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Chapter 10
Analyzing Data
Thinking about data analysis from the data collection point of view will produce results that have greater clarity All data collected should have an obvious place in the data analysis
Size
The number of people, places or systems represented in a research study
The greater the number, the more complex the data collection process
Scope
The scope our a research study refers to breadth or depth of the problem being investigated
Do different dimensions of the problem require different data collection methods?
Program Participation
Research studies that take place in agency settings should have the support of program personnel
Separate clinical activity and research activity Avoid data collection methods that conflict with clinical philosophy or practices Consider agency records as a source of existing data to avoid duplication of paperwork
Worker Cooperation
Data collection considerations
Make every effort to work cooperatively with the programs workers Be sensitive to the workloads of program workers Establish a way for workers to get feedback from the data they provide
Cultural considerations
The fit of the data collection method within the context of cultural norms Cultural bias of standardized measures Minority groups that have been over studied
Resources
Data collection is expensive
Cost of instruments (materials and supplies) Training data collectors Transportation costs for field research Data entry or transcription
Time
Research projects often have fixed completion dates, set by
Dissertation or thesis guidelines External pressures
Funding Politics
General Criteria: 1. Size 2. Scope 3. Program participation 4. Worker cooperation 5. Intrusion to clients 6. Resources 7. Time 8. Previous research + + + + 0 + + +
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Implementation
The main guiding principle for implementing a data collection method is using a systematic approach
Detail the procedures so that persons collecting the data are skilled at performing data collection tasks Procedures for qualitative research studies will be more flexible than procedures for quantitative studies
Evaluation
The data collection method for any study should be evaluated by the researcher
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the data collection method and the data source Assess the quality of implementation
how well data collection procedures were actually carried out
SUMMARY
A variety of data collection methods and data sources can be used in any research study Thinking through the entire research process from the data collection point-ofview can strengthen the study overall Researchers must way the pros and cons to decide upon the best data collection method for their particular study