Chapter 3: Data Collection Techniques

1. Chapter 3: Data Collection Techniques

2. Data Collection Techniques • After today’s session you should be able to: • Identify multiple data collection techniques to be included for each research question • Develop the research instruments needed to begin your research.

3. Data Collection • The decision about what data are collected for an action research area of focus is largely determined by the nature of the problem. • There is no one recipe for how to proceed with data collection efforts.

4. Qualitative Data Collection Techniques • The three primary data collection techniques discussed are: • Experiencing • Enquiring • Examining

5. Taxonomy of Action Research Qualitative Data Collection Techniques • See Key Concepts Box 3-4, p.73 here

6. Triangulation • The strength of qualitative research lies in its triangulation, collecting information in many ways rather than relying solely on one. • Also described as a “multi-instrument” approach.

7. Experiencing Through Direct Observation • Teachers undertaking action research have countless opportunities to observe in their own classrooms. They observe as a normal part of their teaching--monitoring and adjusting instruction based on verbal and non-verbal interactions in their classrooms.

8. Components of Effective Observation • Participant observation • Privileged observer • Passive observer

9. Participant Observation • To observe the activities, people, and physical aspects of a situation. • To engage in activities that are appropriate to a given situation that provide useful information.

10. Degrees of Participation • Active Participant Observer • Privileged, Active Observer • Passive Observer

11. Fieldnotes • The written records of participant observers are often referred to as fieldnotes. For teacher researchers these fieldnotes may take the form of anecdotal records.

12. What do I write in my fieldnotes? • Observe and record everything you possibly can. • Observe and look for nothing in particular. • Look for paradoxes.

13. Components of Effective Observation • See Key Concepts Box 3-1, p. 62 here

14. Enquiring: When the Researcher Asks • Interviews • Questionnaires • Surveys

15. Interviews • Informal ethnographic interview. • A casual conversation that allows the teacher to inquire into something that has presented itself as an opportunity to learn about their practice. • Who, what, where, when, why, and how?

16. Interviews • Structured formal interviews allows the teacher researcher to ask all of the participants in the study the same series of questions.

17. Structured Formal Interviews • Pilot questions on a similar group of respondents. • Use questions that vary from convergent to divergent. • Persevere with silence and “wait time” to elicit a response. • Consider using an audio tape recorder to capture the interview responses. • Locate a private place to interview. • Carefully choose who you will interview • Take notes during the interview.

18. Focus Groups • One way to think of a focus group is as a “group interview” where you are trying to collect shared understandings from several individuals as well as to get views from specific people. • When conducting focus groups it is important ensure that all participants have their say and to nurture a group agreement to take turns.

19. E-Mail Interviews • With schools becoming increasingly networked (for teachers and students), the use of email to “interview” colleagues and students can easily be achieved. • These interviews (or chat rooms) may occur synchronously or asynchronously. • The interaction between the teacher researcher and the participants in the electronic interview will be captured online as a transcript that can be readily collected, analyzed and interpreted.

20. Questionnaire Guidelines • Carefully proofread questionnaires. • Avoid a sloppy presentation. • Avoid a lengthy questionnaire. • Do not ask unnecessary questions. • Use structured items with a variety of possible responses.

21. Questionnaires • Whenever possible, allow for an “Other Comments” section. • Decide whether you want respondents to put their names on the questionnaires or whether you will use a number to keep track of who has responded.

22. Examining: Using and Making Records • This third category for data collection techniques suggests a “catch all” term to describe everything else that a teacher researcher may collect. Again, many of these data sources are naturally occurring and require only that the teacher locate them within the school setting.

23. Components of Using and Making Records • Archival sources. • Journals. • Artifacts.

24. Archival Sources • Archival sources may include: • Attendance rates • Retention rates • Discipline referrals • Dropout rates • Suspension rates • Standardized test scores

25. Journals • The journal acts as a narrative technique for recording events and feelings that are important to the teacher researcher. • Journals are records of classroom life. • Journals capture the essence of what is happening with students in classrooms.

26. Journals • Journals are more than a single data source. They are an ongoing attempt by teachers to systematically reflect on their practice by constructing narrative that honors the unique and powerful voice of the teachers’ language.

27. Making Maps, Video- and Audiotapes, Photos, Film, & Artifacts • These nonwritten sources of data can be extremely helpful for teacher researchers trying to monitor what is happening in classrooms in a way that is not always possible in a narrative form.

28. Construction of Maps • Maps are useful for a number of reasons including: • They provide contextual insights • They serve as a reflective tool • They provide a record of movement within a classroom/school

29. Use of Videotape, Audiotape, Photographs, and Film • A valuable data source when the teacher is fully engaged in teaching but still wants to capture classroom events and interactions. • Downside: • Funny faces, bizarre comments, time to review, technical problems

30. Artifacts • Classrooms are a rich source of artifacts--written or visual sources of data that contribute to our understanding of what is happening in our classroom. • This category might include student portfolios.

31. Quantitative Data Collection Techniques • Action researchers must not confuse the quantitative collection of data with the application of a quantitative research design.

32. Quantitative Data Collection Techniques • Teacher-made tests • Standardized tests • School-generated report cards • Attitude scales • Likert scales • Semantic differential

33. Teacher made tests • Perhaps one of the most common quantitative data collection techniques used by teachers to aid them in their ability to monitor and adjust instruction.

34. Standardized Tests • Teachers are very familiar with standardized tests that they administer in order to provide state and national student achievement data. • Standardized tests provide teachers with a snapshot of how their students are performing on a given subject test relative to all other students taking the test.

35. School-Generated Report Cards • Oftentimes school-generated report cards provide: • Narrative feedback about participation in school-sponsored events and extra-curricular activities. • Letter grades and/or GPA

36. Attitude Scales • The use of attitude scales allows teacher researchers to determine what an individual believes, perceives, or feels.

37. Likert Scales • A Likert scale asks students to respond to a series of statements indicating whether they strongly agree (SA), agree (A), are undecided (U), disagree (D), or strongly disagree (SD) with each statement. • Each response corresponds with a point value which leads to a score.

38. Semantic Differential • A semantic differential asks a student to give a quantitative rating to the subject of the rating scale on a number of bipolar adjectives. • By totaling scores for all items on the semantic differential, the teacher researcher can determine a positive or negative attitude.

39. Other Measurement Techniques • A good resource for teacher researchers who are seeking a test to provide data to answer their research questions is the Mental Measurement Yearbook. • Visit • http://www.unl.edu/buros

40. Realign Your Area of Focus When Necessary • Once you start to collect data you may find yourself drawn in other directions that appear more interesting, relevant, or problematic. • Action research is intimate, open-ended, and often serendipitous.

41. Data Collection Activity • What data collection techniques will you use to answer each of your research questions? • What data collection instruments do you need to locate or develop? • Complete a triangulation matrix for your proposed study.

42. Triangulation Matrix • See Figure 3-4, p. 78 here