete CITI Training — Submit CITI Certificate of Completion; due 9/8 at 11:59 PM ET *Note: CITI training Certificate of Completion MUST be submitted before you can continue in the course. Week 2 Discussion Board closes on 9/8 at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 3: 9/9-9/15 |
Mastering American Psychological Association (APA) Style |
Read:
Review Action Research Report Template and Exemplars in University Resources Post to the Week 3 discussion any questions about APA, grammar, punctuation, the exemplar, and/or the sample paper in the APA Manual Assignment: Submit Introduction, Problem Statement, Research Questions and Hypothesis. |
Assignment #3: Submit Introduction, Problem Statement, Research Questions & Hypothesis; due 9/15 at 11:59 PM ET Week 3 Discussion Board closes 9/15 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 4: 9/16-9/22 |
Conducting a Literature Review: Locating Sources |
Review APA Manual Chapters 6 and 7 Read:
Begin Literature Review by identifying sources and compiling Reference page(s) Post to Week 4 Discussion: Sharing Available Resources Assignment: Submit Title Page, Revised Assignment and Reference Pages |
Assignment #4: Submit Title Page, Revised Assignment 3, and References Pages; due 9/22 at 11:59 PM ET Week 4 Discussion Board closes 9/22 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 5: 9/23-9/29 |
Conducting a Literature Review: Reviewing & Documenting Sources |
Continue Literature Review Post to Week 5 Discussion: Reflections on the Literature Search Process- Challenges and Successes |
Week 5 Discussion Board closes 9/29 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 6: 9/30-10/6 |
Writing a Literature Review |
Assignment: Submit Literature Review Post to Week 6 Discussion: Reflections on the Literature Review |
Assignment #5: Submit Literature Review; due 10/6 at 11:59 PM ET Week 6 Discussion Board closes 10/6 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 7: 10/7-10/13 |
Methodology: Research Design, Data Collection, Sample Selection, & Data Analysis |
Read:
Draft Methodology – Research Design, Data Collection Plan & Sample Selection Sections Post to Week 7 Discussion – Reflections on Methodology: Research Design and Data Collection Planning Assignment: Submit Draft Methodology |
Assignment #6 (ungraded); Submit Draft Methodology; due 10/13 at 11:59 PM ET Week 7 Discussion Board closes 10/13 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 8: 10/14-10/22 |
Methodology: Revise and resubmit for approval |
Read:
Continue drafting Methodology Post to Week 8 Discussion – Data Analysis & Interpretation Assignment: Submit Revised Methodology |
Assignment #7: Submit Final Methodology; due 10/22 at 11:59 PM ET Week 8 Discussion Board closes 10/22 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 9: 10/23-10/27 |
Ramp up week |
Prepare Lesson Plans, finalize data collection instruments, collect baseline data, and prepare to implement strategy and data collection in Week 10 |
Faculty review and approval of Complete Methodology is required before students implement their studies. |
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Week 10: 10/28-11/3 Week 11: 11/4-11/10 Week 12: 11/11-11/17 Week 13: 11/18-11/24 |
Conducting Action Research |
Data Collection Period (4.5 weeks) Post a progress report in weeks 10, 11, & 12 to the corresponding Discussion in My Groups Post to Week 13 Discussion: Action Planning Read:
Compile data collected and draft Results/Findings for submission next week. |
Discussion Boards for each week close at 11:59 PM ET on the Sunday ending each week.* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 14: 11/25-12/1 |
Reporting Action Research Results |
Assignment: Submit Results and Discussion sections Read:
Post to Week 14 Discussion: Results & Discussion |
Assignment #8: Submit Results and Discussion sections; due 12/1 at 11:59 PM ET Week 14 Discussion Board closes 12/1 at 11:59 PM ET* *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 15: 12/2-12/8 |
Drafting an Action Research Report |
Finalize Final Report to include Abstract, Table of Contents, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results/Findings, Discussion, Action Plan and Reference and Appendix pages. Post an Abstract to Week 15 Discussion: Sharing Your Abstract |
Week 15 Discussion Board closes 12/8 at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Week 16: 12/9-12/15 |
Polishing Up an Action Research Report |
Assignment: Submit Final Report including Abstract, Table of Contents, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results/Findings, Discussion, Action Plan and Reference and Appendix pages. Post to Week 16 Discussion: Course Reflections |
Assignment #9: Submit Final Report; due on FRIDAY 12/13 at 11:59 PM ET Week 16 Discussion Board closes on FRIDAY 12/13 at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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AI Use
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Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
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