Small-Scale Evaluation

Principles and Practice
Second Edition
Colin Robson - University of Huddersfield, UK
Small-Scale Evaluation
September 2017 | 232 pages | Sage UK
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Hardcover
ISBN: 9781412962476
Available from January 0001

Description

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.

 

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

  • Who is the book for?
  • What do you need to be able to carry out an evaluation?
  • Evaluation research
  • Small-scale evaluation research
  • The literature search
  • The Internet
  • Using the book
  • A note on 'Tasks'

Chapter 2: Evaluation: The What and the Why

  • What is evaluation?
  • Why evaluate?
  • Evaluation and social research
  • What do they think they want?
  • What are they going to find credible?

Chapter 3: The Advantages of Collaboration

  • Stakeholders
  • Other models of involvement
  • Using consultants
  • Persuading others to be involved
  • When is some form of participatory evaluation indicated?

Chapter 4: Evaluation Designs

  • Different approaches to evaluation
  • Needs assessment
  • Outcome evaluation
  • Process evaluation
  • Combining process and outcome approaches
  • Formative and summative evaluation
  • Efficiency evaluation
  • Reviews
  • Program monitoring
  • Theory-based evaluation
  • An interim summing up

Chapter 5: Designing Your Evaluation

  • Reviewing the 'literature'
  • Research questions
  • Methods of data collection
  • Data quality
  • Sampling
  • Prespecified and emergent designs
  • Doing a shoe-string evaluation

Chapter 6: Ethical and Political Considerations

  • Ethical issues
  • The problem of unintended consequences
  • Evaluations involving children and other vulnerable populations
  • Ethical issues in online research
  • Ethical boards and committees
  • The politics of evaluation

Chapter 7: Practicalities

  • Time budgeting
  • Gaining access
  • Getting organized
  • Getting help and support

Chapter 8: Dealing with the Data

  • Coding data
  • Analysis and interpretation of quantitative data
  • Analysis and interpretation of qualitative data

Chapter 9: Communicating the Findings

  • Evaluation reports
  • Facilitating the implementation of evaluation findings

Chapter 10: Taking it further

  • Further reading
  • Postscript

Appendix A: Chapter Tasks

Appendix A: Chapter Tasks

Appendix B: Simple Evaluations

Appendix B: Simple Evaluations

Description

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.

 

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

  • Who is the book for?
  • What do you need to be able to carry out an evaluation?
  • Evaluation research
  • Small-scale evaluation research
  • The literature search
  • The Internet
  • Using the book
  • A note on 'Tasks'

Chapter 2: Evaluation: The What and the Why

  • What is evaluation?
  • Why evaluate?
  • Evaluation and social research
  • What do they think they want?
  • What are they going to find credible?

Chapter 3: The Advantages of Collaboration

  • Stakeholders
  • Other models of involvement
  • Using consultants
  • Persuading others to be involved
  • When is some form of participatory evaluation indicated?

Chapter 4: Evaluation Designs

  • Different approaches to evaluation
  • Needs assessment
  • Outcome evaluation
  • Process evaluation
  • Combining process and outcome approaches
  • Formative and summative evaluation
  • Efficiency evaluation
  • Reviews
  • Program monitoring
  • Theory-based evaluation
  • An interim summing up

Chapter 5: Designing Your Evaluation

  • Reviewing the 'literature'
  • Research questions
  • Methods of data collection
  • Data quality
  • Sampling
  • Prespecified and emergent designs
  • Doing a shoe-string evaluation

Chapter 6: Ethical and Political Considerations

  • Ethical issues
  • The problem of unintended consequences
  • Evaluations involving children and other vulnerable populations
  • Ethical issues in online research
  • Ethical boards and committees
  • The politics of evaluation

Chapter 7: Practicalities

  • Time budgeting
  • Gaining access
  • Getting organized
  • Getting help and support

Chapter 8: Dealing with the Data

  • Coding data
  • Analysis and interpretation of quantitative data
  • Analysis and interpretation of qualitative data

Chapter 9: Communicating the Findings

  • Evaluation reports
  • Facilitating the implementation of evaluation findings

Chapter 10: Taking it further

  • Further reading
  • Postscript

Appendix A: Chapter Tasks

Appendix A: Chapter Tasks

Appendix B: Simple Evaluations

Appendix B: Simple Evaluations

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Small-Scale Evaluation

Principles and Practice

Colin Robson
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September 2017 | 232 pages | Sage UK

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Hardcover 31/03/2026 9781412962476 $195.00
Paperback 31/03/2026 9781412962483 $106.00

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.

