ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a pragmatic approach to how quantitative data might be used in pedagogical action research. The most commonly used descriptive statistics are presented including the basic measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode) and of variability or dispersion (range, mean deviation and standard deviation). Finally, frequency counts are discussed as a way of displaying findings in a summarized form, such as a bar chart or pie chart. The reader is shown how to calculate each measure by hand and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The fictional scenario device used earlier in the book is again used to explore the measures in detail, and to give the reader an understanding of the implications in a pedagogical action research study.
The chapter then moves on to considering inferential statistics, where the aim is to go beyond description. In drawing a distinction between descriptive and inferential statistics, the author briefly touches on the basic principles of statistical testing, specifically testing for significance and probability, as well as some basic guidelines on whether to use a parametric or a non-parametric test. Three main types of inferential statistics are presented: correlation tests, test of differences in means and, tests of goodness of fit. Where the tests are reasonably easy to calculate by hand, a step-by-step procedure is given; in other cases, readers are referred to statistical packages or electronic spreadsheets.
