Llorens Winny Final Corrected

Running head: Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom: A Diverse Perspective
Winny Llorens University of St. Thomas
Research Professor: Deborah Masterson, Ph.D. Date May 2013
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Table of Contents Abstract Chapter 1: Introduction Background Information and Problem Statement Self-Reflection Research Questions and Design Justification and Hypothesis Chapter 2: Literature Review Three Major Studies of Breakfast in the Classroom USDAs Evaluation of the School Breakfast Program Pilot Project In-Classroom Breakfast: Best Practices in Three School Districts School Breakfast in Americas Big Cities Breakfast in the Classroom and Obesity Breakfast in the Classroom and Academics Resources for Teachers and Principals Funding Literature Review Summary Chapter 3: Method Population Sample Measures and Design Procedures Data Analysis Plan Ethical Issues Chapter 4: Data Analysis 4 5 5 6 7 8 10 10 10 11 13 15 16 17 18 18 21 21 21 23 25 27 28 29
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Referrals to Nurse 29
School Staff: Administrators, Teachers, Morning Janitorial and Cafeteria Staff, and Observation, Interviews, and Field Notes 29 The Cafeteria Staff Quantitative Data from Likert Scaled Items Time Chart for Breakfast in the Classroom Qualitative Data Observations, Interviews, and Field Notes Parents Data Students Data Summary Chapter 5: Discussion Strengths and Limitations Recommendations and Action Planning References Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G Student Questionnaire Janitorial Staff Questionnaire Cafeteria Staff Questionnaire Administrator Questionnaire Teacher Questionnaire Nurse Questionnaire Parent Questionnaire 30 31 31 32 34 37 38 40 42 46 46 51 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a program evaluation of Breakfast in the
Classroom. It is imperative to note that this study is not questioning the importance of breakfast. This mixed study focused on the advantages and disadvantages of having breakfast in the classroom from the perspectives of key stakeholders. The literature review explored the origins of breakfast in the classroom (BIC). It also uncovered many potential benefits of having breakfast in the classroom. These benefits were used to create the perspective specific surveys. Students, parents, teachers, administrators, janitors, and the school nurse completed questionnaires with both qualitative and or quantitative items. Data were gathered from these questionnaires, interviews, observations, and field notes. The sample came from one kindergarten through eighth grade campus. This school is located in a large urban district in a southwestern state. The hypotheses are specific for each subgroup; however, the overall hypothesis is that most stakeholders will identify more disadvantages to BIC. The data and information provided will expand the knowledge base for educators to facilitate discussions to improve the program and the image of the program so that it may be viewed in a more positive light.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Chapter 1 Introduction Background Information and Problem Statement The Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) program is a solution for ensuring that students receive the fuel they need to begin each day of learning. This program dates back to 1966 when congress voted in a pilot program to feed those students on long bus rides and in regions with working mothers. Nutritious breakfast became a permanent public school program in 1975
(Chmelynski, 2007). In this article, Doug Wordell, Spokane Public Schools director of nutrition services was quoted saying, I dont have any test score data, but its certainly positive. I know that you cant teach a hungry child. Anything we can do to help kids get something nutritional in them before school starts is a great thing to do (Chmelynski, 2007, p. 61). Although it is well documented that children perform better when well nourished prior to the start of the day, the question remains, is BIC the only way to ensure a room full of fueled learners. In this large urban school district, the initiative to have Breakfast in the Classroom was born from a challenge to American schools from First Lady Michelle Obama to remove all junk food and replace it with fresh cooked food. The districts superintendent took on the challenge. The first step was to remove the junk food and then add fresh home cooked food beginning with BIC. It was promised that messy foods like cereals, raisins, and syrup would not be served. The districts website revealed video footage from cafeterias where workers were making muffins, biscuits, kolaches, eggs, sausage patties, and preparing fresh fruit; the only thing packaged was the 2% Milk, the Skim Milk, and the 100% juice. (Anderson, 2011) Promises were made to decrease processed foods, deliver foods at the proper temperature, and complete
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom class delivery in five minutes and whole school delivery in 20 minutes. This program would enrich classrooms by providing time for promoting unity through socialization over a meal
(Cueto & Chinen, 2008); and best of all the entire disruption to instruction was slated for only 10 minutes (District, 2010). In summary, the program benefits included an opportunity to build social skills and relationships, improve test scores and memory skills, improve attendance and reduce tardiness, help with discipline problems, reduce school nurse visits and help fight childhood obesity (Chmelynski, 2007; Ferguson, 2008; Martin, 2012). This Study delved into what actually happened in the sample school when breakfast was served in the classroom. Advantages and disadvantages were classified by various themes. Likert scaled items were tallied and all findings were compared with literature review data. Self-Reflection This investigation was important to me as a coach and a health and physical educator of students in kindergarten through eighth grade. With obesity in children on the rise in America (Li, 2012), I am concerned about our childrens diets. I personally know of students who eat a healthy breakfast at home and eat the breakfast at school as well. From the literature review, I was unable to determine if the program addressed this issue. Americans eat too much and too often and there must be a paradigm shift if we are to live healthier lives. I became concerned when one teacher told me that the breakfast in the classroom was a great idea because if the students ate at 6:00AM then eating again at 8:00AM was an appropriate time for their next meal. In this land of plenty, grasping the concept that less is more for a healthy lifestyle is challenging. Children must learn to eat balanced meals and improve physical activity levels. The foods they consume need to include fresh or fresh frozen as opposed to packaged and they must learn to eat more vegetables.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom
Based on the research, I concurred that students should have a nutritional breakfast before school. Some studies showed a small positive correlation between breakfast and performance; students had higher math and reading scores, sharper memories, and performed better on cognitive tests (Food Research and Action Center, 2012; Imberman, 2012). However, this did not convince me that Breakfast in the Classroom is the best approach. In theory, the program looked sound. Everything the program offered makes sense; inclusion avoids identity of low socio-economic status; a hot breakfast being served at the classroom door is inviting; and mealtime is certainly a social experience. Public schools service large populations of low-income students. If they are not eating at home, then I agree with Gilbert Perea of New Mexico when he said, We give kids a free ride to school and we give them free books, yet we fail to provide free meals for those who would not normally qualify (Chmelynski, 2007, p. 60). He goes on to say that, it should be fundamental to feed our children, especially at the elementary level. To ensure they are properly fueled for teaching and learning, we must feed them without contributing to the obesity problem. My concerns are many, beginning with the nutrition value of the menu items, which is another study in itself, however, for this study the focus questions if the program as implemented has the advantages it is purported to have. Students could be allowed up to 30 minutes for this time of unity and socialization over a meal, food waste would be contained to one area in the school instead of the entire school, and teachers could get down to the business of teaching and learning when the students entered the classroom. Research Questions and Design The research design was a mixed approach. Data was collected using open-ended questions, Likert scale items, interviews, field observation, and field notes. Participants included
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom all teachers, campus administrators, and the school nurse; morning janitorial, and one classroom
that was randomly selected per grade level in kindergarten through eighth grade (See Appendices A through G for Questionnaires). Packets went home for students and parents to complete in those selected classes. This inner city, magnet, kindergarten through eighth grade school was located in a large urban district in a southwestern state. The research evaluated the program through participant specific questionnaires that looked at the advantages and disadvantages of the Breakfast in the Classroom program. This data were used to compare the status of the sample school program with the benefits from the literature. The school nurse had data on nurse referrals from the previous five years. She researched six weeks prior to BIC and six weeks post implementation of BIC. This data were compared with the literature review indications that reviews that BIC reduced nurse visits. Justification and Hypothesis In practice there appeared to be a number of issues related to serving breakfast in the classroom. Research claims that this whole event, from start to finish, only requires 10 minutes of instructional time (District, 2010). However, teachers reported that they were frustrated about the actual time that it was taking from instruction. Instead of taking 10 minutes, it was actually taking 30 minutes. They were also concerned about the amount of food wasted, actually thrown in the trash. Pest control seemed to be another important issue that plagued this program. Research stated that districts promised that the food served would be fresh and nutritious; teachers observed that the food was all pre-packaged with the exception of the usual bananas. Socializing was not allowed in some classrooms. The time was filled with daily warm-ups; teamwork or relationship building were not part of daily morning routines.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Money usually plays a role in all major business decisions, the school systems in America are no exception. In 2011, Levin and Kast mentioned the correlation between missed school breakfasts and the millions annually of unclaimed federal child nutrition funds. The key
rationalization for moving breakfast to the classroom was to increase participation, which would result in an increase in federal funding to the districts. The discrepancy in the number of participants in the free and reduced breakfast compared with the number of participants in the lunch program was monumental; which indicated that the students were not all being serviced and districts were missing out on large amounts of federal child nutrition funds. This monumental discrepancy was blamed on a low-income stigma associated with eating breakfast in the cafeteria in the morning, however, when all students were offered breakfast in the classroom, the stigma disappeared and students felt free to take a meal and eat it because their classmates were all doing the same thing. This findings were used to justify why breakfast should be served in the classroom to all students. I hypothesized that the findings would reveal more disadvantages than advantages; therefore, stakeholders would see few, if any benefits and would feel that the disruption to their day was not worth this hassle. I hoped that this research would broaden perspectives on the program and initiate student focused conversations that would produce a program that all would enjoy. The intent of this investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of breakfast in the classroom was to help administrators determine if breakfast in the classroom was the best option for their campus. I hoped to provide viable options to optimize teaching and learning at all times during the school day, which included servicing our customers in the most efficient ways.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Chapter 2 Literature Review Three Major Studies of Breakfast in the Classroom
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The following studies contributed to the discovery of many advantages and disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom. The insight provided was helpful in understanding the School Breakfast Program (SBP) from inception to the present day. The research presented used large samples, provided in-depth analysis, and covered many states in the United States. This section produced the information that was crucial to the development of the questionnaires. USDAs Evaluation of the School Breakfast Program Pilot Project. The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services released their Evaluation of the School Breakfast Program Pilot Project in December 2004. This three-year experimental research project randomly selected 79 elementary schools to implement the Universal-Free School Breakfast Program and 74 schools to continue with the regular SBP tracking 4,300 students. The Universal-Free Breakfast is synonymous with Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) or a grab and go model of the program. The regular School Breakfast Program refers to the breakfast served in the cafeteria. The program was evaluated in districts in the following cities: Boise, Idaho, Columbiana, Alabama, Gulfport, Mississippi, Phoenix, Arizona, Santa Rosa, California, and Wichita, Kansas. Data were gathered on dietary intake, cognitive and social functioning, height, weight, age, and gender for Body Mass Index (BMI) calculations, academic achievement, school attendance, tardiness, discipline, participation in universal free breakfast and student health. Information from parents, teachers, nurses, and administrators was collected during site visits and interviews in person and on the telephone. The USDA executive summary of the findings concluded that Universal-Free School Breakfast availability was not found to improve academic outcomes, tardiness, or attendance.
