Formative Assessment: Identifying Problem of Practice
Now that you have an overview of what goes into planning action research, it’s time to
narrow into a topic and problem of practice in your contextual setting for your capstone
project. This will be the starting point in building out your capstone project. However,
identifying the root cause of the problem of practice is not easy, but there are helpful
practices that can assist you in narrowing down your topic and identifying a root cause
to the problem that you are observing. Start by thinking about a problem of practice you
have personally observed in your setting and one that is relevant to your own work.
Once you have a general idea problem in mind, use Toyota’s 5 Whys to help you narrow
into the potential root cause of the problem you have experienced. Then use Mertler’s
(2015) 5 Why flow chart to help you write each why to narrow into your problem of
practice. Submit your responses to Toyota 5 Whys with the problem of practice being
highlighted at the end and include your responses to Mertler’s (2015) flow chart for this
formative.
● Toyota’s 5 Whys
● Links to an external site.
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● 5 Why’s Worksheet
● Download 5 Why’s Worksheet
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Document Type/Template:
● This recommended length for this formative is 2-3 pages or 6-8 slides.
● This submission may be a Word Document or a Canva or Powerpoint
presentation.
- Document Type/Template:
