ACTION LEARNING PLAN

You are required to complete the design of Research Proposal or Action Plan for an Action Learning Project that explores the focus area you have selected and explored in your literature review. This plan must include the following:

Fully completed Cover Page (title, author’s name, student number).
Introduction: what is it all about? i.e. the nature of the focus area – from material in Assessment 1A.
Significance: why is it important for ECE/primary education and for a teacher’s professional practice.
Background: This is not new work – it is essentially an elaboration of the Conclusion statement from Assessment 1 – Literature Review.
Research question: the specific question to be examined (a clear and concise statement of the aspect of the focus area you will be exploring, stated as a question that you will be exploring, along with all appropriate definitions/explanations).
Methodology and methods: a detailed description of the research approach and data collection method/s you would use to answer your research question (the type of research you are undertaking; how you will undertake the research, including descriptions of data collection and analysis techniques).
Research ethics: a comprehensive outline about the ethical issues for your proposed investigation and how these will be attended to by yourself in your plan. Material from Assignment 1 and in particular from your work on those Tasks in the Ethics modules can form the basis for a summary here.
Action: outline how you might implement any potential changes to practice as a result of some likely outcomes to your research.
Timeline: an outline of the proposed timing for the implementation of your plan (including the work already completed in identifying your area of focus and completing the literature review). Each phase of the project needs some dates and a suggested timeline.
List of References.
Your submission is expected to be approximately 3000 words (+ or – 5%) not including the List of References. As noted in the details above you may include some material that you have prepared for the earlier assignments. How this will be achieved without plagiarizing yourself will be clarified in class discussions.

Action learning plan

You are required to complete the design of Research Proposal or Action Plan for an Action Learning Project that explores the focus area you have selected and explored in your literature review ( assignment 1). This plan must include the following:

•    Fully completed Cover Page (title, author’s name, student number).

•    Introduction: what is it all about? i.e. the nature of the focus area – from material in Assessment 1A.
?    Additional info: So, in Ass 1, we looked at the research that has already been done in relation to our action research question and reviewed it. In Ass2, we are looking at the research question again, but this time we are creating an action plan in regards to how we would research this question further within the classroom. So in this section we describe what our research plan is going to be about. This is based this on my conclusion in Ass1 and the initial research question.
Note: Ass 1 has been attached to my order.

•    Significance: why is it important for Early childhood education/primary education and for a teacher’s professional practice.

•    Background: This is not new work – it is essentially an elaboration of the Conclusion statement from Assessment 1 – Literature Review.
?    Additional info: Background is basically a summary of the lit review and elaborates on why the literature supports your research project.

•    Research question: the specific question to be examined (a clear and concise statement of the aspect of the focus area you will be exploring, stated as a question that you will be exploring, along with all appropriate definitions/explanations).
?    Additional info: You are working on exactly the same question as ass1 -maybe it will be a bit modified according to what you have read in the literature, but essentially the same.
My action research question: How effective is integrating independent reading from the ‘class library’ as part of a 15 minute daily literacy rotation in stimulating engaged, on task behaviour, in order to improve and develop reading fluency and intonation in students who are reading below the national level in grade as measured by using a multidimensional fluency scale and informal observation 1 over a 10 week period?

Methodology and methods: a detailed description of the research approach and data collection method/s you would use to answer your research question (the type of research you are undertaking; how you will undertake the research, including descriptions of data collection and analysis techniques).
?    Additional info: include methods, data collection data analysis techniques and of course give an overview and perhaps a model for AR.

•    Research ethics: a comprehensive outline about the ethical issues for your proposed investigation and how yourself will attend these to in your plan. Material from Assignment 1 and in particular from your work on those Tasks in the Ethics modules can form the basis for a summary here.

•    Action: outline how you might implement any potential changes to practice as a result of some likely outcomes to your research.
?    Additional info: this is a kind of hypothesising, but you can be fairly sure of the outcomes- for example, would you take action to report your findings? Implement any changes-what do you expect the impact of your research will have on the action you will have to take?

•    Timeline: an outline of the proposed timing for the implementation of your plan (including the work already completed in identifying your area of focus and completing the literature review).  Each phase of the project needs some dates and a suggested timeline.
?    Additional info: 10-12 weeks-include the process of creating a research question and literature review

•    List of References.
Your submission is expected to be approximately 3000 words (+ or – 5%) not including the List of References. As noted in the details above you may include some material that you have prepared for the earlier assignments. How this will be achieved without plagiarizing yourself will be clarified in class discussions. Format and referencing as discussed earlier. The Assessment rubric is attached and we reinforce the advice that you plan carefully how much material you write in the different sections of your plan, based on the rubric weightings.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Assessment Rubric for the Action Learning Plan (60%)

Point value    Proficient    Acceptable    Developing    Needs Work    Score
Introduction and significance    Up to 10
points    The project is thoroughly introduced and the context of the project is well described. The introduction includes a concise summary of the compelling motivation for improving the teacher-researcher’s practice.    The project is adequately introduced and the context of the project is satisfactorily described. The introduction includes the motivation for improving the teacher-researcher’s own practice.    The introduction is not well structured although the reader is aware of the overall topic to be examined. The introduction implicitly describes the motivation for improving the teacher-researcher’s own practice.    The introduction is inadequate and the reader cannot easily identify the nature of the topic. The introduction does not describe the motivation for improving the teacher-researcher’s own practice.

