Reference no: EM133581907

Assignment: Autism & Potty Training

As part of the capstone requirements, design an Autism Action Research Project that is part of each course in the program of study. The topic for the project is your choice, but it must be focused on students with autism or some aspect of teaching and autism that is relevant to your professional interests and goals. A practical purpose of this capstone project is for you to investigate scholarly research in your autism area of interest and conduct your own action research. Review "Autism Action Research Project Overview" to become familiar with the project specifics.

The next step in the action research project is to examine your role in the action research project, identify ethical considerations and principles you need to consider as part of the project, and plan how you will implement the project. Refer to the "Autism Action Research Project Template" for details about how to complete the assignment and carefully review "Chapter 11: Conducting Teacher Action Research." Utilize the "MA: Autism Spectrum Disorder Library Guide" as needed to complete the topic assignment.

Autism Action Research Project Template

Part I: Action Research Focus

The first step in action research is to select a focus for your research. Reflect on what element of professional practice or what aspect of student learning you would like to investigate. The topic must be focused on students with autism or some aspect of teaching and autism. However, you should be able to implement your project in a familiar environment to identify needs that directly affect your work with students or participants.

When selecting a topic, ensure that it is not too broad or narrow and that you will have enough to research and write about. To select a focus, use the prompts below as a guide in developing an action research question focused on an aspect of practice with autistic students or practices in autism:

A. I would like to improve...
B. Something I would like to change is...
C. I am perplexed by...
D. I am very curious and want to learn more about...
E. An idea I would like to try in my class is...
F. Some people are unhappy about...
G. Something I think would really make a difference is...

Directions: Complete each template section shown below.

List a topic idea you are interested in researching within the area of autism/autism education.

Consider the following questions related to your selected topic:

A. What do I already know? (Put the problem in context.)
B. What do I need to know? (Describe the precise issue the research will address.)
C. Why do I need to know it? (Show the relevance of the problem.)
D. What will I need to do to find out? (Set the objectives of the research.)

Describe specific content areas, theories, and ideas you would need to research and study for this topic.

Describe how you would state the topic of choice as a problem statement. The problem statement should specifically describe who is affected, supported causes of the problem, the goal for improvement, and what might be done about the problem as stated.

A. Put the problem in context (What do Ialready know?)
B. Describe the precise issue that the research will address (What do Ineed to know?)
C. Show the relevance of the problem (Why do Ineed to know it?)
D. Set the objectives of the research (What will I do to find out?)

Problem Statement:

Once you have written your problem statement, develop a research question. Pose a question or questions related to your topic that will focus your research specifically.
Research Questions:

Describe the expected outcome of your research. Discuss the significance of your research and how it is intended to improve the education of students with autism.

Part II: Annotated Bibliography

In Part I of the Autism Action Research Project you created the problem statement and research questions. The next step in the action research project is to begin compiling research in the form of an annotated bibliography. Using the topic you selected in Part I, conduct research using the existing body of literature that pertains to your topic. You will use this research to make decisions and inform the autism action research project as you learn more about your selected topic.

Locate a minimum of 8 to 10 peer-reviewed articles that pertain to your topic using the GCU Library and the MA: Autism Spectrum Disorder Library Guide. These articles may include any scholarly work such as journal articles, position papers, a discipline-specific handbook of research, etc. However, the majority must be peer-reviewed, primary research articles (i.e., the researchers collected, analyzed, and reported on their own data). Sources should be current except in the case of seminal studies or theoretical work that continues to influence contemporary thought.

Create an annotated bibliography that summarizes and classifies your findings by following these steps:

A. Use the library to search for and locate journals and articles relevant to your topic/research questions.

B. Read the abstracts and skim the articles to determine whether they correspond well to your topic/research questions.

C. Sort and classify the articles. Methods of classification include chronological (based on when articles were published), by trend, by theme, or methodologically (based on the research methods used by the researcher or writer).

D. Write the annotated bibliography including the citation for each source and an annotation of 150-200 words.

Part III: Literature Review Outline

In Part II of the Autism Action Research Project you created the annotated bibliography. Now that you have developed research questions, conducted research, and completed the annotated bibliography, it is time to organize your information. Create an outline that includes the following:

A. Introduction: Establishes the context of your review to readers.

1. Define the topic of your research, including the problem statement, and provide any necessary background information that helps readers to understand.