 

Table Of Contents:

  • Chapter 1: Introduction
  • Who is the book for?
  • What do you need to be able to carry out an evaluation?
  • Evaluation research
  • Small-scale evaluation research
  • The literature search
  • The Internet
  • Using the book
  • A note on 'Tasks'
  • Chapter 2: Evaluation: The What and the Why
  • What is evaluation?
  • Why evaluate?
  • Evaluation and social research
  • What do they think they want?
  • What are they going to find credible?
  • Chapter 3: The Advantages of Collaboration
  • Stakeholders
  • Other models of involvement
  • Using consultants
  • Persuading others to be involved
  • When is some form of participatory evaluation indicated?
  • Chapter 4: Evaluation Designs
  • Different approaches to evaluation
  • Needs assessment
  • Outcome evaluation
  • Process evaluation
  • Combining process and outcome approaches
  • Formative and summative evaluation
  • Efficiency evaluation
  • Reviews
  • Program monitoring
  • Theory-based evaluation
  • An interim summing up
  • Chapter 5: Designing Your Evaluation
  • Reviewing the 'literature'
  • Research questions
  • Methods of data collection
  • Data quality
  • Sampling
  • Prespecified and emergent designs
  • Doing a shoe-string evaluation
  • Chapter 6: Ethical and Political Considerations
  • Ethical issues
  • The problem of unintended consequences
  • Evaluations involving children and other vulnerable populations
  • Ethical issues in online research
  • Ethical boards and committees
  • The politics of evaluation
  • Chapter 7: Practicalities
  • Time budgeting
  • Gaining access
  • Getting organized
  • Getting help and support
  • Chapter 8: Dealing with the Data
  • Coding data
  • Analysis and interpretation of quantitative data
  • Analysis and interpretation of qualitative data
  • Chapter 9: Communicating the Findings
  • Evaluation reports
  • Facilitating the implementation of evaluation findings
  • Chapter 10: Taking it further
  • Further reading
  • Postscript
  • Appendix A: Chapter Tasks
  • Appendix B: Simple Evaluations

Recent Product Reviews:

This is a marvelous book. It communicates clearly and directly to the reader, making the subject accessible and usable rather than abstruse or forbidding. Robson excels in thinking with the reader and getting the reader to think along with him, so that reading his work seems like collaborating with a helpful mentor. Supported by many helpful diagrams and charts, he uses real-world situations, contexts, examples, and research literature to give the reader an understanding of how she might go about conducting actual research using this book as a guide. He discusses the challenges a researcher can face in conducting evaluations, such as getting those being studied to collaborate in the research project, and the strengths and weaknesses, benefits and pitfalls of so doing. And it is of great value that his focus is specifically on small-scale evaluation, because that is the type of evaluation in which a student or budding researcher is most likely to be involved. Robson is a great demystifier and guide--other research texts would benefit greatly from adopting Robson's style of thinking, writing, and guiding.
Jeremy J. Shapiro, Professor Emeritus, Fielding Graduate University
A masterfully written text making complex issues approachable and very workable! Robson’s personable style as if engaged in a conversation with the reader entices and enlightens. It is rare to find a text that to such an extent combines user-friendliness and an engaging style without compromising scientific stringency, ethics or practical usefulness and common sense. This is indeed a treasure trove for students and professionals of any kind and everywhere whose study or work involves people in groups and organisations in need of development, change or just a healthy reality check on how their organisation is doing.
Roland S Persson, Professor of Educational Psychology, Jönköping University, Sweden

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