The Learning Journey
For the past four weeks, I have been working on my action research plan. Check out this video What is Action Research? for a short preview on the topic. “Action research is any systematic inquiry conducted by educators for the purpose of gathering information about how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how their students learn” (Mertler, 2020). When I started the DLL program, my goal was to create a plan and fulfill it based on the information I previously researched while completing my literature review. My innovation plan to implement project-based learning bridged with design thinking is what I considered an opportunity to expose students to experiences that would allow them to connect, create designs and work towards a solution. However, as I began to research my plan, I was guided to familiarize myself with the cognitive aspect of design-thinking and how it affects CTE business students. As I considered my innovation project, I have learned that asking the proper question is only a part of the equation.
The Stages of Action Research
Action research is divided into 4 stages planning, acting, developing, and reflecting (Mertler, 2017). I will provide a bit more detail for each stage below.
Stage 1: Planning - Developing and implementing the plan
Topic: Emotions students experience when designing a project
I have been teaching for two years and during my short time as a CTE teacher, I have made quite a few observations. However, the one that sticks out the most to me is that the students seem to lack the ability to make connections with their learning. In design thinking project-based learning (design-based learning), the opportunity to think beyond themselves allows students the freedom to create things that are meaningful. The social and emotional piece of learning in design thinking allows students to have a deeper understanding of their creation. Students also realize that seeing things from a different perspective allows them to see something more substantial than themselves. Empathic design awaits designers to be aware and sensitive to individual experiences, needs, desires, and emotions of the people they are designing for (Çeviker-Çınar, Mura, & Demirbağ-Kaplan, 2017).
Consideration for the emotional traits in design-thinking,
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Exploration - allows students to instinctively move throughout an unfamiliar lesson
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Experience – making connections during exploration, allowing a more meaningful learning experience
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Enjoy - cultivating questions during exploration, connecting with lessons, and feeding curiosity while learning.
When these components are placed together, I believe it moves the students from going through the motions of completing steps but provides an opportunity to truly connect their interests and passions.
Purpose of study
This study serves two purposes: (1) to determine if students are more empathetic when designing a project as opposed to simply following steps to complete a project in the traditional PBL method and (2) to compare emotions students feel in the traditional project-based learning environment with those in the design-thinking project-based learning environment.
My Action Research Question
How can design thinking (Design-based learning) influence CTE business students to be more empathic?
Stage 2: Acting - Collect and Analyze the Results
Research design
As I continue to work on my action research, my thoughts have evolved, and I have realized that there is much more to the research than I originally planned.
In my research, I plan to use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative measurements are non-numerical and tend to be more open-ended. Conceptually, the data that I collect using the qualitative method will allow me to understand human behavior as it relates to design-thinking in a project-based classroom. This is why I believe a SWOT analysis will be of utmost importance when conducting my research. Understanding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will help me assess our current methods and determine how to accurately introduce new methods.
Quantitative, unlike qualitative, can be expressed as a number or measured. From a quantitative perspective, I am interested in learning the facts about my topic and would like to measure how DBL or PBL learning affects students in CTE. As a former accountant or 23 years, I understand why facts and numbers matter. Data is important and offers, in my opinion, the most support when researching a topic. Additionally, using numerical data to make predictions and establish facts allows for easy measurement.
Stage 3: Developing - Share and Communicate the Results
How will I measure?
The plan will consists of various measures as I plan to involve both students and teachers when I am conducting my research. I would like to interview the students to see how well they are connecting with the process and if anything needs to be updated or change. Since the literature review is already complete, I plan to use the resources I've used during me initial research. Observations will take place when students are working in the classroom. I would also like for an administrator to come in an observe myself when I am in the classroom with the students as I believe this will give me the advantage I need to see if the method is truly working. Rating scales will be passed out during the planning and preparation phase to get insight on how teachers and students feel about design-based learning. Checklists will also be beneficial in helping to determine the students' progress as well as the teachers' progress. Finally, the SWOT analysis will be the the pre-assessment tool used to look for internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats.
Quantitative
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Interviews – Conduct interviews with students to see how or if they are connecting empathically with their designs.
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Literature Review – to become familiar with the available resources and to explain how a DT learning environment promotes empathy and the influence it has on students, specifically those taking CTE business courses
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Observations – Study the students as they are designing their creations
Qualitative
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Rating Scales – to be used as a closed-ended survey question to represent respondent feedback.
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Checklists – Student demonstration of specific criteria
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What are the Internal strengths (uniqueness, advantages, etc)?
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What are the Internal weaknesses (limited resources, etc)?
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What external opportunities (trends, changes in the market, etc) are available?
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What possible external threats (potential competitors, end-user behavior, etc) are to be considered?
Timeline – Please click here for the full timeline
Stage 4: Reflecting - Reflect on the Process
Reflecting on this journey has strengthened my thoughts about design thinking and the importance of including the design-based learning method in the classroom setting. Research has shown that the implementation of design-based learning prepares CTE business students using real-world applications and will guide them to develop a strong sense of empathy and critical understanding. Although there will be many factors in obtaining the data, I believe that the SWOT analysis will provide a clearer observation of how the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats might influence the entire DBL process. Based on the timeline, the plan can be implemented within 18 months with continued professional development and tweaking of lesson plans.
References:
Mertler, C. (2020) Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. Sage.
Mcdonagh, D. (2010). Rethinking design thinking: Empathy supporting innovation [Abstract]. Australasian medical journal, 458-464. doi:10.4066/amj.2010.391
Çeviker-Çınar, G., Mura, G., & Demirbağ-Kaplan, M. (2017). Design thinking: A new road map in business education. The Design Journal, 20(Sup1). doi:10.1080/14606925.2017.1353042
