Overview of my Action Research Project

Overview

Topic

I'm investigating how storytelling in the foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) classroom affects behavioral engagement versus other teaching methods.

Motivation 

I don't get as much time with my students as I would like so I need to make every minute count. I'm looking for teaching methods that are engaging and motivate students to participate in Spanish class. There also exists a gap in the literature regarding how different methods affect student engagement in the World Language classroom at the elementary school level.

Research Question(s)

What is the level of student behavioral engagement during a storytelling lesson as opposed to a lesson using Total Physical Response (TPR) and songs? 

Method

Research Design

I have designed a mixed-methods research project, using descriptive statistics and constant comparative coding. 

Population

This study will include participants from a third grade class from an elementary school in an urban area in Kentucky with a diverse population.

Data Collection 

I will video tape two lessons using the different teaching methods and score the students' responses using a behavioral engagement rubric. Students will also fill out a short survey with Lickert items.

Data Analysis 

I will code my observations from the video taped lessons using constant comparative coding. I will use descriptive statistics to analyze the data scored from the behavioral engagement rubric and the student survey.