I completed my research on the effects of classroom management on discipline referrals. The results reflected what I had thought in the beginning. If someone has a structured, strict classroom management style then there are fewer discipline referrals.  However, one thing which can affect the number of discipline referrals is the diversity of the classroom. 

Check out the final report: Classroom Management Effects on Discipline Referrals.

Action Research Progress

The action research plan was started last September. The data for the 2010-2011 school year has been received. Due to changes in the administration I have not received the 2011-2012 data yet. 

Research for articles pertaining to the effect of classroom management on the number of discipline referrals is continuing. I have spent 10 hours researching articles and have found some which pertain to the effect of classroom management on discipline referrals. Research is still being done to find more articles.  One article I have chosen is by Oliver, Wehby, and Reschly who states “teacher’s classroom management practices have a significant, positive effect on decreasing problem behavior in the classroom.”  

The teacher survey has been developed and I met with the principal and assistant principal in May to get their approval. However, due to the end of year, the survey was not sent to the teachers. When I meet with the principal I will ask about the best time to give these to the teachers to fill out.

Our campus had a change in administrators this year and I will be meeting with the new principal to discuss the project soon. The project may have to be revised as teacher assignments may affect the outcome of the research.  I was going to focus on first and second grade discipline referrals but since some teachers have left the district or been assigned to other grades I may have to revise the project to focus on the teachers who are still at our campus. 

References

Oliver, R., Wehby, J., and Reschly, D. (2011). Teacher classroom management practices: Effects on disruptive or aggressive student behavior. Campbell Systematic Reviews 2011.4 DOI:10.4073/csr.2011.4.

Draft Action Research Project Progress Report

Classroom Management Styles Effect on Discipline Referrals

Based on the number of discipline referrals for 2010-2011, it was determined there was a need to see if there was a correlation between classroom management and discipline referrals in our school.  It was decided to focus on first and second grade.

The discipline referral data for the 2010-2011 year has been collected.  The development of a survey is in progress to find out the classroom management style of each teacher.  During June the discipline referral data for 2011-2012 should be available. The results of the research will help administrators to understand how classroom management styles affect discipline referrals.  It will also guide administrators in the need for professional development to help the teachers improve their classroom management. 

The objective of the action research is to see if there is a correlation between the number of discipline referrals and the classroom management style of the teachers.  Based on the results of the research, administrators will be able to see if professional development is needed to help teachers improve their classroom management in order to reduce the number of office referrals.

Recent research shows there is a correlation between student discipline referrals and classroom management.  According to Oliver, Wehby, and Reschly “teacher’s classroom management practices have a significant, positive effect on decreasing problem behavior in the classroom.”

The number of discipline referrals by some teachers led to the decision to see if there was a correlation between classroom management styles and discipline referrals. A meeting was held with the principal and assistant principal.  There was discussion to possibly break down the discipline referrals further to include socioeconomic or ethnicity groups.  However, after careful consideration it was decided to limit the research to first and second grade and classroom management styles.

Results of the research will be presented to the staff using a powerpoint presentation.  The presentation will also contain the reason for the research and recommendations based on the analysis of the data.  A written report will also be submitted to the administrators on our campus outlining the research results and recommendations for professional development.

The strategy used to implement the project was to do as much of the research and collection of data by myself. The data of student referrals by teachers will be compiled by the assistant principal in order to maintain confidentiality regarding the teachers. To maintain the confidentiality of the teachers, they will be assigned a number by the assistant principal and the number will be listed on the survey. The assistant principal will be the only one to know which teacher submitted the information.  The same number will correlate to the discipline referral data. The classroom management survey will be made up by me with approval of the principal and assistant principal. I have received the data for 2010-2011 and the data for 2011-2012 should be available in June. 

Research is still being done for articles regarding the correlation between classroom management and discipline referrals.  The survey will be made up in the coming week and submitted for approval from the principal and assistant principal.  Then the surveys will be sent to the teachers.

The action research project would serve all of the students including those with special needs and diverse backgrounds.  With better classroom management teachers will be able to spend more time teaching and less time writing discipline referrals. The school will benefit from the project because less time will be spent handling disciplinary action.

References

Oliver R, Wehby J., and Reschly, D. (2011). Teacher classroom management practices: Effects on disruptive or aggressive student behavior. Campbell Systematic Reviews 2011.4 DOI: 10.4073/csr.2011.4

Action Research Project Progress

This week I have taken the time to look for more articles regarding classroom management techniques and how it affects office referrals.  I have also received the report of last year's discipline referrals by teacher. The next item to work on is the survey for the teachers.  I would like the survey to incorporate as much information as possible regarding their classroom management techniques and how they implement the school discipline plan in their classroom. 

Reflection of EDLD 5301

This course opened my eyes regarding research.  When I thought of research I remembered days spent in the library looking things up in encyclopedias and reference books.  I also thought of working for doctors who researched various illnesses and diseases or engineers who researched which materials to use to make better bridges.  However, I really did not think about actually doing “action research” to help improve a procedure.

In the chapter of the Dana text on Administrator Inquiry Defined, action research is described as a “tool used to achieve professional growth and educational reform ((Dana, 2009, p. 8).  After reading this chapter I started thinking about things I could do action research on in my classroom to improve the way I was teaching.  It was like opening a set of nesting dolls.  You open one doll and there is another one to open; and then another one.  My mind was flowing with ideas for action research.

Then we had to write our draft action research plan.  I really did not know where to start.  I knew what I wanted to research and had met with my site supervisor and discussed the topic, but how do I write it? 

The Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template (Harris, Edmonson, & Combs, 2010, p. 85) was great.  As I carefully typed my plan I found myself considering each step meticulously to see if it were possible to accomplish. 

In the next week we learned about the Forced Field Analysis, the Delphi Method, the Nominal Group Technique and the CARE Model (Harris et al., 2010, Chapter 8). These are strategies that can be used to “sustain improvement and actively build for the future” (Harris et al., 2010, p. 94).  The information I gained in the fourth week motivated me to think how to use these techniques now to review my action research plan. 

I liked the way other students could comment on my blog regarding the action research project.  When I reviewed my action research plan it helped to have comments from other students about my plan; whether the comments came from the blog or the discussion board. It was a great way to get feedback from others on what I planned to do.

This course was great. It gave me tools to use as an administrator and educator to further my own professional development. 

References

Dana, N. F. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher (pp. 1-25). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Step 8 Examining the work: Sustaining improvement. In Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action (pp. 79-103). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

Revised Action Research Plan

Goal: To reduce the number of office referrals. Objectives of the action research is to see if there is a correlation between classroom management styles and the number of office referrals.

- How many Level I (minor infractions) and Level II (major infractions) office referrals were there by teacher?

- Do the teachers have a structured classroom management style?

- Is there a need for professional development in the area of managing behaviors in the classroom?

Week 4 Reflection

On Thursday I met with my site supervisor regarding my action research plan. She liked my action research plan as it was. We went through each item and I explained to her what I had in mind for each of the steps of the plan.

We discussed maintaining the confidentiality of the teachers on their survey. I will need to be able to match the teacher to the number of office referrals. She suggested I meet with the assistant principal and determine how we can maintain the confidentiality and still match the teacher survey to the number of referrals the teacher had submitted. In discussing the teacher survey, I decided it would not be necessary to interview the teachers if I was to get enough documentation on the survey form. The only other change we made to the plan was to change the collection of the office referral data to six weeks instead of monthly.

My next step is to set up a meeting with the assistant principal to finalize the procedure for sending out the surveys and collecting the data.