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Action Research Project Written Report

Action Research Project Written Report

Introduction

Changes have occurred in the educational system over time, most noticeably with the advent of electronic tools for teaching and learning. Using educational games and tools to increase student engagement is one of the most talked-about developments in cutting-edge technology. The Marco Polo Learning Tool is an interactive online curriculum for kids ages 3-7 to foster intellectual, physical, and social growth (Armstrong, 2018). This resource can be accessed from any internet-enabled device and features games, videos, and interactive information. In this study, I aim to determine if implementing the Marco Polo Learning Tool into the classroom does increase student interest and participation (Armstrong, 2018). There is little evidence that this tool increases student engagement, despite claims that it provides kids with a more entertaining and dynamic learning environment.

The problem statement is determining whether using the Marco Polo Learning Tool in the classroom increases student interest and participation and the potential effects of SEL practices made easier by the tool on students’ academic achievement. By examining the effect of this particular tool on student involvement and examining the connection between SEL practices and academic advancement within the Kiddie Academy VPK program, the study seeks to close the gap in the literature. A number of studies have investigated the effectiveness of educational games and technologies in maintaining students’ interest.

According to the findings of a study by Alqahtani, the utilization of educational games has been demonstrated to increase students’ involvement and motivation (2018). In another study, Lu et al. (2018) found that students who used interactive technology in the classroom were more interested in the material being taught and could better remember it afterward. The Marco Polo Learning Tool has only been the focus of a limited number of empirical studies, even though evidence indicates that it raises students’ interest in learning. Kim et al. (2019) researched an online teaching tool comparable to one they found to improve student engagement successfully.

When investigating whether or not using educational games in the classroom will boost student engagement, Balcikanli and Yildiz (2021) stumbled onto a similar inquiry barrier. The findings showed that students exhibited higher levels of interest and motivation when they were able to participate in educational games. My research is warranted since there is a lack of literature on the tool I am examining, despite the significance of educational games and tools for boosting student engagement. This is because there is a material shortage on the instrument I am analyzing.

A teacher at Kiddie Academy is expected to pique the interest of their pupils and encourage the children’s growth as individuals capable of learning. This study evaluates the link between social-emotional learning (SEL) practices and programs and academic achievement, with a specific emphasis on Marco Polo as the focus of the investigation. Since it plays an essential part in supporting students in developing skills such as communication, cooperation, problem-solving, and decision-making, social-emotional learning (SEL) must be included in every curriculum. In addition, the development of skills such as self-awareness, self-management, and self-regulation via SEL is a critical component of academic accomplishment. SEL may help students acquire these skills. It is for this reason that it is of the highest significance to investigate how SEL might affect the academic progress of kids while they are in the classroom.

To increase the number of children who participate in the Kiddie Academy VPK program, this research aims to examine the many ways in which the learning tool known as Marco Polo may be included in the curriculum for the program. As a metric for determining the level of engagement among the student body, we will look at the number of students who take an active role in the various activities that take place in the classroom, such as submitting their work on time and contributing to the various topics that are brought up in class discussions.

Research Question

How can I use the Marco Polo learning tool to increase student engagement in my VPK class at Kiddie Academy as measured by an increase in the number of students completing assignments and participating in class discussions?

Literature Review

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been identified as a critical element of a successful education system. The literature on SEL is overgrowing, focusing on understanding the impact of SEL programs on various outcomes, such as classroom climate, academic achievement, and social-emotional skills. Recent studies have shown that SEL programs can positively impact academic skills. For example, McCormick et al. (2021) studied the long-term effects of an SEL program, INSIGHTS, on academic skills. The study found that INSIGHTS positively impacted academic performance, even after two years. Furthermore, Aygün and Taşkın (2022) examined the effect of an SEL program on social-emotional skills, academic achievement, and classroom climate. The results indicated that the SEL program positively impacted all three outcomes.

The research done by Malhotra et al. (2021) studying the effects of a curriculum-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program on schoolgirls in rural Uganda offers insightful information on the advantages of SEL interventions in this particular setting. The study’s results show that the SEL program improved the social and emotional skills of the schoolgirls, with a focus on increases in self-esteem and self-regulation abilities. The benefits of SEL programs for improving social-emotional skills, classroom atmosphere, and academic achievement have been well demonstrated in the literature. This rural Ugandan research emphasizes that SEL interventions may successfully enhance results for schoolgirls in underprivileged and underserved communities, which adds to the body of data on the subject. Such programs may help create a more encouraging and caring learning environment by emphasizing the development of social-emotional skills and encouraging healthy academic and psychological growth.

Future studies should emphasize examining the most efficient methods to deploy SEL programs in addition to examining the impact of SEL on different groups. This entails looking at the length, rigor, and dose of treatments and pinpointing the essential elements and tactics of SEL’s positive effects on students’ social-emotional competence and general well-being. The sustainability and scalability of SEL initiatives must also be taken into account, particularly in environments with limited resources. To ensure long-term effectiveness and broad acceptance of SEL interventions, it is crucial to develop scalable, affordable models that can be incorporated into current educational frameworks.

The research by Malhotra et al. (2021), which shows increases in social-emotional abilities, self-esteem, and self-regulation among schoolgirls in rural Uganda, concludes that SEL programs favorably influence these students. The larger body of evidence affirms that SEL interventions have the potential to improve student academic achievement, classroom atmosphere, and social-emotional well-being. Additional study is required to understand the impacts of SEL in various groups and circumstances and determine the most efficient implementation approaches for scalable and sustainable treatments.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Marco Polo Learning Tool in improving student engagement in the classroom.

