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Action Research Proposal v2
Action Research Proposal v2
Jerrold R Warren
April 4, 2019
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2
"Why do we need to know this, this person died two thousand years ago?"
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.
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
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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
specifically in a middle school setting, differ. Historical empathy and inquiry based instruction
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
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integrating historical empathy practices, students may develop two biases that will affect their
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).
the adductive nature of historical empathy, can be a driving force for student engagement and
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
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.
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
(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
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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
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
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.
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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,
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
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
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
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
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
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
Study Period:
The study will take place August through December of 2019 in the researcher’s 3rd, 4th, 6th, and
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
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.
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
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Appendix B
Parental Consent Form
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
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.
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.
Appendix E
Youth Assent Form
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
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
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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
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)