Action research: School development at the intermediate level

This thesis describes an action research study of the effectiveness of the school improvement project at an intermediate school in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. The school improvement project implemented had two goals: (1) to augment student motivation and engagement, and (2) to encourage communication and collaboration among teachers. The project consisted of implementing interesting workshops to students that were grounded in curriculum outcomes. The participants in this study involved both the student and teacher populations. Students completed an on-line data survey while teachers completed a questionnaire. Four follow-up interviews of teachers were conducted. The results from the students' responses indicated that the school development project was effective. Eighty-seven % of the students surveyed confirmed that they enjoyed being able to learn about subjects that interested them. The school development project was also successful in increasing teacher communication and collaboration. Eighty-five % of teachers surveyed responded that the project provided more time for collaboration with colleagues.