26. Action Research Outline – Assessing Digital Learning

I. Introduction: 

The educational field has experienced an unexpected and drastic change due to Covid. Such changes led me to reflect upon my teaching practices. I work at a Charter school teaching Spanish at the Middle and High School levels. Since my campus started providing one device per student two years ago, I embraced the opportunity and started integrating components of Blended Learning in my classroom.  Blended learning has the potential to shift traditional instruction to a more sophisticated way of learning that provides students with the opportunity to have more control over their learning (Maxwell, 2016, paras. 1-2). The flexibility the approach provides through the different blended learning models serves as the medium for students to become more self-directed learners. As an educator, I want to challenge my students as I meet their cognitive and socio-emotional needs in my Spanish classes. 

II. What is the topic of your action research?

The topic of my action research is increasing student engagement, agency, and self-efficacy in a 9th-grade Spanish classroom by using the Rotation Blended Learning.

III. What is the purpose of your study?

This research will examine if the use of the Rotation Blended Learning model will increase student engagement, agency, and self-efficacy in a 9th-grade Spanish classroom.

IV. What is your fundamental research question

Does the implementation of the Rotation Blended Learning Model increase student engagement, agency, and self-efficacy in a 9th-grade Spanish class?

V. What is your research design?

I intend to use a Triangular Mixed-Methods approach. This plan will focus on both quantitative and qualitative data, ensuring that I get the best results possible. Through the qualitative data, I expect to collect students’ perceptions regarding how engaged they felt in the blended learning classroom. From the qualitative data, I expect trends to emerge so that I can determine if student engagement and agency increased. The quantitative data will provide a way to determine if the rotation blended approach was the factor that increased student engagement, agency, and self-efficacy, which can be reflected in how much learning happens in the classroom.

VI. What type of data will you collect?

Types of measurement instruments

1. Unit pre-test & post-test (Quantitative) 
2. Student interviews (Qualitative)
3. Student surveys (Qualitative)

VII. What is the focus of your literature review? Literature review from 5305 

The focus of my literature review will be a look into Blended Learning and then diving into the Rotation Blended Learning model. Then I will define student engagement, student agency, and self-efficacy to be able to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data collected. 

References

Maxwell, C. (2016, February 19). A deeper look at the flex model [web log]. https://www.blendedlearning.org/a-deeper-look-at-the-flex-model.