Please write a Reflection paper that focus on how book(Action Research (2012) by Craig Mertler “ chapter 5”) is effect my knowledge and help me to apply my project by using Action research approach.

My information:
• (This is the 4th weekly reflection for this course)
• My research project lies in the effectiveness of using educational games in a classroom to enhance the learning of elementary students.(I UPLOAD FIL SHOWS MY PLANNING TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION)
• In this week I am writing my methodology which focus in Quantitative
• Resource:
Action Research (2012) by Craig Mertler (edition 3). SAGE publications. ISBN 978-1-4129-8889-6
• Read chapter 5
•
• Topic that you can focus on is:

• (What are some connections between the reading and my research topic or project? How do the readings help me understand action research and the ways that I’ve been engaged in action research in my life?
Note: (may be help you)
My project study focus on the effectiveness of using educational games in a classroom to enhance the learning of elementary students. I will apply my study in Second grade by using Action research.
• I am begin designing my data collection tools.

My question for this study is (does using Dreambox games effect 2 grade students learning in number sense ( what numbers represent)?,)

Below are my last reflection papers + my professor comment. It
will give you background information. Please be more deeper in writing the connections between the reading and my project, give example in how this reading help me understand action research
1/20/2012 Reflection#1
The reading of chapter one and two of the third edition of Craig Mertler’s research is useful in conducting my research topic: Examining the effectiveness of using educational games in a classroom to enhance the learning of elementary students. First, the research provides the research topic (to examine the effectiveness of using educational games in classrooms to enhance the learning of elementary students) credibility to answer a professional question hence, there is need to approach the topic in a systematic and organized manner. In addition to this, the research is an action research as it focuses to aid the educational process of students in elementary schools. For these, appropriate strategies for tackling the questions opt to be developed. The nature of answers provided should be valid and reliable and should be obtained and presented through scientific methods. An educational research is therefore an action research, and involves scientific method (Mertler, 2011).

Scientific method involving an educational topic typically follows a systematic study and follows a distinct manner. They usually include steps that succeed each other. First, the researcher must specify the topic about which a case exists. Secondly, the researcher clarifies specific problem on which the research focuses. The formulation of research hypotheses and/or questions on research question can come after the two steps followed by carrying out procedures, by which data was collected, analyzed and interpreted. The researcher can then state the findings determined as a result of data analysis, and finally draw conclusions related to original research questions and hypotheses (Mertler, 2011).

Now that educational research is action research, it is important to have an overview of what an action research entails. The main distinguishing factor distancing action research from other forms of research is that action research is designed to create the needed change. It offers the process by which current practices can be changed towards better practices. For decades, there has been pressure from the public and the governmental sources for improved education (Mertler, 2011). For students to perform better in science, mathematics, reading, writing, and history thorough action research should be conducted. In as much as teachers are doing a remarkable job to prepare students for workforce in business world, teachers should be able to examine critically their practice, as well as methods of improving the learning process by students (Mertler, 2011).

The reading of Metler’s research is useful in understanding action research. The knowledge in contains can be used in conducting action research. One of the lessons learned is that action research is a process that improves education by incorporating change. It should be persuasive as it done by teachers for teachers. Additionally, a collaborative process involves educators communicating and working together. Apart from these, action research is relevant to classroom teachers, and involves developing critical reflection about one’s teaching. It is argued that this kind of research is a planned and systematic approach to educational research that requires us to examine ideas about education. This means that one should be open-minded and critically analyze educational place of work. Finally, should be designed to justify one’s teaching practice (Mertler, 2011).

I highlighted a phrase that is a critical componet of action research. It is a process that is iterative. Through the process, people can look at defined actions to describe how these actions influence others or an outcome. In medicine, the outcome may to be reduce judgement errors. In teaching, the outcome may be students’ learning. Your reflection is essentially a summary of what you read. It identifies what you thought was important. Why were these ideas important to you? How do they relate to your own work on your project? In your next reflection, work on applying the ideas that you read about to your own experiences or thought about doing your research project. making these connections in a written form will help you deepen your thinking about the reading and your project.

1/27/2012 Reflection#2
The chapter on the planning for action research has provided me great insights on how to undertake my action research. It has helped me to have a deeper understanding on the requirements of action research and develop my planning paper that focus on effectiveness of using educational games in a classroom to enhance the learning of elementary students. The chapter has provided information on how the action research has to be organized and planned. Organization is important as it helps a researcher reflect on the requirement of the entire action research in order to come up with a research map or plan on how the action research would meet the set standards. For instance, in my action research on effectiveness of using educational games in a classroom to enhance the learning of elementary students I will have to first look at the subjects of the research and any other important issues I need to cover in the topic before embarking on the real action research.

