Episode I:T-CAP Theory & Research Plan

Figure 1: Lipton Black Tea in a Yellowstone NP Mug

Welcome to Digital Tea with Mr. E. where we will discuss what’s brewing in the world of educational theory. This blog is the first of an eight episode series where we will explore T-CAP: A Student Learning Model, and its fit for the modern digital classroom. As I write this blog outside on my deck on a beautifulI 76 °F day, I am sipping a cup of Lipton Black Tea in my Yellowstone National Park mug. This mug is one of my favorites as it is made out of hefty sandstone with a glazed interior lining and features a three dimensional relief of the Yellowstone bison, elk, moose, and bear.

For the past two years I have been enrolled at York College pursuing an Instructional Technology Specialist certificate. In the Educational Technology Research and Assessment course, I developed the theory for the T-CAP student learning model in the summer of 2019. Throughout this 2019 fall internship I will conduct a professional research study to determine the validity and inter-rater reliability of the T-CAP student learning assessment. The results of the research will serve to validate the T-CAP model and assessment, or reveal the needs to revise and restructure the assessment. This first episode introduces the T-CAP theory and lays out the plan for conducting the professional research study on the T-CAP assessment.

Figure 2: T-CAP: A Student Learning Model

The T-CAP model shown above represents a student learning model founded upon the three pillars of content learning, technology production and artifact production. The T-CAP theory was inspired by the teacher focused theories of Mishra and Koheler’s TPACK model (2006), and Lee Shulman’s research (1986) on blending teacher content and pedagogy. The T-CAP theory is specifically tailored to the dynamics of a modern classroom featuring 1:1 student devices, a learning management system and the potential for project based learning. In such environments all students have the tools to utilize their personal internet enabled device to demonstrate blended learning in a variety of ways with the opportunity to infuse creativity and personalization, (Xing & Marwala, 2017). The T-CAP theory and assessment model was designed to capture the degree of student content learning and digital artifact creation across all contents and grade levels. The purpose for the research plan is to determine if the T-CAP theory and assessment can be effectively used by teachers in real classrooms.

The research plan involves three rounds of active research throughout the fall of 2019, one for validity and two independent inter-rater reliability studies. In September the validity study will be conducted. This study involves 5-10 educational professionals from any content areas at Greenwood Middle/High School. The validity raters will assess each area of the T-CAP rubric on a Likert Scale of 1-5, (Allen & Seaman 2007). A score of 5 will represent accurate alignment to the T-CAP theory. A score of 3 will represent moderate alignment with suggestions for rewording. A score of 1 will represent a lack of alignment to the T-CAP theory. All instrument items with a mean score of 3.0 or better and having a standard deviation of 1.25 or less will be defined as content valid. All instrument items with a mean less than 3.0 or with a standard deviation greater than 1.25 will be removed from the instrument and deemed invalid. The assessment items that pass the validity study will them be used in the inter-rater reliability study.

Inter-rater reliability will be studied two times, once in October and once in November. For this study only science teachers or other professionals with a science background will be eligible to participate as a rater. This is because I will provide the rater team with student created Physics Quest assessments which require a science background to appreciate. In each of the inter-rater studies there will be 3-5 raters assessing six anonymous physics quests with the T-CAP assessment tool. The Cronbach’s Alpha statistical measure will be used to assess the inter-rater reliability of the T-CAP assessment instrument, (Zaionitz, 2015). This statistical approach will yield an inter-rater reliability score. The score will represent the percent likelihood that different raters will score the same student product the same way. In this study the T-CAP assessment instrument needs to achieve at least 50% inter-rater reliability for the tool to be deemed valid.

In Episode II of this eight part series will take an indepth look at the T-CAP assessment in its state prior to the research study and before the educational professionals evaluate its validity and inter-rater reliability. Also, the second post will feature a new brew of tea in a special mug. I look forward to sharing the progression of my T-CAP research throughout this internship. Feel free to leave comments below. You may also contact me privately at jeverett@greenwoodsd.org.

References

Allen, I. E., & Seaman, C. A. (2007). Likert scales and data analyses. Quality progress, 40(7), 64- 65.

Li, Yue. (2016, November 28). How to determine the validity and reliability of an instrument. Retrieved from https://blogs.miamioh.edu/discovery-center/2016/11/ how-to-determine- the-validity-and-reliability-of-an-instrument/.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for integrating technology in teachers’ knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017– 1054.

Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14.

Xing, B., & Marwala, T. (2017). Implications of the fourth industrial age on higher education. The Thinker, issue 73. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm? abstract_id=3225331

Zaionitz, Charles. (2015, April 3). Real statistics using excel: Chronbach’s alpha. Retrived from http://www.real-statistics.com/reliability/cronbachs-alpha/comment-page-1/