Running Head: EDUCATIONAL CHOICE WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
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\ Educational Choice within the Public School System: A Qualitative Evaluation of the D-B Excel Program. Sam McCord East Tennessee State University Committee: Pamela Scott, EdD, Chair William Flora, EdD, Committee Member Stephanie Tweed, EdD, Committee Member Virginia Foley, EdD, Committee Member
__________________________ Pamela Scott
__________________________ William Flora
__________________________ Stephanie Tweed
__________________________ Foley
Date Approved:
Virginia
ABSTRACT (to be finished pending study)
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the success of the D-B Excel program through the perceptions of six students and four educators currently participating in the program. D-B Excel is a program of choice within the Kingsport City School System located in Northeast Tennessee. The specific concern is an accurate measurement of the program’s effectiveness as a worthwhile investment of both the school system and the students who choose to D-B Excel as their high school instead of the traditional high school, Dobyns Bennett.
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Chapter 1 Introduction In his book, Creative Schools, Ken Robinson emphasizes the importance of personalization of education for student success. Personalization, according to Robinson, is an acknowledgement of the differences between students and the allowance for flexibility within the curriculum to address common standards while making allowances for students to pursue individual strengths and customized problems (Robinson 2015). This type of educational construct drives the structure of D-B Excel, Kingsport City School’s blended learning high school. The program has been allotted an informal trial period for which to implement this curriculum. D-B Excel was provided a two-year drafting period by the Kingsport City School System, which is located in Northeast Tennessee. The initial plan of the program took place within the system’s alternative school facility, Cora Cox Academy. Students sent to Cora Cox for behavioral infractions reported to different section of the campus, allowing for a small population of approximately thirty students and four teachers to experiment with the development of the D-B Excel program. The first two years of the program focused on program development. Teachers developed online courses and underwent weekly trainings focusing on an understanding of “blended learning” and technologies that assist in the individualized online lesson design. The first two years were a pilot period testing the program’s purpose from the perspective of student interest. Essentially, answering the question: what type of students could this program serve? The response was one of continual student interest, as the program’s population went from a mere thirty students in the fall 2015 to a student population of 180 in the fall of 2016. The increase in student population spurred a physical expansion, and two years later, in the spring of 2017, the 3
program was formally launched. Given a new campus, an allotment for more teachers, and an expansion of the student population, D-B Excel became a spotlight for the Kingsport City School System. The addition of the D-B Excel program provides students with a choice in their high school experience. The school system’s guiding tenets for the D-B Excel venture are derived from an understanding that education is an “adaptive system” that forms and reforms to meet the individual needs of the student while adhering to the public agencies that determine school success, in this case the Tennessee State Board of Education (Wadham 2015). Given the markers of academic personalization, curriculum flexibility, and student success, the topic of research for this qualitative study is to explore the perceptions of the D-B Excel program with the understanding that the program is in its infancy. Background of the Problem The development of the D-B Excel program evolved from the understanding of Superintendent Dr. Lyle Aishie that the Kingsport City School System (KCS) needed to be competitive not only with other public programs, but that the system also needed to provide educational options that combatted the allure of the private sector of educational choice. In essence, D-B Excel was KCS’s forward thinking response to potential changes in education (Aishie 2017). With the drafting stage of the program being located in the Cora Cox facility, the alternative school for students with behavioral infractions, the student population mirrored specific trends. In essence, the single high school in Kingsport, Dobyns-Bennett used the D-B Excel’s open enrollment as an opportunity to send students who were behind in credits, experiencing minimal behavioral infractions, as well as students who were considered “overwhelmed” by the high schools population of over 2000 students. While some of the 4
students maintained a satisfactory academic record, the majority of enrollees had academic indicators that warranted extreme intervention. At the end of the second year of program drafting, the ACT average for 11th and 12th graders at D-B Excel was at a 5.4 point disadvantage when compared with the scores of Dobyns-Bennett’s 11th and 12th grade ACT average. Furthermore, End of Course examinations also presented a consistent pattern with the students who were enrolled at D-B Excel. This information is presented to the reader with the understanding that these scores many of these scores represented the students enrolled at D-B Excel before they entered the program. Essentially, the academic pattern indicates that the students who were sent to D-B Excel during the period of open enrollment, based on academic averages of the Tennessee state standardized test, struggled academically when compared to the students at Dobyns-Bennett. The open enrollment provided the program with 180 students, a number that the superintendent had suggested would provide leverage and warrant for the funding it would take to move D-B Excel into a new facility more conducive to the blended learning structure that been envisioned by the administration and staff. Due to the growing student population, the physical space was purchased and the school was outfitted with large investments in new technology and mobile furniture. Over three million dollars were invested in the physical space, and in the January 4, 2017, the program moved into a space that catered to the implementation of blended learning. Problem Statement The innovative framework from which the D-B Excel (DBE) students and staff operate calls for a change in how many of the governing organizations operate within the state of Tennessee’s educational department. For example, items such as the two-week state examination 5
