| Session Title: The Value of Qualitative Data for Assessing Program Impact: When Qualitative and Quantitative Findings Tell Two Different Stories |
| Think Tank Session 701 to be held in Avalon A on Friday, Nov 4, 2:50 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Mixed Methods Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| L Shon Bunkley, Community Research Partners, sbunkley@researchpartners.org |
| Discussant(s): |
| Gary Timko, Community Research Partners, gtimko@researchpartners.org |
| Abstract: This 90-minute Think Tank session will engage attendees in discussions of the value of mixed methods in general and qualitative data in particular for assessing program impact. The findings of a 5-year evaluation of a teacher education program will provide background and contextual information as attendees discuss various aspects of using mixed methods to assess program impact. Discussions will center on aspects like: - How and to what extent qualitative data can provide credible evidence of the impact of a program, in the absence of strong quantitative evidence - How and to what extent qualitative data can provide credible evidence of the impact of a program in the face of the push for experimental and quasi-experimental research designs - How to handle conflicting qualitative and quantitative findings |