Individual Research Proposal - Choi, Kin Man Vitus

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Individual Research Proposal Topic - Alice Ho

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Individual Research Proposal Topic - Lewis Li

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Individual Research Proposal Topic - Edwin LEUNG

Research : Milgram's obedience classic experiment

Experimental Research Question : The effectiveness of using Tablet PC in classroom teaching to improve the learning quality of students

Topic:
The effectiveness of using Tablet PC in classroom teaching to improve the learning quality of students.

Why this is an experimental research?
This research is trying to test the effectiveness of increasing the learning quality of students by using tablet PC as a major media for teaching in classroom.Hypotheses:1. There is a significant of improvement of learning quality of student after using Tablet PC.

2. There is a significant improvement of teaching quality of teacher after using Tablet PC.
How can data for the experimental variables be collected?

Participants:
2 classes of primary school students have been selected from a primary school. Both genders are equally allocated in both classes.

Period:
1 semester

Procedure:
One class are use traditional teaching method while another class will use Tablet PC as the major teaching and learning equipment. Both groups will be given the same assignments and having the same examination. Their scores of the assignments and examination will be used as the major data for statistical analysis.
Observation will be conducted during twice for both classes for collecting their learning atmosphere etc. A follow up simple interview will be conducted after the observation.
At the end of the semester, an in-depth questionnaire and intensive interviews will be conducted to collect more the student’s confidence on the examination and doing their assignments etc.
All the data from the above measurement will be used for statistical analysis and comparison.

How this study can contribute to improvements in some aspect of education/teaching and learning?
The study can find out the impact and significance of introducing new technology to teaching in school by comparing their learning attitude and results from the students’ assignments and examination. As a result, educator can consider more carefully on how to use appropriate method and technology to motivate the studying and learning environment as well as the techniques of teachers in school.

Experimental Research Question : The effect of body trims treatments on over-weighted students’ self-confidence

Topic:
The effect of body trims treatments on over-weighted students’ self-confidence.

Why this is an experimental research?
This research is to study whether there is a significant increase in self-confidence after the body trims treatments.

Hypotheses:
1. There is a significant increase in personal self-confidence after the body trims treatments.

2. The effect will be more pronounced for female students than male students.

How can data for the experimental variables be collected?
60 primary school students, equally split between males and females were randomly assigned by homeroom class to either the intervention (have body trim treatment) group or a comparison (no body trim treatment) group. After the 6 months intervention, the two groups will be compared for their self-confidence using data collected from both interviews and questionnaires. Results of the interviews and questionnaires will be converted into scores by statistical analysis.

How this study can contribute to improvements in some aspect of education/teaching and learning?
If the study proves that there is a significant increase in self-confidence between the intervention group and the comparison group, parents should consider the necessity to maintain a healthy body for their over-weighted children. More care should be taken to control the diet of their children.

Further study would be to look at whether a self-confidence’s children can demonstrate well in school activities.

Experimental Research Question: For Primary School Students

1. Experimental research question?

The application of school-based martial arts training in promoting collaborative learning behavior among primary school students.

Why is experimental research?
The relationship between [school-based martial arts training] and [promoting collaborative learning behavior] among [primary school students]
This research is to study whether there is a significant effect of martial arts training in facilitating collaborative learning behaviour.

2. How could data for the correlated variables be collected?
Participants:
Participants in this study were 90 students from P.4 to P.6 at a primary school in Yuen Long. There were 45 boys and 45 girls in the final sample of 90 students.

Procedures:
Participants were randomly assigned by homeroom class to either the intervention (martial arts) group or a comparison (traditional physical education) group. During the 6 months intervention, the first group (martial arts group) participated in the Taekwondo / Karate training, and the second group (comparison group) participated in standard physical education classes during these periods. A comparison of the two groups before and after the martial arts training provided a stringent test of the efficacy of the martial arts training, over and above gains (higher correlation) in collaborative learning attributable to a conventional physical education curriculum. Gender differences were examined across all of the study variables.

Instruments:
All data on the students and teachers were derived from questionnaires returned by the respondents. The questionnaire for each set of respondents contained demographic items, a set of requests for estimates of participation in specific group activities, and a series of items designed to assess respondents’ perceptions of the efficacy of the martial arts training.

a. Student Questionnaire for the 2 groups (martial arts group and comparison group):
The Student Questionnaire asked participants to give specific information about themselves (class, sex, and age) and estimates of their levels of involvement in various forms of group activities – classroom board decoration, project-based learning, booths, school open day exhibitions, and inter-school competitions. The Student Questionnaire contained Likert-scale response items designed to assess student’s perceptions of their own performance. The scale included such items as “I know how to help my classmates do well in class” and “I am willing to express and accept any opinions.” Items were scored on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).

b. Teacher Questionnaire:
The Teacher Questionnaire asked for specific information about teachers and their classes (grade, total years taught, years at present school, highest degree earned, sex, and age). Teachers were also asked to estimate the performance of the 2 groups of students in their classes on collaborative learning in classroom board decoration, project-based learning, booths, school open day exhibitions, and inter-school competitions. The Teacher Questionnaire contained Likert-scale response items designed to assess teacher’s perceptions of their students. The scale included such items as “My student helps other classmates learn” and “My student willing to share his/her opinions.” Items were scored on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).

