Saturday, July 26, 2008
Individual Assignment - Poon Wai Lan, Maria (Text Version)
Title:
A case study of Teachers' Perception on ICT implementation in a Primary School.
Research Questions:
1. How do teachers perceive the use of ICT in teaching and learning?
2. How does teacher professional development affect teachers' perception?
3. How school leadership affect teachers' perception?
4. How does school culture affect teachers' perception?
Participants:
A aided primary school will select and six teachers who taught different subjects will invite to participate.
Significance of the study:
The significance of the study is to provide some possible suggestions for educators to implement any new policies in schools in the future. Also the findings may help the teachers, schools and policy makers regarding the implementation to support change in schools.
Data Collected and Analyzed:
Use multiple-data-collection methods and the data will collect from three sources.
1. Document analysis
- including the school IT plans and minutes of IT meetings
-leaflets and circular from EDB
2. Interviews
-use semi-structured interview and ask open-ended questions
3. Observations
-collect observation data from staff meetings and IT committee meetings
-formal and informal observations at the school site such as classrooms and computer rooms
Data Analysis
Data will be triangulated with information gathered from interviews, observations and documental data.
A case study of Teachers' Perception on ICT implementation in a Primary School.
Research Questions:
1. How do teachers perceive the use of ICT in teaching and learning?
2. How does teacher professional development affect teachers' perception?
3. How school leadership affect teachers' perception?
4. How does school culture affect teachers' perception?
Participants:
A aided primary school will select and six teachers who taught different subjects will invite to participate.
Significance of the study:
The significance of the study is to provide some possible suggestions for educators to implement any new policies in schools in the future. Also the findings may help the teachers, schools and policy makers regarding the implementation to support change in schools.
Data Collected and Analyzed:
Use multiple-data-collection methods and the data will collect from three sources.
1. Document analysis
- including the school IT plans and minutes of IT meetings
-leaflets and circular from EDB
2. Interviews
-use semi-structured interview and ask open-ended questions
3. Observations
-collect observation data from staff meetings and IT committee meetings
-formal and informal observations at the school site such as classrooms and computer rooms
Data Analysis
Data will be triangulated with information gathered from interviews, observations and documental data.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Individual Assignment - Ngan, Irene
(Text only version)
Title of the study:
New multi-platform communication design for libraries
Significance:
This case study uses a project to develop a human-computer multi-platform design to draw audiences into a community project by providing them with the concept and skills to capture stories of their communities such as Wanchai, Shamshuipo.
To enable audiences to examine their relationship with the library and their role in the preservation of cultural heritage
To study the impact on library services when members of the community take a proactive role in creating content as integral artifacts of the library collections.
Participants:
Participants will be members of the community who are interested in sharing their cultural knowledge to audiences via the library.
Promotional plan will be launched to the community and interested parties can join the project by open enrollment. If the number of applicants is more than expected, a random sampling method will be used to select the participants.
Research procedures:
Workbased in one public library.
Design a multi-media platform with the structure that provides a shared understanding for the project. The system is based on wireless network of notebooks, digital cameras and mini-DV video cameras.
Design a website which display and promote community-created multimedia narratives, and the website will be linked to the public library.
During a three-month workshop, trainers introduce and facilitate community participants to the skills and techniques required to record their stories and histories including storyboarding, video-recording, digital imaging and scanning.
Participants will present their draft of multimedia stories of their communities by the end of the workshop, and their final story will be viewed on the website.
This study will be measured by:
- hit count on the website
- observations on the participants
- questionnaire will be used to collect data from participants
Implications:
Research shows that information literacy programmes related to specific tasks or topics can be very effective. This project is designed to provide digital training to community members who are interested in sharing their cultural knowledge to audiences via the library and study how this kind of programme can build up library usership.
Different from traditional way of displaying library collection with text-heavy website, this multi-platform approach will provide a distinctive interactive audience experience.
Title of the study:
New multi-platform communication design for libraries
Significance:
This case study uses a project to develop a human-computer multi-platform design to draw audiences into a community project by providing them with the concept and skills to capture stories of their communities such as Wanchai, Shamshuipo.
