Qualitative Data Analysis for Language Teachers

Empowering teachers to help students

Dr. Andrew Finch 1

Introduction
Much of the material in this presentation can be found in:
M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1984). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods. California; SAGE publications Inc. This seminar will take the format of a Workshop. If you have brought your own data and research questions, you can examine them in the light of considerations mentioned in these slides and in the handout.
2 Miles,

Introduction
In this seminar, we will investigate:
     

Qualitative research: The problem Focusing the Collection of Data Analysis During Data Collection Drawing and Verifying Conclusions Data Analysis Workshop Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Two basic types of research:

Descriptive and Measurement-based MeasurementQualitative research: 1. concerned with understanding human behavior from the researcher s frame of reference; naturalistic and uncontrolled observation; subjective; Quantitative research: 1. concerned with facts or causes of behavior without regard to the subjective state of the individual; obtrusive and controlled measurement; objective;

2. 3. 4. 5.

2. 3. 4. 5.

close to the data; discovery-oriented, exploratory, descriptive; 6. inductive; 7. process oriented 8. valid: real , rich , deep data; 9. ungeneralizable case studies; 10. dynamic reality.

removed from the data; verification-oriented, reductionist, inferential, hypothetical; 6. deductive; 7. outcome oriented 8. reliable: hard , replicable data; 9. generalizable multiple case studies; 10. stable reality.
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Qualitative data-collection datainstruments

      

Questionnaires Self- and peer-assessment forms Checklists/inventories Interviews Teacher-diary Learner-diary Observation

Qualitative data-analysis datacriteria

    

Transparency Trustworthiness Aesthetic merit Reflexivity Accountability

Qualitative data-analysis datainterpretation

      

Cognitive (positivist) Socio-culturalist Social-constructionist (relativist) Marxist Feminist Essentialist Behaviourist

Why Qualitative Data?

Miles & Huberman, P. 15 (Handout)
 

Qualitative data are attractive. They are a source of well-grounded, rich descriptions and explanations of processes occurring in local contexts. With qualitative data one can preserve the chronological flow, assess local causality, and derive fruitful explanations. They help researchers go beyond initial preconceptions and frameworks. The findings from qualitative studies have a quality of undeniability, (Smith, 1978.
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Components of Data Analysis

p. 21 Data Reduction: (Handout)

the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting, and transforming the raw data that appear in written-up field notes. Data reduction occurs continuously throughout the life of any qualitatively oriented project. This is part of analysis.

Components of Data Analysis

Data Display: (Handout)


The second major flow of analysis activity is data display. A display is an organized assembly of information that permits conclusion drawing and action taking.
 The

most frequent form of display for qualitative data has been narrative text.
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Components of Data Analysis

Conclusion Drawing/Verification: (Handout)


The third stream of analysis activity is conclusion drawing and verification. From the beginning of data collection, the qualitative analyst beginning to decide what things mean, is noting regularities, patterns, explanations, possible configurations, causal flows, and propositions.
 Final

conclusions may not appear until data collection is over.

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Components of Data Analysis

Components of Data Analysis: Flow Model Data collection period Data reduction Data displays Conclusion drawing/verifying
(Handout)

Anticipatory

= Analysis

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Components of Data Analysis

Components of Data Analysis: Interactive Model (Handout)
Data collection Data Display

Data Reduction

Conclusions: drawing/verifying

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Conceptual framework
p. 28 Building a Conceptual Framework (Handout)


Theory-building relies on a few general constructs that subsume a mountain of particulars. We have to decide which dimensions are more important, which relationships are likely to be most meaningful, and what information should be collected and analyzed.

