Methods

Task III: Design the Methodology:
Study Setting and Scope:
This study will be conducted at Mount Saint Joseph High  School during the 2012-2013 school year. It will examine 200 randomly-selected students (50 from each grade, 9-12) and all 85 faculty members of the school. The study will be conducted over a two-month period, beginning in February, and the findings of the study will be presented during an in-service day in April. With the approval of the school administration, we will then create student and faculty surveys, organize student and faculty focus groups, and schedule and record in-class observations.
Study Design:
Using surveys, focus groups and case studies this study will be both qualitative and quantitative in nature. It is a cross-sectional descriptive study in that it will address a number of age groups, both of students and faculty. Student and faculty surveys will have closed ended responses (answering agree, disagree or neutral) with respect to the current usage of PBL at Mount Saint Joseph. We will use video recorded focus group discussions to  provide qualitative insights which we can compare to the quantitative data gained through our surveys. In order to ensure data triangulation, PBL lessons performed by volunteering faculty will be videotaped and analyzed for common practices.
Study Timeline:
At the beginning of the second semester of the 2012-2013 school year, roughly the first week of February, studnet and faculty surveys will be administered. In the subsequent two weeks, classroom observations will be recorded, and focus groups will be organized. In the last week of February, the focus groups will be conducted. The month of March will be dedicated to data analysis, and our findings will be presented to the faculty during the April in-service professional day.
Study Resources:

• Online surveys will be conducted in computer labs at Mount Saint Joseph through the free service of www.surveymonkey.com
• Classroom observations will require the use of a FlipCam, provided by Mount Saint Joseph
• Focus Groups will require multiple classroom spaces, arranged and organized through the faculty
• All data analysis will be conducted through personal computers and Mount Saint Joseph computer labs