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Morning visits to the school nurse during the second year in the control schools were higher than in the treatment schools, however for year one and three the number of visits did not differ. Participation doubled in the first year of the free program, having significant growth with paying students, from eight percent to 31 percent, with the greatest increases in those schools with breakfast served in the classroom. Students indulging in two substantive breakfasts were three percent higher in the treatment schools. However, the results showed that the average food and nutrient intake was essentially the same between the control and treatment schools. The program was generally supported by a diverse population of stakeholders and was easy to implement. The first year the results indicated a higher rate of discipline incidents compared with the controlled schools, but then in year two and three there was no difference. An important disclaimer was noted at the end of this report regarding the importance of breakfast. It was reiterated that these findings should not negate breakfast, and that the results simply found that elementary students, on average would not improve behaviorally and/or academically if offered a free breakfast. The cost of this free breakfast is considerable; in 2000, it was estimated to be between one billion and three billion annually (McLaughlin, 2004). In-Classroom Breakfast: Best Practices in Three School Districts. The purpose of this study was to find best practices for the adoption of the Breakfast in the Classroom program to combat the underutilized USDA School Breakfast. The method used in this research was a case study. This study looked at three districts of varying size in the USDA Western, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic regions that were considered exemplary in classroom breakfast programs. To begin, each campus established a planning committee including a nutritionist, school administrators, teachers, custodians, and parents. This planning procedure was time consuming but necessary.
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Maryland Meals for Achievement implemented the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and found significant improvement in composite index scores on the Maryland School Performance Assessment when compared to schools without the SBP. The Nutrition Consortium of New York State provided grants to 20 rural, urban, and suburban schools to implement the program. Participating schools showed reduced instances of tardiness, discipline referrals, and visits to the school nurse. Different models for serving were implemented; in the classroom, hallway stations for pick up, cafeteria distribution, or a combination. The Hunger Task force in Milwaukee begin with a four year commitment to the program. A preliminary survey in 30 schools showed positive results such as improvements in learning readiness, student attendence, and students health. However, it appears as though these statistics were only the opinions of the teachers, parents and administrators. The Grab n Go pilot in Pennsylvania was tested in middle school. This school showed slight participation improvement, but a continuation of the project was agreed upon by the staff. The In-Classroom Breakfast: Best Practices in Three School Districts article states that benefits of the free breakfast served in the classroom include increased participation, decreased discipline referrals, a sense of community in the school, and increased student responsibility. The planning component of BIC was time-consuming; sometimes gaining support for the program, serving all students in a timely manner and serving a variety of nutritious, individually packaged and well-accepted foods was challenging. The researchers recommended that a system would be in place for a continuous quality improvement plan and that school personnel and parents collaborate utilizing the National Food Services Management Institute Best Practice Guide. It also suggested a few thought-provoking topics to expand the research such as, a study of custodial time to finish breakfast in the cafeteria as opposed to in the classroom, a study of
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom actual time breakfast takes from delivery to clean up, and a financial analyis of revenues from increased participation. Interestly, the study found high school students preferred breakfast in the classroom to a grab-n-go breakfast (Rainville & Carr, 2008). Below is a chart showing the findings from the study of the three districts. District A Mid-Atlantic USDA Region Elementary School 260 Breakfasts served from delivery cart 3 nutrition specialist serve 26 classrooms Card system for monitoring participation Students work quietly during breakfast Students put garbage in the containers in the hallways Smooth flow of morning routine District B Western USDA Region Middle school 631 breakfasts delivered to 3 hallways, served in 6 minutes Teachers allowed to eat Students ate while teacher begin first lesson. PE served last Small trashbags are put out of the room and picked up by the custodian. Custodial staff is now a strong supporter, they do not have to clean the cafteria Four minutes were added to prevent loss of instructional time Decreased disciplinary referrals
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District C- Midwest USDA Region Middle School 245 breakfasts in 26 classrooms Bins with cold items delivered to classrooms before school. One students per class picks up hot items from the cafeteria. PE served last Trash remained in class trash can till the end of the day Custodial staff was a barrier to implementing Principal says students depend on the meal and can concentrate better Decreased disciplinary referrals
School Breakfast in Americas Big Cities. In this study, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) examined SBP data from 29 large urban school districts during the 2009-2010 school year with a goal of monitoring participation. FRACs participation goal was that at least 70 low-income children ate breakfast for every 100 low-income children that ate lunch. An interesting finding from this study determined that the top five school districts lost $151 million in federal child nutrition funding because they fell short of the goal by 10%. Schools that serve The Universal-Free Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) had the highest participation rate. When
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Chicago implemented the program in over 50% of its elementary schools, the participation rate grew by 40%. Most schools in this study took steps to improve the quality of the breakfast; they increased whole grains, removed Trans fat from all foods, reduced sugar content, offered only 1% and non-fat milk, added a fruit, and switched from juice to a whole fruit. In addition, healthy eating habits were taught and schools also participated in wellness initiatives such as Healthier US School Challenge and Fuel it Up to Play 60. This FRAC study fell in line with many others reporting the same benefits of BIC: higher achievement, positive student behavior, reduced obesity, and lifelong healthy eating habits. The difference in this study is that it focused on low-income students, a population that most likely received the greatest benefit from a Universal-Free Breakfast Program. Low-income status was determined by free and reduced-priced lunch eligibility. The districts ranged in size from 26,000 to more than one million students; from Little Rock School District to New York City Department of Education. Uneaten meals represent substantial harm to childrens health and development (Levin & Kast, 2011, p. 9), and just beyond this written sentiment in the same paragraph was, Missed school breakfast meals also adds up to tens of millions of dollars in federal child nutrition funding going unclaimed by districts every year ( p. 9). While this information is factual, it prompted concerns regarding the qualtiy of the food and food choices (Holmes, 2010). Case Studies of BIC successes were done in three public schools from large urban districts in Detroit, Chicago and Washington, DC. In Chicago, McAuliffe Elementary distributed hot and cold meals from the cafeteria to the students in thermal bags before school. Students ate during first period. Students took
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on the responsibility of clean-up. This process improved puntuality, discipline, alertness, and improved state test standards. River Terrace Elementary in Washington, DC, had an excellent leadership program that assisted with BIC. Older students picked up meals from the cafeteria and delivered them to the classrooms. Students cleaned up and custodians picked up the trash. The school promoted the breakfast through advertisements throughout the building which ignited enthusiam about the program from all stakeholders. It was truly a school-wide initiative. In Detroit, the most popular system was the breakfast captains method. The teacherselected students picked up meals and distributed them. Teachers saw this time as a teachable moment. They exposed students to real life family style meals, taught manners, proper eating habits, and shared responsibility. With 90% participation, there was a tremendous increase in attendance, community, and academic performance. Breakfast in the Classroom and Obesity Childhood Obesity and Schools: Evidence from the National Survey of Childrens Health article contributed some important and interesting data. For example, Body Mass Index (BMI) is an indicator using students height and weight to determine body adipose tissue (Li, 2012). Below is a chart that describes the different levels of BMI and the formulas for computing BMI. Body Type Underweight Normal weight Overweight Obese BMI Index <= 18.5 18.5 - 24.9 25 - 29.9 >= 30
English Units: BMI = Weight (lb) / (Height (in) x Height (in)) x 703 (freebmicalculator.net, 2012)
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Statistically significant effects on BMI were found in public school children eligible for SBP and National School Lunch Programs (NSLP). Public school children had a higher BMI than those in the Private School System and were more likely to be overweight. Public School children who that qualified for free and reduced lunch had an even higher incidence of obesity. Obesity affects the whole child. Studies linked it to other childhood problems that were physical and physiological in nature, which affects physical fitness levels and academics (Li, 2012). A separate study found that, the SBP is a valuable tool in the battle against childhood obesity, whereas the NSLP exacerbates the current epedemic (Millimet, Tchernis, & Hussain, 2008, p.640). A total of 62,880 observations of children from different households were made. Factors analyzed included information on schools, parents, household, language(s) spoken at home, socio-demographics, daily activities, after school activities, and affiliations. BMI and incidence of obesity were higher in homes where, the primary language was Spanish, a parent was a smoker, parents education level lower than high school, greater than one hour of after-school television or video games were allowed, and the child attended public school. Characteristics of a BMI in an acceptable range included, attending private school, participating in UIL competition through campus athletics, parents with an above high school education, and nonsmoking parents. Resources indicated that programs designed to get students moving, playing and keeping them safe have millions of dollars available to support them. Omnibus allocated $183 million for the Safe Routes to School Program, which improved bike lanes, trails and sidewalks. Other programs for children included State Childrens Health Insurance Program, Kids in Action, and Carol M. White Physical Education Program (Li, 2012).
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Breakfast in the Classroom and Academics A spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Education said that BIC is only a piece to the holistic puzzle to improve education. He said that the program took minimal effort and the improved test scores spoke for themselves (Chmelynski, 2007). The men interviewed in this article were very upbeat about the BIC, but offered no data to support their claims; much of the data lacked sufficient and/or significant findings in favor of BIC improving test scores. A study by Imberman and Kugler used data from a large urban school district located in the Southwestern United States. They found an increase in both reading and math achievement by about one-tenth of a standard deviation relative to breakfast in the cafeteria. Most affected were low-performing students, students eligible for free lunch, Hispanic students, and low BMI students. There was little impact on grades while results showed slight improvement in attendance for high achieving students. Consideration was given that achievement was improved by extra consumption on test days and that the breakfast provided better performance rather than learning gains (Imberman, 2012). Resources for Teachers and Principals When implementing BIC, several sources were found to promote a smooth transition for teachers and administrators. The Minnesota Universal Breakfast Pilot Study, while dated, provided helpful answers for teacher concerns regarding workload, classroom order, time commitment, and curriculum opportunities. An explanation for the program, a variety of ideas to facilitate the program, and feedback from other teachers that have implemented BIC was helpful for broadening stakeholders perspective in a positive direction (USDA, 2012).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Rainville and Carr shared a table of information on advice for planning in classroom breakfast. The advice was useful in a startup program or a revision, for example, market the
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program through the teachers and superintendent, visit a successful program with your principal and custodian, check equipment, storage, and logistics, and collaborate with custodial staff. Finally, always remain focused on what is best for students (2008). Alice Jo Rainville, wrote and developed a best practices guide for administrators to use when establishing a BIC program. It began with establishing a team of representatives from all stakeholders, a funding matrix, research for food items, advertising, delivery system, and an evaluation to review and revise as needed (2008). Funding Any non-profit school, public or private, may apply to particpate in the NSLP and SBP. The request is initiated at the state level which administers the program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services. Families with income at or below 130 percent of the poverty level would receive free meals, and families between 130 percent and 185 percent would receive reduced meals. In 2009-2010 schools received $1.46 for each free breakfast they served, $1.16 for each reduced breakfast and $.26 for each paid breakfast. It was possible for schools to qualify for an additional $.28 for each free and reduced price lunch using a base-year calculation. Schools received money from public sponsors such as Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom for this progam (Levin & Kast, 2011). The partners included, The Walmart Foundation, Food Research and Action Center, National Education Association Health Information Network, National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, and School Nurition Foundation. Literature Review Summary
