Research Topic: The topic for my capstone is the Instruction of students to make pies from start to finish to increase their culinary identity and baking confidence.

●How the topic aligns with curriculum and instruction:This topic aligns with the field of curriculum and instruction in the way that all students enrolled in culinary arts classes must move through each of the units with an open mind, dedication and effort in order to be successful in the course. The curriculum must flow in an orderly process and consist of engaging activities, relevant information on the topic and materials to help students positively approach this unit to be successfully mastered. The right curriculum to be taught is essential to giving students every opportunity to gain baking confidence. ●Why topic is important to the field of curriculum and instruction:“Defining problems and conducting classroom-based action research allows teachers and others to make data-based decisions and change instruction” (Crockett, 2004, as cited in Boudah, 2010, p. 7). It is important for the research to be done so the curriculum being used by the district is examined and future modifications and updates can be made to achieve the results you are looking for by implementing the curriculum.According to Hammersley inThe nature of educational research,“the aim of any research is to add to the collective knowledge” and he says “the topic should be of interest to other people too and you should be adding to the existing body of knowledge”. A2: Problem Statement:Students struggle to make homemade pies. This negatively impacts their culinary identity and baking confidence. The potential cause is instructional strategies being used are not effective. A3:Proposed Capstone:Action research with an instructional intervention. A4:Research Questions:One research question that aligns with the problem statement of students struggling to make homemade pies would be “Which of the key components of the pie making process causes students to struggle the most- the dough, the crust, the filling, the topping or slicing and serving the pies?” A second question that aligns with the problem statementwould be “How do the instructional strategies currently used in class influence achievement in pie making mastery