Managing students in a classroom is a challenging task regardless of their age and educational settings. For example, if teaching methods are inappropriate or materials are not appropriately used, individuals’ performances start to decline, entailing various emotional and social issues (Ahmady et al., 2020). These problems are often caused by students’ lack of collaboration and understanding (Nagro et al., 2019). Therefore, it is essential to understand what interventions can improve classroom management. Two possible ways are to assign tasks that will require them to work in small groups and involve interaction with communities.
This research will require the following specific steps: literature review about the issue, hypothesis formulation, selecting a sample population, choosing a methodology, analyzing the obtained data, and finalizing the results. In this project, two central issues are the difficulty of managing classrooms and the need for practical intervention. The bibliographical revision of the Google Scholar articles published within the last five years showed that this problem exists both in school and university settings (Ahmady et al., 2020; Nagro et al., 2019). One of the possible reasons for poor classroom management and decreased student performance is the lack of communication between students (Nagro et al., 2019). Therefore, this project hypothesizes that group assignments and communicating with other people can help manage classrooms better by ensuring that each student has peers’ support.
This hypothesis can be tested in the cohort of high-school students assigned a group task. After the completion of this task, they will undergo a questionnaire about their experiences. The sample population will be junior students in four high schools. Since this study aims to find if completing tasks in groups positively impacts communication in class, the methodology should be based on real teamwork. Thus, the experimental group will be given a project to record a short video interview with their neighbors about environmental problems. The test group participants will be randomly divided into groups of four. In contrast, the control group will not receive this task but still should complete the questionnaire. Then, they will take an online close-ended survey one, four, and seven weeks after this task to rate their experiences and feelings about connecting with their classmates and the overall organization of work. In fact, the survey is more suitable for this research because any change in the students’ perception about classroom management may be revealed through their answers to specific questions.
Since the evaluation of the hypothesis will be primarily based on the close-ended surveys at different time points, researchers will analyze the data using the chi-square test. Before the statistical analysis is done, the answers will be coded into “helpful” or “useless” outcomes of the group-based management. The chi-square test will allow us to determine if there is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the perception of the quality of classroom management. Lastly, the results will be evaluated and presented in graphical and textual form to illustrate if the hypothesis was confirmed.
In summary, classroom management is an essential factor that may affect students’ performance. Introducing team tasks can improve interaction and support between students, simplifying group governance in schools. This research was focused on testing the hypothesis in high-school attendants in experimental and control groups by giving the former a collaborative project and questionnaire and only a survey to the latter. Finally, the study results would be coded and analyzed using the chi-square statistical method to determine if classroom management improved significantly after the described intervention.
References
Ahmady, S., Khajeali, N., Kalantarion, M., & Amini, M. (2020). A qualitative content analysis of “problem students”: How can we identify and manage them? BMC Research Notes, 13(1), 1-5. Web.
Nagro, S. A., Fraser, D. W., & Hooks, S. D. (2019). Lesson planning with engagement in mind: Proactive classroom management strategies for curriculum instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic, 54(3), 131-140. Web.