FORMING A THESIS ​0

Forming A Thesis:

Using Formative Assessment and Feedback to Improve Historical Thesis Development

in High School History Students

Madeline Henderson

A Capstone Presented to the Teachers College Faculty

of Western Governors University

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Education: Learning and Technology

June, 20 2020
 FORMING A THESIS ​1

Abstract

Social Studies classrooms are reliant on student ability to understand and write the three parts of

a historically defensible thesis: Restate the question, form an opinion, and support it with three

reasons. However, social studies curriculum rarely includes writing lessons in order to improve

the level of proficiency in thesis writing. A group of 5 freshman level geography students were

included in an action research project to determine if implementing technology based formative

assessment, through the use of programs such as Peardeck, was valuable in improving student

proficiency in historically defensible thesis writing. Through the use of data gathered from a pre

and post tests as well as a summative assessment findings revealed that statistically students

improved after the implementation of the instructional unit created to help improve student

writing capabilities.
 FORMING A THESIS ​2

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Topic and Problem​ ……………………………………………………………….. 3

Topic …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Problem Background and Causes………...……………………………………………………… 4
Research Questions………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Topic and Problem Conclusion…………………………………………………………………... 6
Chapter 2 - Review of the Literature​………………………………………………………….. 8
Overview of the Literature………………………………………………………………………. 8
Summary……………………………………………………………………………………….. 13
Chapter 3 - Research Methodology​………………………………………………………...… 14
Research Design………………………………………………………………………………….14
Research Questions…………………………………………………………………...………….14
Participants……………………………………………………………………………………….14
Data Collection Instruments and Methods……………………………………………………….14
Data Security and Confidentiality………………………………………………………………. 15
Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………15
Chapter 4 - Results ​……………………………………………………………………………. 17
Results Overview ………………………………………………………………………………. 17
Data Analysis …………………………………………………………………………………... 18
Answers to the Research Questions ……………………………………………………………. 24
Chapter 5 - Discussion and Conclusion ​………………………………………………...…… 25
Overview ……………………………………………………………...……...……..…….…… 25
Problem Solutions ……………………………………………………….………………..……. 25
Strengths and Weaknesses ………………………………………………………..……………. 26
Influential Factors……………………………………………………….…………..…………. 27
Further Investigation …………………………………………………….……..………………. 27
References ………………………………………………………………….…………..………. 29
Appendix A ………………………………………………………………….………....………. 32
Appendix B ……………………………………………………………….…………....………. 44
Appendix C ………………………………………………………………………….....………. 46
 FORMING A THESIS ​3

Chapter 1 - Topic and Problem

Topic

High School Social Studies standards and courses have developed a recent emphasis on

argumentative writing. Arguably the most important part of forming an argument is writing a

clear and direct thesis. High School students should have many years of experience in writing

essays, but most of that experience is developed in English courses. Therefore, the writing style

is slightly different. Social Studies classes should be teaching more “to-the-point” writing

practices to prepare students for different types of writing prompts they will see in their future.

As I have been encouraged to prepare students for standardized or advanced placement

tests I have found that the knowledge students have when it comes to writing in classes comes

from their English teachers. Although these educators can be very effective in preparing students

for different types of writing practices, I have found that students are not as prepared when it

comes to writing a historically defensible thesis. As I begin to work on teaching students how to

do this in my own classroom, I have found feedback to be imperative to their improvement.

Formative assessment and the use of standards based grading practices could help students reach

mastery in historical thesis development quicker and with a better understanding of the

expectations and requirements.

Problem Statement:

High School aged students often struggle developing a historically defensible thesis.

Specifically one that includes a definitive statement and at least three arguments that will support

it. In High School Social Studies classrooms students are often asked to perform this task as a

part of a large summative assessment with little introduction to the concept as it pertains to a
 FORMING A THESIS ​4

history classroom. Not only does the problem lie in student ability, but also educator feedback.

Social Studies teachers often leave writing education to those in the English department,

therefore skimping on valuable feedback to encourage student mastery. Writing is more often

than not a summative assessment. Students, however, might lack the ability to complete the

summative assessment because writing techniques are not as frequently taught in Social Studies

classrooms.

Problem Background and Causes

There is a deeply ingrained problem in education that is hindering educators and students

to improve writing education. This problem is that writing is emphasized in English classrooms,

but placed secondary in other subjects such as social studies. There are different styles of writing

such as news media, narrative, historical, research, scientific, etc. Not only are writing lessons

lacking in non English/Language Arts classrooms, but when they are present, they are often short

and expectant of student’s ability. Thesis writing is something not all students will have been

exposed to, but is a cornerstone of social science writing. A study that follows educators and

students through the process and sheds light on the positive and negative effects of technology

on making the switch from traditional grading scales to one more focused on mastery in writing

theses will help to get rid of some of the stigma surrounding the switch.

