KYLE WILKERSON

ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

TOPIC OF ACTION RESEARCH

The topic of my action research is high school student use of e-portfolios. E-portfolios
are an underutilized educational tool that facilitates a modern practice to learning. The present
group of young learners thrive and rely on information collected through social media posts.
This educational resource gives a student the chance to create and generate proof of their
individual learning experience. It gives them a sense of empowerment important to further
development, especially in expression and writing abilities. E-portfolios can be influential
classroom instruments for guiding and cultivating learning for the students.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of my action research is deciphering if the use of student created e-

portfolios facilitates writing improvement. Students often go through the motions when they
are required to write reflections or opinions on experiences in class. The combination of e-
portfolios being shared between the students and the teachers taking a closer look at regular
reflection can lead to more accountability for actual writing methods. I am hoping to see an
increase in attention to detail that facilitates growth in fundamental writing skills.

FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH QUESTION

My fundamental research question focuses on younger, developing high school students

that write the most often in their English classes. I arrived at the following research question:

Does the regular use of student created e-portfolios increase writing achievement for
9th grade English students?
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

I feel like the decision to focus on 9th grade writers will give a good indication if the use of e-
portfolios are actually prompting writing improvement while being a resource the students
enjoy using.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The design will be mixed methods (both qualitative and quantitative). I will feel like I
need to use writing scores as indicators for improvement so I have actual statistics as proof and
explanation. The purpose of using surveys will be for gauging overall feelings toward e-portfolio
utilization for writing. The combination of both qualitative and quantitative data can give me a
more comprehensive overview of the experience. I want to make sure I cover the statistical side
and personal perception of how effective the implementation process goes.

DATA TO BE COLLECTED

The data collected will come from essay and writing prompt scores from the fall and
spring semesters from classes that both use e-portfolios and classes that don’t. This data will
give a good indication if the students are making statistical improvement from the e-portfolio
usage. I will also be collecting responses from surveys and/or interviews with both students and
teachers involved. I think feedback is important for further development while giving honest
reactions to how the process has been.

MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS

The fall and spring essay and writing prompt scores will be compared between the
classes that use e-portfolios and the classes that do not. I will also look at the fall scores and
compare them to the spring for the classes that used e-portfolios. I plan on doing the data
analysis in Excel to see if there is a statistical significance in scores. I will also look at the surveys
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

to notice if there are any recurring trends and themes that stand out. The surveys give an
alternative method of gathering information by way of individual and confidential opinion.

HOW LIT REVIEW INFORMED THE STUDY

The lit review gave me several important pieces of information regarding successful
implementation. Several studies mentioned how e-portfolio initiatives that failed to gain steam
or work suffered from a poor overall introduction of why e-portfolios are being used. My
number one priority for getting the process started is centered on a proper introduction. The
literature review also showed how limited the research on high school students using e-
portfolios for improved writing abilities is, especially with 9th grade English classes. I will need to
be diligent in my setup to ensure accurate results that will tell me how impactful e-portfolios
will be for the students and their writing skills.

IMPLEMENT THE PLAN TIMELINE

A. Step 1 (Early August 2019) – Introduction and Explanation of Why

a. Initial Introduction of e-portfolios

i. Meeting with English department chair, vice principals, and the other
instructional technology specialist. I would explain the purpose of
implementing e-portfolios and how we could make them work here at
Chaminade.

B. Step 2 (Late August 2019) - Meet with English department

i. Introduce and explain e-portfolio use. Show examples so every teacher gets
a good idea of what the students are trying to accomplish through usage.

C. Step 3 (September/October 2019) - Training & Professional Development

a. Provide Professional Development for English department.

i. Narrow choices to two different sites.

 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

ii. Have a representative (webinar or in person) walk everyone through the ins
and outs of how to use the sites. Also, seeing and understanding the process
of student enrollment/sign ups. May require multiple sessions.

D. Step 4 (January 2020) - Implementation

a. Introduce e-portfolios to a couple College Prep 9th grade English classes and a
couple 9th grade Honors classes

i. Students sign up and learn how the sites work. This may take multiple
classes

E. Step 5 (June 2020) - Evaluation

a. Compare writing scores of first semester work to second semester

b. Survey students and teachers on their e-portfolio experiences

c. Decide if results are statistically significant showing writing improvement

d. Study survey results to notice trends or patterns.

