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In recent years, the randomized control trial (RCT) has emerged as the preferred “gold standard” for project evaluation in the international development field, initially in such sectors as public health, education and economic growth but now in democratization assistance as well. But in addition to being time-consuming and expensive, RCT studies are often impossible for more basic reasons such as lack of a baseline survey. Many methodologies have been developed as “second best” approaches, but they also tend to be overly complex and cumbersome to implement. A simpler approach is the Rapid Governance Assessment (RGA), which combines quantitative and qualitative methods. In this paper, we show how an RGA was crafted and employed to evaluate a local governance assistance project in Bangladesh.
The authors articulate an agenda for program and policy evaluation that is designed to ensure actionable evidence of the effectiveness of a program and its implementation is generated for all stakeholders. The examples they provide, while not minimizing the challenges of employing a mixed methods approach, will convince readers of the practicality and value of iteratively integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches throughout the entire evaluation process, from initial design through data integration and analysis to dissemination of research findings.--
Now in its fourth edition, this handbook is an essential resource for those interested in all aspects of qualitative research, and has been extensively revised and updated to cover new topics including applied ethnography, queer theory and auto-ethnography.
In an increasingly complex world the natural human inclination is to oversimplify issues and problems to make them seem more comprehensible and less threatening. This tendency usually generates forms of dogmatism that diminish our ability to think creatively and to develop worthy talents. Fortunately, complexity theory is giving us ways to make sense of intricate, evolving phenomena. This book represents a broad, interdisciplinary application of complexity theory to a wide variety of phenomena in general education, STEM education, learner diversity and special education, social-emotional development, organizational leadership, urban planning, and the history of philosophy. The contributors provide nuanced analyses of the structures and dynamics of complex adaptive systems in these academic and professional fields.
Identify, evaluate, and practice good research using Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology: Integrating Diversity With Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods by renowned scholar Donna M. Mertens. This introductory research methods text incorporates the viewpoints of various research paradigms into its descriptions of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods as well as program evaluation. The work covers five major paradigms: post-positivist, constructivist, transformative, pragmatic, and Indigenous. Special emphasis on conducting research with culturally complex communities, based on the perspectives of feminists, ethnic/racial minorities, and people with disabilities is a hallmark of this text. In each chapter, the author carefully explains each step of the research process, from the literature review to analysis and reporting. Additionally, each chapter includes a published sample study and abstract to illustrate the concepts discussed in that chapter. The Sixth Edition includes more on community engagement, recent advances in mixed methods, new applications of theoretical frameworks, and the latest research examples. Citations and references have all been updated to reflect the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Included with this title: LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. Learn more.
This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for conducting large- and small-scale evaluations. Numerous sample studies—many with reflective commentary from the evaluators—reveal the process through which an evaluator incorporates a paradigm into an actual research project. The book shows how theory informs methodological choices (the specifics of planning, implementing, and using evaluations). It offers balanced coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Useful pedagogical features include: *Examples of large- and small-scale evaluations from multiple disciplines. *Beginning-of-chapter reflection questions that set the stage for the material covered. *"Extending your thinking" questions and practical activities that help readers apply particular theoretical paradigms in their own evaluation projects. *Relevant Web links, including pathways to more details about sampling, data collection, and analysis. *Boxes offering a closer look at key evaluation concepts and additional studies. *Checklists for readers to determine if they have followed recommended practice. *A companion website with resources for further learning.
Vanhanen provides the most extensive comparative survey of the state and conditions of democracy ever made, with historical data and explanatory variables extending back to the 1850s, and with forecasts covering seven regions of the world.