R: a Swiss Army Knife for Market Research

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

R: a Swiss Army Knife for Market Research R: A Swiss Army Knife for Market Research Enhancing work practices with R Martin Chan – Consultant, Rainmakers CSI 12th September, 2018 1 2 This presentation is about using R in business environments or conditions where its usage is less intuitively suitable… … and a story of how R has been transformative for our work practices 2 3 Who are we? What do we do? 3 4 What How Where Answer strategic Estimate size of market, and size of Across multiple questions to help our opportunity, anticipating trends industries and clients grow profitably markets Utilise resources available within an Inform strategic decisions organisation (e.g. stakeholder knowledge, • FMCG through creative and existing research) • Finance & analytical thinking Insurance Develop consumer targeting frameworks – • Travel identify core consumers and areas of • Media opportunities 4 5 A team with a mix of backgrounds from strategy, brand planning, marketing, research… (where analytics is a key, but only one of the components of our work) 5 6 What’s different about the use of R in our work? 6 Challenges of Using R Nature of data: Nature of U&A Client 1 2 3 disparate, patchy data requirement and expectations (of outputs) U&A – research with the aim to understand a market and identify growth opportunities by answering questions on whom to target, with what, and how. (Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-encyclopedia- 7 usage-attitude-surveys-ua) Nature of data: 1 disparate, patchy 8 9 Historical survey data – often designed for different purposes Stakeholder Interviews Our data come (Qualitative) together in and collected from different samples different forms, like pieces of Population / Demographic data (from census, World Bank Customer Interviews (Qualitative) JIGSAW research etc.) Pricing data Historical segmentation work (e.g. Euromonitor, Nielsen) (past work produced by client’s suppliers) Primary research (e.g. U&A, customer satisfaction surveys) 9 10 Challenges in Using R Disparate and patchy data… Ad-hoc data – easier to explore in Excel 1 Traditionally Excel is an easy tool for these (albeit chaotic) situations when you need to ‘play around’ to figure out your plan of attack 2 Data is small or ‘non-repetitive’ – not worth automating Perception of using R – for automating analysis - is only justifiable if the benefits of reproducibility exceed the costs of … renders it more setting up code (prominent for small data sets) difficult to reap the benefits offered by R 3 Poorly structured / stored data – more time-consuming to use R to clean Condition of the input data (think merged cells in Excel, or data saved in PowerPoint) almost make R even more time- consuming in the short-term 10 Integrating data types 11 Integrating analysis from different Package for Qualitative Data Analysis sources of data under one roof RQDA Qualitative Research Output stakeholder interviews, Understand the “why” and the reasoning telephone interviews; focus behind behaviour, or develop hypotheses / segments – development of a groups, workshops framework of themes and quotes 11 Integrating data types 12 Qualitative Analysis (Without R) Interview or group takes place, which is recorded and transcribed into a text or Word file • Transcripts are annotated and interpreted • Possible themes / hypotheses are documented in a separate document • Quotes are copied out and pasted into a separate document, Keep refining with references to the respondent background and interview framework until it is a number fair and sensible interpretation of the Transcript Quotes Themes different themes emerging from the interviews A framework of themes/hypotheses or a story is developed – and a report is produced using the analysis of the annotations, themes, and quotes 12 Integrating data types 13 RQDA: What is it used for? RQDA 1. A more systematic tool for analysing qualitative data 2. GUI launched in R for marking up themes, quotes from qualitative interviews 3. Creates an analysis output in sqlite database, allowing further analysis or production of outputs within R 4. Integrated with R – use sqlite to extract data, enable exploration of insights through text mining techniques Outputs 1 Word / N-gram frequency analysis → Help generate hypotheses wordcloud 2 Word cloud → Visual output for communicating strategic output tidytext 3 Table output → Ease of retrieving quotes to be used in a presentation 13 Integrating data types 14 RQDA GUI Interface Marked up transcript Outputs Structure of database Code ID Codes / Themes File … 1 Data Science in Practice 1, 2, 3 frequency of occurrence, 2 Industry Differences 1, 2 code themes, etc. 3 R versus Python 3,5 … … … Source: https://leanpub.com/conversationsondatascience/read_s 14 ample Nature of U&A 2 data U&A – research with the aim to understand a market and identify growth opportunities by answering questions on whom to target, with what, and how. (Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-encyclopedia- 15 usage-attitude-surveys-ua) 