Faculty of Humanities and Education
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Browsing Faculty of Humanities and Education by Subject "Action research"
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Item Action Research and Teacher Education, Part 1(Daily Express, 2006-10) Worrell, PatriciaPart 1 of this article notes that the School of Education at the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) has included an action research component as a core element of its certificate and diploma programmes as one means of addressing the demand for more effective programmes of teacher education. However, it is also noted that the benefits of action research are not being realized in schools because of the negative reactions experienced by student teachers returning to schools and attempting to implement action research interventions. It is suggested that teacher education institutions should seek to design interventions that will include whole schools in the cycle of researchItem An Action Research Study Aimed at Designing and Implementing an Innovative Unit of Instruction Within the Context of Developing Innovative Thinking Skills Among Primary School Students(2015-11-02) Dalrymple, KarenEmploying an action research approach, this study investigated the effectiveness of the implementation of a unit of instruction that combined the design thinking approach and the new primary curriculum at a primary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected through the researcher’s journal, student-generated work, and observations of nine Infant-level students during the implementation of the unit. Analysis of the data revealed 10 factors that posed challenges to the implementation of innovative thinking in the classroom, including: 1) teacher training, 2) teacher confidence, 3) teacher’s belief about students’ ability, 4) postcolonial philosophy, 5) learners’ traits and 6) teacher’s misconceptions.Item Action Research: Fruitful Collaborations, Part 2(Daily Express, 2006-11) Worrell, PatriciaThe second part of this article makes the case for collaborative action research as one way to help to ensure that positive changes occur in schools and classrooms. It makes suggestions for the specific arrangements that need to be put in place to ensure fruitful collaborationItem The challenges of designing and implementing a cross-cultural unit of work(Taylor & Francis Group, 2006) Herbert, Susan M.This paper reports on the challenges experienced during an action research project in Trinidad and Tobago, in which a cross-cultural unit of work entitled "Maintaining Health" was designed and enacted. The intention was to improve teacher practice and facilitate students' access to conventional science concepts by having them build bridges between their traditional knowledge about health-related matters and conventional science concepts. The first action research cycle--plan, act and observe, reflect--was conducted with a group of Form 2 students (12-15 years) at an urban single-sex (female) secondary school. Reflections from this phase were recorded in a journal and the data from the classroom enactment were audio-taped and transcribed. These data were analysed quantitatively into themes by use of grounded theory methodology. Among the challenges that emerged were "resistance and doubt," "level of teacher control," and "communicative competence: the language of bridge building." Based on these findings, a second action research cycle was enacted with another group of Form 2 students at a rural co-educational secondary school. The results revealed evidence of the three themes as well as an overall improvement in the teacher-researcher's use of the language of bridge-building. This suggested that change occurs over time and is facilitated by the process of reflection on evidence gathered systematically.Item The Effect of a Multi-User Virtual Environment on Student Causal Reasoning Ability, Ecological Worldview and Conceptual Change(2014-01-17) Coker, Kester Kurt RuthvenThis study sought to determine the effect of a multi-user virtual environment (EcoMUVE) on the ecological worldviews and reasoning abilities of students at a secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected through a survey administered to 15 male Form 3 students, whose pre- and post-scores were analysed. Supplementary data were obtained through an anonymous questionnaire. Analysis of the data revealed that: 1) not only was the EcoMUVE strategy an effective teaching tool for enhancing student causal reasoning ability, but it was also effective in teaching the concept of changes over time; 2) the strategy had little impact on the students’ ecological worldview; and 3) the strategy was effective in improving student learning and facilitating border crossing.Item The effect of a multi-user virtual environment on student causal reasoning ability, ecological worldview and conceptual change(2014-01-16) Coker, Kester Kurt RuthvenItem Face to face: Vlogging and Facebook in the Spanish classroom at UWI, St. Augustine [PowerPoint presentation](2013-07-01) Landa-Buil, Maria; Sánchez-Galvis, JairoThe Internet has become an important tool for any learning process, and foreign language teaching is not an exception. In the Caribbean, access to the Internet has increased tremendously and the student population is composed of mainly digital natives that enjoy the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This study is an ongoing action research that aims to analyse students' perspectives on the introduction and use