Family Development and Children's Research Centre

UWI-FDP goes to Canada: Staff Training

After more than 12 hours of travelling...

We arrived at Ottawa, Canada, the host city for the annual International Programme for Evaluation Training (IPDET). This programme is aimed at providing professionals, across a wide variety of domains, with tools to accurately evaluate policies, programmes and projects locally and globally.

 

It is divided into a series of workshops. Our two sessions were held over the course of five days: Intermediate Quantitative Data Analysis and Qualitative Methods and Analysis for Development Evaluation.

 

Back to school...

The first workshop Intermediate Quantitative Data Analysis which began on July 4th, 2011 focused on multiple regressions: the most popular and useful empirical techniques used in evaluation. This served as a refresher course for many participants. Our instructor taught us how to interpret the results of multiple regressions and understand the assumptions made when constructing them.

 

This workshop dealt with:

• How to compute and recode variables.
• How to interpret graphs and results.
• How to develop regression models and curve estimation.

 

Between Wednesday 6th and Friday 8th July, 2011 we attended the workshop on Qualitative Methods and Analysis for Development Evaluation. The workshop covered:

• The fundamentals of conducting useful, meaningful and credible qualitative evaluations.
• Strategies for selecting cases, in-depth interviewing.
• The necessary skills and qualitative applications for different types of evaluations.

 

The emphasis here was on conducting useful and practical evaluations. It is essential that they also be appropriate for, and adapted to the intended uses, users, circumstances and political situations. Ethical issues in conducting qualitative evaluations were also discussed.

 

Lessons for Home...

This training proved to be of particular importance to the UWI-Family Development Project (UWI-FDP). It demonstrated how we could avoid problems with analysing qualitative data, as had been previously experienced.

 

Our staff acquired new skill sets and competencies related to:

• Appropriate methods of handling and evaluating qualitative data.
• How to choose the method of interview.
• The types of questions that should be asked in a survey or interview.
• How to clearly word questions to attain pertinent information on a topic of study.
• How to develop rapport with the interviewee to make them feel comfortable enough to divulge information they would otherwise have kept to themselves.

 

These would be of fundamental importance to our qualitative studies agenda. We are now better equipped to explore the various issues which children, families and stakeholders face within early childhood education. Additionally, this training allows for the information attained through such research to be presented in meaningful ways to all relevant stakeholders and policy makers.

 

All work, some play...

We not only engaged in the workshops held by IPDET but explored downtown Ottawa. We visited a few of Canada’s National Historic Sites such as Confederation Park, the allegedly haunted Chateau Laurier, Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). During our walk through downtown Ottawa we also ventured into the famous ByWard Market where we bought delicious strawberries and maple syrup.

 

Leaving on a jet plane...

On the last day a relatively informal graduation ceremony was held at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. At the ceremony our ‘IPDETers’ were called upon to collect their graduation bag which included their certificates of participation. It was also an opportunity to be photographed with the directors of the programme, Drs. Rist and Morra-Imas. At the end of certificate distributions everyone took to the dance floor, socialized and networked for the rest of the evening.