Analysis of December Student Surveys
When I first wanted to inquire about my possible exploration into simulation and role-play activities, I conducted a simple survey for my one World History class. Before this survey, I had intended to explore the question “how do simulation and role-play activities impact engagement”. However, through a thoughtful analysis of this survey, in addition to my evaluation of artifact 2 and 3, I chose to modify the question to, “How do simulation and role-play activities impact a students ability to demonstrate historical imagination and empathy?” As you will see, this change is largely a result of my finding, in both my research and my practice, that it is generally well established that such activities encourage increased engagement. So, instead, I chose to take my inquiry a step further. If we establish that simulation and role-play are engaging, how can we make such activities more meaningful for all those involved?
I developed a survey at the completion of my Africa unit to gauge students' overall involvement and interest in the subject, to evaluate the success of specific activities, and to receive genuine feedback and advice from my students. As you can see in the paper below [Appendix, 1.1], the first component of my survey asks students to rate activities on a 1-5 scale. Students are then asked to evaluate what they like about the class and what they want to change or improve. The final part of the survey inquires into my students’ personal academic goals and preferences so I can get a better understanding of their interests and backgrounds.
I developed a survey at the completion of my Africa unit to gauge students' overall involvement and interest in the subject, to evaluate the success of specific activities, and to receive genuine feedback and advice from my students. As you can see in the paper below [Appendix, 1.1], the first component of my survey asks students to rate activities on a 1-5 scale. Students are then asked to evaluate what they like about the class and what they want to change or improve. The final part of the survey inquires into my students’ personal academic goals and preferences so I can get a better understanding of their interests and backgrounds.
While the final section of my survey helped my overall understanding of my students, the rating assignment as well as the first short-answer question really informed my portfolio inquiry. To conduct my analysis I found the average scores of a sample of activities. I included a representative sample of the activities we do in class including, simulation and role-play, direct instruction, primary source group work and an individual primary source analysis. Each student evaluated the rating on a 1-5 scale, 5 being "liked", 1 being "did not like", and 3 being "neutral".
The findings demonstrate a clear student preference for simulation and role-play activities. As my classroom observations also indicate, the Tiff's imperialism simulation received the highest score with a 4.2 out of 5. This score reflects my overall observations of students during the activity, students demonstrated both excitement and involvement. The Middle Passage Letter of Protest Activity received the second highest score of a 3.5. This activity could be classified as an R.A.F.T or individual role-play assignment.
While these numbers are high, it is also important to note that 1-3 students in both assignment categories rated the activity at a low 1. Some of the excerpts displayed under "Survey Student Quote Sample" illuminate the reasons behind their low ratings. It appears that students who did not rate the Tiffs assignment highly either because they did not like to rely on others students for their grade or they did appreciate the presentation requirement.
The collection of student quotes from the survey provide a representative sample of the responses to short answer questions 1 and 2. These samples reflect the student's interest in simulation and role-play activities. These responses reflect my previous research that argues such activities encourage high level of engagement (Fielding, 2005). The results along with my analysis of Artifact 2, observation notes from the Tiffs Activity, establish high levels of engagement. By establishing this argument as a postulate, I can explore how these engaging activities can also contribute to complex historical thinking.
The findings demonstrate a clear student preference for simulation and role-play activities. As my classroom observations also indicate, the Tiff's imperialism simulation received the highest score with a 4.2 out of 5. This score reflects my overall observations of students during the activity, students demonstrated both excitement and involvement. The Middle Passage Letter of Protest Activity received the second highest score of a 3.5. This activity could be classified as an R.A.F.T or individual role-play assignment.
While these numbers are high, it is also important to note that 1-3 students in both assignment categories rated the activity at a low 1. Some of the excerpts displayed under "Survey Student Quote Sample" illuminate the reasons behind their low ratings. It appears that students who did not rate the Tiffs assignment highly either because they did not like to rely on others students for their grade or they did appreciate the presentation requirement.
The collection of student quotes from the survey provide a representative sample of the responses to short answer questions 1 and 2. These samples reflect the student's interest in simulation and role-play activities. These responses reflect my previous research that argues such activities encourage high level of engagement (Fielding, 2005). The results along with my analysis of Artifact 2, observation notes from the Tiffs Activity, establish high levels of engagement. By establishing this argument as a postulate, I can explore how these engaging activities can also contribute to complex historical thinking.
Survey Student Quote Sample
"I liked the Tiffs a lot! Class was really fun and exciting.” “I didn’t like the Tiff’s simulation because I had to get in the front of the room and talk” "The Tiff's simulation was the bomb-diggity" “I really like the Middle Passage Letter of Protest and the Tiffs Simulation activity because I like writing creatively and working in groups where we talked about the subject.” “I like independent work, such as the middle passage letter of protest because it requires independent thinking, and not relying on the group or the power point to teach you. IT also required a lot of creativity. I don’t like the tiffs simulation because people rely on one another to do the work, and I don’t like people who make me do all the work. “ “General Discussion are very fun! Its fun to also role-play. As we did with the Tiffs” |