2. Explain your perspective for the literature review, including the theory or framework you are building the project around.

3. State your research questions.

B. Body: Explains the organizational framework of your findings and describes the findings from the research that support your research questions.

1. Introduce the body of the literature review by explaining how the research was classified.

2. Describe the themes identified and compare and contrast the research selected.

C. Conclusion: Connects the literature review back to the context of your topic of study.

1. Present your main findings from the literature reviewed.

2. Specifythe information particularly important to your research questions presented in the first paragraph of your review.

Keep in mind that building your outline will help you complete the literature review in the next course.

Part IV: Literature Review

In Part III of the Autism Action Research Project you created the Literature Review Outline. The literature review should provide a comprehensive review of the literature related to the research problem. It may contain theories and models relevant to the problem, a historical overview of the problem, current trends related to the problem, and significant research data published about the problem. The literature review should be 1,250 to 1,500 words and address the following.

A. Introduction: Establish the context of your review to readers. You should define the topic of your research and provide any necessary background information that helps readers understand. Explain your perspective for the literature review and clearly state your research questions.

B. Body: Explain the organizational framework of your findings. Describe the findings from the research that support your research questions and explain how the research was classified. Each paragraph should describe the themes identified and compare and contrast the research selected.

C. Summary: Summarize your main findings from the literature reviewed and highlight information that is particularly important to your research questions. Conclude the literature review by connecting back to the context of your topic of study.

D. References: Cite all the references used in the literature review using APA 7th edition format.

The full literature review does not need to be added the template and can be submitted as a separate document for this part of the project.

This will become the literature review section of your paper in the capstone course.

Part V: Researcher Role, Ethical Considerations, and Project Planning

In Part IV of the Autism Action Research Project you created the Outline/Literature Review. At this point in your project, you have identified the problem statement and research questions for your project along with supporting research. The nature of action research allows a holistic approach to problem-solving and a variety of research tools to be used in your project. In this assignment you will choose and develop the researcher role and the participants you will use for your autism action research project.

As the researcher, your role in this autism action research is to produce a mutually agreeable outcome for all participants and to develop methods to continue the work. You will execute your project in a real-world situation that involves close and open communication among the people involved. You hold a primary role in your autism action research project. This means you must consider ethical principles in the development and implementation of your work. Additionally, you will need to consider methods for organizing and analyzing your data.

Action research methods commonly use qualitative research and include:

A. Document collection and analysis
B. Participant observation recordings
C. Case studies
D. Observing individuals or groups
E. Using audio and video tape recording
F. Using structured or semi-structured interviews
G. Taking field notes
H. Using analytic memos
I. Using or taking photographs
J. Distributing surveys or questionnaires

Directions: Complete each template section shown belowto identify your role in the action research project, the ethical considerations of the project, and describe your research context, including the where and the who.

Typical roles for action research include:

A. Planner leader
B. Catalyzer
C. Facilitator
D. Teacher
E. Designer
F. Listener
G. Observer
H. Synthesizer
I. Reporter

Task

A. What is my role in the project?

B. How do I define my role and connect it to the purpose of my project?

C. Where am I going to conduct this study?

D. Where will I gather the data?

E. What is the specific context in which the study will be conducted (i.e., school population, the classroom environment, curriculum)?

F. In what kind of place am I gathering data?

G. Who will be the participants in this research?

H. How will I select the participants?

I. What is my relationship to the people involved?

J. Do I need to gain permission from parents, guardians, or others? If so, how will I gain this consent?

K. How will I assure participants that they will be protected from harm and that they will not be exposed to risks?

L. How will I ensure that the participants or others involved have been consulted, and that the principles guiding the work are accepted in advance by all?

M. How will I ensure the development of the work will remain visible and open to suggestions from others?

N. How will I ensure that participants are kept confidential?

O. What is my general approach to research design (experimental, case study, qualitative, etc.)?

You will continue to look at methodology in the next course.

Part VI: Methodology

In Part V of the Autism Action Research Project you identified your role as a researcher and participant. Now, you are ready to further develop the methodology part of your study.

Directions: Complete each template section shown below to identify your methodology and the plan for data analysis.

