Outline of a Research Proposal - Riehl Portfolio



Outline, 1

Outline of a Research Proposal

By Heidi Riehl

EDU 6975, Applying & Interpreting Educational Research I

June 8, 2009

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I. Purpose of the Study

A. Topic and purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine whether differentiated homework given in Kindergarten at a Title I school is effective in increasing student achievement in literacy.

B. Hypothesis

Kindergarten students in a Title I school who receive differentiated homework once a week and complete it will demonstrate more improvement in literacy achievement in class than students who receive one style of (or the exact same) homework.

C. Contribution to knowledge about education

Traditionally, the same homework is given out daily or weekly to each student with an expectation that it will be completed and turned back in to the teacher. This method of homework delivery is both easy and efficient. Is homework effective if children with different abilities and skills are given identical worksheets to practice at home? Differentiated instruction has demonstrated positive impacts on student learning. The logical next step is to differentiate the homework. Differentiated homework can be an effective tool at home, where a student can practice and demonstrate skills they have learned, as well as, feel successful. Students will also be more motivated to complete and turn in homework that is not too easy or too hard.

II. Previous research

A. Study that research is based on

This study is based on Cooper, H., Robinson, J., & Patall, E. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research, 76(1), 1-62. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ751143) Retrieved April 20, 2009, from ERIC database.

B. Building on previous research

The many reasons teachers report for assigning homework (e.g., Bempechat, 2004; Cooper, 1989; Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2001) can be grouped into three major categories: enhancing achievement, improving student motivation and self-regulation, and establishing a positive link between the school and the home. Not surprisingly, enhancing student achievement is teachers’ stated reason number one for setting homework (Cooper, 1989). Previous empirical research has devoted little attention to how teachers’ homework implementation practices affect homework completion and achievement (Trautwein & Köller, 2003). In a University of Michigan study researchers Sandra Hofferth and John Sandberg found that elementary aged students, especially those aged six to eight, received more homework than their junior or senior high school counterparts.

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Educators might argue that teachers at this level are more concerned with building basic learning skills, and as such require their students to perform more drill based assignments. This practice though often produces tedious, repetitious, and boring assignments that quickly cause students to lose interest.

C. Specific scholars, constructs, or theories

This research is based on the ideas and findings of Differentiated Instruction. When teachers differentiate their instruction, they can meet the different learning styles, abilities, and needs of their students. Learners are more likely to feel and be successful, when the instruction can be tailored to fit them. Homework should be designed to mimic this idea. Through the use of differentiated instruction strategies, help them to meet and exceed the established standards. Students do not learn in the same way, so we cannot teach them all in the same way. With the tools of differentiated instruction, we can keep the focus where it belongs and take each student as far as he or she can go. (Levy, 2008) Homework is a strategy to support students’ skill development as they meet standards. Just as students do not all learn the same way; neither do families all function and spend time together in the same way. This needs to be taken into consideration when designing homework.

III. Literature Search

The Center for Public Education. Research review: What research says about the

value of homework. /Key_lessons_What_research_says_about_the_value_of_homework.htm

Cooper, H., Robinson, J., & Patall, E. (2006). Does homework improve

academic achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research, 76(1), 1-62. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ751143) Retrieved April 20, 2009, from ERIC database.

Coutts, P. (2004). Meanings of homework and implications for practice. Theory Into Practice, 43(3), 182-188. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ683346) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from ERIC database.

Easton, J. Q., & Bennett, A. (1989). Homework in different types of schools. Paper

presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, Calif., March 1989. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED308256.) Retrieved April 21, 2009, from ERIC database.

Epstein, J., & Van Voorhis, F. (2001). More than minutes: teachers'

roles in designing homework. Educational Psychologist, 36(3), 181-193. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection database.

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Gill, B., & Schlossman, S. (2004). Villain or savior? the American

discourse on homework, 1850-2003. Theory Into Practice, 43(3), 174-181. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ683345) Retrieved April 20, 2009, from ERIC database.

Herrold, K., O'Donnell, K., & (ED), N. (2008). Parent and family

involvement in education, 2006-07 school year, from the national household education surveys program of 2007. First Look. NCES 2008-050. National Center for Education Statistics, (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED502237) Retrieved April 20, 2009, from ERIC database.

Krashen, S. (2005). The hard work hypothesis: is doing your homework enough to overcome the effects of poverty?. Multicultural Education, 12(4), 16-31. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ727795) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from ERIC database.

Levy, H. (2008). Meeting the needs of all students through differentiated instruction: helping every child reach and exceed standards. Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(4), 161-164. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ789449) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from ERIC database.

Trautwein, U., Ludtke, O., Schnyder, I., & Niggli, A. (2006). Predicting homework effort: support for a domain-specific, multilevel homework model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(2), 438-456. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ742193) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from ERIC database.

Van Voorhis, F. (2004). Reflecting on the homework ritual: assignments and designs. Theory Into Practice, 43(3), 205-212. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ683349) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from ERIC database.

