Effects of in cooperating
Running Header: PROJECT BASED LEARNING
PROJECT BASED LEARNING 6
Effects of project based learning on education
Marcus Coleman
Effects of in cooperating Project based Learning in the school curriculum
Introduction
Learning is determined by a number of factors, some of which are environmental related while others are not. The approach of teaching is one of the major determinants of learning as far classroom learning is concerned, however there has been a concern that the current approaches to learning are a little too abstract. Lack of real life scenarios and too much theory has been responsible for the growing apathy towards learning. It is for this reason that studies are being contacted to see if the change in tact can improve learning. One of the suggested ways is the project based learning approach which uses non fictional concepts for teaching.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of in cooperating project based learning in the school curriculum. The study seeks to ascertain if there is any relationship between projects based learning and the improvement in scores for students (Daniel 2012). Previous studies have shown that students are likely to improve in cases where some form of simulation or use of no fictional material. According to these, the use of non fictional approaches stimulates the students to look at issues from the reality perspective hence making it easy to internalize whatever they are learning for the sake of being able to remember, however these studies have not clearly explained the actual relationships that exist between the performance and the project based learning. There are other factors which could have in for the findings to be so, for those studies, this study would critically examine the direct impact that project based learning has on students.
Research questions
1. Will the incorporation of project based learning improve students state assessment scores as it relates to the common core state standards in comprehending non fiction text?
2. Will the inclusion of project based learning improve student application of comprehending non fictional text at a high depth of learning level?
3. How does project based learning integrate clear expectations and essential criteria and remain successful
In research, data is an important factor because it is the one which determines the findings and recommendations for the, decisions to be made (Peter 2011). The main data collection methods will be observation, interviews and artifacts, questionnaires will also be used to collect data concerning the stakeholders. Observation will be effective tools for confirming how students behave in classes, when the various approaches are used. Students will be observed in a classroom setting and comparisons be made between those classes that implement project based learning and those that do not. Interviews will be conducted among teachers to confirm is they have a different opinion between those who have experienced various approaches so that they can give their views concerning the project based learning. The use of artifacts for learning is important because it confirms the practicality of the approaches that are learnt.
Data collection tools are developed based on the forms of data which is expected, for example if a questionnaire is to be developed for quantitative data, and then the same cannot be used for qualitative information because the format would be different. Data collections also determine how much money would be spend on the study because the cost in terms of time and money are important when it comes to budgeting (James 2009) .
Value of Collected Data
The selected data will inform the researchers on the best methods to choose the way to learning. Data from questionnaires will be analyzed such that the findings can be used to make recommendations, on which actions would be taken. As for interviews the teachers who have experience in teaching the conventional way and the project based way would help to study and make comparisons in order to come up with the approach that works.
Observation will be crucial and valuable because of the fact that it would it is one of the most accurate and reliable way of making sure that the there is reliability. Observation is also good because it does not provide biases for the person collecting, since the students are likely to be themselves unlike situations which provide an opportunity for students to pretend. Data cannot be valuable is it is not well managed. Proper data management ensures that cleaning and coding are done to the full and also the process of analyzing the data is the correct one. Data collection methods determines the way in which the data will be analyzed because of the format.
References
James, P.(2009). How to design survey tools. London: Macmillan
Peter, T.(2011). Introduction to research methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Daniel, M.(2012). Quantitative methods. Cambridge: CP
Appendices
| Research Questions | Data Collection Tool | Why this tool? Justify its use in your study. How does it match with what you are attempting to find and to measure? |
| Will the incorporation of project-based learning improve students’ state assessment scores as it relates to the Common Core State Standards in comprehending non-fiction text? | District Common Assessments (post-test) | This research question requires quantitative data collection. The answer of this question is either yes, the incorporation improves test scores or no, it does not. District common assessments, which assess Common Core State Standards as well, can also be used for post-test data. |
| Will the inclusion of project-based learning improve student application of comprehending non-fiction text at a high depth of knowledge level? | Pretests and post-tests | Pre- and post-tests can give quantitative data to support findings in the examination of the artifacts and with the observations. |
| How does project-based learning integrate clear expectations and essential criteria and remain successful?*
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Questionnaires
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This question seems to only be able to warrant qualitative data collection because it needs first-hand accounts of what expectations and criteria were used that indicated success. Questionnaires can give the researcher an opportunity to view how the teachers instill the expectations in the students. |