schedule and teacher evaluation rubrics are a misfit for the personalization offered by the DBE program. In sum, the flexible curriculum path of the program allows students to finish courses at any time during the school year. And, with the state testing window being allocated to early December in the fall semester and late April in the spring semester, students finishing courses in September or March can realistically go two months with only minimal exposure to instruction in the courses in which they will be evaluated (Testing 2017). Likewise, teacher evaluations are governed by the TEAM teaching rubric; a document that lacks both reliability and consistency given the nature of the teacher role at DBE. In a given school day, teachers no longer report to a specific classroom as their schedule is based on a number of student groupings and themed break-out sessions. Moreover, the role of teacher as the direct instructor is obsolete, as students take ownership of their coursework through a myriad of resources created by teachers and housed through online platforms. While there are aspects of the TEAM rubric that are pertinent to teacher success, the holistic approach of the rubric is void based on the inaccuracy of multiple sections specifically directed at the success of a classroom teacher (TEAM 2017). Purpose Statement The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of six current students who attended D-B Excel and their observations of factors that influenced their decision to attend and continue their enrollment at DBE. Significance of the Study The key to school success comes in the fostering of a safe learning environment that challenges the student, creates a positive culture where learning motivates learning, and provides an intentional curriculum (Goodwin 2011). The current study operates as an examination of the
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D-B Excel program. The qualitative approach provides a detailed picture of the perspectives associated with the program, and determines the markers that create these attitudes. Kingsport City School’s traditional high school, Dobyns-Bennett, enjoys deserved recognition as a top 25 school in the state of Tennessee (High School 2016). However, with all of the merit, there remain some statistics about the program that speak to a major problem within secondary schools throughout the state, even those revered by state benchmarks. Although Dobyns-Bennett enjoys a ninety-four percent graduation rate of its students, over forty percent of its students entering college the subsequent year drop out between their freshman and junior year (source to be located). Research Method and Design The qualitative research study used three questions (see Appendix A) that explored the experiences of six current students who were attending D-B Excel and their perceptions of the program that attracted their decision to enroll and remain students within the program. The qualitative research study used three questions (see Appendix B) that explored the understandings of four school staff members, two school administrators and two teachers, and their perceptions of the differences between DBE and a traditional secondary environment. The structure of the interview allowed for the researcher to react to new information if brought up and pursue new ideas and patterns of participant responses (Merriman 2009). program and aspects of a traditional secondary school, with an emphasis on DobynsBennett, the quantifiable markers produced by DBE were insufficient, given the programs newness; furthermore, the tools that the produce this data are misaligned to the structure of
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DBE’s course scheduling, causing invalidity within these markers had there been enough input to justify a working average. Research Questions RQ1: What components of the DBE program contribute to the school’s success? RQ2: What factors contributed to the students enrolling at DBE? RQ3: What factors contributed to the students remaining enrolled at DBE? RQ4: What factors enhance student learning when compared to a traditional secondary environment? RQ5: What difficulties obstruct student learning when compared to a traditional secondary environment? Definition of Terms The following definitions assist in clarifying key terms that reoccur throughout the study. The following definitions are explained for an accurate reading of this manuscript. These appropriate understanding of these terms as they are used in this study, lend to a clearer understanding of the study’s context. 1. Blended Learning – The definition of blended learning is an educational program that combines a variety of modalities, such as online and brick and mortar, within a student’s learning path with the intention of providing an integrated learning path within their course curriculum (Horn 2015). 2. Personalized Learning – refers to a tailored learning experience to the individual student that accounts for “what they learn”, “when they learn it”, and “where they
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learn it�. Personalized learning is a customized curriculum path that meets the individual needs, skill, and interests of the student (Childress 2014). Limitations of the Study This qualitative research study used a structured, face-to-face interviewing process that explored the perceptions of current participants of the DBE program. Possible limitations to this study include the population sample of ten participants for this qualitative research study. The purposive sampling restricted the number of participants, as the requirements for the process mandated that students and teachers have at minimum a one-year experience within the traditional secondary setting. Possible perceptions and pertinent themes may have been overlooked based on these requirements. Researcher Bias Another limitation of this research is bias, or a variation from truth in data collection based on the personal agenda of the researcher (Chenail 2011). Bias can involve a manipulation of the responses based on a desired outcome, or a manipulation of the methodology to exclude contradictions to the study’s findings. The research was understanding of the potential for bias and took the necessary steps to ensure the consistency of the findings. Summary Chapter 1 provided rationale for the purpose and significance of the qualitative research study. This study illustrates to the perceptions about the D-B Excel program through the lenses of the students, the faculty, and the administration.
