From your early understanding of applied research, would you agree or disagree that it is difficult to be a

highly effective teacher or principal without having a working knowledge of the research world and how
it works? (Support your answer with the readings from this Unit, as well as knowledge from your own
experiences.)

A self-reflective practice is a key to success in the education field and in life since as humans we need to
understand the world around us and our interactions to be able to grow and become the best version of
ourselves to improve our quality of life. Throughout this quest for knowledge, we develop practices of
questioning our actions, beliefs, knowledge, and results to be able to provide our students with effective
support that enhances their learning experiences for them to develop skills and concepts that can help
them understand the world around them so that they can make better decisions that improve their
wellbeing (Hine, 2013). Therefore this reflective practice is improved by applied research that identifies
the problems in the classroom and finds potential solutions through data analysis and testing to discover
new trends (Education Trends, n.d.) that improve the learning process. Thanks to this research today we
have the opportunity to experience a different type of education that provides more opportunities for
the development of diverse skills that help students interact easily in their daily life (Experiential
Learning | Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, n.d.).

Jumping right into your research proposal, what topic would you like to explore and why is this of
interest to you or important for you to research?

I have been working as an online elementary school tutor for the last 4 years in an online school that
provides the full curriculum for homeschooling the students need to complete their work and meet the
teacher 3 times a week for extra support, and I find it amazing because the students own their learning. I
have learned the importance of autonomy, 21st-century skills, discipline, and independence in learning
so I would like to explore ways on motivating and encourage students to become autonomous and take
the initiative and control in their learning process, not as an obligation but the opportunity to reach new
information that can allow them to discover their talents, improve skills, and have the liberty and choice
to explore the topics they find interesting. In my opinion, this autonomy allows the individual to grow
and reach greater outcomes through autonomy and active learning which I find the best method that
promotes and nurtures the uniqueness of each learning style of my students, making learning an
enjoyable process.

List your two to three “applied research” questions that will guide your research proposal. (Remember
that applied research questions must be bias-free, cannot make assumptions on the outcome, focuses
on solving a current educational problem involving students, and includes the intervention [strategy]
that you plan to implement and study.)

How students can be motivated to access and seek knowledge that promotes their well-being?

Why do students need to be forced to engage in learning?

How can we change the student's perspectives about the learning process of different subjects to help
them become independent learners?
References

Education Trends. (n.d.). Edutopia. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from

https://www.edutopia.org/topic/education-trends

Experiential Learning | Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Northern Illinois University.
Retrieved April 8, 2023, from
https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/experiential-learning.shtml

Hine, G. S. (2013). The importance of action research in teacher education programs. Issues in
Educational Research, 23(2). Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://www.iier.org.au/iier23/hine.pdf