A. What is the chosen research method? Explain this in detail as it relates to your project.

B. How and why did I choose this approach?

C. What important kinds of data will I explore?

D. What specific methods of data analysis will I use? Meaning, how will I review the data I gather?

E. What are my tentative plans for data analysis?

F. How do I plan to organize and analyze data as I collect it?

G. How will I plan for more intensive analysis once the process of data collection has been completed?

H. How much time do I expect to spend doing each of the implementations, data collection, and data analysis activities?

I. What is my week-by-week research timeline?

Using your answers above and from Part 5, summarize the information above by writing a 250-500 word description of your methodology in the space below.

The methodology should focus on the following:

A. Identification of the specific population and sample of your proposed study

B. Explanation about how participants will be selected

C. Explanation of the instrumentation to be used for the study

D. Description of data collection and analysis methods to be used

E. Concluding summary

Methodology Summary:

This will become the methodology section of your paper in the capstone course.

Part VII: Data Collection/Implementation

In Part VI of the Autism Action Research Project you identified your project role, ethical considerations, and the plan for data analysis. At this point it is time to put your project plan into action. Your Autism Action Research Project allows you to implement it in your own environment, with students or other participants, to identify needs that directly affect your work with students or participants. This is the place where research and practice intersect, and actual change can occur. As you implement the project and collect your data, your research actions can be seen, and you can enhance your professional skills.

Directions: As you begin your implementation, complete each template section shown below to explain the implementation goals of your autism action research and document your data collection activities.

A. State your identified goals for your autism action research project.

B. Describe the implementation timeline related to your goals.

C. List specific objectives you have for the project/research.

D. Explain how you will evaluate your progress.

Data Collection: In the sections below, specify the data to be collected about the research topic. Include the data source and how often the data will be collected. Add rows as needed to reflect your data collection activities.

Data Source        Data Being Collected         How Data is Collected

You do not need to submit your raw data. However, ensure that you have applied ethical research expectations for handling, distributing, and storing the data.

Part VIII: Data Analysis and Reflection on Research Practice

In Part VII of the Autism Action Research Project you collected data and implemented the action research project. Now you are ready to interpret and analyze the data you collected and identify major themes. It is the time when you act on evidence using this data analysis, and work to design a plan of action that will allow you to make a change in practice.

Directions: Complete each template section shown below to analyze the data collected, identify major themes, and assess the effects of your work.

A. Explain how you triangulated, compared, and organized the data.

B. Describe the visual representations you created for the data.

C. Statethe major themes/core findings that you identified based upon the data.

D. State the conclusions and implications of the data and how that information can be used to address the research questions.

E. Assess the effects of your research and determine if the expected outcomes occurred. If so, does the data clearly provide supporting evidence of this? If not, what changes can be made to the actions in order to elicit better results?

F. Describe any additional questions that were raised by the data.

G. Describe the plans you have for additional improvements, revisions, and next steps.

H. Explain how you will continue to reflect, document, and collect further data on the identified need.

I. Describe how you will disseminate your findings.

Summarize the information above by writing 500 to 750 words related to your data analysis and plan of action that will allow you to make a change in practice and help you effectively address the problem statement.

The conclusions should focus on the following.

A. Summary of the problem statement

B. How the data was analyzed

C. Major themes/core findings and conclusions of the action research

D. Implications of the data on the research questions and any additional questions raised

E. Suggestions for improvements, next steps/future research, and the dissemination of findings, including citing research findings as support

Conclusions:

This will become the conclusions section of your paper in the capstone course.

Part IX: Cover Page, Abstract, and Introduction

In Part VIII of the Autism Action Research Project you analyzed the data you collected. This is the culmination of your Autism Action Research Project, where you will act on evidence using the data analysis, and work to design a plan of action that will allow you to make a change in practice.

The final part in the project is to build the cover page, abstract, and introduction for the paper you will complete and submit in the capstone course. Creating the abstract and introduction is often done most easily upon completion of the project so that the information provided is accurate based upon the results of the action research. Create the following in preparation for the final paper. Each of these will be their own page of the final paper.

A. Cover page

B. Abstract (no more than 150 words): Provide an overview of the study and details about the intent, significance, and goals of the research. Include keywords that identify your study.

C. Introduction (250 to 500 words): Provide background information about the project focus including why the study was proposed, what you were hoping to learn/understand, the problem statement, goals of the project, the research questions, and the significance of the study.

References