16 Challenges of Using R 1 Wide data Features of a Large number of variables with relatively few cases Usage & / observations Attitude Survey 2 Design-dependent Variables must be very closely interpreted relative (U&A) to the original research design, e.g. questionnaire wording, rating vs ranking – making it difficult to interpret results within R 16 17 Example Question 1 Attitudinal Q25. For each of the following statements - on a scale of 1 to 6, please select the score which best describes your attitude towards using R packages: I write my own R packages I look extensively for existing whenever it is possible to /do packages as solutions before so considering to produce my own Q25A … 1 2 3 4 5 6 I believe R packages should be I believe R packages should contain comprehensive enough to cover Q25P the minimum number of functions the most likely tasks that I will needed to solve a problem do when solving a problem Wording will also slightly differ if you enter the survey as a different respondent – e.g. R package developer, beginner or heavy R user! 17 18 Example Question 2 Usage Q27. For each of the following tasks, please select the packages that you are likely to use in carrying out the task… SELECT A MAXIMUM OF THE TEN MOST LIKELY PACKAGES Tasks Packages 1. Building a linear model with an 1. dplyr interactive dashboard output 2. tidyr Entered through 2. Writing a package to store 3. data.table search box customised analysis functions for 4. tibble a project 5. shiny 3. Producing publishing quality 6. plotly visualisations 7. ggplot2 … … 12.4. Analyse survey data 110.8. Other (Please enter) 18 19 1 2 Our challenge 3 1 3 4 The meaning 5 represented by Handling both the each variable is variable and value 6 highly dependent labels effectively This explains the on the exact through R when prevalence of wording on both there are often a GUI analysis Number of ends of the scale large number of variables from software such one question these variables, as SPSS and Q which are not 2 supported by data Sparse data frames / tibbles (particularly in example 2) 19 20 Generalised Approach The solution to overcoming this is to use a mixture of the Create empty list following that helps us Loop* through scenarios / categories automate certain workflows: Operations to wrangle / analyse data, e.g. group_by(), summarise(), mutate(), spread(), gather() • Dplyr Output: either as a tibble / data.frame or mschart object Assign output to member of list • for loops / apply → Create a combined output using merge_recurse or merge_all functions → Export Excel output using writexl::write_excel() • merge functions → Export PowerPoint output using mschart package • User-defined functions + timestamp to outputs to document analysis *Or in the form of combining sapply and a UDF, if possible – for computation efficiency; but for loops benefit from readability 20 21 Survey Analysis (With R) Run different iterations Output Import Prepare Analyse Summary writexl tables, e.g. contingency tables VBA for automating formatting Import files as SAV Extract, cleaning, apply functions, loops, and custom PowerPoint (SPSS) or CSV files; and structuring data functions for generating the outputs outputs – sometimes serialised as to prepare for – usually in the form of summary occasionally RDS to save loading analysis tables using SVG time and memory (vector) for Lepton providing an alternative to R visual quality packages for managing ad-hoc 21 functions 22 Outcome • Reproducibility – can trace back to exactly what you have done • A quick and organised way of exploring data through iterations (using custom functions) 22 Client 3 requirement and expectations (of outputs) 23 24 In many business environments there is still a preference of (perceived) simple and reliable outputs over interactive dashboard outputs like Shiny or Tableau 24 25 There are many reasons for this – sometimes it may be the nature of the data (small, ad-hoc datasets that require a lot of cleaning), but also driven by certain specific needs: Clients can easily adapt No requirement to know any 1 content for their own use 2 code (access to data not when sharing with internal dependable on internal skill or stakeholders supplier) Perceived to have fewer Output is not merely data 3 ‘moving parts’, e.g. what 4 visualisation – often a requirement do I when there is an error to heavily annotate or to construct a conceptual framework 5 Familiarity… 25 26 Familiarity (Style) “Content looks great, could you put this in a format that looks less academic?” 26 27 We work with partners and clients from very varied
Recommended publications
  • Navigating the R Package Universe by Julia Silge, John C
