Quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluating impact
Written by Jenna Bodin-Galvez, Clark Girdlestone
There has been an increased demand for studies evaluating the impact of language education, due to both accountability to stakeholders and to improve effectiveness of programmes (Hatry and Newcomer, 2010, cited in Fouche et al 2016, p.110). However, there is no clear definition of impact, and no single approach to the evaluation of this impact. This talk will focus on two embedded in-sessional impact projects at the University of Leeds across two schools; Leeds University Business School (LUBS) and the School of Food Science and Nutrition (FSN). The first takes an innovative quantitative approach to impact, focusing on postgraduate student writing and academic language in MSc International Business, comparing those who did and did not attend the optional in-sessional provision. The second takes a qualitative approach, focusing on student perceptions of the impact of the provision, on both the students’ academic language and literacies and their wider educational experience. The aim of this talk is to focus on two differing approaches to evaluating impact, looking at the strengths and limitations of both approaches, and to discuss the findings of these projects on embedded in-sessional provision.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhinByCTMwY
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvhqF_nF3XM