ACTION RESEARCH DESIGN OUTLINE

ACTION RESEARCH DESIGN OUTLINE

I.               What is the topic of your action research?

My innovation plan is based on creating a blended learning health and wellness initiative for my school district. Currently, I am in the process of implementing a blended learning approach with the seventh-grade health students. With my action-based research, I will take a closer look at the impact that blended learning and the use of technology have on seventh grade health student’s understanding of health content, the impact that it has on their grades, and their ability to relate the content to real world situations.  

II.             What is the purpose of your study?

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that blended learning and the use of technology have on students’ achievement as they learn about health and wellness in their health class. Based on the outcome, I will be able to adjust lesson planning to enable students to reach high levels of success in retaining health content and increase understanding. 

III.            What is your research question?

Is healthy blended learning helping students to understand the health course content and successfully put what they are learning into action. Is healthy blended learning helping students to be able to better retain the content that is being taught. Does the use of technology help to better engage the students, leading to better understanding and student success. I want to measure the amount of impact that blended learning has on their engagement and academic achievement. 

IV.           What is your research design (Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed Methods)?

While the quantitative research method can be used based on looking at the impact of healthy blended learning on students’ scores, I will also use the qualitative method as I check in with students throughout their learning experience. 

a.     Why did you choose this design?

I chose to use a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative methods because the easiest way to measure the impact of blended learning is to see if it has impacted students’ scores on daily work and assessments. I also plan to gather qualitative data through observation, interviews, and daily group discussions.

V.             What data will you collect?

The data that I will collect for this action research will be collected through student’s scores on their 9-week tests and daily work. I will also take notes as I observe their engagement and participation during the learning experience. I will interview small groups during their collaboration time, asking open ended questions. I will also create a student survey and a short questionnaire to get student feedback.

VI.           What types of measurement will you use?

The measurements that I will use will be the results from the short answer questionnaire and the surveys filled out by the students. I will also look at the results from the student’s benchmark assessments to see if the scores increased or decreased based on the implementation of blended learning and the use of technology.

VII.          What is the focus of your lit review?

The focus of my literature review will be blended learning. It will cover what blended learning is, blended learning models and their challenges, and blended learnings link to student engagement and achievement. Through this, it will touch on e-portfolios, project based learning, and teaching with technology.