Evaluation
Evaluating the impact of implementing ‘I am’ Digital Stories is an important part of the process. The questions to be answered in an evaluation may differ depending on who is involved and what you want to find out.
For example, previous evaluations have focused on:
- Feedback from the young people involved and their families about what the Stories meant to them and why they were important
- Feedback from the settings or services to which the young people were transitioning about what they learned about the young person and how this helped to inform thinking and practice
- Feedback from people supporting the creation and sharing of the Digital Stories in their practice
There are different questions that could be asked depending on what you want to find out, for example:
- What was learned about the strengths and capabilities of the child or young person through creating and / or sharing the ‘I am’ Digital Story?
- How did the child or young person feel about creating their ‘I am’ Digital Story? What would they like other people to know about them?
- What changed (attitudes, thinking, practice) because of viewing the ‘I am’ Digital Story?
- Did the creation of the ‘I am’ Digital Story help to increase the confidence of the carer in sharing positive information about the young person and their voice being heard in the transition process?
The kind of questions you ask will help to inform how you will obtain the answers, for example through:
- Short interviews or discussions with key stakeholders
- A feedback evaluation form (online e.g. MS Forms or on paper)
- Keeping notes of the process as you go along
- Encouraging reflections on what has been learned or changed either individually or as a small group
- Analysing the content of the ‘I am’ Stories to understand more about what matters to children and young people
We are very happy to have conversations about evaluation and to help you think about what would be feasible and appropriate in your setting. Please get in touch from the ‘contact us’ page!