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In summary, the most important information in this literature review was a reminder that breakfast is vital to the start of everyones day, in spite of the findings that fail to prove a direct and positive correlation between BIC, academics, and discipline. In fact, studies showed that BIC had a very small correlation to improvements in academics and behavior if any at all (Rainville & Carr, 2008). While this literature review provided many answers, it also produced many questions. Levins study titled, School Breakfast in Americas Big Cities, focused on low income students. This focus may be considered a limitation, nevertheless the data remains sound in that it is representative of a large population of public education. In 2010, five districts lost a total $151 million in federal funds due to lack of participation (Levin & Kast, 2011). Does this mean that the BIC was all about money? USDA proposed a few interesting follow-up studies; custodial time to finish breakfast in the cafeteria as opposed to in the classroom, actual time breakfast takes from delivery to clean up, and a financial analyis of revenues from increased participation from different campuses. The latter would be an interesting report to see; how are the funds reinvested in the program. Some of these questions were investigated in this research paper. Appropriations of funds lead to the next literature finding. Realizing that many factors go into the massive childhood obesity rates in America, research shows the irony of a government that aims to help the low soioeconomic families by providing some of the funding for the meal programs, yet it shows that these children are the ones with higher incidence of obesity. It is important to note that students, from middle class families and above, who attend private school, who particpated in extracurricular activites and social clubs, and or who came from homes with parents that have some college education and above have lower incidence of childhood obesity (Millimet, Tchernis, & Hussain, 2008). It was encouraging that from
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom inception schools had taken the initiative to improve the nutritonal quality of the breakfast choices. And some schools have also implemented wellness programs such as the National Footbal Leaguess Fuel it Up to Play 60 to promote healthy lifestyle choices (Levin & Kast, 2011). If BIC continues, it would be interesting to study the climate of schools, who prior to
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implementing the program, established a committee to visit a successful program; then returned and designed a marketing strategy for their program as opposed to the climate of those schools that did not. This strategy would allow schools to customize their BIC to their school community maintaining the focus on what is best for their campus population (Rainville & Carr, 2008) . The National Food Service Management Institute Best Practice Guide for In-Class Breakfast provided helpful information for implementing BIC. A study of stakeholders perceptions of the program in schools that used a guide such as this, as opposed to those who did not, would provide a basis for professional development. The training would be used for all, however may be most valuable for the school that needs to revisit their programs because of negative teacher perceptions (Holmes, 2010) or schools ready to implement BIC for the first time. While the comment from Gilbert Perea, a New Mexico Department of Education spokesperson regarded the BIC as being the piece to the holistic puzzle to improve education is strictly his opinion; the idea is logically thought provoking (Chmelynski, 2007).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Chapter 3 Method Population
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The study was conducted at one school. This school serves kindergarten through eighth grade students. The campus was located in a large urban district in a southwestern state. In 2011-2012 there were 1,228 students and 65 teachers. The student male/female ratio was split evenly and the racial breakdown was; 39% African American, 52% Hispanic, 3% White and 5% Asian. This Title 1 school population has 42% at risk and 64% of its students on free and reduced lunch. Thirty-seven percent of the teachers have a masters degree. Seventy-eight percent are female and 22% are male; 38% are African American, 25% Hispanic and 37% White. Sample The sample included 60% of the staff, the parents of one class per grade level were invited to participate in kindergarten through eighth grade, and the students from one class per grade level in third through eighth grade, were also invited to particpate. To reduce any potential bias in the data collected from the questionnaires, only staff members directly affiliated with the Breakfast in the Classroom Program received a questionnaire. Direct affiliation was determined by the information gathered in the literature reviews. This sample group included homeroom teachers who hosted breakfast served in their classrooms, all buiding administrators, morning cafeteria and janitorial staff, the nurse, parents, and students. This study received the approval of the building principal, the Accountibility and Research Department of the school district where this study took place and the universitys Human Subjects Committee. Teachers were notified by email about the study and were told that
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom a cover letter, consent form, and questionnaire would be placed in their box. All were given an oppotrunity to opt out of the BIC survey on the cover letter. Classes were chosen through a
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cluster random sampling process. Teachers were notified by email if their class was selected for student and parent questionnaires. All nine teachers agreed. The researcher went to each class and explained the packets to the students and explained that the cover letter included an opportunity to opt out. The students were asked to return the questionnaires either way. The importance of the consent form was explained as well. The packets for kindergarten through second grade included a cover letter, parent questionnaire, and adult consent form and packets for third through eighth included a cover letter, student questionnaire, parental consent form, and parent questionnaire and adult consent form. Students were only allowed to participate if their parents signed the consent form. All participants were asked to return the questionnaire within 10 days. Another important participant in the sample was nurse. The school nurse maintained cumulative records of student visits to the clinic from kindergarten through eighth grade. The records indicated the reasons for their visits. The nurse researched a six-week period pre Breakfast in the Classroom and a six week period post Breakfast in the Classroom for students who came into the clinic between 7:40AM and 11:30AM with hunger symptoms such as, lightheadedness and stomach pains. She provided the researcher with the raw data of nurse visits pre BIC and post BIC. The nurse gathered this data in the privacy of her office. Data were gathered by tallies and categories, not using students names to ensure confidentiality. That raw data were used to determine if BIC supported a reduction in the number of nurse referrals dealing with hunger.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Measures and Design The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of the Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) at the study school. The researcher used a cross-sectional survey to obtain current attitudes and beliefs about the program. The investigation was conducted through a mixed design. This mixed design was selected to allow participants an opportunity to voice opinions and ideas for possible improvements to the current program. Questionnaires were tailored to the participant, specific to their domain and responsibilities concerning BIC. This
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design provided the researcher with data to conduct this program evaluation by delving into the advantages and disadvantages the study school was experiencing and how they compared to advantages and disadvantages discussed in the literature. All participants, at least one per grade level, granted permission for interviews to clarify their comments. Field observations and interviews were conducted in each cluster, all grade levels during BIC. These additional methods of data collection, also known as triangulation improved the validity of the research. Questionnaires were given to seven subpopulations of the school community; parents, students, teachers, administrators, the morning janitor and cafeteria staff, and the nurse. The mixed research design used in this study was compiled into questionnaires that contained Likert scale quantitative items and open-ended qualitative items. This questionnaire was piloted with six teachers and chosen to be the best format, it was used for most of the participants. A questionaire that was only open-ended was percieved as overwhelming to the participants and required more time to complete than a survey with Likert items first followed by open-ended items. The validity of the research was improved by having six experts, four of the researchers colleagues, a college professor, and the districts Research and Accountability Department review the questionnaires to ensure that the questions measured what they purported to measure. The
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom school districts Research and Accountability Department also confirmed in an email that my revised survey questions were a great improvement and would be informative for the
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project. The responses were analyzed within each group, themes were noted as to the advantages and disadvantages. Likert scaled items were analyzed and reported using raw totals classified as positvie and negative responses. Below is a table that outlines participant groups and the number of quantitative and qualitative items; see the appendix for an actual copy of the questionnaires. Table 1 Participant Sub-Groups and the Number of Quantitative and Qualitative Items Number of quantitative items 5 1 4 0 0 0 Number of qualitative items 2 3 3 4 4 4
Participant Group Teachers Parents Students Janitors (AM only) Administrators Nurse
In an effort to maintain the students confidentiality, the school nurse provided the research necessary to respond to the questionnaire concerning nurse visits. The subject school began Breakfast in the Classroom on October 5, 2010. First, the nurse reviewed the logs for a six-week, 30 school-day period between February and March 2010, pre Breakfast in the Classroom. The research included all nurse visits from 7:30AM to 11:30AM. She pulled the cards of the students and tallied the ones that came with hunger symptoms, such as lightheadedness and stomach issues and tallied those visits that hunger was the problem. Hunger was evident if the nurse gave the students something to eat and they felt better. This total was
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom compared to morning nurse visits for hunger issues during the same number of school days between February 2011 and March 2011, post Breakfast in the Classroom. Raw data was
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analyzed to determine if there were fewer nurse referrals related to hunger once BIC began. This data was compared with the findings from the literature that BIC reduced nurse referrals. There were two known limitations to this study. The study was limited to only one school and limited by the size of the sample and population. One threat to the validity of this research was the possibility that participants from low income families saw the BIC program as a positive and necessary program for student success whereas the more affluent particiapnts were less likely to see the BIC favorably because their basic need for food was never an issue. Income information was not requested in the questionnaire which limited the researchers ability to make the correlation between family income and opinions about BIC. Obtaining this information may have been viewed as crossing ethical lines especially with fellow teachers and administrators. Some parents may have been reluctant to share financial information due to the personal nature of this data. This request may have deterred participants which is why it was not asked of the participants. At the start of this project, the researcher faced a negative biased towards the program. However, after reading and reviewing data and literature on this topic, and observing some very positive experiences of BIC, it became clear that the program had positive aspects unknown to the researcher at the start of the investigation. Procedure Once approved by the participating school districts Research and Accountablity Department and the universitys Human Subjects Committee, the consent forms and the surveys were distributed to the selected participants. The participants were notified by email and or in
26
person. The communication to the particpants always provided the opportunity for them to opt out or discontinue at any time. A large collection box for the packets was provided for the participants in the entrance of the school. Their packets were distributed in an envelop to ensure privacy. The researcher collected them from the box throughout the day, everyday. The timeline for data collection was 10 days from the initial distribution. To increase the number of volunteers a reminder was sent out after 20 days. Parents and students were selected using a cluster random sampling. There are five homeroom teachers per grade level in elementary and six per grade level in middle school. The names were place in a hat by grade level and one class was drawn per grade level. The teachers were sent an email explaining how their students and/or parents were chosen. They were asked if they would allow the researcher to come into their rooms, and explain and distribute the questionnaires. All agreed. The researcher presented the information to the selected classes. Packets for parents in kindergarten through second consisted of a cover letter, an adult consent form, and a questionnaire and third through eighth grade received packets with a student questionnaire, parental permission consent form, a parents questionnaire, adult consent form and a cover letter. Particpants were able to opt out on the cover letter and return the uncompleted packet to the researcher. The researchers email and phone number were also included on the cover letters. All staff participants were contacted via email to inform them about the research. They were notified that a packet of information would be forthcoming and would be placed in their box in the front office. A cover letter, including an opt out opportunity, adult consent form and survey were distributed to all homeroom teachers who hosted BIC, morning-shift janitorial and cafeteria staff, all administrators and the nurse. Teachers were asked if they would like to
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom volunteer to chart their BIC, start to finish times for five days, recording comments about what
27
