Data Analysis
Data centered around the six questions asked within a pre and post test. These were tests given at the beginning and the conclusion of the action research . Instruction took place per the course of six weeks during the morning meeting time, ranging from twenty to twenty-five minutes each session. Effects of the instructional practice were observed over time through various means of data collection including observational notes, daily tally system of negative self talk, weekly ratio of redirection to positive reinforcement, BLURT tally system, and weekly personality quiz responses leading to small group activities or discussions.
Data comparison between the pre and post test results display student attitudes and views of self at the start of the study and again at the conclusion of the study. Multiple choice questions were given with four options from most positive to least positive. Students responded to these questions to which possible
The chart above displays a break down analysis of the percentages found below within the infographic display of collected data. One student response is equivalent to 6.3%. The reaining percents are shown here.
answer most closely related to how they felt after reflecting back on their experience in the classroom thus far. These questions ranged from views of self as a learner, to how others may see them as a friend. The purpose of this particular self-assessment was to develop a general understanding of which skills my students felt they struggled with the most. These questions targeted the reflection of their ability to self regulate emotion, maintain friendships, make others feel welcomed and heard when communicating, the effort the student personally put in to school work and classroom behaviors. At the conclusion of the pre assessment, students were asked as a class to reflect in small groups why we took this quiz and if they had any questions that caused them to think about themselves personally. Observed conversations were primarily the same; students questioned their classmates to tell them how they felt they were as a friend to them. Many seemed unsure and began to really think about this concept at the start of the program. Students were often brought back to that question as the program progressed. They had two primary focuses: how do you view yourself and how do others view you.
Pre Test
Post Test
6.3%
How do you think you are doing in school: Analysis
Students were asked in this question to reflect upon how they view themselves in school, both academically and behaviorally. Based on a rating of 'doing great!' too ' I am not doing so great.' students placed themselves within the pre and post test where they felt they most closely related. Based on the results, only three of the sixteen felt they were doing great; eight students felt they were doing good; three students felt they were okay; two students felt they were not doing well in school. At the conclusion of the study, students took this same self-assessment one more time to track if their view of self after developing the desired skills helped them emotionally and behaviorally. In the post test, four students responded they were doing great, showing an increase of one response; eight students felt they were doing good, showing consistency with no change in responses; three students felt they were doing okay showing consistency with no change in responses; one student responded they felt they were not doing well in school, showing a decrease of one response.
With five students rating themselves less than successful in the pre assessment, I felt that my strategy of negative self talk tally system would be the most efficient data collection piece throughout the process of my study. This method began as a digital chart listing the daily date and number of negative self talk tallies observed throughout the day. Comments included things such as "I am stupid", "this is dumb", "I can't do this", etc. These examples were heard almost daily and continued to inhibit my students' confidence in course work. Participation was minimal in class causing behaviors to spike to hide their lack of confidence. This behaviors included things such as blurting comments, bullying students who often participated, or general distractions with other items on or around the desk areas.
These actions prompted the focus upon respecting their peers and their perspectives and experiences as valuable information. More specifically, instruction in the Sanford Harmony program focused on peer-to-peer communication. This began as simple questions that caused students to share similarities, likes and dislikes, or other personal views. The conversation was expanded into small group discussions about a given situation. Eventually games and group projects were incorporated to promote conversation among peers. Within the final week, observational notes taken by myself viewed positive peer communication with a randomly assigned partner. The project was to create their own unique board game within a week to play as a class in small groups. It was designed so that each group had a piece of equipment another group would need (ex: rulers, stencils, glue sticks, construction paper, compass). The final results led to students working together as a class to support one another in the creation of their product with me providing minimal to no support. When stepping back and watching other classmates playing their game, students showed pride in their final product and efforts in using their resources to accomplish something on their own. Overall, instructional decisions were altered as a direct result of the data collected displaying an expansive negative self-talk tally system. As student language originally focused on faults in their knowledge or more sensitive content about an individual's appearance or abilities, peer cooperation was minimal. However, as students began to learn more about appreciating unique perspectives in comparison to their own talents, students felt compelled to share their abilities and praise others for their accomplishments.
