Your data’s organization, modification, and analysis will all be included in your data analysis plan. Every scientific study may be duplicated, but to do so, you must provide the reader with a thorough account of how you handled the data and performed the analyses.
WHAT IS DATA ANALYSIS PLAN?
A data analysis strategy is a road map for organizing and analyzing the survey data, every technique for a dissertation needs to have a plan for data analysis. The plan is important since it informs the reader of the analysis that will be done to test each study hypothesis. The data plan should handle data cleansing, transformations, and analysis assumptions along with the basic analytical technique. Here are 10 easy stages to ease you task so that you can create a dissertation’s data analysis plan without any hassle.
1. PERTINENCE
Make sure to conduct analysis before submitting information. All of the details you provide should be relevant to your goals. Relevant facts will demonstrate the necessity for you to focus and think more coherently. Don’t hesitate to get help with dissertation for that. In other words, you must apply the same amount of rigor to the data you employ as you did to the literature research. You can show the reader your aptitude for critical thought and ability to solve a problem by outlining the academic basis for your data collecting and analysis. The essential tenet of higher education is this.
2. REVIEW
You must use techniques that are appropriate for the goals of your research as well as the type of data you are collecting, or at the end, you will ask others, “please write my dissertation for me.” You should rigorously explain and defend these procedures with the same rigor that your collecting methods were justified. Keep in mind that you must consistently show the reader that your technique was not selected at random but rather after serious thought and significant research. The main objective is to locate significant data patterns and trends and properly present these discoveries.
3. STATISTICAL WORK
For a quantitative study, you must operationalize each variable in your research questions (Whitfield, 2018). Rigorous statistical analysis is necessary when dealing with quantitative data, which is common in scientific and technological studies and, to some extent, in sociological and other disciplines. You can make inferences that can be applied to a larger population by gathering and analyzing quantitative data. This methodology, which has its roots in the natural sciences, is sometimes called the “scientific method” in the social sciences.
4. HIGH-QUALITY WORK
The majority of the time, but not always, qualitative data isn’t numerical and is referred to as “soft” data. But it doesn’t imply it calls for less analytical acumen; you still need to examine the data gathered thoroughly (e.g., through thematic coding or discourse analysis). This can take a lot of time because qualitative data analysis is an iterative process that occasionally calls for hermeneutics. It is crucial to remember that qualitative research aims to unearth deeper, transferable information rather than to produce statistically representative and accurate conclusions.
5. THOROUGHNESS
The information never “speaks for itself.” In qualitative studies, where students frequently provide a selection of quotes and expect this to be sufficient, believing it does is a particularly prevalent error. Instead, you should carefully analyze all the information you want to use to support or disprove academic claims, exhibiting broad participation and a critical viewpoint in all contexts, especially about any potential biases and sources of mistake. You must identify your data’s weaknesses and positives since doing so demonstrates your academic credentials.
6. THOROUGHNESS
Never does the information “speak by itself.” Believing it does is a particularly common mistake in qualitative studies, as students usually submit a selection of quotes and expect this to be sufficient. Instead, you should thoroughly evaluate all the data you want to utilize to verify or reject academic assertions. It would help if you showed thorough participation and a critical stance in all situations, particularly about potential biases and error sources. You must point out your data’s negative and positive aspects because doing so indicates your academic credentials.
7. APPENDIX
You might see that your data analysis chapter is getting crowded, but you don’t want to drastically reduce the data you have worked so hard to obtain. You might want to relocate information to an appendix if it is pertinent but difficult to organize within the text. The appendix should contain data sheets, sample questionnaires, transcripts of interviews, and focus group materials. The most pertinent data in the dissertation should be utilized, whether statistical analysis or quotes from an interviewee.
8. DISCUSSION
When you describe your findings, you must show that you can recognize trends, patterns, and themes in the data. Consider possible theoretical interpretations and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of these distinct viewpoints. Assess the relevance and impact of both anomalies and consistencies. Include representative quotes from the interviews you used in your discussion.
9. RESULTS
What key ideas come to light from the analysis of your data? These conclusions should be presented briefly, and any claims about them should be backed up by evidence.
10. THE CONNECTION TO LITERATURE
It is advisable to start comparing your data with that released by other academics at the end of your data analysis, taking into account areas of agreement and disagreement. Are your results in line with your expectations, or do they support a debatable or fringe opinion? Discuss the causes and consequences. At this point, it’s critical to recall the precise words you used in your literature review. What were the key themes that you found? What were the gaps? What relevance does this have to your research? Something needs to be corrected if you need help connecting your research findings to your evaluation of the literature; your data should always make sense in light of your research question(s), which should be based on the literature. You must explain and demonstrate this link.
HOW CRUCIAL IS A PLAN FOR DATA ANALYSIS IN A DISSERTATION?
The dissertation is the most essential and crucial academic job and involves extensive preparation and commitment. It entails choosing a subject, gathering and analyzing facts, and putting forth justifications and conclusions. The data collecting and analysis are the most crucial of all three stages. This is because most students spend a significant portion of their time gathering data, leaving less time for analysis and discussion. You need quality data before examining it, so that’s the first step. The target audience and the study’s purpose must be considered when gathering the data. Perfectly collected data can result in accurate analysis and the right decision.
You can determine whether a hypothesis test is necessary based on the data type and research objectives. You can ensure the use of statistical tools and procedures to evaluate the data depending on the data obtained. The data analysis strategy is significant and important since it gives the researcher the most crucial data for future research. To move forward with the other data, the researcher must first sift out the irrelevant and undesirable material from their research. Thus, the researcher can save time and clear up any confusion. Never must a researcher draw a conclusion based on the information at hand, or even before gathering the information.
REFERENCES
Whitfield, H. E. (2018, March 8). How to Develop a Data Analysis Plan for Quantitative Dissertations. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-develop-data-analysis-plan-quantitative-whitfield-ed-d-/
DWH, (2021). Top Tips on How to Write a Master’s Dissertation like a Pro. Online Available at < https://dissertationwritinghelp.uk/top-tips-on-how-to-write-a-masters-dissertation-like-a-pro/ > [Accessed on 26th December 2022]