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Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of current students, teachers, and administrative staff attending or employed at D-B Excel. The intention of the study is to explore the perceptions of students and staff in an attempt to provide an understanding of the program’s success when compared to a traditional secondary environment. Chapter 2 involves an broad overview and analysis of scholarly literature pertinent to the significance of alternative learning environments and the components that make these school’s successful. Overview of the Chapter In the book Education and Social Change: Themes in the History of Education, author John Rury asserts, “Education and social change are facets of experience that affect our lives in dramatic fashion.” (Rury 2002) The discourse of the text continues to blend the impact of both education and social change as having a symbiotic influence on one another. The effect of social change, such as the transformation that the technological era has had on education in schools, has a visible influence on state policies, classroom procedures, and even teacher evaluation. Likewise, the influence of education has always been a foundational factor in achievements that spark social change. One specific example of the impact education has on social facets within our local community, presents itself in the educational policy enacted by Tennessee State governor Bill Haslam. Community colleges across the state are “seeing a dramatic uptick in freshman enrollment as a result of the governor's Tennessee Promise program, signed into law last spring.” (Anderson 2015). As a result of this educational reform, young 10
adults are moving into two-four year post-high school programs, and local communities throughout the state of Tennessee are expecting an influx of young skilled workers within the areas of both trade and medicine. The relationship between social factors and education provides a motor for change within both institutions; the mechanics of one have the influence to spark both direct and indirect alterations to current practices. With an understanding of this phenomenon, educators, administrators, and policy makers should recognize the importance of experimentation within school systems. The willingness to test new schools of thought has been a pillar of practice for some of society’s best educators. Although Anne Sullivan, Jaime Escalante, Ron Clark, remain current markers for such innovations, contemporary examples of minor educational experimentation find numerous footholds throughout American school systems; one such example comes in Daniel Xerri’s 2012 experiment with Dogme. In Sum, Dogme is a teaching structure that holds English language learning as a skill that results from emergence rather than acquisition; essentially the process of learning English as a non-native speaker is an organic process given the right classroom environment (Xerri 2012). Using a three-part template, Xerri produced an ESL course created class content that was conversation driven, light on actual classroom materials, and focused on the emergence of language development, instead of acquisition through the use of perfect models. While this type of classroom shift was uncomfortable for Xerri, due to its seeming lack of structure and materials, the results of this work created a more comfortable environment for emergence, and students showed improvement in the development of English language emergence (2012). The courage shown by Xerri to change even the small amount of dogma that has traditionally driven the structure of his course, is an authentic example and a staple trait of an 11
effective educator. Taking this understanding, that experimentation and honest revision are necessary to enact a productive change amidst the ebb and flow of the social and educational change, the following review of literature arranges context for the necessity of honestly evaluating Kingsport City School’s newest program, D-B Excel. Historical Overview The following section provides a historical overview of the D-B Excel program, and outlines the research supporting the vision of the program. The historical narrative is driven by an interview with Shanna Hensley, the director and principal of the DBE program, Laurie Norris, the districts eLearning Coordinator, and Sara Shaffer, the program’s online classroom director. According to Shanna Hensley, the D-B Excel project was a form disruptive intervention; a phrase suggesting the importance of challenging the status quo of formal education by providing students with a curriculum grounded in problem-based learning. A form of inquiry based learning supplemented by the integration of technology and personalized group work (Horne, 2015). Hensley’s work as an elementary principal was redirected by Superintendent Lyle Aishie’s push to start the planning and oversight of what would eventually become D-B Excel. Hensley claims good-naturedly that “requests from the Superintended typically have a favored response.” (Hensley) Subsequently, a visioning committee was formed between Principal Hensley and Laurie Norris, the districts eLearning Coordinator. According to Norris, the duo’s partnership was the second attempt at the districts formation of a focus group responsible for drafting a vision for the new program. “The first group was too large, and while there were plenty of great ideas, consensus was hard to reach, and so Shanna and I locked ourselves in an office for two weeks. Afterwards, on a Friday afternoon in late June of 2012, we had a practical
