The Use of Narrative Inquiry in Research on Evaluation: Studying the Development of India's Annual Status of Education Report

• In Event: 14.043 - Research on Evaluation SIG Paper Presentations

Abstract

This paper presentation explores the application of narrative inquiry in research on evaluation through presenting a case study of India’s Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). ASER is a large-scale evaluation of primary schools and children’s basic learning skills. The presentation provides a brief overview of narrative inquiry and research on evaluation followed by an explanation of ASER’s survey and testing process across rural India. The majority of the presentation outlines how employing narrative inquiry to analyze semi-structured interviews with ASER’s three main architects yields unique insights into the origins of ASER. The architects’ stories not only reveal the reasons and events behind ASER’s creation, but also offer distinct understandings of the methodological choices and goals that underlie ASER.

Author

• Melissa Goodnight, University of California - Los Angeles