Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners

Helen Kara is a leading independent researcher, author, teacher and speaker specialising in research methods, particularly creative methods, and research ethics. With over twenty years’ experience as an independent researcher Helen now teaches doctoral students and staff at higher education institutions worldwide. She is a prolific academic author with over 25 titles and 1000 citations; notably Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide and Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners, both in their second editions. Besides her regular blogs and videos, she also writes comics and fiction. Helen is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2021, at the age of 56, she was diagnosed autistic. Her neurodivergence explains her lifelong fascination with, and ability to focus on, words, language and writing.

• 1. IntroductionChapter summaryIntroductionBeing a researcherWhy do practitioners do research?Insider and outsider researchDoing research or evaluationManaging and commissioning research or evaluationTerminologyStructure of this bookCase studiesExerciseDiscussion questionsDebate topic2. Overview of researchChapter summaryIntroductionQuantitative or qualitative?Solo or collaborative?Highly time-consuming methodsConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic3. Research and evaluation ethicsChapter summaryIntroductionResearch ethics managementEthics through the research processResearcher wellbeingConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic4. Methodologies, approaches and theoriesChapter summaryIntroductionMethodologies, methods and approachesPositivist methodologyRealist methodologiesConstructionist methodologiesInterpretivist methodologiesTransformative methodologiesOntology and epistemologyAction researchEvaluation researchMixed methods researchArts-based researchDigitally mediated researchThe role of theory in research and evaluationTheory, research, practiceConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic5. Topics and proposalsChapter summaryIntroductionChoosing a research or evaluation topicRefining your topicFrom question to dataHow much data?Qualitative or quantitative methods?Sampling techniquesProbability samplesNon-probability samplingWhat is evidence?Writing a proposalResearch fundersConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic6. Managing your research or evaluation projectChapter summaryIntroductionPlanningOrganisationTime managementSupport from employersCreative time managementReward yourselfLook after yourselfConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic7. Background researchChapter summaryIntroductionDocument review or literature review?Record-keepingCritical and strategic readingFinding academic journal articlesHow to conduct a document reviewHow to conduct a literature reviewUsing librariesMaking notesKnowing when to stopConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic8. Secondary dataChapter summaryIntroductionOnline secondary data sourcesOpen dataApplication programming interfacesLarge-scale surveysWorking with secondary dataConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic9. Primary data collection: conventional methodsChapter summaryIntroductionCollecting quantitative dataCollecting qualitative dataConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic10. Primary data collection: creative methodsChapter summaryIntroductionCollecting data onlineSmartphonesEnhanced interviews and focus groupsDiaries, field notes, journals and logsVisual dataMappingMobile methodsCase studiesCollaborative methodsConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic11. Quantitative data analysisChapter summaryIntroductionPreparing quantitative dataCoding quantitative dataQuantitative data analysisDescriptive statisticsInferential statisticsConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic12. Qualitative data analysisChapter summaryIntroductionPreparing qualitative dataCoding qualitative dataQualitative data analysisA real-life example of qualitative data analysisData synthesisConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic13. Writing for research and evaluationChapter summaryIntroductionMyths about writingThe writing processStructurePlagiarismCitationFindings versus recommendationsEditingPolishing your writingConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic14. Disseminating research and evaluationChapter summaryIntroductionSummarising research or evaluationBarriers to disseminating research and evaluationPresenting findings in personSharing findings onlineData visualisationDissemination methodsDisseminating workplace researchDisseminating academic researchDissemination ethicsConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic15. How can research create positive change?Chapter summaryIntroductionResearch impactResearch into policyImplementationKnowledge exchangeA holistic approachConclusionCase studiesExercisesDiscussion questionsDebate topic16. Conclusion