Action Research
Action Research
Action Research
Institutional Affiliation(s)
Author Note
The grade 5 level class has students from different backgrounds that have been brought
together to get knowledge and nurture skills to prepare them for the next level of their academic
life. Currently, formal assessments are used to measure a student’s success. To ensure that each
of these learner groups is engaged, challenged, and prepared to apply their knowledge and skills
to any issue life throws at them, this researcher believes it is necessary to identify, specialize in,
and implement a system of instructional tactics. In pre-algebra, around 25% of pupils perform
This action research study's goal is to assess the precise efficacy of several techniques for
teaching pre-algebra that the researcher employed in this classroom. The goal was to enhance the
effectiveness of instruction as assessed by quantifiable student growth seen over the course of
Research Question
Literature Review
McMillan and Hearn explain, "Evaluating what they learned, what they still need to work
on, and how they can get there can all support deeper understanding rather than superficial
knowledge" (2008). Therefore, to learn effectively, a person must reflect on his or her work.
Formative evaluation can offer crucial information that students need. Campos and O’Hern state
that, "feedback from... assessments can be used to help students with goal setting. This allows
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the students to take responsibility for their learning and become more independent learners"
(Campos, 2007). Frequent assessment and feedback can impact learning and accomplishment.
Methodology
Each of these strategies was implemented for a while of two weeks and was isolated from
The textbook's assessments were used. After each evaluation, teachers allowed students
to work out the missed problems again for credit. The researchers wanted to see if more frequent
tests, along with fast feedback and the chance to rectify evaluations for extra credit, could affect
student performance. In this investigation, only raw, uncorrected scores were used. Only grades
Students were instructed to split a page in half during class. Students were instructed to
make notes in the left margin that included vocabulary and instructional examples. Students were
instructed to elaborate on their notes with their justifications and examples. Before instruction on
the first day, a pre-test evaluation was provided. A pre-test evaluation, mid-unit test, and chapter
The data used was gathered through observation, formative evaluation, and summative
evaluation. The first-day assessment results were converted to a class-wide percentage mean, and
then they were individually compared with the chapter summative assessment results and the
mid-chapter assessment results. The lesson designation printed in each portion of each formative
assessment was used to establish which content areas were to be compared, and copies of the
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unit formative assessments were preserved for this purpose. These were analyzed to identify any
The efficacy of each strategy was measured for the class as a whole. The researcher
compared scores from the pretest and final test and a mean of the differences and standard
deviation for each calculated. A comparison of the two strategies in this manner was quantified
and showed a clear picture of the growth the students made during each strategy.
The students improved on average by 55 percentage points in the unit of the research
devoted to All Assessments. Individual results were 14.21 percentage points standard deviation
from the mean. The observed growth ranged from 37 percentage points to 79 percentage points,
with 79 being the largest rise. A mean of 31 percentage points was recorded in the Notes unit.
The standard deviation of the unit scores from the mean was 22.86. The least growth that was
seen was a loss of 5 percentage points between the pre-test and final results.
This group of students showed stronger and more consistent progress as a result of the
All Assessments method. The Notes technique, on the other hand, demonstrated less
improvement and less consistency in the growth students experienced during that unit.
Conclusion
The findings of this study are strong enough for this researcher to give assessment's
potential contribution to student learning more careful thought. A metric for assessing and
reflecting on the type of progress taking place during each teaching unit is very helpful for the
educator. Additionally, it is crucial to thoroughly analyze the concepts being taught and whether
each of those activities is worthwhile in terms of planning and teaching time. It is possible that
student motivation played a big part in why the All Assessment technique performed better.
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References
McMillan, James H.; Hearn, Jessica. "The Key to Stronger Student Motivation and Higher Ojeda
22 Achievement." Educational Horizons. v87 n1 p40-49 Fall 2008. Pi Lambda Theta, Inc. 2008
Spires, Michele S.; Jaeger, Janet. (2002-05-00). A Survey of the Literature on Ways to Use Web-
Based and Internet Instruction Most Effectively: Curriculum and Program Planning.
Di Fatta, Jenna; Garcia, Sarah; Gorman, Stephanie. Increasing Student Learning in Mathematics