Workshop: Qualitative research in the evaluation context

Date and time: Tuesday 18 June and Tuesday 25 June, 9.30am to 12.30pm AEST (registration from 9.25am) Registrants are to attend both sessions. (full day workshop - 2 sessions)

Venue: Via Zoom. Details will be emailed to registrants just prior to the workshop start time

Facilitator: Joan Young

Register online by: Monday 17 June 2024, unless sold out prior limited to 25 participants.

Fees (GST inclusive): Members $295, Organisational member staff $415, Non-members $485, Student member $140, Student non-member $226. Students must send proof of their full-time student status to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Workshop Overview

The purpose of the workshop is to develop knowledge and understanding to assist participants to identify when qualitative methods would add value to an evaluation, the range of techniques and practices that could be employed and to build competency in how to undertake qualitative data collection and analysis in an evaluation context.

Workshop Content

Specific knowledge, techniques, and practices to be covered include:

• Using program logic and theory of change to develop an evaluation framework and identify qualitative data requirements i.e. who and what we seek to understand

• Stakeholder consultation to refine agreed evaluation objectives and key evaluation questions

• Selecting the most appropriate qualitative data collection methods

• How to conduct qualitative research in an evaluation context from sampling and design to recruitment, data collection, analysis, reporting and activation

• Interviewing and focus group moderation skills for face-to-face and online methods

Workshop Objectives

The training objective is to provide participants with increased knowledge and skills to conduct qualitative data collection and analysis in an evaluation context. The workshop will use theory, case-studies and practical exercises and role play to cover the what, when, why and how of qualitative data collection and analysis. It aims to deliver the following learning outcomes:

• Increased knowledge about approaches to qualitative data collection and analysis and ability to select the most appropriate to meet specific evaluation objectives

• Increased competency in developing qualitative research questions and techniques to address key evaluation questions including the use of open-ended questions, probing and projective techniques

• Enhanced skills in qualitative data collection and analysis from sampling and design, to recruitment, data collection, analysis, reporting and recommendations

  Participants will be asked to share their learning objectives and to reflect on progress during each session to ensure the workshop is focussed on supporting each participant to achieve their learning outcomes.

PL competencies

This workshop aligns with competencies in the AES Evaluator’s Professional Learning Competency Framework. The identified domains are:

• Domain 1 – Evaluative attitude and professional practice

• Domain 4 – Research methods and systematic inquiry

Who should attend?

The workshop targets evaluators, policy makers and program managers at all levels who wish to build their capacity to use and get the most from the inclusion of qualitative methods in their evaluation practice.
Specific knowledge, techniques, and practices to be covered include:

• Using or developing a program logic, theory of change and evaluation framework to identify qualitative data requirements i.e. who and what we seek to understand to meet evaluation objectives

• Ethics and validity considerations

• How theories about human behaviour such as the Social Ecological Model, The transtheoretical (stages of change) Model and COM-B can guide evaluation design, qualitative data collection and analysis

• The value of segmentation in understanding expectations and experiences and how to incorporate into data collection and analysis

• Interviewing and focus group moderation skills for face-to-face and online methods

• Limitations of qualitative methods and types of claims that can be made based on them 

Workshop start times

• VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS, QLD: 9.30am

• SA, NT: 9.00am

• WA: 7.30am

• New Zealand: 11.30am

For other time zones please go to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

About the facilitator

Joan Young has over 30 years evaluation experience having worked with government agencies in New Zealand, MENA, and Australia to develop and evaluate social policy, programs, services, and communications. She was made a Fellow of The Research Society in Australia in 2021 and has been a member of The Australian Evaluation Society since 2000. Joan has designed and led numerous evaluations in a variety of roles including CEO of Colmar Brunton, Head of research and evaluation with The Behaviour Change Collaborative and most recently as Managing Director, Canberra of 3arc Social. She has developed specialist expertise in integrating qualitative methods into evaluation practice.
Joan has extensive experience in workshop facilitation having conducted stakeholder workshops upon the commencement and conclusion of hundreds of research and evaluation projects as well as having been commissioned to run stand-alone workshops for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, various ACT Government departments, Australian Sports Commission, Centre for Accessibility, The Advertising Standards Bureau, and Fearless Women. She has also facilitated training workshops in qualitative methods for The Research Society in Canberra, The Queen Rania Foundation in Jordan, Nali’bali in South Africa, PWC, WWF, Hatchery’s Public Sector Strategic Communications & Engagement Conference and for numerous client organisations and internal teams over the years including DSS.