Dylan Adkins WGU Research Questions and Literature Review Task 2 PDF

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C225, Research Questions and Literature Review, Task 2 Dylan Adkins Western Governors University

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Research Topic An education-related research topic that interests me is how movement can impact the learning environment in the classroom. This topic interests me because I teach 5th grade math and it can, at times, be very repetitive and requires deep understanding of the content. The amount of information that the students have to retain can often times cause them to “zone out” or become disinterested in what is being taught at that time. Research Problem Statement

The students in my 5th grade math class struggle greatly with being able to sit still and remain quiet while going through a lesson and, subsequently, have scored low on the end of topic tests. I believe that research is need to verify if there is a correlation between movement-based learning and the students’ test scores. In the literature research I completed, there were mixed reports with no real definitive answer.

Literature Review

For decades now the educational system has revolved primarily around test scores (Moore, 2018). Whether it’s a state test or a school test, the scores have been the driving force in education (Ford, 2016). The students, teachers, and the administration all fall under the scrutiny of the parents, districts, and the state officials based primarily on their test scores. However, even though there is this amount of emphasis on the students’ test scores, there is a steady decline in scores for Texas Schools (Evans, 2018). Based on the decreasing test scores, one could fairly conclude that the “traditional” education styles are no longer working for the student populations

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we have today. This leaves the educators left to wonder about what action they can take to reach the students (Abdelbary, 2019). One action that is being widely researched and discussed in the educational field is the need for more movement-based learning environments (Murphy, 2019). There are multiple studies that show that physical activity helps to activate the brain, helps improve cognitive function, and correlates with improved academic performance (Gonzalez, 2019). Upon some intensive research into implementing movement-based learning, I found there was a mixture of research results. In some of the studies, schools/districts showed an increase in their standardized testing scores. This is shown in the quantitative data from the research study that was conducted in Kelliher Public Schools. The students in the district scored an average of 24% higher in reading and 27% higher in math (Howatt, 2017) after implementing the movement-based learning into the classroom. In one elementary school second grade group, the researcher concluded that there was an increase of 35% in reading scores whenever the movement-based learning was utilized in the classrooms (Lindt, 2019). Similar results also showed up in another research study that was done in an intermediate school in which the students’ scored showed an increase of 26% in reading (Wade, 2015). One research study that was conducted with second and third graders found that when students received 90 minutes of movement within the school day, they scored higher on the reading and math standardized testing (Plessis, 2017). Although there isn’t an exact percentage provided in the article, the researcher described the research as being quantitative. In some of the other research articles that I studied, some schools or districts concluded that there wasn’t a sizable difference in the students’ test scores after they completed the research. In one research study that attempted to find a correlation between movement-based

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learning and the scores of a group of 8th grade students in a Science classroom, the Aledo ISD concluded that there was less than 10% difference between test scores than in a traditional classroom (Wells, 2017). There was another school that reported that there was less than a 5% difference in the students’ scores after they implemented movement-based learning into their middle school classroom (Wilson, 2014). While I was doing my research, I did find that there are many different forms of movement-based learning environments that can be implemented within a study. This shows a weakness in the studies as there are more than just two variables to consider in the study (Lengel, 2010). One additional weakness that I noticed pretty consistently throughout my literacy research was using more than just one grade level within the various research studies (Griss, 2013). Students in the lower grades have proven to adapt to new learning techniques easier than the upper grade level students, therefore it’s difficult to find a parallel in some of the data that is presented (Braniff, 2011).

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the study is identifying if there is a correlation between a movementbased classroom and student scores on a topic test in a title-one suburban charter school.

Open-Ended Research Question

1. What is the impact of using stations as a movement-based learning strategy on 5th grade students’ test scores in a suburban, title-one charter school.

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2. What factors influence the success of utilizing stations as a movement-based strategy on 5th grade students’ test scores in a suburban, title-one charter school.

Justifying the Approach for Open-Ended Questions

Action research is an appropriate research approach to the research questions since I am the teacher in the classroom initiating the change. I teach 5 th grade math and my students struggle to sit quietly while they work and, subsequently, have low scores on their topic tests. The necessity for talking/movement and the low test scores is what I am hoping to address in my research by collecting quantitative data. The questions that I chose address the specific issue I am having in my classroom, are open-ended, and will be addressed through collecting the quantitative data.

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6 Works Cited

Abdelbary, M. (2019, April 15). Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/08/08/learning-inmotion-bring-movement-back-to.html. Braniff, C. J. (2011, July 2). The Effects of Movement in the Classroom. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c1cd/dc5547efb174be53c1c9ea50aa7a1d9be3ee.pdf. Dempsey, A. (2017, April 7). MOVEMENT AND ATTENTION: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOVEMENTS AND ADHD MANIFESTATIONS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH ADHD. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.cn.edu/libraries/tiny_mce/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/Dissertations/Dissertat ions2017/Allison_Dempsey.pdf. Evans, M. (2018, May 30). When Texas Schools Don't Make The Grade. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from http://stories.kera.org/saving-schools/2018/04/16/when-texas-schools-dont-make-thegrade/. Ford, K. N. (2016, May). The Impact of Physical Movement on Academic Learning. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f38e/93fbddf3a1ceee267b11ed12ded5e773b12d.pdf. Gonzalez, J. (2019, March 31). To Boost Learning, Just Add Movement. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/movement/. Griss, S. (2019, February 19). The Power of Movement in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved October 18, 2019, from https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/03/19/fp_griss.html.

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Howatt, G. (2017, December 7). Exercise improves test scores, study of Minnesota students finds. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from http://www.startribune.com/exercise-improves-test-scores-instudy-of-minnesota-students/462406323/. Lengel, T., & Kuczala, M. (2010). The Kinesthetic Classroom. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://books.google.com/books?id=HUA4zKBlsrsC&lpg=PP1&dq=movement and learning in classroom&lr&pg=PR6#v=onepage&q=movement and learning in classroom&f=false. Lindt, S. F., & Miller, S. C. (2019, February 8). Movement and learning in elementary school . Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.kappanonline.org/lindt-miller-movementlearning-elementary-school-physical-activity/. Moore, D. (2018, September 6). Using Movement to Bolster Reading Comprehension: Education Closet. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://educationcloset.com/2014/04/23/moving-tolearn-using-movement-to-bolster-reading-comprehension/. Murphy, A. (2019, May 16). 4 Ways to Get Students Moving in Class. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-ways-get-students-moving-class. Plessis, H. du. (2017, December 19). Exercise Improves Test Scores, Studies Show. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://www.edubloxtutor.com/exercise-improves-test-scores-studiesshow/. Wade, S. (2015). Physical Activity and Academic Achievement in Second Grade. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.neuronetlearning.com/public/physical-activity-and-academicachievement-in-second-grade.pdf.

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Wells, S. L. (2017). Moving Through the Curriculum: The Effect of Movement on Student Learning, Behavior, and Attitude. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from http://mat2012wells.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/54431635/Wells, MRP.pdf. Wilson, D. (2014, March 12). Move Your Body, Grow Your Brain. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/move-body-grow-brain-donna-wilson.y...