Evaluation of the TAMAM Impact
Evaluative research in TAMAM involves the examination of TAMAM effectiveness and impact on participating schools in the TAMAM project. It examines the effectiveness of the TAMAM Capacity Building Program on the professional learning of lead team members in terms of the acquisition of the TAMAM Competencies and the TAMAM improvement journey related skills. It also explores the impact of the TAMAM Capacity Building Program on teams’ attitudes and motivation towards school improvement. Moreover, it describes the impact of TAMAM on the school’s organizational learning in terms of its professional norms and structure. And finally, it describes the impact of the implementation of the improvement project on students’ learning.
Technical reports
Technical Report 6: Evaluating the TAMAM Impact: The Case of Al-Asriyya School – By Rima Karami, Rasha ElSahali ElHage, & Samaya Mansour, with Rola Katerji & Diana Sarieddine,– 2016
After the conclusion of TAMAM project’s first phase, an evaluative case study was conducted to assess the impact its Capacity Building Model had on the professional learning of a participating school team. This case study was conducted in Al-Asriyya School, one of the TAMAM project’s pioneer schools. Its purpose is to specifically investigate the following research questions: (1) to what extent and in what ways did Al-Asriyya School TAMAM team members acquire new Competencies or enhance old ones?; (2) to what extent and in what ways did Al- Asriyya School TAMAM team members apply the newly acquired Competencies or the enhanced old ones?; and (3) to what extent and in what ways can that learning be attributed to the Al-Asriyya team’s participation in the professional learning experiences of TAMAM? The report presents the results of this study and reveals the aspects of TAMAM’s Capacity Building Model that contributed to this learning and those that failed to do so. It also highlights the cultural peculiarities affecting the team’s acquisition and application of knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with TAMAM’s 11 Competencies. This study finds its evaluation criteria in the TAMAM 11 Competencies along with their detailed elements and evaluative rubric (TAMAM’s Master Rubric). Two sets of longitudinal data were collected in 2007 and 2012 respectively for the purpose of the study through field visits, focus group and individual interviews with the school team and the project Steering Team (PST) members; and through the examination of school reports and field observation notes that document the learning experience of the Al-Asriyya team over the span of four years. Comparisons between the 2007 and 2012 performance levels led to conclusions about the level of growth of the Al-Asriyya team members’ knowledge, skills and attitudes. Results show that the Al-Asriyya team members showed varied levels of performance and growth in the knowledge, skills and attitudes of every competency. These results are mainly due to the design of TAMAM’s Capacity Building Model, a triggered paradigm shift in the members’ professional habits, beliefs and practices. The study concludes with insights and lessons learned for effective school improvement practices, improving the learning and coaching experiences in TAMAM, designing professional learning experiences in the context of Arab schools and accumulating a relevant knowledge base in this context.
Technical Report 1: The Impact of Collaborative Action Research on Inquiry Skills -By: Murad Jurdak & Saouma BouJaoude– 2011
The Impact of Collaborative Action Research on Inquiry Skills, Habits of Mind, and Orientations Toward Collaborative Action Research and Collaboration: The Case of a School-Based Project in an Arab Context.
This study investigated the impact of engagement of TAMAM school teams in collaborative action research experiences on targeted elements of habits of mind, specifically inquisitiveness, reflection, and evidential decisions and on orientations toward action research and collaboration. The paper analyzes how this is mediated by the school and project contextual factors.
Results of this study indicate that the targeted habits of mind, the inquiry skills, the orientation toward collaborative action research, and attitudes toward collaboration in school teams were all positively impacted by the TAMAM project.
The participants reported that their collaborative action research experience has impacted the habits of mind of openness, recognition of self and others, and being critical and reflective of professional practice. With regard to inquiry skills, the participants reported that their collaborative action research experience has impacted 14 of the 19 inquiry skills close to ‘to a great extent’ on the average, and to ‘some extent’ for the remaining five skills.
With regard to attitude toward school team cooperation, the participants reported that they strongly agreed that their collaborative action research experience has been positive and working in TAMAM was an effective way to learn.
On the other hand, they have positive attitudes toward the remaining ten statements regarding school team collaboration.
Finally, the participants reported positive attitudes toward collaborative action research. The interesting and novel findings from the TAMAM research are those related to the contextual factors variables.
Results indicated that schools varied on dimensions related to habits of mind and inquiry skills. The variance could be associated with the schools’ affiliation and status.