their class did during BIC. The researcher provided a form for the volunteers to gather the data. The students in kindergarten through eighth grade are clustered by grade level. For nine days, the researcher observed and took field notes in each cluster during Breakfast in the Classroom. Observations were made and interviews with all teachers were noted. Teachers were asked to just share their feelings about BIC in the moment and were specifically asked if they liked having BIC. These observations and interviews provided a great deal of insight to the research. Data Analysis Plan A mixed study was used for this program evaluation. Likert scaled responses were entered in an Excel program and statistical analysis was conducted to determine if the overall response was favorable in support of the program or not. This data were reported by participant subgroup. Qualitative data were analyzed separately by the type of instrument used and the category of participants. Participant categories included teacher, parents, students, (disaggregated by grade level), administrators, and nurse. The analysis involved identifying patterns and themes. Then, these were cross-referenced to compare for common themes and for differences. The outcomes helped determine what type of professional development would ensure that everyone was aware of the objectives and promoted the program in the same manner. Findings provided valuable information for evaluating the current program, both positive feedback and ideas to improve the program. The teacher survey included a request for the class to chart breakfast start times and end times for one week and log what students did during the BIC. The time began when the class
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom lined up and ended when everything was cleaned and teaching and learning began. The researcher performed observations at each grade level after the questionnaires were tallied.
28
Triangulation was used for clarification and validation through the interviews, and observations and field notes. The researcher recorded field notes during these interviews and observations of BIC on an IPAD. This script was analyzed and themed, and then placed on a spreadsheet. Any discrepancies were discussed and resolved. The researcher had all participants permission to be interviewed. The data gathered were secured in the researchers home. All instruments were kept by participant subgroup inside 9 X 12 inch clasp envelopes, stored in a home office area. All data were transferred to tally sheets, then placed on excel spreadsheets. The tally sheets were stored with the hard copies and the spreadsheets are on a password protected computer and backed up on a secured flash drive. Data analysis was not distributed or discussed until the final paper was sent to the school district and the paper was submitted for the end of course grade. Ethical Issues Ethical issues were lessoned by not using the schools name, the districts name, or any of the particpants names in the study. The data spreadsheets were coded using a system that was designed by the researcher and was not shared with anyone. Confidentiality was further upheld by the nurses research. The clinic records were only reviewed by the nurse and the data was emailed to the researcher using only the final numerical data.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Chapter 4 Data Analysis The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC). Data were collected using a variety of questionnaire structures. Some were open-ended and some were a combination of open-ended and Likert scaled items. Participants
29
included administrators, teachers, morning janitorial, parents, students and the school nurse. The nurse gathered data on the number of referrals due to hunger prior to and after implementation of BIC. On all accounts, data revealed both advantages and disadvantages. Most data were categorized into positive and negative responses about BIC. The time that BIC actually takes was analyzed using the mean of the data and the standard deviation. Chi-square tests were utilized to evaluate the quantitative data obtained from the nurse and on teachers Likert scaled items. Referrals to the Nurse The school nurse reviewed her records for 30 days prior to the implementation of BIC and for the same number of days following the implementation of BIC. Her records indicated the following: 510 patient records were reviewed. All were students at BLD School (pseudo name) in between February through March 2010 (A) and February through March 2011(B). Complaints reported in the hours before lunchtimes, such as stomachache, nausea, vomiting, headache, and/or dizziness were focused on. (A) 48 students with complaints of stomachache and/or dizziness, 16 had not eaten breakfast. It was noted that a snack was provided and afterwards, the students had relief from the complaints and were able to return to class (B) 24 students w/ complaints of stomachache and/or nausea and vomiting. Of note: 13 of those 24 students complained of nausea, with episode of vomiting AFTER eating Breakfast in the Classroom.
30
These findings supported the alleged benefit that BIC would reduce nurse referrals. Post BIC nurse referrals were reduced by 50%. There was a significant difference between the students with hunger issues pre BIC and post BIC,
2
(1) = 8, p .005.
School Staff: Administrators, Teachers, and Morning Janitorial and Cafeteria Staff and Observations, Interviews, and Field Notes These questionnaires shared a common thread in that all asked the same three qualitative questions. First, why did he or she believe that BIC was implemented, second, what were the advantages of having BIC and third, what were the disadvantages of having BIC. The teachers and the cafeteria staff questionnaires included categorically specific Likert scaled items. The janitors questionnaire had an additional question asking how BIC changed his job. The responses were coded as advantages and disadvantages as were appropriate. The Administrators were asked one additional question as well, has the school received additional funding because of the increase in participation in the breakfast program. The last section will reveal findings from the observations, interviews, and field notes. The cafeteria staff. The researcher received one response from the morning cafeteria staff of ten, but was not allowed to use the data. The staff was advised by their management not to participate in the study and the researcher was asked not to use the response. In an attempt to improve the validity of the program evaluation, the researcher contacted food services management through the districts website and an email was sent directly to the manager of the sample schools cafeteria staff. The food service operational manager responded that upper management decided that since the questionnaire was optional that our ladies did not need to participate in the survey at this time. This barrier was noteworthy because the ones that serve the BIC are certainly key stakeholders.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Quantitative data from teachers Likert scaled items. Questionnaires were given to all 50 homeroom teachers, as they are the ones that host BIC. The response rate was 55%, of these
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16% were male and 84% were female. Quantitative data showed that the negative view of BIC outweighed the positive in four of the five areas. Item four, students take responsibility for cleaning the classroom after BIC, was the one area that received a positive response; 71% of the teachers agreed or strongly agreed. Yet many commented in the interviews that they had to purchase cleaning supplies and cleaned the rooms themselves on a regular basis as well. Numerous teachers commented on the lack of time and the need to begin working as soon as the students walked in the door. This was supported by the 63% who disagreed or strongly disagreed that BIC improved social skills. However, others quoted research, stating that eating while working can have a negative impact on students developing healthy lifestyle habits (Temple, 2007). This 37% agreed that BIC provided an opportunity for students to socialize and learn manners. The Chi-square test was used to determine if the responses were significant. There was a significant difference between the teachers positive and negative responses, = 33.544, p < .001. Table 1 School Staff: Likert Scaled Item Summary Answer choices Item 1-BIC improve social skills Item 2 BIC only takes 10 min Item 3 Students are alert and perform better 40% 60% Item 4 Students take responsibility for clean up 71% 29% Item 5 Classroom discipline has improved 19% 81%
2
(12)
Positive Negative
37% 63%
14% 86%
Time chart for BIC. The teachers were asked to volunteer to record their BIC start and ending times for five days to support the results of item two, The breakfast from start to finish is only
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10 minutes. Negative responses totaled 86%, 50% of whom strongly disagreed and 0% strongly agreed. The chart below reveals the findings. These data included two extreme days, one was a rainy day when many students came in late and the other was a day with a shortened homeroom period. As the table reflects, very few teachers recorded ten minutes. There were 50 times recorded from 10 teachers from varying grade levels; of them 92% are more than 10 minutes. The mean times per day and the overall mean were all greater than 20 minutes, with an average standard deviation of 8.92. Table 2 Time Chart for BIC in Minutes
Grade K 1 1 2 2 3 5 6 6 7 Mean SDV Day 1 25 25 20 25 20 32 35 20 12 8 22.2 8.19 Day 2 25 23 20 30 15 20 30 18 15 10 20.6 6.54 Day 3 25 27 20 55 22 20 35 14 25 10 25.3 12.51 Day 4 25 24 20 37 20 13 30 18 20 12 21.9 7.53 Day 5 15 32 20 32 20 19 35 5 15 11 20.4 9.82 Average
22.08 8.92
Qualitative data. The qualitative data for the school staff are compiled in this section. The first section summarizes the responses to, why BIC was implemented, supported by Table 3. The second and third items allowed the staff to discuss advantages and disadvantages to the BIC program. This discussion is followed by Table 4. Of the responses, 68% felt that BIC was implemented to have a positive impact on students. This category included reasons such as: provided an opportunity to eat; improved students focus; improved attention spans, academics and test scores; gave all students a
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nutritious and fair start to the day; and gave the students an opportunity to socialize over a meal. A mere 2% thought BIC would maximize instructional time. The remaining 30% fell under the conspiracy theory; BIC benefits someone other than the students and/or its purpose was to increase the workload of teachers. Table 3 Qualitative Data Analysis, Why do you believe BIC was implemented? Category Total for students best interest Opportunity for all Improve academics Nutritious start to day Social time Conspiracy theory, politics, money Maximize instructional time Percentage 68% 32% 23% 11% 2%
30% 2%
The second qualitative item asked about the advantages of BIC. While 74% were advantages for the students; 20% left this section blank; wrote, there are none; or wrote there are only disadvantages. Categories of advantages were, all students had an opportunity to eat, all received a nutritious start to their day, all had an opportunity socialize, and BIC created a teachable moment in the areas of manners and responsibility. Only 4% listed an increase in participants to the program as an advantage. The number of disadvantages outweighed the advantages, 63% to 37%. Waste appeared pertaining to wasted instructional time and food waste. Many reasons were given that supported BIC being a waste of instructional time. Time was wasted when carts were not properly stocked; this resulted in servers returning to the cafeteria for more food, and or supplies. The BIC programs provided an opportunity for late students to eat, which resulted in yet another delay or
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disruption in beginning the instructional day. These reasons contributed to 27% of the responses. Nine percent explained that supervising and monitoring a meal with students to start the day put more work on the teachers. It was time consuming to establish routines and implement guidelines when food was served in the classroom, especially when younger children are involved. Food waste totaled 12% of the comments. Teachers stated that everyday many items were thrown away and feared students were learning that wasting food is condoned in school. An additional 20% focused on waste that dealt with the quality of the food, food which was not always nutritious and lacked variety. Last but not least was an issue with scheduling; students finished BIC between 8:15AM and 8:30AM; those same students had lunch scheduled between 10:00AM and 10:20AM. Pest sightings were minimal prior to BIC. Fruit flies and mice had not been seen pre BIC. Complaints of messy classrooms and an increase in roaches, mice, ants, and fruit flies composed 27% of the responses. Teachers reported that they have cleaned their own rooms, using supplies they purchased because janitorial staff cannot keep up with all of the simultaneous spills. Only 4% of the responses indicated concerns for students eating breakfast twice. Table 4 Qualitative Data for The Advantages and Disadvantage of BIC from the Staffs Perspective Questions What are the advantages of having BIC? Total Advantages 54 Listed Response Categories Total Advantages for in students best interest All students have opportunity Students receive a nutritious start to the day Creates teachable moments/responsibility Academics/improve test scores Opportunity for students to socialize Increase in program participation Use leftover bananas for banana bread None, left blank, or only disadvantages Percentages 74% 35% 20% 11% 6% 2% 4% 2% 20%
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What are the disadvantages of having BIC? Total Disadvantages 92 Listed
Total Disadvantages due to waste Wastes instructional time Food waste Quality, choices More work for teacher, when not enough time as it is, same expectations, Total Disadvantages concerning cleanliness Messy, dirty classrooms Pest issues, roaches, mice, fruit flies, ants Concern for obesity, students eat 2 breakfasts No Disadvantages
68% 27% 12% 20% 9% 27% 22% 5% 4% 1%
Observations and field notes from BIC. During the observations, servers were present in the clusters before the students. As the students arrived, servers greeted students by name and the students and teachers greeted their servers by name. Each class seemed to have some system for their morning routine; some systems appeared to work more efficiently than others did in that breakfast was served to some classes in less time. Some teachers lined their students up for breakfast in two lines, cold and hot. Some clusters rotated serving order; this was fair in the students eyes since the last class usually was left with the least desirable choice. Several times the cart had to be restocked, further delaying BIC. BIC in some clusters appeared a little chaotic. Students lined up in the cluster area and aggressively fought for a place in the front of the line because they all seemed to like the choices that particular day. They had to be asked to move back before the cart could be opened. Others were observed eating in pleasant environments, socializing, watching the news, and while some worked in solitude while eating. In the field, the researcher witnessed many trash bags with milk in the bottom of the bag and saw one student walk in the class after receiving breakfast from the cart and immediately drop the milk in the trash. Many teachers commented that this is common practice because the students are required to take three items, even if they do not want them. Some teachers
