In this activity, you will practice analyzing qualitative and quantitative data,

In this activity, you will practice analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, which includes applying the Delphi technique. Also, you will practice creating original survey and interview questions to gain an in-depth understanding of the health issues that are important within a community.
This assignment addresses CEPH D2-2 Competency #3.
Instructions
This assignment is to be completed in your M2 Assigned Groups. Review Working in Groups for more information.
Collecting Data on Initial NeedsTo assess the needs of the SDSU student body, PH603 students approached SDSU students on campus and asked them three questions:
“What do you think is the biggest health challenge faced by SDSU students today?”
“What is your gender identity?” Response options and codes:female (= 1)
male (= 2)
non-binary (= 3)
identify as another gender (= 4), please specify: ____
What is your age?
Students recorded the participants’ responses verbatim in a spreadsheet. Identifiable information was not recorded. Participants were assigned an identification number.
This data are available in a Google Sheet (M2 Assignment: Needs Assessment – Data Analysis). This Google Drive file also contains the various sheets referenced below for the analyses. This file is available to groups within their M2 Assigned Group Google Drive Shared Folder. All quantitative and qualitative data analyses are to be completed in the provided Google Sheet (M2 Assignment: Needs Assessment – Data Analysis).
Quantitative Data AnalysisPerform descriptive statistical analysis on the data collected from questions 2 and 3 in the provided Google Sheet (M2 Assignment: Needs Assessment – Data Analysis). This includes a frequency distribution of gender identity responses and measures of central tendency for the ages of participants. Complete the data table in the “Statistics” sheet. Google Sheets provides the necessary statistical functions: SORT, FREQUENCY, MIN, MAX, MEDIAN, AVERAGE, STDEV. If you need help with these functions, contact the instructor.

Qualitative Data AnalysisYou will practice a very simple, common type of qualitative analysis called content analysis in the provided Google Sheet (M2 Assignment: Needs Assessment – Data Analysis). This method is designed to identify common themes that emerge from the data.
You will also practice the principles of the Delphi technique – anonymity and iteration. Anonymity helps to reduce bias from the influence of others during the analysis process. The convergence of ideas to reach a consensus results from an iterative process of discussing, revisiting, and revising.
For additional guidance, view this instructional videoLinks to an external site.. Also review the data analyses, results, and discussions/conclusions of these qualitative studies: Age-segregation
Actions, Lung CancerActions
, Youth CancerActions
.
Step 1. Identifying Themes from Qualitative Data
Each group member independently scans through the responses of question 1 (“Data” sheet) looking for commonalities or categories (called “themes”) by which the responses can be grouped. These themes are intended to help make sense of all the data, providing insight into which health issues are the most common or important to SDSU students.
For example, 25 Navy sailors were asked to describe their experiences sleeping onboard a ship. All 25 used different terms, but in scanning their responses, common themes could be identified: “noisy,” “crowded,” “beds too small,” “lights on all night,” “who has time for sleep?”
Each group member independently makes a list of themes that he/she thinks is the best way to group the responses. Each group member enters his/her list into one of the “Themes List #” sheets. A different “Themes List #” sheet should be used by each group member. Avoid viewing others’ lists at this point.
Meet as a group to review everyone’s list of themes, consolidated in the “Final Themes” sheet. Discuss, revisit, and revise to reach a consensus on a final list of themes to use for categorizing the responses. Not all responses may be easily grouped with others. Consider including an “other” or “miscellaneous” category in the final list of themes for those responses. For the purposes of this activity, have at least 5 themes in the final list. Enter the final list of themes and the codes for each theme in the “Final Themes” sheet.
Using the example above, the themes could be coded as “noisy” = 1, “crowded” = 2, and so on.
Step 2. Coding Qualitative Data
Each group member reads the responses to question 1, again. This time, each group member independently assigns the final theme codes to participants’ response to indicate which themes are included. More than one theme code can be assigned to a response, since more than one health issue may be discussed in a response.
Each group member enters his/her coding of responses in one of the “Coding #” sheets. A different “Coding #” sheet should be used by each group member. Avoid viewing others’ coding at this point.
Meet as a group to review everyone’s coding, consolidated in the “Final Coding” sheet. Discuss, revisit, and revise to reach a consensus on the final coding for all responses. Enter the final coding in the “Final Coding” sheet.
Determine the frequency of each code throughout all the final coding of responses. Enter the count in the “Final Themes” sheet. This is now a list of the most commonly reported health issues amongst the surveyed SDSU students. For the purposes of this activity, assume that this result can be generalizable to the whole SDSU student body.
Step 3. Presenting Qualitative Research Findings
Report your group’s results of the qualitative analysis of this data. Describe the main findings, those that are most relevant to the purpose of the study. Select noteworthy and/or representative quotes to support these findings.

Determine Needs and Potential Problems
Based on the qualitative findings above, the next step is to gain an in-depth understanding of the SDSU student body and of its most prominent health needs. Such an understanding is needed to prioritize resources and develop an effective program to address the most pressing needs of this community. Useful information can include, but is not limited to:
Beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of SDSU students regarding the identified health issues
Influential members or leaders of the SDSU student body
Existing resources, programs, and services for the the identified health issues
Awareness and utilization of the existing resources, programs, and services
Needed resources
Barriers to and facilitators of implementing a program to address the identified health issues
Step 1. Developing a Second Needs Assessment Tool
The purpose of this tool is to:
Prioritize one health issue, if more than one health issue were identified as important to the community. Narrowing the identified health issues to one priority health issue allows limited resources to be focused.
Learn more about why the health issue is prominent amongst this community
Learn from the community about how best to address the health issue
Requirements for your original survey to be used as a second needs assessment tool:
3 close-ended survey items
2 open-ended survey/interview items
Use these resources as a guide to develop an original survey:Pew Research Center – Writing Survey Questions (website)Links to an external site.
Pew Research Center – Methods 101: Question Wording (video)Links to an external site.
Boynton & Greenhalgh, 2004Actions
Purdue University – Protecting Human Research Participants (website)Links to an external site.
Nielsen Norman Group – Writing Good Survey Questions (website)Links to an external site.
Consider the following as you develop an original survey:
What information is to be collected?
What type of survey items would be appropriate to collect that information?
How should the questions and answer options be worded?
In what order should the survey items be presented?
Who should be surveyed and how?
How will participant privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity be ensured?
Step 2. Summarize the Survey Development Process
Describe the rationale for the decisions made throughout the development of your survey. Discuss how the considerations outlined above were addressed.
Guidelines
Groups may choose how to best present their work (format, length, etc.).
Submitted assignment requirements:
IncludedGoogle Sheet (M2 Assignment: Needs Assessment – Data Analysis)Quantitative analysis and results
Qualitative analysis and results
Google Doc Report of your group’s results of the qualitative analysis
Original survey to be used as a second needs assessment tool
Summary of your group’s survey development process
Demonstrated proficiency with qualitative data analysisContent Analysis
Delphi technique
Demonstrated proficiency with survey development
Demonstrated a behavioral science approach to health promotion Grounded in research and evidence-based
Demonstrated sound critical thinking – analyze, synthesize, evaluate, reflect
Met graduate-level and scholarly writing standards Written articulately and without grammar and spelling errors
Followed all the assignment instructions
Completed and submitted as outlined in