It’s YOUR Data: Encouraging data ownership and action on findings

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Wednesday III)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Demystifying and reconstructing data for instructional, design and policy purposes

Proposal

Many donor-funded early grade reading programs include regular sample-based assessments to determine how well students are performing and to what extent schools, teachers and even communities have adopted best practices for reading instruction and support. Typically, project implementers will consult with the M&E (or equivalent) department in the Ministry of Education to design data collection instruments (including student assessments) and administer them in a sample of schools and communities. Thereafter, data analysis is often conducted by project staff and presented to Ministry and other stakeholders as a “fait accompli” in a workshop where “canned” conclusions and recommendations are discussed. Consensus may be reached on general points without deep understanding the data and its implication or – worse—believing it. Consequently, costly data are not exploited, owned by “consumers” and applied for formative purposes.
This presentation will discuss a method of increasing understanding, discourse about and ownership of findings from research on early grade reading programs in Mozambique and Morocco. Data interpretation workshops organized “raw” (frequencies, percentages) data into analytic tables that responded to a series of research/evaluation questions tied to different instruments. In a “jigsaw” approach, participants from diverse departments in the ministries of education and other stakeholders were assigned to groups and presented with the questions and data tables. Participants interpreted the data, presented findings and led recommendation and future action discussions with their peers. This way, they became active consumers and advocates of the data, with a stake in its interpretation and application.
The presenters will address:
• The type of data used
• The method for analysis and interpretation
• Organization of the workshop
• Participant reactions and results

Authors

• Karen Tietjen, Creative Associates International

• Adam M. Turney, World Education, Inc.