DATA ANALYSIS IN ACTION RESEARCH (Research Methodology)

Provide the teacher candidate with some background knowledge on displaying their action research results.

Provide support to teacher candidates on completing their data analysis section of their action research project.

1. DATA ANALYSIS IN ACTION RESEARCH

2. Today’s Goals Provide the teacher candidate with some background knowledge on displaying their action research results . Provide support to teacher candidates on completing their data analysis section of their action research project.

3. Introduction What is Action Research? A systematic inquiry conducted by practitioners to improve their own practice. Involves cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The Role of Data Analysis Crucial for understanding, interpreting, and improving practice. Provides evidence-based insights for decision-making.

4. The Purpose of Action Research Contributes to the theory & knowledge base to enhance practice Supports the professional development of practitioners Builds a collegial networking system Helps practitioners identify problems & seek solutions systematically Can be used at all levels & in all areas of education

5. The Process of Action Research Identify the problem; select an area of focus. Review the related research literature. Collect the data. Organize, analyze & interpret the data. Take the action (apply the findings).

6. Overview Identify the problem or area Review related research literature Collect data Organize, analyze & interpret Take action; apply findings

7. Planning

8. Planning Action Research Write an area-of-focus statement. Define the variables. Develop research questions. Describe the intervention or innovation. Describe the action research group. Describe the negotiations that need to happen. Develop a timeline. Develop a statement of resources. Develop data collection ideas. Put action plan into action .

9. Area-of-Focus Statement Identifies the purpose of the study Identifies the anticipated outcome Identifies the problem to be addressed Completes the statement: “The purpose of this study is…”

10. Define the Variables Write definitions of exactly what you will address. Definitions should accurately represent what factors, contexts & variables mean to you. Be clear about what is being studied, so that you know it when you see it!

11. The Research Questions Develop questions that “breathe life” into the area-of-focus statement. Research questions should be open-ended! Research questions help give a focus to the plan. They also help validate that you have a workable plan.

12. Intervention or Innovation Describe your proposed solution to the initial problem. This is just a statement about what you will do to address the teaching and learning issue you have identified. In “formal research” this would be the experimental treatment.

13. Strategies for Meeting the Criteria Talk Little, Listen a lot! Begin Writing Early! Let Readers “See” for Themselves Report Fully Be Candid Seek Feedback Write Accurately (Wolcott, 1994)

14. Data Analysis in Action Research

15. Purpose of the Data Analysis You are to concisely and accurately display the results of your study . In other words, someone who views your data analysis section should get an idea of the results of your study at a glance.

16. Types of Data in Action Research Qualitative Data Interviews, observations, field notes, documents Rich, detailed information about experiences and perspectives. Quantitative Data Surveys, tests, measurements Numerical data that can be statistically analyzed. Mixed Methods Combining both qualitative and quantitative data for a more comprehensive understanding.

17. Collect the Data Using a variety of data collection strategies, gather information that will contribute to the findings Triangulate Data should be analyzed as it is collected

18. Organize, Analyze & Interpret the Data As the data is collected, it is also continually organized & analyzed As new perspectives are gained on the original area of focus, the problem statement may change Interpretation is based on ongoing analysis & continually reviewing the area of focus

19. Data Collection Methods Interviews Structured, semi-structured, or unstructured Observations Participant observation, non-participant observation Surveys Questionnaires, polls Documents Field notes, memos, reports

20. Data Analysis Techniques Qualitative Analysis Coding: Identifying key themes and categories Thematic Analysis: Organizing data around recurring themes Narrative Analysis: Examining stories and narratives Quantitative Analysis Descriptive Statistics: Summarizing data (e.g., mean, median, mode) Inferential Statistics: Drawing conclusions about a population from a sample Data Visualization: Using graphs and charts to present findings

21. Data Analysis Tools Software Tools NVivo , Atlas.ti , MAXQDA (for qualitative data) Excel, SPSS, R (for quantitative data) Manual Methods Coding sheets, matrices, mind maps

22. Data Analysis through Excel

23. Choosing a Graph A Line Graph You want to use a line graph when you wish to show a trend over a period of time. A Bar Graph Bar graphs are most often used to compare results between two or more categorical variables. A Pie Chart The pie chart is often over used and is only appropriate when you wish to compare parts to a whole. Comparing pie charts to one another is typically not a good idea. Other graphs are available for your consideration but the above are the most popular and straightforward.

24. Line Graph A line graph is best used when you wish to display a trend over a period of time. For example, if you have been giving a series of assessments along with implementing a new teaching strategy and you wish to show that achievement is slowly rising (or mistakes are decreasing) over time, a line graph would be appropriate.

25. This table shows a series of average test scores between two groups of students   week 1 week 2 week 3 week 4 week 5 Old Strategy 83 84 85 87 89 New Strategy 82 85 89 92 94

26. Microsoft Excel gives you this chart.

27. Bar Graphs Bar graphs are best used whenever you are comparing two or more categorical variables. In the following table the Pre-test and Post-test scores of a group of students are displayed.

28. Consider how you would display this data.   Pre-test Post-test Student 1 75 84 Student 2 88 99 Student 3 90 82 Student 4 63 80 Student 5 85 97 Student 6 79 89 Student 7 94 100 Student 8 83 80 Student 9 88 90 Student 10 68 86

29. This would be a typical bar graph .

30. P ie chart In this pie chart, the purpose is to show that a large portion of the class has an Individual Education Plan.

31. Sample Pre- and Post-Test Summary for Fifteen Item Test for 10 rd Grade. This slide is a bar graph from Excel with color added to highlight the data. The data table is also included below with both the average score and number of students included.

32. Ethical Considerations Confidentiality: Protecting participants' privacy Informed Consent: Obtaining participants' voluntary agreement Data Security: Ensuring data is stored and accessed securely

33. Challenges in Data Analysis Data Overload: Managing large amounts of data Data Quality: Ensuring data is reliable and valid Researcher Bias: Avoiding personal biases in interpretation

34. Best Practices for Data Analysis Clear Research Questions: Ensure data collection and analysis align with research goals Systematic Approach: Follow a structured process for data analysis. Triangulation: Use multiple data sources to verify findings. Member Checking: Validate findings with participants. Reflection and Iteration: Continuously reflect on and refine analysis.

35. Conclusion Importance of Data Analysis in Action Research Provides evidence-based insights for improving practice. Supports informed decision-making. Contributes to knowledge generation in the field. Call to Action: Encourage participants to engage in rigorous data analysis in their own action research projects.