Module/Week 4
Data Collection
Recitation Media Piece
Data Collection Objective
Identify possible qualitative and quantitative forms of body data that you can collect.
Recitation (the 50-minute activity) attendance is not required, but you are welcome to use that class time as office hours to ask your GTA questions, or study with classmates in 127 Weniger.
This week you are fine-tuning your body data collection plan, identifying ways to generate variables (qualitative research) and test variables (quantitative research).
Research can generate or test variables
Qualitative
Qualitative research broadly studies a phenomenon, generating variables for further research. For example, if you are not sleeping well, you could observe your setting and behaviors, and generate a list of possible variables impacting sleep: time you had your last cup of coffee, the comfort of the mattress, the temperature, etc. Qualitative data is often verbal, listing the qualities of something.
Quantitative
Once you have possible variables, you can alter them to find out how significant they are. For example, you could alter the latest you drink a cup of coffee, change a mattress, or lower the temperature and see how it impacts sleeping. Quantitative is more experimental, looking for cause and effect by controlling and manipulating variables. Quantitative data is often numerical, measuring a variable.
Assignment (due Sunday on Canvas)
Data Collection
In this media piece you are going back to the two body data parameters you have chosen to study over this course (in the Body Data Plan media piece) and selecting one that can be qualitatively studied, and one that can be quantitatively studied.
You can study the same body parameter both qualitatively and quantitatively. For example, you could monitor sleep patterns to develop a list of variables that are impacting your sleep (qualitative) and test one of those variables by altering it and measuring whether or not you get more sleep (quantitative).
Qualitative examples: studying what makes you eat at certain times of day, listing things that cause stress, identifying the things that make your heart rate increase (or decrease).
Quantitative examples: counting how many steps you take on different surfaces, keeping track of how many times you touch your face, measuring a muscle that you are working out.
You are turning in:
- An example of a qualitative approach you can take to studying one of your body data parameters, including how you will generate variables.
- An example of a quantitative approach you can take to studying one of your body data parameters, including how you will test one of your variables.
You do not need to carry out both of these forms of data collection for the final analysis, this assignment is to think about different ways data can be collected.
As always, use caution when trying out a new behavior or workout routine.
Media Directions
Submitted to Canvas.
Upload your body data plan to Canvas. Your plan can be submitted as a single document in the form of a PDF, a word document, a photo of the notes, or even a video. Multiple assignment formats are supported.
Learn more about this Module’s Topics
If you would like to learn more about the topics introduced in this course, please visit the resources page.
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Digestive
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