Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 25

Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 1

Action Research Proposal

Jerrold R Warren

Education 5990: Masters Completion Capstone

Nebraska Wesleyan University

April 4, 2019
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2

"Why do we need to know this, this person died two thousand years ago?"

Empathy and Secondary Social Studies Student Engagement

Introduction and Background:

The above quote represents the mission of seventh grade history teachers: how can an

instructor’s lessons engage students while also relating the present to the past. History

classrooms are often stereotyped as being unnecessary and “boring” because the subject matter,

for the most part, is not tested nor does it have a perceived direct influence on the “real life” to

students. Students often struggle to relate to the people whose lives are different from theirs;

whether that person lived in a different country or epoch. Historical empathy is one such method

that instructors are using in order to engage students to people and events in history.

Historical empathy is commonly referred to as being able to “walk in someone else’s

shoes”, that is, being able to understand the thought processes, rationale, and actions of someone

who lived in a different time and or location than oneself (Rantala, Manninen, and Berg, 2015).

Historical empathy is also the process of entertaining the perspectives and values of people in the

past through consideration of the circumstances they faced (Cunningham, 2009). Historical

empathy allows students to act as inquisitors, formulators, and philosophers, who own complex,

evolving perspectives of historical events, people, and time periods (Davis, 2001). It also allows

students to achieve multifaceted views of the historical agents relative to what the agents did

know and what they could have or could have not known (Colby, 2010).

The practice of using historical empathy is both contextual and adductive, meaning that

when a student engages in an historical empathy activity, the student both feels and tries to make

sense of a past event or person. The process is cognitive as students, through research and
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 3

instruction, begin to develop a deep understanding of historical agents, that is, begin to reason

and understand the actions of the past (Colby, 2009). The process is also adductive as students

will also begin to understand the feelings of others when they piece together the beliefs and

social constructs of the period (Yeager and Foster, 2001). Together, historical empathy promotes

historical reasoning, in which students inquire about “what really happened” rather than the facts

that are presented in their textbooks (Loewen, 2007). There are multiple sides to each story, and

when textbooks and standards promote a singular side, the other stories are lost.

Teaching and utilizing historical empathy in a classroom setting has many benefits for

engagement and understanding. However, methods for instructing historical empathy,

specifically in a middle school setting, differ. Historical empathy and inquiry based instruction

creates a deeper historical understanding in secondary students through the development of

contextualization (Colby, 2010). Contextualization is important to student learning as it helps

them visualize and understand the circumstances around an event, statement, or idea and in terms

that can be understood and assessed. Further, when students are able to contextualize certain

events, student engagement is increased, and historical figures become “real” (Foster, 1999;

Goldenberg, 2016; Endacott and Pelkanos, 2015). Historical empathy has also been shown to be

beneficial in many content areas, such as science and math, not just in history/social studies

classrooms (Guney and Seker, 2012). Finally, historical role playing simulations can be

beneficial for students with learning difficulties as they engage students emotionally (Turner,

1998).

However, as researchers such as Sherri Rae Colby (2016) and Deborah Cunningham

(2009) have stated, the adductive nature of the task demands continual checking and cross

checking to achieve probable and appropriate interpretations. During historical inquiry, when
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 4

integrating historical empathy practices, students may develop two biases that will affect their

understanding. Historical positionality, or restrictive empathy, occurs when a student applies a

current, socio-culturally attribute or stance when making sense of the past (Davis, 2001). This

bias can be beneficial but can easily become a detriment to student understanding. When

students apply today’s meanings to past events, meanings are easily skewed and even lost.

Furthermore, students may also inadvertently develop a sympathetic empathy bias, that occurs

when one has a feeling of pity and or sorrow for a historical event or person (Foster, 1999).

Historical study, whenever possible, depends on reasoned objectivity. Emotional involvement,

the adductive nature of historical empathy, can be a driving force for student engagement and

learning, but like positionality, can bias a student’s learning.