3. Provide argument how answer to that question can contribute to improvements in some aspect of education/teaching and learning?

a. First, the findings reported here suggest the potential importance of martial arts training designed to increase students’ interests in collaborative learning.

b. Second, martial arts programs may be especially effective with a broad range of school-age children because martial arts success is linked with mastery orientation, or the belief that success is the result of effort. Martial arts philosophy emphasizes effort and determination more than‘natural’ability, making it an attractive and feasible activity for children not naturally drawn to sports or for children who do not view themselves as‘athletic.’Because progress in the martial arts is based on improvement, not just the achievement of a particular standard, martial arts training may be more amenable to children who struggle to achieve the required standard in other sports.

c. Third, martial arts students receive regular feedback on their progress, either from the instructor or through sharing from the other martial arts students (collaborative learning), detailing areas in which they need further improvement and areas in which they are already improving. Their performance is not evaluated using comparisons to others, but rather using an assessment of their previous performance and individual progress they have made.

d. Finally, the emphasis on self-regulation as a core value is not found in all sport interventions. Using techniques, such as meditation and self-monitoring, instructors teach students to be more self-aware and to own the responsibility for correcting their thoughts and behaviors through learning best from the others.

Experimental Research Question: For Secondary School Students

The Effect of Teaching an Information Literacy Course on Enhancing the Research Skills of Secondary School Students

1. Why is it an experimental research?

This research is to study whether the information literacy levels will have positive effect on secondary school students' research skills.

2. How can data for the variables be collected?

Sample:
Participants in this study will include 40 F.4 students of a secondary school in Kowloon. There will be an equal number of female and male students.

Procedure:
The participants will be given a 30-minute information literacy class once a week over a period of 3 months (one semester). Gender differences will be examined across all of the study variables.

Instrument:
Questionnaires will be used to collect the necessary data which would allow us to find out if and how the students’ research skills are enhanced after taking the information literacy class:
a. Student Questionnaire
Students will be asked to complete a questionnaire before and after taking the course. The questionnaire will contain Likert-scale response items designed to assess students’ evaluation of the usefulness of the course in enhancing their research skills. The scale will include such items as “I am required to research information for completing my class assignments/projects”, “The class taught me how to find needed resources” and “I am now more confident in researching information”. Items will be scored on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). The questionnaire will also ask participants to give background information about themselves (class, sex, and age) and estimates of their competency level of research skills.
b. Teacher Questionnaire:
There will also be a questionnaire to solicit teachers’ evaluations of the students’ research skills before and after the course. The questionnaire will contain Likert-scale response items designed to assess teacher’s evaluations. The scale will include such items as “The students do not need to research information for class assignments/projects”, “The course helped the students to become more confident in researching information”. Items will be scored on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).

3. How this study can contribute to improvements in some aspect of education/teaching and learning?

In this information age the need for better research or information literacy skills have become more evident. This study will test the hypothesis that an information literacy course will enhance secondary schools students’ research skills (which in turn will help improve their academic achievements). If there is a positive outcome of information literacy level, it will help demonstrate the need for teaching information literacy courses in secondary schools. This is important as in Hong Kong many school principals and teachers do not see the need for information literacy courses and therefore fail to give the necessary resources and support to teacher librarians in this respect.

The study will also provide insight as to whether there is any significant gender difference in the competency level of research skills after taking an information literacy course.
The findings of the study will also help identify how students’ research skills are changed after taking the information literacy course. This will shed light on the future design of the course and provide information for course improvements.

Correlation Research Question : The relationship between secondary school students’ Putonghua proficiency and their Chinese writing ability

Research Question

The relationship between secondary school students’ Putonghua proficiency and their Chinese writing ability.

Background
Nowadays in Hong Kong it is often believed that students with a good mastery of Putonghua normally have relatively better Chinese writing skills than those who are poor in Putonghua. There is an increasing trend that Chinese lessons are being taught in Putoghua in order to improve students’ Putonghua proficiency and Chinese writing skill.

Why this is a correlation research?
This research is to study whether there is a postitive relationship between secondary school students’ Putonghua proficiency and their Chinese writing ability. The correlated variables are “Putonghua proficiency” and “Chinese writing ability”.

How can data for the correlated variables be collected?
120 secondary students of F. 1-3 will be interviewed to assess their level of Putonghua proficiency. At the same time, their Chinese writing ability is also assessed using a written test. Results of the interviews will be converted into scores by statistical analysis.

Using the interview scores and the test results, correlation coefficient will be calculated. A positive correlation coefficient will mean that there is a positive relationship between students’ Putonghua proficiency and their Chinese writing ability. On the contrary, if the correlation coefficient is negative, the relationship of the two variables does not exist.

