Findings and Implications

Having completed this ambitious action research plan, I can report that the findings are promising, and engagement did increase in a measurable way. Although I kept the survey as the basis of measurement, I decided that my findings could only be corroborated if expressed in multiple modalities. These include an exit ticket given several times over the course of the project to regularly check in with students, and a student panel where fifteen students offered their feedback and thoughts on the project in regards to their engagement.

The engagement survey was given three times. The first was at the beginning of the school year. As fresh middle school students, the results of this survey represented general engagement in their education up to that point. The second survey was given at the beginning of the ethnography unit. The students were asked the same questions from the first survey, with these results representing their general engagement in middle school to that point. Lastly, the survey was given after completing the ethnography project, with the same questions tailored to represent engagement level during the ethnography project. The results can be found here: Engagement Survey Results. These results show a slight, but measurable shift. On average, students report that they put more effort into this project, that they were more interested, that they felt more challenged, and that they felt they had more choice in creating this project when compared to the rest of their educational experience.

The second method of measuring engagement, the exit ticket, turned out to be more of a useful teaching tool rather than a clear measure of engagement. This Exit Ticket was completed three times over the two weeks students had to work on the project outside of class. On it, students were asked how they currently felt about the project, and to express that feeling by circling the corresponding emoji face. They were also asked to write down any questions they have about the project and to indicate which step in the process of creating their project they were at. Some of the results can be found here: Exit Ticket and Results.

In regards to how students felt over the course of the project, the results show a medium level of positivity in the beginning, followed by a slight drop, then an increase while working on the final stages of the project. However, based on what students wrote on these tickets, this alone is not an accurate measure of engagement. For example “Student 2” circled the sad emoji all the way on the left on the first ticket, stating that they were nervous they would not have time to complete the project. They then showed a higher level of optimism toward the middle, followed by some stress toward the end. Based on my interactions with this student and the quality of their final product, they were highly engaged in this project. Another student circled the left emoji, indicating that they were uncomfortable interviewing someone for the project. Feeling nervous or challenged does not indicate that a student is not engaged.

These exit tickets were, however, useful for observing engagement on a case-by-case basis. When viewing a single student’s three tickets, it becomes clear the challenges they may have encountered, and how they worked through them. For instance, “Student 1” started the project feeling relatively positive, having chosen “Farming in the Mad River Valley” as their topic. By the second check-in, their positivity had dropped, and they had changed their topic. Toward the end, they returned to their original level of positivity. These tickets tell a story, confirmed by my conversations with this student. In the beginning, they chose their topic, planning on interviewing a certain person, but they could not make contact with that person. This was an issue several students faced, leaving some feeling discouraged. “Student 2” worked through this challenge by choosing a new topic, interviewing a different person, and they turned in a polished audio piece that tells the heartfelt story of a beloved figure in the Mad River Valley. Although this story is anecdotal, it represents the challenges that many students faced. Engagement is easily recognized in those who find success in solving a problem. All of these students showed some level of engagement by working through these challenges.

In the end, perhaps these exit tickets were not entirely sufficient for quantitatively measuring engagement. However, they were an excellent way to track individual progress, answer any questions, and clarify any confusion--all of which is difficult to do in limited classroom time. These check-ins prevented students from falling through the cracks. At the end of each class, I read all the questions. If a question applied to one individual student, I made sure I had a conversation with that student. If a question applied to more than one person, I put it on a slide that I projected at the beginning of the next class, along with the answers. We can all strive to have one hundred percent of our students engaged one hundred percent of the time, but at the very least, these check-ins allow teachers to recognize and address when a student is disengaged.

The final method of measuring student engagement came in the form of a student panel to gather feedback on the project. These fifteen students were chosen because I believed that they would offer honest feedback. In the thirty-minute discussion, I asked these students the following questions:

1. What did you enjoy about the ethnography project?
2. What would you change about the ethnography project if you could?
3. What did you learn from this project that you think you will use in the future?

Each student shared their thoughts in regards to each of these questions, and I recorded the following notes while they did so: Ethnography Student Panel Discussion Responses.

This project was planned to be intentionally personalized, and the students in this panel appeared to recognized this intention. The fifteen students enjoyed the project for different reasons. One student liked hearing other people’s stories. Another appreciated that they had the opportunity to interview a game warden, a career he wants to do when he is older. Another found the sound editing process most enjoyable.

What I found most valuable from this student panel was their acknowledgement that what they learned during this project would be valuable to them in the future. Of course, the process of interviewing someone, recording this interview, and editing it into a cohesive product involves several transferable skills. One student reported on the value of these multimedia skills as well as perseverance, saying:

“I can use the editing program throughout my education and possibly my job. I set

up an interview with a teacher at the preschool, but then it was a snow day. We tried

figuring out our schedules and we couldn’t get them to match. Eventually, we were able

to squeeze in twenty minutes. It goes to show you that if you continue to try hard

enough, you will be able to make it work.”

Another student commented on a skill that many of us could work on:

“I think I learned how to listen. Because everyone has interesting stories but you

don’t hear them every day. It used to bother me when older people would start telling

stories, but now I realize that if I really listen, they are worth listening to.”

Because many of these students could report on exactly what they learned, how it is relevant to them, and how they will use this knowledge in the future, I count that as valuable feedback--indicative of engagement and some measure of success for my team teacher and I.

All things considered, I am pleased to report that there was a measurable increase in student engagement as a result of this project drawing connections to the real world. My takeaways are the following, all of which contributed to student engagement:

• Interdisciplinary Instruction - life is interdisciplinary → education should be as well
• Personalization - choice of topic and format increases buy-in; proficiency-based assessment and PLP integration has future implications
• Place-Based Education - community connection fosters feelings of relevance

Having completed my action research project, I am excited by its implications. After teaching for four years, I consider it the bridge to the next level of teaching, setting me up perfectly for all the possibilities that the future of Act 77 has to offer.