I teach in a school that is in the process of becoming a one to one technology school, but

is also spending many professional development hours discussing the purpose of formative

assessments and their impact on student learning. Also SAT styles writing skills are expected of

students. I think all of these are important aspects of discussing the ease of implementing modern
 FORMING A THESIS ​5

versions of standards based grading into classrooms using formative assessment in developing

theses.

Through the literature search and annotated bibliography that came of it, I discovered the

reluctance of switching to a standards based system is not just something I see in my educational

environment as well as a lack of analysis of student writing in not language arts classrooms. It

led me to question how technology and the modern era of education can help or hurt this process

in it’s journey to becoming a reality.

The use of formative assessment is even further important in writing classrooms. In

Guadu’s study of classroom teachers and the importances of formative assessments, 86.5% of

students found formative assessment to be imperative to improving student writing (Guadu,

2018). If a student is going to improve upon something, their mistakes should be addressed

quickly and one at a time. A study in t​he ​Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research​ depicts

that writing classrooms have made a shift from large assessments to more individualized ones

(Lam, 2018). These individualized assessments allow for more formative assessment to be made

and for students to understand the mistakes they are making early on.

A cornerstone for all academic writing is a thesis. Students need to know how to

successfully form a defensible thesis because it guides the rest of their writing. If a student

begins to write any long form essay without having thought out a proper thesis statement, their

writing will be lost and misguided. However, education researchers spend very little time on the

ability of students to write an effective thesis as a subject of it’s own. In a Ph.D. Dissertation

from the University of Manitoba, the discussion of how well are high school writing courses

preparing students for college is highlighted. They discovered from Thaiss and Zawacki (2006)
 FORMING A THESIS ​6

that cross disciplinary expectations of high school writing preferences differ from one another

(​Soiferman, 2012). ​ Discourse when it comes to writing and writing education is commonly

different based on the subject matter being written about. To that point, historical writing tactics

are also seldom mentioned in educational research, most likely because writing is most often

taught and focused on in English classrooms. Student’s in a study about the attitudes students

present when discussing writing in high school typically stated that writing was a part of their

education, but to what extent would it help them in the future. Many students saw narrative

writing as a task and not a tool for their future. Narrative writing is also very different from

historical writing. In the same study; a student mentioned they felt that writing was more of an

assignment than something they learned about (Hales, 2017). The goal of my study is to spend

the time teaching students about writing through formative assessment rather than just using it as

a summative assessment tool.

Research Question

● How does technology based formative assessment and feedback affect student

achievement in attempt to reach mastery in writing a defensible thesis?

Topic and Problem Conclusion

Many social studies classroom’s curriculum and instruction expect students to be able to

write historically defensible theses. The issue is that students receive a majority of their writing

instruction in English-Language Arts classrooms, and the expectations are different. The use of

formative assessment and standards based grading in teaching students new skills has proven

useful in other aspects of classroom learning. The student’s in the researcher’s classroom before

the instructional unit had a vague understanding of the difference between narrative writing and
 FORMING A THESIS ​7

historical writing, yet were expected to write both styles based on their background knowledge.

This instructional unit and action research plan implement thesis writing tactics into social

studies curriculum to better immerse students in the skills and strategies necessary to write a

historically defensible thesis.

 FORMING A THESIS ​8

Chapter 2 - Review of the Literature

Overview of the Literature

A review of the topics of Standards Based Grading, Formative Assessment, Technology

in Formative Assessment, and Formative Assessment and Writing was completed to determine

how writing in Social Studies classrooms is taught, and how different methods of instruction can

help students be better prepared for writing a historically defensible thesis. Through the literature

review it is discovered that teachers and students are reluctant to implement standards based

grading into classrooms, but the use of formative assessment in writing encourages student

ownership and overall improvement.

Introduction to Standards Based Grading

Standards based grading is being implemented in classrooms of all ages and subjects. The

first step in determining how to most effectively implement this alternate grading system is to

read the already published literature. Standards Based Grading is a method of grading that relies

on ungraded formative assessments to build knowledge and skill that prepares a student for the

graded summative assessment. The purpose of this practice is to solely focus on the actual gain

of knowledge and skill rather than less academic factors like on time completion and behavior

(Townsley and Varga, 2019). These practices are often noted in research to have many positives,

but also many setbacks. What some educators found is that standards based grading reduces

confusion on where the final grades manifest from, and better communication between teachers

and students when it comes to discussing those grades. The most intense setback to standards

based grading is it’s initial confusion. Educators find the topic difficult to explain to students

who have not been exposed to the process (Scarlett, 2018). Kristen Novy published an article
 FORMING A THESIS ​9

trying to help educators navigate that confusion with a list of tips to implement clear

communication. She says in order for Standards Based Grading to be effective, “Staff must have

clear understanding of the standards”, “Invest in a SBG-aligned tracking system”, “Parents are

critical to successful implementation”, and not to completely forget every previous grading

system because “Behavior still matters” (Novy, 2020. P. 40-41).