    CONTRIBUTED RESEARCH ARTICLES 558 Navigating the R Package Universe by Julia Silge, John C. Nash, and Spencer Graves Abstract Today, the enormous number of contributed packages available to R users outstrips any given user’s ability to understand how these packages work, their relative merits, or how they are related to each other. We organized a plenary session at useR!2017 in Brussels for the R community to think through these issues and ways forward. This session considered three key points of discussion. Users can navigate the universe of R packages with (1) capabilities for directly searching for R packages, (2) guidance for which packages to use, e.g., from CRAN Task Views and other sources, and (3) access to common interfaces for alternative approaches to essentially the same problem. Introduction As of our writing, there are over 13,000 packages on CRAN. R users must approach this abundance of packages with effective strategies to find what they need and choose which packages to invest time in learning how to use. At useR!2017 in Brussels, we organized a plenary session on this issue, with three themes: search, guidance, and unification. Here, we summarize these important themes, the discussion in our community both at useR!2017 and in the intervening months, and where we can go from here. Users need options to search R packages, perhaps the content of DESCRIPTION files, documenta- tion files, or other components of R packages. One author (SG) has worked on the issue of searching for R functions from within R itself in the sos package (Graves et al., 2017).
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Ggplot2
    Introduction to ggplot2 Dawn Koffman Office of Population Research Princeton University January 2014 1 Part 1: Concepts and Terminology 2 R Package: ggplot2 Used to produce statistical graphics, author = Hadley Wickham "attempt to take the good things about base and lattice graphics and improve on them with a strong, underlying model " based on The Grammar of Graphics by Leland Wilkinson, 2005 "... describes the meaning of what we do when we construct statistical graphics ... More than a taxonomy ... Computational system based on the underlying mathematics of representing statistical functions of data." - does not limit developer to a set of pre-specified graphics adds some concepts to grammar which allow it to work well with R 3 qplot() ggplot2 provides two ways to produce plot objects: qplot() # quick plot – not covered in this workshop uses some concepts of The Grammar of Graphics, but doesn’t provide full capability and designed to be very similar to plot() and simple to use may make it easy to produce basic graphs but may delay understanding philosophy of ggplot2 ggplot() # grammar of graphics plot – focus of this workshop provides fuller implementation of The Grammar of Graphics may have steeper learning curve but allows much more flexibility when building graphs 4 Grammar Defines Components of Graphics data: in ggplot2, data must be stored as an R data frame coordinate system: describes 2-D space that data is projected onto - for example, Cartesian coordinates, polar coordinates, map projections, ... geoms: describe type of geometric objects that represent data - for example, points, lines, polygons, ... aesthetics: describe visual characteristics that represent data - for example, position, size, color, shape, transparency, fill scales: for each aesthetic, describe how visual characteristic is converted to display values - for example, log scales, color scales, size scales, shape scales, ..
    [Show full text]
  • Sharing and Organizing Research Products As R Packages Matti Vuorre1 & Matthew J
    Sharing and organizing research products as R packages Matti Vuorre1 & Matthew J. C. Crump2 1 Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, United Kingdom 2 Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of CUNY, New York USA A consensus on the importance of open data and reproducible code is emerging. How should data and code be shared to maximize the key desiderata of reproducibility, permanence, and accessibility? Research assets should be stored persistently in formats that are not software restrictive, and documented so that others can reproduce and extend the required computations. The sharing method should be easy to adopt by already busy researchers. We suggest the R package standard as a solution for creating, curating, and communicating research assets. The R package standard, with extensions discussed herein, provides a format for assets and metadata that satisfies the above desiderata, facilitates reproducibility, open access, and sharing of materials through online platforms like GitHub and Open Science Framework. We discuss a stack of R resources that help users create reproducible collections of research assets, from experiments to manuscripts, in the RStudio interface. We created an R package, vertical, to help researchers incorporate these tools into their workflows, and discuss its functionality at length in an online supplement. Together, these tools may increase the reproducibility and openness of psychological science. Keywords: reproducibility; research methods; R; open data; open science Word count: 5155 Introduction package standard, with additional R authoring tools, provides a robust framework for organizing and sharing reproducible Research projects produce experiments, data, analyses, research products. manuscripts, posters, slides, stimuli and materials, computa- Some advances in data-sharing standards have emerged: It tional models, and more.
