Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan:

SETTING THE FOUNDATION – Creating a climate to explore action research issues:
Through collaboration and discussions with key stakeholders, we have discovered a need to examine our extra-curricular activities. Our campus strives to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging. It has been discussed that students who are more involved feel better about themselves. We are interested in examining how to improve campus morale as well as student achievement.

2. ANALYZING DATA – I will use a variety of data including interviews with staff, students, and administration. I will also use data from student lists. This will show me how many students are involved in one or more activities and those who are not involved. Report card data will also show if there is any connection between student achievement and involvement. I will also. Electronic searches on extra-curricular involvement will likely yield prior inquiries in similar areas.

3. DEVELOPING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING – I believe that after my initial interviews and data collection I will begin to create more questions. I may come across some negative aspects to extra-curricular activities. I also hope to find more insight into possible solutions. I think that it is critical to examine other aspects within my inquiry in order to better develop a bigger picture of what I am examining. I will interview key stakeholders to get their insights on extra-curricular activities. I will also ensure that I am actively listening throughout the school day even so that I can gather data when I am not actively seeking data.

4. ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION – Possible Reflective Questions Regarding my Action Research:

Can I get teachers to be more excited about extra-curricular activities so that I can in turn get more student involvement?
Can I get parents to see the value of extra-curricular activities?
Do I have everything I need to be successful and reach a solution?
Will students actually buy in to the idea of being more involved?
How can I show students that being involved in your school is fun?


5. EXPLORING PROGRAMMATIC PATTERNS – I will discuss with my site supervisor all of my findings. I will approach her with my ideas for possible solutions. I will also present my findings to various staff in hopes that they can help me troubleshoot any potential problems. I will discuss with these people the pro’s and con’s of my plan and ask for any suggestions that they think may help my plan be as successful as possible.

6. DETERMINING DIRECTION –
I am attempting to get students more involved in extra-curricular activities and assess if their involvement has a positive effect on morale and improves student achievement. I have involved students, staff, and administration. I am working collaboratively to improve our school climate and student morale. I am seeking input from many stakeholders in hopes that I am getting a well rounded view of my inquiry. I have established a timeline in which I can get most of the work completed in the first semester. I am doing this so that I can implement a change and evaluate the success of my plan in hopes that it can be initiated from the start of the next school year. I will be constantly monitoring the project. I am involved in sponsoring many extra-curricular activities and this is something that is very important to me. Weekly I will examine my data and findings so that I can be constantly reflecting and looking for more information. I plan to evaluate my successes in two ways. First, I want to look at actual numbers. I want to see if more students are in fact involved in school activities. Second, I want to discuss with various stakeholders their perceived change in the morale of students. This will be difficult to measure but I think easy to feel if it is a success. I can constantly make changes to my plan based on feedback. I can change my plan of getting students more involved to include many various strategies for advertising information. I can work collaboratively with more sponsors if they wish to get more involved. Because I have no concrete solution, but rather an evolving solution, it will be easier for me to adapt based on the needs of my campus.


7. TAKING ACTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

I hope to organize a small committee of teachers that will help me get students more involved. These teachers will work with me to plan various ways to increase student activity. They will provide additional support for students who are involved in the plan.

8. SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT
I hope to improve the culture of my campus through involvement in student activities. As we get new students each year it will be important that we continue to show the kids how being involved can improve their overall enjoyment of school. I will share my results with other campuses in my district as well as other colleagues online. I will work to keep this project ongoing in my school.