Analyzing Data and Interpreting Outcomes: Statistical Toolbox for Teacher-Researchers

What Should I do with my Action Research Data?

Many teachers doing action research projects find data analysis and interpretation a difficult if not daunting task. This book is a tool-box for them. The approach is pragmatic, more concerned with helping teacher-researchers to make sense of test scores than to puzzle them with nuances of conceptual finesse.

Part I shows examples of how data can be analyzed for various purposes under different conditions at different stages of action research projects. To facilitate calculation Excel templates for the examples are available download from our below link: Analysing-and-Interpreting-Action-Research-Data.xls

Part II discusses how the results should be interpreted with consideration for the need for a comparator, the meaning of statistical significance, group sizes, and success/failure of action research projects. It is hoped that with this toolbox, teacher-researchers will find data analysis convenient and outcome interpretation meaningful and hence doing action research an enjoyable professional activity.

Praises:
''An indispensable box of delightful statistical tools wittingly crafted with the immediate practical yet professional needs of teacher-researchers in mind. This Toolbox provides sensible, succinct, workable ways not only to make sense of quantitative data in action research but also to understand what’s wrong. The Toolbox is a must-read for teacher-researchers as well as departmental heads and principals who are keen to understand the implications of action research that has taken Singapore schools by storm.''
--Dr. Quek Khiok Seng, Singapore

''With years of training teachers to do action research, Dr Soh has consolidated his experience into this comprehensive and easy-to-use Toolbox for teacher-researchers. They definitely need this book.''
--Dr. Chris Tan, Hong Kong

''Dr. Soh’s book has features that distinguish it from many other books in educational statistics. It represents a short yet fruitful journey into data analysis and interpretation. The learning can be effectively translated into solving practical problems in quantitative action research. The book is a valuable resource for policy makers, educators, researchers, teachers, tutors, and trainers to have as a day-to-day directory and reference for deeper learning.''
--Dr. William Y. Wu, Hong Kong

About The Author:
Dr. Soh Kay Cheng studied for his MEd in educational psychology at the University of Manchester. Later, he was conferred the PhD by the National University of Singapore on his research on child bilingualism. Dr. Soh worked as a teacher-educator and an educational researcher, then Deputy Director (Languages) of the Ministry of Education, Head of the Centre for Applied Research in Education and Senior Fellow at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. He also served as an evaluation and survey consultant to several Ministries of Singapore.

In recent years, his overseas consultation includes being a consultant to the Hong Kong SAR Education and Bureau working on a model of school appraisal and delivering yearly keynote speeches at the Thinking Quality Initiative of the Centre for Educational Development, the Hong Kong Baptist University.

Locally, Dr. Soh was a consultant to the Ministry of Education for the IT Master Plan 2 Review project and also the Evaluation of the New ‘A’ Level Curriculum. Currently, he is a consultant-trainer for the Ministry’s PETALS and other projects and is the chief editor of its North Star: A Publication for Educational Practitioners.

Dr. Soh specialized in educational research methodology, educational statistics, educational measurement, and the psychology of creativity. Of late, he is actively promoting teachers’ action research in Singapore schools and published Action Research Workshops: A Guide for Teachers to Become Teacher-Researchers in English (Singapore) and Chinese (Hong Kong). His earlier books include Feeling the Pulse of Language Teaching, Releasing Creativity for Bondage, Understanding Learning Psychology, On Assessment, and Chinese Language without Tears (in English and Chinese) besides many occasional papers on development and adaptation of test instruments for use in education.