Science & Math Education in ACTION

Capstone Action Research Project

As ACTION students enter the final two years of their undergraduate program, there is one additional opportunity for them in their quest to become exceptional teachers. They will engage in an action research project that is focused on some aspect of teaching.

During their junior year, students investigate the nature of action research. In turn, they formulate a question, complete a review of the research literature, identify methods and instruments to investigate research questions, and identify subjects for the study.

Then, during their senior year, the research is conducted in a middle school or high school science or mathematics classroom during student teaching. Each student works one-on-one with a faculty mentor throughout the two-year process. At the conclusion of the project, a research paper is prepared and presented with the possibility of publication.

For each of the above projects, students receive one hour of tuition credit so these unique opportunities will be evident to future employers on their college transcripts.