6-1MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Action Research

Geoffrey E. Mills

Fifth Edition

© 2014, 2011, 2007, 2003, 2000Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Guide for the Teacher Researcher

6-2MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 6

Data Analysis and Interpretation

6-3MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ongoing Analysis & Reflection

Is your research question still answerable and worth answering?

Are your data collection techniques catching the kind of data you want and filtering out unwanted data?

Conduct interim analysis Avoid premature action

6-4MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis & Interpretation

Data analysis summary of data technique determined by type of

data Data interpretation

finding meaning in the data

6-5MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizing Qualitative Data

Reading/Memoing record initial thoughts

Describing include context, actions,

interactions Classifying

develop themes

6-6MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Data Analysis Techniques Identify themes

work inductively Code surveys, interviews,

questionnaires try to find patterns, meaning

Analyze interviews annotate and identify themes

Ask key questions

6-7MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Data Analysis Techniques Organizational review

vision & mission, goals & objectives, structure of organization, operation, problems, issues, & concerns

Develop a concept map Analyze antecedents, consequences

identify causal relations

6-8MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Data Analysis Techniques Concept map

6-9MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Data Analysis Techniques Display findings

matrixes, charts, concept maps, graphs, figures, audiovisual media

State what’s missing avoid making unwarranted assertions

6-10MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Choosing Analysis Software

Are you analyzing large amounts of data?

Are you adequately trained? Do you have resources to purchase

a program? Do you plan to capture specific

quotes from a large database?

6-11MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Computer Software for Data Analysis

Handy, extremely fast labeling & retrieval tools NVivo 9.0

complex data

The Ethnograph v6text files

HyperRESEARCH 3.0text, graphics, audio, video

6-12MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Preparing Quantitative Data for Analysis

Scoring procedures Tabulation and Coding Procedures

6-13MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing & InterpretingQuantitative Data

Descriptive statistics shorthand way of giving lots of

information about a range of numbers

count what counts! be careful not to over interpret

6-14MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing & InterpretingQuantitative Data

Descriptive statistics central tendency

mean (average)median (middle) mode (most frequent)

variabilitystandard deviation (spread)

6-15MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis in Mixed Methods Designs

6-16MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Qualitative Data Interpretation

Extend the analysis raise questions note implications that might be

drawn, without actually drawing them Connect findings with personal

experience Seek advice of “critical” friends

take time to build relationships

6-17MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Qualitative Data Interpretation

Contextualize findings in literature Turn to theory

link to broader issues search for abstraction provide rationale, sense of meaning

Know when to say “when” if you don’t feel comfortable offering

an interpretation, don’t!

6-18MillsAction Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sharing Interpretations Wisely

Connect interpretations closely to data and analysis

Avoid being evangelical