Invitation to Participate in a Study (Southern California Only)
Apply by 4/30/13 to Ensure Participation
Certificated educators in Southern California are invited to take part in an experimental, quantitative study on aspects of over-the-counter data.
Intent
Researcher (Jenny Grant Rankin) is looking for district and/or site administrators who are interested in making arrangements for groups of educator staff to voluntarily participate in a study. The study is being conducted in pursuit of a Ph.D. but is driven by Jenny’s passion for helping students via the researched topic.
Format
Jenny will provide participating staff with report handouts they will use to answer 10 multiple-choice survey questions online.
Location: Each group’s own school or district computer lab
Time Commitment: Approximately 20 minutes (took less than15 min. in field tests)
Added Bonus: In appreciation of participants’ time and involvement, Jenny (a former teacher, site administrator, and district administrator) is happy to conclude each 20-minute survey session with a free professional development segment up to 1 hour in length on a pre-arranged topic of your choice (e.g., data analysis, common core transition, etc.).
Study
Purpose: Most educators incorrectly interpret student data. Decisions based on these false analyses impact students. Much research has explored ways staff and training can improve analyses, but few researchers have explored ways in which computer/online data systems (that are being used to view the data) can better help. This study will be used to determine how data systems can best accompany student data reports with data analysis guidance to improve the accuracy with which educators analyze the data contained therein.
Significance: This study will fill a research gap by helping to identify how, as well as to what extent, data systems can increase educators’ data analysis accuracy by providing analysis support within data systems and their reports. The researcher will send study findings to all 39 vendors of data systems profiled by Electronic Learning Assessment Resources (ELAR) (http://www.clrn.org/elar/search.cfm). Improvements data systems make in light of this study have the potential to improve the accuracy with which educators analyze data generated by their data systems and can thus, most importantly, benefit students.
Confidentiality: Per Title 45 CFR 46.102(i) of Federal Regulations, the study will involve minimal risk to participants, meaning no risk greater than risks normally encountered in everyday life (Office of Human Subjects Research, National Institutes of Health, 2005). No educators’ names will be collected in the survey, meaning response data will remain anonymous (as opposed to merely confidential) so no individual feels embarrassment or incurs repercussions for performance in the study.
Flier: Click here if you want to download the invitation flier with the above details.
To Participate
If interested in participating or acquiring more information, please use the form on this page to contact Jenny Rankin. Thank you for your consideration.
Please submit an email if you are interested in coordinating study participation (with the option of a free training session) at your school or district. Thank you for your interest.
