CHAPTER 5 DATA GATHERING QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION ACCURACY

CHAPTER 5: DATA GATHERING

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: ACCURACY, CREDIBILITY, DEPENDABILITY Qualitative Data Collection: Observations Interviews Journals Existing Documents

QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: VALIDITY, RELIABILITY Quantitative Data Collection Surveys, Questionnaires, Rating Scales Checklists Tests and Other Formal Instruments

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: OBSERVATIONS � Observation: carefully watching, systematically recording what is seen and heard in a particular setting ( Schmuck, 1997). � Structured Observation: observer is looking for specific behaviors, reactions, or interactions. � Unstructured, Semi-structured: observer flexible. May engage in brief, intense periods of observation, note-taking.

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: OBSERVATIONS Field notes: two columns: (1) Observations, (2) Comments, interpretations, meanings. Observation Limitations: Effects of observer, large volume, variance between observers. "Write what you See": most effective way to observe. Videotaping? Later transcription? Patterns?

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: INTERVIEWS Interviews: Teacher/researcher questions posed to study participants: formal, informal. Individual, Group Interviews, Focus Groups. Interview Guide: Specific or general questions to be asked prior to interview. Structured Interview: Pre-determined ? ? Semi-structured Interview: Base questions. Open-ended Interviews: Few, broad ? ? ?

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: JOURNALS Data Journals: kept by teachers or students. Student Journals: daily thoughts, perceptions, experiences. Teacher Journals: narrative accounts of personal reflections on professional practice. Class Journal: blank notebook passed around in class or in learning center.

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: EXISTING DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS Existing Records: Curriculum materials, textbooks, reports, projects, test scores, grades, discipline records, portfolios. Data: Retention rates, attendance, graduation rates, socioeconomic data, etc. Other: Meeting minutes, newspaper stories, standardized test reports, discipline referrals, classroom artifacts. Caution: Ethical use. Student privacy.

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: ACCURACY, CREDIBILITY, DEPENDABILITY Data Quality: accurate recording, organized processes, match between data gathered and research question. Triangulation: multiple data sources. Member Checking: sharing interview transcripts, comments, w/ study participants. Prolonged Engagement, Persistent Observation: 'thick-description', not 'thin'.

QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: SURVEYS, QUESTIONNAIRES, RATING SCALES Survey Design: Open-ended questions? Multiple Choice? Likert Scale? Age - Appropriate? Design affects Data: Consider implications. Self-assessment. Focus: Each item focuses on single concept. Brevity: Each question, clear, necessary. Unbiased: No leading questions.

QUANTITATIVE DATA: CHECKLISTS SURVEYS: Formal Tests, Existing Records: Can be used 'quantitatively' too. Checklists. Pre-Tests, Post-Tests: Specifically designed for study. Standardized Tests: Standardized 'Surveys‘: developed for specific purposes.

QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: VALIDITY, RELIABILITY Validity: degree to which all accumulated evidence matches intended interpretation (p. 111, AERA, APA & NCME, 1999). Reliability: consistency of connected data. Internal Consistency: statistical estimate of data reliability: Kuder-Richardson formula 21: or KR-21 r = (K) (SD)2 - M(K - M) (SD)2 (K - 1)

REFERENCES: 1) Mertler, C. A. (2014). Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators, 4 th ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publishers.