of two different technological tools in the Spanish classroom: a weekly video journal and the social network, Facebook. The Facebook experience consisted of the creation of a group for the class to provide a forum outside the classroom, and it has been piloted with three Spanish classes at the Centre for Language Learning, at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus since September 2012. The online video blogging has been taking place as part of the course assignments with specialist students of the Spanish BA programme at the Campus since September 2011. The data have been gathered through online questionnaires that combine both qualitative and quantitative methods, including open- and close-ended questions and 1 to 5 measurement scales. Preliminary analyses suggest that the students consider this type of experience as a very effective learning experience that increased their motivation and their skills for autonomous learningItem Guiding science pedagogical reform: Using action research(2012-03-16) Ramsaran, Edwin A.Item The Impact of Performance Assessment on Students’ Interest and Academic Performance in Science(2014-12-05) Benjamin, AvisThis study employed action research to assess and evaluate the use of performance assessment as an intervention tool to increase student interest and achievement in a Form 3 integrated science class in a secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected through the administration of a pre- and post-unit test, a Science Attitude Scale (SAS), a Science Motivation questionnaire (SMQ II), and an evaluation form. Results showed that the students in the treatment group performed significantly better than their peers in the control group. There was a statistically significant impact on students’ pre-test and post-test (SAS), and a statistically significant difference in students SMQ II. There was a moderately positive correlation between academic performance and science attitude scale, which was not significant. It was found that the students had generally positive attitudes about their performance in science. The acquired knowledge, and the students’ own experiences, increased their self-confidence and self-esteem. Moreover, performance assessment as a teaching strategy created an atmosphere in which the students felt at ease to express their ideas with their peers, and boredom was eliminated.Item The Impact of Performance Assessment on Students’ Interest and Academic Performance in Science(2014-12-05) Benjamin, AvisItem Improving practice in primary science education through participatory action research [PowerPoint presentation](2013-07-08) Rainford, Marcia; James, JoanContinuing professional development (CPD) is considered essential for teachers and teacher educators to improve their practice. Models of CPD, such as those that involve action research, which respond to the local needs of teachers in the context of their regular classroom experiences, are considered to be particularly useful for sustaining interest and transforming practice. These models of CPD provide new learning spaces in the context of practice, where practitioners have greater control and become more involved in the process of their own professional development. This paper describes a participatory action research (PAR) project which was designed to improve one Grade 4 primary school teacher's attempts at using inquiry-based instruction in the teaching of science in Jamaica. It describes the impact on the practice of the two professionals-teacher and teacher educator-who were engaged in the collaboration. The findings of the study reveal that the PAR approach to CPD had positive effects on the practice of both teacher and teacher educator. The implications for using PAR for in-service professional development in primary science education are discussedItem Institutionalizing Best Practices in Formative Assessment in an Urban Co-Educational Primary School in Tobago(2017) Rochford, PhillipThrough a school improvement project, this study investigated how professional development on formative assessment could be implemented to enhance student learning at an urban coeducational primary school in Tobago. The participants in the study were seven teachers - three from Infant level, one each from Standards 1, 2, and 3. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis. The findings indicated that: 1) most of the participants felt that the formative assessment strategies contributed to marked improvements in student learning in their classrooms; 2) despite the requirement for more planning, which they saw as increased workload for them, the teachers felt that the professional development sessions provided them with support; 3) teachers would require additional time for planning; and 4) the participants felt that administrative support was essential to continued improvement at the school.Item An investigation into the use of computers to change the negative attitude of boys to reading and reading related activities(2012-04-10) Dowridge, SiobhanItem The Learning Teacher(Daily Express, 2005) Yamin-Ali, JenniferThis article examines the role of the teacher as learner, as teachers assess problems they or their students encounter in the teaching/learning process, and try to overcome them. It notes the obstacles encountered by the teacher as learner, and identifies the role of mentoring in schools as being crucial to supporting the teacherItem Mentoring as a model for the development of the pedagogical content of novice science teachers(2012-03-15) Samai, Arnold Mark