Action Research Design
Participants
The participants in this study were the
students of the researcher. The sample size for the study included 35 fifth
grade students. Of those students, 18 were male and 17 were female. The
demographics of the participants of the study vary somewhat to the demographics
of the campus. Of the 35 participants,
80% were African American, 14% were White, and 6% were Hispanic. Within these
participants, two were special education students and two were English language
learners. The action researcher’s
position on campus was a fifth grade English Language Arts teacher. The
researcher has a bachelor’s degree and ten years teaching experience, which
includes three years experience teaching with an IWB.
The study took place in two 5th
grade English language arts classes. The participants were enrolled in 5th
grade English language arts, a required course.
In January 2014, students completed a Promethean board survey,
qualitative data, which showed students’ past experiences and opinions about
the use of IWBs. In the following months,
students received three English language arts lessons teaching concepts of
figurative language, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Class A used notes
and worksheets to learn the new concepts. Class B used the Promethean board to
learn the same concepts.
From
February 2014 to May 2014, students received lessons with and without the
Promethean board. Class A received instructions directly from the researcher.
The participants took notes and used worksheet activities to demonstrate
understanding. Class A only used paper
worksheets and pencils. Class B used the
Promethean board to learn the same concepts. The Promethean board was used in a
variety of ways. The researcher used interactive flip charts and Powerpoint
games with reinforcers. Students received feedback as they interacted with the
highlight and reveal features of the board. All students were given the
opportunity to manipulate the board and wireless slate. At the end of each
lesson, students in both groups took the same quizzes. The design of this study showed the degree of
the relationship between the Promethean board and student achievement.
Data
Data consist of
qualitative and quantitative measures. Student surveys, qualitative data, showed
students’ past experiences and views about Promethean boards. The survey was created by the researcher and
included multiple choice and ranking. Quizzes, quantitative data, showed the
effectiveness of Promethean Boards on student learning. The researcher developed or chose quizzes
based on the content of the lesson and all questions were multiple choice. A vocabulary quiz was developed
and based on words from Gates-MacGinitie Reading Assessment. A reading
comprehension quiz focusing on fact
and opinion identification came from a resource book published
by The Center
for Applied Research in Education, and a figurative language quiz came from
education.com an online supplier of educational resources. Students
completed the quizzes directly after each lesson. The quantitative data was
used to determine the effects of the IWB on student learning based on three
quizzes. This data was then loaded into the school’s information system for
further analysis. Data collection allowed for comparison of two groups.
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