To enable audiences to examine their relationship with the library and their role in the preservation of cultural heritage
To study the impact on library services when members of the community take a proactive role in creating content as integral artifacts of the library collections.
Participants:
Participants will be members of the community who are interested in sharing their cultural knowledge to audiences via the library.
Promotional plan will be launched to the community and interested parties can join the project by open enrollment. If the number of applicants is more than expected, a random sampling method will be used to select the participants.
Research procedures:
Workbased in one public library.
Design a multi-media platform with the structure that provides a shared understanding for the project. The system is based on wireless network of notebooks, digital cameras and mini-DV video cameras.
Design a website which display and promote community-created multimedia narratives, and the website will be linked to the public library.
During a three-month workshop, trainers introduce and facilitate community participants to the skills and techniques required to record their stories and histories including storyboarding, video-recording, digital imaging and scanning.
Participants will present their draft of multimedia stories of their communities by the end of the workshop, and their final story will be viewed on the website.
This study will be measured by:
- hit count on the website
- observations on the participants
- questionnaire will be used to collect data from participants
Implications:
Research shows that information literacy programmes related to specific tasks or topics can be very effective. This project is designed to provide digital training to community members who are interested in sharing their cultural knowledge to audiences via the library and study how this kind of programme can build up library usership.
Different from traditional way of displaying library collection with text-heavy website, this multi-platform approach will provide a distinctive interactive audience experience.
Individual Assignment - Tai Chung Man Jo (Text version)
Slide 1 - Title and Research Question, Who are the study participants, How are they selected
Title: Remote Reference Service: the old, the new and the fad? Phone enquiries, Email and Instant Messaging compared
Research Questions:
Slide 2 – Why is this important topic to study
Slide 3 -- How will data be collected and analyzed
Data will be analyzed to develop a set of indicators of remote reference service:
1. Usage statistics of each means will be analyzed.
2. Demographic details of users will be also analyzed according to (1)
3. Enquiries will be further categorized to each method
4. Average time spent on each means will be analyzed.
5. Rating of each type of enquiry will be analyzed.
6. Qualitative user feedback will also be taken into consideration.
Title: Remote Reference Service: the old, the new and the fad? Phone enquiries, Email and Instant Messaging compared
Research Questions:
- How is the new method of remote reference service compared to the traditional ones?
- Is there any preferred method from the perspective of users? Any relationship with the demographics of users?
- Is one method more suitable to answer a particular type of enquiries over another?
- How are these methods evaluated in terms of efficiency, quality and user satisfaction?
- Who?
Slide 2 – Why is this important topic to study
- As libraries move towards the Web 2.0 mode, libraries are introducing ‘new services’ of some sort, instant messaging reference service being one of these.
- Instant messaging is popular among the community at large. Such communication tool is informal nature. The effectiveness of IM as a mode of formal or service communication is still at the stage of being evaluated in different contexts and settings.
- It will be useful for libraries to gain more statistics and feedback on this mode of service, how best librarians can utilize IM as one of the communication tools with library users.
- This research is planned to provide additional insight on this, and hopefully help librarians to better plan their reference service.
Slide 3 -- How will data be collected and analyzed
- Measures will be designed (e.g. email threads capture, audio-taping of phone-in enquiries) to keep track of all the ‘remote’ enquiries directed to the reference section;
- Simultaneously, the user will be invited to complete a brief survey of no more than 5 questions on the web (for IM and email reference) and via verbal means (for phone enquiry)
- The log of the enquiries serve to record the time used to complete the enquiry, and other qualitative aspects of the enquiries which are intended to further analyzed according to the category of the enquiry, , the actual transcript of the enquiry etc.
- The survey from the users serve to provide mainly the demographic information, user rating of that particular instance of enquiries, as well as qualitative comments, if any.
- To ensure consistency in the service provided, the reference librarians will rotate weekly to deliver the service via different means.
