Transcript Creative Research Proposal

Creative Research Proposal
Melanie Sargent
Jennifer Yates
Research Problem/Topic
• A controversy facing many school systems in West
Tennessee revolves around the impact of block
scheduling versus traditional scheduling on
student achievement on the American College Test
(ACT).
• There are varying opinions as to whether this
impact has been positive or negative.
• The goal of this study is to bring a valid
conclusion to this controversy.
Rationale for Study
 Many schools in West Tennessee are debating the
effectiveness of block scheduling
 Teachers throughout the state of Tennessee have
varied opinions about block scheduling
 As educators, we are concerned about the long
term effects of block scheduling for students.
 Schools throughout West Tennessee are beginning
to modify the original 4X4 block schedule.
Reasons for moving to
block scheduling
• According to Lewis, (1999) schools shifted to block
scheduling due to a desire to raise national test scores
and decrease student drop out rates.
• In 1995 Canady and Rettig found the “perfect school
schedule” in the block format.
• Irmsher (1996) built on the research of Canady and
Rettig and cited that many of the problems inherent to
the traditional schedule, hurried instruction, increased
discipline problems because of scheduled transitions,
and limited learning opportunities were minimized in
block scheduling.
Advantages of Block Scheduling
• In 1995, Canady and Rettig stated that Assistant
Principals nationwide noted that most discipline
problems occurred during scheduled transitions.
With block scheduling there were fewer scheduled
transitions which decreased the likelihood of
disruption.
• Shorrt found in 1999 by looking at schools in the
state of Virginia that with there was a correlation
between decreased discipline problems and
increased student achievement.
Advantages of Block Scheduling
• Canady and Reina (1993) found that parallel block
scheduling created smaller class sizes, which
allowed for greater interaction among teachers and
students. This was especially beneficial to lab type
classes.
• Teachers also had extended instructional time.
According to Doughtery (1998), the increase in
class time allowed teachers to include and extend
more explorative projects.
Advantages of Block Scheduling
• In 1999 Deuel studied twenty-three urban high
schools and found that students working under a
block schedule had fewer D’s and F’s and more
A’s than when the same students were on a
traditional schedule.
• Teachers and guidance counselors surveyed
believed this was because students could better
manage the course load of a block schedule than
that of a traditional schedule.
Advantages of Block Scheduling
• According to a survey conducted by Liu and Dye
in 1998 teachers and students alike approved of
the extended time.
• 83% of teachers surveyed felt the increased
planning time allowed them to incorporate more
opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.
• 54% of students surveyed felt they received more
individualized help and 53% claimed to be more
actively involved in the learning process.
Advantages of Block Scheduling
• In 2000, Lawrence and McPherson found a
correlation between block scheduling and higher
final classroom grades.
• In a 2002 study of a small school in the western
United States, Lare, Jablonski, and Salvaterra
found similar results.
• ACT scores did not change, but the number of
students that were included in the school honor
roll dramatically increased.
Disadvantages of Block Scheduling
• Though there are numerous benefits to block
scheduling, some disadvantages do exist.
• Teaching techniques, student retention of material
covered, difficulty in making up work missed due
to absences, and problems dealing with students
transferring from schools on traditional schedules
were all cited as disadvantages of block
scheduling.
• There is also some debate about the data
concerning the effect of block scheduling on
student achievement.
Disadvantages of Block Scheduling
• One of the primary issues that must be examined is the
teaching techniques used by teachers on a block
schedule.
• Traverso (1991) stated that adequate staff development
when converting to a block schedule is key to the
success of the program.
• Watson (1998) points out that teachers must change
teaching practices if they expect students to find
success.
• Irmsher (1996) suggests that any system contemplating
the move from a traditional to a block schedule should
first visit other schools on a block schedule prior to
implementation.
Disadvantages of Block Scheduling
• Doughtery (1998) found students on block
schedules had difficulty retaining the
material covered during a 90-minute class
period.
• This problem with retention could offer
some explanation as to why some students
have had decreased scores on national
standardized tests such as the ACT.
Disadvantages of Block Scheduling
• In a 2000 study conducted by Wilson and Stokes,
researchers found that students on block schedules
had difficulty making up work when returning
from absences.
• Even though students only had four classes to
catch up in, the amount of material covered during
their absence made the experience more stressful
and time consuming.
