Researcher Biases

Proposition statements (potential researcher biases)

1. Use of talking to learn increases memory retention.

I fully expect to find that talking to learn will increase memory retention.  However, this may only work when the atmosphere or situation is favorable for the student.  Furthermore, I am assuming all students learn like I do.  Perhaps this may not prove valuable to a kinetic learner.  Perhaps a test of memory with and without the voice-echo device can give feedback to whether this is a valid statement for different types of learners under standard classroom settings. 

2. Use of voice echo will create a neuro-memory echo and gather the learner’ attention to the sounds heard.

It seems that my research already supports this statement.  The question is whether the learner will use the attention to the sounds as a tool for converting them into written symbolic forms (I.e., letters, and words).

3. The use of voice echo technique will improve emergent writer’s attention to sound and increase student independence when sounding out words.

I need to assume if there is an increase of writing using the voice echo technique, that the learner has had an increase of attention.  I find in my own experience, that I want the students that are working with the voice echo devices to succeeded and thus give them more attention.  If I provide the students with a standardized training program with using the voice echo devices, then I can step back and let them work.  This will provide an opportune occasion to collect qualitative data collection by documenting each time a student asks for help while using the voice echo technique (by a running tally chart).  I may want to have collected data regarding students requesting help before my research begins, as well as collect data on students not using the voice echo technique to provide a comparison.   In addition, the use of audio or video recordings and observational notes may allow me to gain insight to learners using peer mediated techniques rather than relying solely on the voice-echo technique.

4. The use of talk to learn will improve the learner’ ability to sound out words and thus encourage the use of more extensive vocabulary rather than a strong reliance on sight words.

Creating a chart/code to quantify the types of words writers’ use may help with quantifying this data.  Perhaps if the student correctly uses a sight word or environmental print word (i.e. color words posted in the room) the writer gets a point.  The writer will also get a point for each phoneme of words correctly sounded out that are not in these categories.  Perhaps also noting the ratio of sight words/environmental print and other words attempted may give me a good alternative perspective to how the learner is using words with the voice echo device and without.  

5. Learner’s ability to do above will improve sentence form and length rather than relying on known words and formulaic sentences.

Creating a point scale to quantify the writer’s use of sentence (thought) length and varying description will help to make valid the learners’ use of the voice echo technique.