social research

Nov 14 2016

Cause and effect: why does it matter?

Causation can be a basic concept in everyday life. If you slip on a banana peel you will likely fall, therefore it makes logical sense to say that the presence of a banana peel in your path caused you to fall. But things can also get more complex than that. If you think about what […]

Read more
Oct 6 2016

To measure or not to measure

We often feel we need to assign value to something, to be sure we know if it has merit or worth. The field of evaluation is embedded in processes of measurement, be that qualitative or quantitative, or a combination of both methods. Social research, too, is similarly participating in the debate about what can––or should––be […]

Read more
Sep 14 2016

Community Panels: consistent consultation in small regional towns

Consulting with communities over the long-term in small regional towns in Australia presents similar challenges to consultation in cities. How do you target the right people for consultation? How do you keep people engaged for long-term projects?
 It is a myth that small towns folk have more time on their hands than their busy city […]

Read more
Aug 17 2016

Data Saturation – numbers left out in the rain, or something else?

Data saturation is a term used in research to indicate that no new information is expected to be added that will enhance or change the findings of a study. Data saturation is important to achieve. It is reached when there is enough information to replicate the study, when the ability of obtain additional new information […]

Read more
Jul 27 2016

Cause and effect. Is qualitative evidence legitimate?

The exploration of causal pathways is compelling in evaluation and sometimes central. Investigating cause and effect and can be the only way of providing evidence that a program or initiative can be directly attributable to a particular outcome. To understand causal pathways is useful in telling a story of a program and is essential in […]

Read more
Jun 30 2016

Triangulation – cross checking research findings

An important consideration when conducting research and evaluation is whether you can rely on your data as being a true portrayal of the views or position of your population of interest. It is important to be sure that the findings being presented have not been unintentionally skewed because of how the questions were asked, or […]

Read more
Jun 22 2016

Professionalisation of an industry. Is it important?

I belong to two professional bodies: the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) and the Australasian Evaluation Society (AES). Despite having about 15 years’ experience working in these two fields, I recently acquired a professional qualification from one of these bodies and am working towards acquiring a professional qualification from the other. The professionalisation […]

Read more
May 19 2016

Is all error bad?

  Evaluation and research inquiries are about exploring the truth, about difference- also known as ‘variance’. For example: What are the different ways that this program or service delivered its outcomes? How did different community groups differ in their perception of the new client service? These are both fairly common evaluative questions. And common to […]

Read more
Apr 15 2016

Theory-based evaluation – addressing an evaluation deficit

Evaluations conducted in the field of arts and cultural initiatives in Australia are often critiqued for their methodologically weakness. Concerns amongst peers and academics have included their reliance on small sample sizes, anecdotal evidence, limited hypothesis testing and little attention to the examination of internal program mechanisms with the aim of looking for causal factors […]

Read more
Mar 21 2016

Quantitative research in evaluation – for what purpose?

Evaluation is a field in which evaluators are looking for mechanisms within program that bring about effects. The practice of evaluation involves making a judgement and also often testing a hypothesis of explanation of a theory. In order to make a sound judgement or test a theory, the evaluator needs to gather evidence, either in […]

Read more