Proposal for Activity Using Human Subjects
Investigating Student Participation in Curriculum Design
Janie Santoy, English Dept.
I. Title of Research Project
Investigating Student Participation in Curriculum Design
II. Rationale
Problem: In his book Tracing Genres, Clay Spinuzzi (2003) argues that users should not be put in the victim role and that designers are not the heroes which save the victims (users). This view can also be applied to education in which the teacher (the sage on the stage) delivers the knowledge/content which the student (victim/uneducated masses) needs to learn.
In fact, students need to learn certain skills which enable them to become better critical thinkers and communicators. Usually, a class is designed by a teacher who looks at the goals and objectives of the class and decides
1. skills the student needs to learn;
2. skills the student needs to apply;
3. activities to be completed;
4. order in which the activities need to be completed;
5. content which student will discuss;
6. how the student will be assessed; and
7. what will be produced to show mastery.
Constructivist learning theory (Bruner, 1966) argues that learning is more effective when students control and contextualize their learning. Allowing them to help determine the order of their learning, what activities need to be completed, what specific content will be discussed, and what skills the student needs to learn or apply can help to turn a composition classroom into a student-centered classroom. In other words, the student’s academic success depends on the level of engagement facilitated by curriculum design.
Similarly, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (Rose & Meyer, 2002) posits that all learning engages the learner’s recognition, strategic, and affective networks. UDL presents several principles which can be applied in the design of curriculum to engage students:
1. Multiple means of representation, to provide learners various ways of obtaining information and knowledge,
2. Multiple means of expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
3. Multiple means of engagement, to employ learners' interests, present appropriate challenges, and raise motivation
I propose to study the problem of student engagement using participatory design. The study should provide insight not just into the particular case, but more broadly, into how students understand curriculum design, what choices they make for the design of curriculum based on course outcomes and objectives, what choices they make based on their own needs, and how those choices differ from curriculum which is solely teacher-designed.
Aims: In this study, I plan to answer the following questions:
- How does student participation inform how UDL principles might be better used and applied in curriculum design? What choices do students make in applying UDL principles to meet course outcomes and objectives?
- How does student participation in the design of curriculum impact student engagement?
- How do student design choices correlate with the student’s own articulated needs and level of engagement?
Benefits: I will be teaching a composition class and conducting the proposed research. Members of the class will complete activities as part of the course requirements. Participants will help design the course curriculum and focus of activities to better suit their needs. Participation may increase student engagement. Interviews will be conducted outside of class with select volunteers. The study should result in recommendations for improving the application of constructivist and UDL principles in the composition classroom to increase student engagement.
Importance of Knowledge to be Obtained: The knowledge obtained during this study should provide further insights into how student participation can inform and improve curriculum design, how students internalize course outcomes and objectives, and how ethnographic data can be analyzed with these questions in mind. The study has implications for curriculum design, application of UDL principles in the classroom, strategies to increase student engagement, and study methodology.
III. Subjects:
(A) Type
Approximately 5 class members (undergraduate students) will volunteer to complete questionnaires and participate in interviews.
(B) Sources
Subjects will be students enrolled in one section of English 1302.
(C) Recruitment
Subjects will be recruited from all students enrolled in the English 1302 2005 section. Although subjects will be members of the class, all subjects from whom data is collected will be volunteers. The following recruitment tools are attached:
• Letter to potential subjects (Attachment A)
IV. Procedures
From Feb. 28th through April 15, 2007, I will gather data through the following methods: brief introductory interviews of all subjects, weekly reflection questionnaires completed by all subjects, examination of artifacts produced for class, brief final interviews of all subjects, and weekly reflection memos completed by researcher.
- Brief introductory interviews of subjects will be conducted to gain an understanding of the student’s understanding of curriculum design and course objectives. These semi-structured interviews will be digitally recorded and will be conducted outside of class time. A protocol of the interview is attached (Attachment B).
- Weekly reflection questionnaires will be collected to gain understanding of student’s perceptions of the relevance of activities to course outcomes. These questionnaires will be collected via secure email. A copy of the questionnaire used is attached (Attachment C).
- Examinations of artifacts produced for class will allow me to become familiar with these artifacts and compare student’s curriculum design choices and articulated understanding of course objectives with understanding demonstrated in artifacts. All artifacts will be labeled with a participant number and all personal identifying marks will be removed to assure confidentiality.
- Brief final interview of subjects will be conducted to gain an understanding of the student’s perception of how his/her participation affected the design of course curriculum and his/her own level of engagement. These semi-structured interviews will be digitally recorded and will be conducted outside of class time. A protocol of the interview is attached (Attachment D).
- Weekly reflection memo completed by researcher will allow me to document how the curriculum and the focus of the course changed based on student participation.
- Because participants may divulge confidential information, the researcher will take the utmost precautions to preserve their privacy. Once the researcher transcribes her notes or audiotapes or saves the file from the Web CT? course site, all information linking the interview or artifact with the interviewee will be expunged. The researcher will expunge the interviewee’s name, Web CT? username, and any other information that might be used to identify the interviewee. The researcher will also destroy digital recordings. The interview transcript itself will be assigned a number and pseudonyms will replace any proper names in all transcripts and text artifacts. Published accounts will only use pseudonyms. Given these precautions, a breech of confidentiality seems unlikely. Furthermore, neither the researcher nor research materials nor products could be linked definitively to the interviewee.
V. Consent Form
The consent form is Attachment E.
VI. Liability
Since subjects will be questioned and interviewed during the spring semester and in college facilities, I expect TSTC-Harlingen to handle liability for unexpected injuries. However, my methods should not involve physical risks.
