ABSTRACT
Chapter 9 considers how to evaluate a P4C project. Many teachers will wish to do this formatively by observation during the project, perhaps coupling this with gathering the perceptions of the participants at the end. Tools for this are available from the Resource Website. However, other teachers will need to evaluate more thoroughly, perhaps in connection with a course or because they need to present the results to encourage others. For these teachers, consideration of research design is offered, perhaps including pre- and posttest measures paralleled with a control group – whether data is gathered quantitatively or qualitatively or both. Remember the teacher does not have to do all the work – the students themselves will help. Do you want to use cognitive tests which are likely to be standardized? Can these be delivered (and scored) by computer? But you might also want to collect naturalistic data such as number of disciplinary referrals or number of fights reported from the playground. And in all cases, you will want longer-term follow-up data. Finally, remember to distribute your findings widely – the point is not just for you to see how your project went, but also to encourage other teachers to join in.