Furthermore, integrating historical empathy into role playing simulations promotes active

learning. A role playing simulation is a small group instructional model that facilitates

collaborative learning. Students adopt the persona of any number of historical actors – each with

their own views, perspective, and interpretations. Role playing simulations demonstrate to

students how racial, religious, and or socio-economic backgrounds can shape one’s experiences

(Frederick, 2000). In middle school specific applications, active learning further engages

students in history instruction by actually getting them out of their seats and engaging with the

lesson. Active Learning is an instructional model in which students are directly involved in the

teaching process and have a greater responsibility for their learning. Students “do” something

with the subject matter, whether it be through class discussion or reflective activities. Students

are actively participating with the learning content. Involves several teaching methods, including

role playing, debates, and simulations. (Stevens, 2015


Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 5

Research Question:

How effective can historical empathy be in engaging 7th grade World Geography

students? It was this question that inspired the following problem of practice and proposed

research. During instruction, the researcher's 7th grade World Geography students struggle to

empathize and engage with historical figures and events. Through this research, the author hopes

to increase engagement levels through the use of historical empathy role playing simulations.

Study Population and Sampling:

a. Millard Central Middle School Population

Millard Central Middle School (MCMS) is a 6-8th grade middle school within the Millard

Public Schools district. MCMS, while housing the standard 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, also houses

Millard’s Alternative Curriculum Program (ACP)(Behavioral), Young Adult Program

(YAP)(Special Education), and is the most culturally diverse of the Millard middle schools

(Millard Central Middle School, 2017). This year, MCMS welcomed in students from 18

different countries, with many of these students being English Language Learners with refugee

status. These students come from Afghanistan, China, Columbia, Guatemala, Honduras, India,

Indonesia, Mexico, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Somalia, Syria, Vietnam, Canada, United

Kingdom, Kenya, Japan, and Jamaica (Personal Correspondence, Doreen Nelson, MCMS ELL

Coordinator, September 18, 2017). The school celebrates the diversity of its students by hanging

a flag in the cafeteria for every country represented within the school.

Millard Central has also seen an increase in students identifying with a Hispanic

background. In 2010, 9.5% of students were reported of being Hispanic and in 2016 the
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 6

percentage increased to 15.2%. In that time, the amount of students reported as being African

American tripled from 2% (18 students) to 6.4% (56 students). These numbers represent a shift

in the neighborhood demographics of the Millard Public Schools. As a district, in 2016, 2.9% of

students were African American and 7% of students were Hispanic. Comparatively to the rest of

the district, Millard Central is the most diverse middle school. Even with the increases in

diversity demographics, Central is still primarily Caucasian with 642 students, or 72.4%, making

up this demographic. This is above the Omaha average of 50.5% of the school being Caucasian

but is typical for the state of Nebraska (68.2%).

Furthermore, the percentage of English Language Learners is trending downward. There

are only five years of data on the Nebraska Department of Education data center, but in 2011,

5.4% of students at MCMS were classified as receiving ELL services. In 2016, that number

dropped to 2.03% of students being in ELL. These numbers fluctuate year to year, as students

graduate out of the ELL program.

One of the major shifts within Millard Central, is the percentage of free and reduced

lunch over the past decade. In 2007 (the earliest data available), Millard Central was at 13.06%

of students having free and reduced lunch (district 7.76% and state averages being 33.93%). In

2009, Millard Public Schools re-zoned the neighborhood lines for which schools various students

were pulled from. In 2016 (the earliest aggregate data available), the free and reduced lunch

percentage skyrocketed to 40.7% of students receiving a free and reduced lunch. This percentage

is staggering compared to the Millard Public Schools average of 18.11%. MCMS has 22% more

students on free and reduced lunch plans as compared to the rest of the district.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 7

b. Classroom Specific Information

Millard Central Middle School has a standard schedule with eight periods each day. The

school day begins at 7:45 with a homeroom period in which students receive the daily

announcements and engage in a community building activity. Students then go through their

eight period schedule. Each period is 44 minutes long and students have a three minute passing

period in between each period. A typical 7th grader will have special classes (gym, choir, band,

health, cooking, industrial technology, or a modern language class) the first two periods of the

day. The remainder of the periods (3rd through 7th) are filled with their core classes of science,

reading, math, English, and social studies. 8th period for all 7th graders is known as guided

practice, in which students have a 44 minute study hall of sorts. This is when the intervention

and high ability curriculums take place for students that need them.

