group action research project 1 examining teaching styles...

Running Head: GROUP ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT 1

Group Action Research Project 1

Examining Teaching Styles

Krystal York and Taylor Recsnik

University of North Texas

Fall 2014

GROUP ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT 2

Personal Reflection for Taylor Recsnik

1. What did you learn about action research from this assignment? What did you learn

about yourself and/or others—as a learner, teacher, and/or researcher? What are the

implications for you and your classroom? Are there goals to set, changes to make, and/or

areas to work on? Also, include a copy of your Group Action Research handout (see step

3) with your reflection.

From this assignment I learned many things about action research and myself. Action

research is something that is to be done to directly influence the research and the participants.

I was hesitant about this action research at first because I was unfamiliar with the topic being

researched. This required me to delve into articles to shed light onto the Grasha-Riechmann

Teaching Style Survey and the different teaching styles identified in the survey. Review of

literature is an important component to action research. This will be key in determining how

to execute my own action research later in the course. I also gained experience with looking at

data through different lens of age, gender, teaching assignment, and years of experience.

Looking through different lens is only an option when demographic information is collected.

Sometimes this will not be necessary to conduct the research, but in the case it allowed us to

draw more conclusions. By reviewing other action research articles, and by writing our own, I

learned how useful color coded charts and graphs can be in supporting data conclusions. The

graphics provided additional support to the arguments made. Also through this experience I

have an increased awareness of how participant samples have the ability to skew data or not

provide enough data. I found it very difficult with only eight data sets to make any conclusive

generalizations about the teaching styles. As a researcher this has implications on how I will

strive to maintain a participant sample that will not cause invalid/inaccurate data.


I also learned about myself through the completion of this action research project. I learned

that my dominant teaching styles are formal authority, personal model, and delegator, and my

secondary teaching styles are expert and facilitator. This rings true to me because I do like to

set clear expectations for my students, model the expectations, and hold students accountable.

I also know that these styles can change depending on the content being covered and kids in

the classroom. Some groups will require more of an expert teaching style, and some students

will require more of a facilitator. The key is knowing many different types of teaching styles

exist, as well as learning styles, and to be successful it is important to match the teaching style

with the learning style of the student. I can be a better teacher since my awareness is increased

and thus too, my sensitivity.

An ongoing goal of mine is continual improvement, and having the data about myself and

my teaching styles will enable me to continue to improve as an educator. By having the

experience of completing this action research I am better equipped to take on my own action

research.


Name Krystal Doss and Taylor Recsnik

Group #

Group Action Research Project I

1. In general, what topic was studied in your action research project?

The topic studied in the action research was teaching styles.

2. What was/were the research question(s) addressed in your action research project?

What teaching style is most common among graduate students enrolled in the class

Curriculum and Instruction Inquiry 1 during the fall semester of 2014?

3. Who was involved in this study (as subjects), and what were their personal/

demographic characteristics? How were they chosen?

The eight participants were chosen based on their enrollment in the Curriculum and

Instruction Inquiry 1 course during the fall semester of 2014 at the University of North

Texas. Three participants (37.5%) are male, and five participants (62.5%) are female. Five

participants (62.5%) are between the ages of 24 and 29, two participants (25%) are between

the ages 32 and 33, and one participant (12.5%) is 47 years old. Five participants (62.5%)

are Caucasian, two participants (25%) are Hispanic, and one participant (12.5%) is

Arabian. Five participants (62.5%) teach in a primary classroom, and three participants

(37.5%) teach in a secondary classroom. Two participants (25%) have 1-3 years’

experience, four participants (50%) have 4-5 years’ experience, and two participants (25%)

have 7-10 years’ experience.


4. What tests/measures were used in this study? When and how were these

administered?

The Grasha-Riechmann Teaching Style Survey was used to assess the various

teaching styles of students currently enrolled in 5710. The test was administered between

the dates of September 1-9, 2014 using an online format.

5. How did you choose to organize, analyze, and report the data?

The data was first reported in a table. Scores for each teaching style were coded as

high, moderate, or low and the numerical score was also given. Based on the data, pie

charts were created to show percentages of responses within the teaching styles, and a bar

graph was made to show individual responses. Furthermore, the data was organized by

certain criterion such as gender, age, years of experience, and ethnicity to search for

additional connections to the teaching styles.

