Action Research Plan Update

My action research project is in full swing.  We have hit a few road bumps here and there, but we are still on course.  The detention section of my plan was suspended.  Our campus lost more than 20 teachers this past school year.  Some transferred to other campuses.  Many left the district.  After hearing that so many teachers were leaving, I was unable to conduct a survey at the end of last school year to determine the teacher support for such a program to begin this fall.  To conduct the survey at this point would not enable me to have a system fully planned and ready for the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.  I will keep it in mind and possibly try again for next year.  Since our administrator said teachers would have to run it, it is not an option for me to plan it without having full teacher support.

Daily recess has been a struggle for me.  So far, there has been only one day that I was not able to stop and give my class recess.  Our administrator changed my lunch schedule from last year.  Last year, I had a schedule that allowed me to have recess right after lunch on our one assigned day a week.  If I had the same schedule this year, it would be so much easier to go straight outside whenever weather permitted.  As it is now, I actually have to stop in the middle of a lesson cycle to break for recess.  It feels awkward.  Most of the time, we have inside recess where students play board and card games.  They still enjoy themselves.  After conducting a survey, I found that most of the class prefers indoor recess.  Of course, more boys prefer to go outside.  I make every effort to go outside at least 2 days a week.

Participating teachers from each grade level have shared similar stories. One told me she missed recess all but one day in one week and noticed how the conduct grades dropped drastically for most of the class.  Of course, I told her to keep up the documentation.  That fact alone shows how not having recess decreased student motivation to exert self-control in class.  Only one teacher out of the 5 of us makes it a point to go outside every day.  I wonder if her classroom being so close to the playground factors in at all. 

We feel confident that we will be able to show that recess has made a difference in the climate of our classrooms and the academic performance of our students.  Making daily recess a campus practice will definitely be a positive, beneficial change for our building.

Yoland Bevil's Google Webpage

APPROVED Action Research Plan

This post serves as documentation of my APPROVED Action Research Plan for course EDLD 5301.

Revised Action Research Plan

After meeting with my site supervisor, I made a few modifications to my plan.  Dates were changed along with the reordering of a few actions.  The most noticeable change is an inclusion of an additional teacher survey and plan to implement an after-school detention program.  My site supervisor made this suggestion to address my concern about teachers feeling the urge to withhold recess as a consequence for poor behavior.  This helped me to overcome one of the challenges I mentioned in my week 4 discussion post. We believe teachers are less likely to withhold recess from students who have earned U's in conduct if they know the student will still experience a consequence beyond those she or he has already administered in the classroom.
Recess, here we come!

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Yolanda Bevil’s Action Research Plan
Question: How will having 15 minutes of daily recess affect the classroom behavior and academic performance of elementary school children? Goal:  To determine how daily recess affects academic performance and behavior in elementary school children. (Grades K-4)
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.  Read professional articles to gather information about the benefits of recess for students	Teacher inquirer	March 2013 to May 2013	Professional readings	At least 5 collected/ printed Professional articles
2.  Select teachers from each grade level to participate in data collection. (5 participating in daily recess; 5 with comparable student characteristics NOT participating)	Teacher inquirer and Site Supervisor	March 2013	Teacher volunteers	All 5 teachers committed to data collection with full understanding of the data collection process
3.  Prepare and conduct surveys of students and staff to gather data showing current attitudes toward recess.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed teachers; Campus Technology Specialist	April 2013	Created surveys; internet survey for teachers and students	Receiving responses from 80% of student body and staff.
4.  Write a plan for teachers to follow for conducting recess and collecting/sharing data.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed teachers	May 2013	Professional readings; created form for recording data	Completed written plan with easy to follow directions
5.  Create an after school detention program for students earning U’s in conduct to implement August 2013 so that recess can still be experienced by all students and not be withheld as a consequence for poor behavior.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers, Discipline Committee, and  Site Supervisor	April 2013 to June 2013	Online survey for teachers, internet, computer	Written after school detention plan; parent notice created; schedule of one teacher from each grade level to cover each week; student skill practice activities chosen.
6.  Selected teachers will check cumulative folders for data on any students who have a history of N’s and U’s in conduct, office referrals, or bus write ups.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers and Site Supervisor	August 2013	Access to prior behavior records; documentation form	Prepared documentation to show effect of recess on students with a history of behavior issues.
7.  Accumulate records of recess times and activities, student conduct grades, benchmark test scores, and grade averages in reading, writing, and math.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers	August 2013 to December 2013	Recess record sheets	Completed data forms collected from all 5 teachers.
8.  Analyze data collected.  Compare conduct, grade averages, and benchmark scores from recess classes to comparable classes that did NOT have daily recess.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers; Site supervisor	December 2013 to January 2014	Benchmark test data, report card grades, and  conduct grade averages from all 10 classes	Determine the effectiveness of recess through analysis of collected data.
9.  Compare previous conduct grades of students who had a history of N’s and U’s in conduct, office referrals, or bus write ups to current grades.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers; Site supervisor	January 2014	Accumulated Documentation	Express validity of action plan with improved conduct grades for students in daily recess homerooms.
10.  Conduct surveys of students and committed teachers involved in daily recess showing changes in attitudes toward recess.	Teacher inquirer; Campus Technology Specialist	January 2014	Created surveys; internet survey for teachers and students	Receiving responses from 80% of student body and staff
11.  Present proposal of daily recess for the entire campus.	Teacher inquirer, 4 committed homeroom teachers, Discipline committee, and Site supervisor	January 2014	All analyzed data and professional literature	Consideration of implementation of daily recess campus wide. (The action plan continues...)

