• Prior to class, students reviewed Personality WebQuest web site
• Students completed pre-survey online using class web site through WebCT application
• I provided an overview of the WebQuest activities and reviewed the site for 15-20 minutes of the 75 minute class
• Students began Part 1 of WebQuest activity; in this part, students completed short reading assignments and written activities related to 5 different personality perspectives

Day 2 - 10/10/02

• Questions were answered about the activity
• Students were reminded of the evaluation component and the schedule
• Students continued to work on Part 1 of the WebQuest activity which was due on 10/17/02

Day 3 - 10/15/02

• Questions were answered about the activity
• Students were reminded they needed a floppy disk for Part 2, creation of individual web pages (extra disks were available for students who needed them)
• Part 2 was presented to the students; short lessons in web page creation, editing, formatting, etc. were provided
• After each short lesson, students practiced what they learned and saved their work on their floppy disk

Day 4 - 10/17/02

• Questions were answered about Part 2
• Tips were given about how to complete certain aspects of web page creation
• Students continued to work on their individual web pages
• Group activity for Part 3 was introduced; this part required students to work in their groups to answer specific questions related to a theorist
• Students turned in Part 1 assignments

Day 5 - 10/22/02

• Students turned in their disks for the individual web page assignment
• Questions were answered related to Part 3 activity
• Students worked in groups to decide on a theorist to research, divide up the assignment, and begin answering the questions

Day 6 - 10/24/02

• Questions were answered and the assignment was briefly reviewed
• Students worked in their groups to create web pages with answers to questions
• Students combine all pages with answers into one web site
• Students complete post-survey online

The Action Plan

Purpose of the Research - Area of Focus

To determine whether the Personality WebQuest activity I developed for my Psychology students would increase their technology skills while also affecting their use of technology during the final project presentation for the class.

Variables

• Comfort using a computer
• Ability to use MS Word
• Computer skills
• Internet use
• Web page skills
• Interest in Psychology
• Attitude toward group work
• Use of technology for online project presentation
• Confidence regarding grade
• Group dynamics

Research Questions

1. What affect does the Personality WebQuest have upon student use of technology?
   
2. How does the WebQuest affect student interest in Psychology?
3. What affect does the collaborative learning environment have upon the student's perception of their group?
4. How does the WebQuest activity affect use of technology for completion of the final class group project?

Intervention

• Students took a Likert style pre-survey and were asked to visit the web site for the Personality WebQuest to review the materials
• The Personality WebQuest activity occurred in class 10/08/02 - 10/24/02; instruction was given as outlined above
• Students completed a Likert style post-survey
• Students were given written feedback on their performance

Data Analysis and Interpretation

A Survey was administered before and after the training to gather data concerning the variables listed above. There are 25 questions on the pre- and post-survey. To view a detailed analysis of the results of the surveys, click on this link - Survey Analysis.

In comparing the results of the post-survey to the pre-survey, it appears there are increases in student perception of their ability to use the computer, software and technology to complete projects. Specifically, the following increases are noted related to the variables of interest when comparing the results between the pre- and post-surveys:

Discussion of Findings

The data gathered from the Pre- and Post-survey demonstrates increases in all the dependent variables of this action research project. Students reported an increased perception of comfort and skills using a computer and MS Word. I used Word as opposed to a specifically web authoring software program, because it was available in the lab. I also reasoned that students could benefit from increased Word abilities in other aspects of their academic life. Internet use skills increased somewhat. The area showing the most increase in perceived skills was web page creation. I anticipated this change in that only one student raised their hand when asked prior to the activity "how many of you have ever created a web page?" The activity had the most impact on the student's perception of web page skills and ability to use technology for an online presentation. Attitude toward group work and their individual group's ability to successfully complete assignments also increased following the Personality WebQuest.

The increases in all of the variables of this study as measured by the Pre- and Post-survey are gratifying to me, however, it is possible that other factors contributed to some of these outcomes. For example, all activities in the class require use of the computer to access the class web site and group members meet online throughout the semester so cohesiveness may consequently develop. Some of these factors including events in other classes that are outside of my control, might have impacted the student responses on items such as computer skills and attitude toward group work.

Ultimately, the proof of the impact of the Personality WebQuest rests in the degree to which this activity satisfied my initial objective: to increase technology skills and the likelihood that students will use technology to create and present their final group project. The results of the survey suggest that the students believe their technology skills have improved. In viewing the students individual work for Part 2 of the assignment, web page creation, 35 of the 48 students or 73% received a perfect score of 10. This means they used MS Word to create 2 linked web pages with images, text, a URL link, and tables (see Evaluation). All students completed the activity, turned in a disk and received at least a score of 7 which is a C.

On Part 3, the group web activity, 26 of the 48 students or 54% received a perfect score of 15. All but 2 students participated in the group activity and only 3 students received less than a C. To view an example of one group's web site for Part 3, click on this link - Part 3 web site.

In terms of my second objective, to increase the likelihood that students will use technology to create and present their final group project, all 8 of the groups in my class created online projects for their final presentations. To view these projects, click on this link - Final Group Projects - and view the projects in column 2 on the right for Psychology 5. The column on the left has links to projects created by my Psychology 130 class. These students also learned how to create web pages via another online activity I created as a result of iMET - Who is Sigmund Freud.

I am pleased with the Final Group Projects completed by my students. They incorporated their new technology skills and created online presentations that were interesting, colorful and engaging. It was apparent to me that they worked hard and were immersed in their endeavor. In observing their interactions in the lab, it seemed that most students were focused and intent upon the endeavor. Many verbalized pride in the outcome and enthusiasm concerning the acquisition of web creation skills.

Conclusions and Reflections

Completing this action research project was a powerful experience for me. I learned a great deal from designing the activity, implementing it and then collecting data to analyze the results. Had I failed to analyze the survey results, I might not have realized the degree to which my Personality WebQuest seemed to have impacted both student technology skills and their use of technology to complete their final group project for the class. This activity was apparently successful in achieving both of my primary objectives. In my heart, I believe the students, who were primarily Freshman and Sophomores, will be better equipped for their college careers and future employment given their increased technology skills.

I should finally note that this was not the first time I used an inquiry- and technology-based learning activity in a class. During the prior semester, I developed the Who is Sigmund Freud activity and tried it out with all of my classes. I learned a great deal from that trial run which enabled me to better design and implement the Personality WebQuest. I will utilize this WebQuest in the future and may design derivations that are appropriate for other subjects as I also teach classes in Counseling and Rehabilitation. In terms of changes, I believe the time frames are sufficient for the lab activities, however, I would introduce the WebQuest sooner in the semester for students who need more time to prepare. Although, the reading requirements are not intensive, some students need more time, particularly given the fact that they are undergraduates. The other thing I would do is incorporate an open-ended survey at the end of the semester for students to comment on the WebQuest activity. This source of data might offer rich information not available in the Likert style survey used in this action research study.

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