Crazy Little Thing Called Research

With all respect to Queen's 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love", I was feeling like this with regards to research a couple of weeks ago:

This thing called research, I just can't handle it
This thing called research, I must get round to it
I ain't ready
Ooh ooh ooh ooh

That was the status quo until I completed my IRB form and got approval to begin research from the board.  I feel like I have a sense of direction and purpose since then.  

The purpose of my research question is to examine how differentiated learning impacts gifted students' achievement in math.  The study is mostly quantitative in nature.  I may add some anonymous qualitative observation notes from student observations later.

My research is live since being IRB approved.  My work is taking place at North Middle School in Smith County (both pseudonyms).  I am collaborating with the math department in my study.  This study is taking place between units.  They have just finished their rational numbers unit.  Students who achieved a 4, or mastery on the rational numbers summative test, were eligible for the study.  The math website Buzzmath was selected for the differentiated coursework on irrational numbers for these students.  Irrational numbers were chosen as an enrichment topic to challenge the gifted population.  We also developed a pre-test and post-test to measure how achievement was impacted by differentiated learning.  

I sent out informed consent forms to over 60 seventh-grade students who were identified gifted in math this week.  34 of those came back signed and then students were able to complete the differentiated learning disposition survey at that time.  Along with the pre-test and post-test, the survey results will round out my quantitative research data.  They began their work mid-week last week and are on fall break this week.  I will provide more updates on the actual data as they occur.

My study is set up to be a repeated measures t test at this point.  I plan to run data through StatCruch once I receive all three data sets from my student population.

Although this has been a crazy journey so far up to this point, I am starting to feel better about it with a definite direction and purpose now.