6.3%
How do you act towards others in school: Analysis
In this questions students were asked how they felt they act towards other in school, based on a rating of being 'great to their peers' to ' I am not kind to my peers'. Students then responded to which of the four options they felt they most identified with. Based on the results in the pre assessment, six students felt they were great friends to their peers; nine students responded that they are nice to most of their peers; one student responded they were nice to some of their peers; no student responded as being unkind to all of their peers. At the conclusion of the study, students took this self-assessment once more using their experiences and skills developed during their instruction time. In the post assessment, nine students responded they were a great friend to all of their peers, showing three more responses in the positive range; six students responded they were nice to most of their peers with a decrease of three students; one student responded they were nice to their peers showing consistency with no change; no student responded that they were unkind to all of their peers showing consistency and no change.
Only one student responded lower on the pre- and post-test displaying an interesting result. In this question, students reflected upon their words and actions compared to their peers. Specifically, they were to think about their peers and group them to whether they felt confident in their ability to make friends with all, most, some, or none of their classmates. As a result, the strategy selected to collect data to determine growth was deemed effective. To monitor this concept during instruction, I chose to utilize the strategy within the Stanford Harmony program, chapter five: Friendships. Specifically, students were shown an example script of two friends who were told a rumor was being spread about one of them; when they looked into this scenario, they uncovered that someone said they originally heard it from another friend. Students worked in small groups to discuss how to respond to the situation. Groups disputed what to do from two perspectives: the friend who started the rumor and the friend who the rumor was about. The resulting discussion centered around empathy and being able to see and feel from others perspectives. By providing guidance in self-awareness of words and actions when interacting with peers, students reflected on how others may view their personal reactions in everyday situations. Based on the above results, the data was used to influence decision making during instruction causing students to feel that they were more socially aware of the effects their actions or words may have on others around them, and their overall communication improved. Students stated they observed positive interactions with peers when they utilized positivity and self-awareness.
6.3%
How do you think others see you as a friend: Analysis
Students were asked in this question to reflect on their interactions with friends and selected an answer which most closely resembled how they felt their peers viewed them. Based on the rating between 'I am friends with everyone I meet' to 'don't have many friends', students responded to the answer closest to how they thought others viewed them as a friend. Based on the results in the pre-assessment, two students responded they are friends with everyone they meet'; seven students responded they have many friends; four students responded having some friends; two students responded that 'they don't have many friends'. At the conclusion of the study, students took this self-assessment once more using their experiences and skills developed during their instruction time. In the post assessment, no students responded they were 'friends with everyone they meet' with a decrease of two responses; eleven students responded they have many friends with an increase of four responses; four students responded they have some friends, showing consistency with no change; one student responded they don't have many friends' with a decrease of one response.
Based on the results above, growth was shown. Several students felt their attitudes greatly changed from not having many friends at all to having many friends. Students showed they truly reflected upon their experiences with their classmates and determined that they may not be friends with everyone they meet, but they felt more confident that they can make friends with individuals they encounter. Further analysis was done when our focus on chapter five: friendship came to our attention. Students were asked to analyze how their peers treat them when they respond in a specific way. One topic that was brought up was when they are trying to make the class laugh and interrupt class. The class debated whether this was acceptable or not. Notable responses were as follows: 1. not funny at all and extremely distracting in class, 2. funny every time, 3. it is okay in some instances, but sometimes it is too much. I appreciated the expansion of ideas, and how respectful students felt about sharing their personal views. No one discredited their peers' ideas and instead listened and responded with their personal views.
I brought up in their discussion the purpose of our BLURT system. This strategy is used to minimize the amount of class time disruptions and increase engagement; this system proved effective by providing redirection when not abided by with a reward they could work up to. The word B-L-U-R-T was written on the board each morning. Each time instruction was interrupted by inappropriate blurting, including noises, words, or other conversations, a letter was erased. At the conclusion of the day, the whole class collected the remaining letters not erased and added them to the class point chart. At the conclusion of the week, the number of letters earned represented the number of random names pulled from the class random name generator to choose a piece of candy or prize. However, if all letters were erased, they owed five minutes of recess to make up missed class time. The class related this to their view of the students who caused class disruptions. They discussed why they get frustrated in this instance when they are faced with five minutes less of recess time; they shared that they want to work as a class towards a large goal at the end of each month to earn a whole class prize. This opened the classroom discussion up to all students, even if their friend was the one causing the disruptions, they get mad. This was a meaningful lesson that caused a drastic turn in the BLURT tally count; it significantly lowered due to this discussion.
