Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PAPER

Action Research Paper

William Springsteen
Grand Valley State University
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Issue/Problem:

Multiple students need to develop independence and perseverance when confronted with

adversity in the classroom. In my 2nd grade classroom, I have two students who would

constantly come up to me and ask me questions about things that they could solve on their own.

An example of this was when the teacher had just finished a lesson and the students were set free

to go and work on their assignments. During this time, students would raise their hands when

they had questions and I would come confer and assist as needed.

Two particular students would consistently get out of their seats and come ask me how to

spell a word or tell me of some grievance with a nearby peer. In these situations, I would

recommend that they solve their own problems by using a strategy that my mentor teacher had

previously taught. For spelling problems, our class is supposed to do their best to and stretch out

the sounds to achieve accuracy in their writing. For problems with peers, students are instructed

to find ways to resolve the issue by either choosing to ignore the poor choices friends make or to

use their words with the peer and to solve the problem.

When a problem cannot be resolved, then students could come to a teacher and ask for

help with the problem. I noticed that the two particular students were approaching me multiple

times a day with small issues such as the examples above. At this observation, I began to wonder,

how can I get these students to be more self-reliant?

Summarize Related Professional Research 3 citations:

Since student learning is the most important aspect of teaching, teachers have an ethical

duty to empower their students with a stable sense of self-reliance. On Mike Gershons (2017)

educational blog, he asks how can a student be independent if their teacher is taking the major
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role in their learning? This question prompted me to think more deeply about the degree to

which I was helping those students every time theyd ask for assistance. Expecting these students

to become independent learners while simultaneously being overly helpful equates to their

continual reliance on me to assist in their problems.

There is a great deal of research offering ideological concepts that help me deter this

needy student behavior. One effortless method is to simply not lean down to hear more about

the students issue. This is because it encourages the needy behavior. Michael Linsin, who has

written at length about classroom management, writes that by staying upright, youre

communicating your boundaries. Youre gently reminding them that you teach an entire class,

not just one student. For me, this means keeping the students at an arms length distance so

they dont become dependent on me for help over every minuscule issue. Conversely, the student

will be held in a position of responsibility for their own outcomes and be provided with a chance

to build their self-confidence by succeeding at personally challenging tasks.

Carolyn Tomlin, in her article, 10 Ways to Create Self-Reliant Learners (2008), lists her

number one piece of advice as encourage children to do for themselves. Essentially Tomlin

advises giving guidance to children is helpful but it is very important that students are able to

make choices and learn as a result of those choices.

Describe the setting/situation and persons involved:

In my 2nd grade placement, there are two students whose names I will alter in this paper

for the sake of concealing their identity. One boy named Tyler and a girl, Jenny. At school, both

on the playground and in the classroom, they were regularly checking in with me about a

multitude of issues that 2nd graders are capable of solving. In class, they would ask me questions
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about their problem, which initially was fine, but then they would often venture into long winded

stories about off-task topics. Tyler seemed to be merely needy for attention or companionship,

whereas Jenny was a bit more dramatic. She would often approach me to help solve an issue with

a peer in hopes that she could sell her story to me and that I could undo the wrongs that had

come to her. I noticed that Tyler would often seek me out to help tie his shoe. At first, I told him

that is something he can do but when he said he didnt know how I did help to tie his shoe. This

occurred several times until I told him, In 2nd grade, we tie our own shoes, and that he needed

to have mom or a friend teach him. After the need for me to tie his shoe faded away he would

seek me out for other things. Tyler would often request to read to me or seek my help on jobs for

which direction had already been given explicitly. Listening to directions and independently

working was difficult for Tyler because of his unsure nature. Tyler simply sought me out for

companionship and a sense of assurance and Jenny sought me out to assist with her woes at

school.

Describe how the data is collected, analyzed and used:

My data collection began in February. I collected my data by keeping a running tally of

how many times a day Jenny and Tyler approached me to problem solve. I collected data for 1

week prior to setting in with my action plan. Using the tally marks noted during my field

observation, I created a spreadsheet including my pre-action plan data as well as the data I

collected while implementing the two-week action plan.

Present a clear picture of the action taken (action plan) based on the findings:

After researching my issue, I came to realize my action plan simply involved honoring

students abilities to take responsibility for themselves. During a school day when Tyler or Jenny
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approached me to solve their problems, I implemented methods and ideas from the research

listed in the references section of this paper. The research indicates that as a classroom leader and

teacher it is necessary that I not coddle the students because this can lead to not giving students

enough freedom to make decisions and succeed or fail as a result of those decisions, but the

important part is that the student retains ownership of those choices. Starting February 20th, I

began tallying each time Jenny & Tyler approached me to help solve a problem. Beginning

February 27th, I stopped listening to long winded peer frustration stories but let the student know

that they needed to figure out how to solve their own problems because in life that is what we do.

This was a change from my previous behavior of listening and attempting to console a bruised

ego or an unheard point of view, but after Feb. 27, I adjusted my demeanor to deter their need for

my help and employed the sense of empowering these students to solve their own issues.

Reviewing the Results:

Evaluating the results of my spreadsheet, I notice that I have not completely reached

autonomy with the students I focused on, but I observe a significant drop in the number of

questions I receive from them on a daily basis. During my week of observation, the two students

averaged 9.4 menial questions per day. During week one of implementing my plan the questions

dropped to 5.8 and by week two 4.4 questions per day. By pulling myself out of the equation and

holding firm in my expectation that these individuals could resolve their issues I discovered that

the students are capable of solving their own problems a majority of the time. There are still

times when my presence is deemed necessary to move things along. These results lead me to

believe that by allowing students to work through their own struggles they will develop a

stronger sense of self-reliance and let go of the need to ask the teacher to get involved in "small
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deal" problems. In conclusion, I believe my research supports and suggests that students can

solve their own problems and often it is appropriate for teachers to get out of the way for student

growth.
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References

Mike Gershon. (2017). Independent Learning in the Classroom. Retrieved from

https://mikegershon.com/independent-learning-classroom/

Michael Linsin. (September 5, 2015). How To Handle Needy, Grabby, Dependent Students.
Retrived from https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2015/09/05/how-to-handle-
needy-grabby-dependent-students/

Carolyn Tomlin. (2008). 10 Ways to Create Self-Reliant Learners. Retrieved from

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=503