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Filter search resultsQ-methodology
Q-methodology (also known as Q-sort) is the systematic study of participant viewpoints.MethodORID
ORID is a specific facilitation framework that enables a focused conversation with a group of people in order to reach some point of agreement or clarify differences.MethodFishbowl technique
The fish bowl activity is used to manage group discussion.MethodSocial mapping
Social mapping, or 'wellbeing ranking', is used to identify households using pre-determined indicators based on socio-economic factors.MethodDelphi study
The Delphi technique is a quantitative option to generate group consensus through an iterative process of answering questions.MethodWriteshop
A Writeshop is a writing workshop involving a concentrated process of drafting, presenting, reviewing and revising documentation of practice.MethodSummary statistics
Summary statistics provide a quick summary of data and are particularly useful for comparing one project to another, or before and after.MethodExploratory techniques
Taking a ‘first look’ at a dataset by summarising its main characteristics, often by using visual methods.MethodExisting documents
Reviewing documents produced as part of the implementation of the evaluand can provide useful background information and be beneficial in understanding the alignment between planned and actual implementation.MethodOfficial statistics
Statistics published by government agencies or other public bodies such as international organizations are often useful in evaluations.MethodPrevious evaluations and research
Using the findings from evaluation and research studies conducted on the same or closely related areas is an important first step for evaluation planning.MethodContent analysis
Content analysis is a research method in the social sciences used to reduce large amounts of unstructured textual content into manageable data relevant to the (evaluation) research questions.MethodParticipant observation
Participant observation is used to identify the attitudes and operation of a community by a researcher living within its environs.MethodTransect
Transect walks are a method for gathering spatial data on an area by observing people, surroundings and resources while walking around an area or community.MethodField trips
Field trips are organised trips where participants visit physical sites.MethodBiophysical measurement
Biophysical measurement measures physical changes that take place over a period of time related to a specific indicator and using an accepted measurement procedure.MethodGeographical
Capturing geographic information about persons or objects of interest such as the locations of high prevalence of a disease or the location of service delivery points.MethodControl group
A control group is an untreated research sample against which all other groups or samples in the research is compared.MethodRealist analysis of testable hypotheses
Realist analysis of testable hypotheses tests the program theory by developing a nuanced understanding of ‘what works for whom in what circumstances and in what respects, and how?’.MethodCheck dose-response patterns
Evaluators can examine the link between dose and response as part of determining whether the program caused the outcome.MethodCheck results match a statistical model
Program staff may develop a statistical model as part of the project theory design. Statistical models can be useful tools to predict elements of the program:MethodCheck results match expert predictions
Expert predictions can be a useful part of developing the program theory. Program staff can draw expert predictions from the literature or by engaging a group of experts.MethodCheck timing of outcomes
The program theory may predict the timing of outcomes for the evaluator to check against these dates with the dates of actual changes and outcomes.MethodKey informant
Asking experts of programmes or in the community to predict what would have happened in the absence of the intervention.MethodSearching for disconfirming evidence/following up exceptions
Treating data that doesn’t fit the expected pattern not as outliers but as potential clues to other causal factors and then seeking to explain them.MethodGeneral Elimination Methodology
General Elimination Methodology has two stages:MethodForce field analysis
A force field analysis is used to support the decision making process by providing a detailed overview of the variety of forces that may be acting on an organisational change issue.MethodStatistically controlling for extraneous variables
Statistically controlling for extraneous variables is an option for removing the influence of a variable on the study of program results.MethodRuling out technical explanations
Ruling out technical explanations involves identifying and investigating possible ways that the results might reflect technical limitations rather than actual causal relationships.MethodJudgemental matching
Judgemental matching involves creating a comparison group by finding a match for each person or site in the treatment group based on researcher judgements about what variables are important.MethodDifference-in-difference
Difference-in-difference involves comparing the before-and-after difference for the group receiving the intervention (where they have not been randomly assigned) to the before-after difference for those who did not.MethodSequential allocation
Sequential allocation involves creating a treatment group and a comparison group by using a sequence to choose participants (e.g. every 3rd person on the list).Method