It has been a few months since I last visited my innovation plan as I switched programs at the beginning of the year before deciding I wanted to come back and complete the DLL program. In a way, I feel a bit lost. However, Mertler has provided great information between his book and his website that has helped me gain clarity regarding my innovation plan and the application of action research.
When I first started considering my action research question, I formulated one in my brain and decided that would be it. Well, this was before I watched the video 3.1 discussing how to lay the groundwork for my research. There are several things I now know that I need to consider including, but not limited to, coming up with a topic and determining my basic interest and not letting my topic be too narrow or too broad. As I gained insight from the book, I have realized that a research question is the fundamental question inherent in any research topic under investigation (Mertler, 2020). Simply put, my research question should be answerable, specific, and simple. The question I choose should provide guidance to my research topic.
Not having a good research question or a question relevant to my topic may cause the quality of my research to be compromised. I cannot answer the question with Yes or No answers. The questions can be answered with primary and secondary sources; however, they must also be stated in a manner that assumes an answer before data have been collected (Mertler, 2020). My research question initially was “Are students who design a project more empathetic than students who simply complete a project?, What emotions do students experience when designing a project vs. the emotions students experience who follow steps to complete a project? I have since changed it to “How can design thinking influence CTE business students to be more emphatic?" You may note that the question can be answered with primary and secondary sources and cannot be answered with "Yes or No". After watching the second video 4.1, I was able to succinctly define my research question. Some of the steps I've taken are listed below.
Specify a research question
Don’t take it for granted.
Be very careful how we word research question.
Think forward to “what data will I collect? How will I analyze the data? What conclusions do I want to draw that related back to that research question?
Constantly revisit my research question
Completing these steps have allowed me to be well on my way to having an effective research question and topic which will allow me to have effective research.
Mertler, C. (2020) Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. Sage.
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