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attempted to combat this waste by having a designated area in the room for unwanted, unopened items. They allowed students that wanted the extra items to take them; some items were stored in teachers refrigerators for snacks later in the day. The researcher interviewed the teachers during BIC and asked if their students worked, socialized, or were allowed some combination thereof; 24% allowed the students to socialize, 31% had morning routines where the students worked during breakfast, while 45% of the teachers allowed varying combinations of work and socializing. These data differed somewhat from the data gathered from the questionnaires. At least 25% of the teachers complained of an increase in pest control issues, a noteworthy increase from the questionnaire responses of 5%. Another area of concern dealt with those students the teachers knew ate breakfast at home and at school. The students told these teachers or the parents had expressed concerns about their child eating breakfast twice. Of the teachers asked directly if they liked BIC, 60% said no. It is important to note that all grade levels experienced spills and mess in their classrooms because of BIC. Middle school students were accused of hiding food behind computers, in drawers, and inside desks. While some complained, other teachers enjoyed the time with their students, for example, some used that time to practice and improve language skills, while others held mini conferences with the students. Some had students make placemats and played soft music in the background creating a lovely environment for students to enjoy a meal with friends and begin a day of teaching and learning. These teachers said it took a lot of time to get the students to this point, but felt the investment was warranted.
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Parents Data The sample included parents in kindergarten through eighth grade. Questionnaires went out to 209 parents, 59% returned the packets. While 12% opted out, 88% responded. Item one asked the parents if their child ate breakfast at home and at school. The Likert scale answer choices and responses were everyday, 29%, frequently, 36%, rarely, 22%, and never, 15%. Sixty-five percent of the parents thought that their child ate breakfast twice everyday or at least frequently ate breakfast twice a day. Parents were asked why they thought BIC was implemented, and what were the advantages and disadvantages of BIC. Only 2% stated a concern about their children eating breakfast twice. The researcher reflected on the question and thought maybe it was misunderstood. The student responses did not reflect this large a percentage eating at home and at school. If time permitted this discrepancy would be further investigated. Eighty-Six percent of the parent responded that BIC was implemented so that all students have the opportunity to eat and have a nutritious start to their day. They believed this would help improve academic performance. Very few thought BIC was implemented for political and or monetary gain or to give the students an opportunity to improve social skills. Advantages and disadvantages are listed in the table below. It represents the percentage of total advantages or total disadvantages. As with the teacher responses, a major advantage is that all students received a fair start to their day with a healthy nutritious breakfast. Many parents thought this program was convienent for them and for their children. Children and parents can sleep in later. The early bus riders did not have to wake up early to prepare and eat
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom breakfast at home. Twenty-eight percent of the parents recorded, none under the section for disadvantages. Parents advantages outweighed the disadvantages, 165 to 130. Table 5 Qualitative Data From Parents on the Advantages and Disadvantages of BIC Advantages of BIC All students can have opportunity to have fair start Convenient for the parents and comfortable setting for the students Students receive nutritious breakfast, reduces hunger, teachers make sure that students eat Improves academics Reduce tardies, increase instructional time, start lessons earlier Students can socialize Students Data This subgroup of the sample was given to third through eighth grade students. The sample size was 140, 56% of the students returned and answered the questionnaire, of those, Disadvantages of BIC Empathy for staff additional cleaning responsibilities, lost instructional 25% time, and increase pests
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41%
19% none
28%
18% Choices, quality and wasted food 16% Parent can't monitor what child eats,
23% 5%
15% Students are rushed 8% Students may eat 2 breakfasts
2% 2%
46% were male and 54% were female. The students quantitative data was analyzed and divided into positive or negative feedback. The responses were considered positive feedback if the students participated in BIC, socialized during breakfast, enjoyed the BIC program always or almost always, and if they indicated that they sometimes or never ate breakfast at home and school. Their answers were catorgorized as negative if the students sometimes or never participated in BIC, socialized, or enjoyed BIC, and if they always or almost always ate breakfast
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at home and at school. Only 5% said they never participated in BIC and only 6% said they never enjoyed the breakfast. Table 6 summarizes the responses. Table 6 Students Quantitative Data Analysis Item 1, Item 4, eat Answer participate Item 2, Item 3, at home choices in BIC socialize Enjoy and school Positive 63% 49% 55% 55%* Negative 37% 51% 45% 45% Note. *: This answer means they answered sometimes or never to eating breakfasts twice The qualitative investigation focused on what students liked most, what they liked least, and what they would change about BIC. Many students chose to list specific foods they liked or disliked, while others did not like being served last in their cluster because the cart ran out of their favorite foods and was not refilled unless everything was gone. Some said the food was not tasty, that there was no variety, especially with the fruit choice. Students enjoyed socializing during this time, and did not enjoy being restricted to silence.. There were a few students that said they were not a fan of BIC, they did not like the mess in their classroom, they did not like that they had to take food they were not going to eat, and some even commented that they would like to move it back to the cafeteria because the choices were better and they had more friends they could socialize with compared to only their homeroom classmates. Some saw nothing wrong with it and would not change anything. Another small group complained about the state of the food; food was at the wrong temperature, the presentation was not palatable, fruit was bad or juice was frozen. Below is Table 7, it summarizes these finding.
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Table 7 Students Qualitative Data Analysis Item 1 Like most Food Choices 41% Chicken Biscuit 17% Cereal 11% Pancakes 13% Socialize with friends Opportunity to eat Room Service No answers 27% 15% 11% 6% Item 2 Like least Food Choices 36% Messy Cannot socialize Nothing, they like it State of the food No Answer 24% 13% 17% 5% 5% Item 3 Change about BIC Food Choices 57% Change nothing Be able to socialize Move back to caf Dirty classrooms Food rules/waste 16% 13% 6% 4% 4%
Summary The hypothesis for the staff findings was that the data would reveal more disadvantages than advantages. This was supported by the raw data response of 54 advantages to 92 disadvantages coupled with the results from the quantitative data that the negative data are greater than the positive. The school nurse records exposed a significant advantage. The records indicated that post BIC nurse referrals, due to hunger, were reduced by half. This translates to students remaining in class where learning can take place. The data gathered from the parents revealed 165 advantages compared to 130 disadvantages. The students data reflected more positive feelings about BIC than negative and most wanted to improve the program rather than move back to the cafeteria. Choices were a
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom major concern for most groups followed by the mess in the classrooms and lack of janitorial
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support to maintain clean classrooms. The staff and parents were concerned about the waste of instructional time.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Chapter 5 Discussion The format of this study was similar to that used by United States Department of Agriculture Evaluation of the School Breakfast Pilot Program study, but on a smaller scale (McLaughlin, 2004). Both studies solicited participants from key stakeholders. The questionnaires used in this survey varied by stakeholder with participant specific Likert scaled
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items and or open-ended questions. The questionnaires were created from the claims discovered in the literature review. This diverse perspective provided data that was ultimately categorized as positive or negative. The hypotheses and the findings by category are listed below in Table 1: Table 8 Hypotheses by Category of Participants Quantitative Data Category Teachers Hypothesis The teachers would have more responses that are negative. A secondary hypothesis is that BIC takes longer than 10 minutes. The parents would have more negative responses than positive responses. The students would complain and have more responses that are negative. The cafeteria staff would have more responses that are positive. BIC would reduce hunger referrals. Finding The findings supported both hypotheses.
Parents
This hypothesis was not supported by the findings. The results were close but this hypothesis was not supported by the findings. Management did not allow the cafeteria staff to participate The findings supported this hypothesis.
Students
Cafeteria Staff (AM only)
Nurse
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According to Gay in Educational Research Competencies for Analysis and Applications, the rule of thumb for response rate is 50% and anything above 50% improves the generalizability of the findings (Gay, 2012). Most subgroups exceeded this response rate. The cafeteria was the exception. This barrier was noteworthy since the cafeteria staff are key players in BIC and their perspective would have enriched this program evaluation. Teachers and students were specifically asked about socializing. Most students thought that BIC was a great time to socialize whereas most teachers did not view BIC as a time for students to socialize. However, it is interesting to note that the field observations and interviews found that most teachers allowed socializing or some routine that combined work and socializing. Many teachers did not want the students socializing because the teachers did not feel that they had time to waste. This was in conflict with the literature findings that BIC was a time to improve social skills (Martin, 2012). The parents did not view socializing as a significant benefit to the BIC program. The students enjoyed socializing during this time as it ranked number one under what students liked most. The students that were on silence and or had to work all preferred to have permission to socialize. The USDA Toolkit stated that BIC provided an opportunity to teach responsibility in real-life situations (USDA, 2012). While most of the teachers agreed that BIC provided an opportunity for the students to learn responsibility, they also said that they had to purchase cleaning supplies and work harder to keep their rooms clean. There were spills daily, and with only one custodian in the morning, all spills could not be cleaned by the custodian. All stakeholders were also concerned about maintaining a sanitary eating environment. Controlling the increase in roaches, mice, ants, and fruit flies was an additional concern by all.
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Several studies purported that BIC only took 10 minutes (Ferguson, 2008, Food Research and Action Center, 2012). Item two on the teacher questionnaire revealed that 80% disagreed or strongly disagreed with this claim. In an effort to validate these results, the questionnaire solicited volunteers to maintain a five-day time chart to record BIC start and end times. The results validated the negative response from the teachers finding a mean time in excess of 20 minutes. These results favorably compare to the common theme found in the adult questionnaire that BIC is a waste of instructional time. Many thought that the extra effort, energy, and time to establish management systems necessary for BIC is simply another responsibility, in a long list of responsibilities teachers are asked to do by people who do not work in the classroom and want to implement great theoretical ideas. Systems that involve teaching etiquette, procedures to minimize spills, and the importance of cleaning all food remnants after eating are important and take time; however, they are not testable objectives. Teachers disagreed with studies that claimed that students were more alert or that classroom discipline improved. Instead, some mentioned that they were tired of the messy classrooms, the students fighting over extra food/drink and the increase in pests. Another reoccurring theme on different levels in every category of participant surrounded the choices. When the carts were not stocked properly, the students were limited on choices. The students did not like being served last because the best choices were not available and the server did not refill the cart unless it was empty. Additional instructional time was lost when the servers had to return to the cafeteria to restock the cart. On a different level, the quality of the choices was in question. The choices were not tasty, the fruit was bad, and the juice was frozen. Most choices were packaged without nutritional facts. Nutritional value of the food was another huge question that concerned the teachers, parents, administrators, and students as well. While
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom the nurse data revealed that BIC reduced the number of nurse referrals by 50%, fifty percent of
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the referrals post BIC were complaints of stomach aches, nausea and vomiting after eating BIC. In spite of all the negativity, this study revealed interesting and positive aspects of BIC. The kindergarten cluster operated under a very efficient system. In less than 10 minutes, 120 students were served by simply organizing students in hot or cold breakfast lines. This allowed the server to quickly dispense all cold choices, the cereal and milk then the hot breakfast items and beverages. BIC in first grade was a beautiful experience with most teachers. Some had place mats, made by the students on the table with the food and eating utensils neatly placed in front of the students. Children were calm, sitting at their tables, a little socializing, but mostly eating with soft music playing in the background. It was a pleasant, an eye opening testimony to a positive aspect of BIC. The researcher reflected on how many of these children in todays fastpaced society actually sit down and enjoy a meal with someone and without the television blasting in the background. While the teachers mentioned that it took a lot of work to get the students to this point, it was a memorable observation. One teacher while watching the children, sitting before their placements, quietly eating and socializing with music in the background reflected on the question, Do you like BIC? You know, I like BIC. I like seeing that my students eat a good breakfast, not a bag of chips, or a candy bar. Knowing that they have a good start to the day is important. I would like to see better choices, less sugar, more whole grains, the program may not be perfect, but the advantages outweigh the many disadvantages. Many of the middle school students ate breakfast while watching the news. Some elementary teachers had televisions or videos on as well. The first impression was, what a great idea, because most students probably do not watch the news, thus giving them an opportunity to be informed and discuss world events with their peers. However, at this point, the researcher did
