Ports in the Storm

DISCUSSION

Availability of Resources & Reports

A fundamental difficulty with this study is that it relies on the toolkits, guidelines, reports and other documents publicly accessible from the organization websites. This introduces the very real possibility (indeed, likelihood) that these documents are not a representative sample of the work being done by these organizations. However, one could reasonably assume that the documents publicly accessible (and therefore included in this study) were selected to be posted online based on their quality, their relevance to current humanitarian crises, or their treatment of current issues in humanitarian aid, and are therefore worthy of consideration here.

Two types of documents were sought for inclusion in this study: (see Chart 1)

1. Documents such as guidelines or toolkits which outline prescribed practices to be used in the field when carrying out a particular stage of the program cycle; and
2. reports, such as assessments, appraisals, or evaluations of actual aid responses or programs carried out by the organization.

Chart 1: Documents Reviewed by Type

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Resources for Qualitative Data-Gathering & Research Design

Berg, B. (2008) Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences (7th Edition). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Bernard, H. R. (2006) Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Edition). Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.

Perecman, E. & Curran, S., eds. (2006) A Handbook for Social Science Field Research: Essays & Bibliographic Sources on Research Design and Methods. London, UK: SAGE Publications.

Trochim, W. M. K. Research Methods Knowledge Base. (online resource)

Additional Resources for Specific Techniques

Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB). The Good Enough Guide: Impact Measurement and Accountability in Emergencies. Published by Oxfam GB and World Vision International. 2007. Accessible here.

Academy for Educational Development, Population Communication Services (AED/PCS). CAFS Handbook: Participatory Techniques. 2002. Accessible here.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Evaluation Research Team. Evaluation Brief No. 13: Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Focus Groups. July 1998. Accessible here.

CRS. Maj, M. et al. Guidance for Implementing Station Days: A Child-Centered Monitoring & Evaluation Tool. Catholic Relief Services. Baltimore, MD. 2009. Accessible here.

PolicyLink. Community Mapping – What is it? (online resource) 2002. Accessible here.

Spiers, J.A. “Tech Tips: Using Video Management/Analysis Technology in Qualitative Research.” International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Vol. 3, No. 1, April 2004. Accessible here.

STC. “Participatory Video: A Qualitative Method of Monitoring & Evaluation.” Design, Monitoring & Evaluation – Save the Children (blog). Posted 20 October 2009. Accessible here.

UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Health DATA Program. Section 4: Key Informant Interviews. Accessible here.

US Agency for International Development (USAID). Performance Monitoring & Evaluation TIPS: Conducting Key Informant Interviews. Washington, DC. 1996. Number 2. Accessible here.

World Bank. Transect Walk and Diagramming: Procedures and Examples. (online resource) Accessible here.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Based on a review of the available documents and the methods discussed therein, here are some initial findings:

METHODS FOUND BY PROGRAM CYCLE STAGE

The stages of the program cycle where data collection methodology is most emphasized, both generally and for qualitative methods in particular, are assessment, monitoring & evaluation. For other stages of the program cycle, there were some documents that addressed data collection for the appraisal stage, but very few that discussed data collection methods for program design or baseline determination. Not one of the organizations studied had documents that covered all stages of the program cycle. (see Table 1)

Table 1: Eight Organizations & Methods Found, by Stage of Program Cycle

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