Research+on+Research+Skills

=== Note: This action research proposal is part of the work we are doing for our district vertical team. As a group we have taken on the charge of exploring the development of lifelong learners. Emily and Amy ===



= 21st Century Information Literacy Vertical Team Action Research Proposal =

**Initial Sub-questions for Investigation: **

 * What strategies do our students currently use when they embark on a research project?
 * If we give students a framework for research, how will it affect their successful completion of a research project? (framework = Big6, etc.)
 * How do we best differentiate the way we teach research skills?
 * What approaches are most appropriate for elementary, middle and high school students?
 * If we, as a vertical team, create a document/handbook for teaching research skills, how will it affect the way teachers present research lessons? How will it affect what students learn about researching?
 * How do we best provide the support necessary to help the student’s perspective move from one of uncertainty to one of greater focus in the research process?

**The Project: **
The 21st Century Information Literacy Vertical Team members will investigate what research skills are being taught to students, how they are being taught, and at what grade level. The team will focus their investigation towards determining the value of developing a FWSU guide to research to assist students with their practice of research skills and teachers in their teaching of those skills.

**Rationale: **
The 21st Century Information Literacy Vertical Team has been charged with developing power standards in the area of information literacy that will be expected of each student in the district at various grade levels. There has been much conversation amongst the team members and other teachers in their respective schools about the inconsistency and lack of progression of research skill acquisition. The purpose of this study is to, through action research and acting as part of the vertical team, discover what currently exists and what could be developed to assist students and teachers at each level of instruction keeping in mind developmentally appropriate practices.

While action research is a self reflective process designed to change the researcher’s own practices, the goal of this project is to change the practices of everyone in the district, including the members of the team, and to encourage the development of a solid research culture across the district.

**Theory: **
Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process(ISP) will guide our study. One objective of this study of research skills is to find out how the learner constructs meaning in all ways of seeking information, ranging from a research assignment to an informal search for information. The conceptual framework, which includes the six stages of the ISP as the learner experiences them emotionally, intellectually, and as expressed in his or her actions, can provide a sound basis for inquiry in this area. Given that our Vertical Team work requires that we plan for elementary, middle, and high school students, Kuhlthau’s Model of the Information Search Process is very appropriate in that we can assess the learner's research skill acquisition at different grade levels and use this framework to focus collaborative efforts by teachers and slms to support learners in the most effective way.

Design of Project and Tools
The role of the vertical team member researchers will be: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Ascertain what is currently the practice at their respective schools for research skill instruction. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Ascertain student comfort level with the process of research by focusing on the action plan sub-questions <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. The team will analyze the data <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Based on their findings the team will then work to create a guide or other tool to be used by the teachers and students at the district to provide direction in the acquisition of research skills.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each teacher in the FWSU is member of a vertical team. It is not the intention of this vertical team to create more work for our fellow teachers but rather to lessen their workload. We will seek out classroom teachers to look at what we find in our research and to find a way to seemlessly integrate the development of research skills into what is already being taught. We will also work to increase the collaboration between classroom teachers and the vertical team members.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tools:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Survey for teachers (done in Google Form for actual use)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Questionnaire for students:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Pretest of students prior to direct instruction on skills: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Post test of students after direct instruction on skills: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Exit slips for students on their developing comfort with the process of research:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Project Questionnaire for students for use after instruction (adapted from Londonderry NH Schools if permission is granted)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Timeline:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because of the scope of our encompassing question we plan to segment the plan into sub-question parts. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The total project is projected for November 2010-June 2011

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Evaluation:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our action research evaluation will be ongoing with the consultation and reflection of the Professional Learning Community of this course acting as mentors. In addition, the members of our district vertical team will be a PLC that will take part in the evaluation of the study.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Definitions:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Research Skills- <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dispositions necessary to answer questions, either given or self determined, in an efficient, ethical, and valid manner.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">References:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">21st Literacy’s Curriculum Site **

AASL. //Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs//. Chicago: AASL, 2007.

__. //Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action//. Chicago: AASL, 2009.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Baltimore County Public Schools Information Problem Solving Research Models **

[|http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF]
 * Building the Field of Digital Media and Learning**

[]
 * The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students**

[|http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/information_search_process.htm][|**ortheast**] and Islands Regional Educational
 * Kuhlthau, Carol C. //Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century//. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]
 * PDFcast.org**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Themes in Action: Action Research from Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University**Northeast **and Islands gionational** []

picture credit: creative commons license []