Classrooms at MCMS are designed using Kegan structures in mind; meaning classrooms

are set up in order to foster as much student collaboration as possible. Mr. Warren’s social

studies classroom has desks in pods of four all facing each other. School supplies and

assignments are readily available and easily accessed on a table in the back of the room as to not

detract from class if a student does not have their materials. At the front of the classroom, the

daily objective, essential question, agenda, and homework are all clearly posted for student use.

Mr. Warren uses the gradual release model of instruction in which every class starts with

modelled direct instruction, transitions to a guided and shared activity, and finishing with

students collaborating on the classroom objective together (without the teacher’s help).

Mr. Warren’s class is labelled as World Geography 7 in which students learn “the people,

places, and things of this world and how they interact with one another” (Course Syllabus, 2017).

Students focus on the two main branches of geography. The first main branch covered in class is
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 8

physical geography, or the study of the natural features of this earth which are primarily

landforms and bodies of water (continents, oceans, etc.). Second, students study various aspects

of Human Geography such as culture (religion, languages, traditions), economics, and politics.

Once students have mastered the basic concepts of human and physical geography, their

knowledge is applied to contrasting regions of the world. World geography 7 specifically studies

regions such as Eastern Asia (China, Japan, and Nepal), India, Europe (mini units on the United

Kingdom, France, and Germany), South Pacific/Australia, South America (Brazil, Argentina,

and Peru), and then finishes the year in Northern Africa.

c. Classroom Specific Demographics

The classrooms that will be studied have varying demographics which are in contrast to

one another. The lesson, classroom expectations, assignment rubrics, and classroom instruction

will remain constant which will allow for the student demographics to be the variable when

using the intervention strategy.

Classroom A is Mr. Warren’s fifth hour World Geography 7 class. This class is

considered the intervention course as fourteen of the twenty students have an individualized

education plan for either behavioral or special education needs. Of the remaining six students,

three are English Language Learners. Nine of the students are male and eleven are female.

Twelve of the students identify as Caucasian, three Hispanic, two African American, two are

Syrian (ELL), and one Columbian (ELL). All of the students are between the ages of twelve and

thirteen years old. Classroom management is a constant concern within this class room with the

majority of the students having IEPS for behavioral or special needs. There are constant

distractions and behavioral needs that need to be addressed which detracts from the learning of
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 9

others. Because of these issues and instructional needs, currently 35% of the class has a D or an

F, 15% has a C, and 50% has an A or B.

Classroom B is Mr. Warren’s 6th hour World Geography 7 class. This class is considered

the high ability learner (HAL) class as seventeen of the twenty one students are identified as

being gifted/high ability. This class excels at all of the content being covered yet is constantly

asking for further extension activities. Nineteen of the students are Caucasian with primarily high

socio-economic-statuses, and two of the students Hispanic. Eleven of the students are female and

ten are male. All of the students are on task and follow the classroom expectations. Seventeen

students have an A, three students have a B, and one student has a C.

Data Collection Methods, Analysis, and Instruments

As part of regular classroom instruction, all students will be invited to participate in as survey

using the Classroom Engagement Inventory (C.E.I.)(See Appendix A for complete survey). This

survey utilizes the Likert Scale to measure student responses to 24 items regarding classroom

engagement. All students will complete this survey twice throughout the time frame of data

collection; once at the beginning of the semester and again at the end. However, the total data

pool for the research project will include only survey responses from those students who have

provided as signed parental/guardian consent form and as signed assent form. The survey that

will be used will be in a paper-pencil format.