How this study can contribute to improvements in some aspect of education/teaching and learning?
If the study proves that there is a positive relationship between students’ Putonghua proficiency and their Chinese writing ability, secondary schools should consider means, such as increasing Putonghua lessons, to raise students’ Putonghua proficiency. More resources should also be put into the teaching of Putonghua in classes and/or extra curriculum activities.

Further study would be to look at the relationship between using Putonghua to teach Chinese and Putonghua proficiency, as this will shed light on how to improve students’ Putonghua proficiency and Chinese writing skill.

Correlation research question: For University Students

1. Correlation research question

“The impact of the establishment of Information Commons in the Hong Kong academic libraries on the development of the university students' computer literacy skills”

2. Why is correlation research?

The relationship between [variable X] and [variable Y] among [type of subjects] The relationship between [the establishment of Information Commons in Hong Kong academic libraries] and [development of computer literacy skills] among [university students]

3 . How could data for the correlated variables be collected?

a. Participants
Participants in this study can be 120 students from 4 academic libraries (HKIEd, HKU, HKUST and Lingnan) which provide e-learning facilities ). 30 new students from each of these institutions, i.e. a total of 120, form the final sampling group.

b. Instruments
Data will be derived from questionnaires returned by the respondents. And reference librarians will give their expertise assessment on students performance at the beginning and the end of the research period.

c. Design
i. The data collecting period last for one year. The sampling group, new students, will be asked to conduct the 1st set of questionnaires in which contains demographic items and a set of questions as set by a group of reference librarians. Individual participants will be asked to answer a series of questions as set by a group of reference librarians.

ii. Another set of questionnaires for the same group will be conducted after 1 year, which includes a series of items designed to assess the respondents' perceptions of the efficacy and usefulness of information commons in their learning. Lastly, librarians will ask them to perform some tasks individually and compares their performance they did 1 year ago.

4. Argument of how answer to that question can contribute to improvements in some aspect of education/teaching and learning?
a. Goal
As an important goal for this correlation research, it seeks to predict a possible and positive relationship between [the establishment of Information Commons in Hong Kong academic libraries] and [development of computer literacy skills] among [university students].

b. Proof of Significance
As compared with a general computer barn/laboratory/where where usually no collaborative service is provided, information commons seeks to to foster continued learning outside classroom and so it integrates reference services, language centre and technical support to help users to improve their skills and abilities in learning and research inquiry. With this support, students are much benefited under a service-and-technology-rich environment to use electronic information resources effectively, and more important is to facilitate their experiment with new information technology, and to enhance collaborative learning and group presentations. In view of the above consideration, the study intends to find out whether the establishment and services provided by these 4 local academic libraries help enhancing students' computer literacy skills. The findings may help drawing some important areas for librarians so that they know how Information Commons can further be improved to address the need of the students in order to help them dealing with their course work and collaborative study more efficiently.

Correlation Research Question: For Postgraduate Students

Topic:

The Information Seeking Behaviour on Internet and Library Resources of Postgraduate Students in the University of Hong Kong.

1 . Why it is a correlation research?

The objective of the study is to try exploring the relationship between [Information Seeking behaviour] and [Internet and Library Resources] among [Postgraduate Students in the University of Hong Kong].

2 . How will the correlated data variables be collected?

Participants:
100 postgraduate students who are currently studying in the HKU postgraduate courses from various faculties will be randomly invited for the research. Both genders will be equally invited for the research.

Instrument:
A data collection sheet will be distributed to the students collecting their searching behaviour on Internet and Library resources during the semester. An interview will be conducted after they have finished their semester.

Procedure:
Data collection sheet will be used to collect their searching behaviour, skills, pattern, tools and frequency during their studies in the semester. Finally, an interview will be used to collect their experience, comments, difficulties, problems, suggestions and review on their information seeking behaviour at the end of the semester.

Period:
The research will be last for one semester.

Design:
Data collection sheet and questions for the interview will be jointly set by a group of professors and librarians. The design of the questions will collect the demographic information, experience and background information of the participant. The interview will try to explore the difference on the searching behaviour of the participant during their studies.

3 . How this study can contribute to the evaluation of the effectiveness of internet resources and the library resources assist postgraduate students on their learning and studying?

In this information explosion age, postgraduate students are keen to explore and search for information on their study. Both internet resources and library resources can help the participants on their study. However, the effectiveness of using these resources may affect their learning and studying. The objective of this study is trying to investigate their information seeking behaviour on using the internet and library resources on their study.

In fact, the degree and level of searching pattern and frequency on the internet and library resources will definitely affect their quality of work and study. There may be some other factors affecting their searching behaviour. This study not only try to identify their information seeking behaviour, but also try to investigate whether there is any change of their searching behvaiour after using library resources. Improvement will be suggested for developing a better information seeking behaviour and environment to postgraduate students and library.