The implementation of standards based grading in classrooms began when educators

noticed distortion in grades because of non-academic factors. When trying this new grading

technique, it requires many assignments to be reworked to directly relate to a learning goal

(Iamarino, 2014). Students have noted that these assignments make it easier to know what is

expected of them, and therefore encourages them to take ownership of their learning. This new

expectation of students produced a greater sense of ownership among students, as well as a clear

expectation (Buckmiller, Peters, and Kruse, 2017). This sense of ownership helps prepare

students in high school for higher education. A study done by the University of West Georgia

discovered that students personally benefited from standards based grading as learners, but

actually were negatively affected on standardized tests (Townsley, 2019). This is yet another

reason educators and schools are hesitant to pursue standards based grading. The underlying

reason this is occurring is because with standards based grading students are allowed multiple

attempts to achieve a standard, whereas on standardized tests they are not given the feedback

they are used to. Many experts believe that large tests with high stakes are not a good reflection

of student learning, so standardized testing would fall under that umbrella (Knaack, Kreuz, and

Zawlocki, 2012).
FORMING A THESIS ​10

An article published in a magazine for middle level educators, standards based grading is

praised as an institution that can aid in improving the culture of learning. Specifically by using

standards based grading educators can create a more positive learning experience (Schimmer,

2014). Although summative assessments are the most important part of standards based grading,

formative assessments are actually what drives instruction. The methods to calculate standards

based grading are being tested in many schools, and rarely uniformly (Hooper and Cowell,

2014). To move forward online learning management systems need to create more

accommodating methods for teachers to begin implementing standards based grading.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is considered assessment with the purpose to further learning, not

to assess learning. Formative assessments are considered formative when they are given in a

timely manner, with timely feedback, and lead to a direct skill found in standards (Urich, 2012).

Formative assessments have a large place in standards based grading, but the effectiveness lies in

student willingness to participate. The issue is true standards based grading means students are

not held accountable with grades or points to complete formative assessments. Therefore they

may not find it necessary to complete these assessments to the best of their ability. Some suggest

formative assessments receive some sort of completion points to encourage student participation

without assessing the work itself (Schmitz, 2019). In order for standards based grading to

become as successful as possible, students will need to be taught the benefits of formative

assessment, and completely buy into the system. A way to attempt to get modern students to

complete formative assessments with no physical reward is to implement the technology they are

so familiar with.
FORMING A THESIS ​11

Technology in Standards Based Grading

The use of technology is standards based grading is seldom researched, and the research

that does exist simply mentions ways to implement technology into formative assessment, not

the effectiveness of such. One use of technology to ease standards based grading is to use

technology to erase bias when grading summative assessments. Using programs to eliminate

names, handwriting, and other factors that could create bias makes the standards based grading

more effective, efficient, and fair (Schaefer, Chase, and Teets, 2017). Small quizzes are an

important aspect of standards based grading, and studies have been released showing how

technology can aid in the implementation of such. These quizzes are important because they are

not as high stakes as other methods of summative assessment, but still verify student learning.

Web 2.0 tools have been effective in giving students rapid feedback and leaving teachers more

time to focus on other forms of student feedback. It is also mentioned that students were found to

be more willing to complete online formative assessment when it was presented in this way

(Robertson, Humphrey, and Steele, 2016). There are plenty of studies that encourage the use of

technology in assessment, but remind educators of the importance of including versions of low

technology learning in its company. Notes are a good way to implement these low tech

strategies, and then are best followed up with “high tech quizzes” (Mittal, 2019. P. 138). Overall

recent studies focus highly on the use of technology and how it can help students with their

learning processes. A journal article from an independent researcher, Kewin Livingstone, harps

on the fact that technology is part of student’s lives, and in order to provide effective education

teachers need to begin including it in lessons. She says, “This means that when it comes to

designing and developing curricula, technology resources should be included so as to provide

FORMING A THESIS ​12

opportunities for learners to develop their creative, critical and complex cognitive skills.”

(Livingstone, 2019. P. 190).

Using Formative Assessment to Guide Writing

The use of formative assessment is even further important in writing classrooms. In

Guadu’s study of classroom teachers and the importances of formative assessments, 86.5% of

students found formative assessment to be imperative to improving student writing (Guadu,

2018). If a student is going to improve upon something, their mistakes should be addressed

quickly and one at a time. A study in t​he ​Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research​ depicts

that writing classrooms have made a shift from large assessments to more individualized ones

(Lam, 2018). These individualized assessments allow for more formative assessment to be made

and for students to understand the mistakes they are making early on.

A cornerstone for all academic writing is a thesis. However, education researchers spend very

little time on the ability of students to write an effective thesis as a subject of it’s own. In a Ph.D.

Dissertation from the University of Manitoba, the discussion of how well are high school writing

courses preparing students for college is highlighted. They discovered from Thaiss and Zawacki

(2006) that cross disciplinary expectations of high school writing preferences differ from one

another (​Soiferman, 2012). ​ Discourse when it comes to writing and writing education is

commonly different based on the subject matter being written about. To that point, historical

writing tactics are also seldom mentioned in educational research, most likely because writing is

most often taught and focused on in English classrooms. Student’s in a study about the attitudes

students present when discussing writing in high school typically stated that writing was a part of

their education, but to what extent would it help them in the future. Many students saw narrative
FORMING A THESIS ​13

writing as a task and not a tool for their future. Narrative writing is also very different from

historical writing. In the same study; a student mentioned they felt that writing was more of an

assignment than something they learned about (Hales, 2017). The goal of my study is to spend

the time teaching students about writing through formative assessment rather than just using it as

a summative assessment tool.