Gender Age Ethnicity Teaching Assignment Number of Years

Teaching

Female 24 Caucasian Physical Education; Golf 3+

Male 32 Caucasian English 5

Female 47 Caucasian 4th grade self-contained

elementary teacher 10

Male 33 Hispanic Science

Specialist/Coach(Elementary) 7

Female 29 Hispanic K-5 Resource-classroom for

children with disabilities 4

Female 27 Caucasian 3rd grade 4

Male 27 Arabian English 5

Female 24 Caucasian 2nd Grade 1


6. Based on the data analysis, what results were found? (Use numerical and descriptive

information in answering this question. Attach tables/graphs with tallies, %s, means,

etc.)

The table below shows the participant scores for each teaching style.

Expert Formal Authority Personal Model Facilitator Delegator

Level Score Level Score Level Score Level Score Level Score

Moderate 3.38 High 3.375 Moderate 3.125 Moderate 3.5 High 3.38

Moderate 3.63 High 4 High 4.125 High 4.13 High 3.63

Low 2.7 High 3.7 Moderate 3.3 Moderate 3.8 High 3.7

Moderate 3.63 High 3.75 High 3.75 High 5 High 4.63

Moderate 3 Moderate 2.75 Moderate 3.375 Moderate 3.75 Moderate 3.38

Moderate 3.38 High 3.625 High 4.125 Moderate 3.88 High 3.25

High 4.25 High 3.5 High 3.625 High 4.25 High 4

Low 2.7 High 3.7 Moderate 3 High 4.1 High 3.5

Teacher oriented Student oriented

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Expert Formal Authority Personal Model Facilitator Delegator

Teaching Styles

Low Moderate High


It is glaringly obvious from the data that the teaching style least preferred by the tested

sample is ‘expert’, or teacher-centered, with 25% of the participants scoring ‘low’, and 63%

scoring ‘moderate’. This is in stark contrast to the opposite end of the spectrum, ‘delegator’ with

88% of participants scoring ‘high’. Interesting, 88% of the participants also scored ‘high’ in the

‘formal authority’ teaching category. In the categories of ‘personal model’ and ‘facilitator’ 50%

of participants scored ‘moderate’ and 50% scored high’.

When the data is organized by the participants’ age, the participants > age 30 score ‘high’

in all categories barring ‘expert’. Percentages hold fairly stable for participants < age 30.

Delegator

Moderate High

Facilitator

Moderate High

Personal Model

Moderate High

Expert

Low Moderate High

Formal Authority

Moderate High


Looking at the data through the lens of years of experience, participants with 5+

years of experience score ‘high’ in all categories barring ‘expert’. The participants with 1

year of experience and the participant with 10 years of experience both score ‘low’ in the

style of ‘expert’. Participants between 3 and 4 years of experience score ‘moderate’ in both

‘expert’ and ‘facilitator’.

Data Organized by Years of Experience

Years of Experience Expert

Formal Authority

Personal Model Facilitator Delegator

1 Low High Moderate High High

3 Moderate High Moderate Moderate High

4 Moderate High High Moderate High

4 Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate

5 High High High High High

5 Moderate High High High High


10 Low High High High High

Data Organized by Age Range

Age Expert

Formal

Authority

Personal

Model Facilitator Delegator

24 Moderate High Moderate Moderate High

24 Low High Moderate High High

27 Moderate High High Moderate High

27 High High High High High

29 Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate



47 Low High High High High


The data organized by gender reveal that the male participants scored ‘high’ in all

teaching styles barring ‘expert’. The female participants account for all the ‘moderate’

scores in the areas of ‘formal authority’, ‘personal model’, ‘facilitator’, and ‘delegator’.

Only one participant scored ‘high’ in the ‘expert’ style, and this participant is male.

Data Organized by Gender

Gender Expert Formal Authority


Male High High High High High

Male Moderate High High High High

Male Moderate High High High High

Female Moderate High Moderate Moderate High

Female Low High Moderate High High

Female Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate

Female Moderate High High Moderate High

Female Low High High High High

100% of the Caucasian participants scored ‘high’ in ‘formal authority’ and

‘delegator’. The participant scoring ‘high’ in all five teaching styles is of Arabian ethnicity.