Research Design

For this research, a qualitative research design has been used. Qualitative research is a sort of research that investigates the subjective experiences, emotions, and views of persons (Allan, 2020). This study’s research plan ideally matches its purpose because it will allow the researcher to investigate how and why the VPK kids at Kiddie Academy use the Marco Polo educational platform.

Participants

Nine children who are now enrolled in Kiddie Academy’s VPK program will serve as participants in this research. To choose participants for the study, we will utilize a method known as purposeful sampling, which is a kind of non-random sampling in which people are chosen based on specific criteria. The participants in the study will consist of VPK students who volunteered to participate in the research and will get priority for selection. Even though only nine students are represented in the sample, this is considered a suitable amount for qualitative research. This is due to the fact that it enables the researcher to get a decent sense of what the students are going through.

Data Collection

The data for this research will be gathered using a combination of observation and semi-structured interviews. Observation will be the primary data collection method and will be used to analyze the student’s level of involvement and participation in the classroom. This involvement and participation will be measured by things like the student’s contribution to class discussions and the completion of assigned work. The researcher will carry out the observations during the VPK class, and field notes will be gathered to capture the activities and behaviors of the students.

We are just going to conduct semi-structured interviews to obtain the thoughts and impressions that pupils have about the Marco Polo tool. After the VPK session, the researcher will conduct interviews with the students. During these interviews, the students will be given open-ended questions at many points. The researcher will have the chance to work on in-depth analyses of the student’s experiences and ideas, which will be of tremendous use to the project. This is because we will utilize a semi-structured format for the interviews. In spite of this, some structure will still be maintained to ensure that each participant will be asked the same thing and that there will be no repeat.

The researcher is going to participate in a number of different tasks in order to guarantee that the data are of high quality and that they can be depended upon. The researcher will start by carrying out the observations, during which they will be careful to take extensive notes on the activities and interactions among the children while they are out in the field. These activities and interactions will be observed while the children are playing together. To ensure they have acquired all of the pertinent data, the researcher will record and transcribe the semi-structured interviews they conducted. A technique known as triangulation, which requires the researcher to obtain information from a range of sources, will add to the credibility of the study. Triangulation is one of the methods that contribute to the study’s credibility. Interviews and observations will both be carried out simultaneously to guarantee the trustworthiness of the data that is acquired and to ensure that it reflects the real experiences and opinions of the students.

Data Analysis

The information gathered will be evaluated using several different qualitative methods, such as content analysis and coding based on grounded theory. Content analysis, which involves coding and classifying the data, is one of the qualitative methods that may be used to uncover repeating themes and patterns within the data. This analysis is one of the qualitative techniques that can be employed. This study aims to use content analysis to uncover recurrent patterns and topics that emerge from the experiences and viewpoints of students who have used the Marco Polo teaching tool. The student’s responses to the survey questions will be the primary source material for these experiences and perspectives.

The interpretation of qualitative data may be accomplished in various ways, one of which is by using coding directed by grounded theory. This is only one of the many possible approaches. The implementation of grounded theory coding will take place so that an analysis can be done to determine the impact that Marco Polo has had on the level of academic motivation shown by the children participating in the VPK program at Kiddie Academy. The research results will be presented in a way that is not only easy to understand but also gets right to the heart of the matter. The results that are regarded to be the most important will be given particular emphasis, as will the importance of these findings concerning using the Marco Polo teaching tool in classrooms for children in preschool and kindergarten.

In a nutshell, this research project aims to evaluate, within the context of a VPK class at Kiddie Academy, how implementing the Marco Polo learning tool influences the levels of interest and accomplishment among the kids. Through qualitative observation and interviews with students, this research will provide insight into how students’ opinions of the tool’s utility and its influence on their involvement in class have developed throughout the course of the study. This will be accomplished through the use of student interviews. The classroom will serve as the location for these interviews and observations to take place. This kind of study has the potential to help teachers figure out how to make use of technology in a manner that would capture the interest of even their youngest pupils in the subject of education. This is one of the many possible applications of this sort of research. This is because it has the ability to assist instructors in finding out how to utilize technology in an engaging manner, which is one of the reasons why it is so important.

Reference

Allan, G. (2020). Qualitative research. In  Handbook for research students in the social sciences (pp. 177-189). Routledge.

Armstrong, B. (2018).  Educational development and technology. Scientific e-Resources.

Aygün, H. E., & Taşkın, Ç. Ş. (2022). The Effect of Social-Emotional Learning Program on Social-Emotional Skills, Academic Achievement, and Classroom Climate. Psycho-Educational Research Reviews, 11(1), 59-76.

Malhotra, N., Ayele, Z. E., Zheng, D., & Amor, Y. B. (2021). Improving social and emotional learning for schoolgirls: An impact study of curriculum-based socio-emotional education in rural Uganda. International Journal of Educational Research, 108, 101778.

McCormick, M. P., Neuhaus, R., O’Connor, E. E., White, H. I., Horn, E. P., Harding, S., … & McClowry, S. (2021). Long-term effects of social-emotional learning on academic skills: Evidence from a randomized INSIGHTS trial. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 14(1), 1-27.

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