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design for our school, since then we have made minor alterations, but the original plans look very similar to the visioning plan that still governs the operations (see Appendix C, D, and E). Question 2: What is the vision of D-B Excel? The vision of D-B Excel rests on (meeting with Shanna about Charts)
Question 3: Why do students choose DBE? The enrollment procedure for the program has been changed throughout the history of the program. For the first three years, the program experienced intermittent periods of open enrollment. During these phases, the program’s need for student attendance took priority over student selection. According to Hensley, Dobyns Bennett, the systems primary high school, selected students to attend D-B Excel, based on variety of reasons. These qualifications ranged from issues of truancy to students who simply wished for a smaller school. However, the majority of students, roughly 60%, according to Hensley, were students who had trends in behavioral deviance, behind in academic credits, or were on the verge or had already been deemed truant.
Question 4: What makes this program necessary for Kingsport City Schools?
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Question 5: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the DBE program? Blended, Personalized, and Process Learning (Section Sources: Duhaney, D. C. (2012); Fayaz, S., & Ameri-Golestan, A. (2016); Gyamfi, S. A., & Gyaase, P. O. (2015); O'Connor, C., Mortimer, D., & Bond, S. (2011); Longo, C. M. (2016); Thompson, G. (2015); Villarreal, P. (2012, October 11); Wainwright, S. (2011).)
Schools of Choice (Section Sources: Simmons, D. (2013, August 5); Bush's Choice Education Plan and Private Schools. (1992, August 2); Fear of More Pressure on Class Places; Rethinking Education with Charter Schools; School Choice Is Remedy for Destitute States) Traditional Secondary Schools (Section Sources: Paulson, A. (2014, April 2); Tseng, H., & Walsh, E. J., Jr. (2016); Community Partnerships (Section Sources: Decade of Independence Saw Growth and New Partnerships; Impact Key to Partnerships. (2009, December 30); Lessons in Building Partnerships Are Key to Getting Education Back on Track; Pârvu, I., & Ipate, D. M. (2016); Riley, R. W. (2002); Wolfgang, B. (2012, July 9). Zlotnik, J. L. (2001) ) Gaps in Literature / Summary 14
Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY Introduction The approaches of blended and personalized learning both offer students a new type of education, where the instruction is facilitated by the student’s own decision making and the teacher role changes from the primary source of knowledge to a facilitator of content; a type of guide outlining the personalized routes within each course offering (Wainwright 2011). The experimental nature of the D-B Excel program allows student’s within the public education system to choose an alternative to the traditional secondary learning environment. Due to the newness of the program, evaluations for the school’s effectiveness are in its infancy. The following investigation provides a qualitative study of the school through interviews with administrative and school staff. The main research question of the study seeks to understand the perceptions of D-B Excel’s program. The interviews are an interpretative tool for understanding successes and shortcomings of the program through the lenses of qualified system administrators and the instructional staff. Five research questions offered a balanced understanding of the DBE 15
program by investigating factors that contribute to school success. Areas of inquiry that contributed to formation of these questions include differentiation of student learning, personalized learning paths, school culture, and the learning environment. Results from this qualitative research study will assist the school system and DBE administrative staff in developing a practical understanding of the new programs initial strengths and weaknesses; the goal being to use this qualitative research study as a baseline for improvement in a greater effort toward program continuation. The study holds a further potential for leadership within the scholarship to use the DBE example as a model for improvement, practice, and the possible opening of similar programs throughout the surrounding systems. Research Questions The overarching questions for this study was: What are the perceptions of the D-B Excel program as compared to the educational setting provided by a traditional secondary high school in a public school system? 1. 2. 3. 4.
