Mastering Data Analysis: Strategies for Quantitative and Qualitative Research (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: So, in the past couple of videos, we've made a solid plan for collecting your data. But raw data on its own cannot answer your research question. The last step of designing your research is planning your data analysis strategies. In quantitative research, you have to decide which calculations and statistical tests you'll use to analyze the data. In qualitative research, you should consider what approach you'll take to categorizing and interpreting the data. Let's take a closer look at some common approaches to data analysis. If you're doing quantitative research, you'll probably be using some kind of statistical analysis. With statistics, you can summarize your sample data, make estimates about a population, and test hypotheses. For example, if you're collecting data on students' test scores, you'll probably want to calculate descriptive statistics like the mean, which describes the average score, and the standard deviation, which describes the variability of the scores. Then, to test a hypothesis about a relationship between variables, you can use a statistical test. Regression and correlation tests look for associations between two or more variables. Comparison tests, like t-tests and ANOVAs, look for differences in the outcomes of different groups. Your choice of statistical tests depends on various aspects of your research design, including the types of variables you're dealing with and the distribution of your data. If you need a refresher, check our articles on choosing the right test. In qualitative research, your data will usually be very dense with information and ideas. Instead of summing it up in numbers, you'll have to comb through the data in detail, interpret its meanings, and extract the parts that are most relevant to your research question. There are many approaches to doing this. One common approach is thematic analysis, which focuses on finding patterns in the data. You label recurring topics or concepts and then group them into broad themes. Another common approach is discourse analysis, which pays more attention to things like social context and structure. You analyze not only what is said, but also how it's said. To get a sense of how researchers analyze qualitative data, try reading some qualitative research papers in your field. We're almost done. Here's a final tip. If you need more help with your research, our knowledge base has got you covered. Check it out here. And that's it. You've got yourself a research design. It's been a great journey with you. Hope to catch you in our next videos.