How 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 moreThe long and short of measurement
The concept of measurement can be daunting. As a research and evaluation consultant I am often asked whether my approach will be ‘statistically significant’ or how reliable the outcomes will be. Here are a few basic elements of evaluation and measurement which should hopefully address some of these questions. The concept of measurement The […]
Read moreThe Rule of Five. A quick and easy way to reduce uncertainty in business
Suppose you have a business dilemma or decision to make that seems insurmountable. The problem is complex and you don’t know where to start to begin to understand what to do. Douglas Hubbard, an internationally recognised expert in metrics, decision analysis and risk management, devised a simple example of a quick measurement anyone can do […]
Read moreThe reliability of qualitative research
Reliability is a concept that refers to producing consistent results time after time. If you commission a qualitative research or evaluation project, how can you be sure it is reliable? Don’t you need statistics to make research reliable? No. Because, although the term ‘reliability’ is usually applied as a concept for testing or evaluating quantitative […]
Read moreYou’re being watched. Observation methods in social research and evaluation
Observation is a systematic process of recording the behavioural patterns of people, objects and occurrences without questioning or otherwise communicating with them. It’s a bit like professional stalking, but with ethical and design limitations. The technique can be used as a tool for scientific enquiry when it serves a specific research purpose, is planned and […]
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