CESI Conference January 2002 St.Patrick's College

A Case Study of an Action Research Project

Abstract
This case study evaluates the impact the creation of a website had on the learning of primary-school pupils. The study was conducted in a co-educational school with twenty-seven pupils aged from eleven to twelve years of age. It was conducted over an eight-month period. This was a qualitative case study of a collaborative project, which was carried out using an action-research framework.

The pupils’ work was observed, monitored and recorded. The findings, which emerged from the data, were set down and studied in conjunction with the findings of the relevant literature. The results emerged as five major themes: constructivism, collaboration, literacy skills, self-esteem and factors concerning the use of technology for learning.

The results of the case study indicate important consequences for learning and teaching. An open, constructivist, collaborative learning environment demands not only that the pupils develop in areas such as communication and self-esteem but also that teachers need to proactively cultivate the fertile ground for this development. The use of technology in this context should be supportive, enabling and liberating.

ICT and a process Approach
The recommendations from Curaclam na Bunscoile (1971), the White Paper on Education (1995), the IT Integration Project (1997) and from the primary School Curriculum (1999), all point to an emphasis on a process approach to learning. However, research by Burke and Fontes (1986) and Sugrue (1994) reveals that classroom practice still remains quite highly structured, teacher controlled and oriented towards:

· drill and practice

· rote learning

· product rather than process

A parallel situation is found in research into the technological area where Kelly (1984) shows that pupil use of the school computer is confined to discrete subject areas based on behaviourist theories of learning and to using it for recreational games with little curricular or cross-curricular impact (Becker 1985 and Armstrong 1993). The IT Integration Project.” (1997 p. 4) likewise claims, “some previous approaches… tended to perceive the innovation as a discretionary addition to curriculum delivery.”

The Internet/The WWW
The WWW’s vast archive of information, text, and more recently, image, sound and video, and its ability to link communicators together, has captured the attention of educators and its global accessibility is what makes the WWW especially interesting from an educational perspective.

The Internet and the WWW in Education
Andy Carvin (1996) states that there are four major roles for the WWW in education. These are:

· tutor

· publishing house

· forum

· navigator.

While each of these roles has an important part to play in education the WWW as tutor and navigator are more traditional roles and so this research focused on the WWW as publishing house and forum.

Educational Implications
There are many claims that computers are a powerful resource in the classroom, but their introduction into classrooms poses fundamental challenges for educationalists. The most significant aspect of the WWW for education at all levels is that “it dissolves the artificial wall between the classroom and the real world” (Kearsley 1998 p. 27). The WWW makes it easy for students to access information and people from every imaginable source. This brings realism and authentic learning to any educational activity.

Considerable advances have been made in order to simplify access to the technology. However, key questions still remain as to how to:

· deploy the new technologies in an educational environment and measure their impact on the learning process

· integrate ICT into the curriculum, not as an optional extra

· investigate and document best practices, in order to fulfil the requirement of the Primary School Curriculum

Research Aims and Objectives
Against this backdrop, I created an authentic project on website creation with sixth class, using the WWW as publishing house and forum, to determine what effect this process had on pupils’ learning. The main objectives of the research can be summarised as follows: To evaluate whether engaging in website design:

· facilitates student-centred learning

· allows for a constructivist approach to learning

· affords the opportunity for collaboration, open discussion and different styles of questioning

· enhances literacy skills

· provides a real audience and an added incentive for pupils

· allows the topic to become student driven

· enhances students’ research skills.

To ascertain if it affords the pupils the opportunity to develop:

· problem-solving techniques

· critical thinking skills

· communication tools and techniques

· information skills and strategies

· tools and techniques for working with others

· designing skills and techniques

· publishing skills and techniques

Research Design
In attempting to address these aims and objectives an in-depth literature review was firstly undertaken. From the available literature it was evident that many authors have written extensively about the advantages of the WWW, listing the reasons for its introduction into education. However, very little documentation is available on its impact on the learning process.

Most of the research studies are based in America. There are very few Irish studies available and those that exist deal mainly with using the Internet to locate information and to further communication.

An action-research approach was used and information was gathered using a multi-method approach. These methods included field notes, teacher’s journal, interviews, video and audio-tape recording, pupils’ reflective journals, web pages, behavioural checklist and questionnaires. The data was analysed using memos, indexing and triangulation.