F. Step 6 (August 2020) - Future Planning

a. Figure out necessary adjustments to e-portfolio use

b. Possible full implementation for all 9th grade English classes

COLLECT & ANALYZE THE DATA

I will ask teachers to share scores for the essays and writing prompts they deem are key
assignments in Fall and Spring semesters. Once I have access to the data, I can then compare
scores between the classes that use and don’t use e-portfolios. I will also look at the
comparison of the Fall and Spring semester scores for both. I currently do not have access to
any scores, so an actual examination of the data can’t be shown at this time. I am hoping to find
a statistically significant improvement for the classes that regularly use e-portfolios.
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

Surveys will be conducted through Survey Monkey for the students and teachers. It
gives a large amount of feedback to notice overall trends or patterns. This can help with
necessary adjustments and shortcomings of how they are being used. (SEE APPENDIX A FOR
STUDENT SURVEY THAT WILL BE CREATED IN SURVEY MONKEY)

DEVELOP THE ACTION PLAN

The data collected will dictate what the necessary actions will be next. I’m hoping the
comparison of writing scores will be statistically significant for the classes that utilize e-
portfolios. If that is indeed the case, I intend to push the expansion of e-portfolios into other
grade levels to promote wider writing growth. The numbers could also not go in favor of what I
hope. If there is not noticeable improvement in their scores, the surveys could be a major part
of making adjustments that might help lead to marked increases in scores. The importance of
personal feedback can give the necessary information I can use to share new ideas with
teachers.

SHARE AND COMMUNICATE RESULTS

I will begin sharing the results with the English department. It has always bothered me
with our administration that they use the terms “data collection” and never actual show us
what they are claiming they use. I plan on being transparent, whether the results show positive
or negative effects. If the results are positive and the English teachers agree it is something we
should develop and expand, I hope to get the opportunity to share how implementing e-
portfolios in any class can be beneficial during a faculty meeting. I think I would get that chance
because the evidence will be there in the data collected. If the improvement isn’t there with
the numbers, I can discuss the survey results with the English department to see if there are
changes that could be made to increase scores.
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

REFLECTION ON THE PROCESS

The combination of completing the lit review and putting together a more
comprehensive overview of the action research plan has provided me with the hope of actually
making this a reality. I feel like I have obtained a good amount of information to help with a
successful implementation of my plan. I have the knowledge of what to look out for and how I
can never collect too much information. The plan will obvious undergo challenges and require
adaptation, but I feel confident in my ability to make this plan happen. My biggest hope is
students and teachers see e-portfolios as a resource to benefit the learner in an innovative way.
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

APPENDIX A

E-portfolio Survey

1. How much time DURING class, did you spend working on your e-portfolio?
Less than one (1) full class
One (1) full class
Two (2) full classes
Three (3) full classes
Part of each on-campus class

2. How much time, in total, did you spend on your e-portfolio OUTSIDE of class?
<1 hour
1-2 hours
3-5 hours
6-10 hours
>10 hours

Strongly Agree Neither Disagree Strongly

Peer to Peer Sharing and Learning Agree Agree or Disagree
Disagree

Being able to see other students’ work

helped:

Improved the quality of my work

It was motivating to know that other

people would see my portfolio.
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

Functionality Very Easy Easy Neutral Difficult Very

Difficult

How easy was it to find portfolios

created by other users?

How easy was it to share portfolios

with other users?

How easy was it to exchange feedback

or suggestions with other users?

Writing Development Very Good Good OK Poor Very

Poor

The ability of users to improve writing

through group collaboration is:

The ability of users to integrate help,

pointers and ideas from different
people is:

The ability of users to learn through

exchanging feedback and suggestions
is:

How useful do you believe the e-

portfolio system is as a tool to aid
writing improvement?

Strongly Agree Neither Disagree Strongly

Satisfaction with Experience Agree Agree or Disagree
Disagree

Overall, using your e-portfolio was a

positive experience.

Using my e-portfolio helped me

improve writing scores in class.

Using e-portfolios helped me to have a

better sense of the quality of my
classmates’ work
 KYLE WILKERSON
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

3. What was the best part of creating your e-portfolio?

4. What would you change in creating and utilizing your e-portfolio?