Chapter 8 Organize Data

Chapter 8: Organize DataSelf-Study Teacher Research Alignment of Data With Question Foremost in data collection is the need to align your data with your research question. It must be meaningful and responsive to addressing the purpose of your research.

Chapter 8: Organize DataSelf-Study Teacher Research Plan Carefully In self-study teacher research, you want to be sure you are collecting data that provide information about your efforts to improve your practice and your students’ learning.

Chapter 8: Organize Data Document Self-study requires a transparent research process that clearly and accurately documents the research process through dialogue and critique. Keep an accurate and detailed documentation of all the data you collect. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Document Log it. Make a data analysis trail. Show your work. Keep critical friend memos. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Log it. It is recommended that you keep a researcher log about your procedural steps and especially your thinking as you move through the study. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Make a data analysis trail. It is essential to keep a trail of your data collection and analysis so you can trace back to what data you collected, when you collected it, and your preliminary readings of what the data suggested. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Show your work. Write down as specifically as you can how you went about analyzing your data and interpreting the findings. Walk us through the steps you undertook. Explain how you sorted through, organized, and analyzed your data. Explain how you managed a large amount of data as you attempted to make sense of it. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Critical Friend Research Memos Your critical friend research memos can be part of your data set. The memos are your cataloguing and documenting of your questioning, collecting, and analyzing of your data. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Categorize Matrix It Quantify It Color it Check your computer word processing program for easy and ready- made and custom- designed ways to display, count, and color your data to help you make sense of it. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Overlapping Research Phases Phase I: Data collecting before enacting your study Phase II: Data collecting during the enactment of your study Phase III: Data collecting after enacting your study Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Phase I Data Collecting Before Enacting Your Study What did you write about when you were prompted to notice your classroom? What were your hunches and ideas for the study? What data did you collect before enacting your study? Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Phase II Data Collecting During the Enactment of Your Study Describe the data you collected and the purpose of each piece of data that was generated from your pedagogical strategies. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Phase III Data Collecting After the Enactment of Your Study Look back at your research memos. Describe the effects and impact of your efforts. Explain what you enacted, why you enacted it, how you enacted it, and when you enacted it. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

Chapter 8: Organize Data Class Activity Organizing Your Data Begin to chart the possible pedagogical strategies you are considering and what data those strategies might yield. Consider and reflect carefully on your rationale for each strategy and on the possible advantages and disadvantages of the strategies that you are planning. Share that chart of pedagogies and data with your critical friend explaining how the data might help you understand your research inquiry. Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry