EDU 695 Week 2 Assignment Instructional Problem Research Question

Instructional Problem/Research Question. The most difficult part of a research project is generating the research question. Think about your vision statement as well as your capacity and potential as a teacher-leader/teacher-researcher. Use these current understandings about yourself to think about how you want to improve your teaching, classroom, and/or school/work setting.

According to Moss and Noden (1994), classroom teachers who decide to investigate questions that they have generated about teaching and learning engage in action research when they raise questions about their practices, test out assumptions, and evaluate the results. Action research gives educators an opportunity to reflect, make connections, and better understand what they are doing.

For this assignment, you will develop your own research question for a topic in your MAED specialization. (This will be a part of your Final Project.) You will decide on what you would like to focus on in order to change instruction and/or improve learning in your classroom. Your research must address diverse learning environments.

The following activities will support you in generating a research question:

1. Complete the following tutorial: The relationship between the research questions, hypotheses, specific aims, and long-term goals of the project.
2. Watch Creating a Research Question.
3. Read the article, “Inquiring Illinois Teachers Want to Know: Action Research Questions From the Field.”

In your written assignment:

1. Identify a general topic in your MAED specialization.
2. Describe a problem that you are having or foresee having in regard to your identified topic. (Describe the
   context of your educational setting and/or classroom including student demographics, grade, subject, etc.)
3. Explain how you know this is a problem (e.g., describe student evidence).
4. Describe why you want to study this problem.
5. List three potential research questions addressing your problem. (In thinking about the research question,
   you want to think about ways you can improve or change your practice.)