What components of the DBE program contribute to the school’s success? What factors contributed to the student’s choice to attend school at DBE? What factors contributed to the students remaining enrolled at DBE? What factors enhance student learning when compared to a traditional secondary
environment? 5. What difficulties obstruct student learning when compared to a traditional secondary environment?
Data Collection
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Qualitative research holds the potential to derive meaning about concepts of which only a limited amount of information exists (Clark 2010). As a program, that has yet to provide a complete year of comparative data for quantitative investigations, the qualitative investigation of D-B Excel’s effectiveness relied on the observations and perceptions of participants by asking broad interview questions and seeking patterns within these responses. The strength of the qualitative investigation was to assign meaning to these patterns as a way of forming a measurement of the issue (2010). This study assigned a qualitative research design as the best method for understanding the perceptions of the D-B Excel Program. The sampling method, which consists of current administrative and teaching staff, was selected due to the staff’s highly qualified designation, and the staff’s background of experiences within the traditional secondary setting before their tenure at DBE. The researcher obtained detailed accounts of the perceptions of these participants though face-to-face interpretations of the questioning within an arranged interview process. The goal of these conversations was to determine patterns within the participant’s responses as to ascertain a better understanding of the DBE program. The sample consists of three administrative staff members and seven DBE teachers. In the event of a staff member withdrawing from the study, one alternate administrator and two alternate members of the teaching staff have been selected to step into for interviews. The administrative participants were selected based on their understanding of the factors that contributed to the school systems decision for the program implementation of DBE. The three individuals selected were instrumental in the planning and implementation process for the DBE program. Their perspective will assist in a greater understanding of the rationale behind the program’s startup and the planning stages that have formed the current goings-on. Their 17
contribution to the study will provide a more complete comprehension of the goals that drive the day-to-day operations. Furthermore, these individuals will assist in providing a perspective as to how the current operations are aligning to the overarching goals of the program. The participants of the teaching staff were selected based on their experience with the program and how the teaching operations differ from that of a traditional high school. All the teaching participants selected have prior experiences in a traditional secondary setting. This juxtaposition is necessary for a complete understanding, as many of the research questions are grounded in a comparison of how the environment of DBE relates to a traditional secondary environment. The responses of these participants will provide more evidence of the course offerings and modes of student learning processes at DBE. Data was collected during the interview process using open-ended questions (see Appendix A & B). The questions probed staff perception of the D-B Excel program in contrast to the lived experiences at other traditional secondary environments. Each member of the sample population responded to the interview questions, and data was collected and organized using a transcript of the audio files.
