Using Action Research
To Empower North Carolina Educators
A Race to the Top Initiative
NC Department of Public Instruction
Educator Effectiveness Division
Look Who’s Talking
Mrs. Cathy Guyer
Catawba County Schools
Challenger Early College High School
What is Action Research?
Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and
other educators to find solutions for critical,
challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and
schools.
Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher,
2014
What is Action Research?
Main Goals Include:
•Positively impact student outcomes
•Identify and promote effective instructional
practices
•Create opportunities for teachers to become
reflective practitioners
•Share research results with other educators
Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher,
2014
What is Action Research?
A systematic research process to:
● Identify an area of focus (critical, challenging
issue)
●
●
Develop an action research plan
Implement action research plan in
classroom/school
●
Collect, analyze, and interpret data
●
Share findings to inform practice
Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014
Look Who’s Talking!
Session Objectives:
•Examine SRI Protocols and the research
supporting their use in the classroom.
•Role play using and facilitating a Protocol.
•Create a plan for implementing Protocols with
students.
Carousel
What Does Peer-Reviewed
Research Say?
•Class discussion is research proven to enhance learning.
•Students everywhere are reluctant to engage in discussion (not just
at my school)
•Teachers have to set the environment to encourage participation in
discussion
•Giving credit has some minimal effect in encouraging participation.
•Although many strategies have been tried, I could not find any
published study on using School Reform Initiative Protocols to set
up the parameters.
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
•Protocols are discussion structures that give
guidelines based on the focus of the
discussion. Protocols used will come from
School Reform Initiative and can be found
at http://www.schoolreforminitiative.org/proto
cols/
Collect Data
The purpose of this study is to describe the
impact of discussion protocols on students'
level of engagement and critical thinking
during a discussion.
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Focus Statement
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
Collect Data
The purpose of this study is
to describe the impact of
discussion protocols on
students' level of
engagement and critical
thinking during a
discussion.
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Purpose of the Study
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
Collect Data
The participants in this study are 9th
graders in my English Class. This group
is 51% Caucasian and 49% minority.
More than 90% have been identified as
having at least one factor that makes
them at-risk for not graduating from high
school. In addition, greater than 90%
will be first generation college graduates
and must start academic college classes
next semester thus there is an urgent
need to improve the literacy skills
necessary for success in college.
Participants are in gender-specific
classes, and there are two all- girl
classes and one all- boy class.
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Study Participants
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
Collect Data
•The independent variable is the
use of the “Text-Rendering”
protocol from School Reform
Initiative.
•The dependent variables are
student participation in
discussions, the depth of
thinking that occurs, and student
attitudes towards whole-class
discussion as a result of using a
protocol.
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Study Variables
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
•Will having a guide and common
vocabulary give students the
comfort level to think and thus
discuss more critically?
Collect Data
• Will the use of a protocol - a
strict guide to discussion- and
common vocabulary make
students participate more often
in whole-class discussion?
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Research Questions
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
I will teach my students how to use and
facilitate the Text-Rendering Protocol
from School Reform Initiative. Students
will read a common text. In this case the
text will have a literature focus; however,
the protocol is very generic and can be
used for any subject. At the beginning of
the discussion, I will give students an
area of focus like author’s purpose and
ask them to scan the text again to
highlight one sentence, one phrase, and
one word that they think gives clues to or
information about the focus area. The
protocol then has four rounds
Collect Data
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Innovation/Intervention
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
In round one each student shares his/her
sentence. In round two he/she shares the
phrase, and finally in round three he/she
shares the word. Round four is the actual
discussion phase. Students will be
instructed to use specific vocabulary that
goes along with SRI protocols.
Vocabulary includes “I agree with
(student) and would like to add that…..”
or “I disagree with (student). I think
that…..”, or using “I wonder…” to begin
questions. As we progress, I will also
coach interested students in becoming
the facilitator of the discussion.
Collect Data
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Innovation/Intervention
Text – Rendering Protocol
“Real Talk, Real Teaching”
Underline a sentence, a phrase, and a
word.
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=V_FHlLvdP3M
Collect Data
Implementation in the
Classroom
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
All students preferred using a
protocol to not.
“We find different things.”
“It makes us think deeper.”
“It got your wheels going to
see other perspectives.”
“It’s more organized and
everyone gets to share.”
Collect Data
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Implementation in the
Classroom
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=wdbmrcxpx
1U
Collect Data
Implementation in the
Classroom
Data Collected
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
Data Collected
Date
1st Period
2nd Period
3rd Period
Present Partic Percent Present Partic Percent Present Partic Percent
28-Aug
16
9
56%
17
12 71%
16
11 69%
4-Sep
16
13
81%
17
17 100%
16
15 94%
11-Sep
15
15
100%
17
15 88%
16
15 94%
18-Sep
16
16
100%
17
17 100%
16
16 100%
25-Sep
16
15
94%
17
17 100%
16
16 100%
2-Oct
16
16
100%
17
16 94%
16
16 100%
23-Oct
15
15
100%
17
17 100%
15
15 100%
30-Oct
16
16
100%
16
16 100%
16
16 100%
6-Nov
16
15
94%
17
17 100%
16
15 94%
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
Collect Data
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Findings
6-Nov
30-Oct
23-Oct
16-Oct
9-Oct
2-Oct
25-Sep
18-Sep
11-Sep
4-Sep
28-Aug
Analyze/Interpret Data
Collect Data
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
120%
100%
80%
60%
1st Period Percent
2nd Period Percent
40%
3rd Period Percent
20%
0%
Make Knowledge Public
Findings
Activity
•PollEv.com/cathyguyer703
•Text CATHYGUYER703 to 37607 to join.
Once you have joined you can text your
response.
• Try a protocol
• Choose a protocol you feel
comfortable with
• Use the same protocol for
at least 4 discussions
• Let me know what your
results are
Make Knowledge Public
Analyze/Interpret Data
Collect Data
Innovation/Intervention
Action Research Plan
Recommendations
References
Roehling, Patricia, Vander Kooi, Thomas Lee, Dykema, Stephanie, Quisenberry, Brooke,
Vandlen, Chelsea (2011), Engaging the Millennial Generation in Class Discussions, Taylor &
Francis Group LLC, 1930-8299.
Foster, Lisa, Krohn, Katherine, McCleary, Daniel, Aspiranti, Kathleen, Nalls, Meagan,
Quillivan, Colin, Taylor, Cora, Williams, Robert (2009) Increasing Low-Responding Students’
Participation in Class Discussion, Journal of Behavioral Education, 18:173-188.
Alverman, Donna, Hayes, David (1989), Classroom Discussion of Content Area Reading
Assignments: An Intervention Study, Reading Research Quarterly, vol. 24.
Gritter, Kristine, (2011), Promoting Lively Literature Discussion, The Reading Teacher, 445449.
Ezzedeen, Souha, (2008), Facilitating Class Discussions Around Current and Controversial
Issues, College Teaching, 230 – 235.
Questions?
Contact Information
Cathy S. Guyer
Challenger Early College High School
Catawba County Schools
Phone: 828.485.2980
Email: cathy_guyer@catawbaschools.net