As part of regular classroom instruction, students will also take part in a classroom

discussion about their engagement and historical understanding following the interventions. (See

Appendix B for classroom discussion questions). All students will participate in the classroom

discussion, however, the total data pool for the research project will include only discussion
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 10

responses for those students who have provided a signed parental/guardian consent form and a

signed assent form.

As part of regular classroom instruction, students’ academic grade outcomes from the units

will be used to assess student learning. (See Appendix C for the classroom assessment). All

students will take this end of unit assessment, however, the total data pool for the research

project will include only discussion responses for those students who have provided a signed

parental/guardian consent form and a signed assent form.

Study Period:

The study will take place August through December of 2019 in the researcher’s 3rd, 4th, 6th, and

7th period 7th grade World Geography classes.

Risks and Benefit Considerations:

There will be no cost to the participants or the parents/guardians of the participants. No

more than the minimal risk associated with attending daily classes is associated with this study.

If students feel uncomfortable about answering any of the survey questions or about discussing

topics during group discussion, they can decide to not answer some or all of the questions.

Students are free to stop participation at any time and they are free to leave the study at any time

without risking the rights to which they are entitled with the researcher (their teacher), with

Millard Public Schools, and with Nebraska Wesleyan University. I will keep all survey

information, discussion information, and assessment scores confidential. All survey information,

discussion information, and assessment scores will be stored in a locked file cabinet as well as on
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 11

a password protected district assigned laptop. I will not put names in my notetaking during the

classroom discussions. All of the interventions, surveys, discussions, and assessments will take

place during regularly scheduled classroom times.

There will be no direct benefits, such as payments, gift cards, reimbursements for travel,

etc. for participating in this research. However, participants of this research may benefit from

thinking about and discussing their ideas on historical empathy and the utilization of role playing

scenarios in their classrooms. Students may also benefit from learning skills to contextualize and

empathize with historical figures and events. Students may also benefit from knowing they are

contributing to research and teaching practice which could positively affect their own learning

experience, that of their peers, and potentially the practice of other teachers in the building.

Informed Consent Procedures

The researcher will invite parents/guardians to provide permission for their child to

participate in this study. The parent permission form (Appendix D) explains the classroom

experiences that all students will participate in and distinguishes it from participation in the

research project. The form will be enclosed in an envelope and sent home with students. Upon

receiving a signed permission form from parents/guardians for their child to participate in the

study, I will invite students to be in the study. If they want to participate, they will sign a student

assent form (Appendix E). I also plan to send an email reminder to all parents/guardians to

remind them about the form with the hope that this increases participation.

The parental consent form and youth assent form explain the project and what the

participants will do as noted above. It explains that I will protect student’s privacy by not using
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 12

their names when I am taking notes during classroom discussions or when using the survey data.

I will not use any names in the final report. I will keep paper documents in a locked cabinet and

electronic data on a password-protected computer. Only the researcher and the research advisor

will have access to the data. It will be kept for three years and then destroyed.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 13

Appendix A
Classroom Engagement Inventory
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 14
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 15

Appendix B
Parental Consent Form

Nebraska Wesleyan University


Parental/Guardian Informed Consent for a Minor to Participate in a Research Study
Historical Empathy and Secondary Social Studies Student Engagement
Your child/ward is being invited to participate in a research study conducted by Jerrold R
Warren, your child’s World Geography teacher who is a graduate student at Nebraska Wesleyan
University. Since he/she is under the age of 19, their parent or guardian must give the researcher
permission to invite them to be in this study. They are being asked to participate because they fit
the criteria of the study, that he/she is a 7th grade World Geography student. You should read the
information below and ask questions about anything you do not understand before deciding
whether or not to allow your child/ward to participate.
Purpose of the Study:
The purpose of this study is to determine if the use of historical empathy and inquiry based
instruction through role playing simulations can lead to increased student engagement and
contextual historical understandings.
What is Historical Empathy:
Historical empathy is commonly referred to as being able to “walk in someone else’s shoes”, that
is, being able to understand the thought processes, rationale, and actions of someone who lived in
a different time and or location than oneself (Rantala, Manninen, and Berg, 2015). Historical
empathy is also the process of entertaining the perspectives and values of people in the past
through consideration of the circumstances they faced (Cunningham, 2009). Historical empathy
allows students to act as inquisitors, formulators, and philosophers, who own complex, evolving
perspectives of historical events, people, and time periods (Davis, 2001). It also allows students
to achieve multifaceted views of the historical agents relative to what the agents did know and
what they could have or could have not known (Colby, 2010).
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 16

