Richard Jones

EdTech 505

Week 9 Assignment
EdTech 505
Option B
I have approached each of the textbook questions from the following perspectives:

Summarized book information to answer the question in a general sense

Provided examples of each topic based on the textbook scenario
Provided examples of each topic based on my Evaluation Report

1. What are the differences between qualitative and quantitative data?

Qualitative and quantitative data are two methods for collecting data; moreover, both terms refer
to types of data as well. Qualitative data refer to measurements of quality. In other words, the
data reflect a narrative expression as opposed to a numerical ranking or value. Qualitative data
come from data sources like observations, surveys, and interviews. Quantitative data, on the
other hand, refer data that can be expressed in numerical measurements and values. These are
often come from data sources like exams, surveys, and measuring instruments.
In the book scenario, qualitative data would likely come from the interviews and intake
information that Judy mentions as they would provide narrative details about residents attitudes
and interests when they first moved to Grandview. The scenario also mentions new sources of
data that can provide additional qualitative and quantitative data. They mention checklists,
interviews, and surveys, all of which can produce both types of data depending upon the nature
of the questions and answers.
In relating this topic to my Evaluation Report, I plan to use both qualitative and quantitative data
in evaluating the Cyber High program and Studies course. Qualitative data will be collected
through interviews and surveys. The goal would be to better understand some of the various
aspects of this program that do not relate to numerical statistics. I would hope to find answers to
questions like What training have you been given for teaching the Cyber High program? or
How did you go about selecting the course that you are currently taking in Cyber High? I
would also hope to collect quantitative data as well, including information about the number of
credits earned in during the course and the percentage of courses that involve college prep
materials. These are just some of the examples of qualitative and quantitative data that I will
collect in my research proposal.
2. What are the levels of data that you might encounter?
The authors discuss four levels of data that an evaluator might encounter when collecting data:
nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Nominal data is based on a singular item or principle. This
includes topics like gender (male vs female) or language classification (English Learner vs
Native Speaker). Ordinal data builds on this idea, but it adds some form of ranking. For example,
one could collect data about whether people strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree
with a statement. There is only one selection, but that selection resides within a ranking order.

The important thing to note about ordinal data is that the levels are not necessarily equal in
distance from one selection to the next. Nominal and ordinal data are what one would expect to
find from qualitative data sources.
The other two levels of data are known as interval and ratio data. These levels come from
quantitative methods of data collection. Interval data is very similar to ordinal data in that both
emphasize ranking; however, interval data is based on equally-spaced intervals. In other words,
the movement from one possible selection to the other is equal in distance and is written in
numerical form. A scale is a simple example of interval data. Ratio data takes this one step
further by allowing the possibility of negative numbers to be weighed against positive ones.
The Grandview scenario holds the potential for using all four levels of data depending upon the
scope of the evaluation questions. Judy mentions that she hopes to acquire information about
how the program has effected a change in attitude, activity level, health, or overall well-being of
[their] residents. The attitude would likely fall under the nominal or ordinal level. The residents
activity would likely be interval or ratio depending on how it is measured. Health might fall
between interval and ratio, especially if measuring changes to weight, blood pressure, heart rates,
or other numerically-based bodily readings. Overall well-being is somewhat vague, so I could
see it falling into almost any category.
In comparing the description of these data levels with the data that I expect to collect for my
Evaluation Report, I will likely have significant data from the first three levels. As mentioned
earlier in this assignment, I plan to hold interviews and use surveys to better understand the
attitudes of the staff, students, and administrators who are directly involved in Cyber High and
Studies courses. These will fall into the nominal and ordinal data levels. I can also see myself
collecting interval data about the number of credits students are completing in the course, the
amount of time they spend working in class, and other data that falls in the interval level. At this
point, I do not see any data that would fall in the ratio level, but that might change as I delve
further in the data collection and analysis process.
3. What are some instruments you might use or develop?
First, evaluators should look at existing data to see what is already available. Once this has been
covered, the evaluator should plan as to how he or she can collect the evidence that is still
needed to complete the evaluation. In doing so, the evaluator has several instruments or ways to
collect the data. One possible option is an interview. Interviews can take one of three forms:
standardized, semistructured, and unstructured. These are defined by the amount of freedom the
interviewer and interviewee have in asking and answering questions. Another potential choice is
a scale. Scales can be adapted to qualitative and quantitative methods, and they are good for
measuring attitudes and values. Sentence completion provides another instrument for collecting
data. This happens when an interviewer asks the interviewee to complete a sentence that is
posed. If one hopes to collect quantitative data, then he or she might use one of several types of
tests as an instrument for meeting such a goal. Finally, evaluators can use observations to collect
data. Obtrusive observations occur when the subjects know they are being watched, and
unobtrusive observations occur in situations where the subjects are not aware of this fact.

Judy has already indicated several instruments that she has planned for the evaluation at
Grandview. She highlights the use of interviews, surveys, and checklists. I could easily see her
adding observational aspects to this evaluation, especially in trying to describe improvements to
the overall well-being of the residents.
I can also see myself using several instruments in my Evaluation Report. I would like to take a
survey to measure the students attitudes toward the Cyber High courses and the structure of the
Studies class. This could be completed on Google Forms given the students access to
technology in the class. I will interview the administrators to better understand their opinions of
the courses and the progress students are making in remediating credits. I could use an interview
or survey to learn more about the teachers opinions of their preparation to teach the course and
their level of satisfaction regarding student achievement in their classes. I could easily find
testing data to determine student scores on the various end-of-course tests, but I am not sure that
it is relevant to my topic. This is existing data that I could collect should I find a need for it at
some point. Finally, I would complete a few obtrusive observations to write notes about student
productivity while they are in the class. This could be a key aspect to understanding what makes
some students more successful at completing credits than others.
Extra Credit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xbUZPOi_UI
This video discusses the use Google Sheets to determining mean, median, mode, and range. The
video walks viewers through a step-by-step process of locating data, entering into a spreadsheet,
and calling the program to determine each of the four numbers listed above. This video does not
discuss the definitions of mean, median, mode, or range; however, the producer has posted other
videos to her channel that discuss these topics in more detail. One would likely find this video
useful if he or she simply needs to understand how to use Google Sheets to complete the
calculations of these four measurements of central tendency.