    [Show full text]
  • Rkward: a Comprehensive Graphical User Interface and Integrated Development Environment for Statistical Analysis with R
    JSS Journal of Statistical Software June 2012, Volume 49, Issue 9. http://www.jstatsoft.org/ RKWard: A Comprehensive Graphical User Interface and Integrated Development Environment for Statistical Analysis with R Stefan R¨odiger Thomas Friedrichsmeier Charit´e-Universit¨atsmedizin Berlin Ruhr-University Bochum Prasenjit Kapat Meik Michalke The Ohio State University Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf¨ Abstract R is a free open-source implementation of the S statistical computing language and programming environment. The current status of R is a command line driven interface with no advanced cross-platform graphical user interface (GUI), but it includes tools for building such. Over the past years, proprietary and non-proprietary GUI solutions have emerged, based on internal or external tool kits, with different scopes and technological concepts. For example, Rgui.exe and Rgui.app have become the de facto GUI on the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms, respectively, for most users. In this paper we discuss RKWard which aims to be both a comprehensive GUI and an integrated devel- opment environment for R. RKWard is based on the KDE software libraries. Statistical procedures and plots are implemented using an extendable plugin architecture based on ECMAScript (JavaScript), R, and XML. RKWard provides an excellent tool to manage different types of data objects; even allowing for seamless editing of certain types. The objective of RKWard is to provide a portable and extensible R interface for both basic and advanced statistical and graphical analysis, while not compromising on flexibility and modularity of the R programming environment itself. Keywords: GUI, integrated development environment, plugin, R.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Resource Management Strategies for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Project Success Armstrong Matthew Alexis Walden University
    Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2018 Human Resource Management Strategies for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Project Success Armstrong Matthew Alexis Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Business Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral study by Armstrong M. Alexis has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Dorothy Hanson, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Teresa Jepma, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Matthew Knight, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2018 Abstract Human Resource Management Strategies for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Project Success by Armstrong M. Alexis MBA, Durham University, 2008 MS, University of the West Indies, 1997 BS, University of the West Indies, 1995 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University December 2018 Abstract Critical success factors that contribute to project success in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have received insufficient attention in research. Guided by the goal- setting conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the human resource management (HRM) strategies used by owners of SMEs to achieve project success.
    [Show full text]
  • R Generation [1] 25
    IN DETAIL > y <- 25 > y R generation [1] 25 14 SIGNIFICANCE August 2018 The story of a statistical programming they shared an interest in what Ihaka calls “playing academic fun language that became a subcultural and games” with statistical computing languages. phenomenon. By Nick Thieme Each had questions about programming languages they wanted to answer. In particular, both Ihaka and Gentleman shared a common knowledge of the language called eyond the age of 5, very few people would profess “Scheme”, and both found the language useful in a variety to have a favourite letter. But if you have ever been of ways. Scheme, however, was unwieldy to type and lacked to a statistics or data science conference, you may desired functionality. Again, convenience brought good have seen more than a few grown adults wearing fortune. Each was familiar with another language, called “S”, Bbadges or stickers with the phrase “I love R!”. and S provided the kind of syntax they wanted. With no blend To these proud badge-wearers, R is much more than the of the two languages commercially available, Gentleman eighteenth letter of the modern English alphabet. The R suggested building something themselves. they love is a programming language that provides a robust Around that time, the University of Auckland needed environment for tabulating, analysing and visualising data, one a programming language to use in its undergraduate statistics powered by a community of millions of users collaborating courses as the school’s current tool had reached the end of its in ways large and small to make statistical computing more useful life.