What Will Occur In This Study:


There are two regular classroom practices that I would like to use as part of my research study.
Regardless of whether or not students join the study, they will still participate in the regular
classroom practices. I am asking for your permission to invite your son/daughter to be in the
study so I can look more closely at the results of the classroom practices. The two things that we
will be doing in the classroom this semester are:
1. All students will be asked to complete the Classroom Engagement Inventory (C.E.I.)
which measures their classroom engagement. The survey will be given to your child at
the beginning of the semester (August) and again at the end of the semester (December).
This survey will be given in your student’s World Geography class and will take
approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. This survey will not impact your child’s grade
in any way.

2. All students will be invited to take part in two historical role playing simulations during
the fall semester. During the first simulation (Hexter 2), students will assume the role of a
world explorer, and will complete tasks as if they were that explorer. During the second
simulation (Hexter 3), students will assume the role of a governor of a Caribbean
governor and will be asked to make economic and political decisions based on their role.
During these simulations, I will take notes on student engagement but will not record
student names in my notes. These notes will inform the adjustments in classroom
practice.
3. All students will be invited to participate in a classroom discussion after each of the
simulations regarding their engagement and learning. During these discussions, I will
take notes on student responses but will not record student names in my notes. These
notes will inform the adjustments in classroom practice.
If you agree to let your child/ward participate, data (their responses) from the following will be
included in the study:
 Pre- and post – assessment survey responses
 Notes taken during simulations
 Notes taken during the post-simulation discussions
If you do not agree to let your child/ward participate, students will still participate in the role
playing simulations as part of regular classroom instruction. However, their data (responses) will
not be included in the study data set.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 17

Potential Risks and Discomforts:


Your child/ward will face no more than the minimal risks associated with daily classroom
participation if they decide to participate in this study. If they feel discomfort during or after the
pre- and post- assessments or during the discussion times, they may choose to not answer some
or all of the questions, or to not say anything in the group discussion. They can stop participation
at any time, by asking for their data to not be included in the research study. No student names
will be reported in any way during this study. All interventions, surveys, discussions, and
assessments will take place during the regularly scheduled classroom times.
Anticipated Benefits:
Participants of this research may benefit from thinking about and discussing their ideas on
historical empathy and the utilization of role playing scenarios in their classrooms. Students may
also benefit from learning skills to contextualize and empathize with historical figures and
events. Students may also benefit from knowing they are contributing to research and teaching
practice which could positively affect their own learning experience, that of their peers, and
potentially the practice of other teachers in the building and district.
Confidentiality and Privacy:
To protect student confidentiality and privacy, I will take the following steps:
 Participant’s privacy will be protected by not using names or other identifying
information in any published reports or presentations
 Signed consent/assent forms and paper copies of the survey will be kept in a locked
location and any electronic data will be kept on a password-protected computer. Only the
researcher and the research advisor will have access to the data.
 All data and signed informed consent forms will be kept for three years after the
completion of the study and then destroyed.
Participation and Withdrawal:
You are free to decline to allow your child to participate in this research study, or you may
withdraw your permission at any point, without penalty. The same is true for your child. Your
decision or their decision on whether or not to participate in this research study will have no
influence on your or their present or future status at Millard Central Middle School, Millard
Public Schools, or Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 18

