The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) suggests a five-step survey analysis and reporting process:
• Step 1: Review the analysis plan
• Step 2: Prepare and check data files
• Step 3: Calculate response rates
• Step 4: Calculate summary statistics
• Step 5: Present the results in tables or figures
While data sets are likely to be smaller in the context of a program review at NIC, the steps above provide a useful guide when considering how to process survey data.
In terms of analyzing focus group data, the following checklist provides a helpful framework to begin your analysis:
Analyzing focus group data– This infographic provides specific questions for the ‘what,’ the ‘who,’ and the ‘how’ of analyzing the data
See also:
Analyzing Focus Group Data – This chapter explores ways of analyzing focus group data; sampling; setting up focus groups; designing the interview schedule; types of focus group questions; ethical considerations; conducting a pilot; analyzing the data; and reporting out on the data
A Practical Guide to Focus Group Research
– This chapter takes you through: how to decide whether to use an interview or focus group;
After you have separately examined the survey data and the focus group data, you may want to consider:
- in what ways do the data sets support / contradict each other?
- what are the common themes?
- in what ways does the focus group data provide a more nuanced picture of that provided by the survey data?
- what are the main themes / ideas that can be summarized by the entirety of the data?- this
More ideas of how to approach analyzing data can be found below:
Analyzing Quantitative Data– This site provides a framework for planning the data analysis process and some suggested reflection questions