Data will be analyzed to develop a set of indicators of remote reference service:
1. Usage statistics of each means will be analyzed.
2. Demographic details of users will be also analyzed according to (1)
3. Enquiries will be further categorized to each method
4. Average time spent on each means will be analyzed.
5. Rating of each type of enquiry will be analyzed.
6. Qualitative user feedback will also be taken into consideration.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Individual assignment of Lau Lai Yan, Edith
(Text version)
1. Title: Cultivating students' reading habit by doing online "Reading Contract"*
2. Research questions:
- Examine the influence of doing online "Reading Contract"
- Explore the method cultivating students' reading habit
3. Participants
- Form 1 students promoted to Form 2
- Number of students: 25 (5 students from 5 different classes)
- Participants are selected randomly in each class
4. Reasons for doing the research
- Each academic year, students in my school need to complete "Reading Contract" during
1. Dec to May,
2. Easter Holiday,
3. Summer vacation.
- Through this research, I can examine how or if asking students to do "Reading Contract" can help to cultivate their reading habit.
- Result of the research can be the reference to regulate strategies for reading promotion in the library.
5. Data collected and analyzed
- Collected period: summer vacation of the academic year of 2007-08.
- Students performance on the "Reading Contract"
1. Frequency
2. Content of the reading reflection
3. Attitudes towards the online exercises
4. Levels / types of the books
- Students reflection after doing the "Reading Contract"
* What is Reading Contract:
- Posting reading reflection on the web
- This program was managed by HKEdCity.
1. Title: Cultivating students' reading habit by doing online "Reading Contract"*
2. Research questions:
- Examine the influence of doing online "Reading Contract"
- Explore the method cultivating students' reading habit
3. Participants
- Form 1 students promoted to Form 2
- Number of students: 25 (5 students from 5 different classes)
- Participants are selected randomly in each class
4. Reasons for doing the research
- Each academic year, students in my school need to complete "Reading Contract" during
1. Dec to May,
2. Easter Holiday,
3. Summer vacation.
- Through this research, I can examine how or if asking students to do "Reading Contract" can help to cultivate their reading habit.
- Result of the research can be the reference to regulate strategies for reading promotion in the library.
5. Data collected and analyzed
- Collected period: summer vacation of the academic year of 2007-08.
- Students performance on the "Reading Contract"
1. Frequency
2. Content of the reading reflection
3. Attitudes towards the online exercises
4. Levels / types of the books
- Students reflection after doing the "Reading Contract"
* What is Reading Contract:
- Posting reading reflection on the web
- This program was managed by HKEdCity.
Individual assignment of Lau Lai Yan, Edith
Friday, July 4, 2008
Session 6: Summary of the article (powerpoint)
Session 6: Summary of the article
Hew, K.F. and Cheung, W.S. (2008). Attracting student participation in asynchronous online discussions: A case study of peer facilitation. Computers & Education, 51, 1111–1124.
Research Question / Purpose:
This article tried to find out how students facilitators (facilitators) enhancing the involvement of other students (students) in asynchronous online discussion. Also, examining what kinds of facilitation techniques are feasible to attract the activeness of the online discussion.
Method:
1. 24 participants enrolled in Post Graduate Diploma course in Education are invited to be the facilitators and also students of the online discussion.
2. There are three topics for the discussion posted on week 4, 6, 9 and will last for a week on the web.
3. Participants also need to write a reflection on what and why they use those facilitation skills and skills they learnt from peers.
Data gathered and analyzed:
1. Data collected: participants’ logs and online observation of the discussion.
2. Data used: 12 threads achieved a depth of six or more levels in the discussion are being used to measure and analysis the conversational exchanges of the participants.
Results and findings:
After the analysis, seven facilitation skills are found. According to their nature, they can be divided into three phrases:
1. Introduction phase:
- Establishing ground rules (Giving guides and instructions for the discussion. Participants will have a clear mindset for what they are going to do in the discussion)
2. Engagement phase:
- Giving own opinions or experiences (Encouraging discussion by agreeing or disagreeing others or sharing their personal experience.)
- Questioning (Attracting students’ participation by asking students to clarify his or her ideas or comments or viewpoints of the topic.)
