TEAC 888 Fall 2008 Fowler/Smith/Pierce

Themes and Research Questions Guidelines

Research Themes

What we are calling Research Themes, Mills calls variables. We are deliberately using a different term because “variable” has mathematical connotations we wish to avoid. Research Themes are the characteristics you hope will vary as you conduct your action research. It is very important to define your Research Themes so that you will be able to interpret your results. For instance, if your overall purpose is to increase verbal communication in mathematics, how will you know you did it? If the teacher next door starts complaining that your students are too loud? If students talk more frequently? If students use more precise mathematical vocabulary in explanations? If you decrease the time that you are speaking during class from an average of 32 minutes to 14 minutes?

In order to see results, you have to define what those results are. These positive results come about as something changes, and constitute your Research Themes. Part of where your definitions will come from is your journals and your problem statement, when you talk about your ideal classroom. While your action research project will almost certainly not transform your classroom into the perfect room, something will change. In order to measure that something and to collect data on that something, you need to carefully define what it is. It is not enough to say that students will be more engaged or do more problem solving. What does it mean to be engaged? How can you tell a student is engaged? If the student is sitting facing the teacher and has open eyes, is that engaged? Does a student have to be writing to be engaged? What does it look like to solve problems? Getting the answers right? Working on a problem and not giving up? Drawing a diagram? Using a variety of strategies? What does it mean to have students be in a learning community? Having their desks in groups rather than rows? Allowing students to collaborate on homework? What does it look like when students engage in self-reflection? What does it look like when students journal? What is a journal in math class anyway?

For some of you, it may be that you develop a rubric to assess problem solving; the statements in your rubric will define the Research Theme of problem solving. Your goal might be to move students from level 1 to level 4 on your rubric. Other problems of practice also lend themselves to definition-by-rubric: you can define what a skill looks like when a student does it at a low level, a moderate level, and a high level. While your definitions need to be your own (that is, specific to your project) that doesn’t mean that you can’t use and/or adapt existing rubrics or definitions. You may find good definitions in the articles you read that you want to use. This is fine—just be sure to cite your sources.

The biggest thing to remember about Research Themes is that if you haven’t defined what it is you are trying to improve, you won’t know if you are making progress.

Research Questions

You need to develop several (approximately 2-4) Research Questions to guide your data collection, including one question specifically about changes to your teaching. [Note: 4 is definitely the maximum—you do not want to be collecting data on more than four research questions… three is a good number]. Questions should begin with What…? or How…? and NOTWhy…?Action research is not well-suited to answering “why” questions; causation is better explained through experimental studies. Look back over questions others have asked you in journal responses, and look at your problem statement. Think about which mathematical topics will be the “big ideas” of your second semester teaching this year. Look at the NCTM Principles, Process Standards, and Content Standards. From those sources (and the articles you’ve read), write about 3 questions that frame your research. Something that may help you is to write a purpose sentence. Summarize your problem statement into one sentence: “The purpose of my study is to ______.” Then, write questions that speak to your purpose. The more specific your questions are, the better. Try to relate your questions to mathematical topics you will be teaching during January-April 2009.

One of your research questions must relate to a change in your own teaching: What happens to my mathematics teaching when I ______related to [specific mathematical topics]?

If you have defined your Research Themes before you write your Research Questions, then use those as a starting point. The Research Questions will ask the what & how of your Research Themes. Some other things to keep in mind: make sure your question cannot be answered by a simple yes/no. For instance:

  • Poorly worded question: Will students use more precise vocabulary in class discussions of proportions and rates after receiving specific vocabulary instruction?
  • Better question: What will happen to students’ vocabulary usage around proportions and rates in class discussions after they receive specific vocabulary instruction?
  • Poorly worded question: Will student achievement for linear equations and inequalities increase after learning problem solving techniques and how to write solutions to word problems?
  • Better question: What will students’ written explanations to word problems look like around the topics of linear equations and inequalities after I model problem solving techniques and how to write solutions?

Read your Research Questions aloud after you write them. If any can be answered by saying “yes” then rewrite it. Also, avoid about asking questions about “effects.” You will be collecting data over a 3 month time span, and it is unlikely that you will see large changes in most aspects of student achievement. There are some situations where it may be appropriate to ask about effects, but mostly you are trying to investigate: what will happen to ___ when I try ___ related to ___ [math topic]?

Thinking Ahead:

Next week, we’ll ask you to start writing a rough draft outlining your data collection procedures. The data collection chapter in your Action Research book by Mills is a good place to get ideas. Many of you will be observing your classroom looking for particular student behaviors, interviewing teachers/students, keeping a journal of your own to document your process, and collecting artifacts (student work/homework). Stay tuned next week for more on this. As you write your questions, keep some notes about how you will collect data to answer your research questions.

As always, as you go through the process of defining Research Themes and writing your Research Questions, don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Fowler, Wendy, and/or Maria questions. Additionally, you may want to post some earlier drafts on Blackboard to get feedback from your group. Writing Research Themes & Questions are difficult. Expect to make multiple revisions of Research Themes and Questions.