Statistical Data Analysis and findings of a survey (the survey is part Statistics Project

Statistical Data Analysis and findings of a survey (the survey is part of an action research to investigate teacher training practices in Qatar) - Statistics Project Example A needs analysis survey in the first stage has been employed to collect data about issues in language teaching INSET in Qatar. It is important to emphasize that the use of this survey is for the purpose of needs analysis and is not based on any predetermined hypotheses. Using a survey in an early stage of my research project was intended to maximize the number of perspectives (Denscombe 1998: 169), and due to the versatile nature of surveys. Surveys can tap into attitudes that respondents are not completely aware of, and increase the consistency and reliability of the results through reducing the bias of interviewer effects (DÃ ¶rnyei & Taguchi 2010:6). The survey was administered online through a survey website (Surveymonkey.com). Online surveys are increasingly popular for data collection and preferred over traditional mail surveys in many ways (Pan 2010:121-122). They provide a lower cost option (Sheehan 1999:47), convenience in answering the survey (Evans & Mathur 2005:198) and respondents are also more likely to respond to sensitive and private questions (Ritter et al. 2004). The survey consisted of 70 items distributed under 7 categories in addition to a final open-ended question for respondents’ final comments. The table below shows the distribution of the survey items. The design of the survey was based on my initial literature review of the study and guided by the main aim of the survey which is to provide directions for the intervention design. As discussed in the first panel report, for INSET programs to be successful, teachers’ voice should be heard and taken into consideration (Locke 2006). As a result, most of the items of the survey are intended to capture teachers’ voice and concerns. Items 4-40 elicit data on preferences of delivery methods, training themes and assessment tools. Items 41-66 seek to