Childrens Attitudes in Using the GPS - Research Paper Example

 Children’s attitudes in using the GPS Table of Content Page I. Introduction 2 II. Review of literature 4 A. Action research 4 B. Qualitative research 10 III. Methodology A. Design 11 B. Controls 13 C. Data collection and instruments 13 D. Analysis 14 E. Validity and reliability 15 F. Ethics 16 Bibliography 17 Annex 1: Semi-structured interview guide 20 Annex 2: Observation guide 21 Annex 3: Informal conversation guide 22 Annex 4: Target output guide 23 Children’s attitudes in using the GPS I. Introduction Research can be classified in many ways. One way of classifying research is to dichotomize research to quantitative and qualitative research. Another way is to classify research into two types: traditional versus action research. Finally, a third way that does not exhaust the list of possibilities in which research can be classified, is to classify research into three types: experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental. This is not surprising. In a similar manner, humanity can be classified in several ways. For instance, one can classify humanity in terms of colour, race, and age but the possibilities of describing humanity in alternative ways are not exhausted. This study focuses on children’s attitude to the geographic position system or GPS for short. Understanding the children’s attitudes would be crucial in teaching the GPS and geographic information system or GIS into the educational curriculum of children in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland. Teaching young students skills related to the GPS and identifying their GPS positions (translated into Irish grid coordinates) will be helpful so young students can acquire a greater understanding of geography. In turn, a greater understanding of geography would make children become more functional in society. The possible applications of learning GPS and locating one’s GPS position (and translating them into Irish coordinates equivalents) are endless. For instance, one can locate his/her location and the location of resources, properties, persons, landmarks, and places. Knowing locations would enable one to assess her or his relative distance from locations and can promote travel, grasp of places/locations, history, and even promote peace and understanding as nations acquire a greater appreciation of the specific circumstances confronted by nations. The research problem addressed by this study pertains to children’s attitudes with regard to the GPS. A Canadian study has found that attitudes play an important role in the readiness to learn among young children (Canadian Council on Learning, 2008, p. 3). The Canadian situation is likely true in Ireland as well as all and all over the globe. The more popular definition of attitude is that by G.W. Allport in 1935 that defines attitude as “mental and neural state of readiness organized through experience” (Eiser et al., 2003, p. 1221). The study of Fazio et al. (2004, p. 293-294) strongly points out that attitudes can be shaped by exploration. Inclusion of the use of the GPS (converted into Irish grids) and the use of the GPS in a curriculum can promote exploration, shape or form attitudes, and facilitate learning. The attitudes that young students demonstrate during the duration of an education program using the GPS provides an indication whether students are ready to use the GPS as a tool for expanding student knowledge and potential. In this study, we follow Ostrom et al.’s (1994: 16-17) three of the four ways in which attitudes can be determined: by asking, observing, and behaviour. We will not cover the fourth which is through the person’s association with other persons. In particular, this study seeks to address several questions. What are the children’s attitudes with regard to the GPS? In particular, are young students receptive to studying the GPS? Are they willing to study the GPS? Are they able to comprehend easily the GPS especially if aided by a GPS locator tool such as Garmin g60? Do their young mind resist or does not resist at all in learning the GPS? Do they enjoy the learning? Are they fast in learning the tool? How fast? Do they enjoy learning the GPS? Do they acquire useful skills upon learning the GPS? What are these skills, if any? How do they perceive their learning experience? How do they perceive the importance of learning the GPS and using the GPS tool? Did they encounter difficulties in learning the tool? What are these difficulties, if any? What lessons does the study provide on teaching of GPS to children? Is it feasible to teach the GPS to children? How feasible? What lessons are suggested by the study on the teaching of GPS to children? What recommendations can be made based on the study? Consistent with these research inquiries, the study objectives are as follows: 1. Describe how children who have undergone a training program involving the use of a global positioning system (GPS) perceive their experience in familiarizing themselves with the use of a GPS tool and the benefits that can be derived from using teaching the GPS and a GPS tool to children. 