Organizing and Analyzing Data

Organizing and Analyzing Data
This is the third assignment in your Action Research Project. Begin by reviewing the project description and the Unit 9 instructions for the final project assignment, focusing on the Results of Data Collection and Analysis section, in which you will present a revised version of your work in this assignment. Also, be sure to examine the Organizing and Analyzing Data Scoring Guide before you begin, in order to familiarize yourself with the requirements of this assignment.

Remember that in each course project assignment, you will update and include the content of your previous assignments, then add new content as assigned. So far, you have already created the Introduction, Background for the Study, and Description of the Research Context for the Study sections for your final project assignment. In this assignment, you will add the Results of Data Collection and Analysis section.

Assignment Instructions
For this assignment, copy the content from your Unit 2 and Unit 3 assignments into a new document. Make any updates to this content that may be called for, based on instructor feedback or other project developments. Then, create a new section, titled Results of Data Collection and Analysis.

For the Results of Data Collection and Analysis component of your Action Research Project, report on the results of your chosen study, addressing the points outlined below. First, address the research design approach, then compile and analyze the data and findings from your chosen study, and then organize and present the findings according to thematic classifications or a timeline. Be careful to focus on reporting the raw, factual data at this point, rather than on discussing your impressions. Do not offer broad statements or interpretations that extend beyond the research findings of the study.

Results of Data Collection and Analysis
Discuss the general approach (such as individual, collaborative, organizational, or community) to the research design that is used in your specified study.

Research studies are usually developed according to a specific research design, such as teacher research, experimental, case study, qualitative, quantitative, and so forth. Briefly identify the type of research design that was used in your chosen study.
There are several different types of approaches to research design, including individual, collaborative, organizational, and community approaches. Identify and describe the general approach to the research design used in your study, including the steps and processes by which the research design was implemented.
Explain how and why this type of approach to the research design may have been chosen. Why was this approach appropriate for the study?
Evaluate the types of data collected, the methods used, the organization of the data, and the major findings of your chosen study.

Identify the significant types of data that were collected.
Explain how the data was organized in the study.
Describe the exact methods of data collection that were used (for example, behavioral observation, interviewing, journaling, artifact collection, taking field notes, etcetera).
Evaluate the use of each data collection method within the context of this study. For each method of data collection, explain how the data was collected.
Exhibit the data in an appropriate format. If you use charts or graphs, be sure to apply APA style and formatting.
Discuss what tools were used to analyze the data.
Briefly analyze the major findings of the study to determine what was learned and discuss supporting examples. Identify trends and any gaps you see based on the data. Again, be careful not to offer broad statements or interpretations that extend beyond the results of this study.
Note: You will complete a thorough evaluation of the study in your next assignment. Here, your focus should be on the data.
Classify the raw data from your chosen study into data sets. Organize the findings by choosing one of the following two formats:

Thematic/Grouping: Identify and interpret themes that exist in the data, such as differences that appear according to age, gender, and socioeconomic status; or by participant groups, such as single fathers, veterans with mental illness, or parents of toddlers. Group the data into those thematic categories, using the following format:
Create a subheading using your chosen theme as the title.
Provide a brief, general description that defines the theme.
Present examples that demonstrate the variety of response types that are represented in the data for the theme, such as actual quotes from responses, journals, field notes, artifacts, etcetera.
Display the data to support the statements you are making, so others may understand your groupings.
Timeline: Organize the data according to a timeline of events, using one of the following styles:
Chronological (listing the events in the order they occurred).
Life history (addressing events according to relevant analytical points; this method best applies to a case study).
Composite (presenting findings in a composite picture, such as a hypothetical day in the life).
Critical events (grouping the data according to significant events that correspond to the themes in the data).
Portraiture (writing a narrative of the individuals or institutions studied).
Submission Requirements
Your assignment must meet the following requirements:

Written communication: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others, consistent with the expectations for members of the human services field. Write comprehensibly to support fundamental ideas, in APA format, using correct grammar and mechanics.
APA guidelines: Follow current APA guidelines for style and formatting, using a title page and references page, and citing your sources properly in the body of your paper with corresponding references on the references page.
Length: Write a minimum of 4 new pages for this assignment, for a running total of 12 pages (including the content from your previous assignments). This page total is not including the title page and references page. The content should be typed and double-spaced.
References: At least 9 references in total, including the 5 references from your previous assignments. Include peer-reviewed journals or other scholarly resources, assigned unit readings, and the like. In the total number of references, be sure to include your references for the 2 similar organizational reports you cited in the Unit 5 assignment.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.