Collecting Evidence or Data (Week 22)

Researched and Community Informed Practice (R&C) - Collecting Evidence or Data

This week we have to focus on the different methods that can be used to collect evidence (or data) during an inquiry project.

The Learning Objectives are:

• Understand the importance of collecting evidence during an inquiry project
• Become familiar with the different types of evidence you could collect
• Decide on the types of evidence / collection methods you will use in your inquiry project

It is noted that the success of an inquiry project relies on the ability to collect evidence or data in order to determine the impact or influence the project is having. Data and evidence can take many forms, however, one of the defining features of collecting evidence in an inquiry project is that data collection is planned and systematic. Earl and Timperley (2014) suggest that evidence must be ‘fit-for-purpose, of sufficient quality to form an accurate representation of the situation being evaluated and be available when decisions are being made’ (p. 17).

Some helpful online resources:

• TKI provides some useful guidance on how teachers can use a range of assessment methods. (http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Using-evidence-for-learning/Gathering-evidence/Topics/Assessment-methods).
• The Ministry of Education has also produced some useful information to support teachers and school leaders in using evidence. (http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Pedagogy-and-assessment/Evidence-based-leadership/Data-gathering-and-analysis/Using-data-transforming-potential-into-practice)

Now to think about the methods that will best enable me to collect the evidence needed for my inquiry project...

~ “Imagine that Newton’s third law worked well in both the northern and southern hemispheres - except of course in Italy or New Zealand - and that the explanatory basis for that law was different in the two hemispheres. Such complexity would drive a physicist crazy, but it is a part of the day-to-day world of the educational researcher.”

- Berliner, D.C. (2002). Educational Research:The Hardest Science of All. Educational Researcher, 31(8), 18–20. ~