Action Research Plan for Determining the Academic and Behavioral Effects of Daily Recess

I have revised my action research plan 5 times.  Yet, it is still a work in progress.  I appreciate all of the feedback I have received.  It has been very helpful.  For assignment purposes, THIS IS IT!  I can imagine changes will still be made.  The action research process is very involved and requires constant reflection and evaluation.  I have a new respect for all who endeavor to improve schools through this process.

Action Research Plan
Question: How will having 15 minutes of daily recess affect the classroom behavior and academic performance of elementary school children? Goal:  To determine how daily recess affects academic performance and behavior in elementary school children. (Grades K-4)
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.  Read professional articles to gather information about the benefits of recess for students	Teacher inquirer	March 2013 to May 2013	Professional readings	At least 5 collected/ printed Professional articles
2.  Prepare and conduct surveys of students and staff to gather data showing current attitudes toward recess.	Teacher inquirer	May 2013	Created surveys; internet survey for teachers	Receiving responses from 80% of student body and staff
3.  Write a plan for teachers to follow for conducting recess and collecting/sharing data.	Teacher inquirer	April 2013 to May 2013	Professional readings; created form for recording data	Completed written plan with easy to follow directions.
4.  Select teachers from each grade level to participate in data collection. (5 participating in daily recess; 5 with comparable student characteristics NOT participating in daily recess)	Teacher inquirer and Site Supervisor	May 2013 to August 2013	Teacher volunteers	All 5 teachers committed to data collection with full understanding of the data collection process
5.  Selected teachers will check cumulative folders for data on any students who have a history of N’s and U’s in conduct, office referrals, or bus write ups.  (Place a * by those student numbers to pay closer attention to how our study affects them.)	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers and Site Supervisor	August 2013	Access to prior behavior records; documentation form	Prepared documentation to show effect of recess on students with a history of behavior issues.
6.  Accumulate recordings of recess times and activities, student conduct grades, benchmark test scores, and grade averages in reading, writing, and math.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers	August 2013 to December 2013	Recess record sheets	Completed data forms collected from all 5 teachers.
7.  Analyze data collected.  Compare conduct, grade averages, and benchmark scores from recess classes to comparable classes that did NOT have daily recess.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers; Site supervisor	December 2013 to January 2014	Benchmark test data, report card grades, and  conduct grade averages from all 10 classes	Determine the effectiveness of recess through analysis of collected data.
8.  Compare previous conduct grades of students who had a history of N’s and U’s in conduct, office referrals, or bus write ups to current grades.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers; Site supervisor	January 2014	Accumulated Documentation	Express validity of action plan with improved conduct grades for students in daily recess homerooms.
9.  Conduct surveys of students and staff showing changes in attitudes toward recess.	Teacher inquirer	January 2014	Created surveys; internet survey for teachers	Receiving responses from 80% of student body and staff
10.  Propose daily recess for the entire campus.	Teacher inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers, Discipline committee, and Site supervisor	January 2014	All analyzed data and professional literature	Implementation of daily recess campus wide. (The action plan continues...)

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)