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DATA COLLECTION METHODS. Conducting Assessment in Student Affairs-Session FOUR . Session Overview. Revisit Assessment Cycle Overview of Qualitative and Quantitative Paradigms Qualitative Data Collection Methods Interviews Focus groups Rubrics Other Methods. Assessment Cycle.
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DATA COLLECTION METHODS Conducting Assessment in Student Affairs-Session FOUR
Session Overview • Revisit Assessment Cycle • Overview of Qualitative and Quantitative Paradigms • Qualitative Data Collection Methods • Interviews • Focus groups • Rubrics • Other Methods
Assessment Cycle Defining Assessment Purpose Context: Politics, Ethics, etc. Analyzing and Reporting Data Collection
Not a Dichotomy Open-Ended Survey Questions Measurements Semi-Structured Interviews Naturalistic Observation Close-Ended Survey Questions
The Qualitative vs. quantitative “debate” • The approach you choose should depend on the questions being asked. • Both paradigms lend themselves to quality research, to answering complex questions. • One is not “harder” than the other. • You are not “smarter” if you do quantitative work. • Reality bites: one paradigm may be valued over another in a given context.
Discuss… • What approach is appropriate for your assessment question? • Do you know enough to create good close ended questions? • Is your question about process and how or why things happen?
Semi-structured Interviewing • Type of interview in which the structure is predetermined • The researcher explores a few general topics to help uncover views on specific issues, but does not interfere with how the respondent frames their response • The participants perspective should unfold as the participant views it, not as the researcher views it
Purpose and Limitations • Purpose • Yields ample data in short period of time • Immediate follow-up and clarification • Allows researcher to understanding the meaning held by the participant • Develop basis for future quantitative exploration • Limitations • Breadth vs. depth • Not observing people in a natural setting • Communication style/characteristics of participants
Researcher Role • The researcher is the instrument • Negotiating entry • Reciprocity • Trust • Unequal power/coercion
Interviewing in Action • Explain the nature of the research and obtain consent • If a participant has answered one of your questions prematurely, do not ask them to answer it again • Follow the protocol but do not let it derail a natural conversation flow • Don’t go too far off topic • Emphasize the factors that the respondent seems to want to talk about most
Focus Group Interviewing • A discussion among a small group where the facilitator supplies the topics and monitors the discussion • The purpose is to gather information about a specific (or focused) topic in a group environment. • A group environment allows for discussion and interaction among participants. The interaction involved in focus groups can provide additional information to the researcher.
Purpose of Focus Groups • Understanding the why? and how? Questions • Examine perceptions, beliefs, or opinions of participants • Identify strengths and weaknesses of a program, service, or experience • Build on existing information or contribute to the development of future studies
Advantages of the Focus Group • Members respond to one another resulting in potentially rich data • “Synergistic group effect”: Interactions among and between group members stimulate discussions in which one group member reacts to comments made by another (Stage & Manning, 2003) • Flexible and dynamic • Relatively low cost as compared with technology driven methods • Participants may feel more comfortable in a group setting with others who are sharing similar opinions
Limitations • Difficult to assemble • Groups can influence individual opinions • Strength of data drawn from focus group is largely dependent on the strength of the facilitator(s) • Lack of control over discussion
Developing an Interview protocol • List of questions to ask participants • Ask concrete, specific, simple, and open-ended rather than complex, loaded, or close-ended questions.
Types of Questions • Experience and behavior questions • What resources on campus do you use? • Opinion and values questions • What could UCLA administrators and staff do to provide a nurturing environment for LGB students? • Feelings questions • When you first came to UCLA, what did it feel to be out on campus? • Knowledge questions • What are the resources available to members of the LGB community on campus? • Sensory/environmental questions • What makes the UCLA campus welcoming or not welcoming to LGB students? • Background and demographic questions • If you feel comfortable, please tell us with which gender you identify.
Rubrics What is Rubric? • A scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work, or “what counts” • Articulates gradations of quality for each criterion, from excellent to poor. Why Use Rubric? • Powerful tools for teaching and assessment • Helps guide self and peer-assessment to become more thoughtful judges of the quality of work • Reduce the amount of time to spend evaluating work • Easy to use and explain
Rubrics Rubric Development • Articulate the outcome(s) being assessed • List criteria • Articulate gradations of quality • Practice on models • Use self- and peer-assessment • Revise • Use as assessment
Common components • Scale: represents established levels of achievement, performance, or mastery • Common Scales: • Exemplary, Competent, Developing • Distinguished, Intermediate, Beginner • Excellent, Competent, Needs Work • Expert, Intermediate, Novice • Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
EXAMPLES • Your assessment plan rubric (Tab 10) • ACPA Competencies Rubrics • http://www2.myacpa.org/images/professional-development/docs/professional-competencies-rubrics2013.pdf • AACU VALUE Rubrics • http://www.aacu.org/VALUE/rubrics/index_p.cfm?CFID=18491496&CFTOKEN=32182917 • Baseline Rubric Tool (Templates)* • http://ucla.campuslabs.com Rubrics Tab *Need a Baseline Account--approval through your director; email Kristen
Other Methods • Observation • Record situations as they happen • Participant Observation • You become part of the situation • Network Research • Understand the diffusion of information or behaviors • Content analysis of secondary text or visual data • Elicitation of themes in a body of written or visual media (e.g. photos) • Spatial mapping • Observe data across spacial units