- Showing appreciation (Attracting students’ participation by making students feel that they are worthy contributor in the discussion)
3. Monitoring phase
- Suggesting new direction (Proposing a new topic or issues for the discussion to stimulate ideas)
- Summarizing (Providing short description of the main points or ideas that have been discussed)
- Personally inviting people to contribute (sending message to “quiet” students so as to encourage them participate in the discussion)
Out of these seven skills, “giving own opinions or experiences” and “questioning” are the most common and feasible skills.
Limitation and further development:
1. Examined students’ participation only by the depth of threads.
2. Further development on how facilitators affect students’ thinking should be examined.
Research Question / Purpose:
This article tried to find out how students facilitators (facilitators) enhancing the involvement of other students (students) in asynchronous online discussion. Also, examining what kinds of facilitation techniques are feasible to attract the activeness of the online discussion.
Method:
1. 24 participants enrolled in Post Graduate Diploma course in Education are invited to be the facilitators and also students of the online discussion.
2. There are three topics for the discussion posted on week 4, 6, 9 and will last for a week on the web.
3. Participants also need to write a reflection on what and why they use those facilitation skills and skills they learnt from peers.
Data gathered and analyzed:
1. Data collected: participants’ logs and online observation of the discussion.
2. Data used: 12 threads achieved a depth of six or more levels in the discussion are being used to measure and analysis the conversational exchanges of the participants.
Results and findings:
After the analysis, seven facilitation skills are found. According to their nature, they can be divided into three phrases:
1. Introduction phase:
- Establishing ground rules (Giving guides and instructions for the discussion. Participants will have a clear mindset for what they are going to do in the discussion)
2. Engagement phase:
- Giving own opinions or experiences (Encouraging discussion by agreeing or disagreeing others or sharing their personal experience.)
- Questioning (Attracting students’ participation by asking students to clarify his or her ideas or comments or viewpoints of the topic.)
- Showing appreciation (Attracting students’ participation by making students feel that they are worthy contributor in the discussion)
3. Monitoring phase
- Suggesting new direction (Proposing a new topic or issues for the discussion to stimulate ideas)
- Summarizing (Providing short description of the main points or ideas that have been discussed)
- Personally inviting people to contribute (sending message to “quiet” students so as to encourage them participate in the discussion)
Out of these seven skills, “giving own opinions or experiences” and “questioning” are the most common and feasible skills.
Limitation and further development:
1. Examined students’ participation only by the depth of threads.
2. Further development on how facilitators affect students’ thinking should be examined.
Experimental Research
Experimental Research
Research Area
To investigate the effects of using CD-ROM textbooks for instruction on the achievement and cognition-level attainment of primary four students.
Problem
Nowadays, many teachers depend on using the CD-ROM textbooks in the lesson. They think using CD-ROM textbooks make the lesson more interesting and fun so it will improve the students’ learning attitude in the lesson. It will be helpful to gain a deeper understanding on whether the use of the CD-Rom textbooks as an instruction tool has a positive effect on student attainment as compared to the traditional paper-based textbooks.
Hypothesis
There is no significant difference in improvement in students’ achievement and cognition-level attainment between using CD-ROM textbook and using traditional textbook.
Selection of Participants
To control the factor of education attainment of students among different classes, the target school will be so selected to ensure no banding effect among classes. The overall rankings of students, if any, in the final examination of the previous year can be used as an indicator.
4 classes of primary 4 students (N=140) are selected as the study group. Two of the 4 classes of students (N=68) is randomly selected by the researcher via coin toss to serve as the experimental group receiving CD-ROM textbook integration. The remaining two classes (N=62) served as the control group and are taught general science content utilizing a traditional textbook.
Research Plan
Comparison of two different approaches－two classes will use CD-ROM textbook and the other two classes will use traditional textbook.
This study is classified a ‘true experimental research design, posttest only control group design’.
Execution of the Research Plan
Step 1: Selection of the participants as the experimental group, Group A and the control group, Group B.
