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How to use this manual
What is formative research?
What do you want to know?
   
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How are they analyzed?

Observation and debriefing need to be structured into your time schedule. Staff can set aside a monthly meeting to discuss any field notes or observation.

•    Are there any striking or surprising findings?
•    What questions do they give rise to? What questions do they answer?
•    What are the general patterns observed, as opposed to isolated incidents?
•    Do they tell you that there might be problems in your program, or that your program is working great?
•    Do they tell you about any new needs among your clients?
•    Does the staff all agree?
•    Are there ways you can bring this knowledge into existing programs or address it in new programs?

Further reading on field notes and observations can be found in Appendix 2 of the Resources section.


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This sample observation procedure is taken from a research study at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California San Francisco. Healthy Oakland Teens is a peer-led sexuality education intervention conducted in an Oakland, CA middle school. This is an observational procedure for determining how well the peer-led sessions are delivered. One of the program staff (not a peer educator or teacher) sits in on the session and fills out this form at the end. There is also space on the back for any observational notes or comments.

This observation technique is a very good way to get a feel for how an intervention is going. Agencies often use focus groups to get similar feedback, yet often it is difficult to get helpful answers in a focus group. For example, when asked “what would you change or do differently in this intervention?” respondents often say “nothing, it was great,” or suggest paying more money or having better food.

HOT Peer Intervention Evaluation
(to be completed by Session Facilitator)

Session #______    Period _______    Session Facilitator _____________ 
Team members             Check if present

__________________________                  ______   
__________________________                  ______    
__________________________                  ______    

# of 7th graders present    ______   

1. Were all the activities in the session covered?

Activity                              Completed/ Partially completed/Omitted

a. __________________________    ________________       
b. __________________________    ________________            
c. __________________________    ________________            

2. Rate the clarity/quality of the delivery of the session overall on a scale of 1-5 (5 = Excellent, very clear; 1 = Poor, not clear):     ___________

3a. On a scale of 1-5, how well did the 7th graders behave? __________ 
     1 =     Virtually everyone in class was disruptive.
     2 =     More than half of the class was disruptive.   
     3 =    About half of the class was disruptive.    
     4 =    Only a few students were disruptive.    
     5 =     The whole class was appropriately quiet and well-behaved.

3b. On a scale of 1-5, how well did the 7th graders pay attention and participate in class? ____________           
    1 =     Virtually no one paid attention or participated in activities.   
    2 =     Only a few paid attention and/or participated.   
    3 =    About half of the class was inattentive or did not participate.   
    4 =    Almost the whole class paid attention and participated in activities. 
    5 =     The whole class paid attention and participated in activities.

3c. Did the teacher/ supervisor have to have to intervene?
    For information #  ___  yes   ___ no     
    For discipline #     ___  yes   ___ no

4. Approximate number of questions in question box    ____________  

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Good Questions, Better Answers --  � 1998 California Department of Health Services and Northern California Grantmakers AIDS Task Force  -- http://www.goodquestions.com