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom reflect on the research that found a strong negative correlation between establishing good, healthy eating habits and watching television (Temple, 2007). Strengths and Limitations
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One strength of this study is that the questionnaire items were derived from the literature review. The questionnaires were based on previous studies and followed the large studies lead in randomly selecting participants when the specific group was too large. Most of the studies surveyed, interviewed, and observed parents, students, teachers, cafeteria staff, janitorial staff, and the school nurse. Another strength is that the parents and students were selected using a random cluster sampling to reduce bias. The data the nurse provided was a strength to the study. This was information that was not based on memory or opinion, but came from actual referral records maintained by the school nurse. Last, the responses from the teachers, students, janitor, nurse, and parents exceeded 50%, which provided the researcher with a significant amount of data from a diverse population. (Gay, 2012) One limitation is that the cafeteria staff was not allowed to participate in the study. This left a void in the data from key stakeholders reducing the internal validity of the study. Another limitation was the sample size. This investigation was conducted in only one school, limiting its generalizability to all schools. Recommendations and Action Planning There are many complicated issues concerning BIC and there are no simple answers. A recommendation to all stakeholders would be to visit another homeroom, cluster, or school and observe to enhance your current system. The hot and cold lines worked well in kindergarten and first. This system may reduce serving time in other grade levels as well. Adhere to the research
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on eating and working or watching television. Try the placemats or some aesthetically pleasing ambiance to BIC, and then allow the students 10 - 15 minutes to socialize. Establish the ending time for BIC and follow that guideline. Allow the late students to eat but have them respect that socializing is over. The guided social time of watching the news during BIC was a good alternative to student doing busy work. As a health and physical educator aware of the research associated with establishing unhealthy habits when watching television and eating, this option provides the students with current event topics to discuss over breakfast. This would qualify as socializing rather than simply eating and watching television. This research will affect my curriculum focus on healthy choice instruction. While breakfast is important, it is the meal that jumpstarts your day, however, eating breakfast twice is not a healthy choice especially for those classes that eat lunch between 10:00AM and 10:30AM. Students need to learn what nutrients are and why your body needs them, and most importantly, they need to learn how this information should apply to personal choices. The greatest impact this research will have on my work in a leadership role is to always collaborate with a variety of stakeholders before implementing a new program and most importantly have circular systems in place to monitor, revisit, and revise as needed. This study is incomplete due to that lack of participation by the cafeteria staff. First, complete this evaluation of BIC by obtaining responses from food services to the following, for clarity: 1. The toast option appeared to be fresh and prepared in the morning, however other choices such as kolaches, sausage biscuits, chicken biscuits, pancakes and French toast, appeared to be packaged and heated in the microwave. The pre-packaged food did
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom not supply nutritional information on the packaging. Please comment on these observations.
48
2. One of the teachers pointed out that the juice was of no nutritional value. The contents included 4-ounces of juice, 80 calories, 13 grams of sugar, and no vitamins. It appeared that juice was served when there was no fruit option, but this could not be confirmed. Sometimes the juice is frozen; I notice that some students enjoyed the "slushy" drink, while other saved it until it thawed. The literature review stated that one reason the breakfast was implemented was to make a nutritional breakfast more accessible to students. How is this juice option justified as nutritious? Please provide nutritional information on the pre-packaged food.
3. Respecting that the job to feed thousands of American children is difficult, how can we address the issues of choice; properly stocking the carts; providing a variety of fruit choices; in general, improving the taste of the food? Is it possible to make the food fresh at the school as initially promised? If so, is there more freedom if students are served in the cafeteria or in the classroom?
4. There seems to be some inconsistency in the rules from server to server. It is painful to watch the amount of waste that happens because students are require to take three items. The rules were not consistent and or clear because the researcher was unable to speak with the cafeteria staff for clarity. Please provide the rules and mandates of BIC. What system is in place to communicate changes to the rules?
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom An evaluation designed to improve the system must have committee members that are
49
involved in the day-to-day operations: teachers, cafeteria staff, the school nurse, and the janitors. Open and honest input from them is invaluable. A discussion about the real nutrition value of foods is imperative to this program evaluation. The facts cannot be hidden behind guidelines that can be manipulated to make foods and beverages appear to be healthy. Revisit breakfast back in the cafeteria as well as leaving it in the classrooms. Serving breakfast in the cafeteria may increase variety and allow the food to be cooked fresh. BIC provided an opportunity to build community within the school. Servers were observed interacting with the students and teachers by name. One teacher commented that the server knows they are scheduled to go to the library at 8:00, so the server makes sure that this teachers class is served first on that day. Most of the teachers never interact with the cafeteria workers and BIC allows interactions by cafeteria and janitorial staff that may not happen if breakfast were served in the cafeteria. It is important to consider what options would make the breakfast more appealing thereby naturally inviting more participants. The research yielded positive externalities which expanded the researchers perspective however, they did not outweigh the opportunity cost; wasted instructional time. The aforementioned shortcomings of BIC do not only have immediate negative effects to start the day but also have some lasting negative effects. Teachers are human; burnout comes from the ridiculous and unnecessary pile ons of questionable programs without the input from the ones that are to implement them. Programs with such negativity should be revisited to improve perception, also known as buy-in. One way to receive the full benefit of a program is to have buy-in from most stakeholders. A needs assessment is very appropriate. This is basic; it begins with Maslows hierarchy of needs: the need for food, water, clothing, and shelter. A successful
50
breakfast program will look differently at different schools. Schools with a large population of economically disadvantaged students will have different needs than schools with a large population of affluent students. An anonymous poster in one of the clusters captured summed up what must be done, it is vital to the future success of such an important program, We learn by doing, IF we reflect on what weve done. Self-reflection is an effective tool for selfimprovement. A program that does not discriminate and offers breakfast to all is theoretically a grand idea. Discussions by those directly involved are needed to bring this grand idea to fruition. People will always complain, nothing is ever perfect; however, the original plan for this program was a good one, just revisit it.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom References
51
Anderson, M. D. (2011). School Breakfasts Move From Cafeteria to Class. Education Week, 1111. Chmelynski, C. (2007). Free Student Breakfasts: Surest Way to Raise Performance. The Education Digest, 59-61. Cueto, S., & Chinen, M. (2008). Educational impact of a school breakfast programme in rural Peru. International Journal of Educational Development, 132-148. District, H. I. (2010, May 24). Breakfast in the Classroom. Retrieved from Houston Independent School District: http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f5717292d8197210 VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=9339e02e91b23110VgnVCM100000 28147fa6RCRD Ferguson, S. (2008). The Nourished Soul. School Administrator, Issue 3. Food Research and Action Center. (2012, September 6). Breakfast in the Classroom. Retrieved from FRAC/Food Research and Action Center: http://www.breakfastintheclassroom.org/about-the-program.html freebmicalculator.net. (2012, October 8). Healthy BMI - Formula. Retrieved from How to Calculate BMI-BMI Formula: http://www.freebmicalculator.net/calculate-bmi.php Gay, L. M. (2012). Educational Research Competencies for Ananlysisi and Applications. Boston: Pearson.
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Holmes, V. a. (2010). HISD First class Breakfast: Preliminary Findings on Quality, Service, and Student Performance, Spring 2010. Houston: Houston Independent School District Research and Accountability Department. Imberman, S. A. (2012). The Effect of Providing Breakfast on Student Performance: Evidence from an In-Class Breakfast Program. National Bureau of Economic Researchc, Abstract. Levin, M., & Kast, G. (2011). School Breakfast in America's Big Cities. Washington, DC: Food Research and Action Center. Li, J. a. (2012). Childhood Obesity and Schools: Evidence From the National Survey of Childrens's Health. Journal of School Health, 96-103. Martin, J. C. (2012, September 7). Breakfast Comes to the Classroom. (J. Dickl, Interviewer) McLaughlin, J. E. (2004). Evaluation of the School Breakfast Program Pilot Project CN-04SBP. Alexandria, VA: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services. Millimet, D. L., Tchernis, R., & Hussain, M. (2008). School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of childhood Obesity. The Journal of Human Resources, 640-654. Rainville, A. J. (2008). NFSMI Best Practice Guidefo In-Classroom Breakfast. University, Mississippi: National Food Service Management Institute. Rainville, A. J., & Carr, D. H. (2008). In-Classroom Breakfast: Best practics in Three School Districts. School Nutrition Association volume 32, Issue 2.
53
Temple, J. L. (2007, February). Television Watching Increases Motivated Responding for Food and Energy Intake in Children. The American Jounal of Clinical Nutrition vol. 85 no.2, pp. 355-361. USDA. (2012, January 25). Teachers Breakfast Toolkit. Retrieved from United States Governemnt Department of Agriculture: www.fns,usda.gov/cnd/Breakfast/toolkit/teachers.pdf
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix A Breakfast in the Classroom Questionnaire
54
Student Survey (3rd 8th ) Thank you in advance for your participation in this study! Name: (optional) ____________________ May I interview you? Yes form) Gender: _____Male _____Female Age: ___________ No (see parental consent
Grade: ___________
1. I participate in the breakfast program and eat breakfast in my classroom. Always Almost Always Sometimes Never
2. Breakfast in the Classroom is a great time to socialize with my friends. Always Almost Always Sometimes Never
3. I enjoy the breakfast choices. Always Almost Always Sometimes Never
4. I eat breakfast at home and at school. Always Almost Always Sometimes Never
5. What do you like most about Breakfast in the classroom?
6. What do you not like about Breakfast in the classroom?
7. What would you change about Breakfast in the classroom?
"THIS RESEARCH STUDY HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE HUMAN SUBJECTS COMMITTEE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix B
55
Janitor Questionnaire Thank you in advance for your participation in this study!
Name: (optional) ________________________________ Circle the answers that apply. Gender: Male Female Age:
May I interview you?
Yes
No
20 -30
31 40
41 50
over 51
1. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented?
2. How did Breakfast in the Classroom change your job?
3. What are the advantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?
4. What are the disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix C
56
Cafeteria Staff Questionnaire Thank you in advance for your participation in this study! Name: (optional) ________________________________May I interview you? Yes Circle the answers that apply. Gender: Male Female Age: 20 -30 31 40 41 50 over 51 No
1. The Breakfast in the Classroom program allows us to serve the students more than one choice of food for breakfast. 2. Always Usually Sometimes Seldom Never
3. The food served includes a fresh fruit. Always 4. Usually Sometimes Seldom Never
The food served includes a protein. Always Usually Sometimes Seldom Never
4. The food served is prepackaged as opposed to cooked fresh. Always Usually Sometimes Seldom Never
5. Breakfast in the Classroom is an easier clean up than breakfast in the cafeteria. Strongly Agree Agree About the Same Disagree Strongly Disagree
6. Was there an increase in participation in the program when Breakfast in the Classroom began? 7. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented?
8. Please add any other comments, advantages, or disadvantages about Breakfast in the Classroom that you feel have not been addressed by this survey.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix D
57
Administrator Questionnaire Thank you in advance for your participation in this study! Name: (optional) _________________________ May I interview you? Yes No
Circle your responses below. Please note income is optional. It will be kept confidential. Gender: Male Female 6 11 Age: 20 -30 12- 19 31 40 20 + 41 50 over 51
Number of years in education: 0 5
1. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented? 2. Has the School received additional funding because of Breakfast in the Classroom? *Yes *If yes, what are these funds used for? No
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appenidx E

