Jessica Turpin
EDUC 501
Dr. Arnold
Action Research Write-Up
Section 1: Identification of the Problem
Question/Problem: Does student performance on unit assessments regarding World War II
improve with the use of interactive workstations?
Rationale:
I chose this question because I found it interesting that in the secondary classrooms
workstations are rarely seen. In many primary grades workstations are implemented across the
curriculums. I wanted to see if using interactive workstations within my content area would help
students better retain information therefore, leading to better scores on unit assessments. I feel
that this research is extremely beneficial to the education community because it provides a
glimpse into how a hands-on approach to learning can be used within the secondary curriculum.
Hopefully, more educators will implement interactive workstations into their classrooms in order
for students to be actively engaged in the curriculum and perform well on standardized and unit
assessments.
Section 2: Action Plan
Literature Review:
A great deal of the literature research done for this study found that workstations were
rarely implemented in the secondary classrooms. In addition, they were rarely used to
accommodate the social studies curriculum. Most interactive workstations are used in the
primary grades in order to accommodate the language arts curriculum. Although there was little
research on my topic, I did find that the use of workstations on student learning was positive.
Studies found that Workstations are shown to be an effective hands-on approach to facilitate
learning. Workstations have been proven to allow students to interact and learn from one
another, keep students on task, and provide students with the opportunity to learn material in an
exciting, engaging, and effective way. Abou-Sayed states that using workstations allows for
teaching in small groups that “let you individualize instruction, provide meaningful and prompt
feedback, and between evaluate student progress” (2011, p. 2). In the article Learning at
Workstations, the author found that workstations were created “in a way that students must
cooperate in order to achieve their learning objective” (Geier & Bogner 2011, p. 7). The teacher
was simply used as a facilitator and students took more motivated and took more initiative on
completing assignments. In addition to becoming more engaged with the learning material,
workstations also helps student perform better on curriculum based assessments. In a study done
by Schaal and Bogner, the group of students who participated in the interactive workstation in a
biology classroom had “significantly higher test scores” (Schaal & Bogner 2005, p. 5). They
concluded that their study showed that interactive workstations rendered better cognitive
learning than the traditional teacher centered approach, allow for higher scores on well-being and
attentiveness, and allowed students to perceive the material as personal and meaningful. (Schaal
& Bogner 2005, p. 5).
Plan of Action:
In order to see if interactive workstations had an effect on student learning and
performance I looked at two relatively identical classrooms for a period of two weeks. These
classrooms, for the most part, had the same gender, reading levels, and IEP make-up. For the
purpose of this study, the research will take place in two standard 6th grade American History
classrooms. In the control classroom (Classroom 1), students will maintain a traditional teacherled lesson throughout the unit of study with only paper-pencil activities to accommodate the
curriculum. In the experimental classroom (Classroom 2), students will be organized into small
workstation groups of 3-4 students where they will complete various interactive activities to
accommodate the curriculum. In order to measure the change in the control and experimental
classroom a pre and posttest will be used. This assessment will consist of 10 multiple choice
questions taken from the Virginia Standards of Learning objective for the unit on World War II.
Section 3: Data Collection
Location Site:
For the purpose of this study, the county in which the study was conducted is called Elm
County. This rural area lies in the beautiful Appalachian Mountain of Southwest Virginia. This
small town community is a place where no one knows a stranger and southern hospitality is at its
finest. Of the county’s 54,907 residents, 97 percent are Caucasian, 1.5 percent are African
American, and 0.5 percent are Asian. According to the census information provided on the
county, much of the business throughout the area is still agriculturally based with only 17,000
nonfarm based employment. The estimated median household income for families living in Elm
County is 41,617. The resident whose incomes are below the poverty level is 10.9 percent which
is higher than the state average of 9.6 percent. Of those families and residents, 14 percent are
living in poverty.
With regard to education, Elm County has 17 public schools throughout the area. Elm
Middle School is the smallest middle school in Elm County. Their student body size is a total of
250 students throughout 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The enrollment has remained at this amount from
2005 to 2012. The racial makeup of the school is 95.2 percent Caucasian, 2.6 percent Hispanic,
and 1.3 percent of two or more races. There are approximately 47 percent female students and
53 percent male students. Of the students attending, 53.9% of students receive free or reduced
lunch. This percent is the highest in the Elm County Public School District and has been
fluctuating since 2005. The student/teacher ratio at Elm Middle School is 13, which is also the
lowest among the 4 middle schools throughout the county. In addition, Elm Middle School
employees 17 full–time teachers.
