Here I am....made it onto Module 3 and the last big push needed
now in order to complete this BAPP course. Feeling absolutely swamped at the
moment at work; holding my hands up and being completely honest, I haven't made
the most of my time so far and aim to change that now!
Overall, I was very happy with the progress I have made in terms
of the quality of my work between Modules 1 & 2. I would have to say, the
feedback from Adesola was very useful and has provided much insight. A comment
was made about having too wide a range in the data I am looking at
collecting- due to me having stated too many inquiry questions. I believe this
may have stemmed from my belief that I had to have a larger collection of
questions in Module 2 to initially look at, in order to then narrow them down
in Module 3…clearly what I now need to do! In response to Adesola's suggestion,
I now aim to focus on just one main subject area whilst keeping another couple
at the forefront of my mind during the inquiry: The factors affecting student’s
negativity towards drama and the factors aiding motivation and/or
confidence, what can teachers do in order to reduce the pressure when
performing. I will be looking at the class as a whole, and recording individual
moments relating to my topic i.e. confidence, motivation and how the
teacher responds.
The
idea of a more in-depth and analytical literature
review required for Module 3 is certainly a little
daunting to say the least, as it was probably the section I found
most difficult in the initial inquiry plan. I know that I need to identify
some text that clarifies the terms ‘motivation’ and ‘confidence’ so that I am
able to apply them to other theories, and was wondering if anyone had perhaps
yet met this hurdle during their inquiry process?
As
far as I'm aware, there weren't many alterations I needed
to make to the ethical section of my inquiry plan. Nevertheless, during a
recent Skype session with students from across all Modules, it was something
that Julia
Gill mentioned that has
really got me thinking… By stating that I had planned on the use of
a Dictaphone in order to try and minimise discrepancies when
it comes to the transcribing of the conversations, I had just
assumed that I was making the process ‘error-proof’ and thus ensuring the
reliability. However, will the participants be happy with how they are being
presented (albeit anonymously) and have I correctly transcribed their
viewpoints? If not, the originators are then free to edit if necessary.
The time-scale originally laid out 6 weeks for observations/interviews, but I now find myself
reducing it down to 4 weeks due the school’s Easter holiday falling slap bang
in the middle of this study period! Not only that, but trawling through 6 weeks’
worth of lesson observations would take an extremely long time to analyse.
Plus, it’s not as if it is a completely new situation I find myself in, it’s
about trying to further understand an existing one.
Phewf, plenty to be
getting along with…!