Assignment 1: The Scavenger Hunt

Due Week 3 and worth 100 points

Let’s put your investigative skills to work! In this assignment, visit the Strayer online library located in iCampus or the Resource Center tab in Blackboard and find four (4) peer-reviewed quantitative or qualitative articles related to your topic. Read each article.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize each article [approximately one to two (1-2) paragraphs per article] and identify the:
   1. Purpose of the research.
   2. Problem statement.
   3. Gaps in literature that studied the problem.
   4. Research question and/or hypotheses.
   5. Theory or conceptual framework.
   6. Findings of the research.
2. Describe one to two (1-2) aspects of each article that are relevant to the research topic you have chosen.
3. Provide a preliminary reference page in APA format of the articles you summarized.
4. Include at least four (4) peer-reviewed quantitative or qualitative articles related to your topic.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify a research topic and describe why it can and should be studied.
• Determine the appropriateness of peer-reviewed literature to support research topics.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues related to educational research methods.
• Use quantitative and / or qualitative approaches to create research topics.
• Analyze research methodologies that support specific research topics.
• Describe ethical considerations in the research process.
• Evaluate components of a research proposal.
• Write clearly and concisely about educational research methods using proper writing mechanics.

Caine is a 9-year-old boy whose afterschool and weekend project turned into an international imagination movement. As the Caine’s Arcade video explains, Caine built a gaming arcade almost entirely out of cardboard and opened it up for business in the storefront of his father’s auto parts store. This story provides an excellent example of how characteristics of Caine’s personal identity might affect how and what he learned from the specific experiences portrayed. The video story identifies the cultural values that nurtured Caine’s curiosity and inventiveness, and you can readily analyze the factors contributing to his “funds of knowledge” going into the project. After viewing Caine’s amazing story, reflect on the different skills he learned and applied as he completed his “project,” and consider how his personal identity shaped, and was shaped by, his amazing experiences. To help you better understand the underlying influences affecting Caine’s learning experiences, read Chapter 7 of your primary text.

This chapter presents information and examples associated with how social class can have an influence on student achievement and behavior in school. You also need to read the article by Moll, Amanti, Neff, and Gonzales (1992) regarding Funds of Knowledge about how family and cultural backgrounds impact students and their families.

Initial Post: View the Caine’s Arcade video and construct an initial discussion post that addresses the following questions:

• What external factors influenced Caine’s ability to successfully create his arcade (e.g., what role did his father play in encouraging his project?)?
• What internal factors influenced Caine’s ability to successfully create his arcade? Consider his world view, values, and funds of knowledge as internal factors.
• How valuable do you think these skills are in the real world? How well do they align with one or more of the 21st-century skills identified on the Framework for 21st Century Learning web page?
• http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

Mullick, N. (2012. April 9). Caine’s arcade [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U&list=PL8C26606523FCC495

Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31, (2), pp. 132-141. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/939