Disadvantages of Block Scheduling
• In 1991, Traverso found that students transferring to
and from schools operating on block schedules and
traditional schedules had difficulty adjusting to the new
schedule.
• Students going from a traditional to a block schedule
are often placed in classes that are much further along
than the classes they left.
• This forces the student to accelerate his or her learning
to keep up with the new class.
• Likewise, students moving from a block schedule to a
traditional often have to wait for the rest of the class to
catch up to them before covering new material.
Disadvantages of Block Scheduling
• Wronkovich (1998) tackled the conflicting
findings of a number of studies that look at the
impact of block scheduling on student
achievement.
• Though teachers and students felt better about the
block format, and attendance has improved,
empirical data shows that students who had been
educated on the block format scored lower on
Advanced Placement tests than those students who
had been educated on a more traditional schedule.
Analysis of Research
• Whether or not block scheduling is just another
trend in education or a valuable instrument for
improving public education in America is yet to be
seen.
• Though there is much research available on the
positive attitudes of students, teachers, and
administrators who use a block schedule, there is
conflicting evidence as to the block’s positive
impact on student achievement on a national level.
• This study will examine in particular the effect of
block scheduling on students’ national ACT scores
as opposed to the effect of traditional scheduling
on these scores.
Research Subjects
• The research subjects for this study will include
high school students enrolled in two rural schools
in West Tennessee (Schools A and B).
• The socioeconomic backgrounds of students in
both schools will be primarily low to middle
income levels.
• The gender distribution in both schools will be
approximately 50% male and 50% female.
Research Subjects
• Research subjects will be students in grades 9-12,
and the focus will be on core classes.
• Research subjects will include members of the
following classes from Schools A and B: 19931994, 1994-1995, 1995-1996, 1998-1999, 19992000, and 2000-2001.
• The race distribution will be approximately 90%
Caucasian and 10% African-American in School A
and 55% African-American and 45% Caucasian in
School B.
Procedures
• During the first semester of the 2001-2002 school year,
researchers will collect data that will allow for
comparisons of student preparedness for college from
the ACT.
• The focus will be on traditional seven period scheduling
versus the 4X4 block schedule model.
• The ACT scores from the years: 1993-1994, 1994-1995,
1995-1996, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, and 2000-2001 will be
used to determine levels of student achievement.
• Surveys from faculty members, students, and
principals of Schools A and B will provide qualitative
information for the researchers to analyze and
determine perceptions from these groups concerning
test data.
Traditional Scheduling
• In the traditional scheduling method,
research subjects attend six or seven classes
each day that last for 40-50 minutes.
• Research subjects remain in the same
classes throughout the school year.
• Seven credits are available in a school year
to research subjects attending schools with
the traditional school schedule.
Block Scheduling
• With the 4X4 block scheduling, research subjects
attend four classes per day that each last for a
period of 90 minutes.
• At the school year’s midpoint, research subjects
begin to attend four new classes for the remainder
of the school year.
• A possible eight credits are available to research
subjects following the 4X4 block schedule.
School Schedules
• School A will be operating under a traditional 4X4
block schedule.
• School B will be operating under a modified block
schedule that will include two 90-minute blocks
and four 45-minute blocks each semester.
• Research subjects in School B will begin two new
90-minutes courses at the midpoint of the year and
remain in the 45-minute classes throughout the
year. School B will offer the opportunity to earn
eight credits in a school year.
ACT Scores
• All research subjects in both School A and B are
required to take either the ACT or the Work Keys
Test prior to graduation.
• Researchers, with permission from the school
administrators, will collect the ACT scores from
six school years.
• Work Keys scores will not be studied as there is
no uniform method of scoring the Work Keys as
there is with the ACT, and 85% of students are
taking the ACT.
• This method of research will be done in
collaboration with the guidance counselors from
both Schools A and B.
ACT Scores
• The classes will be chosen by determining the year
that Schools A and B changed from traditional to
block scheduling.
• The three years prior to block scheduling (19931996) will be used to determine student
achievement using the traditional scheduling
method.
• The data collected from the three years prior to
this study (1998-2001) will be used to determine
student achievement under the block-scheduling
format.
Surveys
• Surveys will be given to students, faculty, and
principals to provide a qualitative means for
evaluating the data obtained from the ACT.
