Collecting and Reporting Data - Report Example

Q Surveys The importance of using surveys in data collection is their flexibility. It is possible to administer a survey in different methods, and it can take a form of a structured interview, where a researcher asks those participating questions, and thereafter records them. Surveys can also take the form of a questionnaire, where there are a series of questions that an individual fills. Surveys are standardized, and therefore data collected is reliable and valid (Smith, 1999). By using surveys, a researcher has the capability of collecting a large amount of data, within a very short period of time. They are also less expensive, and quicker to administer. Surveys are also essential in collecting information pertaining to a wider range of issues (Creswell, 2007). However, researchers denote that using surveys limits the scope of an individual because of the questioned asked, and therefore does not provide accurate information regarding an issue. Despite this limitation, surveys are an important source of data that this research relies on to acquire information. Interview Using interview in this research is important because it will provide a deep explanation on the issues under investigation. It will enable a researcher to see the facial expressions of an individual, and thereafter analyze on whether the information the interviewed person provides is reliable (Jensen, 2002). It will provide an opportunity for an individual to share the sensitive information regarding the topic under investigation, and therefore widens the understanding of the issues surrounding the cultural competence of teachers. By using interviews as sources of data collection, a researcher will have the ability to ask a more detailed question and analysis of the issues surrounding the competence of teachers in relation to culture. The researcher can also obtain data regarding the feelings of an interviewee concerning the issue under consideration. On this note, it is essential to use an interview during this process of research. Focus Groups This research will use focus group discussions as a method of collecting data. The discussions will be centered on culture and how it influences the performance of teachers in public schools. Focus groups provide for a moderator, and his role is to ensure that the conversation focuses on the issue at hand (Smith, 1999). He encourages participants to engage with one another, without showing signs of domination. The groups are also important because they are dynamic in nature, and a researcher has the capability of collecting data that reflects the opinions of various members of the group. Q. 2 The following are the open ended questions for an interview in the proposed research; What are the cultural values that affect the performance of teachers in a public school? What is the government doing in ensuring the effectiveness of teachers in performing their duties, despite cultural limitations? How should the government train teachers for purposes of making them competent despite conflicting cultural backgrounds? What social activities should teachers engage in, that will help in improving their efficiency? What is the role of culture in determining the behaviors and attitudes of people? How do school children react when taught by teachers who emanate from the different cultures as theirs? How should the government develop a code of conduct that will discourage unfavorable cultural practices in a school set up? These questions will help in evaluating on how culture affects the efficiency of teachers in a public school. They are also developed in consideration of the three main questions that the research seeks to answer. These questions are; 1. If there is need of improving the cultural competence of teachers in a public school environment. 2. If the educational stakeholders are satisfied with the competence of such teachers. 3. The details that should be placed in manuals of training teachers. Q. 3 One of the issues most likely to be encountered in the process of collecting, compiling, interpreting and reporting data is suspicions from the target population on the main objectives of this research. It will be difficult to get volunteers to participate in the focus groups, or fill our surveys forms or offer themselves for an interview. This is because the target population will most likely insist on knowing the reasons of our research, and it is expected that some of them will not believe our reasons (Smith, 1999). Another issue under concern is the costs required for collecting, compiling, interpreting and reporting the data. Money is needed to develop surveys, transport the various members of the focus groups, record and compile the information acquired (Downton, 2003). Members of the focus groups will require lunch, and an allowance for their participation. To make this a success, it is important to have money for the research. It is also expected that in the process of conducting the research, it is possible to encounter barriers in language. This is because the target population of this research is various members of different cultures, and it expected that some of them will not have the ability of speaking good English. This issue is most likely to arise during the process of conducting an interview. At the focus group discussions, this problem will manifest itself. On this note, cultural differences, depicted through language use, may act as a barrier to effectively researching on this issue. Q. 4 One method of establishing and maintaining effective communication is face to face presentation. Face to face communication emphasizes the importance of the issue being communicated. It will manage to get the attention of the audience, and increase the chances of the message being communicated to be heard, and acted upon. It also increases efficiency in communication because a researcher manages to see the facial expressions of people, and their body language. This is important in determining the views of the stakeholders in relation to the research under consideration (Jensen, 2002). Using electronic medium such as emails, tweets and text messages is another important method of communicating to all the stakeholders of the research. Using the electronic data has the capability of relying information in a quicker manner, and therefore enhances teamwork among the various stakeholders of the research process (Creswell, 2007). Electronic communication creates the ability of a researcher to communicate the same piece of information to various stakeholders of the research. It limits the chances of distortions in the message, keeping its original intention. On this note, electronic medium as a means of communication is effective in relying crucial and important information for research. Use of brochures is another method of communicating to various stakeholders of the organization (Smith, 1999). A brochure is simple to design, and flexible. On this note, a researcher can effectively communicate the stages of his research in note form. Another reason of using a brochure is that it saves time. It does not require a researcher to include detailed information, and thus he has the capability of denoting the main issues of his research. Q.5 The study under consideration is descriptive, because it aims at evaluating the competence of teachers in a public school, and to report this data, it is essential for the researcher to use the sensitization model of data reporting. This model emphasizes on the importance of research in the concerned field, and on most occasions; its target audience is the various stakeholders of the research. This method of reporting describes the role of the researcher, and the guidelines in which a researcher conducts his/ her experiments. This method also gives an explanation on the relevance of data collection techniques that a researcher used to conduct his research, and how they lead to an understanding of the cultural implications in relation to the work of teachers in a public institution (Colwell, 2005). In using the sensitization method of reporting data, a researcher will categorize data, on the basis of the different views that emanated from the sample used in collecting the information under consideration. In view of this, the researcher describes the characteristic of the population in question, and it therefore presents an accurate report of the findings. A researcher can use power point presentations, brochures or even electronic media in disseminating the collected data/ information. References: Colwell, R. (2006). MENC handbook of research methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Downton, P. (2003). Design research. Melbourne: RMIT Pub.. Jensen, K. B. (2002). A handbook of media and communication research: qualitative and quantitative methodologies. London: Routledge. Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples. London: Zed Books ;. Read More