Date:                      [Day 3 of Trend Analysis]

Subject:                 Data Analysis

Materials:              Overhead Bar Graph of Tables 5 & 6

(1)     Announcements/Roll (5 minutes)

(2)     Overview/Concepts (15 minutes)

(3)     Practice Activity 5.2  (20 minutes)

(4)     Differences between trend analysis and “snapshot” that we have in book (5 minutes)

(5)     [Paper Formatting Guidelines]

Next Time:     Brainstorm/Pre-write for paper

                        Paper Formatting Guidelines

 

(1) Announcements/Roll

Homework for next time: This is posted on BlackBoard. For next class, bring with you a few things:

1.        A start on your paper

2.        A list of specific questions about your topic and/or your data

3.        Copies of data sources that you would share with others to show them what you are working on and how you are approaching your topic

We work in class next time developing your papers, so this is your opportunity to really dig into the work. For the start on your paper, there are no specific guidelines. You might have a few paragraphs, or a substantive freewrite (or set of them) that helps to establish your thinking. You might have some tables or charts you have created (even just sketched by hand) or an outline or idea web. Just make sure you have a real start on the paper.

 

Also, be sure to bring your handbook with you to class next time.

 

(2) Overview/Concepts

Material we have here is fictitious opinion survey.

Use of Likert scale: common in opinion or attitude surveys. (What is used, for instance, in course evaluations).

 

Plotting data

Note how in “Reading at Risk” bar graph gives you better visual sense of data. If you can sketch out graphics, you may see things you otherwise would not have noticed. So it is for you as well as, potentially, for your readers.

 

(Project bar graph)

 

Ask what they see, right off the bat, in the bar graph.

 

Figure out central tendencies

How, in this table, would central tendencies be calculated?

What is the “adjusted response score, in right column?

How to calculate Satisfaction index? What does it mean?

What is a median? Explain what it is here with this data.

What is mode?

(Move on – don’t linger on this, or get sidetracked into discussing significance just yet. Get back to that when discussing practice activity.)

 

Compare individual factors

(Compare classmates. Compare library. Figure out percentage difference.)

Classmate: 2.5%

Library:  14.8%

 

Group factors

Facilities, professors, are two groups. Okay, what are others?

 

Correlation

As one thing goes up, another goes up. As level of education rises, literary reading rises. Negative correlation: as one thing goes up, another goes down. As income rises, crime rate decreases.

 

Establishing correlation does not establish cause

There are a host of possible reasons for a correlation.

Note also that in this class we will deal with a very unscientific way of observing correlation. Not statistical tests for it.

 

(3) Practice Activity 5.2

Using the data in the Tables 5 and 6, answer the following questions

(Remember that this is “invented” data and does not represent real answers to a real survey.)

1. Look at the satisfaction index (mean), median, and mode for each group. What do you notice about these numbers? What do these numbers suggest about the responses?

2. Rank the responses in each group from highest adjusted response score to lowest and compare them. What are the highest three factors in each? What are the lowest? What can you conclude from these rankings?

3. Looking over all the adjusted response scores, what factors most account for differences between the groups? Were you giving advice to someone who was trying to decide between a large and a small school, what would you tell them based on this information?

(4) Differences between trend analysis and “snapshot” that we have in book

Synchronic v. diachronic

Trend analysis asks you to notice changes over time. Assignment also asks that you, like the NEA, try to account for the reasons behind these changes.

 

(5) [Paper Formatting Guidelines]

[Note: Because this is my first assignment unit, I use this time to cover guidelines for properly formatting their papers. I have a sample document I distribute with directions. I find it useful and would recommend, but fill this time as you see fit.]