Dear Social Policy List Member
The Joint Universities Council Social Policy Committee and the Social Policy
Association have provided some funding towards an 18-month research project
that is being conducted by Professor Saul Becker, working jointly with
Professor Alan Bryman. The study seeks to define the criteria by which the
quality of social policy research could be judged, drawing on the
experiences and expertise of those directly engaged in conducting social
policy research (academics and researchers in social policy departments
etc.), those who commission social policy research (e.g. JRF, ESRC,
government departments etc.), and those who use the findings for policy or
practice purposes (e.g. policy makers/managers, health workers etc.).
A difficulty experienced in RAE 2001 was that there were no clear, explicit
and transparent criteria for determining the quality of social policy
research. The current study attempts to address this difficulty. While this
will of course be helpful to the RAE 2008 panel members, the exercise has
far wider objectives. It is important that the SPA and JUC, and their
members, are clear about what constitutes high quality social policy
research so that they can work towards producing work of that standard, and
work that will also be recognised as high quality by a wide range of
stakeholders, not least the SPA/JUC membership and those who use social
policy research (be they policy makers, practitioners, service users and so
on).
AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL IS A LINK TO AN ELECTRONIC QUESTIONNAIRE. This
survey constitutes the first phase of the research. It seeks to map out and
provide a profile of the range of views about quality held by the social
policy community and the strength with which these views are held. This has
never been attempted before.
A survey such as this might be considered to be a rather blunt instrument
for achieving these aims. We recognise that you and many others who will be
completing this questionnaire will recognise the challenges of this kind of
exercise, as do we! However, the survey has been informed by the views of a
number of key researchers and users of research and has been piloted
successfully. We are confident that it will provide invaluable data about
the diversity of quality criteria that are being and can be used in the
social policy research community. The data from the survey will be
complemented by follow-up group and individual interviews to elaborate the
statistical profile. Indeed, at the end of the questionnaire you will be
invited to take part in these interviews should you so wish. The final
report will bring together all these different sources of evidence and will
be launched at the July 2006 SPA conference. A summary will also be posted
on the social policy discussion list and SPA website, so that you will be
able to access the results directly.
Most of the questions involve simply clicking on a button that is closest to
your view and can be completed relatively quickly. Others invite more
detailed replies should you wish to give them. If you want to go back or
forward simply click on the back or forward arrows on the toolbar at the top
of the page, and this will allow you to navigate through the questionnaire
and/or change any answers. When you finish the questionnaire simply click on
‘Submit’ and this will send your answers directly to us. All answers will be
treated in confidence and no individual with be identified or be
identifiable through this research.
We think that you will find answering these questions an interesting and
challenging experience and we urge you to complete this questionnaire. We
are seeking responses from as wide a constituency as possible of the social
policy community. The survey will remain ‘live’ until Thursday, 30th June
2005. Please submit your answers by or preferably well before this deadline.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_Id=1709 <http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_Id=1709>
We thank you in advance for your help and co-operation.
Saul Becker and Alan Bryman, on behalf of the JUC and SPA
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