For my research, my initial thought is to conduct a nonexperimental study on virtual vs in-person learners at the middle school level. I would like to observe the two types of learners to see which group demonstrates a greater mastery of the math standards being taught. I would not be providing a treatment plan in this study, but would observe students in a single class period who have chosen to either learn virtually through Zoom or in the classroom with a live teacher. My plan is to gather quantitative data from formative assessments (quizzes given throughout a unit) and summative data (tests given at the end of the unit). I also plan to give students surveys to further my understanding of the differences in mastery between virtual and in-person learners. I think it’s going to be interesting to see the impact that learning solely through technology, as the virtual learners are doing, has on a middle school student’s ability to understand and retain information.
Monica,
I also find this topic very interesting. This is mainly for selfish reasons to an extent. I have two daughters who are currently 9 and 4, who are both learning to adapt to online learning due to COVID. I am worried that not having a teacher working directly with them is going to inhibit their capabilities. However, I do recognize that I have somewhat of a bias in this because it is just different from the way I was taught. I really hope none of this will have a lasting effect on my children, but the only way to really find out is to do some research!