2. Assess the benefits of incorporating into curriculum on information technology the use of the GPS and the use of a basic instrument in the GPS. 3. Formulate recommendations towards incorporating the GPS and the use of a basic tool in the GPS in the children’s education curriculum. II. Review of literature We review action and qualitative research as the basis for the choice of action research as the research design for this investigation. A. Action research Action research is a category of applied research in which the researcher is actively involved in research and is consistent with qualitative research that has emerged in the field of anthropology, sociology, and ethnography (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 4). According to Fife (2005, p. 1), the “goal of ethnographic research is to formulate a pattern of analysis that makes reasonable sense out of human actions within the given context of a specific time and place” (2005, p. 1). Yet, at the same time, the task is not easy because a researcher will have to decide on two things: 1) how much context to cover; and 2) how to recognize a pattern when it is seen or what will be considered a pattern (Fife, 2005, p. 1). According to Fife (2005, p. 1), there are no straightforward answers to the two questions. In addition, no answer will be valid for all time (Fife, 2005, p. 2). The steps involved in action research are to identify your inquiry1, design the study, make sense of the experience or analyze the data, raise new and better inquiries while improving your practice and making a new set of inquiries to commit (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 3). The tools for inquiry in action research includes classroom maps, anecdotal record, time-sampled observations, samples of student work, drawings and photographs, interviews and conversations, surveys, and teacher research journals (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 8). These tools are what Rust & Clark (2010) call as the “everyday tools of inquiry” of a teacher. The classroom maps refer to the class set-up and movement as well as verbal flow between students and teachers and among students (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 9). Monitoring the map layout over time or over a teaching period provides insights on how knowledge is assimilated and whether knowledge is assimilated at all. Rust and Clark (2010, p. 9) recommend that anecdotal records and time-sampled observations must be such that they are always dated and timed, focused on particulars, written fast, actual quotes are written down, and that there is no censorship or suppression of data. Samples of student works are important because they can indicate how students are making sense of concepts and whether the students are using them (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 10). The teacher research journal is a critical tool in the inquiry and can consist of anecdotal records as well as reflections of the teacher-investigator (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 12). Rust and Clark (2010, p. 15) argue that even a single research study can be helpful in improving teaching. Further, based on an experience from an action research, new and better research questions can be posed that can further advance knowledge (Rust & Clark, 2010, p. 15). Meanwhile, the Department of Education and Training of New South Wales (DET-NSW) of Australia describes action research as one that integrates action or implementing a plan with research (2010, p. 1). The DET-NSW (2010, p. 1) attributes the original concepts of action research to Kurt Lewin (1890-1947). Comparing formal research with action research, DET-NSW (2007, p. 1) narrates that formal research: targets on a knowledge that can be widely generalised; identifies research problems based on previous research results and extensions of research results; conducts extensive inquiry into all research previously conducted on the same topic that used primary sources; works on random or representative populations with preference for large population imposes rigorous controls over long periods in its research design; tends to be deductive in approach or applies theory in formulating hypotheses and tries to confirm these in the data; usually relies on tests that indicate statistical significance; and addresses topics that have theoretical significance. In contrast, however, action research (DET-NSW, 2007, p. 1): targets on results that can lead to improved practice; confronts immediate problems in a classroom or school setting; uses both primary and secondary sources; uses small samples that can be students and/or members of the school community; implements a research design that is flexible/quick and uses triangulation for control; employs inductive reasoning; groups raw data and rely on descriptive statistics; and emphasizes on practical significance rather than on the significance of the work on theory. An international manual for action research in education identified observation, interviews, and focus group discussions as action research tools (GTZ, 2004, p. 169-247). Teachers use action research because it deals with their problems, it can be started immediately and promises immediate results, and it provides them opportunities to understand their educational practices better (DET-NSW, 2007, p. 1). As for the use of triangulation for control in action research, Manion et al. (2005, p. 112) pointed out that triangulation is the use of two or more methods of data collection. In the original sense, triangulation is the use of several locations to identify a single spot or object (Manion et al., 2005, p. 112). However, in the context of research, triangulation refers to