Questions:
If you have questions about this study, please contact:
Researcher: Jerrold R Warren (402)319-1570 jrwarren@mpsomaha.org
Advisors: Dr. Randal Ernst (402) 465:2310 rernst@nebrwesleyan.edu
Advisors: Dr. Tanya Martin ***NEED CONTACT INFORMATION***
This research has been reviewed and approved by the Nebraska Wesleyan University
Institutional Review Board (IRB). To ask questions about your child’s rights as a research
participant, you may contact the NWU-IRB by contacting Nancy Wehrbein, IRB Coordinator, at
(402)465-2488, or at nwehrbei@nebrwesleyan.edu
______________________________________________________________________________
Agreement:
By signing this form you are indicating that you are the parent/guardian of an individual who is
under the age of 19 and who, with your permission, will be asked to participate in this research
project; that you are giving your permission for your child/ward to participate in this research;
and that the purpose and nature of this research have been sufficiently explained to you in order
for you to decide whether to allow your child/guardian to participate in this study.

Name of Child Invited to be in Study (Please Print):____________________________________

Please mark one of the statements below; then sign and date.
[ ] I give consent for my student to be in the study.
[ ] I do not give consent for my student to be in the study.

Name and Signature of Parent/Legal Guardian:


Printed Name:_____________________________________________________________
Signature:_________________________________________ Date:___________________
Parent/Guardian of Potential Research Participant
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 19

Appendix E
Youth Assent Form

Nebraska Wesleyan University


Youth Assent Form to Participate in a Research Study
Historical Empathy and Secondary Social Studies Student Engagement
You are being invited to participate in a research study conducted by Jerrold R Warren, your
World Geography teacher who is a graduate student at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Your
parent or guardian has given the researcher permission to invite you to be in a study that I am
doing. You are being asked to participate because they fit the criteria of the study, that is, a 7th
grade World Geography student. You should read the information below and ask questions about
anything you do not understand before deciding whether or not to participate.
Purpose of the Study:
The purpose of this study is to determine if the use of historical empathy and inquiry based
instruction through role playing simulations can lead to increased student engagement and
contextual historical understandings.
What is Historical Empathy:
Historical empathy is commonly referred to as being able to “walk in someone else’s shoes”, that
is, being able to understand the thought processes, rationale, and actions of someone who lived in
a different time and or location than oneself (Rantala, Manninen, and Berg, 2015). Historical
empathy is also the process of entertaining the perspectives and values of people in the past
through consideration of the circumstances they faced (Cunningham, 2009). Historical empathy
allows students to act as inquisitors, formulators, and philosophers, who own complex, evolving
perspectives of historical events, people, and time periods (Davis, 2001). It also allows students
to achieve multifaceted views of the historical agents relative to what the agents did know and
what they could have or could have not known (Colby, 2010).
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 20

What Will Occur In This Study:


There are two regular classroom practices that I would like to use as part of my research study.
Regardless of whether or not students join the study, they will still participate in the regular
classroom practices. I am asking for your permission to be in the study so I can look more
closely at the results of the classroom practices. The two things that we will be doing in the
classroom this semester are:
4. All students will be asked to complete the Classroom Engagement Inventory (C.E.I.)
which measures their classroom engagement. The survey will be given to you at the
beginning of the semester (August) and again at the end of the semester (December). This
survey will be given in your normal World Geography class and will take approximately
10-15 minutes to complete. This survey will not impact your grade in any way.

5. All students will be invited to take part in two historical role playing simulations during
the fall semester. During the first simulation (Hexter 2), students will assume the role of a
world explorer, and will complete tasks as if you were that explorer. During the second
simulation (Hexter 3), you will assume the role of a governor of a Caribbean governor
and will be asked to make economic and political decisions based on your role. During
these simulations, I will take notes on student engagement but will not record student
names in my notes. These notes will inform the adjustments in classroom practice.