Step 2: During 16 weeks, Group A students are taught general science subject content utilizing a CD-ROM textbook. Group B students are taught the same subject content utilizing a traditional textbook.
Step 3: In the 17th week, both group students are participated in general science subject examination.
Analysis of data
Use t-test to compare the experimental group to control group. The hypothesis is tested at the .05 level of significance.
The difference in means between different classes subject to the same experimental treatment, either CD-ROM or traditional paper-based textbooks, will be compared the scale of the intra-group and inter-group differences.
Implication
If the learning outcome of the students using the CD-ROM textbooks on instruction has positive effect on students attainment and cognition level, schools and educators can exert more policy influence on pedagogical design along this direction.
To investigate the effects of using CD-ROM textbooks for instruction on the achievement and cognition-level attainment of primary four students.
Problem
Nowadays, many teachers depend on using the CD-ROM textbooks in the lesson. They think using CD-ROM textbooks make the lesson more interesting and fun so it will improve the students’ learning attitude in the lesson. It will be helpful to gain a deeper understanding on whether the use of the CD-Rom textbooks as an instruction tool has a positive effect on student attainment as compared to the traditional paper-based textbooks.
Hypothesis
There is no significant difference in improvement in students’ achievement and cognition-level attainment between using CD-ROM textbook and using traditional textbook.
Selection of Participants
To control the factor of education attainment of students among different classes, the target school will be so selected to ensure no banding effect among classes. The overall rankings of students, if any, in the final examination of the previous year can be used as an indicator.
4 classes of primary 4 students (N=140) are selected as the study group. Two of the 4 classes of students (N=68) is randomly selected by the researcher via coin toss to serve as the experimental group receiving CD-ROM textbook integration. The remaining two classes (N=62) served as the control group and are taught general science content utilizing a traditional textbook.
Research Plan
Comparison of two different approaches－two classes will use CD-ROM textbook and the other two classes will use traditional textbook.
This study is classified a ‘true experimental research design, posttest only control group design’.
Execution of the Research Plan
Step 1: Selection of the participants as the experimental group, Group A and the control group, Group B.
Step 2: During 16 weeks, Group A students are taught general science subject content utilizing a CD-ROM textbook. Group B students are taught the same subject content utilizing a traditional textbook.
Step 3: In the 17th week, both group students are participated in general science subject examination.
Analysis of data
Use t-test to compare the experimental group to control group. The hypothesis is tested at the .05 level of significance.
The difference in means between different classes subject to the same experimental treatment, either CD-ROM or traditional paper-based textbooks, will be compared the scale of the intra-group and inter-group differences.
Implication
If the learning outcome of the students using the CD-ROM textbooks on instruction has positive effect on students attainment and cognition level, schools and educators can exert more policy influence on pedagogical design along this direction.
Task 4 - Correlational Research
(text only version)
Research Question:
The relationship between students’ academic results and athletic participation
Definition and Purpose:
Correlational research involves collecting data to determine whether, and to what degree, a relationship exists between two or more quantifiable variables. The aim of this study is to determine if there is a significant relationship between athletic participation and academic results of students at secondary school level.
Educators, particularly principals and deans, must ascertain whether there is a correlation between athletic participation and academic attainment so that they may improve strategies and programmes which will encourage student development and learning.
Participants:
This study will target at F.2 and F.3 students from 10 secondary schools in Hong Kong.
Data Collection:
Sample size: 1000 students
Independent variable: athletic participation
in terms of no. of hours spent in a week (including individual practice, team practice (if applicable), competition etc), supplemented by types of sport activities, gender, banding of the School
Dependent variable: academic scores
average score of all subjects attained at each examination
Sampling method: Random - Stratified random sampling method will be used to select the schools. An even number of sample school will be chosen from Band 1, 2 and 3 (~3 schools for each banding). 100 students will be randomly selected from each school. Students' identities remained anonymous.
The research period will last for one year to monitor the academic scores of the students in the mid-term and final exam of the year. Data will be collected from questionnaires returned by the students. The design of the questions will collect the demographic information, which includes which type of sports activities, hours of practicing, gender etc. And the school will provide academic results of students from last year, in the mid-term and for the final exam during the research period.
