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Image of a researcher AEE 578--Scientific Inquiry in Agricultural and Extension Education
Icon of filing cabinet drawer The Analysis of Data in Agricultural and Extension Education Research
Introduction:

Image of a magnifying glass 		You have collected your data! Now what do you do? This lesson answers that. 


Learning Objectives:

Icon of a signpost 		image of a ball Describe the main characteristics of correlational research.
image of a ball List the purposes and limitations of correlational research.
image of a ball Describe the general approach to conducting correlational research.
image of a ball Differentiate between a predictor and a criterion variable.
image of a ball List and describe different types of correlation coefficients.
image of a ball Describe the interpretation of correlation coefficients.
image of a ballDescribe the purpose of data analysis in research.
image of a ball Describe the general approach to analyzing qualitative data.
image of a ball Describe the general approach to analyzing quantitative data.
image of a ball Compare and contrast descriptive and inferential statistics.
image of a ball Describe the conceptual meaning of significance in statistical analysis.
image of a ball Given research data, select the appropriate statistical test to use.
Instructional
Activities:

Icon of a computer 		image of a ball Why use statistics in educational research? This simple question is succinctly answered in the short article "When do you need statistical calculations?" from the GraphPad web site.

image of a ball The GraphPad web site has several other short articles that provide a good foundation for the use statistics in research. Please read the following:
 image of a ball Read Chapter 10 "Descriptive Statistics", Chapter 11 "Inferential Statistics", Chapter 12  "Statistics in Perspective" and Chapter 15 "Correlational Research" in How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education (Fraenkel & Wallen). I don't expect you to become an expert in statistics but you should have a general understanding about why we use research statistics and how they are used. [The instructor realizes there is a lot of information here. You are not expected to know everything presented in these chapters. So don't throw up your hands in despair. The information in the PowerPoint presentation and worksheet is the critical information to focus on. Consider this to be background information and use it to supplement and add more insight to the PowerPoint and worksheet].

image of a ball Which statistic should be used in a given situation? The web site WhichTest.info will lead you through a series of decisions to help you decide which statistical test to use. Go to this site and play around.

image of a ball What keeps older members participating in the 4-H program?  Researchers in Ohio (Norland & Bennett) conducted a correlational study to see what factors were related to 4-H satisfaction of older 4-H members. Read "Youth Participation" from the Journal of Extension (Spring, 1993) to see an example of correlational research. Note: the diagram the researchers use to show the strength of the relationships.

image of a ball After deciding which statistical test to use from the previous two web sites, the Vassar Stats web site allows you to load data from an excel spreadsheet (or you can type it in) and perform the various statistical tests. A variety of statistical tests are found on this web site. Go to this web site and browse around. The worksheet for this lesson will utilize that web site.

image of a ball View a PowerPoint presentation on Data Analysis.  
Review:

image of a roundabout sign
 
 Image of a blue ball The publisher of the textbook has some excellent information to support the text; you should check it out:
 Image of a blue ball Visit the text site and complete the multiple choice questions for:
Additional Resources:
image of a gift
 		Image of a blue ball IF you want to see more (NOT required):
Assignments:               
Icon of note pad 		Image of a blue ballComplete the data analysis worksheet.

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