6. All students will be invited to participate in a classroom discussion after each of the
simulations regarding their engagement and learning. During these discussions, I will
take notes on student responses but will not record student names in my notes. These
notes will inform the adjustments in classroom practice.
If you agree to participate, data (your responses) from the following will be included in the
study:
 Pre- and post – assessment survey responses
 Notes taken during simulations
 Notes taken during the post-simulation discussions
If you do not agree to participate, you will still participate in the role playing simulations as part
of regular classroom instruction. However, your data (responses) will not be included in the
study data set.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 21

Potential Risks and Discomforts:


You will face no more than the minimal risks associated with daily classroom participation if
you decide to participate in this study. If you feel discomfort during or after the pre- and post-
assessments or during the discussion times, you may choose to not answer some or all of the
questions, or to not say anything in the group discussion. You can stop participation at any time,
by asking for your data to not be included in the research study. No student names will be
reported in any way during this study. All interventions, surveys, discussions, and assessments
will take place during the regularly scheduled classroom times.
Anticipated Benefits:
Participants of this research may benefit from thinking about and discussing their ideas on
historical empathy and the utilization of role playing scenarios in their classrooms. Students may
also benefit from learning skills to contextualize and empathize with historical figures and
events. Students may also benefit from knowing they are contributing to research and teaching
practice which could positively affect their own learning experience, that of their peers, and
potentially the practice of other teachers in the building and district.
Confidentiality and Privacy:
To protect student confidentiality and privacy, I will take the following steps:
 Participant’s privacy will be protected by not using names or other identifying
information in any published reports or presentations
 Signed consent/assent forms and paper copies of the survey will be kept in a locked
location and any electronic data will be kept on a password-protected computer. Only the
researcher and the research advisor will have access to the data.
 All data and signed informed consent forms will be kept for three years after the
completion of the study and then destroyed.
Participation and Withdrawal:
You are free to decline to participate in this research study, or you may withdraw your
permission at any point, without penalty. Your decision on whether or not to participate in this
research study will have no influence on you or your present or future status at Millard Central
Middle School, Millard Public Schools, or Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 22

Questions:
If you have questions about this study, please contact:
Researcher: Jerrold R Warren (402)319-1570 jrwarren@mpsomaha.org
Advisors: Dr. Randal Ernst (402) 465:2310 rernst@nebrwesleyan.edu
Advisors: Dr. Tanya Martin ***NEED CONTACT INFORMATION***
This research has been reviewed and approved by the Nebraska Wesleyan University
Institutional Review Board (IRB). To ask questions about your child’s rights as a research
participant, you may contact the NWU-IRB by contacting Nancy Wehrbein, IRB Coordinator, at
(402)465-2488, or at nwehrbei@nebrwesleyan.edu
______________________________________________________________________________
Agreement:
By signing this form you are indicating that you are under the age of 19, that you are aware that
your parent/guardian has given permission for you to participate in this research, and that the
purpose and nature of this research has been sufficiently explained to you in order for you to
decide to participate in this study.

Printed Name:_____________________________________________________________
Signature:_________________________________________ Date:___________________
Research Participant
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 23

