9a-2p
End of Cycle 4
Data collection techniques are like tools
- you need several in your box.
CC License: Per Erik Strandberg,
WiktionarySchedule
- 1st hour devoted to 6900 exclusively
- most of the day devoted to methodology topics: surveys,
interviews, document analysis, focus groups; wrap up with Making a
difference
- mid-morning break
- lunch midday
- dismiss at 2p
- group meetings on your own
- Planner
9:00
EDIT 6900 Business, Q&A
- PPPs: try very
hard to create a Web 2.0 presentation, rather than
a Powerpoint file that must be uploaded, downloaded, etc.
- Design Idea due date moved from 11/29 to 12/6.
- Submit your PPP link to Kristie M. (she's creating a PPP archive page).
- Crit links go to cdiskin at uga dot edu
- Dec 5 batting order: will honor requests, first-come, first-served
Techniques
Time check
Regardless of your AP or PPP design, these are basic research techniques that you all need to know how to do.
Today's scenario:
Bulldawg Elementary School has been using AR forever. No one remembers how or why it started. Every year, a big chunk of the budget goes toward buying the tests, supported titles, and software updates. In addition, it takes a tremendous amount of volunteer, parapro, and your time to manage the program. On the other hand, circulation is extremely high - and reading scores are generally above average at this school. Here at the end of your first year at Bulldawg, you are wondering if this level of support for AR should continue.
What's the problem here? What might several researchable questions be, in this situation?
We'll use this realistic scenario as context for exploring the following data collection techniques.
- Document/Content Analysis (Liz)
- Thoroughly consider any research situation for documents that
already might exist.
- Examples:
- web pages
- browser history logs from public computers (or private,
with permission)
- emails - with permission
- policies
- children's drawings
- existing student work of any kind
- texts of any kind
- test scores (ethical cautions apply)
- notes
- photographs - lots of possibilities here (students taking
photos; photographing media center activity ...)
- journal entries (including self-journaling)
- advertisements
- just about anything that already exists and can be harvested ethically/legally
- Analysis will vary according to the type of document data.
- I think this avenue is under-utilized!
- Interviews
(Justine):
- resource: Stephanie Jones' presentation in ELC as basis for discussion
- Surveys, pre/post-tests, questionnaires
- Write 2-3 sample questions
- Leonard's
handout (In case the Word version in ELC wouldn't work for you)
- Surveys in general
- Online surveys: Google Forms is a new one
- Questions in micro-detail
- Pilot with a similar small group (but don't use these respondents again)
- Differences: surveys, tests, questionnaires
- Pre- and post-test parallel but not identical (to avoid maturation effect)
- Question format will determine quantitative/qualitative
analysis techniques
- Focus Groups
- Kind of like interviewing, but with a group
- You need someone to manage and someone else to record
- Best case: audiotape plus have a notetaker
- Efficient: more data for the time allowed
- Make sure everyone gets to talk.
- Consider group effects
- Biggest drawback of focus group is social "bias" -
participants naturally editing their responses because of others in the
room.
- OTOH, the brainstorming effect may set in - where ideas build upon ideas and the sum becomes greater than individual parts.
- Transcription can be very challenging - identify of voices can get tricky. Will take much longer than 1-on-1 interviews.
- Practice, if time
- Other techiques relevant to
your situations?
Lunch
