Artifact # 2
Developmental Study – This is an in-depth inquiry process concerning the developmental
levels of second, third and fourth graders in general, with a specific focus on media influence.
Context
The developmental study was conducted during my block experience in
the spring of 2001. I worked in a cooperative group with three other block
students to gather information, present it in a web page, and relate the
research to another study of similar students. The purpose of this assignment
was to familiarize us with the developmental levels of elementary students
and to share that information on the web with colleagues. The developmental
study began with a survey that our group wrote together, which addressed
the questions we had about the attitudes of elementary students toward
the packaging of products and how it influences them as consumers. Each
of us gave this survey to the students in our internships and reconvened
to share our results. We tallied the responses that each of us received
and drew conclusions based on them. We then created a web page detailing
our research and conclusions and related those to the information presented
in last semester’s developmental studies of the same age levels
Impact
This study will be helpful to me as a teacher because it highlights
some of the characteristics displayed by typical second, third, and fourth
graders and will serve as a guide regarding those characteristics.
It is also linked to other developmental studies, which can provide useful
information on other age groups. Because it is on the World Wide Web, I
can share these studies with colleagues to communicate our research. I
can also edit it later as I observe further details about developmental
levels in my teaching career. All of this information will help me to design
lessons and activities that are appropriate for specific age levels. Also,
based on the results of the survey, I will be able to plan appropriate
media and technology lessons.
Alignment
The study required me to research the developmental levels of fourth
grade students, while my group members spent time with second and third
graders. We collected data in the form of surveys and made comparisons
and connections with last semester’s developmental study. Therefore, I
am now equipped with the information and knowledge to design lessons that
are suitable for those developmental levels (INTASC
#2). We will be able to use our study in the future as a resource
for planning. Additionally, I focused on media influence in the study and
discovered that product packaging is not a major factor in the consumer
decisions of students. I also gathered information on their preferences
in television commercials and their ideas about gender-specific products.
This information will help me to plan media lessons that are appropriate
for this age level, such as investigating advertisements, etc. I
reproduced parts of the surveys using a scanner and posted them on the
web page to show student responses that were particularly telling regarding
what they know about the media (Tech. Competency
12.2). My group chose to present our information in a web page so that
our findings would be accessible and easily communicated to other teachers
and parents (Tech. Competency 12.3).