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this researcher to explore the nuances and
complexities of the students’ behaviors and
social structures. Further, this methodology The data on the observations
involved close collaboration between the
researcher and the student participants. showed the need for rephrasing
Student participants were actively involved
in the research process and provided valuable instructions and examples for
insights, and this led to a deeper understanding
of why they lacked the self-confidence to a clearer understanding of the
take social action on family problems and assignments...
see the impact they could have on public
policy affecting families in the future.
This methodology was ideal for producing
actionable insights that could be used to inform instructional practices in any family
and consumer sciences course. The following research questions guided the study
and led to the choice of methods used to collect data.

Research Questions
1. How can the four critical science-focused instructional strategies increase
students’ self-confidence in effectively taking social action on perennial or emerging
issues affecting families?
2. How can the four critical science-focused instructional strategies increase
students’ understanding of the impact they can have on public policy affecting
families in the future?

Research Design
The constructivist grounded theory approach was employed in this study
because it is a qualitative research method that emphasizes the active construction
of knowledge and understanding by the researcher in collaboration with participants
(Charmaz, 2017; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). The constructivist grounded theory
approach encourages researchers to engage in a process of open-ended exploration,
allowing them to understand deeply the complexity and nuances of the problem
they are trying to solve. This is important in action research studies, where the
problems can be multifaceted and require a thorough understanding to generate
effective solutions (Charmaz, 2017; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Because this approach
emphasizes the importance of collaboration and co-creation between the researcher
and the participants, it allows the researcher to work directly with the people affected
by the problem and to generate solutions that are tailored to students’ needs and
perspectives.
The goal of employing the constructivist grounded theory approach was to
generate effective instructional strategies with a critical science emphasis that would
generate actionable insights in meeting the purpose of this research. This approach
was flexible and adaptable, allowing this researcher to modify the instructional
strategies to gain new insights and understanding for meeting the research questions
(Charmaz, 2017). To employ this method, the researcher collected data from two
main sources.

Data Collection
The first qualitative collection of data involved critical self-reflection essays

Educators’ Choice 43