N.E.A.R. Narrative Evaluation Action Research Trainers: Jaime Timmerman

1
N.E.A.R.Narrative Evaluation Action
ResearchTrainersJaime Timmerman Melanie
Block

• Western Region
• Health Centre

2
Format for today

• 1.00pm - Warm-up and introduction
• 1.15pm - What is NEAR?
• 1.50pm - What makes a good story?
• 2.05pm - Forming your own stories
• 2.45pm - Afternoon tea break
• 3.00pm - Tips and Resources
• 3.15pm - Support and assistance
• 3.30pm - Where to next?
• 3.45pm - Reporting session
• 4.00pm - End of workshop

3
Introduction

• Project history
• WRHC ISIS PC were pilot agencies
• Dr Yoland Wadsworth, Swinburne University of
  Technology
• Gai Wilson, Latrobe University
• Dr. Ani Wierenga, University of Melbourne
• DHS Karen Goltz
• Draft manual produced containing case studies

4

• Why this project?
• What is Narrative?
• What is Evaluation?
• What is Action Research?

5
Why this project?

• DHS reporting requirements
• Need to express qualitative data
• Quantitative data not enough
• Shows a richer more in depth view
  of what we do

6
What is narrative?

• A narrative is a story
• Narratives can be a spoken or written account of
  connected events in order of their happening.
• They can be in many forms such as an article, a
  letter, a short story etc
• Narratives provide rich comprehensive data.

7
Mug exercise
8
What is Evaluation?

• Evaluation is simply the process by which we
  judge the worth or value of something (Suchman
  1967)
• Evaluation is the relationship between
  expectation and reality
• Synonyms assessment, estimate, appraisal,
  valuation, estimation

9
What is Evaluation?

• It helps us to find out things like
• How are we going?
• How did we go?
• Did we achieve what we wanted to?
• Is it worth doing again?
• Helps measure effectiveness, worth and value
• Have there been any negative outcomes?
• Who was influenced by the program?

10
What is evaluation?

• Evaluation gives us evidence
• Evidence provides
• Allows us to make judgments
• Can show effectiveness, worth or value
• Helps in improving practice
• Making a case for health promotion (we are
  competing again illness treatment)
• Why evaluate?
• Good professional practice
• Accountability to management and funding bodies
• Duty of care to those we seek to serve
• Good intension are not good enough
• There are many evaluation methods

11
Evaluation in practice

• The Amazing Race example

12
What is action research?

• Action Evaluation Research Process map in kit (
  5min to read)

13
Action Research in practice

• Reflection (see Evaluation plan in kit)
• As physios we considered this group to
• be successful however we did not why, how
• and for whom?
• Why did people come rain, hail or shine?

14
Action Research in practice

• Design (refer to Safe Strong Evaluation
• Plan in kit)
• The problems
• What is Safe Strong achieving for our
• clients?
• How can we improve the program?

15
Action Research in practice

• Design
• Who is asking the questions?
• Who has the problem?
• Who is to benefit from the evaluation?
• What do we need to find out, from who?
• Who is to participate and when where
• Who or what is to be researched?

16
Action Research in practice

• Design
• Who is the researcher?
• Who is it all for? Critical reference group
• Who is it for? Other stakeholders their
  interests

17
Action Research in practice

• Fieldwork
• Methods? Open strategic questions
• Consider Peavey Wadsworth Strategic questioning
  tool (see kit)
• What questions will you ask of who?
• What ethics need to be considered?
• Do not jump to conclusions until enough evidence
  and observations have been gathered

18
Action Research in practice

• Analysis, Conclusions feedback
• Identifying themes and creating new theories
• Are there any other explanations?
• What could or should happen next?
• What are the possibilities?
• Feedback
• Check with critical reference group

19
Action Research in practice

• Planning
• Realistic, practical achievable recommendations
• What resources would we need to put this into
  practice?

20
What makes a good story?

• Brain storm
• What features makes a good story?
• Examples
• Instructional piece
• Hydrotherapy piece

21
Forming your own story

• Who are you telling the story to why?
• Identify the stakeholders their interests (both
  positive negative)
• e.g. From Safe Strong- Physios interest to
  improve quality of service advocate for
  resources but will be challenging for us if
  client feedback is negative

22
Forming your own story

• Who is telling the story?
• Single or multiply voices? I, we, they
• Which level?
• See NEAR A map in resource kit

23
Forming your own story

• Gaining material for your story.
• Focus group
• Interview
• Reflection
• Observation
• Keeping a Journal

24
Forming your own story

• Privacy and ethics
• Clear understanding of you participants of
• Process of evaluation
• Scope of evaluation dissemination
• Purpose of evaluation- not tokenism
• Possible consequences of what you write
• Plain language statement

25
Tips and ideas

• You need a story to tell
• Everyone has their own writing style find it and
  practice it.
• Take time away from usual duties to write
• Peers to review your story (writing, reading
  drafts and discussing what worked).
• Willingness to receive feedback
• Ability to ask the questions Why, Who, How,
  When.
• Writing alone or writing together
• Writing in bits/or in its entirety

26
Tips and ideas

• Writing style
• A story not dot points.
• Need to be expressive in your writing (invoke
  curiosity, what happened next?).
• Honesty accuracy
• Use direct quotes or statements (and provide
  context for quotes)
• Use simple language (use instead of utilise).
• Definitely no jargon
• Colorful informative headings. Provides context
  for the paragraph/s.
• If using quotes/other peoples stories, ensure
  that it is true and accurate (check with them).

27
Tips and ideas

• Editiing
• Raw writing can actually be the most powerful
  and you can lose that by over editing.
• Letting go of some of the smaller story lines
• Having to condense and refine what is being said.
• Debrief, blame then ask the questions why, how,
  when?
• Value in thinking twice, reflecting, muse for a
  couple of weeks to think about any extra
  information.
• Enjoy

28
Resources

• Manual reference details
• What makes a good narrative? (resource G from
  manual)
• Case studies
• Community Development in Health Resources
  Collection
• Writing a good plot outline
• Annotated Bibliography of narrative evaluation
  materials and sources

29
Resources

• Circular Action Research map
• Plain language statement examples
• Levels diagram

30
Where to next?

• Support and assistance ongoing
• Length 4-6 pages
• Timelines (see hand out in kit)

31
Activity for future intentions

• Evaluation plan in kit based on Action Evaluation
  Research Process model

32
Evaluating today!

• Your feedback