Data Analysis:
Pearson R will be used when both the ‘independent’ and ‘dependent’ variables are ‘continuous’ data. In this case, the dependent variable is defined as no. of hours spent on participating in the sports activities outside classes and the independent variable is defined as the average academic score of the students in each exam.
Compare the results of students, grouped by the banding of the school, to find out the relationship of athletic participation and academic scores for each group. A positive correlation coefficient will mean that there is a positive relationship between athletic participation and academic results. And if correlation coefficient is negative, the relationship of these two variables does not exist. Further analysis can be conducted on gender, what kind of sports and hour of coaching etc.
Implications for Teaching and Learning:
With the public’s increased demands of teacher accountability, the feature topic is academic results. Schools in Hong Kong have striven to improve students’ academic achievement and success, especially at the secondary school level. Many schools eliminate athletic programmes to provide much needed resources to an area of greater importance.
Some people view athletics as a hindrance to academic achievement, but others view it as a motivating factor and feel that athletics can motivate those students and reinforce lessons of the classroom. Educators must understand the relationship between athletics and academics so that they may implement strategies and design programmes which will provide the best educational environment for their students.
Limitation of this study is that there are other variables affecting the correlation, e.g. gender, family background of the student, etc. As stated, these factors can be further analyzed to inform the educators.
Research Question:
The relationship between students’ academic results and athletic participation
Definition and Purpose:
Correlational research involves collecting data to determine whether, and to what degree, a relationship exists between two or more quantifiable variables. The aim of this study is to determine if there is a significant relationship between athletic participation and academic results of students at secondary school level.
Educators, particularly principals and deans, must ascertain whether there is a correlation between athletic participation and academic attainment so that they may improve strategies and programmes which will encourage student development and learning.
Participants:
This study will target at F.2 and F.3 students from 10 secondary schools in Hong Kong.
Data Collection:
Sample size: 1000 students
Independent variable: athletic participation
in terms of no. of hours spent in a week (including individual practice, team practice (if applicable), competition etc), supplemented by types of sport activities, gender, banding of the School
Dependent variable: academic scores
average score of all subjects attained at each examination
Sampling method: Random - Stratified random sampling method will be used to select the schools. An even number of sample school will be chosen from Band 1, 2 and 3 (~3 schools for each banding). 100 students will be randomly selected from each school. Students' identities remained anonymous.
The research period will last for one year to monitor the academic scores of the students in the mid-term and final exam of the year. Data will be collected from questionnaires returned by the students. The design of the questions will collect the demographic information, which includes which type of sports activities, hours of practicing, gender etc. And the school will provide academic results of students from last year, in the mid-term and for the final exam during the research period.
Data Analysis:
Pearson R will be used when both the ‘independent’ and ‘dependent’ variables are ‘continuous’ data. In this case, the dependent variable is defined as no. of hours spent on participating in the sports activities outside classes and the independent variable is defined as the average academic score of the students in each exam.
Compare the results of students, grouped by the banding of the school, to find out the relationship of athletic participation and academic scores for each group. A positive correlation coefficient will mean that there is a positive relationship between athletic participation and academic results. And if correlation coefficient is negative, the relationship of these two variables does not exist. Further analysis can be conducted on gender, what kind of sports and hour of coaching etc.
Implications for Teaching and Learning:
With the public’s increased demands of teacher accountability, the feature topic is academic results. Schools in Hong Kong have striven to improve students’ academic achievement and success, especially at the secondary school level. Many schools eliminate athletic programmes to provide much needed resources to an area of greater importance.
Some people view athletics as a hindrance to academic achievement, but others view it as a motivating factor and feel that athletics can motivate those students and reinforce lessons of the classroom. Educators must understand the relationship between athletics and academics so that they may implement strategies and design programmes which will provide the best educational environment for their students.
Limitation of this study is that there are other variables affecting the correlation, e.g. gender, family background of the student, etc. As stated, these factors can be further analyzed to inform the educators.
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