Monday, September 26, 2011

Action Research - Student Survey

I finally took time to look back and see how students responded to the pre-survey in regards to basic facts. I administered the pre-survey within the first few days of school to see how students felt about math as well as basic facts. Here are the questions and results.
1. How well do you know your math facts?
-happy (12)
-ok (5)
-sad (1)

2. How much do you like math?
-happy ( 8)
-ok (7)
-sad (3)

3. How much do you practice your math facts at home?
-every day (1)
-almost every day (2)
-once in a while (7)
-never (8)

4. Is there anyone who assists you with your math facts at home?
-yes (9)
-no (8)

5. Do you have a favorite way to practice your math facts?
-yes (5)
-no (8)
-don't know (5)
(flash cards and computer games seemed to be the method of practice)

6. Do you feel that you will do better in math if you can recall math facts quickly?
-yes (7)
-no (2)
-don't know (7)

In looking back at how my students responded to these questions, they do not really surprise me too much. The one response that did surprise me was that twelve students indicated that they were happy with how well they know their math facts. However, both oral and written timed tests did not show those intended results. Are the students confident in their abilities with basic facts? Did they not understand the question?
After reviewing both oral and written timed tests, the results in question three do not surprise me either. 15 out of 18 students surveyed either practice basic facts once in a while or never. The one student who indicated "every day" only answered one addition fact correct on his/her pre written assessment so I am questioning the validity of the answer. I am hoping for students to take initiative and bring many of the ideas and games home to practice in the coming months.
How can I get students to practice more at home? Will taking the time for number sense and teaching students math games help with activities at home? Will daily math games and developing number sense improve students ability to recall basic facts? To what extent? Will any students be able to recall more than 30 facts in one minute? I am excited to see what will play out.

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