Reflections on Qualitative Research for Social Change
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
—Mahatma Gandhi, (1869–1948) Indian Leader/Anti-War Activist
Education without action is like a billboard in a basement—big, bold, but actionable to no one. By incorporating social change as part of its mission statement, the leadership of Walden University is asking students, faculty, and leadership to consider the possibility of how to use one’s education to deliberately be in the world and make some part of it a better place.
Consider what you have learned from this course—the fundamental procedures of how to conduct qualitative research; and the critical processes that identify the researcher as a self-reflective co-participant. For this week, reflect on how these considerations have influenced your understanding of research and your direction for your dissertation or doctoral study.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Assignment Task Part 1
In a 2 ½ page paper respond to the following:
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Assignment Task Part 2
Respond to at least one of your colleagues’ posts and comment on their consideration for choosing to go forward with a qualitative study
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Parent and Family
In this resource, “parent” and
“family” refer to all adults who
interact with early childhood
systems in support of their child,
including biological, adoptive
and foster parents, pregnant
women and expectant families,
grandparents, legal and informal
guardians, and adult siblings.
Introduction
The Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework is an organizational guide for collaboration among families and Head Start and Early Head Start programs, staff, and community service providers to promote positive, enduring outcomes for children and families. The PFCE Framework identifies equity, inclusiveness, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and positive goal-oriented relationships as important drivers for these outcomes.
The PFCE Framework shows how family engagement strategies can be systemic, integrated, and comprehensive across services and systems in line with the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework
PROGRAM FOUNDATIONS
PROGRAM IMPACT AREAS
CHILD OUTCOMES
Children are:
Safe
Healthy and well
Learning and developing
Engaged in positive relationships with family members, caregivers, and other children
Ready for school
Successful in school and life
FAMILY OUTCOMES
Equity, Inclusiveness, Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness
Positive & GoalOriented Relationships
Program Leadership
Professional Development
Continuous Learning and Quality Improvement
Program Environment
Family Partnerships
Teaching and Learning
Community Partnerships
Access and Continuity
Family Wellbeing
Positive ParentChild Relationships
Families as Lifelong Educators
Families as Learners
Family Engagement in Transitions
Family Connections to Peers and Community
Families as Advocates and Leaders
You can use data to engage families and support progress toward one or more of the seven Family Outcomes of the PFCE Framework. You can also use data to track progress as your program sets goals and develops and implements plans within the five-year project period.
3 Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
Collect
Use and
Share
Aggregate and
Analyze
Kid Achievers Head Start Program Scenario: Using and Sharing Data to Improve the Transition to Kindergarten Andy is the Family Engagement Coordinator at Kid Achievers Head Start. Kid Achievers serves nearly 300 children across four different locations. Each year, Kid Achievers graduates approximately 145 four- and five- year-olds. These children enter kindergarten at one of five local elementary schools.
In the previous program year, Andy offered a series of workshops for families and children focused on the transition to kindergarten. The workshops supported a broad program goal to get children and families ready for kindergarten. The workshops explored a number of topics.
For example, one workshop focused on how to complete kindergarten registration forms. Another featured how to advocate for children in elementary school. The series also offered a visit to a kindergarten and a community fun day. Review of attendance logs showed that the events were well attended. Satisfaction surveys showed that parents liked the workshops.
In the spring of the following year, Andy talked with the mother of a current kindergartener who was a graduate of Kid Achievers. The mother shared that her son had a wonderful transition to kindergarten. She thanked Andy for the workshops he provided. She believed that she and her son felt confident in the elementary school setting because of the workshops.
Andy began thinking about this family’s experience. He wondered if other families were having similar transition experiences. He decided to conduct a survey of families who recently transitioned from Head Start to kindergarten.
Prepare
Prepare
Andy reviewed his five-year plan to see how Kid Achievers was tracking progress toward the goal of getting children and families ready for kindergarten. He realized that the team was collecting a lot of measures of effort for the workshop series on the transition to kindergarten.
For example, they recorded the number of transition events offered. They counted the number of families who attended each event. Parents also completed satisfaction surveys showing that they enjoyed the events. But this was their only measure of effect. Andy had a hunch that the events were having a positive effect on the transition to kindergarten. But he had no real data to support it.
Andy had several questions about his program. Was the program’s investment in transition activities influencing children’s transition experiences? Should he continue to put resources into this work? Might there be different strategies he should consider to support transitions?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Remember: Measures of effort count what and how many activities your program offers to families. Measures of effect track changes in knowledge or behaviors as a result of the activities your program offers.
4 Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
To understand more, Andy created a working group with interested staff and families. Their task was to identify at least one measure of effort and one measure of effect for the transition series. Table 1 shows the measures of effort and effect the group members developed as the measures relate to their goal, objectives, services, and expected outcomes.