References
Bruner, J. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Rose, D. H & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age.
ASCD, 2002. <http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/>.
Spinuzzi, C. (2003). Tracing Genres through Organizations: A Sociocultural Approach to Information Design. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
Attachment A: Letter to Subjects
To: Students of English 1302 section
From: Janie Santoy, M.A., TSTC-Harlingen & Texas Tech University
Date:
Subject: Participating in a research study
Please consider participating in a study that may change how curriculum is designed at your campus. Between Feb. 28th and April 15, 2007, I plan to study how you understand curriculum design and how your participation can inform how curriculum is designed. I’ll investigate possible changes that can improve how you become engaged in academic courses.
Dr. Rebecca Rickly from the English Department at Texas Tech is in charge of this study, and Janie Santoy is responsible for carrying out the procedures of this study.
If you participate, your obligations will be low:
• I will interview you twice during the dates mentioned above.
• I will ask you to complete brief questionnaires once a week.
• I will digitally record the two interviews.
• I will collect work you produce for class.
The research will take place at your college. All data I collect will be confidential. When I report results, I may describe specific incidents and include direct quotes, but will not use your name and I will not include characteristics that might identify you.
___ Yes, I’m willing to participate in this study.
Please fill out your name and phone number so I can contact you.
Name: _________________________________________
Phone: (_____) - _______ - _______________
For more information on the study, feel free to contact me:
Janie Santoy, Texas State Technical College-Harlingen
9201 E. Loop 499, Harlingen, TX 78550
(956) 364-4837
Attachment B: Protocol for Initial Interview of Subjects
Note: The interview will be semi-structured; I will follow up promising lines of discussion. However, the following are the base questions that I will ask all subjects.
• What usually leads you to want to learn something new?
• When you decide to learn something new, what process do you use? How do you usually feel during the process?
• When you write an essay, what process do you use? How do you usually feel during the process?
• How many credit hours have you taken? How many academic credit hours? How many technical credit hours?
• Where have you taken these credit hours?
• What type of experiences have you had in your courses?
• What other type of activities are you involved in besides school?
• Describe what sorts of interactions you regularly have in your classes— with the teacher, other students, lab assistants, etc. What are the classes like? How does the teacher communicate the course outcomes and objectives?
• What sorts of difficulties do you have when working on achieving course objectives? What has been done to avoid these?
• What type of course activities do you find easiest to complete? Why?
• What type of job do you have? What are your duties?
• How do your school experiences relate to other parts of your life?
Attachment C: Weekly Reflection Questionnaires
Note: I will follow up promising lines of discussion. However, the following are the base questions that I will ask all subjects. The following questions will be sent to participants via email and questionnaires will be returned via email.
1. What type of choices did you make this week to achieve the course objectives? How did these choices affect what you produced for class?
2. What class activities did you find most helpful? Why? How did you feel when completing these activities? How did you deal with those feelings?
3. What class activities did your find least helpful? Why? How did you feel when completing these activities? How did you deal with those feelings?
4. How would you change the activities you did this week to improve them?
5. How would you assess the assignment you have produced for class? Do they meet the course objectives? Why?
Attachment D: Protocol for Final Interview of Subjects
Note: The interview will be semi-structured; I will follow up promising lines of discussion. However, the following are the base questions that I will ask all subjects.
• How did your participation in the course affect the design of course activities?
• Did course activities meet course objectives and outcomes?
• Did you meet course objectives to your satisfaction?
• How did you usually feel when completing course requirements?
• What type of experiences did you have in this course?
• Describe what sorts of interactions do you regularly had in this class—with the teacher, other students, lab assistants, etc.
• What sorts of difficulties did you have when working on achieving course objectives? What has been done to avoid these?
• What type of course activities did you find easiest to complete? Why?
• How did the experiences you had in this class relate to other parts of your life?
Attachment E: Consent Form
You hereby give your consent for participation in the project entitled: “Investigating Student Participation in Curriculum Design.” You understand that the personal responsible Dr. Rebecca Rickly from the English Department at Texas Tech is in charge of this study; Janie Santoy is responsible for carrying out the procedures of this study and can be reached at the following telephone number, 956.364.4837.
Ms. Santoy has explained that these studies are part of a project that has the following objectives:
• To understand how your participation informs how UDL principles might be better used and applied in curriculum design.
• To understand how your participation in the design of curriculum using UDL principles affects engagement.
She has explained that
• The research project will run from Feb. 28th to March 25, 2007.
• You will be interviewed for 15 minutes at the beginning and end of this project.
• These interviews will be digitally recorded. Your answers are anonymous and no one will be allowed to listen to the audio-recordings besides Ms. Santoy.
• Your compensation will be notification of the research results.
• If at any time, you can decide that you do not want to participate in the study, she will not use the interviews she has recorded or the notes she has taken about your artifacts.
• Your participation in this study will not affect your course grade negatively, and you can withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.
You understand that the study involves no physical or psychological risks. Under no circumstances will you be identified by name or other characteristics when Ms. Santoy reports the results of this study.
It has further been explained that the total duration of your participation will be approximately 6 hours spread over a six week period; that only Ms. Santoy will have access to the records and/or data collected for this study; and that all data associated with this study will remain strictly confidential.
We do not think being in this study will hurt you. Further, Ms. Santoy (TSTC-Harlingen faculty and Texas Tech Ph D? student) has agreed to answer any inquiries you may have concerning the procedures.
Signature of Participant
______________________________________________________ Date ___________
This consent form is not valid after May 30, 2007