Essay Sample on Data Collection in Private and Public Schools Within Texas

Research Data and its Validity

The process of data collection will rely on the internet material that contains elaborate data on public administration with a focus on the private and public schools within Texas. The means of data collection is reliable because the website contains a consolidation of information from different stakeholders in the education industry. The contribution of different individuals to the website is an indication that the information is devoid of author bias in addition to being valid and reliable for the project.

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Alternative Areas of Study

While the initial focus for the research dwells on public administration within the school districts, the study population has dynamic capabilities. From the dynamic nature of the study population, the research can derive other parameters and characteristics of analysis. One such feature of the study population that can be of interest in the report is the comparison of the level of academic performance in the public and private schools in addition to the degree of diversity in the teaching fraternity and the student populations within the target institutions.

Methods of Data Collection (Questionnaires)

The study focuses on a group of learning institutions. For this reason, an ideal method of data collection and information gathering will be the use of online questionnaires that target different groups within the different populations under consideration. A questionnaire is excellent in data collection because of its capacity to gather extensive information on the study. Additionally, the use of online self-administered questionnaires will be convenient both for the researcher and the subjects of the study who do not have to travel to participate in the study.

One question the questionnaire will ask, concerns the biographic information of the respondent such as their age, race and their position within the learning institution. The information on the age of the respondent is essential because it distinguishes the different groups of participants within the study. The race factor will cater for the additional analysis of diversity within the institutions, while the position of the individual will contribute to the question of the age factor and its impact on administrative capabilities.

A second question in the questionnaire will inquire after the period that the individual has spent at the institution. The information is useful because effective public administration has a close association with the level of experience that the individual has, in addition to the knowledge that they possess concerning their institutions.

For the third question, the respondents will provide information on their range of income for the period that they have served at the institution. One hypothesis in the study is that the individuals in the private sector receive higher pay than their counterparts in the public sector. A comparison of the outcomes from the questionnaire will thus address the hypothesis.

The fourth question will target the level of job satisfaction for the various individuals in the positions of authority. Public administration heavily relies on the commitment the individual has to the outcomes of their contribution to the organization. As such, job satisfaction is an essential element for analysis because it will determine the commitment levels to the findings.

A separate question will target the average performance of the institutions during the tenure of the respondents. The performance of the institutions has a direct correlation to the contribution the individual has to their positions in public administration.

For the six items in the questionnaire, the study will seek to establish the future direction of the individual subjects in the study. Public administration presents the individual in the position with the option of finding alternative employment positions or staying in their current posting depending on their commitment to its outcomes as well as their level of satisfaction. The question will thus address the issues in the context of both public and private institutions.

The seventh question will determine the future direction of the institution. Possible scenarios that will be included in the questions cover the period specification of the changes within the organization, along with the prospects for reform that include an increase in the members of staff, or a revision of the system of education.

The eight component will address the institutional associations with are critical in public administration. The question will discuss aspects that as the interaction between the school administration and the student council bodies. The information is essential in defining the presence of positive association that can contribute to positive outcomes among the different individuals within the institution.

Data Analysis

The process of data collection will focus on both qualitative and quantitative information for the study. The method of analyzing qualitative data will first entail the conversion of the qualitative measures into quantitative measures by determining the frequencies of different responses and opinions that the questionnaire items address.

The analysis of quantitative data, on the other hand, will utilize the SPSS and Excel programs to determine various correlations and their coefficients within the different respondents in the study. The comparative aspects in data analysis will be useful in assessing the variability of public administration between the public institutions and the private institutions, as well as the effects of the variations on the performance of the institutions and the learning outcomes.

College Scorecard Variables

One scorecard rate for comparing the variables in the study is the graduations rate. The scorecard measure is important because the different environments in which the learners find themselves for research affect their outcomes in education (US department of education, 2018). The setting also determines the motivation that the learner has to performance thus the connection with the rates of graduation from the different institutions under study.

Test of Statistical Significance

One test of statistical significance that is ideal for the outcomes of the study is the two-sided alternative hypothesis test. The steps in setting up the hypothesis test involve the first process of setting up the level of significance for the test and its outcomes (Boston University School of Public Health, 2017). The test statistics will then measure against the standards of importance as defined for the test. The second part involves selecting a test statistic that is appropriate for the analysis.

The outcome of the selection is a single number that will define the findings of the study. In the third step, the researcher determines the circumstances for the rejection or the acceptance of the null hypothesis. The decision is a rule that proposes an upper tailed along with a lower tailed proposal for the test outcomes. The rejection of the hypothesis results when the outcome aligns with the lower tail statistic which is smaller than the critical value in the test. The final part in testing the hypothesis involves computations of the results along with the conclusion which determines the rejection of acceptance of the null hypothesis and the supporting evidence from the study (Boston University School of Public Health, 2017).

Internal Validity

Internal validity in a study is the outcome of the research design along with the controls that the researcher employs for the analysis. Ultimately, variations from the dependent variable are according to internal validity, a factor of the independent variables in the study (Eeva-Mari & Lili-Anne, 2011). Therefore, some threats to internal validity in the study will include the presence of contrasting logics for the issues under analysis, in addition to instrumentation issues. Internal validity remains compromised when there is order along with research bias, in addition to the interpretation of the study outcomes. From the data collection of using questionnaires in the research proposal, internal validity may arise from the differing interpretation that the subjects may have concerning the items in the questionnaire. The difference in interpretation will produce a variety of responses that require thorough analysis to determine their meanings. Additionally, the self-administration component for the questionnaire is an indication that the researcher may not be in a position to clarify the items in the questionnaires for ease of understanding and response.

External Validity

External validity focuses on the comparability of the data in the study to other parameters that are outside of the study. Other considerations in external validity include the model of the research and the general conclusion that the researcher draws as about the study population. Problems that may threaten external validity, therefore, include the study population, the time factors along with the environment in which the researcher conducts their analysis. In the study proposal, some illustration of external validity will include the variations and dynamic nature of the different schools that form the populations for the study, along with the applications of the outcomes to the unique situations in the various institutions (Eeva-Mari & Lili-Anne, 2011). The focus of the research is on different learning institutions. While they may share similar features, the internal structure of the study population may not be uniform. The general applications of the study conclusions and outcomes to the study population will thus present a challenge in the considerations of external validity.

Ethical Considerations

The means to maintain ethical standards in the study include the first consideration of protocols as well as the confidentiality of information from a different institution. The researcher must protect the privacy of the subjects as well as the classified information that the various institutions may share during the research.

Some measure for maintaining ethical standards in the analysis thus include the respect presented to protocol. Understandably, learning institutions have different chains of command that allow for the flow as well as dissemination of information. The researcher will obey the different authorities through measures that include informing the authorities of the study as well as its implications to the institutions and following the right protocols in obtaining access to the institutions.

Additional measures in ethical considerations include the provision of forms of consent to the study participants. The consent forms will explain the role of the subject in the study as well as the usefulness of their contribution to the outcomes of the research. Additionally, the researcher will present the information from the study truthfully in obedience to the standards of research.

References

Boston University School of Public Health. (2017). Hypothesis Testing: Upper-, Lower, and Two Tailed Tests. Boston University School of Public Health, Retrieved from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/BS/BS704_HypothesisTest-Means-Proportions/BS704_HypothesisTest-Means-Proportions3.html

Eeva-Mari, I. & Lili-Anne, K., (2011). Threats to validity and reliability in mixed methods accounting research. Qualitative Research in Accounting and Management, Volume: 8, Number of issue: 1 Pages: 39-58

US department of education, (2018). College Scorecard. US department of education, Retrieved from https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/search/?sort=salary:desc