A topic in research methodology
What are 'slices' of data?
In research, information is collected to answer research questions: data.
In some forms of research it is important to collect several 'slices of data'.
This can be:
- the same type of data, but collected at different times (e.g., a pre-test before, and a post-test after an intervention)
- the same type of data collected from different groups of participants (e.g, interviewing a sample of students and a sample of teachers about a school's homework policy)
- collecting complementary types of data (e.g., surveying all the students on a course with a questionnaire, and also interviewing a representative sample of the same students)
Why might several slices of data be needed?
There are a number of possible reasons why a study might involve the collection of several slices of data:
- a study might need several slices of data is because there are several research questions, each requiring different kinds of data;
- 'compound' research questions: sometimes a research study only has one explicit research question, but answering it necessarily requires the answering of several (implicit) sub questions. All research questions concerning change can be seen of this kind, for instance;
- triangulation between different slices of data may be valuable in many studies where no single slice of data offers clear evidence to support inferences
Case studies are naturalistic studies where it is common to collect several complementary slice of data that can be triangulated.
"The more 'degrees of freedom' in what is being explored in research, the more 'slices of data' are needed to build an authentic representation."
Taber, 2013, p.98
Example
| Slices of data collected | Notes | Source |
| 1. Assessment of student achievement in laboratory sessions. 2. Student generated questions recorded. 3. Student viewpoints surveyed. | Each slice addressed a distinct research question in the same study. | Design and assessment of an online prelab model in general chemistry |
Read about compound research questions
Read about data redundancy and triangulation
Analysis of data
"Where various slices of data have been collected, the researcher needs to decide whether to present the findings from the different forms of data separately, and then integrate them, or present the overall findings drawing upon the triangulated data."
Taber, 2013
Source cited:
- Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
My introduction to educational research:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
