Can Practicing Self Reflection Help 3rd Grade Math Students be More Successful When Participating in Cooperative Groups?

Rebecca KishBrooklyn College

Dr. Sharon O’Connor-PetrusoCBSE 7202T

December 12, 2013

Table of Contents Abstract

Statement of Problem

Hypothesis

Review of Related Literature

Methods

Threats to Internal Validity

Threats to External Validity

Data Analysis: Student Pre- and Post-Test Results

Data Analysis: Student Pre-Survey Results

Discussion

References

AbstractGroup work is a widely practiced method of inviting students to learn from one another and work

together towards a common goal. Though students commonly work in groups from a very young age, each

group dynamic holds different challenges that hinder the personal successes of members of the group, as well

as entire group’s efficiency. This action research attempts to place importance on the process of self reflection,

asking students to assess their own learning process in order to take ownership over the functionality of their

cooperative groups and increase group success. In a one group pre-test post-test design, 23 third graders from

Hoboken, NJ were given a pre-survey and post-survey about their attitudes and participation preferences

concerning group work and cooperative dynamics. The treatment was administered 4 times over a 4-week

period and included a self-reflection survey, processing through discussion in the meeting area, instituting

vocabulary reflective of team building, and discovery conversations about role accountability. The results

showed significant decrease in the time it took for cooperative groups to work together, as well as an increase

of group and individual scores. Results indicate a weak, but present relationship between student’s attitudes

towards their autonomy and their function within a group setting.

Statement of the ProblemThe students in my 3rd grade math class have trouble

defining their roles and partaking in accountability during Cooperative Group Work. Students are often seen refusing to take on a role, not listening to their peer’s suggestions, and participating in off task behavior. I have observed that students who become quickly frustrated will hinder a group’s success and rate at which the group performs. Some students, if not held accountable for their role within a group, will let others complete work for them. Can implementing a self assessment component to group work help students generate and implement ways to correct these behaviors and work together more successfully?

HypothesisImplementing a Self-Assessment sheet on

which students will write about their group work struggles will help guide students to discuss the flaws in their group dynamics and self-correct these flaws. This process of self reflection will result in better test scores and improved cooperative behavior during group work.

Review of Related Literature “Yes. I have done self-assessments with them at the end of term. Just with little

images of a person either plodding along or walking or running or speeding ahead and there would be different categories of the curriculum areas. It might be how they responded in English, how they saw themselves achieving in math or behaviour. So, it was more colouring in where they saw themselves, and again, I find that they are very honest with that” and “all teachers agreed that preparation needed to occur if students were to work successfully in groups and this included training students in the social skills, including how to manage conflict.” (Gillies and Boyle, 2010).

Students who are not given choices and autonomy over their learning are often bored and discouraged by group work. Leadership, creativity, and responsibility all inform the dynamics of group work. Those who are unorganized or do not feel directions are clear enough have negative views of group work. (Koh, Tan, Wang, Ee, & Liu, 2007)

Social and emotional behaviors are components of regulation that are prevalent in a group work. The three levels of regulation in groups are: self, other, and shared. (Grau & Whitebread, 2012)

MethodsParticipants:23 Third Grade Students from an Elementary School in NJ and three teachers from the same school.

Instruments:Pre-Test/Post Test Individual and Group ResultsSelf-Reflection SlipsPre-Survey/Post-SurveyQualitative Researcher notes“Online Stopwatch”

Procedure:Pre-SurveyPre-Test (group and individual scores)Self-Assessment InterventionMeeting Area Group Processing: Self ReflectionPost-Test (group and individual scores)Post-Survey

Experimental Design: One Group, Pre-Experimental Design (one treatment group, no control group, not a random sample). Single group is pre-tested (O), exposed to treatment (X), and post-tested (O).

Threats to Internal Validity History: Historical events can cause an internal validity threat. This action

research project will be conducted over the course of seven weeks. There is a possibility of natural weather events that may cause schools to close, or extreme weather that can delay arrival to school or distract students from their tasks.

Maturation: Participants in this study may find that they are ready to take on more mature roles in the classroom as they settle into routines in which they are held accountable for their behavior.