    [Show full text]
  • Download: Casestudy-Researchmethodology
    Case Study Design: A Refresher Mansureh Kebritchi, Ph.D. Research Methodology Group Agenda An overview about Major issues related case study to case study Answer your Case study design questions Definition of the Case Study “An empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon (e.g., a “case”) within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident” (Yin, 2014, p.16) “A case study is an in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system” (Merriam, 2015, p.37). “The “what” is a bounded system (Smith, 1978), a single entity, a unit around which there are boundaries” (Merriam, 2015, p.38)/(Stake, 2005). Definition of the Case Study The most defining characteristics of case study is delimiting the object of the study: the case (Merriam, 2015) • The goal is to understand one thing well: a person, a program, a group, or specific policy; examples: one playground, one band. • Research question must be aligned/define the case/unit of analysis. A noun, seldom a verb, a functioning (Stake, 2006). Real things to visualize. Examples: not training, managing , giving birth but training modules, managers, labor rooms. The “Case” Bounded context The context The Case Examples A study of how older adults learn to use computers. The case/unit of analysis: learners’ experience. Indefinite number of adult leaders can be selected for this study. • Not a case study but a qualitative study One particular program, or classroom of leaners (a bounded system), or one particular learners selected based on success uniqueness, etc. • A case study When to use the Case Study Type of Research Questions relevant to the Case Study • Explanatory/explanatory/descriptive questions • How or why did something happen? Not Appropriate Questions • Cause and effect questions (experimental/quasi- experimental design) • How often something has happened (survey design) When to use the Case Study Data collection in “natural setting” not “derived“ data (Bromley, 1986, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Bruno Colostate 0053A 16562.Pdf (4.546Mb)
    DISSERTATION LINKED LIVELIHOODS, LAND-USE, AND IDENTITIES ON TRANSITIONING LANDSCAPES IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO: A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL STUDY Submitted by Jasmine Elizabeth Bruno Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Spring 2021 Doctoral Committee: Advisor: Maria E. Fernández-Giménez Meena M. Balgopal Paul J. Meiman Robin S. Reid Copyright by Jasmine Elizabeth Bruno 2021 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT LINKED LIVELIHOODS, LAND-USE, AND IDENTITIES ON TRANSITIONING LANDSCAPES IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO: A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL STUDY Rangeland social-ecological systems in Northeastern (NE) Colorado are undergoing linked land-use, livelihood, and identity transitions. Land change is a spatially and temporally complex process in which land-use decisions cascade through interconnected social and ecological spheres, affecting both humans and the environment. While a wealth of empirical research on land cover changes exists, multiscale, multilevel research on the causes and consequences of linked social- ecological change remains limited. To avoid oversimplification and craft system-appropriate policies in rangeland systems, we require in-depth and process-based knowledge of the causes and consequences of change. Moreover, we must build upon and advance theory to support the role of contextual research in advancing sound practical applications and future inquiry in related systems. Thus, this dissertation applies a theoretically informed multi-method approach to examine the interrelationships among livestock shifting livelihoods, well-being, identities, and associated land change transitions inproducers’ two rangeland-dependent communities in NE Colorado. Social-ecological systems (SESs) theory serves as this dissertation's theoretical foundation, framing rangelands as systems in which humans are embedded within and affect ecosystems and vice versa.