use of more than one standpoint (Manion et al., 2005, p. 112). Several decades ago, Campbell and Fiske (1959) noted that triangulation is also a powerful way of demonstrating validity in qualitative research (as cited in Manion et al., 2005, p. 112). Citing the work of Denzin (1970), Manion et al. identified several types of triangulation: time triangulation, space triangulation, combined levels of triangulation like groups and societies, theoretical triangulation or that which involve several theories, investigator triangulation or that which involve several observers, and methodological triangulation or using the same method on different occasions or different methods on the same study (2005, p. 113). Nolen and Putten (2007, p. 401) explained that action research was first introduced as an education research in the mid-1950s based on the work of Corey (1953). Nolen and Putten revealed that the research methodology has acquired increasing attention in the last 20 years in view of the usefulness of the method for teachers to investigate their teaching and the student’s learning. One evidence that points out to the rising prominence of action research is the emergence of a peer reviewed journal for action research called as Action Research which was on its fifth volume as of 2007 as a Sage publication (Nohen & Putten, 2007, p. 401). Nolen and Putten (2007, p. 401) reminded, however, that the ethical issues related to action research has received less attention. According to Nolen and Putten, designing action research raises complex ethical issues that are non-existent in traditional research (2007, p. 402). However, the ethical principles apply to all researchers in education: respect for persons, beneficence, justice (Nolen & Putten, 2007, p. 402). Researchers have an obligation to treat individuals as autonomous agents who have the right to decide whether they will be participants in research (Nolen & Putten, 2007, p. 402). Nolen and Putten stressed that the said right must not be over-ridden by researchers (2007, p. 402). Nolen and Putten argued however that minors are unlikely to have the maturity nor the independence to decline participation in studies especially if the research is conducted by researchers from whom they are dependent for their grades and the situation presents a complication for action research given the high benefits from using the methodology (2007, p. 402). The Nolen and Putten position, however, is not to exclude minors from research but for the researchers to obtain informed assent rather than informed consent documents (2007, p. 405). Here, Nolen and Putten (2007) do not provide distinction between consent and assent beyond saying that technically minors may be unable to decline participation in an action research. Nevertheless, according to Nolen and Putten, the assent forms must repeatedly clarify that there is no penalty for refusing to participate and that grades will not be affected by the decision to participate (2007, p. 405). Further, for research ethics to be upheld during the research process, Nolen and Putten recommended that the relationship between the researcher and participants must be one that is democratic (2007, p. 405). Minors or not, research ethics require obtaining prior informed consent or assent from the participants or their guardians before participants are enlisted to participate in a research. Other than informed consent, respect for persons requires that action researchers ensure confidentiality (Nolen & Putten, 2007, p. 402). Breach of confidentiality is a “failure to maintain the security of data that may identify individual participants” (Nolen & Putten, 2007, p. 402). B. Qualitative research Qualitative research is a type of inquiries whose results were not arrived at through quantitative techniques (Strauss and Corbin, 1998, p. 10-11). Several qualitative approaches in research appearing under several names have emerged in the field of education research over decades: ecological psychology, holistic ethnography, cognitive anthropology, ethnography of communication, symbolic interactionism, anthropological perspectives, sociological perspectives, biological perspectives, case studies, personal accounts, cognitive studies, and historical inquiries (Cresswell, 2007, p. 7-8). The philosophical foundations of qualitative include the ontological, epistemological, axiological, rhetorical, and methodological dimensions (Cresswell, 2007, p. 17). The ontological aspect of qualitative research philosophy holds that reality is seen from several perspectives and there would be benefits to knowledge if the researcher uses quotes and identify themes to provide evidence of multiplicity of perspectives (Cresswell, 2007, p. 17). The epistemological aspects of qualitative research philosophy assumes that research is influenced by the relationship between the researcher and the researched and there would be benefits to knowledge if the researcher spends adequate time in fieldwork to acquire the perspective of an “insider” in the research situation. The axiological aspect of qualitative research philosophy assumes that researchers have values and biases and, thus, research benefits if the researcher becomes transparent with respect to biases and values (Cresswell, 2007, p. 17). The rhetorical aspect of qualitative research philosophy accommodates a literary and informal style and even the use of first person pronoun as the language