Action Research Outline

My Innovation Plan involves integrating project-based learning into my campus’ after school club program.  I originally wanted to do my action research on the academic benefits of PBL; however, daily learning targets and state standards have our schedule so tightly packed, there was no way of convincing teachers to try time-consuming PBL in their classrooms. I changed course to focus on the after-school club program, hoping still to affect academic growth.  When narrowing down a research question, it became apparent that student behavior would be much easier to observe and measure in a shorter time period.  Click the button to see my full outline​

Literature Review

​There is an abundance of literature to support the idea that project-based learning benefits students academically and socially, but not as many sources  that tackle the question of the effect of PBL on student behavior.  What I was able to do is link project-based learning to increased self-regulation and confidence,  which in turn increases on-task behavior.  

Action Research Plan

 Action research involves the following 4 stages:
  • The planning stage
  • The acting stage
  • The developing stage
  • The reflecting stage.
To determine if there is a link between instructional strategy and student behavior, I will use both qualitative and quantitative measures.  My plan includes these measures as well as a timeline,  measurement tools, and strategies for sharing the outcomes.