Appendix F
Reference List
Colby, S. R. (2010). Contextualization and Historical Empathy. Curriculum & Teaching
Dialogue, 12(1/2), 69-83.
Cunningham, D. L. (2009). An empirical framework for understanding how teachers
conceptualize and cultivate historical empathy in students. Journal of Curriculum
Studies,41(5), 679-709. doi:10.1080/00220270902947376
Davis, O.L. (2001), In pursuit of historical empathy. In O.L. Davis, E. A. Yeager, & S. J. Foster
(Eds), Historical Empathy and perspective taking in the social studies (pp. 1-12).
Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield
Endacott, J. L., & Pelekanos, C. (2015). Slaves, women, and war! Engaging middle school
students in historical Empathy for Enduring Understanding. The Social Studies, 106(1),
1-7. doi:10.1080/00377996.2014.957378
Foster, S. (1999). Using historical empathy to excite students about the study of history: Can you
empathize with Neville Chamberlain? The Social Studies,90(1), 18-24.
doi:10.1080/00377999909602386
Goldenberg, B. M. (2016). Youth Historians in Harlem: An After-School Blueprint for History
Engagement through the Historical Process. Social Studies, 107(2), 47-67.
doi:10.1080/00377996.2015.1119667
Guney, B. G., & Seker, H. (2012). The use of history of science as a cultural tool to promote
students' empathy with the culture of science. Educational Sciences: Theory and
Practice,12(1), 533-539.
Rantala, J., Manninen, M., & Van den Berg, M. (2015). Stepping into other people’s shoes
proves to be a difficult task for high school students: Assessing historical empathy
through simulation exercise. Journal of Curriculum Studies,48(3), 323-345.
doi:10.1080/00220272.2015.1122092
Stevens, R. (2015). Role-play and student engagement: reflections from the classroom. Teaching
In Higher Education, 20(5), 481-492. doi:10.1080/13562517.2015.1020778
Turner, A. (2003). Focus on practice: ‘It would have been bad’: The development of historical
imagination and empathy in a group of secondary aged pupils with severe learning
difficulties. British Journal of Special Education, 25(4), 164-167. doi:10.1111/1467-
8527.00080
Yilmaz, K. (2007). Historical Empathy and Its Implications for Classroom Practices in
Schools. The History Teacher, 40(3), 331-337. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30036827
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 24

Appendix G
Principal Approval Letter
June 12, 2018
Dear Dr. Fink

With your permission, as part of my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction


graduate program, I will need to conduct research within my classroom with my students. I have
found that the students in my 7th grade World Geography classes sometimes struggle to
empathize and engage with historical figures and events. These historical figures and events are
outside of their worldview, and thus my students cannot always relate to them. The focus of my
research is to see if the use of historical empathy and inquiry based instruction through role
playing simulations utilizing primary document resources can lead to increased student
engagement and historical understanding of historical figures and events. I have outlined my
tentative methodology below and have attached the survey and interview questions I will be
utilizing to gauge student engagement and learning. If you have any questions about the research
or the program, please either contact myself or my advisor, Dr. Tanya Martin at
tmartin@nebrwesleyan.edu.
Thank you,
Jerrold R Warren

What are the potential benefits of this research?


 Historical empathy and inquiry based instruction creates a deeper historical
understanding in secondary students through the development of contextualization skills.
(Colby, 2010)
 Historical empathy has been shown to be beneficial in many content areas, not just
history classrooms. (Güney and Seker, 2012)
 Historical empathy increases engagement by making historical events and figures “real”.
(Foster, 1999; Goldenberg, 2016; Endacott and Pelekanos, 2015)
 Students are able to make relate the past to the present by “walking in their shoes”.
(Rantala, Manninen, and Berg, 2015)
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 25

 Role playing simulations are beneficial for students with learning difficulties. (Turner,
1998)
What is Historical Empathy?
 “The process of entertaining the perspectives and values of people in the past through
consideration of the circumstances they faced.” (Cunningham, 2009)
 “Allows students to act as inquisitors, formulators, and philosophers, who own complex,
evolving perspectives of historical events, people, and time periods.” (Davis, 2001)
 “Achieving multifaceted views of the historical agents relative to what the agents did
know and what they could have or could have not known.” (Colby, 2010)

Planned Methodology of this Research


 Timeline: August through December 2018
 Participants – 7th Grade World Geography Students
a. Intervention Group: Researcher’s 3rd and 6th Period World Geography Classes
b. Control Group: Researcher’s 4th and 7th Period World Geography Classes
 Procedures – Conducted twice during Semester 1 (Hexter 2 and 3)
c. Intervention: Students will participate in two historical role playing simulations
utilizing primary documents.
d. Control Group: Students will participate in two guided note lessons.
 Measurement – Convergent Parallel Design
e. Students will be given a pre and post survey using the Classroom Engagement
Inventory (C.E.I.) which utilizes the Likert Scale to measure student responses to
24 items regarding classroom engagement.
f. Students in the intervention group will be interviewed on their engagement and
historical understanding following the intervention.
g. Students’ academic grade outcomes will be measured and compared between
groups.

You might also like