Research Method
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The qualitative approach seeks to determine the perceptions surrounding the D-B Excel program through the perceptions of the students and staff currently participating in the program. The informal understanding of this sampling was that students would utilize their understanding of their experience to originate determinations of effectiveness when compared with the traditional model of their Dobyns-Bennett experience. Likewise, staff would utilize their formal training and occupational experiences to derive informal evaluations of the program’s effectiveness when compared with their understanding of the traditional secondary structure, not necessarily specific to Dobyns-Bennett. A qualitative approach was used to understand the meaning of the interviews. The interviews were guided by guided interview questions, but there were informal opportunities to explore the directions of new additions brought about the respondent’s discourse. The qualitative approach best served this study’s intention to understand the interviewees perceptions as an evaluative method for determining the program’s overall effectiveness. (Possible Add-on: What does DBE program effectiveness actually mean?) – add on to this with more qualitative terminology. Design Appropriateness (A research-based section about the credibility of qualitative research) Research Questions The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of the DBE students and staff concerning the program’s lternative learning option for students entering into high school in Kingsport City Schools. The focus of the study was to organize the responses of the participants in an attempt to trace identifiable factors contributing to the determination of 19
DBE’s effectiveness. The research questions were crafted with the purpose of discovering the perceptions of the participants in regard to DBE’s effectiveness as a suitable environment for student growth. The following research questions were imperative to this qualitative study’s attempt at discerning DBE’s achievement: RQ1: What factors contributed to the students enrolling at DBE? RQ2: What factors contributed to the students remaining enrolled at DBE? RQ3: What factors enhance student learning when compared to a traditional secondary environment? RQ4: What difficulties obstruct student learning when compared to a traditional secondary environment? Form these research questions, the interview questions were formed (see Appendix A and B). The first-person interviews allowed the staff and students the occasion to voice the accounts of their experiences of their first year spent at D-B Excel. Sample A population is referenced as a group of people that represent a specific normalization 9 Jonassen 2004). The sample representative of the researched particular norm for this qualitative research study focused on the lived experiences of students and staff participating in the D-B Excel program at the onset of the program’s launching in the spring and fall of 2017 in Northeast Tennessee. Students and staff were selected at random from a list created using the following criteria: 1. Participants must have been enrolled or employed at DBE by January of 2017. 20
2. Students must have had at minimum one academic year of exposure to a traditional high school environment. 3. Teachers must have had at minimum three years of teaching experience at a traditional high school environment. 4. Administrators must have had a minimum of three years of administrative experience at a traditional k-12 school. The sample for this study was comprised of six students, age 19 and younger. The sample also consisted of two teachers and two administrators who met the provided criteria. The sampling method allowed for the creation of a list that allowed the researcher to choose participants that best represented the study’s intention. Geographic Location (section sources: Barclay, G. W. (1958) ; Schachter, J., & Gass, S. (Eds.). (1996).) Informed Consent Each participant reviewed and consented to participation in the research project (see Appendix C). (section sources McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2010).) Confidentiality (section sources: McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2010).) Instrumentation The prime instrument of this qualitative research study was the researcher. According to Beginning Qualitative Research, although a researcher is an individual, protocol instruments include the interview process, asked questions, and wait-time for responses illustrate the importance of the research as an active instrument within this study (Maykut 1994). 21
(To be added coding process, software, etc‌) Data Collection The current research study used an interview process that involved five questions targeted at understanding aspects of the DB-Excel program that warrant a designation of effectiveness. The interview process targeted both current students and staff with the intention of understanding factors that contributed to student learning. According to Qualitative Educational Research in Action, the interview process provides a valid confirmation for assessing participant values and seeking out specific data (O'Donoghue 2003). The process provides an adaptable template successful in customizing a valid interaction between researcher and participant. Data Analysis The goal of a qualitative analysis is to discover relationships within the experiences structured within the research design (Clark 2010). After conducting the interviews, the researcher analyzed the information provided by the student and staff responses. According to A Qualitative Stance, the accuracy of response synthesis is a matter of repetition and a scrutiny of the transcripts and audio files (Nielsen 2008). The transcripts were coded‌ (coding software process and recommendations??) Data were synthesized to form themes based on the responses provided by the student participants separately from the organization of responses from the staff members (thoughts about this distinction?). The researcher interpreted the meaning of these themes and from these patterns developed a complete understanding of the study’s findings. Validity
