Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool

Data from community-based research offer crucial insights into community needs, challenges, and strengths, informing effective decision making for development strategies. To ensure efficient analysis, accessible and user-friendly tools are necessary for quick and accurate results. While successful t...

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Main Authors: Jonathan Bennett, Mehdi Hajilo, Anna Paula Della Rosa, Rachel Arthur, Wesley James, Karen Matthews
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Social Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/346
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author Jonathan Bennett
Mehdi Hajilo
Anna Paula Della Rosa
Rachel Arthur
Wesley James
Karen Matthews
author_facet Jonathan Bennett
Mehdi Hajilo
Anna Paula Della Rosa
Rachel Arthur
Wesley James
Karen Matthews
author_sort Jonathan Bennett
collection DOAJ
description Data from community-based research offer crucial insights into community needs, challenges, and strengths, informing effective decision making for development strategies. To ensure efficient analysis, accessible and user-friendly tools are necessary for quick and accurate results. While successful tools and programming languages exist, many social science researchers struggle with complex analytical tools due to limited exposure during their education, as such tools are often not required. Developing an automated, user-friendly tool for community research can support students, researchers, and data centers by bridging gaps in analysis capabilities and enhancing the accessibility of valuable insights. We developed a new automated tool using the Shiny framework in R designed primarily for analyzing data in community research, which often involves pre- and post-analysis tests. While the tool is specifically tailored for pre- and post-survey data, it can also be easily adapted to provide other statistical information. The findings presented in this paper highlight the efficiency of using this tool for community-based research and emphasize the need for further development to address its shortcomings. Furthermore, this paper is considered the groundwork for developing more accessible, user-friendly, and free tools in the future, especially in an era of advanced and complex technologies.
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spelling doaj-art-d6f8b3af669f4dbaaeb680069b21592c2025-08-20T03:27:22ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-05-0114634610.3390/socsci14060346Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated ToolJonathan Bennett0Mehdi Hajilo1Anna Paula Della Rosa2Rachel Arthur3Wesley James4Karen Matthews5Center for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE), University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USACenter for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE), University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USACenter for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE), University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USACenter for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE), University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USACenter for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE), University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USADelta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS 38776, USAData from community-based research offer crucial insights into community needs, challenges, and strengths, informing effective decision making for development strategies. To ensure efficient analysis, accessible and user-friendly tools are necessary for quick and accurate results. While successful tools and programming languages exist, many social science researchers struggle with complex analytical tools due to limited exposure during their education, as such tools are often not required. Developing an automated, user-friendly tool for community research can support students, researchers, and data centers by bridging gaps in analysis capabilities and enhancing the accessibility of valuable insights. We developed a new automated tool using the Shiny framework in R designed primarily for analyzing data in community research, which often involves pre- and post-analysis tests. While the tool is specifically tailored for pre- and post-survey data, it can also be easily adapted to provide other statistical information. The findings presented in this paper highlight the efficiency of using this tool for community-based research and emphasize the need for further development to address its shortcomings. Furthermore, this paper is considered the groundwork for developing more accessible, user-friendly, and free tools in the future, especially in an era of advanced and complex technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/346democratizing data analysiscommunity-based researchautomated toolquantitative analysisuser evaluation
spellingShingle Jonathan Bennett
Mehdi Hajilo
Anna Paula Della Rosa
Rachel Arthur
Wesley James
Karen Matthews
Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool
Social Sciences
democratizing data analysis
community-based research
automated tool
quantitative analysis
user evaluation
title Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool
title_full Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool
title_fullStr Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool
title_full_unstemmed Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool
title_short Democratizing Quantitative Data Analysis and Evaluation in Community-Based Research Through a New Automated Tool
title_sort democratizing quantitative data analysis and evaluation in community based research through a new automated tool
topic democratizing data analysis
community-based research
automated tool
quantitative analysis
user evaluation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/346
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