RES 5040: Teacher as Researcher (spring 09)

Categories are blatantly stolen from the Research Proposal Guidelines Handout (please refer to the handout, as only my additions are posted here):

1. Background of Your Research Question
a. 12.5 Years in Developmental Dept. at community college; received tutor training in 1996; have worked with tutors/students/staff.
b. TBA
2. Problem Statement and Research Question(s).
What are the distinguishing characteristics /expectations /habits of successful students who receive tutoring?
3. Research Methodology: Action Research.
Will address as process commences.
4. Site of Research.
Bliss College Happy Center, NC; Office of Learning Center coordinator; 2 year community college; socioeconomic class of students varies, but enrollment skyrockets when economy is in decline (i.e. 3300 developmental students enrolled as of Spring 2009 semester)
5. Sample and sample selection.
(a) Tutors, minimum 1 year experience (b) tutors bring a wide and deep range of experience with student needs, habits, and successes/failures
6. Methods and Data.
(a) Interviews will be stressed, as I must draw on data from previous semesters; I tutor a bit, but in a very limited capacity, so anything I would add in the way of observations would be anecdotal, for lack of a better term. (b) Per Stringer, the Working Principles of Action Research of Relationships, Communication, and Participation are already applicable; Inclusion, while possible, is in my opinion for purposes of this study, overreaching, as real inclusion would include student interviews, and faculty interviews for real data saturation. This focus may require appending or editing the research question (c) See (a) and (b) above
7. Validity.
Credibility: Prolonged Engagement and Persistent Observations, 12 + years involvement; Triangulation, may require limiting the research question, as noted in 6b, above; Participant Debriefing, TBD; Diverse Case Analysis, will not be able to provide all possible perspectives in time allowed; Reverential Adequacy, should be applicable due to the experience level of the participants; Member Checking can be applied and ongoing, due to the relationship to the participants.
Transferability: may be possible in part due to the ubiquity of the Ross MacDonald Master Tutor training method; other sites with comparable data sets could possibly be found.
Dependability: Inquiry audit should result in adequate dependability, owing to the ongoing relationships of all participants.
Confirmability: may depend primarily on raw data, will append as needed.
8. Ethics and Politics.
(a) Confidentiality should not be a problem, as we will be discussing trends rather than specific sessions. As the topic is already one that has been discussed informally, and as the department is continuously looking to improve the process, the results should be receptively received. (b) Discussions with the department head will address issues in advance, as well as during the study. (c) Resistance should be minimal, as several subjects have already been approached and are receptive to the study. (d) My own bias is the desire to document successes and shortcomings, and to attempt to improve the process that I have been a part of for over 12 years.
9. Implementation.
If the research question is adequate, I will begin by constructing the specific interview questions. As I have access to the participants on a regular basis, I can add to interviews over time. This is somewhat dependent upon participant commitments to their own students. If I can conduct one interview per week (which may be wishful thinking), I should have 4-5 done in time to analyze data and hope to complete the study by the deadline.

Conrad Martin