new+questions

New Questions & Final Thoughts 
 * Being a part of this action research has been very rewarding but has left me wanting to know more. My original question sought to answer a need that I felt should be explored at our school. As I discovered more about my students during this research, I struggled with looking at the data process of the project. The numbers were not telling the entire story and it was very difficult to accurately measure "a feeling of inclusion" and "social climate." My first question is: **

" **Can an action research project be successful based on a feeling or must it be measurable**?"
 * Another moment of angst came to me as I was recording and analyzing the voice recorded interviews. One student expressed that the intramural program at noon hour was a success as it added competitiveness and validity to a sport that does not exist outside at noon hour. This made me reflect on the protective hub that we had created for these students. Although cognoscente of the fact the beginning of the study, I began to wonder more and more: **
 * [[image:BLUFLOAT1.GIF]]" Are we creating unrealistic parameters in sport as an area to promote social interaction that does not exist outside of the confines of the gym walls?"**

** Choosing a topic is of equal magnitude in the action research process. While I have no regrets about the outcome, I am left now to wonder

" Would I have been able to focus my study better if I had a more narrow scope? "

"Is it okay to not feel a sense of completion as many areas of my study still need to stand the test of time? " "Would I choose a topic with a less sensitive nature to do it again? " This topic was chosen as I was invested emotionally in its outcome and was committed to finding an answer. Perhaps the hardest thing I have had to accept or at least continue to wonder about is, " Are the LFI students actually excluded or made to feel excluded by the student body or is this simply a perception that I have from the outside looking in? " **  HOME
 * Although questions remain at the end of this study, that is a part of learning. Educators need to question all the time to keep their practice fresh and although the practical benefits of the research are not always overwhelming, there is meaning in all that we do. I can still find accomplishment in the process and in the relationship that I have developed with my students ** . ** It is hard to determine if the implemented interventions of the intramural program at our school led to the improved community feeling at our school, in the end it doesn't really matter what was the explicit cause, only that a more inclusive atmosphere does exist. Perhaps more telling, 95 % of the Grade 7 LFI students have registered to continue on in the immersion program in secondary. I am glad I took the risk to explore an idea that would be meaningful for me. This research challenged me in many areas, from convincing my colleagues to give up their math periods so we can play football to defending the worthiness of the research at the district level, but I am better teacher because of this experience. **