The precise location for where this study will be conducted is in two 6th grade American
History classrooms. Both classrooms are taught by the same teacher with 6 years of teaching
experience. She is devoted to her students and is always implementing new strategies in order to
help her students succeed. Both classrooms are inclusion where there are 20 students within the
class with reading levels ranging from 3rd and onward. There are 11 females and 9 males in the
one classroom with a total of 2 IEPs. In the second classroom, there are 12 females and 8 males
with a total of 3 IEPs.
Type of Data and Process:
The data collected for this study is quantitative, meaning that the data deals with numbers
and can be measured. In order to collect the data needed for this study, I used a pre and posttest
form. Students took the pretest at the beginning of unit prior to any instruction on the topic.
After the workstations were implemented and instruction was given over a period of two weeks
and at the conclusion of the unit, the posttest was given. Students change in scores was recorded
and analyzed in order to note any changes in assessment performance. The literature review
done for this study helped with deciding what type of data I wanted to collect and what I wanted
to measure. In most studies done with workstations, quantitative data was collected in order to
see if students’ performance, engagement, or self-confidence had changed. In most cases, data
was collected through the means of some type of test that students would have to complete. In
addition, the literature review helped with the time frame needed in order to obtain enough data
to denote change. A period of two weeks was the common duration of the study completed.
Furthermore, considering that little research has been don’t on the effects of workstations in the
secondary classroom, the literature review really helped me narrow down my topic and question.
Section 4: Data Analysis
After analyzing the data it was clear that the implementation of interactive workstations
had a positive effect on student performance on assessments. The experimental classroom
(Classroom 2) had much greater gains on the posttest than the control classroom (Classroom 1).
Overall, after instruction and the implementation of workstations, both classroom scores
improved but the experimental classroom (Classroom 2) had greater gains. On the posttest, the
control classroom (Classroom 1) had a low improved score of 60 and a high of 90. The average
score on the posttest for the control classroom was 77. This overall score increased by 40.5
percent from the pretest. In addition, the overall average percent of change was 182.42%.
Considering this, the experimental classroom had a low improved score of 70, which is ten
points higher than the control classroom, and a high of 100. The average score on the posttest for
the experimental classroom was 93, which increased by 54 percent from the pretest.
Furthermore, the experimental group has an overall average percent change of 198.50%.
Therefore, I could infer that since the classrooms were mostly homogenous, the increased change
was due to the implementation of interactive workstations. I feel that the data found within this
study could lead to positive changes within secondary classrooms. Considering the data found,
interactive workstations, which allow a hands-on approach to learning, is still necessary, and can
still have positive effects on students learning. Interactive workstations should not cease to exist
after the primary levels, but continue on to the secondary setting as well. Educators could
implement interactive workstations in order to help students better retain information and
increase unit assessment scores.
Graphics:
Figure 1: Change Between Pre and Posttest
Figure 2: Control Classroom (Classroom 1) Results After Instruction
Figure 3: Experimental Classroom (Classroom 2) Results After Workstations
Section 5: Future Action
Implications and Suggestions:
Although further research is needed before implementing great changes in classroom
activities, it can be inferred by the data provided by this study that the interactive workstations
had a positive effect on students assessment scores in a 6th grade American History
class. Although lecture based instruction can increase a student’s scores, the gains by using
interactive workstations are much greater. This instructional approach produced such positive
results on student assessments because the interactive workstations allow for students to take a
hands-on approach to learning where they learn by interacting with others and the concepts
within the curriculum. Students are actively involved in the learning process when at
workstations, time is not wasted, and students are not bored. In addition, students develop
conversation with one another about learning and the activity at the workstation. This allows for
students to learn from one another and not just the traditional teacher led classroom. Interactive
workstations also reinforce key ideas and concepts that accommodate a unit of study. Although
a paper pencil activity tries to achieve this, the workstation allows for a more memorable
experience. Students are more likely to remember an activity they did instead of a worksheet
they completed. Students are having fun at workstations and that in itself is memorable and
allows for students to internalize learning. Rather than asking students to sit and complete paper
pencil activities, workstations allow for a constant flow of learning within the
classroom. Students are never sitting with nothing to do when they are done with their
worksheet, but instead can move to another workstation where they are challenged, engaged, and
constantly learning.
It is clear that middle school classrooms need a more interactive approach to learning
besides the traditional teacher led, paper pencil activities they are getting. Interactive
workstations should not stop at the primary level, they should continue onto the secondary
grades in order to keep students engaged, challenged, and learning while having fun. Of course,
more research is needed on workstations in the secondary classroom, but this study provides a
great start. In order to help students learn, educators must be open to new ideas of interactive
learning, and from the research completed in this study workstations can be answer to many
students and classrooms around the world.