Impact Case Studies: What Accounts for the Need for Numbers in Impact Evaluation?

Autor/in	Lim, Miguel Antonio
Titel	Impact Case Studies: What Accounts for the Need for Numbers in Impact Evaluation?
Quelle	In: International Studies in Sociology of Education, 29 (2020) 1-2, S.107-125 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Lim, Miguel Antonio)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0962-0214
DOI	10.1080/09620214.2019.1624591
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Case Studies; Higher Education; Educational Research; Program Evaluation; Program Effectiveness; Educational Quality; Social Indicators; Universities; Accountability; Evidence Based Practice; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Bildungsforschung; Pädagogische Forschung; Programme evaluation; Programmevaluation; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Social indicator; Sozialer Indikator; University; Universität; Verantwortung; Großbritannien
Abstract	The UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) introduced impact as an indicator in the evaluation of higher education research quality in 2014. Impact case studies (ICS) are the basis of this evaluation. ICS use "narrative" explanations of how research causes 'benefits to society'. This article analyses the evolving roles of the ICS and the relationships of ICS with various stakeholders. It draws on insights from legitimacy theory, Porter's analysis of the social meaning of objectivity, and the insight from economist Alan Goodhart on the dysfunctional transformation of indicators into targets. It highlights the challenges to ICS evaluators and shows how a spiral of mistrust can both undermine but also cause demand for numbers. It explores whether impact narratives represent an escape from dominant research evaluation metrics and concludes that they do not. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01