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Debates about the reliability and validity of qualitative research approach remain a topic of scholarship amongst researchers. In sum, reliability is the degree by which a study can be replicated; whereas, internal validity remains the degree to which measurement/observation of the study pertains to the study’s focus; moreover, external validity pertains to the practical application of this research to other related fields within the scholarship (O'Donoghue 2003). Reliability With the understanding that reliability is the consistency of the method by which the research was conducted, strategies were employed to ensure the reliability of the research. For instance, the researcher used the same pattern of questioning for each of the participants, because an alteration of the interview questions, in any degree, could weaken the study’s consistency. The researcher further reduced potential bias by adhering to a simple and specific wording of the interview questions, as not to obscure the participant responses. Validity With the understanding that validity is the accuracy by which the methodology of the research target’s the study’s purpose, strategies were employed to ensure the validity of the research. One strategy that assists in strengthening a study’s validity is member checking. Essentially, member checking involves sharing the findings of the research with the participants and determining whether or not the participants thought the findings were an accurate representation of the study’s purpose (Clark 2010). Credibility Credibility is the trustworthiness of the study, especially when interpreted from the perspective of the participants, as they determine the integrity of the findings (Lichtman 2010). 23
The researcher attempted to provide an authentic account of the interview responses and the synthesis of the response patterns. Triangulation Triangulation is another aspect that lends to the credibility of research. In his book Research Methods for Organizational Studies, Donald Schwab suggests that it is imperative for results to be founded on a variety of methods of measurement, design, and even analysis (Schwab 2005). This study adhered to such practices in the reference of different participants selected for interviews; furthermore, member checking was also employed to assess the findings. Confirmability Another aspect of credibility is confirmability, or the reliability of research solely based on data (Lichtman 2010). A record of the interview process, interview transcripts, and coding sequence were provided by the researcher to ensure that the data was properly documented, analyzed, and interpreted in the findings of this research study. Summary The purpose of the qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of D-B Excel’s students and staff about the program’s effectiveness as a respected alternative to the secondary path provided by Dobyns-Bennett, the systems traditional high school. The qualitative method used personal interviews consisting of five open-ended questions for the interview template. Chapter 3 provided information and validation pertaining to the qualitative design of this study and a warrant as a trustworthy approach for developing findings. The overview of the
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methodology included the importance of participant safety and confidentiality. The chapter also provided specific details pertaining to the selection of the sample population, research design, and implementations for credibility. Chapter 4 presents the study’s findings.
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International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology,11(1), 80. Retrieved from Questia. Decade of Independence Saw Growth and New Partnerships; Education View. (2003, March 27). Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales). Retrieved from Questia. Deming, W. E. (1950). Some Theory of Sampling. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from Questia. Fayaz, S., & Ameri-Golestan, A. (2016). Impact of Blended Learning, Web-Based Learning, and Traditional Classroom Learning on Vocabulary Acquisition on Iranian Efl Learners. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods,6(1), 244. Retrieved from Questia. Hensley, Shanna. (2017) Interview. (link to recording/transcript to be provided) High School Rankings (2016). Dobyns bennett high school. Retrieved from: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-highschools/tennessee/districts/kingsport/dobyns-bennett-high-18031 Horn, M. B., Staker, H., & Christensen, C. M. (2015). Blended: using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Impact Key to Partnerships. (2009, December 30). The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Retrieved from Questia. Jonassen, D. H. (Ed.). (2004). Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved from Questia.
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Appendix A Interview Guide Questions 31
I.
Introduction a. Welcome Participants – state appointments b. I would like to thank you for participating in this study and your willingness to talk to be about your perceptions of the DBE program. I plant to share this in a manuscript submitted for publication. Therefore, your participation in this study is extremely important. Your responses and the findings of this study will help us to better understand the school in which we teach. I assure you that your participation and the responses you submit in this study will remain anonymous. I may quote you in my final research report. However, I will not use your name in association with these quotes, nor will I use any identifiers that might link you to your words. This session should take approximately one-hour. I am tape recording this session to have an accurate record of your comments. Do you have any questions before I begin the tape recorder? c. Sign Informed Consent Form – ask each interviewee to read and sign the informed consent form. Give copy of the signed form. d. Turn on Tape Recorder.
II. Main Interview Questions a. How has your daily preparation changed from your past secondary experiences? b. Describe the school, thinking about pieces of the school that make it difficult to learn. c. Thinking about the school as a whole, what parts of the school make assist in your teaching: technology, support staff, physical environment, course design tools, and student response. d. Are there aspects of the traditional environment that you find valuable, but missing from DBE? What are they, and why?
III.Conclusion a. Based on the information that you have given me, I would summarijze your comments in this way: Is my summary correct? Please remember that I plan to write an article based on these research findings. Based on your feelings about the program and the success of the program, what would you like to emphasize in this article? b. This concludes our session. Do you have any additional comments? c. Turn off the tape recorder – Do you have any additional comments off the record? d. Again, I wish to thank you for your participation.
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Appendix C Informed Consent
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Appendix D D-B Excel Vision
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Appendix E D-B Excel Mission 35
Appendix F KCS Guiding Tenets 36
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