IV. Variables

A. Dependent variables

The school district administers standardized Kindergarten assessments for literacy three times per year in relation to report cards. Specific literacy components that will be assessed over the year includes letter names, sounds, rhyming, word families, initial, middle, and ending sounds, stretching and reading words,

stretching and spelling words, and sight words. As homework includes multiple skills to practice, teachers will track student progress in the Kindergarten literacy components listed above. Kindergarten pre-assessments will be administered to students in September before school begins, and then regular assessments will be given in December, March, and June. Results will be used to assess the dependent variable: an increase in academic achievement in Kindergarten literacy skills.

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B. Independent variables

The independent variable is differentiated homework. Kindergarten teachers at five Title I schools within one school district will give differentiated

homework to students based on skill level and understanding each week. Three types of homework will be designed based on three levels, essentially low, medium, and high. They will begin this process at the start of the year. Five different Title I schools in the same district will use the same worksheet for homework for all the students in the class. Differentiated homework will be given throughout the school year.

C. Other variables

A problem often encountered in Kindergarten classes in Title I schools is low return of homework. Teachers will also track rate of return throughout the study.

V. Research Design

A. Research design

This study will be using a nonequivalent, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design.

B. Internal validity threats

A threat to internal validity is selection, as the study includes existing Kindergarten class groups. To minimize this threat, the classroom groups will be evaluated for similar make-up of gender, academic ability, including special needs students, and any documented behavior difficulties. Pretesting of the Kindergarten students literacy skills in September will aid in determining equality between the classrooms.

C. Limitations to generalizability

This study takes place within one school district among twelve Title I schools, therefore, generalizability will be limited to schools with a similar socioeconomic status.

D. Operational Definitions

Differentiated Homework: Homework designed by the teacher that includes Kindergarten literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, word families, stretching and reading, stretching and spelling, and writing. Three levels will be designed based on beginning, middle, and end of the year skills and goals.

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Curriculum Homework: Homework sheets provided by the literacy curriculum used in the school.

E. Treatment or Intervention

Kindergarten students in five of the ten Title I classrooms chosen will receive two pages of differentiated literacy homework. The homework will be designed into three levels of skills based on what the students are learning in class and their abilities. The three levels will reflect beginning, middle, and end of the year skills. Students will receive the homework that most closely matches their abilities. The other five classrooms of students will receive two pages of identical literacy homework from the curriculum. All students will receive homework once a week and will have seven days to complete it.

VI. Instruments / Measures

A. Measures

Assessments will be given every two weeks to assess progress of students in achieving trimester literacy goals for Kindergarten. Assessments will include letter naming fluency, sound fluency, and breaking down words. These assessments will be designed to mimic the Dibels Assessment. Students will also be tested on a high frequency word list and rhyming skills from Fountas and Pinnell Assessment Kit. As students begin to read, running records will be administered. As they begin to write, a spelling test from Words Their Way will be given.

B. Assessment of Variables

All of the assessments chosen are designed to test achievement in Kindergarten literacy skills. Skills assessed will be the same as what appears in their differentiated homework. Students can only be assessed based on what skills they have been practicing. For example, a student still working on letter and sound fluency, who has not yet mastered word consciousness, will not be tested with running records. Students who have mastered a skill, such as letter names, will no longer be given an assessment on letter naming fluency.

C. Validity and Reliability

The assessments used will reflect what has been taught in class that matches the skills practiced at home on the differentiated homework. Each of the assessments has alternate forms for assessing skills. Homework completion is necessary for this study. Students who do not complete homework regularly, as well as, home environments could affect the validity and reliability of this study.

VII. Sampling

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A. Population

The population in the study will be Kindergarten students within ten Title I schools in the Seattle School District.

B. Population Characteristics

The ten schools selected are located in urban areas. The schools selected have 70% or higher free and reduced lunch enrollment. All the schools have a multicultural population with about 1/4 to a 1/3 ESL students. They have an equal amount of boys and girls. The Seattle School District student population is about 4% American Indian, 24% African American, 13% Latino, 24% Asian, and 45% White. Each of the ten schools has at least 30% or higher populations of African American, Asian, and/or Latino students. Between 42% and 68% percent of students in the schools live in single parent families. The special education population is between 6% and 21% depending on the school.

C. Sampling Procedure

Purposeful sampling will be used as this study is meant to be informative. Title I schools are chosen and will be placed in groups so that there are equal amounts of children who receive the intervention and those that do not.

D. Sampling Unit

The sampling unit will be Kindergarten classrooms in Title I schools.

E. Sample Size

The Kindergarten classes contain 20-25 students per classroom. Ten schools will be used in the study, with about 2-4 Kindergarten classes per school. The total sample of children would be between 400-1000. This sample will be large enough to determine differences between literacy increases due to differentiated homework support and those using generic homework.

F. Subgroups and Characteristics

There are no subgroups in this study.

G. Risks

This research involves no risk. Students’ confidentiality will be maintained through the use of labels and numbers when referring to data.

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