5.5.1 Research And Evaluation - Introduction

If we break down the word research we see that it is re-search, which means, obviously, to search again.

I imagine it to be the difference between having a quick look at something (like we would if we were in a hurry), and looking in great detail at every aspect of it – taking loads of time and giving it our full attention.

Just to get us into the research zone – before we explore social type research – let us consider research in manufacturing, science and technology.

Obviously, the purpose of research in this field is that, by studying something and finding out more about it than is known already, something new can be manufactured.

But sometimes research is done because someone is interested in (or obsessed with) something, purely out of personal interest.  Often in the history of manufacturing, (or science and technology) something has been discovered by research that someone or a group of people were doing because they were passionately interested in the topic, and, from the discovery, something useful to humankind was invented.

This is a kind of solution looking for a problem discovery. The laser is often cited as an example of such a discovery and there are many others.

Now in contrast to what I might call accidental research, it was known since ancient times that steam had the potential to produce power, and then turn that power into movement that would do work; which would mean that humans (and animals) would do less work. 

However it took hundreds of years of research, experimentation, trial and error, mathematical developments, and later discoveries of iron, and then steel, to harness the potential of fuel such as coal before what we’d identify today as a working steam engine was built.

In industry and technology in general, research is a word that is often associated with development.

In all forward-thinking companies, there is a Research and Development Department, where new ideas are developed into practical things so that the company will have an edge on its competitors and make more profit.

Terms such as start-ups, incubation hubs, innovation centres, and accelerator programmes are used to describe these places.

They focus on how to grow the company with new business ideas, and then how to penetrate new markets.  Mostly the workers in such departments are creative people who are looked after a lot better than those in line manufacturing, and are highly valued because they are giving the company an advantage.

Another aspect of R+D in manufacturing is that, following the trial and error, experimentation etc. (which might take months or sometimes years) a prototype is manufactured.

A prototype is the manufactured item that will to be tested in the field before it can be marketed and sold to the general public.  It is common that during the field trials of the prototype, many adjustments are made so that the finished product will be as near to perfect as is possible.

When I think of prototype in the community sector I think of the term pilot scheme – the scheme that is set up to see how it goes before it is rolled out or scaled up to a wider population!

Social research is a little bit different to that which is described in the previous post.

Even though the caring industry (or the helping industry) may have elements that are privatised, most social research is not done with profit in mind – unless saving the Government money is deemed to be a kind of profit.

Rather, its intention is almost always to find out more about problems in society so that something will be done, or measures can be taken to solve the problems.  It generally feeds into the body of knowledge in academia where theories are developed on what might work better.

Most of these problems have been around as long as humans are around and we are still grappling with them.

One of the reasons for this is (as briefly discussed in the previous Chapter) that it takes a long time to translate theory into practice in the helping-people-in-distress professions.

Sometimes, just like science and technology, someone stumbles on something that works with people, and then this is implemented without too much interference from outside.  This often happens because someone is deeply interested in finding a solution and just goes with their instinct.

An example that springs to my mind would be the community L’Arche Homes in France and Canada founded by Jean Vanier for people who are intellectually challenged.  I am sure that you will think of others.  Generally, the ethos of such places, or movements, is difficult to maintain – particularly beyond the time of the idealistic founder – as they are open to a multitude of external influences and vested interests from the Pillars of whatever country they are in, as was described in the Chapters on Important Descriptions and Systems Theory.

Now I don’t pretend that this Chapter is a full, comprehensive account of all research done in social care, helping, social work etc.  It will, however, propose what might be the best topics for research to focus on if we are to promote new developments that have a good chance of effecting sustainable positive change in the lives of families in our Focus Group.

On a personal note, I am passionately interested in organisations carrying out research of relevance so that resources can be better directed and utilised.

After all, this website mostly resulted from much formal academic type research that I have read over the years, and (I believe anyway, and I hope that you agree) many years of informal research by me.

And on a final note, (like a lot of initiatives that I explore) the acid test for me in respect of research is that, if I was paying for it myself, would I commission it?