Transcript Kate Pruitt Action Resarch Final Project

Action Research Final
Project
Strategies for Improving Male
Achievement in Language Arts
at the Secondary Level
The Problem:
• Middle or high school boys now lag behind girls on
many measures of academic performance, such as
social studies, linguistics and literature, and social
well-being, while girls have made great progress
and caught up with boys in mathematics and
science (Du,2003, 35).
• Boys score lower in language arts on standardized
tests, populate special education classes and are
more likely to be labeled LD, dominate school
discipline statistics, enroll in fewer advanced
classes and have higher drop-out rates (Taylor,
2002, pg 69).
• Women go to college more frequently (67% vs. 58%
of HS graduates in 1997), (Pollack, 1998, pg 234).
• Women earn 55% of all Bachelor’s Degrees (NCES
statistics, 2006)
Serious Implications
• According to U.S. secretary of
Education Margaret Spelling
this male achievement gap has"
has profound implications for
the economy, society, families
and democracy." (US Department of Education
Speech transcripts).
My Own Data:
• At my Spring Practicum site,
27% of high school males failed
10th grade English. Only 17% of
females did.
• Additionally, 19.7% of females
earned a grade of A+, whereas
only 7% of males did.
• n=140
More research and
theories:
• “…boys are in deep trouble. For reading comprehension,
perceptual speed, or word association memory, boys
outnumbered girls at the bottom of the scale by a margin
of 2 to 1, and many fewer boys than girls scored in the
top 10 percentage the groups. For the last thirteen
years, females of all ages have outscored males in
writing proficiency (Pollack, 1998, pg 234).
• WHY: “The poor boy view advances the notion that boys
are victimized in schools-by female teachers, advocates
for girls, a poorly adapted pedagogy, and the like. The
failing schools, failing boys view hold that boys simply
suffer more than girls from the defects of contemporary
education. A third view, the familiar boys will be boys
apology, reasserts an essentialist faith that biology
creates inescapable limits to boys’ ability to sit still in
classrooms….” (Reichert, p. 544 & 545)
• WHAT DO YOU THINK????
Possible Solutions:
• Select books that boys tend to enjoy more
(non-fiction, technical, etc –go to
www.guysread.com )
• Use multiple assessment strategies
• Vary writing types used (not just creative,
essays, etc).
• Reflect on grading and classroom material
for possible gender bias.
• Staff development on developmental
gender differences.
• Incorporate more technology
• Foster mentoring relationships.
• Implement more “action-oriented”
activities.
One choice: more
action!
• “ Movement helps release pent-up energy,
cut down on discipline problems, and
stimulate the bored or zoning-out brain”
(Gurian, 2001, pg. 241)
• “Provide more active learning
opportunities [for boys] in classroom”
(Bleuer, 2002,page 5)
• “Boys tend to learn best when they are
allowed to move around and manipulate
objects. Active learning strategies are
meaningful ways to engage boys in
learning because they enable boys to
actively question and explore” (Taylor,
2002, pg 70).
The Intervention:
Nonequivalent control group design.
• Structure: 2 classes. 1 class receives
treatment of three action-oriented
activities per week (ranging from 10-30
minutes). Other class receives traditional
instruction. Duration is for one month and
topic will be required literature (example:
To Kill a Mockingbird).
• Measurement: mixed methodology of:
pre/post open-ended survey (quantitative
and qualitative) and 4 weekly quiz scores
and 2 exams (quantitative).
Implementation
• Must define “action-oriented”
(some ideas: skits, games,
scavenger hunts, jeopardy,
construction of models,
exercise, etc)
• Threats to validity: researcher
bias, schedule, time of day, etc.
Sources:
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Bleuer, J. (2002). Are boys falling behind in academics?
Greensboro, NC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student
Services. (ERIC Reproduction Document Service No. ED 470601).
Du, Yi. (2003). Gender differences and student learning. Edina,
MN: (ERIC Reproduction Document Server No. ED 477525).
Gurian, Michael. (2001). Boys and girls learn differently: A guide
for teachers and parents. (1st ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pollack, William. (1998). Real boys: rescuing our sons from the
myths of boyhood (1st ed.). New York: Random House.
Reichert, Michael C. and Kuriloff, Peter (2004). Boys' selves:
identity and anxiety in the
looking glass of school life.
Teachers College Record 106(3), p 544-573.
Taylor, Deborah. (2002) Helping boys succeed: which research
strategies curb negative trends now facing boys? Educational
Leadership, 68-70.