Week 2 – Assignment 1

How is My Research Relevant? A Work in Progress

 Recall, action research focuses on enabling teachers, researchers and leaders to be continuous learners (Mills, 2014). By this, action research is considered a “work in progress” (Brydon-Miller, Greenwood, & Maguire, 2003, p. 10) and is considered a “common formative assessment” (Buczynski & Hansen, 2014, p. 352). The process of deliberate and repeated fine-tuning to the design is critical to successful implementation of action research. Therefore, part of the purpose of this assignment is to ensure relevancy of your research and to deepen the research endeavor. Your final project in this course involves preparing a comprehensive presentation of your findings. This assignment is the first step in putting your final project together. Through the collaborative conversations that occur during this week’s discussions, you will gain helpful information from classmates that may prompt a need for refining your research design as it evolves. 

Remember, it is important that the data collection is aligned with the research question(s), which was required in the matrix from EDU671. Therefore, another purpose for this assignment is for you to use this assignment as an opportunity to revise and adjust the data collection portion of your study. Effective action research practice includes ongoing and deliberate thought in order to positively inform your study. Revisions are required as part of this action research process. Consequently, incorporating this information is essential to a comprehensive data collection process and presentation of findings that is due in Week Six. For this assignment, you summarize the necessary modifications you made to your action research between the proposal process from EDU671 to this second week as you begin implementation of your study. Please address each of the components listed below in the content expectations and write your paper to meet the written communication expectations below. If modifications were not needed to a particular component, share what was in place originally and label it with the words NO CHANGE. 

Content Expectations Research Focus (1 Points): Describe the current area of focus for the research      including required revisions thus far. Literature (2 Points): Synthesize the literature you have found in addition      to your matrix developed in EDU 671 that supports your proposal. Defining Variables (1 Points): Describe your defining variables in specific and      operational terms. Research Questions (.5 Points): State your research question(s) in a list format      making sure that there is a clear relationship through clear and concise      wording to the action research project.  Intervention/Innovation (2 Points): Analyze the intervention/innovation as it pertains to the      connection of the action research project to the field of education, the      specific community, non-educational, or individual personal issue in which      you are studying. Data Collection (.5 points): Describe the type of data collection tools to be used      in the study. 

Written Communication Expectations Page Requirement (.5 points): Two-to-three pages, not including title and references      pages. APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the      assignment. Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of      syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.  Source Requirement (.5 points): Include a minimum of two scholarly sources in addition      to the course textbook, providing compelling evidence to support ideas.      All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly      within the body of the assignment.

Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment
Review your assignment with the Grading Rubric to be sure you have achieved the distinguished levels of performance for each criterion. Next, submit the assignment to the course room for evaluation no later than Day 7.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.