Week 27 - Data analysis and potential impact of the findings

Gray (2012) challenges the assumption that ‘data is a perfect reflection of the world’ because it is up to an individual to interpret and give meaning to a set of data, in the Guardian in ’What data can and cannot do’.

In your Teacher Inquiry project plan, the purpose of using data is to answer the research question.

From the examples discussed in the sections ‘Understanding and interpreting data’ and ‘Purpose for using data’ or the required reading above, review the data and collection methods (discussed in week 25 class notes) to check that the data that you plan to collect can be used to address your research question. These two questions might help you to do this check.

• To what extent does the collected data answer the research question?
• How well does the data collection method proposed in the plan help you to collect the data?

reading: using data to inform teaching

Matters (2006) drew from a categorisation of sources of data provided by Earl (2005) to identify potential sources of data about student achievement: 

◗ standardised, norm-referenced, criterion-referenced tests 

◗ questioning in class 

◗ performance and standards-based assessments 

◗ teacher-made tests, projects, quizzes 

◗ teachers’ observations 

◗ student work. 

Potential impact of findings

You need to assess the potential impact of the findings from your inquiry project. The Association for Qualitative Research defines findings as “the principal outcomes of a research project; what the project suggested, revealed or indicated. This usually refers to the totality of outcomes, rather than the conclusions or recommendations drawn from them.” (2013).

While you may not yet know what the findings will be, you need to think about some of the ways in which they might impact on you, your community, your school etc. as you address criterion 5 of the Assignment 2 rubric. Here are some optional questions that might help you to address the potential impact of the findings.

• What are the possible benefits (and disadvantages of the project)?
• How might it impact on your communities?
• How will the outcome of the inquiry contribute to the topic area you are investigating?
• How will the outcome of the inquiry impact on the perception of members of your community about that topic area?
• How will the outcome of the inquiry impact on your practice (or community of practice)?