Evaluation research can assess the value and effectiveness of interventions and innovations involving people. While this has often been on a grand scale, this book focuses on small-scale projects carried out by an individual or small group, typically lasting for weeks or at most a few months, at a local rather than national level. Using limited jargon and featuring integrated, real-world examples, this second edition offers a clear, accessible background to evaluation and prepares you to undertake your own small-scale evaluation research project. Key features include discussion of: • Different approaches to evaluation and how to choose between them • The advantages and disadvantages of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) • Realist evaluation and its increasing importance • The centrality of ethical and political issues • The influence and opportunity of the Internet Tightly focused on the realities of carrying out small-scale evaluation, Small-Scale Evaluation is a highly practical guide covering the needs of both social scientists and others without this background. Colin Robson is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Human & Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield.

Designing Your Evaluation

Most attempts to display designs in texts on social research show sets of boxes with links and arrows between them. In my experience, they are at best logical, sanitized versions of design reality, bearing little resemblance to the complex, messy and interactive nature of what actually goes on. The ‘garbage can’ model of research seems closer to it (Martin, 1981; Grady & Wallston, 1988; Lomi & Harrison, 2012). Theories, methods, resources and solutions swirl around in the wastebasket which constitutes the decision space of the project. They are all interdependent and the design emerges from their interaction.

However, such models provide little or no explicit guidance for the design process. So Figure 5.1 reluctantly reverts to a simple box and links ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles