Journal 3

Article title : Projects in a sixth-grade classroom: entering a bumpy but promising road
Author : Ana Manuela Lopez and Aurora Lacueva
Journal Collection: Educational Action Research Volume 16 (2) page 163-185
Publisher : Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
Year : 2008

Aim:
The aim of this project was to transform the educational practice by developing pedagogical initiatives in order to accomplish classroom project work in a more productive way and to improve both students’ participation in the decision-making and their opportunities for investigation and reflection.

Sample:
Participation from thirty-seven students; twenty were girls and seventeen were boys with ages ranging from 10 to 13 years having a socioeconomic level considered predominantly lower-middle class.

Setting:
This action research was conducted in sixth-grade classroom in a Venezuelan school located in the central district of the capital city of Caracas. For the first project, it took 7 weeks. It is comprised 14 work sessions of two and half hours each. The second project took 5 weeks to accomplish and comprised 10 sessions. Same as first project, each session took about two and half hours. Therefore, the total estimated time for the first and second project was 600 hours of work with 24 sessions.

Procedures:
Method used was spiral-like circles starting with exploration, then design and planning, after that execution, follow-up and interpretation, and lastly evaluation. After the first cycle, exploration becomes an explanation of both accomplishments and shortcomings. Two AR circles were conducted; ‘The Human Body’ and ‘The Animals’. Information was gathered via journal of activities, video-taped, audio-taped, photographs and simple assignment from the students. Editing, transcription and cataloguing of the information gathered were conducted and chronological description was made. Data were analyzed according to themes in a deductive-inductive manner. In order to attain credibility, methods, sources and theories were triangulated. Data stability was sought based on detailed description of the collection and interpretation of information.

Research outcomes:
This research had promoted the action research approach towards implementation in the institution. The methodology used in this investigation educates and empowers the teachers, lead to positive changes in various aspects in education as well as produce relevant practical and theoretical contributions. Collaboration between students especially during group work was observed. Not only collaboration had been made, also leadership skill in individuals had been ‘polished’ so when these students grow up there are able to become a leader for an organization.