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Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

WGU Action Research Study Proposal The Impact of Direct Instruction and Student-Centered Instruction Christie Kuykendall 3/7/2021 MSCIN Capstone – D181 ORM1 – Task 1: Preparing to do Research

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Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

A. This capstone is an action research study. B. IRB Exam: Attached C. WGU Action Research Study Proposal:

The Impact of Direct Instruction and Student-Centered Instruction 1. Topic The topic of this research study is to show the impact of direct instruction and studentcentered instruction on students in a sixth-grade special education math class. This group of students is performing below grade level in math. Determining the teaching instruction providing the most impact on student growth is beneficial for future growth. Teachers must determine the best teaching methods to assist these students and close the gap. All students learn in different ways, and finding the perfect fit for each student is a daunting task. The National Council of Teachers explained in Performance on Middle School Geometry Problems with Geometry Clues Matched to Three Different Cognitive Styles that, “Understanding cognitive style is particularly important for mathematics problem solving because students with different cognitive styles may be trying to use very different strategies for solving the same problem” (Anderson et al., 2008, p.1). Some students learn better from direct instruction where the teacher is the primary source of information, whereas others may benefit from a more independent selflearning project-based activity. Many studies have been conducted to show the benefits of both. Evidence was reported after an entire school year study that “the benefits of direct instruction with content-specific vocabulary in mathematics” were significant in middle school students (McAdams 2011, p.4). On the other hand, after a study was completed on student-centered learning, students reported that they were more motivated and were overall positive about the learning experience (Kokko, et al., 2015).

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Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

Determining the teaching strategy to benefit each student is critical in their overall success. 2. Problem Statement All sixth-grade special education students are performing below grade level in math/geometry. This problem affects the educational setting because all students are expected to perform at or above grade level regardless of their learning disability. This problem can be solved through intense instruction providing the correct instruction is being provided. The students in sixth-grade special education have learning disabilities and struggle with processing and recalling information; therefore, the need to determine the instructional strategy that most impacts these students is key to closing the gap. 3. Problem Background and Causes Students with learning disabilities have difficulties with processing and recalling information. In mathematics, student’s growth depends on these skills that many students in these classes are lacking. The Journal of Special Education published an article in 2006 that explains how curriculum needs for low achieving students were met in middle school math. Two classes were given different instruction, and the results showed the impact of the interventions in place. The students were all given a pre-test in October and a post-test in June. The test in October showed the average of intervention students scoring lower than the students in the comparison group. The test in June showed the opposite results. The intervention group increased their scores at a higher level and bypassed the comparison group’s average. (Woodward et al., 2006). Dake Zhang published Teaching Geometry to Students with Learning Disabilities: An Introduction to the Special Series in 2021 to answer questions and help teachers teach geometry to students with learning disabilities. Research shows that the cognitive load 3

Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

theory and chunking offered support for teachers to educate this group of students more (Zhang, 2021). The research shows that different instructional strategies have been effective and made an impact on other students.

4. Proposed Solution/Overview of an instructional unit a. The instructional unit scheduled will provide both direct instruction and studentcentered instruction to two separate math classes. Both math classes have similar students, all with learning disabilities. One class will be given direct instruction to solve the area of rectangles and triangles. The second class will be doing a student-led instruction activity to solve the same area of rectangles and triangles. b. The educational environment will not change from previous days as students will participate in similar activities in other classes throughout the school day. After the research of both classes and data collection, the impact of each instructional strategy will be determined. c. Both classes will complete this lesson over one week. Each class will have five 45-minute periods for a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. A total of 7 ½ hours of instructional hours over both classes will be utilized when conducting this study. This number of hours is appropriate because it will focus on math, where the students perform below grade level. This is also appropriate timing for the skill being learned. 5. Participants The participants will include students from two sixth-grade math classes. Group one will have six students (four girls and two boys), and group two will have nine students (five boys and four girls). Students in these two classes range from twelve to thirteen years of age. Both groups 4

Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

will be completing this lesson in math/geometry. This lesson is designed and is grade-level appropriate for sixth-grade. All students in this study are Caucasian, similar socioeconomic status living in a rural area. All students on an IEP and all tested below grade level in math. 6. Research Questions How do direct instruction strategies and student-centered strategies impact students’ academic performance in middle school math students? 7. Data Collection Instruments and Methods a. Students will complete a pre-test assessment to show where they are before this lesson. This pre-test assessment will take place on day one of this five-day lesson. Students will complete and turn in work samples throughout the week/lesson. These samples will be collected from both classes to show progression. This geometry lesson will be on solving the area of rectangles and triangles. The same post-test assessment will be given on the fifth and final day of this lesson. The pre and post-test assessment that will be given is shown in Appendix A. b. The research methods that will be used will be quantitative. This method will be used because the pre-test and post-test assessment will give definite numbers to show all students’ progress and growth. c. The timeline for this data collection was mentioned above. The pre-test assessment will take place on a Monday and Friday students will take the post-test assessment. This study will take place over five days. d. The barriers that may arise from data collection are parents not responding by the deadline. Some parents will not turn in the permission forms on time, whereas phone calls may be needed for follow-up. The other obstacle will be students that do not take

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Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

home the permission forms. This may also result in phone calls or email forms where needed for completion. During the study, the plausible barrier to data collection will be tied with the students. Quantitative research can be limited due to the relationships between the data and the student’s ability. The data collected would be numbers dependent upon their prior knowledge and their ending result after the study. The students in this study all have learning disabilities; focusing solely on numbers may risk missing underlying reasons or misinformation due to their abilities. If a student is absent during the weeklong study, this would also impact the student’s results and the overall data. Although these are possible barriers, no barriers are anticipated as students will participate in this study the same as any other class period. Nothing will change from their typical day. 8. Data Analysis After all instructional strategies/lessons are delivered, pre-tests and post-tests will be used to determine the lesson’s effectiveness. The descriptive statistics from these tests will be used to calculate each student's mean to show each instructional strategy’s growth and impact. A visual in the form of a bar chart will show the measure of central tendencies, specifically each student's mean. This data will then be analyzed to show the overall impact and growth in both classes.

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Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

References

Anderson, K.L., Casey, M.B., Thompson, W.L. Burrage, M.S., Pezaris, E., & Kosslyn, S.M. (2008). Performance on Middle School Geometry Problems with Geometry Clues Matched to Three Different Cognitive Styles. Mind, Brain & Education, 2(4), 188-197. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2008.00053.x Kokko, S., Eronen, L., & Sormunen, K. (2015). Crafting Maths: Exploring Mathematics Learning through Crafts. Design and Technology Education, 20(2), 22-31. McAdams, L.A. (2011). The Effect of Direct Instruction with Math and Science Content Area Vocabulary on Student Achievement. California Reader, 45(2), 17-21. Woodward, J., & Brown, C. (2006). Meeting the Curricular Needs of Academically LowAchieving Students in Middle Grade Mathematics. Journal of Special Education, 40(3), 151-159. https://doi.org/10.177/00224669060400030301 Zhang, D. (2021). Teaching Geometry to Students with Learning Disabilities: Introduction to the Special Series. Learning Disability Quarterly, 44(1), 4-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731948720959769

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Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

Appendix A

This is the pre- and post-assessment that will be given to show the baseline data and the progression of students after the lesson. This assessment will be used to analyze the growth of students.

Completed WGU Request for Approval to Conduct Research 8

Capstone – Preparing to do research – Task 1

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