Summary

Overall research exists in the areas of standards based grading, formative assessment,

writing and technology, but when they overlap there is not much information. Standards based

grading has proven advantaged in getting students to understand what is expected of them.

Formative assessments are necessary to prepare students for summative assessments based on

standards, and one of the most successful ways to get students to buy into these formative

assessments is by using technology. Using these tactics in writing historical thesis while students

are practicing historical writing the most often is a way to help improve their writing on multiple

levels.
FORMING A THESIS ​14

Chapter 3 - Research Methodology

Research Design

This study is based on the action research model and will follow it accordingly. The goal

of this study is to examine how an instructional unit based on using formative assessment to

teach historically based thesis writing practices to a freshman level social studies course is

effective in improving student writing ability and scores. Quantitative data is collected to

determine if student writing ability will improve after the action research is implemented.

Research Questions

● How does technology based formative assessment and feedback affect student

achievement in attempt to reach mastery in writing a defensible thesis?

Participants

The participants of this study are willing students in a freshman level Geography class,

ages 14 to 17, at Woodstock North High School. The school is a suburban school with 900

students enrolled. The number of participants for this study is 6. This group of students is a

mixture of gender, ethnicity (although a majority of white, hispanic, and black), and educational

skill level. These students are also enrolled in a required English course with the focus of

narrative writing practices. The students were preselected by being randomly placed in this

classroom by school counselors. It is a required course for all freshmen, so the population is

evenly distributed.

Data Collection Instruments and Methods

To determine if student writing has actually improved after the lesson set, during the first

lesson students will write a practice thesis with the knowledge they may already have about
FORMING A THESIS ​15

thesis writing. I will grade these theses on a mastery scale (Appendix B) and chart them for later

comparison. At the end of the unit students will write a thesis on the same subject and I will

grade them using the same scale. Both scores will be charted and used to determine if the four

lessons better prepared students for thesis writing. Students will also complete a final essay in

which the focus will be their thesis statement. That thesis will be compared to their previous

ones, to determine if they can implement the knowledge from the lessons as well as if the

emphasis on formative assessment actually improved mastery on summative assessment.

Data Security and Confidentiality

The data gathered from this research will be private and confidential. Once informed

consent forms were approved by both the IRB and the School Administrator they were

distributed to participants and their parents and guardians. Once returned, each student with

permission was assigned an id number. Student information was assigned a code number for the

researcher to use and no relating factors between their names and the number were made public.

The list connecting student names to id numbers was in a password protected file on a computer

that only the researcher has access to. When the study was completed and the data had been

analyzed, the list connecting the two was deleted and destroyed. Student’s name will not be used

in any report. Data will be reported in the aggregate. Because the students are minors it is

important to keep them anonymous as members of a protected population.

Summary

In summary, this action research study will compile student quantitative data before,

during, and after an instructional unit based on providing students with formative assessment and

feedback throughout the process. The researcher will collect this data to determine if standards
FORMING A THESIS ​16

based grading and formative assessment within the learning process have an effect on student

thesis writing ability.

FORMING A THESIS ​17

Chapter 4 - Results

Results Overview

The results of this study show that using technology based formative assessment and

feedback positively affect student achievement in their attempt to reach mastery in writing a

defensible thesis. Overall students improved in all three aspects of a thesis, restating the

question, forming an opinion, and supporting the argument, with each assessment given. With

the pretest students on average were given the grade of “Emerging” or 1.667 on a scale of 3 this

increased by a whole point, making the average on the post test “Proficient” or 2.668 on a scale

of 3. Students also took part in a summative assessment utilizing the skills taught in the lesson

set and the average score presented as “Proficient” or 2.668 on a scale of 3. The average data can

be observed in table 1, and will be further described and analyzed using tables and graphs in the

sections below.

Figure 1:​ Student Average Scores for Each Assessment Method

FORMING A THESIS ​18

Data Analysis

A pretest was distributed to students before any instruction from the instructional unit

was given. The purpose of the pretest was to determine if students had any background

knowledge on the subject of thesis writing, specifically within a social studies classroom. The

pretest was administered electronically to students via the slideshow seen in Appendix A, and

graded using the rubric within the same Appendix. The pretest consisted of one question, with

one purpose; for students to write a historically defensible thesis statement based on the given

prompt. For each student’s response, they were graded on a mastery scale for each of the three

parts of a thesis. Student scores were determined with the use of a rubric, but then the word

labels were equated to number scales for the sake of charts and data. An “emerging” score relates

to the score of 0-1.9 on a numerical scale, “proficient” correlates to 2-2.9 on the scale and a

student must receive a score of 3 in order to receive the grade of “mastery.”Of the five students

within the data, none of them reached mastery level for the average score on their pretest.