Teacher Questionnaire Thank you in advance for your participation in this study! Name: (optional) ________________________________May I interview you? Yes Circle your responses below. Please note income is optional. It will be kept confidential. Gender: Male Female 05 Age: 6 11 20 -30 31 40 12- 19 41 50 20 + over 51 No
58
Number of years teaching:
1. Breakfast in the Classroom is used as an opportunity for my students to improve social skills. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
2. *Breakfast from start to finish takes 10 minutes. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
3. My students are more alert and perform better since implementing Breakfast in the Classroom. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
4. My students take responsibility for clean up when breakfast is over. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
5. Classroom discipline has improved since implementing breakfast in the classroom. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
*Will you log breakfast times from start to finish for one week; this will help obtain an average amount of time for the program in our school. *Yes No 6. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented?
7. Reflect on your Breakfast in the Classroom experience. Please provide your thoughts on advantages and disadvantages of this program. Include concerns, questions and alternative ideas. You may list advantages and disadvantages or write using an essay format. You may write your answers on the back."
THIS RESEARCH STUDY HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE HUMAN SUBJECTS COMMITTEE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix F
59
Nurse Questionnaire Thank you in advance for your participation in this study! Name: (optional) ________________________________May I interview you? Yes Circle your responses below. Please note income is optional. It will be kept confidential. Gender: Male Female 6 11 Age: 12- 19 20 -30 31 40 20 + 41 50 over 51 No
Number of years teaching: 0 5
4.
Did Breakfast in the Classroom affect nurse visits, if yes, how? Please provide the data. Below is the information for the research paper.
The school nurse provided the research necessary for her survey. The subject school began Breakfast in the Classroom on October 5, 2010. First, she reviewed the logs for a six-week period beginning February 2010, pre Breakfast in the Classroom. The research included all nurse visits from 7:30AM to 11:30AM. She pulled the cards of the students that came with hunger symptoms, such as lightheadedness and stomach issues and tallied those visits that hunger was the problem. Hunger will be evident if the nurse gave the students something to eat and they felt better. This total was compared to morning nurse visits for hunger issues during the same number of school days between February 2011 and March 2011, post Breakfast in the Classroom. Raw data was analyzed to determine if there were fewer nurse visits related to hunger once BIC began. This data was compared with the findings from the literature that BIC reduces nurse visits.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix G
60
Parent Questionnaire Thank you in advance for your participation in this study! Name: ________________________________May I interview you? ___________ Yes No Phone
Circle your responses below. Please note income is optional. It will be kept confidential. Gender: Male Female Age: 20 -30 31 40 41 50 over 51
Number of children in the household under 18: _____ Grade Levels ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 1. My child eats breakfast at home and at school. Everyday Frequently Rarely Never

