Teaching Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation in Community College Journalism Courses: A Mixed Methods Action Research Study

The purpose of this mixed methods action research project was to address the problem of practice of incorporating foundational grammar, spelling, and punctuation (GSP) instruction into community college journalism classes through the intervention of online interactive modules called The Story Mechanics Project (SMP). The modules were developed and piloted during the first two cycles of action research. Following feedback and changes in local context influencing the intervention’s need and purpose, the modules were modified and simplified for the current research cycle. The main areas of focus were the efficacy of intervention, student perceptions of self-efficacy, and insights from designing and facilitating the intervention through a lens of critical digital pedagogy. The intervention was carried out in an online, asynchronous introductory journalism class in the Spring 2022 semester. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from a pretest/post-test skills assessment, a post-intervention survey with a retrospective component, final course writing assignment submissions, and the researcher blog. Results showed the intervention had a positive but insignificant impact on students’ GSP skills application and that it did not significantly affect student perceptions of self-efficacy in the GSP domains; there was no significant relationship between students’ perception of self-efficacy and their application of GSP skills in their writing submissions. Pedagogical insights regarding humanizing learning, balancing tensions, and releasing control emerged from qualitative analysis. Study limitations included a small sample size and a focus on GSP errors instead of correct usage. This study collaborated the need for a more effective way to teach story mechanics.