However, some were able to achieve that level on select parts. Overall the pretest showed that

80% of students were proficient in historically defensible thesis writing, while 20% were

emerging. This data explains to researchers that students had a general understanding of thesis

writing, but each of the three parts required were not being met in any of their submitted work.

Student’s were beginning the instructional unit with a general understanding, but no student had

mastered all portions required.

The lowest score from the pretest was a 1.3 out of 3 (43%), or emerging on the standards

based scale. The highest score was a 2.67 out of 3 (89%), or proficient on the standards based
FORMING A THESIS ​19

grading scale. The mean score of students on the pretest was 2.114 out of 3 (70%). This is barely

proficient in standards based grading. These scores and breakdowns are shown in Table 1.

Pre-Test Score Data

Student ID Part 1 Score Part 2 Score Part 3 Score Average Score

Number

1 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Emerging (1) Proficient (2.3)

2 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Proficient (2) Proficient (2.67)

3 Emerging (1) Proficient (2) Emerging (1) Emerging (1.3)

4 Emerging (1) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Proficient (2.3)

5 Emerging (1) Mastery (3) Proficient (2) Proficient (2)

Table 1​: Pre-Test Results

Figure 2 shows student pretest scores numerically rather than using standards based

language. This table helps exhibit student skill level as a group, and shows that although they

struggled differently, part one and three of the thesis writing process instruction is where they

lack the most prior knowledge.

FORMING A THESIS ​20

Figure 2:​ Student Pre-Test Scores

Following the pretest the instructional unit was implemented to students. After the four

lessons were taught and the feedback was given to students as dictated, the same question from

the pretest was given as a post test to the students in the same manner. Table 2 shows student

scores from the post test.

Post Test Score Data

Student ID Part 1 Score Part 2 Score Part 3 Score Average Score

Number

1 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Proficient (2) Proficient (2.67)

2 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3)

3 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Proficient (2) Proficient (2.67)

4 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3)

5 Mastery (3) Proficient (2) Mastery (3) Proficient (2.67)

Table 2​: Post-Test Results
FORMING A THESIS ​21

The lowest score a student earned on the post test was a 2.67 out of 3 (89%), or proficient

on the standards based grading scale. The highest score, received by three of the five students

was a 3 out of 3 (100%), or mastery on the standards based grading scale. The mean score on the

post test was a 2.94 out of 3 (98%) or proficient, but near mastery, on the standards based scale.

This data showed the researcher that students finished the unit at near mastery level, and each

with better scores on the post test than the pre test. Figure 3 shows the data on a numerical scale,

which reveals that the lowest scoring area was part three of a historically defensible thesis, on

which two students scored a 2 while the others were able to reach mastery.

Figure 3:​ Student Post-Test Scores

Following the post test students were given feedback and then taught geography content

on the subject of the Human Development Index. After completing this unit a summative
FORMING A THESIS ​22

assessment was distributed. A portion of this assessment was to complete the three parts of a

historically defensible thesis. The results of this assessment were also collected to see the

effectiveness of the instructional unit in assessment not directly related to the unit. Table 3 shows

the scores students received on each of the three parts of the thesis they wrote for the summative

assessment.

Summative Assessment Score Data

Student ID Part 1 Score Part 2 Score Part 3 Score Average Score

Number

1 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3)

2 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3)

3 Proficient (2) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Proficient (2.67)

4 Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3) Mastery (3)

5 Emerging (1) Mastery (3) Emerging (1) Emerging (1.67)

Table 3​: Summative Assessment Results

The lowest score a student earned on the thesis portion of the summative assessment was

a 1.67 out of 3 (55%), or emerging on the standards based grading scale. The highest score,

received by three of the five students was a 3 out of 3 (100%), or mastery on the standards based

grading scale. The mean score on the thesis portion of the summative assessment was a 2.67 out

of 3 (89%) or proficient on the standards based scale. The data from the summative assessment

showed the researcher that 80% of students were able to utilize the information presented within

the instructional unit and synthesize it into a bigger assignment at a proficient level. Figure 4

shows that part one and three were once again the areas with the weakest average score,

consistent with the pre and post tests distributed before.

FORMING A THESIS ​23

Figure 4:​ Student Summative Assessment Scores

Student growth from pretest to post test has been exhibited by percentage change in

Figure 5. The lowest rate of student growth was 11% whereas the highest percentage of student

growth was 51%. From pretest to post test all students involved in the study showed growth in

their average thesis score. The data in Figure 5 is arranged by student ID number and shows the

percentage rate in which a student’s score increased from the technology based formative

assessment and feedback instructional unit in writing a historically defensible thesis.

FORMING A THESIS ​24

Figure 5:​ Student Percentage Growth from Pre-Test to Post-Test

Answers to the Research Questions

This study was designed to answer the following question: How does technology based

formative assessment and feedback affect student achievement in attempt to reach mastery in

writing a defensible thesis? The data gathered from the student population shows that using these

techniques in teaching students thesis writing practices in social studies classrooms is effective.