• All surveys will be confidential and anonymous.
• All research subjects in the researchers’ classes
will be surveyed concerning their thoughts on the
level of learning that they are experiencing under
block scheduling.
• School A will have approximately seventy-five
research subjects, while School B will have
approximately ninety.
Surveys
• Faculty members of Schools A and B with at least
ten years experience will be surveyed about
changes in student learning and teaching strategies
since the implementation of block scheduling.
• The principal from each school will be surveyed
as to his/her thoughts and opinions about learning
under block scheduling versus the traditional
schedule, as well as student behavior and the
teaching styles of the faculty members
Instruments Used
• A number of different instruments will be used during
the course of the study in an attempt to answer the
aforementioned research questions.
• Normal Curve Equivalency scores for the ACT for the
school years 1993-1994, 1994-1995, 1995-1996,19981999,1999-2000, and 2000-2001 will be obtained from
the guidance counselor of each school.
• Principals in both Schools A and B will take an
Administrator Survey in regard to changes in student
achievement and behavior and changes in faculty
instructional strategies since moving to the block
schedule.
Instruments Used
• Faculty members in both Schools A and B that have at
least 10 years teaching experience will be asked to take a
Faculty Survey as to their opinions about the changes in
students achievement and instructional strategies since
changing to the block schedule format.
• Students taking courses from the researchers will
participate in a Student Survey. There will be two
separate student surveys since School B will be
operating under a modified block schedule.
• Students will be asked to determine whether they are
learning more or less under the block schedule format
and how teaching strategies are different than when on a
traditional schedule.
Instruments Used
• Researcher journaling will be used to record
or log comments made by students
throughout the study regarding feelings
toward block scheduling.
• Student writing in preparation for the TCAP
Writing Assessment will also be used to
gauge student opinions on block scheduling.
Treatment of Data
• Data from the various instruments will be
analyzed to determine the results of the
study.
• Independent T-tests will be used to
determine whether there is a statistical
difference in the mean scores between the
three years prior to block scheduling and the
three most current years utilizing block
scheduling.
Treatment of Data
• Faculty and Administrator Surveys will be
administered at the beginning of the 2001-2002
school year.
• Student Surveys will be administered after the first
nine- week grading period has been completed.
• Data from the surveys will be analyzed for
patterns or trends of similar thinking.
• Researcher journaling and student writing from
the TCAP Writing Assessment Prompts will
provide a qualitative means for evaluating
quantitative data provided by the ACT.
Delimitations of the Study
• Research subjects at School A who took the ACT during
the 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001 school years had
the opportunity to take ACT Prep, an elective course
taken in preparation for the ACT, prior to the ACT.
• Students in School B, during the 2000-2001 school year,
had the opportunity to take remediation and/or
enrichment courses.
• A small percentage of students chose one of these
options, and researchers opted to allow those scores to
remain part of the raw data due to the fact that students
in the 1993-1994, 1994-1995, and 1995-1996 school
years could have taken an independent course to prepare
for the ACT.
Delimitations of the Study
• In 2001, the state of Tennessee made it mandatory
that all students graduating from high school pass
an exit exam.
• The ACT is one of the two possible exit exams
that seniors may take. This could cause ACT
scores to drop since a higher percentage of
students who may or may not be college bound
will be taking the test.
• However, since the last year studied is the first
year of implementation we opted to include the
data in our study.
Use of Results
• The results of the study will be used to assist
administrators in both Schools A and B to plan
future school schedules.
• Researchers will provide a written overview to
both the Director of Schools and the Principals of
Schools A and B.
• Researchers will use planning time to make verbal
follow-ups with the Director of Schools and
Principal from his or her respective school.
• Researchers will present findings at a faculty
meeting at the request of the Principal.
Results - - Student Surveys
• After surveys from both schools were compared, the
following attitudes about block scheduling were
evident.
• Seventy-four percent of students at School A favored
block scheduling over the traditional seven period day.
• All of those students expressed a belief that their
teachers used different teaching styles under the block,
which helped make learning more “complete” to them.
• One student pointed out that he felt better able to get a
picture of the world as a whole, rather than as a piece,
when studying subjects on a block schedule.
Results - - Student Surveys
• Twenty-one percent of those students surveyed at School A did not
favor the block schedule over a traditional seven period day.