Table 1. Kid Achievers’ Revised Goals, Objectives, Services, Expected Outcomes, and Measures
Goal Objectives Services (Actions) Expected Outcome Measures
What program goal do What are we planning to do to What actions are we Which expected outcomes relate Measures of Effort: How much we want to accomplish reach our program goal? going to take? to our goals, objectives, and programming are we offering? Are we to support family services (actions)? carrying out services as planned? outcomes? Which PFCE Framework Family
Outcome does this represent? Measures of Effect: What difference is our program making? What are the changes in knowledge and behavior?
Kid Achievers Head Start will ensure that children and families are prepared for a smooth transition to kindergarten.
Kid Achievers Head Start will increase families’ and children’s knowledge and skills related to kindergarten and their comfort in the transition process by encouraging child and family participation in at least 5 of the 10 transition-to kindergarten activities held during the program year.
Design and implement up to 10 transition-to kindergarten activities, or approximately 1 activity per month over the course of the program year.
Families and children have the information, skills, and confidence to have smooth transitions to kindergarten.
(Family Engagement in Transitions)
Effort: Number of transition activities offered; number of families attending each transition event.
Effect: Parents report that they and their children have smooth transitions to kindergarten. Smooth transitions to kindergarten are determined through a variety of factors; for example, children and families like the elementary school setting, are comfortable in the setting, and make positive social connections.
Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
Prepare
Use and
Share
Aggregate and
Analyze
Qualitative data are gathered by getting rich descriptions of what
Collect
Andy and the team thought about the best way to track the measure of effect they identified. They invited interested parents to join them in the working group to create people do and say. These data are
Collect and refine a survey to give to families. The survey asked families questions about their often shared in an explanation or experiences transitioning to kindergarten. The survey also included a qualitative—or description. open-ended—question to get parents’ opinions about what was most helpful in getting
their family ready for kindergarten. The parents in the group felt strongly that the survey should be Quantitative data are gathered completed anonymously. This would make parents feel more comfortable completing the survey honestly. through numbers and counts. These (See Figure 1). data are often shared through graphs
Figure 1. Kid Achievers Follow-up Survey and charts.
KID ACHIEVERS FOLLOW-UP SURVEY
September orientation o Yes o No Parent meeting: Choosing the right kindergarten for you o Yes o No Parent workshop: Reading with children at home o Yes o No Parent workshop: Registering for kindergarten Family visit to nearby kindergartens o Yes o No Parent workshop: Completing kindergarten forms o Yes o No Kindergarten community fun day o Yes o No Getting ready for kindergarten pajama night o Yes o No Head Start/kindergarten library reading marathon o Yes o No End-of-the-year kindergarten celebration o Yes o No
Never Rarely Some- Often Always times
My child likes going to kindergarten. 1 2 3 4 5 I am confident talking with my child’s kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5 teacher about my child’s progress. I have met many new parents. 1 2 3 4 5 I get positive feedback from the kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5 teacher about my child’s progress. My child made a lot of new friends this year. 1 2 3 4 5 I make sure my child gets homework done. 1 2 3 4 5 I feel welcomed when visiting my child’s new 1 2 3 4 5 school. I know what my child is learning. 1 2 3 4 5
5 5
6 Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
CollectPrepare
Use and
Share
photo courtesy of NCQTL
A response rate is the percentage of people who respond to a survey. In this case, 83 of the 144 families (of students who had graduated from Head Start) completed the survey [(83/144)*100 = 58%].
Aggregate and
Analyze
Aggregate and Analyze
To start to make sense of the data from the follow-up survey, Andy created a data analysis plan. A data analysis plan is a roadmap for how to organize and analyze data. Andy identified the following three steps:
Step 1. Aggregate (summarize) the data about transition experiences.
Step 2. Disaggregate (separate) the transition data by the characteristics of the Head Start sites, elementary schools, and number of transition events in which parents participated.
Step 3. Reflect on Qualitative Themes
Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
CollectPrepare
Aggregate and
Analyze
Use and
Share
Use and Share: The 4 As of Data Tell Your Program Story
Andy was pleased with the results of the analysis and was excited to share it with the team. He scheduled a time to share the information with Angela, the Executive Director, and the working group.
Everyone was confused by the data analysis table that Andy created. It took him a long time to explain each finding and answer questions. Andy realized he needed help organizing and presenting the data clearly. He asked Angela if they could meet to talk more about how to share the data. Angela told Andy that the data analysis table was not an ideal way to present his work and share the information. She asked Andy to think about ways to share the data so that families, staff, and community partners would be able to make sense of them quickly. She explained that he needed to tell a story with the data. To do this, Angela suggested that he organize his results using the 4 As of sharing data: make them accurate, appealing, accessible, and audience specific.