Action Research is a form of enquiry, conducted in a methodical and systemic fashion. The results are carefully monitored and they are presented or made available in the public arena.

Hitchcock and Hughes (1995 p.29) describe action research as a “cyclical process” involving “stages of action and research followed by action” and illustrate it graphically thus:

An Action Research Cycle

Cohen and Manion (1996) outline the main characteristics of action research in the following way:

· applied to the immediate situation

· a problem is identified

· a procedure is designed to deal with the problem

· the implementation of the procedure is constantly monitored

· resulting feedback is translated into modifications and directional changes so as to benefit the ongoing process

Research Findings
Our understanding of learning has evolved over the last century. There has been a shift in focus from behaviourist learning theory to cognitive theories of development.

In the behaviourist model, knowledge is presented to students in a linear, didactic manner, students are passive recipients of knowledge.

This was also evidenced in the early days of computers in the classroom where software of the drill and practice variety was designed according to the principle that learning is best achieved by practising tasks in a repetitive manner to achieve mastery of the topic.

However, in a cognitive approach, the learning environment is designed to encourage the growth, and development of information-processing, problem-solving and meaning making skills as reflected in the constructivist theories of writers such as Foreman and Pufall (1988), Newman et al., (1989), Piaget (1973), Vygotsky (1978).

Constructivist Approach
This researcher feels that the real potential of technology lies in its capacity to support cognitive pedagogical approaches that encourage pupils to become active participants in their own learning and to acquire critical thinking skills. Jonassen et al., (1999: p. 2) contend that how we learn is dependent on our thinking. Students, they state:

learn from thinking - thinking about what they are doing, or what they did, thinking about what they believe, thinking about what others have done and believe, thinking about the thinking processes they use -just thinking.

In order to acknowledge the constant change occurring in the lives of children, an alternative model or a combination of models is required which highlight the importance of active engagement in the educational process. The constructivist paradigm emerges as one such model.

Constructivism is a meta-theory combining several theories of learning and development. It includes the theory of Piaget (1977 p. 56) who held the view that “each time we prematurely teach a child something he would have discovered himself/herself, the child is kept from investigating it and consequently from understanding it completely”.

Vygotsky emphasises the social aspect of learning and development, which is rooted in the scaffolding process known as the “zone of proximal development” (ZPD) (Grabe and Grabe 1998 p. 68).

Collaboration
Over the past 25 years, collaborative learning has also emerged as an effective pedagogical approach. It is based on the premise that students can learn the content material, are capable of performing at higher intellectual levels, and retain information longer when asked to work in collaborative situations than when asked to work individually (Vygotsky 1978; Johnson et al., 1991).

A Computer Supported Collaborative Learning environment affords the pupils the opportunity for:

· Autonomous learning

· Unlocking their own potential

· Promoting the use of effective thinking skills

· Developing interactional skills

· Encouraging meta cognition -“Thinking about Thinking.”

However, these environments do not of themselves guarantee that collaboration takes place. The teacher’s role is paramount in organising and sustaining the collaboration.

Focus of the Research - Classroom Project
The study used a group size of two during the introduction of skills phase and groups of four while conducting the focus of the project. The timeframe of the study was from October 1999 to June 2000. It was divided into three sections

· Word-processing skills acquisition in term one

· Internet and research skills acquisition in term two

· Web design skills acquisition and website creation in term three.

In term two the preparatory work continued and was divided into three sections.

· Internet skills acquisition

· Website evaluation

· Web-page design.

The pupils explored elements of website design. Six sites were chosen for review to prepare them for developing their own website. These included examples of simple sites and more complex ones using frames. The skills of web page design were also taught utilising the web design package Microsoft FrontPage.

In term three the pupils conducted their research. To achieve this goal, the students engaged in self-selected research projects related to the theme of marine science.

As part of the data collection process, students communicated by e-mail with experts, seeking out answers to questions relating to marine life, oceanography or specific questions about their projects. Search engines, CD ROMs and books were used to locate specific information about their research topics.

Creation of a Website
Before creating the web pages, the pupils decided to present their findings in a project book and to create the web pages from the final project book. Having completed the projects the pupils set about designing their web pages for their website using the criteria they had identified. This complied with Arnone and Small’s (1999) criteria for the development of good websites (figure 4.1).

