Our researchers have interviewed rural populations in Afghanistan, run focus groups with homeless people in Bangladesh, and found ways to access and interview men who have sex with men in Cambodia.
Engage at four levels
Our initiatives and corresponding audience research seek to engage at four different 'levels':
- The sector level with policy and decision-makers
- The organisation level with state, commercial and not-for-profit entities
- The practitioner level with professionals and opinion leaders; and
- The individual level with various target audiences
While these levels are naturally interdependent, this approach focuses our interventions and their potential impact across our key focus areas: principally emergency response, health, governance and human rights, education, livelihoods and the environment. Certain interventions are designed to target one level specifically, while others are cross-cutting.
Types of research
The Research & Learning Group conducts four kinds of research:
- Formative research
Formative research helps establish the general parameters and content of a project. It is undertaken prior to the initiation of a project, and can provide insight into the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, values, tastes, decision-making processes, information needs and media consumption patterns and preferences of a target audience.
It can also provide insight into the gaps and needs of the media sector in developing and transitional countries.
Additionally, it can increase understanding of a particular development issue, context and/or media landscape.
- Pre-testing
Pre-testing, where project 'outputs' such as television and radio dramas and public service announcements are played to members of the target audience, helps refine output.
Pre-testing takes place once the media content has been produced, but not yet broadcast.
It can be used to test formats, scripts, characters, production quality, branding, message clarity and cultural suitability with the target audience(s).
It can also be used to refine outputs in terms of tone, language, relevance and appropriateness.
Pre-testing does not necessarily require finished outputs, but can make use of material such as storyboards and still images.
Pre-testing demonstrates whether the message is being delivered effectively. It also tests the relevance and appropriateness of material.
- Audience feedback
Audience feedback occurs while a programme, public service announcement or other output is being broadcast.
The purpose is to assess how audiences are interpreting and engaging with the outputs, after having seen, heard or used them in their usual media environments.
Audience feedback reveals how outputs may be contributing to increased knowledge or changes in attitudes and behaviours.
- Impact evaluation
Impact evaluation determines how much influence a project has had on those who have engaged with it.
Impact research may be conducted at various stages during a project, but it is particularly appropriate at the end of a project.
It seeks to discover if there is any association between exposure to outputs and changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.
For activities designed to build professional capacity and media infrastructure, it aims to establish if the project has resulted in the desired changes in the media sector.
Methodology
The Research & Learning Group uses a diverse range of quantitative and qualitative methods, employing various data collection techniques (face-to-face, telephone, online), and making use of both primary and secondary data. Research methods include:
Surveys
- Knowledge, Attitude and Practice surveys
- Media markets
- Public opinion
- Opinion leaders
- Stakeholders
- Target audience(s)
- Peer interviews
- Sensitive interviews
As well as:
- Focus Groups
- Community-based 'rapid feedback'
- Panels
- Listening groups
- Facilitated workshops
- Skills assessment
- Pre/post tests
- Content analysis
- Web metrics
- Social network analysis
- Policy analysis
- Desk research
- Observation