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Conceptual Framework
CURRICULUM DESIGN (VAN LIER 1996:189) (Handout).
PRINCIPLES Awareness Autonomy Authenticity Achievement Assessment Accountability

STRATEGIES

Contingent interaction Scaffolding Critical thinking Learner training

ACTION

Tasks Field work Portfolios Conversation Negotiation Stories Genre variation Team work

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Research Questions
p. 35 Formulating Research Questions (Handout)


The formulation of research questions can precede or follow the development of a conceptual framework. Research questions can be general or particular, descriptive or explanatory.
 They

can be formulated at the outset or later on, and can be refined or reformulated in the course of fieldwork.
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Data Collection
p. 36 Sampling: Bounding the Collection of Data (Handout)
 Choices

must be made. Unless you are willing to devote most of your professional life to a single study, you have to settle for less. have subsettings (schools have classrooms, groups have cliques, cultures have subcultures, families have coalitions), so that fixing the boundaries of the setting in a non-arbitrary way is tricky.
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 Settings

Sampling (Handout)
p. 37 Qualitative research is essentially an investigative process, not unlike detective work. One makes gradual sense of a social phenomenon, and does it in large part by:
    

contrasting, comparing, replicating, cataloguing, and classifying the object of ones study.

These are all sampling activities

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Sampling (Handout)
Sampling involves not only decisions about which people to observe or interview, but also about
   

settings, events, actors, social processes.

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Analysis During Data Collection

p. 49 Methods (Handout)
 MOT CONF IP EC IC AP ORG/PRA C CLASS PROBS EXT RULE PATT QU-! QU-Q T S Motivation Confidence Innovation Properties External Context Internal Context Adoption Process Effects on Organizational Practice Effects on Classroom Practice Implementation Problems External Interventions Rules Recurrent Patterns Surprises Puzzles Teacher 20 Student

Contact Summary Sheet Document Summary Form Codes and Coding

Analysis During Data Collection

Methods (Handout)
    

Reflective Remarks Marginal Remarks Storing and Retrieving Text Pattern Coding Memoing

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Drawing and Verifying Conclusions

pp. 215-229 Tactics for Generating Meaning
           

Counting Noting patterns, themes Seeing plausibility Clustering (Classifying) Making metaphors Splitting variables Subsuming particulars into the general Factoring Noting relationships between variables Finding intervening variables Building a logical chain of evidence Making conceptual/theoretical coherence

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Drawing and Verifying Conclusions

Tactics for Testing or Confirming Findings
           

Checking for representativeness Checking for researcher effects Triangulating Weighting the evidence Making contrasts/comparisons Checking the meaning of outliers Using extreme cases Ruling our spurious relations Replicating a finding Checking out rival explanations Looking for negative evidence Getting feedback from informants

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Workshop 1 (In Groups, 15 minutes)

Please look at your handouts. Look at the Freshman Syllabus Design Issues and the Sample Issues for Action Research. Choose an issue (or make your own issue). Make a research plan.
     

What do you want to find out? Make some research questions. What data will you collect? How will you collect it (research instruments)? When will you collect it? How will you analyse the data?
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Workshop 2 (Groups, 15 minutes)

Please look at your handouts.
If you have brought some data, look at it now with members of your group. Try doing some data analysis.
      

Make some analysis codes. Go through the data and write in the codes in appropriate places. Make some reflective comments. Make some marginal comments Find patterns. Draw some conclusions. How would you verify them?
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Workshop 3 (Pairs, 15 minutes)

A): Ask your partner to talk about his/her Language Learning History.
  

Make notes as you listen. Ask questions. What things do you think are significant?

B): Talk about your LLH.

 

Look at the questions on the next slide. What events do you think were significant in your LLH?
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Workshop 3 (LLH Questions)

 

How did you learn English before you started in Higher Education? What positive and negative experiences did you have and what did you learn from them? In terms of learning English, what were you expecting before you started in Higher Education? When you started in Higher Education, what were you surprised about in your classes or in the surrounding environment? Have you changed your ways of language learning since starting in Higher Education? What are the things that you found especially helpful, either in classes or outside them?  What are the areas that you still want to improve in?  How do you think this year will be (has been)?  What are your language learning plans and goals after graduation?  What advice would you give to future students? 27

NVivo

This is Qualitative Research Software.

  

Let s take a look at it. NVIVO

http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo.aspx

Tutorial
http://download.qsrinternational.com/Document/NVivo8/NVivo8Introducing-NVivo.htm

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References
 

 

Action Research paper: http://www.finchpark.com/arts Questionnaires: http://www.finchpark.com/books/lj Contact: aefinch@gmail.com Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1984). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods. California; SAGE publications Inc.

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