Selection-Maturation Interaction: There is a possibility that students will have different maturation rates given that they share a classroom and school day with older students who serve as leaders and models of steady, more mature behavior. As these third graders look to their older peers, they might mimic and display this behavior in common meeting areas and while working in groups.

Threats to External Validity Experimenter Effects: Passive threats are possible in that the teacher’s age and

genders are similar and both female, creating a dynamic of female co-teaching that may have an affect on students who relate better to male figures or are part of gender specific cooperative sports that utilize cooperative learning. Active threats exist because some students are receiving behavioral or academic intervention, causing them to have more contact with the teachers and develop a more one-on-one relationship with their teachers.

Multiple Treatments: Students will receive cooperative group work instruction once a week over a duration of seven weeks. Cooperative group work instruction may occur outside the math period, influencing the way groups think about cooperative learning.

Pretest-Treatment: There will be pre-testing, increasing the chance of external threats to validity. Students who are taking pre-surveys may notice the similarity in survey taking and self-reflection.

Data Analysis Students Pre- and Post- Test Results

1 2 3 4 5 6 70

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

44

1

3

2 2

1 1

3 3

4 4 4 4

3

Pre-Test vs. Post-Test Group Scores

Score 1

Score 2

Groups

Scor

e ou

t of 4

This chart shows pre- and post-test results for each group. An increase of the mean of scores from 2 to 3.8 shows an increase of scores by 78% post intervention.

Though one group experienced a decrease in their score from 4 to 3, this result is not significant to the overall post intervention findings.

The most extreme difference occurred in groups that scored the very minimum on their pre-test and scored the highest score on their post-test. (Group 6)

Data Analysis: Student Surveys

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.50

1

2

3

4

5

6

I Need Reminders to Listen to Other's Ideas vs. I Like to be the Boss

Series1Linear (Series1)

Pre-Survey: I Need Reminders to Listen to Other's Ideas

Pre-

Surv

ey: I

like

to b

e th

e Bo

ss

Upon examining the relationship between student’s frequencies of needing reminders to listen to other’s ideas vs. how often they like to be the boss on student’s pre-surveys, there was a positive correlation of rxy= .4, indicating that the necessity of a reminder to listen to other’s ideas and the frequency of wanting to be in charge has a fair (low-end) relationship.

This data helped guide the Researcher’s facilitation of conversation during the Self-Reflection Processing time in the Meeting Area. It also helped the Researcher firm up intervention decisions about how to allot job responsibilities and design tools for accountability.

Discussion and ImplicationsPrior research has indicated that group work provides motivation for students to work with one another and

accomplish tasks. How a group regulates itself is often a factor that contributes to how well a group will perform. Students need clear directions to stay on task. A teacher’s preparation is paramount in conducting group work successfully. Self-reflection can help guide teacher preparation and give insight into the frustrations that students experience during group work. The researcher was conscious of these factors and concurred with the literature review through both quantitative and qualitative results.

This Research Project concludes that: Students benefit socially and academically from self-reflection and that it helps guide their cooperative group

practices after processing in the meeting area. Pre-test low scores were due to students lack of communication with one another. Student generated ideas of how to cooperate bolstered post-test scores. Students are frustrated when there are power struggles within the group or when their opinions are not heard. Prior to treatment, students were more likely to need reminders to listen to other’s ideas if they liked having a

leadership role.

Further Study:

The researcher proposes the question: How do we develop a sense of inclusive leadership within 3rd grade math cooperative work groups? Can self reflection lead students to organize their own group work activities?

ReferencesGillies, R., Boyle, M. (2010). Teachers' reflections on cooperative learning: Issues of implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 933-940.

doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2009.10.034Grau, V., Whitebread, D.(2012). Self and social regulation of learning during collaborative activities in the classroom: The interplay of individual and group cognition. Learning and Instruction, 22 (6), 401–412.

doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.03.003Koh, C., Tan, O., Wang, C., Ee, J., & Liu, W. (2007). Perceptions of low ability students on group project work and cooperative learning. Asia Pacific Education Review, 8(1), 89-99.

doi: EJ768969O’Connor-Petruso, S. (2010). Descriptive Statistics Threats to Validity [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/portal