Masterson_ EDUC 6321_Research Project Complete _ Rubric
61
Chapter 3: Method (Typically 3 to 5 pages)

COMPONENT
PARTICIPANTS Describe sample, including size, expected demographic characteristics, and other relevant information (e.g., special characteristics) Explain how the sample was recruited or enrolled, including information about the site where the research took place (but not the name of the school for confidentiality reasons) Describe any consent procedures that were used, including obtaining permission to conduct the study. MEASURES Describe what instruments/measures you used to measure the variables (e.g., survey, test, observational form, interview, etc.) Provide information about how reliability and validity were demonstrated for each instrument/method. DESIGN Briefly describe the qualitative or quantitative design that was used (i.e., survey, correlational, causal-comparative, experimental, single-subject experimental, case study, narrative, or ethnographic). Note: That the appropriate language must be used when describing the design (e.g., independent, dependent variables in experimental research; predictor or grouping variable and outcome variables in correlational and causal-comparative research, etc.) Explain why this design was chosen. Describe any threats to validity associated with the design and how these were addresses. PROCEDURES
POINTS Possible Earned
COMMENTS
The cafeteria staff were not participants.
5 10

Describe specifically what you did, step-by-step, including any interventions, apparatus, or materials used. Provide the actual timeline for conducting the study, including data collection. DATA ANALYSIS PLAN Describe how data was organized, maintained, and analyzed with qualitative and/or quantitative methods. This should involve a description of how you kept the data secure. ETHICAL ISSUES Briefly describe how permission was obtained to conduct the study and the timeframe for doing so. Describe any ethical issues that were involved in conducting the study and how you addressed these. For qualitative research, describe your role and explain how this was managed to ensure that the research remained ethical. WRITTEN EXPRESSION Grammar and style APA style TITLE PAGE, ABSTRACT, AND TABLE OF CONTENTS Title page must be formatted to the sample study format specifications. Title must be 12 words or less. Running head must be 50 characters or less including spaces. 5 10
62
5 5 Running head is 58 characters.
Table of contents must include all headings

and subheadings with page numbers. 5
Abstract must be 200 words or less and should

provide a summary of the research topic and plan. 5
Note that the final abstract should reflect the

study findings and implications. Chapter 3 - TOTAL POINTS EARNED
Chapter 4: Study Implementation, Data Analysis, and Presentation of Results (References as
Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom needed)

STUDY IMPLEMENTATION
63
Note: This is not included in the write-up itself.

These points will be awarded based on the professors evaluation of your preliminary work.) Followed the research proposal protocol (or, if modified, described the modifications). Organized the data systematically. DATA ANALYSIS Described the procedure(s) for data analysis. Conducted statistical procedures or qualitative methods of data analysis. Accurately described the results of the analysis. VISUAL PRESENTATION OF RESULTS Create a table for descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) or qualitative data Or Create a figure or other visual aid to illustrate at least one finding Or Provide a transcript of an interview ensuring that participants name is changed. WRITTEN PRESENTATION Grammar APA style 10 5
5 15 25
30
5 5 Chapter 4 TOTAL POINTS EARNED
Chapter 5: Interpretation and Recommendations (Minimum 5 references; may be repeats)

INTERPRETATIONS OF FINDINGS State whether the findings support or do not support the hypothesis If the hypothesis was supported, describe how this is consistent with findings from previous studies. If the hypothesis was not supported, provide possible explanations. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS 10 10
20
20

64
Identify at least two strengths of the study. Identify at least two limitations of the study, especially in terms of internal or external validity. RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION PLANNING Based on the results of the study, make at least two recommendations to the target audience (e.g., educators, counselors, etc.) Describe how this study will affect your work.
10 10
10 10
15
15
10 Describe possible next steps for additional research, to answer any questions that the current study could not answer. WRITTEN PRESENTATION Grammar APA style 10
10 10
5 5
5 5 5 100
Minimum 5 scholarly references in APA style 5 (may repeat previous chapters references) Chapter 5 - TOTAL POINTS EARNED Chapter 3 - Total Points Chapter 4 - Total Points Chapter 5 - Total Points Chapter 3, 4, and 5 - AVERAGE POINTS

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Running head: Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom: A Diverse Perspective

Winny Llorens University of St. Thomas

Research Professor: Deborah Masterson, Ph.D. Date May 2013

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Referrals to Nurse 29

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Chapter 3 Method Population

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

What are the disadvantages of having BIC? Total Disadvantages 92 Listed

68% 27% 12% 20% 9% 27% 22% 5% 4% 1%

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

15% Students are rushed 8% Students may eat 2 breakfasts

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Cafeteria Staff (AM only)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom References

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom

3. I enjoy the breakfast choices. Always Almost Always Sometimes Never

5. What do you like most about Breakfast in the classroom?

6. What do you not like about Breakfast in the classroom?

7. What would you change about Breakfast in the classroom?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix B

May I interview you?

1. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented?

2. How did Breakfast in the Classroom change your job?

3. What are the advantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

4. What are the disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix C

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix D

Number of years in education: 0 5

3. What are the advantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

4. What are the disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appenidx E

Number of years teaching:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix F

Number of years teaching: 0 5

1. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented?

2. What are the advantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

3. What are the disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom Appendix G

2. Why do you believe the Breakfast in the Classroom was implemented?

3. What are the advantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

4. What are the disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast in the Classroom