A result from observed change in the BLURT data was observed. At the beginning of the year, the average percent of remaining letters at the conclusion of the day was 20% (or one letter). This was due to the continued blurting of answers, noises, or other disruptions. As a result of the BLURT data, I sought a different strategy to improve the amount of in class disruptions. Because students discussed this issue in morning meeting, a small group discussion was held to problem solve on how to improve this situation. Ideas included previous class consequences such as each student having 3 tallies on their desk; each time they blurt they will have a tally erased. If tallies remain, each tally will represent a cotton ball added to a class reward jar to work for. Others requested a one-warning system in which the person who blurts receives one warning and then is removed from the room for a five-minute break. Upon whole group discussion, the warning system was used. As a result, at the conclusion of the action research, the average percent of remaining letters was 60% (or three letters) at the conclusion of the day.
6.3%
6.3%
6.3%
6.3%
As
As a learner, I feel that I am: Analysis
Students were asked in this question to reflect on their sixth grade experience and on their efforts to be successful in school. They were asked to respond to how they feel they are doing as a learner in the classroom, based on a rating between 'I never need help in school' to 'I always need help in school'. Based on the results of the pre-assessment, one student responded 'they never need help in school'; ten students responded they 'need help some of the time in school'; three students responded that they 'often need help in school'; two students 'always need help in school'. At the conclusion of the study, the same self-assessment was given as a post test to observe change over time. Based on the results, one student responded 'they never need help in school' showing consistency with no change; thirteen students responded 'they need help some of the time in school' with a positive increase of three responses; one student responded 'they often need help in school' with a negative decrease of two responses; one student responded 'they always need help in school' with a decrease of one response.
Based on the results above, growth was shown. Although no student response changed in the never needing help in school section, students showed growth by changing their responses from often or always needing help to the more positive view of needing help some of the time. At the beginning of the study, a daily tally was taken each time students uttered a negative comment about himself/herself. This tally was significantly beneficial to display to the class to show how many times they, as a collective, spoke negatively about themselves. Some days were a shocking ten plus in tallies; other days were as low as one or two. This number fluctuated depending on the days' events or subject matter being taught that day. We selected one day in which we focused on the numbers up to that day and created an anchor chart on which they each wrote one nice thing to say about themselves to replace the negative remark.
Along with the daily tally system, I selected two days each week for my teaching associate to enter the room and observe a lesson. During that time she took a tally of how many redirects were given compared to positive reinforcement. This ratio provided me with incentive to promote a more positive classroom environment in order to model supportive behaviors and language in order to create an environment built on confidence and empathy. In the beginning of the tally, redirections far out weighed the positive reinforcement. As a result of the data, my instructional decision was altered so my focus was on positive feedback. This feedback included praising students who displayed favorable behaviors and followed directions. This directly influenced students who chose to not follow directions to alter their behaviors in order to receive similar praise. Once behaviors were altered from unfavorable to favorable, praise was given. This method slowly corrected these actions within the room, thus altering student misbehaviors and my personal vocabulary for students.
BLURT Data Results
Based on the average week of five days, and the six week period my study underwent, the chart displays positive growth over time. BLURT containing five letters constitutes as five chances for students to lose a letter for disrupting instruction. The average was found by adding up all of the days final letter count and dividing it by number of days. For example, if the remaining letters were 1,1,2,1,1 at the conclusion of a five day week, you would add up these letters (1+1+2+1+1=6) and divid it by the number of days (6 / 5= 1.2). This not being a whole number can be rounded to a 1 representing one letter on average a day that given week.