Overall students received a mean score on the pretest of 1.667 or “emerging”, a 2.94 on the post

test or “proficient”, and a 2.668 or “proficient” on the summative assessment. These scores show

that the average thesis improved from emerging to proficient with the use of feedback and

repeated formative assessment in the classroom.

FORMING A THESIS ​25

Chapter 5 - Discussion and Conclusion

Overview

The purpose of this research study was to determine if technology based formative

assessment and continuous feedback helped improve student achievement when writing

historically defensible theses. Through the implementation of a four lesson instructional unit and

data collection from a pre test, post test, and summative assessment, student achievement rates

on average increased 25% from pre to post test. Students also performed proficiently on the

thesis portion of a summative assessment. This increase in scores and ability led the researcher to

believe the incorporating technology based formative assessment and continuous feedback had a

positive impact on student performance when writing historically defensible thesis statements.

Problem Solutions

The problem that drove this study was that, “High School aged students often struggle

developing a historically defensible thesis. Specifically one that includes a definitive statement

and at least three arguments that will support it... Not only does the problem lie in student ability,

but also educator feedback. Social Studies teachers often leave writing education to those in the

English department.” The student growth percentage from pretest to post test was between 11 to

51% after the implementation of technology based formative assessment and feedback within

instruction focused on historically defensible thesis writing. From these results educators should

consider implementing these strategies in social studies classrooms of any age to increase

mastery in thesis writing both as an individual assessment as well as within summative

assessments.
FORMING A THESIS ​26

Strengths and Weaknesses

The strengths of this study include the technology incorporated, and the direct design of the

study and it’s participants. This unit was taught completely online, which was not the original

intent, but poses some additional strengths that would not have been available in a traditional

classroom setting. Because of online learning, students were able to work independently, and at

their own pace. This helped prevent burnout or distractions that an in classroom lesson can face.

Secondly, this instructional unit, as well as original problem statement were designed with this

group of students in mind. This means it catered to their ornate needs. The design of materials

and assessments were in a manner that they understood and could complete with little to no

questions. Familiarity with the teacher and materials allowed for the lesson implementation to go

smoothly, although that also leads to a weakness of the study.

The weaknesses of this study can be found in the low number of data participants, the

unavoidable researcher bias, and the small scale instructional unit. Because this unit was taught

in the middle of a pandemic, and students could not meet in their typical classroom setting, there

was a lower number of student participants than anticipated. This low number could affect the

data as it does not completely represent the intended group. Although the familiarity of the

researcher with students allowed for the study to run smoothly, it also leads to the question if the

study could be duplicated with the same results in a classroom that the students were not

comfortable with the researcher in. Finally, because of COVID-19 school schedules changed

rapidly, and the instructional unit was shrunk from 8 to 4 lessons. The study was condensed to fit

within the parameters of school requirements, therefore some practices that the extra lessons

would have allowed for were cut.

FORMING A THESIS ​27

Influential Factors

This study was distributed at a time in which school was being held completely online.

This is not the traditional learning style the student subjects are used to and led to many changes

that may have influenced the data.

First, student participation in online learning was already at a lower percentage than

traditional schooling participation levels. This influenced the amount of student and parent

consent forms I received, which narrowed the subject pool from 23 to 5. Because of this the data

does not fully represent a random pool of students from the researchers classroom. However, the

5 students did have different skill levels, so the data is still representative of a large variety of

students.

Online learning also meant that the researcher was not able to give direct feedback to

students face to face. Ideally students would have met with their teacher to receive feedback after

each part, if not after the post test. Feedback was given to students through email in typed

comments, and office hours were offered for students who wished to discuss it verbally.

Finally, the pre test, post test, and summative assessment were all created by the researcher.

The instructional unit was also created and implemented by the researcher. The materials were in

a familiar style to students and if another teacher were to implement the same materials with a

different group of students the outcome could vary.

Further Investigation

Moving forward, the data gathered from this study merits further research. The success of

this initial study would indicate that the implementation of technology based formative

assessment and feedback positively affects student achievement in attempt to reach mastery in
FORMING A THESIS ​28

writing a defensible thesis. The study could be duplicated in the original intended setting of

typical learning environments such as in person classrooms, but with a larger focus group of

students across various classes. This would help to determine if the study was successful because

of the intended practices or if the success cannot be duplicated. From there it would be

imperative to use different teachers and subjects from a variety of socioeconomic and

educational backgrounds to test if the success of the tactics carry throughout these differences.

These additional research studies could help reinforce the data in this study that shows the

implementation of technology based formative assessment and feedback positively affects

student achievement when writing a defensible thesis.

FORMING A THESIS ​29

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FORMING A THESIS ​32

Appendix A

Instructional Unit

Lesson 1: ​Pre Test and Introduction to Historical Thesis Writing

Resources or Materials Needed:

● Chromebooks and Internet Connection (For E-Learning)

● Pre-Test Prompt: Is the United States a More Developed Country or a Less Developed

Country?

