Numbers or words? The qualitative vs quantitative debate
Over the past 20 years or so, a debate over the relative virtues of quantitative and qualitative methodology has gained considerable momentum. In the field of social research and evaluation, quantitative research has been considered as the more ‘traditional’ approach to addressing a research question. Decades ago, researchers advocating for the use of qualitative methods […]
Read moreHow significant is that?
When you look at survey results do you ask yourself ‘Are there numbers statistically significant? Yes or no?’ ‘Significance’ is a commonly used word in statistics. Significance tests suggest confidence in survey findings; that the findings matter and are meaningful. But perhaps a term like ‘meaningful’ may be a more helpful way to assess statistics […]
Read moreIce creams cause drownings. And other causal relationship myths
Ice creams cause drownings. And there are numbers to prove it. If you take the number of ice creams sold and compare it to the number of drownings there is clearly an upward trend. And it is therefore safe to conclude from this that we should ban ice cream because ice cream […]
Read moreHow good is good?
The practice of evaluation involves arriving at succinct answers to important questions. This is also known as evaluative reasoning. Evaluative reasoning is what distinguishes from research. Evaluations involve conducting research, but they go further, to determine merit of worth, with the aim of making evaluative conclusions. To evaluate is to make deductive arguments and claims […]
Read moreGathering dust or momentum? 6 ways to ensure your commissioned report is adopted
Have you commissioned an evaluation or a piece of research that resulted in a report sitting unused? Anecdotal evidence suggests that more than half of evaluation results go unused. There are a number of aspects of evaluation reporting that can affect how information is used. The study purpose, stakeholder needs and target audience should […]
Read moreGoal-free evaluation. What is it and why is it important?
Evaluation is a relatively young discipline, growing in theory and practice. There are many theories and approaches to evaluation practice, but fundamentally, the disciplines involves determining the merit, worth and value of things. Unlike pure social research, the practice of evaluation is about making a judgement on the worth of something. One of the […]
Read moreActionable Evaluation – 6 elements
Have you seen evaluation reports that may be technically adequate and accurate, yet are almost impossible to decipher? They may have been full of detailed charts, tables, statistics, and qualitative research findings, yet they seemed to make no sense and it was difficult to understand their purpose. According to internationally recognised evaluation specialist, E. Jane […]
Read more4 ethical considerations in evaluation and research
Market research ethics refer to the moral guidelines or principles that govern the conduct of behaviour in the marketing research industry. Ethics is particularly important in marketing research. As a member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS), and the Australasian Evaluation Society (AES), I am committed to adhering to a moral framework […]
Read moreSticking your neck out- choosing focus groups or individual interviews
Qualitative research provides researchers and evaluators with detailed information about attitudes, views, behaviour and preferences. Two common qualitative research techniques are focus groups (group discussions) and one-on-one interviews (also called in-depth interviews). The interactive nature of both of these approaches means that their success is dependent on the skills of the interviewer or moderator. There […]
Read moreEstimating market size like Fermi
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an eminent physicist who developed a knack for intuitive, even casual sounding measurements. The value of quick estimates was something Fermi was familiar with. He was well known for teaching his students skills to approximate fanciful-sounding quantities that, at first glance, they might presume they knew nothing about. The best […]
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