Research design
The study will be determined through action research design due to its nature to contribute to the body of knowledge and to offer solution to the problem of tardiness in schools. It is important to change the practice of tardiness among students. Through action research design, the researcher will be able to come up with initiatives that address tardiness in school (Groves, 2010). However, the initiatives will be limited to schools subjected under the setting of the study. Action research has also been selected because it will enable the researcher to understand the context triggering tardiness among students (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012).
The selected design method is not entirely perfect because it bears itself several limitations (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012). One of the biggest limitations is the fear of validity and objectivity of the data collected. It implies collecting incomplete and inaccurate data. At the same time, it can also imply misinterpreting the collected data by the research team or laying too much emphasis on specific data while disregarding others (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012).
Participants
The participants for this research are high school students from an urban setting. Specifically, the study targets chronically tardy students. It will rely on a total of 20 students to participate in the study. The 20 participants will be selected based on information retrieved from their class attendance records within the last semester. The participants will not be limited to a particular grade or class. The researcher assumes that only few students display the problem of tardiness. Therefore random sampling techniques cannot be applied.
Data retrieved from school records may necessarily not be reliable because of the existing policy in schools where students are automatically regarded tardy when they get in class after the bell. Therefore, reasons for tardiness will have to be explored further before a participant is considered for inclusion in the study.
Data collection
The study will use three methods of data collection over the time period for the study. It will rely on observation, interviews with students, and analysis of students’ work. A school setting will be identified through data from the district education office. The population and diversity of a school is of interest to the researcher. Once a school is located, the researcher will proceed to select the participants and seek their consent to participate in the study. The process of data collection will take place within a time period of a week where the researcher will administer an intervention for solving the problem of tardiness while at the same time seeking to determine the cause of the problem.
There shall be a checklist for pre-test observation and a post test observation. The checklist will enable the researcher to collect data before and after the involvement. The survey questionnaire will involve a list of closed ended questions that are aimed at getting the relevant and correct information about the study (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012). After the survey tools have been prepared, they will be administered to the target sample population.
A few assumptions will have to be made in the process of data collection (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012). Generally, the researcher will assume that the response made by the respondent will be to the best of their knowledge (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012).
Data analysis
In order to analyze the data, statistical tools of analysis will be used. The researcher will collect data that can be quantified in numerical terms. The researcher will explore any significant differences of the data observed before and after the interventions. This will require t-test analysis to establish whether tardiness is increasing or reducing. Data will be recorded on a daily basis for the one week period.
It is important that the survey tools be tested for both reliability and validity. Determination of reliability will be done through conduction of piloting program where a small section of the sample population will be issued with the survey tools in order to identify mistakes within the tool (Bailey, 2008). Reliability will further be tested to ensure that the survey tools remain consistent. The consistency test entails rating the items over time and it is done to determine whether one specific item in the tool can yield the same response when administered at different times. Through the use of Pearson Correlation Coefficient, the result of the reliability test can be determined. The process of coding during data analysis depends on the subject and hence it is important that the consistency test be done for reliability of the tool (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012).
The test items or the questions also have to be subjected to reliability tests. These items must be able to provide the exact requirements of the study not unless the questions will be rendered unreliable. Apart from reliability tests, the survey tool must also be rendered valid before use. Validity is about the items being able to provide relevant information for the study. Criterion related validation is the most useful and important type of validity test (Groves, 2010).
References
Bailey, R. (2008). Design of Comparative Experiments. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Groves, R. (2010). Survey methodology (2nd ed.). Belmont: Duxbury Press.
Mitchell, M., & Jolley, J. (2012). Research design explained. Florence: Cengage learning.