Background     Up to 10
points    There is a detailed background of the project.
There is a detailed description of the objectives and goals of the project.    There is an adequate description of the background of the project.
There is an adequate description of the objectives and goals of the project.    There is an inadequate description of the background of the project.
There is a vague description of the objectives and goals of the project.    There is no description of the background of the project.
There is no description of the objectives and goals of the project.

Research question/s    Up to 5
points    There is a detailed description of the research question/s to be explored in your project.
All appropriate definitions and explanations are provided.    There is an adequate description of the research question/s to be explored in your project.
Most definitions and explanations are provided.    The research question/s to be explored in your project is poorly articulated.
Very few definitions and explanations are provided.    There is no description of the research question/s to be explored.
No definitions and explanations are provided.
Methodology and research approaches    Up to 20 points    The instruments and techniques used to collect and analyse data are fully described and explicitly related to the intended goals of the project and to the research approach.    The instruments and techniques used to collect and analyse data are described and adequately related to the intended goals of the project and to the research approach.    The instruments and techniques used to collect and analyse data are poorly described and only implicitly related to the intended goals of the project and to the research approach.    The research paradigm and instruments and techniques used to collect and analyse data are not described.

Research ethics    Up to 20
points    A specific and detailed disclosure is made of the key ethical considerations to be taken into account.    There is only partial disclosure of the key ethical considerations to be taken into account.    The key ethical considerations are alluded to only.    There is no real discussion of the ethical considerations.

Action    Up to 10
points    Potential future action derived from the research study is fully described and is clearly achievable.    Potential future action derived from the research study is adequately described and is achievable.    Potential future action derived from the research study is inadequately described and may not be achievable.    Potential future action derived from the research study is poorly described and is not achievable.

Timeline    Up to 10
points    Each phase of the study is detailed in a readable manner via  a specific list, Table, Bar graph etc.     There is a reasonably complete list of the phases of the study. Some omissions present.    Time line disconnected somewhat from the previous sections of the Research Plan. Omissions present.    A poor timeline with respect to detail, content and presentation.
References    Up to 5
points    Information is cited properly and in APA format. All needed citations are included; references match citations.    Information is cited properly All needed citations are included; references match citations. Some formatting problems exist.    Information is cited, but has errors. Some citations for statements included in the report were not present. Some formatting problems exist.    Information is not cited or is cited incorrectly.

Clarity of writing    Up to 5 points    Writing consistently flows well with few awkward phrases and paragraphs. Writing is crisp, clear and succinct.
Sentences and paragraphs consistently relate to each other and are well developed. Transitions are consistently smooth.                                          Writes in a scholarly style.
Writing is generally clear and flows well with some awkward phrases and/or paragraphs. Unnecessary words are sometimes used and meaning is sometimes unclear.  Sentences and paragraphs usually relate to each other, though transitions are occasionally abrupt or lacking.                                             Paragraph or sentence structure is sometimes repetitive.
Attempts to write in a scholarly style, although some insufficiencies are apparent.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Writing is sometimes unclear with unnecessary words/phrases used; meaning is often unclear.  There is a basic flow from one section to the next, but several sections/ paragraphs do not follow in a logical order.  Paragraph or sentence structure is often repetitive.    Writing is convoluted. And “choppy” with many awkward phrases and/or paragraphs. Many sentences and paragraphs do not relate to each other. Information presented is frequently repeated and meaning is obscured in many parts of the text. Transitions are frequently abrupt or lacking.
A scholarly writing style is generally not employed.

Length/ Grammar    Up to 5 points    Adheres to word length specified.

The document is free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors, and typos.

Exceeds or does not meet  the length criteria by +/- 200 words.

Errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation and typos are minimal throughout the document.

Exceeds or does not meet  the length criteria by +/300 words.

Errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation and typos are present throughout the document.
Exceeds or does not meet  the length criteria by +/400 words.

Errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and/or typos are numerous throughout the document.

TOTAL POINTS    100

Other useful information

Caution!!! I must emphasize here that this module and therefore this unit as whole is not requiring any “statistical” knowledge beyond basic concepts that you will have learned much earlier in your careers. It will be enough to simply be able to describe the various methods that qualitative and qualitative researchers tend to utilise to sum up their data and attempt to draw conclusions from it. No stats talk required!

Format: its more of a report format with headings to support each section. Dot points are acceptable as long as you don’t do the report-polka with it.
Audience: consider the audience for this paper to be the academic supervisor, and you are going to convince them that your project is worthwhile,

Context: when considering the context of the project, describe the classroom that the project could be conducted in when considering the context of the project. In this case, it will be a grade 1 classroom, with the class library located in the back corner of the room. There is a couch and various sized floor cushions that students can sit on whilst reading. Much of the off task behaviour is due to students mucking around n the cushions, and many argument between students have been provoked over who sits where on the couch.