Weeks 1 and 2 had an average of one letter remaining at the end of the day. Weeks 3 and 4 had an average of two letters remaining at the end of the day. Week 5 showed a positive increase of one letter more on average; this being approximately 3 letters a day. By week 6, the average letters remaining by the end of the day was 4 letters.
Summary of Results
It was based upon the results of the pre test that prompted the instructional strategies selected. Within the pre test, five students felt they were not doing well in school. This was observed within the classroom through negative self talk, and consistent interruptions to distract the learning process. This was tracked through the number of letters remaining at the conclusion of the day from BLURT, or interruptions during instruction. This was also tracked through daily negative self talk tallies. These directly correlated to the observed growth over time as more letters were left at the conclusion of the day, and less negative self talk tallies were recorded.
Five students recorded their lack of confidence in their abilities as a learner. They felt they were less than adequate at seeking out resources to be successful in their academic careers. As a result, an outside observation was performed three times each week to track the number of redirections given in relation to the positive reinforcements mentioned during that lesson. This dramatically changed the overall language use in the room to a more positive, and encouraging environment. Through continued modeling of support for their peers, it was observed within my notes that students language use changed. More positive words were used between peer to peer communication, peer conflict decreased significantly, and trust was developed within morning meeting discussions. This correlated with the negative self talk tallies recorded; as more positive language was used between students, overall enthusiasm for their unique gifts was visibly present. The shift in language use also connected to the 'Never Say' list that was enforced during week four of instruction. If one of the negative phrases or words were mentioned by a student in regards to themselves or others, they would owe one minute per phrase/word during recess. This drastically changed the classroom environment to one of support, empathy, and thoughtful communication.
These strategies directly coincide with the final post test. Two students believed that they could improve as learner, showing a difference of three students. Four students said they felt they were working on their skills within the classroom further, showing a differences of one student. Initially, seven students felt they were comfortable in terms of the number of friends they have. This number increased to eleven students, with a growth of four students. They felt more secure about their relationships with classmates after targeted instruction to build trust among peers and build the skills necessary to handle conflict. This positive growth was showcased within the classroom during peer to peer communication for academic purposes and recreational purposes. With the desired goal to maintain a growth mindset, our classroom community was built upon mutual understanding and acceptance for one another.
These results suggest that the use of social and emotional strategies had a positive effect on students’ ability to use social and emotional strategies to improve peer to peer communication, conflict resolution, and self regulation strategies. Specifically, the results suggest that the use of social and emotional strategies can be used to improve student behavior in the classroom through skill development.
Triangulation
Triangulation of data is the connection between strategies used during the study to track student growth over time in direct relation to the intervention techniques selected to improve social and emotional learning.
Based on the above results, the validity of the study is evident. Student behavior, classroom language, and peer to peer interactions improved. These strategies consisted of both qualitative and quantitative data being collected in order to guide instructional decisions based on students social and emotional responses to the selected intervention strategies.
Student Growth
Classroom Observation
Morning Meeting Instruction
Pre and Post Test Data
Pre and post tests served as a way to monitor student perspective of self and overall emotional and social mindset. On its own, these responses served no instructional purposes. In direction correlation to the morning meeting instruction however, specific instructional lessons designed to aid in student growth in the areas of peer to peer communication, conflict resolution, and self regulation. Instruction in these areas provided students the ability to experience peer discussions and trust-building activities. These instructional activities and discussions connected to the observed classroom behaviors and interactions. These positive interactions were displayed through constructive language use and student relationships with peers both in and outside of the classroom.
Other Data Collection Methods
BLURT Data
This strategy was used to minimize the amount of class time disruptions and increase engagement; this system proved effective by providing a reward they could work up to, rather than as a discipline when not followed. The word B-L-U-R-T was written on the board each morning. Each time instruction was interrupted by inappropriate blurting, including noises, words, or other conversations, a letter was erased. At the conclusion of the day, the whole class collected the remaining letters not erased and added them to the class point chart. At the conclusion of the week, the number of letters earned represented the number of random names pulled from the class random name generator to choose a piece of candy or prize. However, if all letters were erased, they would owe five minutes of recess to make up missed class time.