Problem_and_Methodology

=**Problem Statement**= (I did not see a draft of your research plan where you pull together and edited all that has been written into a coherent and meaningful document)

Teachers face incredible demands on their time which leaves very little time for professional growth and learning. In order to get everything done, teachers have to multi-task whenever possible. The methods of delivering professional learning must be adjusted in order to accommodate busy teachers' schedules. To accomplish this goal, I will examine the effectiveness of technology-based professional learning methods. This will come in two forms that will complement one another. Information will be delivered through podcasts and/or vodcasts and teachers will then discuss the information and share their own experiences on an online class forum. I believe that this format will help teachers who are juggling numerous tasks to find time for professional development while also allowing for more self-selected training opportunities, thus creating a natural route to differentiated professional learning.


 * Methodology**

//Research Design:// For my study of the impact that vodcasts and podcasts have on professional learning, I would like to use a quasi-experimental research design. This decision was influenced by the review of professional learning research written by Thomas Guskey (2009). Guskey reports on the failures of research in the field of professional learning. One of the most significant failures comes from an emphasis on single group pretest/posttest designs that fail to control for confounding variables. For my study, I would like to use two groups of teachers, one that learns about giving effective feedback via face-to-face workshops and the other that learns about the same topic by listening to podcasts or viewing vodcasts and then discussing the topic via a Moodle site. Though this may sound like a full experimental design, I do not believe that I will be able to control which teachers will participate in the technology-based group and which will participate in the face-to-face group. This coincides with Johnson and Christensen's (2008) point that "in most instances, the primary reason why full control is not achieved is because participants cannot be randomly assigned to groups" (p. 328).

//Types of Data:// To conduct this study, I plan to use a mixed methods approach that will offer quantitative and qualitative data. Participants will complete a survey on their perceptions of professional learning prior to the start of the study, following each session of professional learning, and at the end of the study. The survey will include items that teachers evaluate on a Likert scale and a few open-ended questions that will enable participants to mention other important points that may not fit the Likert scale model. The Likert scale portion will provide the quantitative data and the open-ended/short response questions will provide the qualitative data.

//Data Collection Strategy:// As mentioned earlier, both quantitative and qualitative data will come from participants responses to surveys conducted prior to, during, and after the series of professional learning sessions. These surveys will be conducted using a Google Docs survey. This will enable teachers to complete the survey anonymously, thus offering more reliable data. Pre-Survey: [] In Progress Survey: [] Post-Survey: [] (This survey will be developed based on the results of prior surveys.)

//Data Analysis:// The analysis of the data collected in this study will be set up using a grounded theory approach (Johnson & Christensen, 2008). I will use this inductive approach to assess the data and look for emerging themes. The constant comparative method will be used to analyze the data with sensitivity to the criteria established by the grounded theory approach: fit, understanding, generalitity, and control. The three stages of data analysis in the grounded theory approach are open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Open coding will help me to identify key ideas presented in participants open responses. During axial coding, I will begin to set up and organize conceptual categories based on the data I have gathered. Selective coding will require me to develop the grounded theory based on the data collected.

I selected this method of qualitative data analysis because I saw that it was used in many of the studies I have read.

Basic statistical evaluations will be used for the quantitative data gathered in this study.