• Reasons for this varied. Some students opposed the block because
they felt left behind by the new teaching techniques used in the
block classes.
• Others felt overwhelmed by the volume of material covered in
class each day.
• Several students also pointed out that some teachers merely drug
out the original material to fill up the extended class time.
• Five percent of School A students showed no preference in the two
schedules. These students felt there was little or no difference in
the instruction they received in either the block or a traditional
schedule.
Results - - Student Surveys
• School B showed a Seventy-nine percent student
approval of block scheduling.
• Many students surveyed expressed a positive view
of the increased class time, claiming it helped
them complete labs and allowed their teachers to
provide more depth and clarity to their lessons in
the students’ academic courses.
• School B students also stated that their teachers in
the block classes (first and third) used different
teaching strategies than teachers in their splitblock classes.
Results - - Student Surveys
• Surveys at School B also showed that twenty-one percent of
the student population did not favor the block. These
students preferred their split –block, or forty-five minute,
classes.
• Many of these students believed that they retained more
information in their yearlong courses than they did in their
block classes.
• Some found they “tuned out” their teachers after the first
thirty minutes of class, so ninety minutes was too long for
them to pay attention.
• A few students also believed the shorter class periods helped
keep their teachers focused on the most important aspects of
the lesson, which helped the students achieve better grades.
Appendix E
Chart A
Block Schedules Student Surveys
80%
70%
60%
50%
School A
40%
School B
30%
20%
10%
0%
Favors Block Schedule
Opposes Block Schedule
No preference
Results - - Faculty Surveys
• The general consensus among faculty members at both
schools is that the benefits of block scheduling outweigh
any drawbacks.
• Though one faculty member stated that teachers are
required to be more selective in the material they cover due
to the time constraints of teaching in a semester, and that
important material may have to be left out completely, most
teachers feel that the extended class time allows for more
detailed and in-depth teaching in the content area.
• Faculty members who teach labs or hands-on activities
actually prefer the block schedule because it is more
conducive to their subject area.
Results - - Faculty Surveys
• Most faculty surveyed agreed that students are
required to be more responsible for their own
learning, and that can be a problem.
• Several teachers believed the amount of work
covered in a single class could make being absent
detrimental to student progress.
• A computer science faculty member at School A
said that students in her classes were often
required to work on four to eight different
documents in a single class period, making it very
easy for a student to get left behind.
Results - - Faculty Surveys
• The flip side is that many faculty members feel the
block allows them to offer students more
individualized help when they are having trouble
with their course work.
• According to the surveys, most teachers have
adapted their teaching styles to more readily fit the
block format, but learners have not been as quick
to make the change.
• Most of those teachers surveyed cited student
apathy as a major problem that needed to be
addressed.
Results - - Faculty Surveys
• Only one teacher at either school was adamantly opposed to
teaching under the block schedule.
• The vocal teacher at School B explained that the ninetyminute class period had been almost deadly to his vocal
program.
• He stated that singers cannot perform continuously for
ninety minutes, and that there are little if no additional
materials for vocal teachers to use in class.
• Also, students planning to pursue vocal careers are at a loss
when forced to take choir for only one semester. Auditions
for college choirs are held in the spring, while honors choirs
are held in the fall. Students who take chorus or vocal music
during one semester have to be absent from other classes
during the other or risk losing out on music scholarship
opportunities.
Results - - Faculty Surveys
• Still, as a whole, most of the faculty members at
both schools showed a significant preference for
the block format.
• They felt the change in scheduling had helped
them use different teaching strategies in their
classes.
• Their students had more time to complete labs,
projects, and presentations, which allowed the
students a more enriched learning experience.
Results - - Administrator Surveys
• Three administrators were surveyed at schools A and B.
• According to the administrators, decreased discipline
problems were the greatest benefit of block scheduling.
• Students change classes half as often on a block
schedule, which minimizes the likelihood of a fight
occurring during school hours.
• Another benefit they observed was increased
opportunities for teachers to collaborate.
• This allows for more interdisciplinary projects to be
implemented through the school year.
Results - -Administrator Surveys
• Administrators also felt the block offers students a better chance
to become active learners engaged in the learning process, as
labs and hands-on classes have more uninterrupted class time to
complete course work.
• Each administrator agreed that the aforementioned benefits
could only be reaped if school systems are willing to invest the
time and money to train their teachers to adapt to a block
schedule.
