AN ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL

PRESENTED BYSUZANNE SANNWALD

ASHFORD UNIVERSITYFUNDAMENTALS OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

EDU 671DR. KATHY HOOVERNOVEMBER 11 , 2013

Effects of Quantity-Based Staff Performance Indicators on

Performance Quality

Area of Focus

Quantity-Based

Performance Indicators

Performance Quality

Explanation of Problem

Leadership Expectations for

Employees

Intended Employee Performance

Actual Employee Performance

CAUSE

EFFECT

?

Variables: Context

Staff MemberCareer Coach

Student

Career Coaching Appointment

Variables: Performance Quantity

Quantity-Based

Performance Indicators

• Number of appointments• Time spent on

appointments

• Staff performance evaluation

Variables: Performance Quality

Quality of Appointments Performance Quality

Research Questions

Evidence of student career success

Student satisfaction with appointment quality

Employee satisfaction with appointment quality

Locus of Control

Opportunity and responsibility to invite conversations and raise questions

Data access already exists or may be gathered

Authority to implement change

Interventions

Analyze data & synthesize findings to inform change

Improve communication

Adjust performance indicators

Action Research Group Membership

DepartmentDirector

Career Coach Managers OperationalManager

Negotiations

Communicate with career coaching staff

Establish common goal

Ensure ethical foundation

Ethical Considerations

Respect, beneficence, and justice

Informed consent

Confidentiality of data

Reduce potential bias

Assurance regarding intent

Timeline

Preparation

2 months

Data Collection

3 months

Analysis

1 month

Resources

Time

Reporting functionality

Survey software

Data Collection: Overview

Evidence of student career success Resume approvals Success stories Numbers hired

Student satisfaction with appointment quality Appointment number and length per student Student satisfaction questionnaire Interviews with students

Employee satisfaction with appointment quality Employee satisfaction questionnaire Interviews with employees Observation by manager

Data Collection: Details

Research Questions

Data Collection Tool(QT=Quantitative; QL=Qualitative) Why this tool? Justify its use in your

study. How does it match to what you are attempting to find and to

measure?

TimeframeHow and when data will

be collected.1 2 3

1. How effective are coaching appointments in terms of helping students achieve career goals?

Number of approved resumes (QT)

Student-submitted success stories (QL)

Number students hired based on partner employer reports (QT)

Number of approved resumes indicates how many students are completing a full coaching cycle of successfully revising a resume; success stories reflect whether or not students are meeting self-identified goals such as securing an interview or getting a job; and numbers hired represents employment success.

Number of approved resumes will be tracked on a weekly basis and cumulatively at the end of the quarter; success stories and number of hires will be gathered as reported and reviewed at the end of the quarter.

2. Are students satisfied with the quality of service they receive in coaching appointments with staff?

Average number of appointments and total appointment length per student per period (QT)

Appointment satisfaction questionnaire for students (QT/QL)

Structured formal interviews with students after appointments (QT/QL)

Number of appointments and total appointment length per student reflects engagement levels in terms of willingness to participate in multiple and/or longer sessions; questionnaires distributed to students after appointments may anonymously measure satisfaction trends; and formal interviews may capture more detailed feedback from students regarding staff interactions.

Appointment numbers and lengths will be tracked on a weekly basis and cumulatively for the quarter; appointment questionnaires and interviews will be conducted periodically throughout the quarter with results reviewed on a monthly basis and cumulatively at the end of the quarter

3. How satisfied are employees with the quality of service they are able to provide to students in coaching appointments?

Employee questionnaire (QT/QL)

Privileged active observation of appointments by manager (QL)

Informal ethnographic interview with employees (QL)

Questionnaires may capture trends regarding staff satisfaction with quality of service they are able to provide; ethnographic interviews may allow room for exploring more open-ended responses and generation of new questions by staff; and observation by a privileged, active observer may reveal information demonstrated by employees, but that is not self-reported.

Questionnaires and observation will occur at least once per employee within the first month of the quarter. Questionnaires and observation will occur again at least once per employee within the last month of the quarter, along with the addition of the employee interview.

References

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Decramer, A., Smolders, C., Vanderstraeten, A., Christiaens, J., & Desmidt, S. (2012). External pressures affecting the adoption of employee performance management in higher education institutions. Personnel Review, 41(6), 686-704. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00483481211263593

Garbus, J. (2012). Get hyper-focused on performance development. People & Strategy, 35(3), 6.

Mills, G. E. (2014). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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