Research Problem
In one sentence, describe the problem that is the focus of
your classroom research project about student learning:
Students are not adequately prepared for class preventing
them from gaining the full benefits of active learning
activities
•Student attitude or motivation
•Inadequate tools for preparation
This leads to students that I **believe** could succeed
dropping, failing or under-succeeding.
Research Question
• What is your research question?
How does concept mapping affect student motivation in individuals
with low initial motivation and/or decreases in motivation?
• What is the context (e.g. class setting, student audience)
in which you will conduct your research?
• Introductory, non-majors Biology course (Human Biology)
• 30-40 students per section
• ~ 13 sections per semester (I teach 3, ~ 7 instructors)
• General education course for transfer to a 4 year institution
(UC/CSU)
• Very diverse student body
Research Methods
My primary research methods include:
Qualitative Assessment
1.
•
•
•
•
•
Survey on science motivation – pre/post (Glynn 2011), and/or science
attitudes (CLASS-BIO)
Coding of focus group of students with low motivation prior to
intervention (select students)
Coding focus group of students after intervention (select students)
Coding written reflections of concept mapping (all students)
Coding of interviews/videos where students construct concept maps
at end (high and low motivators)
Quantitative Assessment
2.
•
•
Rubric score on higher level exam questions (all students)
Rubric score on selected concept maps (all students)
Research Methods
Group 1
Obs
Int
Obs
Int
Obs
Group 2
Obs
-
Obs
Int
Obs
Qualitative
Data
Attitude/mo
tivation
survey
•focus
groups,
•written
“preflection”?
Attitude/moti
vation
survey
•Attitude/motiv
ation survey
•focus groups
•concept map
interviews
•written
reflection
Quantitative
data
GPA (?)
Exam
question
scores
Exam question
scores,
concept map
rubric scores
Research Methods
I will collect these data:
•Motivation Survey/Attitude survey (3 time points)
•Focus group conversation from students with low motivation (compare to students
with high motivation?) start and end of semester
•Introducing concept mapping at different time points
•Scores on specific exam questions
•Interviews of students making concept maps at end of semester (select students that
reflect specific types of change in motivation)
•Rubric score for middle and “final” concept map(s)
•Written reflections
I will analyze the data by:
•Comparing pre-intervention motivation to post-intervention motivation (and a mid
point), descriptive/frequency
•Checking for a correlation between motivation changes and exam scores in sections
with different time point interventions and in sections taught by other instructors
•Coding student comments in focus groups and comparing before/after intervention
•Coding student responses to written reflection
•Analyzing potential correlation between concept map scores and exam question
scores
Alignment of Research Question and
Methods
This is why I think it aligns:
•Identify students with low motivation/low class success
•Track changes in motivation after two intervention time points
The data will help me answer my question by:
•Measuring change in motivation at three time points in semester
•Correlating change in motivation with and without intervention