(Figure 4.1)

Marine Science Quiz
Having completed the research, the pupils designed a multiple-choice quiz based on their findings. Pupils in a variety of schools responded via e-mail and sought further information on the quiz topics. This placed the pupils in the role of “expert” and acknowledged that a certain level of expertise had been achieved – a role which they found very satisfying.

Findings
From the researcher’s analysis of the relevant literature and from examining and analysing the data collected during the research, a series of emerging themes and patterns, consistencies and exceptions was noted. The findings of the research have yielded data on the following themes:

· a constructivist learning environment

· peer collaboration and peer tutoring

· literacy skills

· self-esteem and Motivation

· negative factors using technology

A Constructivist/Active Learning Environment
During the research project five areas emerged within the theme of constructivist learning environment:

· Teacher as instructor and guide

· Internet research

· CD-ROM research

· Site evaluation

· Website construction

Web site
According to Jonassen et al., (1999 p. 28) “building web pages is among the most constructivist activities that learners can engage in, primarily because of the ownership that students feel about their products and the publishing effect”.

The organisation and presentation took a number of weeks to complete and the pupils benefited in the following ways:

· the sharing of ideas that took place in a group settings;

· the development of social as well as cognitive skills

· persistence and hard work.

· teamwork and precision when presenting information on the WWW.

· the need to maintain the relevance of the topic and the clarity of the layout

· technical research design, and critical thinking skills.

· independent in their learning.

During this project, the children were engaged in active learning, in doing research, working with rich and engaging tools and learning how to solve problems that arose during the project. The pupils conducted independent research and though the work was pupil directed rather than teacher directed, the teacher was pivotal to the project.

The main themes that emerged from the research were:

· The extent to which the computer as a tool can assist in the creation of a constructivist learning environment

· The extent to which a collaborative computer-based approach to website creation can enhance the pupils’ literacy skills, their self-esteem, motivation and their attitudes to their work

· The extent to which these new approaches impacted on the role of the teacher

· The extent to which difficulties encountered affected the implementation of the technology in the classroom

The importance of the predominant themes arising from the research, and of the relative salience of each, resulted in their treatment in an order of importance different from that anticipated at the beginning of the study. As anticipated, a constructivist, student-centred approach to learning was an essential component of the project. Consequently, the theme of collaboration became central in the pupils’ work. Literacy and communication skills were developed extensively at all the stages of the project, as were the important person-centred dimensions of self-esteem and motivation. The consequences for the teacher of the approach taken to teaching and learning in the present project were underestimated at the beginning but were of such importance that they need to be dealt with under the title of ‘The Role of the Teacher’

Recommendations
· The traditional views of the role of technology and the role of the teacher will need adjustment when a constructivist environment is set up to enhance pupil learning.

· Teachers need to understand the deep impact technology is having on society as a whole: how technology has changed the nature of work, of communications, and the development of knowledge.

· Teachers have to come to terms with technology and to become familiar with it in their own lives.

· Teachers need to be aware of the level of commitment, planning and time that is required.

· Teachers must relinquish at least some of their authority so that pupils can become intentional, constructive learners.

· Teachers undertaking ICT projects should be driven by educational rather than technological goals.

· A project of this magnitude requires a computer in the classroom as well as regular access to a computer laboratory to ensure its successful completion.

· When conducting a project such as this in the future it would be advisable for pupils to have developed a good level of keyboard and word-processing skills.

· Pupils must be taught to be ready to assume authority and enabled to develop skills in articulating, reflecting on, and evaluating what they know and in setting goals for themselves.

· Teaching pupils how to work collaboratively and co-operatively is necessary so that all pupils know what is expected of them when working in groups at the computer.

· Assessment of this approach requires the teacher to examine both the process and the product of the pupils’ learning.

Conclusion
The role of the teacher is changing from one of instructional delivery to one of facilitation where the pupils play an active role in their learning, guided, coached and assisted by the teacher as ‘meta presenter’ and mediator.

While the new technologies in the classroom are still in the early stages of development, computers are starting to play an increasing role in education. Computer literacy is an essential skill requirement in the modern world. The integration therefore, of the new technologies into the learning process is a challenge for educationalists, which needs to be faced in order to prepare children for the Digital Age. Our job as teachers is to introduce it, lead them a little way along the road - then set them free.

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