Being passionate about the "social sciences," I love seeing what people (especially my students) have to say about what they learn. I enjoy comparing numbers to see important details, but I am mostly intrigued by how people describe their learning. As part of my teaching practice, I regularly have students reflect at the end of each of their projects.
Therefore, my data collection will mostly be from surveys where my students can reflect on their learning as well as provide answers for my research questions. My first data collection was actually from the end of September, when my students finished their first round of research - about identifying and explaining the Five Themes of Geography in different continents/regions. I have since compiled their answers in order to see clear patterns as well as obtain percentages that will help quantitatively as I further my instruction and action research. Additionally, I have been recording field notes and journal entries for me to reflect on what is and isn't going well throughout my students' current research project about Medieval Europe. When my students reflect through a survey in the middle and at the end of their current research, I will include a Likert Scale to quantitatively see what is and isn't working well. I hope the above combination of qualitative and quantitative data will work well in giving me a picture of how to best support my students in their own research, therefore helping me answer my Driving Question: "How can I guide my middle school students in finding reliable sources while conducting their research?"
5 Comments
Kathy Martin
11/19/2019 01:49:38 pm
I love the combination of qualitative and quantitative data. I think both are equally important and can provided different insights into what the students are learning and how they are learning it. Is collecting the survey data something that you have done in the past as well? I think the data that you will get is going to be so helpful for you as a teacher to know what they are learning and where they are going.
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Megan Burton
11/20/2019 09:00:06 am
Yes, I collect survey data from each of my classes for practically every project. I use their responses to guide my further instruction - both in upcoming projects with the current students as well as in altering the project at hand for future years. I love the qualitative aspects. Now... just working to make sure it's quantitative as well.
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Melissa Newman
11/19/2019 09:41:23 pm
I think that is a great combination of the two different data collections. Both make sense to collect, in order to give you a complete overview of information to answer your driving question.
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Joel
11/20/2019 08:55:18 am
Very interesting driving question. As a fifth grade teacher, I often see that students want to do research and use sources but may end up just looking at pictures or using information from the top of a search engine page. Finding reliable sources is a very important skill and I think your data will capture the process well. I also like that you are including personal field notes in your study as a reflection tool, I think I will use that strategy as well. Good luck!
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Peter Abboud
11/27/2019 07:27:55 am
I'm a big fan of qualitative data. It can take time to analyze it and draw conclusions, but you will get some great results. Be sure you are being really thoughtful about the questions you ask your students to respond to. If you don't intentionally design your questions, you won't get the responses back that you are looking for, especially when you are surveying middle school kids. :-)
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