of qualitative research is used in research write-ups (Cresswell, 2007, p. 17). Finally, the methodological aspect of qualitative research philosophy allows the use of inductive logic, study of the topic within its context, and the use of an “emerging research design” (Cresswell, 2007, p. 17). An “emerging research design” refers to the continuous revision or improvement of research questions as the research is implemented (Cresswell, 2007, p. 17). Manion et al. (2005, p. 119) echoed the work of Denzin and Lincoln (1994) that reliability in qualitative research can be addressed in at least two ways: 1) producing stable observations and interpretation regardless of time and place; and 2) inter-rater reliability applies or that another observer using the same theoretical framework and observing the same phenomenon would have interpreted the same way. At the same time, Manion et al. reminded that among the validity considerations that researchers must consider in research include content validity, criterion-related validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, face validity, fury validity, predictive validity, consequential validity, and systemic validity (2005, p. 132). III. Methodology The design of this study incorporates perspectives from action research in education as well as qualitative research. A. Design In addressing the research problem, inquiries, and objectives of the study, the investigator implemented a training module on the GPS (translated into Irish coordinates). The module consists of five lessons. The first lesson introduced the students to the theoretical foundations of the GPS. The lesson pointed out that there are satellites orbiting in space being used for land and marine navigation, agriculture, forestry, geographic information system, surveys, mobile phone, the internet, and other uses. The satellites are able to produce calculations on the latitude and longitude positions of someone who possess a GPS tool, such as the Garmin g60. The latitude and longitude positions have Irish grid coordinates equivalents. Related to this, the Ordnance Survey of Ireland (2000) discusses details on the Irish grid and the lesson of the module discussed some of these details. The second lesson covered practical hands-on training on the use of Garmin g60. The lesson covered how satellites are being used, their locations in the sky, and understanding the positions calculated in the latitude and longitude systems and viewing them in terms of the Irish grid. The lesson also covered discussions how the compass works, explaining directions, and using the GPS and the Irish grid to find locations. The lesson taught students how to look at speed and direction changes as they move around and how they can use the track log function. The students were also taught how to use the GPS tool for sunrise and sunset data. The third lesson was done indoors. It involved a review of lessons 1 and 2. At the same time, the lesson covered additional explorations and discussions of the other GPS tool settings and a discussion/exploration of its various other capabilities. The students were also asked to review positions stored on the GPS tool and were asked to locate them into the ordnance survey (OS) map of the area and compare the actual versus the estimated position or confirm the estimated with the actual position. The fourth lesson was done outdoors and consisted of exercises to understand better or deeper the navigation displays as well as use the games on the units like the “virtual maze”. The lesson explained further navigation tracks through the GPS tool. Each student was asked to mark a position, hand over the GPS tool to another student, and in turn locate what another student marked and allow his/her mark to be located by another student. The fifth lesson was done outdoors. The students were asked to mark key resources in a local town and create a hand-drawn paper map of the town in class afterwards. Further, the students were asked to download the information into a personal computer. During the training module, the investigator observed the students, conversed with them, and conducted semi-structured interviews. The observations were meant to discover the children’s attitudes on the learning the GPS as well as their pace and difficulties, if any, on learning the GPS. The conversations as well as the semi-structured interviews also gathered information on their attitudes on learning the GPS as well as their pace and difficulties, if any, on learning the GPS. The conversations were informal modes of inquiry while the semi-structured interviews were formal modes of inquiry. Further, the investigator requested outputs from children that were designed to indicate the status of their knowledge on the GPS. B. Controls This study adopts the point of view of the Department of Education and Training of the New South Wales of Australia: triangulation was used as controls in action research. In this study, several modes for assessing children’s attitudes on the GPS were employed: observations on the children by the investigator, conversations conducted by the investigator with the children, and semi-structured interviews conducted by the investigator with the children. The modes for acquiring insights on children’s attitudes on the use of the GPS were also the modes used by the investigator to assess the children’s state of knowledge on the GPS as the training progressed. C. Data