Before going through the chapter, I had some difficulties trying to identify the topic I would cover in my action research. However, after reading through the topic I have learned that the best ways to select a topic that will be effective to be researched is to first look at whether it would be easy to get the subjects of the research and how measurable the outcome of the research will be for it to produce the desired results. This is where it is important to understand the research questions that should be asked to the subjects based on the goals and objectives of the entire action research. The chapter has enlightened me that in order for my action research to be more effective I have to limit my topic to avoid making it too general in order to get specific and accurate information regarding my research topic. Limiting the topic enhances efficiency when designing the action research question because the questions also get limited to a certain set topic (Mertler, 2012, pp 35-41). Yes, this is something that you need to work on so that your reseach can be completed in a short period of time. Think of your project as one cycle that can be woven into more cycles for your thesis.

The chapter has also provided crucial information on how to seek information on the topic from various resources. In action research, literature review is very crucial because it provides information on what other researchers or scholars have found concerning the research topic. For example, in my topic literature review would provide me on what other research conducted on the topic hold to be the effectiveness of using educational games in classroom to enhance learning among elementary students. This will be important because the literature will act as basis of my action analysis on the topic. I have gained new knowledge on how I should search and write literature review from various sources and how to cite them as the sources of the information. This is something that you have begun to do in your planning statement.

The chapter has also provided me with new insights on how I need to organize information in my action research to make it easier when doing the analysis. I have learned that it is not only information gathered that need to be organized, but also the subjects of the research. The subjects will have to be informed earlier and guided on their role to make the action research more effective. The chapter has also helped me understand the importance of seeking permission from school authorities to use students or teachers as subjects in my research. With the information and knowledge gained, I am sure I will succeed in my action research.

You are making more connections between what you read and your project. Good!!! The next step if for you to modify your planning statement to reflect your new ideas. The planning statement will evolve and be strengthened overthe semester

2/4/2012 Reflection# 3
The primary aim of my proposed project is to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing educational games in the classroom to improve the learning capacities of elementary students. In principle, I should be willing to apply the fundamentals of action research in my proposed project. But I had difficulties grasping what action research is or what aspect of action research should I include in my proposed project. So, I decided to read the fourth chapter of Mertler’s book. I really had no difficulty understanding what action research is after reading the book. Its fundamentals were properly laid out and much of the information I acquired were very pragmatic in nature. Here are some of the things I found out. Firstly, action research is a reflexive process. It is a practical way of addressing issues and solving problems in the most efficient and effective way. In my proposed project, my primary aim is to expound on the importance of integrating video games in the curriculum. This generally involves developing strategies that will enable students to develop various skills such as critical thinking and instructional precision, and improving student flexibility in terms of value adaptation and social interaction. In Chapter 4, I have learned that action research involves participation in the research process itself – that is, my role is that of a participant-observer. This is necessary because action research is an interactive inquest process. In order to properly come up with appropriate strategies for addressing pertinent issues, the researcher has to first assess the various forms of social action, collective or individual, transpiring within the organizational setting. This can be achieved by participating directly or indirectly in the organization’s or the subjects’ activities.

The chapter has provided me with crucial information about the nature and relevance of topical selection. It should be noted that literature reviews are important because they provide researchers with a ‘conceptual enclosure’ about the relevance or pertinence of topics with developing themes. This will generally determine the type of research design to be used in a particular study, the appropriate concepts relevant to the objectives of the study, and the philosophical worldview to be adopted to enhance the theoretical foundation of the proposed study. In my case, the literature review will provide me relevant information about parallel researchers concerned about the effectiveness of utilizing educational games in classrooms to enhance the cognitive and psychometric skills of elementary students. In other words, my literature review will serve as a generic basis of action analysis in my proposed study. It should also be noted that gaining new knowledge about a particular topic will enable me to dissect and construct new concepts which I can use in my proposed study. This will greatly enhance the theoretical foundation of the field I am planning to study. The chapter also provided me ways to organize pertinent information in my action research. This will be of great help in simplifying the research process. But I have to ensure that my proposed project follow the fundamentals of ethical research. Subjects have to submit their informed consent, and anonymity should be properly observed at all levels. I am confident that my proposed action research will succeed, given my complete understanding of the research process, especially on the aspects of methodology and research design.

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