● Slideshow: Writing a Defensible Thesis

Performance Objective:

Performance Objective 1: Students will be able to identify the three parts of a historically

defensible thesis.

Performance Objective 2: Students will be able to determine if an example thesis reaches

“mastery” on the rubric (Appendix B) with 80% accuracy.

Time:​ 1 Class Period (75 Minutes)

Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities:

● Administer Pre Test

● Class Discussion:

○ What did you include in your thesis?

○ If you were to make a rubric for “What makes a good thesis?” What would you

include?

Step 2: Content Presentation:

● Teacher will pass out “Writing a Defensible Thesis” Infographic

FORMING A THESIS ​33

● Teacher will present using “Writing a Defensible Thesis” peardeck slideshow the three

parts of a thesis as well as examples and the rubric used to grade them.

Step 3: Learner Participation:

● Throughout the presentation students will be asked questions to ensure they understand

what the three parts of a thesis are. They will also be asked to identify each part of the

thesis using the pear deck draggable feature.

○ Questions will include: What are the three parts of a thesis? Identify which part

of this thesis is restating the prompt. Identify which part of this thesis is forming

an argument. Identify which part of this thesis is supporting the argument. \

● During the slideshow, for each example students will fill out the rubric based on how

they would score it. The class will then discuss first in small groups then as a whole.

Step 4: Assessment:

● Before moving on to part two, students will be asked to list the three parts of a

historically defensible thesis.

● For part two, students will be assessed on their ability to accurately score examples

theses. They will turn in their scores to make sure they were at least 80% accurate.

Feedback:

● Students will receive immediate feedback on their formative assessment on the next slide

of the slideshow. If they do not correctly identify the three parts they will be told to go

back and try again in order to reach mastery.

● Their pre test theses will be graded using the rubric and returned to each student at the

beginning of the next class.

FORMING A THESIS ​34

● Teacher will return the example rubric scoring worksheets back to students with a grade.

If the student did not get 80% correct they will be asked to redo it until they succeed.

Lesson 2:​ Restate the Question and Forming an Argument

Resources or Materials Needed:

● Chromebooks

● Feedback on Determining and Effective Thesis Answers

● Slideshow: Writing a Defensible Thesis

Performance Objective:

Performance Objective 1: Students will be able to identify the three parts of a historically

defensible thesis.

Performance Objective 3: Students will be able to use precise language from a prompt to restate

the question in a historically defensible thesis and receive a “mastery” score on the rubric.

Performance Objective 4: Students will be able to form an argument using outside information in

a historically defensible thesis and receive a “mastery” score on the rubric.

Time:​ 1 Class Period (75 Minutes)

Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities

● Student will receive feedback from the previous lessons activity

Step 2: Content Presentation

● Teacher will continue to present using “Writing a Defensible Thesis” peardeck slideshow

● 3 examples will be presented

Step 3: Learner Participation

FORMING A THESIS ​35

● During the slideshow students will complete peardeck activities in which they practice

restating the question presented to them.

● During the slideshow students will complete peardeck activities in which they practice

forming an argument presented to them.

Step 4: Assessment

● Students will be presented with a final question. (Twice, once after the restate the

question section and then again at the end of the form an argument section).

● For each assessment students will submit their answer based on the prompt.

Feedback:

● Teacher will grade each of the three examples they gave using the rubric, as well as

comment how they can improve.

Lesson 3:​ Supporting the Argument

Resources or Materials Needed:

● Chromebooks

● Feedback on Forming an Argument work

● Slideshow: Writing a Defensible Thesis

Performance Objective:

Performance Objective 1: Students will be able to identify the three parts of a historically

defensible thesis.

Performance Objective 5: Students will be able to create three supportive reasons using outside

information to form a historically defensible thesis and receive a “mastery” score on the rubric.
FORMING A THESIS ​36

Time:​ 1 Class Period (75 Minutes)

Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities

● Student will receive feedback from the previous lessons activity

Step 2: Content Presentation

● Teacher will continue to present using “Writing a Defensible Thesis” peardeck slideshow

● Students will watch a video about supporting an argument

● Teacher will lead a discussion about why it is important to back arguments up with facts

and evidence.

Step 3: Learner Participation

● Students will participate in a scenario in which two people tell a story. One student will

use facts and details and the other will not. Students will pick which person they believe

more and why (They should say the one with details because they were able to support

their argument).

● During the slideshow students will complete peardeck activities in which they practice

supporting different arguments with details they find in text sets.

Step 4: Assessment

● Students will add on to their assessment from yesterday and the day before by creating

three supportive facts to back up their argument. (If they did not reach mastery yesterday,

they will also fix the previous portion today.)

Feedback:

● Teacher will grade their argument using the rubric to return to them tomorrow.
FORMING A THESIS ​37

Lesson 4a:​ Put it All Together

Resources or Materials Needed:

● Chromebooks

● Feedback on Supporting the Argument work

● Slideshow: Writing a Defensible Thesis

Performance Objective:

Performance Objective 1: Students will be able to identify the three parts of a historically

defensible thesis.

