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MPP503 - Realist Research and Evaluation

2023

Sector

Higher Education

Discipline

Public Policy

Introductory understanding of evaluation and research methods which may have been developed through prior study or through on the job learning.

Unit Description

This unit introduces students to the philosophical assumptions of a realist philosophy of science and their implications for understanding how policies and programs work. The implications of those assumptions for specific methods in design, data collection, data analysis and reporting in realist evaluation, realist literature review and other forms of realist research are critically examined. Students practice applying skills in designing realist evaluation or research, developing instruments, sample selection, realist interviewing, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and reading evidence from a realist perspective. International reporting and quality standards for realist evaluation and for realist review will be used as tools for self-assessment of their work and as a tool for feedback from staff.

Unit Learning Outcomes

1.	Analyse and critique key assumptions in realist ontology and epistemology, including realist understanding of causation in open systems.
2.	Apply philosophical assumptions to explain, in general terms, how policies and programs contribute to different outcomes in different contexts.
3.	Critically analyse and explain the implications of a realist approach for each of the tasks necessary to design a realist evaluation/literature review or realist research.
4.	Develop an initial tentative theory explaining how a selected policy or programme is expected to operate.
5.	Formulate a set of overarching and subsidiary questions that will guide a realist evaluation/literature review or realist research.
6.	Create and justify a plan to collect data for a realist evaluation/review/research.
7.	Evaluate and justify, in realist terms, a plan to analyse the data that would result from implementation of the data collection plan.

Assessment Overview

	Assessment Task	Value (of total mark)	Related Learning Outcome/s
1.	Written responses (7 x 10 - 50 words)	5%	1 - Analyse and critique key assumptions in realist ontology and epistemology, including realist understanding of causation in open systems.
2.	Essay (2,000 words)	35%	1 - Analyse and critique key assumptions in realist ontology and epistemology, including realist understanding of causation in open systems. 2 - Apply philosophical assumptions to explain, in general terms, how policies and programs contribute to different outcomes in different contexts. 3 - Critically analyse and explain the implications of a realist approach for each of the tasks necessary to design a realist evaluation/literature review or realist research.
3.	Project (4,000 - 4,500 words) (Hurdle)	60%	2 - Apply philosophical assumptions to explain, in general terms, how policies and programs contribute to different outcomes in different contexts. 3 - Critically analyse and explain the implications of a realist approach for each of the tasks necessary to design a realist evaluation/literature review or realist research. 4 - Develop an initial tentative theory explaining how a selected policy or programme is expected to operate. 5 - Formulate a set of overarching and subsidiary questions that will guide a realist evaluation/literature review or realist research. 6 - Create and justify a plan to collect data for a realist evaluation/review/research. 7 - Evaluate and justify, in realist terms, a plan to analyse the data that would result from implementation of the data collection plan.

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2023 Domestic Unit Fees (PDF)