Chapter Three: Collaborative Data Analysis

Collaborative analysis of data is one of two key concepts that underpin the LSM and serves multiple functions. It is used for intervention design and redesign; it is an important form of resourcing and PLD for school partners; it is the means to develop and strengthen partnerships; and it is used to sustain the intervention when the partnerships reach a natural conclusion. Collaborative analysis is not just central to many LSM activities; it is the glue which integrates all components of the LSM.

We unpack the complexity of this process across several chapters but start here with a description of what the standard analysis requires of participants. We have left the word ‘collaborative’ in the chapter, as all the analyses are undertaken in collaboration and to retain the emphasis on its collaborative nature. In later chapters, we describe collaborative analysis of data in relation to partnerships (Chapter Four), resourcing and PLD (Chapter Five), sustainability (Chapter Six) and researchers learning through cycles of design and evaluation (Chapter Seven).