Impact of the new English as a Second Language Curricula - Research Proposal Example

Impact of the new English as a Second Language Curricula Research Proposal Simulation – Quantitative Impact of the new English as a Second Language curricula at the Eastside District High Schools This project will investigate the impact of the new English as a Second Language curricula at the Eastside District High Schools. This investigation pays particular attention to the extent of satisfaction demonstrated by the different stakeholders in the Eastside District High Schools. Teachers, students, and families from three Eastside District high schools will be the sources of data for this particular investigation. The satisfaction scores provided by the respondents will be analyzed in order to be able to draw out the appropriate conclusions. I. Problem Statement Eastside School District is a large district composed of primarily urban schools, and enrolls a high percentage of students for whom English is a second language. These students’ families are highly diverse in terms of their national origin and economic status. For many of these students, becoming proficient in academic English is critical to their success in school and their preparedness for postsecondary study. The school district has recently implemented new English as a Second Language curricula in its elementary, middle, and high schools. Implementation has been quite expensive, involving the purchase of instructional materials and computer software, teacher and staff training, and the use of consultants to guide implementation. The district would like to study the effectiveness of the new curricula, looking at issues such as the impact on student English language proficiency, student academic progress overall, student, family, and teacher satisfaction with the curricula, and implementation issues. This investigation will attempt to answer the following research questions: 1. Is there student satisfaction with the new ESL curricula in Eastside District high schools? 2. Is there family satisfaction with the new ESL curricula in Eastside District high schools? 3. Is there teacher satisfaction with the new ESL curricula in Eastside District high schools? 4. Is there overall satisfaction with the new ESL curricula in Eastside District high schools? 5. Which aspect/s of the new ESL curricula provide the most satisfaction? 6. Which aspect/s of the new ESL curricula provide the least satisfaction? In order to answer these research questions, this study will test the following research hypotheses: 1. It is hypothesized that students are satisfied with the new ESL curricula. 2. It is hypothesized that families are satisfied with the new ESL curricula. 3. It is hypothesized that teachers are satisfied with the new ESL curricula. 4. It is hypothesized that a number of aspects of the new ESL curricula need to be focused on and improved. II. Research Design This research study will use a descriptive survey approach in order to determine the level of satisfaction of teachers, students and families utilizing the new ESL curricula. A descriptive research design usually answers the question “what is” and is therefore an appropriate research design for the investigation at hand since the investigation is interested in finding out what the level of satisfaction is among stakeholders of the new ESL curricula [Cre03]. III. Setting and Sample The research study will be conducted at six randomly selected Eastside District High Schools, High School A, High School B, High School C, High School D, High School E, and high School F. These high schools will be chosen using stratified random sampling. First, a list of all High Schools from the Eastside District will be acquired. These schools will then be classified according to the general economic level of the students, from Low to Average to High Income levels. Once these schools are grouped together, two schools from each level will be randomly chosen. Then, 30 students will be picked at random from each school. These students and their families will be the respondents to the survey. Three English teachers will also be randomly chosen from these schools in order to provide the necessary data. Stratified random sampling in this kind of research ensures that all economic levels are represented in the study [Fin03]. Moreover, the randomization of the respondents will minimize the biases that the study may incur. All in all, the survey will have a 180 student respondents, 180 family member respondents, and 18 faculty member respondents. IV. Instrumentation and Materials The instrument used in this research study is a questionnaire adapted from a pre-piloted “On-Campus Course Evaluation” survey questionnaire developed by Powell (2007). The tool was appropriately revised to cater to the particular stakeholder it is being administered to (i. e., student, family member, teacher). This tool measures the level of satisfaction with regards to the new ESL curricula implemented in the Eastside District high schools. The survey tool utilizes the Likert scale [Cre03], with scores ranging from 1 (Very Unsatisfied) 5 (Very Satisfied). V. Data Collection and Analysis The informed consent materials for this investigation will be acquired prior to conducting the actual survey. School heads of schools that will be chosen from the random selection will be sent a letter informing them of the aims and objectives of the said research. Also, prior to administering the survey material to students, family members, and teachers, they will be informed of that they are not in any way obligated to undertake the survey and that they may choose to back out at any point they deem fit. Moreover, all respondents for this survey will be informed of its aims and objectives and will be assured that the data that they will provide will be treated with confidentiality and will be used only for the purpose of this research study. References Cre03: , (Creswell, 2003), Fin03: , (Fink, 2003), Read More