Data Organized by Ethnicity

Ethnicity Expert Formal Authority


Caucasian Moderate High Moderate Moderate High

Caucasian Low High Moderate High High

Caucasian Moderate High High Moderate High

Caucasian Low High High High High

Caucasian Moderate High High High High

Hispanic Moderate High High High High

Hispanic Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate

Arabian High High High High High

When looking at the teaching assignments, the participants in secondary classrooms


score ‘high’ in all teaching styles barring ‘expert’. 66.6% of those teaching in secondary

classrooms scored ‘moderate’ in ‘expert’, and 33.3% scored ‘high’. 60% of the participants

in primary classrooms scored ‘moderate’ in ‘expert’ and 40% scored ‘low’. The

participants teaching in primary classrooms account for all the ‘moderate’ scores in the

teaching styles of ‘formal authority’, ‘personal model’, ‘facilitator’, and ‘delegator’.

Data Organized by Teaching Assignment

Teaching Assignment Expert Formal Authority


English Moderate High High High High

English High High High High High

Science Specialist Moderate High High High High

Physical Education, Golf Moderate High Moderate Moderate High

2nd Grade Low High Moderate High High

3rd Grade Moderate High High Moderate High

4th Grade Self Low High High High High

Resource Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate

7. What conclusions were reached?

The results of the study has limitations due to the small sample size of 8

participants, as well as the participants all being graduate students of the same class.

Overall conclusions yet difficult to make, were made to some extent. In summary, the least

prominent teaching style is ‘expert’. The expert teaching style can be described as one

where the teacher is “concerned with transmitting information and ensuring that students

are well prepared” (Grasha, 1994). It makes sense that the highly teacher-centered teaching

style would be the least prominent in light of the research supporting the effectiveness of

child-centered teaching.


Overall the group scored ‘high’ most frequently in formal authority and delegator.

It makes sense that formal authority would score high because it is categorized with

“establishing learning goals, expectations, and rules of conduct for students” (Grasha,

1994) This is an important part of the teaching education program today, and it makes sense

that this would be prominent. Furthermore, the delegator teaching style scored ‘high’ in 7

out of 8 participants. A common trend in education is to build student autonomy. Delegator

is “concerned with developing student’s capacity to work independently” (Grasha, 1994)

Barring the ‘expert category’ the moderate scores can be seen more heavily through

the lenses of: participants younger than 30, female, primary classroom assignment, and 1-

5 years’ experience. Grasha suggests, “All teachers possessed each of the qualities to

varying degrees” (1994).The male participants scored ‘high’ in all categories which leaves

us inconclusive of their true teaching style due to their lack of variety.

The participants teaching in the secondary classrooms scored predominately ‘high’

in all categories. This could be due to the nature of their assignment being that they see

multiple classes of student per day. Perhaps their teaching style even varies between

classes, as it likely does with the participant in the resource classroom. Due to the varying

needs of various classes, completing a survey like this could yield unrealistic results, or

nonspecific results in this case.

It was interesting to see that the teacher with one year of experience and the teacher

with ten years’ of experience both account for the ‘low’ score within the expert category.


The expert category is “concerned with transmitting information” or basically a giving of

knowledge rather than a constructing of knowledge (Grasha, 1994). Perhaps the less

experience one has, the less of an expert one feels, as well as the more information one has,

the more one feels they are not an expert. The old adage may be true, “The more you know,

the more you don’t know”!

It would be useful to the participants to analyze their own teaching styles as to see

how their predominant teaching style affects their classroom climate. Ultimately teaching

style will change based on the needs of our students. The more behavior problems we

encounter, the more we become formal authoritative figures. The more our schools press

group project, the more we turn towards delegator/facilitator. Teachers in a religious school

may value the personal model style more than the others.


References

Grasha, A. F. (1994). A matter of style: The teacher as expert, formal authority, personal model,

facilitator, and delegator. College Teaching, 42(4), pp. 142-149.

group action research project 1 examining teaching styles...

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