Performance Objective 3: Students will be able to use precise language from a prompt to restate

the question in a historically defensible thesis and receive a “mastery” score on the rubric.

Performance Objective 4: Students will be able to form an argument using outside information in

a historically defensible thesis and receive a “mastery” score on the rubric.

Performance Objective 5: Students will be able to create three supportive reasons using outside

information to form a historically defensible thesis and receive a “mastery” score on the rubric.

Time:​ 1 Class Period (75 Minutes)

Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities

● Student will receive feedback from the previous lessons activity

● Class will discuss their final products and whether or not they think they would be useful

in an essay.

● Teacher will ask students to discuss why they believe theses are written in the order they

have been taught. Would it make sense if they were presented in a different order?

Step 2: Content Presentation

FORMING A THESIS ​38

● Teacher will overview using “Writing a Defensible Thesis” peardeck slideshow

Step 3: Learner Participation

● Students will work in groups of three.

● Each student will be assigned one part of the thesis. They will all work individually then

put them together.

○ These theses will usually not make sense and support one another. This is the time

to discuss as a class why it is important to take each part of the thesis into account

when putting it together.

● Do this activity in different student groups so they are all able to see different writing

styles.

Step 4: Assessment

● In their final group students will write one final thesis together based on a new text set on

the board.

Feedback:

● Teacher will go over using the rubric in the class meeting time to help them see the

grading process.

Lesson 4b:​ Post Test

Resources or Materials Needed:

● Chromebooks

● Feedback on Practice and Peer Review work

FORMING A THESIS ​39

● Post Test Prompt: Is the United States a More Developed Country or a Less Developed

Country?

Performance Objective:

Performance Objective 6: Students will be able to combine the three parts of a historically

defensible thesis to receive three “mastery” scores on the rubric.

Time:​ 15 Minutes

Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities

● Student will receive feedback from the previous lessons activity

Step 2: Assessment

● Students will be given the same test with the same data, information and prompt as the

pretest. They will be asked to write a historically defensible thesis using the information.

Feedback:

● Teacher will grade theses using the rubric (Appendix B) as well as include the chart from

the pretest to show change in score (if any).

● Slideshow: Writing a Defensible Thesis

FORMING A THESIS ​40

● Slideshow: Writing a Defensible Thesis

FORMING A THESIS ​41
FORMING A THESIS ​42
FORMING A THESIS ​43

Thesis Mastery Rubric

Skill/Part Emerging Proficient Mastery

Restate the The student did not use The student used a few The student used
Question words directly from the or some of the words words directly from the
prompt or question to directly from the prompt or question to
form their opinion. prompt or question, but choose a side of the
left out the most argument
important ones.

Form an The student does not The student took a The student took a
Argument take a stance in relation stance in relation to the stance in relation to the
to the prompt prompt with little room prompt with no
for confusion confusion

3 Defensible The student did not list The student listed three The student listed three
Reasons at least three reasons reasons that could reasons that are
that supported their support their argument defensible and
argument stance supportive of their
argument
FORMING A THESIS ​44

Appendix B

Pre Test:

Write a historically defensible thesis statement (whatever that means to you) based on this
prompt:

● Would you consider the United States to be a More Developed Country or a Less
Developed Country?

Post Test:

Write a historically defensible thesis statement (whatever that means to you) based on this
prompt:

● Would you consider the United States to be a More Developed Country or a Less
Developed Country?

Summative Assessment:

Country Profile: MDC or LDC?

Learning Goal: ​Evaluate the levels of development in countries throughout the world using
concepts we have learned in class.

Instructions:
1. Pick a country. Each student will pick a separate country.
2. Develop a thesis statement based on the following question: Do you feel your country is a
more developed or less developed country?
3. Find your countries ranking in the following documents, and use the evidence to support
your thesis statement
a. http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/HDI
b. http://www.prb.org/pdf17/2017_World_Population.pdf
c. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
4. Find one article on your country that supports your thesis statement. You can use the
following sites to find an article on your country:
a. https://www.economist.com/
b. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
c. http://time.com/
d. https://www.nytimes.com/
e. https://www.theguardian.com/us
f. If you find an article on another site, make sure I give you clearance first.
FORMING A THESIS ​45

5. Create a 5 paragraph essay that includes:

a. Thesis Statement (Introductory paragraph)
b. 3 claims (1 for each body paragraph)
c. Reasoning and evidence
d. Conclusion
e. I will provide a more detailed outline on this in class.
6. You will be responsible for completing these tasks in class. Make sure I check each task
before you move on to the next task.

Checklist

1. Pick a country: _______

2. Create a historically defensible thesis statement: _____

3. Intro paragraph:_______

4. Three Body Paragraphs: _______

5. Conclusion Paragraph: _______

Due Date: _________ ​ ​Points: /75

FORMING A THESIS ​46

Appendix C
FORMING A THESIS ​47