- Does the problem focus on a real problem in practice?
The problem that the researcher plans to study is the decline in female participation in sports from middle school to high school levels. Tom tells us that there is a high amount of participation when the girls are in middle school and then as they reach high school, the level of participation is significantly low. This is a real problem in Mr. William’s practice.
- Does the researcher plan to study his or her own practices or plan to collaborate with community members?
As the physical education coordinator, participation would be something that Mr. Williams values. He plans to study the reason for lack of participation from females and hopes to learn what he can change within his own practice. In his review, Mr. Williams suggests that if some of the necessary changes are low cost, he will implement them immediately. The students who will participate in the surverys are the community members that he will survey. I would be interested in also knowing results of a survey done on parents of participants and teachers of the participants involved.
- Does the project include careful reflection about the problem?
Because I am female, I feel as though I have a slightly different reflection on this. I was one of those students who participated in all sports in middle school and almost none in high school. There were several reasons for this. 1. I think that girls have an extreme fear of acceptance. In my own case, I was never that good at sports, naturally my participation dwindled as I always felt like I was a ‘benchwarmer’ and it became a waste of my time. In middle school, it wasn’t a big deal, but in high school, girls are more concerned about what other people think. Also, sports become more competitive and serious in high school and some people don’t enjoy that aspect of it. 2. High school was a lot more about academics than middle school. 3. My family encouraged me to work throughout high school and sports take a lot of time and dedication.
I have coached basketball for 4 seasons. I know that committing to sports takes a lot of time and dedication. It makes sense to me that the level of participation is lower in high school as people are trying to establish themselves and work a little bit in order to start learning to be more self-sufficient.
I believe that the data collected in this research will cover all of the above pieces of reflection.
- Does the researcher plan to gather several sources of information (e.g. quantitative and qualitative procedures)?
Mr. Williams, plans to begin his research with data that is already available within the school including numbers of participants. Next, he will conduct a literature search on female participation trends in sports. He will then use a mixed method sequential approach. I believe this is an appropriate method of research for this problem. The quantitative results in this research are necessary in order to provide a general idea and explanation of numbers of participants. The qualitative data, which will be collected from focus groups made up of 6-8 kids, will provide a deeper understanding of why the problem exists and will build on the quantitative results. Mr. William’s will incorporate a Likert scale to learn about opinions on participation. After this data is collected, he will take on a quantitative research approach, using a focus group setting which will allow participants to openly discuss and suggest solutions to the problem. When all of the data is gathered, Mr. Williams will analyze the data and look for patterns. At this point, he will analyze his own practices to see what can be changed. Mr. Williams will monitor and ensure that the participation levels increase and that the changes he has implemented are working.
- Does the researcher develop a clear plan for addressing the problem?
The researcher develops and explains his plan for gathering and acting on the information. His plan is clear, concise and contains enough details in order for someone to have a clear and proficient understanding of the plan.
- Does the project include reflecting, thinking, looking, and gathering information and acting?
Yes, the researcher includes reflecting, thinking, looking and gathering information and acting upon it. He plans to gather significant amounts of data from various sources and provides a clear plan for analyzing the results and making a plan for implementing change.
- Will the results of the procedure enhance the lives of those involved?
The results have potential to enhance the lives of those involved. If the girls really enjoy the sports and aren’t participating because of variables beyond their control, such as part time jobs or academics, then the chance to participate will enhance their lives. I
If the girls just simply don’t enjoy the sports that are offered and they continue to not want to participate, their lives will not be enhanced.