• Faculty members must be introduced to and encouraged to use
new teaching strategies and techniques to help them adjust to
the new format.
• All administrators also agreed that one downside to block
scheduling was that though most teachers surveyed felt they had
changed their teaching styles, most of the teachers they had
evaluated were still using traditional teaching methods in their
classrooms.
Results - - Researcher Journaling
• Over the course of the study, the researchers kept
journals to record student and teacher perceptions of
block scheduling throughout the year.
• The majority of students at School A and B expressed
positive feelings about the block. They felt better able
to finish homework because they only had four classes
at a time.
• They felt the school year moved faster on a block
schedule, and were excited about the prospect of
changing classes at Christmas so they could have new
courses and teachers.
• They also believed block scheduling allowed them more
time for extracurricular activities.
Results - - Researcher Journaling
• Some students, however, did express negative
opinions.
• These students preferred traditional scheduling
because they believed block courses moved too
fast for them at times.
• Many athletes found it difficult to make up work
they missed when they left early for games.
• Freshmen students in particular had trouble
passing classes on the block because of their poor
attendance.
Results - - Researcher Journaling
• Students and teachers at School B expressed concern over the
split-block schedule.
• With the addition of another split-block this year, students were
required to take six classes.
• Students found the schedule confusing, especially when taking
midterms and finals.
• Several students also disliked the split-block classes because they
lasted all year.
• Teachers, too, offered negative opinions on the split-block
schedule, especially when concerning planning.
• Because planning periods were only forty-five minutes long, and
one fourth of all teachers were on planning at the same time, it
was difficult to finish anything on planning period, and many
teachers found themselves taking more papers home to grade.
Results - - Student Writing
• While preparing for the TCAP Writing
Assessment, juniors at School B wrote journal
entries on their views about block scheduling.
• Students from various classes were given several
different writing prompts, with each aimed at
focusing on a different aspect of block scheduling
from the students’ perspective.
• While the majority of those students participating
liked block scheduling (88%), there were several
students who expressed negative opinions about
the block (12%).
Results - - Independent T-Test
• An independent T-test was performed on the ACT
test scores for the years prior to block scheduling
(1993-1994, 1994-1995, and 1995-1996) in
comparison to those ACT test scores in the most
recent school years (1998-1999, 1999-2000, and
2000-2001) operating on the block schedule.
• An obtained value of -.472 was found with a
critical value of 2.228 on a .05 scale.
• The obtained value is less than the critical value;
therefore, there is no significant difference
between the scores before and after block
scheduling.
Conclusion
• The primary goal of this research study was to
better determine the effects of scheduling on
student ACT scores.
• There is considerable debate among educators as
to whether block or traditional scheduling is the
better method to address students’ learning needs.
• The empirical data collected during this survey
show no significant difference between the scores
of students on block schedules and those on a
traditional schedule.
Conclusion
• However, the results of other studies discussed in the
literature review, as well as the qualitative research
conducted for this study, support claims that
scheduling does affect student ACT scores, and that
block scheduling can have a positive impact on those
scores.
• A secondary goal of this study was to ascertain the
effect of block scheduling on other forms of student
achievement, including student attitudes and discipline.
Again, the qualitative data show that most
administrators, teachers, and students believe that
block scheduling has a positive impact on both student
attitude and discipline.
Discussion
• It is important to note that, though the schools
studied showed no significant difference in ACT
scores, the majority of students and faculty at both
schools believed block scheduling had a positive
impact on the educational experiences of the
students.
• Like many of the studies cited in the literature
review, this study found that the greatest influence
of block scheduling was in student attitude and
discipline.
• Students at both schools felt better about their
classes while on the block.
Discussion
• By its very nature, block scheduling helped
student discipline improve, as students had fewer
class changes and, therefore, fewer opportunities
to become involved in a conflict or disruption
during the school day.
• Based on the results of this study, it is
recommended that School A continue to utilize the
block format, and that School B return to the 4X4
block format it began in 1995.
• Both schools should continue to monitor student
achievement through ACT scores, course grades,
and student discipline.
Discussion
• In the future, the schools should be willing
to make scheduling changes when necessary
to meet student needs and should work
toward offering more opportunities for
teachers to learn new teaching methods
better suited to block scheduling.