    [Show full text]
  • R Programming for Data Science
    R Programming for Data Science Roger D. Peng This book is for sale at http://leanpub.com/rprogramming This version was published on 2015-07-20 This is a Leanpub book. Leanpub empowers authors and publishers with the Lean Publishing process. Lean Publishing is the act of publishing an in-progress ebook using lightweight tools and many iterations to get reader feedback, pivot until you have the right book and build traction once you do. ©2014 - 2015 Roger D. Peng Also By Roger D. Peng Exploratory Data Analysis with R Contents Preface ............................................... 1 History and Overview of R .................................... 4 What is R? ............................................ 4 What is S? ............................................ 4 The S Philosophy ........................................ 5 Back to R ............................................ 5 Basic Features of R ....................................... 6 Free Software .......................................... 6 Design of the R System ..................................... 7 Limitations of R ......................................... 8 R Resources ........................................... 9 Getting Started with R ...................................... 11 Installation ............................................ 11 Getting started with the R interface .............................. 11 R Nuts and Bolts .......................................... 12 Entering Input .......................................... 12 Evaluation ...........................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Tool for Researching Chronic Pelvic Pain Using Thematic Analysis
    QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES USING RQDA IN QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR RESEARCHING CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN USING THEMATIC ANALYSIS Bruna Helena Mellado1, Catarina Brandão2, 3 , Taynara Louisi Pilger1 , Francisco José Candido dos Reis1 1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Brazil. [email protected] [email protected]; [email protected] 2Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, Portugal. [email protected] 3 Psychology Center of the University of Porto, Portugal Abstract. Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) provides tools that help researchers develop qualitative research projects. These software packages support users with tasks such as transcription analysis, text encoding and interpretation, writing and annotation, searching, recursive abstraction, and data mapping, enabling the use of different methods (e.g., grounded theory) and analysis techniques (e.g., content analysis or discourse analysis). The choice of CAQDAS is directly related to the researcher’s chosen methodological approach. The amount and variety of software available often makes the choice process difficult. In Brazil, the data on the use of CAQDAS is still scarce. Commercial software packages are more frequently cited. Open- source packages, like RQDA, are less popular. In this chapter, we present our experience with the use of RQDA to analyze the data from a qualitative study on chronic pelvic pain in women. Keywords: Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software, RQDA, Thematic Analysis, Pelvic Pain. 1. INTRODUCTION The field of qualitative research is characterized by different epistemological perspectives and methodological orientations, which often leads to intense academic debate (Ghedin & Franco, 2008; Merriam, 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS)
    1 Proposal for Workshop for iConference 2019 Workshop Title: InVivo Inspiration: Investigating Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) Organizers: Marie L. Radford1, Vanessa Kitzie2, Diana Floegel3, Lynn Silipigni Connaway4, Jenny Bossaller5, Sean Burns6 Abstract: This half-day workshop will provide an overview and comparison of computer- assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). Since adoption of these programs requires substantial time commitment and/or budget expenditure, it is vital to understand their capabilities and limitations, as well as the types of data best suited for each platform. A panel of experts will present advantages and disadvantages of several software packages, then demonstrate how to use popular CAQDAS platforms, including commercial (i.e., NVivo, ATLAS.ti, Qualtrics, Dedoose) and open source (i.e., RQDA) programs. Panelists will then invite attendees to participate in interactive breakout tables to learn more about and experiment with a product of their choice. Panelists will answer attendees’ questions and demonstrate advanced features. The workshop will conclude with a general Q&A session. Both novice and experienced researchers will benefit by learning about the variety of available CAQDAS options. Description: Purpose and Intended Audience Are you a novice or experienced researcher drowning in qualitative data? Are you wondering how on earth you will ever have the time to analyze reams of text, audio files, video footage, and field notes? Would you like to learn about opportunities and pitfalls involved in switching to a digital analysis tool? If so, this is the workshop for you. In an interactive and engaging workshop, experts in qualitative data analysis will introduce CAQDAS and will present important considerations for those wondering whether or not to adopt this type of software.
    [Show full text]
  • The Achievement Gaps and Mathematics Education: an Analysis of the U.S
    THE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE U.S. POLITICAL DISCOURSE IN LIGHT OF FOUCAULT'S GOVERNMENTALITY A Dissertation by SALVATORE ENRICO PAOLO INDIOGINE Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Gerald Kulm Committee Members, Lynn Burlbaw Yeping Li Kathryn McKenzie Head of Department, Yeping Li August 2013 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction Copyright 2013 Salvatore Enrico Paolo Indiogine ABSTRACT The research question that I posed for this investigation is how the principles of Foucault's governmentality can shed light on the political discourse on the achieve- ment gaps (AGs) at the federal level. The AGs have been for some years now an actively researched phenomenon in education in the U.S. as well as in the rest of the world. Many in the education profession community, politicians, social activists, researchers and others have con- sidered the differences in educational outcomes an indication of a grave deficiency of the educational process and even of the society at large. I began this work with a review of the educational research relevant to the above mentioned research question. Then I presented my research methodology and de- scribed how obtained my data and analyzed them both qualitatively and quantita- tively. The results of the analysis were discussed in the light of federal legislation, the work of Foucault on governmentality, and the relevant literature and woven into a series of narratives. Finally, I abstracted these narratives into a model for under- standing the federal policy discourse.
    [Show full text]