Linda Heidenrich
Review #2-Data Coding
Mertler (2006) discussed three components to the data coding process:
organization, description and interpretation. During our class, we were exposed to each
of these components in relation to a survey involving elementary school teachers and
their comfort with various scientific scenarios. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we
could not refine our initial organizational ideas and descriptions but the process helped us
understand the necessity of data coding:
everybody will see the data differently,
therefore organizing, describing and interpreting the data differently. Yet, through our
discussions we also realized the value of peer review because each of us had a concept of
what categories we wanted, sample response for each category and sample outliers for
each category (what would not fit into a particular category) but we each had a different
description for the category. After dialogue with each other, we refined our categories to
incorporate each other’s ideas and, in the process, made more clear and concise
categories.
Through this process, I realized data coding is a subjective experience and both
peer review and triangulation are critical. Peer review is critical because it provides the
opportunity for you to present your categories and see if they make sense. Peer review
also provides the opportunity for you to suggest a response that belongs in each category
and see if your peers agree or disagree. If they disagree, you have an opportunity to
reassess your categories and make them more meaningful and useful. Triangulation is
critical because data coding of an open-ended survey, for example, is influenced by your
experience as an educator whereas a survey asking your subjects to choose a number to
represent their feelings is more objective and cannot be misinterpreted. However,
questions have to be carefully and objectively worded or these surveys can be biased as
well. Therefore, you must gather data in both objective and subjective ways and see if
they correspond to one another on the question you are analyzing for your action
research.
My action research project involves the success of students in academies. I will
analyze my data through pretest and posttest scores on district-wide benchmarks,
interviews and surveys and grades. My academy class will be compared to my other
college prep class to ensure minimum amount of variables. For example, I did not write
the benchmarks so that source of data could be faulty, but since I am comparing two
classes comparable in students it should be a good source of objective data. My surveys
will be given before and after the unit and will be based on a rating scale determining
students’ comfort with a topic, perceived knowledge of a topic and previous experience
with a topic. The interviews will include questions similar to the survey but I will
videotape to augment the surveys by also coding for physical movements suggesting
levels of comfort or discomfort and confidence in explaining perceived knowledge and
previous experience. The surveys will allow me to get a sense of the general feeling and
the videotaped interviews will give me a sense of the accuracy of the surveys. Students’
grades will also be an objective tool to analyze my questions regarding the benefit of
academies on student success. My grades are standards-based and have no citizenship or
effort component so my grades should be an objective and accurate indicator of student
success.