collection and instruments The investigator collected data through recording of interviews, class and field experiences, collection and recording of assessments of class outputs, conversations, and recording of observations. The data collection instruments include an interview schedule, class records, records of observation, class exercise guidelines, guidelines, and recording of the investigator-teacher’s assessment of the performance of the students in class. The schedule of interview questions or the instrument for the semi-structured interview is in Annex 1. Some of the other instruments are in Annex 2 to 4. D. Analysis The analysis scheme for the study applied the perspectives from qualitative research. The analysis focused on providing a summary answer to the following questions: 1. What are the children’s attitudes with regard to the GPS? 2. In particular, are young students receptive to studying the GPS? 3. Are they willing to study the GPS? 4. Are they able to comprehend easily the GPS especially if aided by a GPS locator tool such as Garmin g60? 5. Do their young mind resist or does not resist at all in learning the GPS? 6. Do they enjoy the learning? 7. Are they fast in learning the tool? 8. How fast? 9. Do they enjoy learning the GPS? 10. Do they acquire useful skills upon learning the GPS? 11. What are these skills, if any? 12. How do they perceive their learning experience? 13. How do they perceive the importance of learning the GPS and using the GPS tool? 14. Did they encounter difficulties in learning the tool? 15. What are these difficulties, if any? 16. What lessons does the study provide on the teaching of GPS to children? 17. Is it feasible to teach the GPS to children? 18. How feasible? 19. What lessons are suggested by the study on the teaching of GPS to children? 20. What recommendations can be made based on the study? Summative answers to the questions above were constructed based on the investigator’s observation, fieldnotes, student’s response to interview questions, and students output. E. Validity and reliability The research design suggests that the results of this study would have limited validity. In other words, the validity of this investigation is good only for the sample covered by the study. However, the results are sufficient to indicate on whether the investigator would recommend the teaching of GPS to children in early education and in what manner the education on GPS can be conducted among young children for the entire United Kingdom. In this sense, the study can have a wider validity although more studies may have to be done to validate the results of this study on other populations. The assessment on children’s attitudes to the GPS under this study will be reliable in view of a multi-method approach: the assessments are made based on the investigator’s observation, semi-structured interview conducted among the children, and results of outputs directed by the investigator among the children. F. Ethics Prior to the conduct of the action research, the investigator sought and was granted permission from the School Board Management and the parents of children involved. In addition, the investigator assured parents that students grades will not be affected should they be unable to or would refuse to be part of the action research. The investigator made the same assurance to the School Board Management and allowed the action research to be monitored by and be under the supervision of the School Board Management. These measures were conducted to conform or approximate Nolen & Putten’s notion of informed assent rather than consent (2007, p. 405). The investigator also ensured committed and implemented confidentiality of information. During and after the research, data were securely locked in a filing cabinet and the computer used was password protected. All sources of data that are indicative of the participants of the action research were burned. Bibliography Allport, G. (1935). Attitudes. In C. Murchison (Ed.), Handbook of social psychology. Worcester, MA: Clark University Press. Brewer, P. & Firmin, M. (eds) (2006). Ethnographic and qualitative research in education: Proceedings of the seventeenth annual conference. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press. Campbell, D. & Fiske, D. (1959) Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitraitmultimethod matrix, Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81–105. Canadian Council on Learning (2008). Readiness to learn? A look at school readiness in young children. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Learning. Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2005). Research methods in education (5th ed.). London: Routledge/Falmer. Corey, S. (1953). Action research to improve school practices. New York: Teachers College Press. Creswell, J. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Denzin, N. (1970) The research act in sociology: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods. London: Butterworth. Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. (eds) (1994) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc. Department of Education and Training, New South Wales. 2010. Action research in education: Guidelines (2nd ed.). New South Wales, Australia: Department of Education and Training. Eiser, J., Fazio, R., Stafford, T., and Prescott, T. (2003). Connectionist simulation of attitude learning: Asymmetries in the acquisition of positive and negative evaluations. Personality and Social Psychological Bulletin, 29 (10), 1221-1235. Fazio, R., Shook, N, & Eiser, R. (2004). Attitudes formation through exploration: Valence asymmetries. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87 (3), 293-311. Fife, W. (2005). Doing fieldwork: Ethnographic methods for research in developing countries and beyond. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. GTZ (2004). International education in action research manual. Federal Republic of Germany: GTZ. Nolen, A. & Putten, J. (2007). Action research in education: Addressing gaps in ethical principles and practices. Educational Research, 36 (7), 401-407. Ordnance Survey of Ireland (2000). The Irish grid. Government of Ireland: Ordnance Survey of Ireland. Ostrom, T., Bond, C. Jr., Krosnick, J., & Sedikides, C. (1994). Attitude scales: How we measure the unmeasurable. In S. Shavitt & T. C. Brock (Eds.), Persuasion: Psychological insights and perspectives (pp. 15-42). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Rust, F. & Clark, C. (2010). How to do action research in your classroom: Lessons from the Teachers Network Leadership Institute. New York: Teachers Network. Retrieved 12 April 2010 from http://teachersnetwork.org/tnli/Action_Research_Booklet.pdf Straus, A. and Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Trigwell, K. (2006). Phenomenography: An approach to research into geography education. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 30 (2), 367-372. Annex 1. Semi-structured Interview Guide The questions under these instruments are guide questions. Additional questions can be raised based on the respondents response to the inquiries. The inquiries in this semi-structured interview guide should be considered as preliminary questions only. The interview should be administered immediately after the training program or on the last hour or the last day of the training program, preferably, or the next day. 1. How do you describe you experience in learning the geographic positioning system? 2. What have you learned? 3. What skills do now have after the training? 4. Did you encounter difficulties in learning the GPS? 5. Were the lessons easy? 6. Did you enjoy the lessons and activities? 7. What parts of the lessons are important? 8. Do you have suggestions on how the lessons can be improved? 9. Do you feel confident in using Garmin g60? 10. Is the GPS important why? 11. What are the possible applications of the knowledge on the GPS and the GPS tool for you? 12. Did you encounter difficulties in learning the tool? What were these difficulties? Annex 2. Observation guide 1. What are the children’s attitudes with regard to the GPS? 2. In particular, are young students receptive to studying the GPS? 3. Are they willing to study the GPS? 4. Are they able to comprehend easily the GPS especially if aided by a GPS locator tool such as Garmin g60? 5. Do their young minds resist or does not resist at all in learning the GPS? 6. Do they enjoy the learning? 7. Are they fast in learning the tool? 8. How fast? 9. Do they enjoy learning the GPS? 10. Do they acquire useful skills upon learning the GPS? 11. What are these skills, if any? 12. How do they perceive their learning experience? 13. How do they perceive the importance of learning the GPS and using the GPS tool? 14. Did they encounter difficulties in learning the tool? 15. What are these difficulties, if any? 16. What lessons does the study provide on the teaching of GPS to children? 17. Is it feasible to teach the GPS to children? What are the indicators or evidences for this? 18. How feasible? 19. What lessons are suggested by the study on the teaching of GPS to children? 20. What recommendations can be made based on the study? Annex 3. Informal conversation guide Raise the following questions to children informally during breaks and as the lessons are being implemented: 1. How do you describe you experience in learning the geographic positioning system? 2. What have you learned? 3. What skills do now have after the training? 4. Did you encounter difficulties in learning the GPS? 5. Are the lessons easy? 6. Did you enjoy the lessons and activities? 7. What parts of the lessons are important? 8. Do you have suggestions on how the lessons can be improved? 9. Do you feel confident in using Garmin g60? 10. Is the GPS important why? 11. What are the possible applications of the knowledge for you? 12. Do you encounter difficulties in learning the GPS tool? What are these? Annex 4. Target output guide In this target output guide, the investigator identifies some of the outputs that will be indicative of the students’ comprehension of the lessons as well as their attitudes towards the GPS course. Non-completion of the output is indicative not only of knowledge or grasp of the lessons but also of attitudes. Target output in lesson 1: Translation of longitude and latitude positions into earth positions and translate these into the Irish grid. Target output in lesson 2: Record of tracks and ability to plot them into the OS map using the GPS tool and Irish grid. Target output in lesson 3: Location of track records into earth positions through longitude and latitude positions translated into the Irish grid and OS map. Target output in lesson 4: Successful retrace of track of another student. Target output in lesson 5: Accurate markings of key resources and locations in a town. Read More