Scottish Government

Appendix 3: Twenty-five questions to consider when forming research & evaluation teams

1. What are the terms of reference of the group? (core objectives)
2. Who will act as the school Research Coordinator?
3. What qualities are needed to fulfil this role?
4. What are the criteria for membership of this group? (target group, rationale)
5. How will research priorities be identified and decided? (problem posing)
6. Is the organisation open to challenging questions in a professional context (a positive culture of evaluation)?
7. How will the group be supported? (time to meet, plan, reflect, act)
8. What are the training needs of the group? How will these be assessed?
9. How will these needs be addressed (research mentor input, CPD, networking)
10. How will standards of ethical practice for research in schools be met?
11. How will the group access resources? (small bids for funds, access equipment)
12. When will the group meet (at what intervals)?
13. Who will attend group meetings? (links to SMT and other working groups)
14. How will appropriate records of meetings be (kept and) shared?
15. What administrative support will the group need (e.g. data entry for surveys)
16. How will the group report interim findings and work-in-progress? (Audience? Format? Different formats for different audiences)
17. When will the group report? (At what points in the school year? For what purpose?)
18. What contribution could the group make to in-service CPD? (wider learning)
19. How will the profile of the group and its activities be maintained?
20. How will new members be recruited to the group? (joining, supporting, leaving, expanding)
21. To what extent is the work of the group 'collaborative'? (joint work)
22. What are the possibilities for involvement of other stakeholders? (pupils, parents, external partners, other school professionals)
23. How might the work of individuals within the group be recognised? (accreditation, professional recognition, honoraria)
24. How will the work of individual teacher-evaluators feed into cross-strand and whole school discussions? (joined-up strands, learning)
25. In what ways will future policy and practice be evidence-informed as a result of the work of the group? (from enquiry to action)