Research and evaluation
Our approach to research and evaluation is driven by a desire to ensure that we are making a difference and addressing need through our projects, programmes, prizes and campaigns.
Research and evaluation therefore plays a key role in Booktrust's work and is an integral part of our programmes and central to the development of any new work.
We commission independent evaluation of our programmes, working with academic institutions and research agencies.
We recognise the importance of focusing on outcomes when developing programmes and constantly strive to ensure that we use the most robust approaches to measuring our success against these. We were one of the first major charitable organisations to use the Social Return on Investment methodology to demonstrate the social value for parents, children and the state achieved through Bookstart.
The research we undertake informs not just Booktrust but also the many partners with whom we work at local, national and international level. We also use the research to support our responses to key government consultations.
Booktrust is currently developing key areas of research looking at attitudes and behaviours towards books, reading, writing, and the benefits those bring to individual lives.
For more information on Booktrust's research contact research@booktrust.org.uk
Resources
Results
Karen Winter, Paul Connolly, Irene Bell and James Ferguson at the Centre for Effective Education, Queen's University Belfast were commissioned to produce an independent evaluation of the Letterbox Club in Northern Ireland. Research was carried out on 268 children from the 2009 and 2010 programmes by the Centre for Effective Education at Queen's University Belfast. Funded by Fostering Network Northern Ireland.
Winter, K., Connolly, P., Bell, I., and Ferguson, J. (2011) An Independent Evaluation of the Letterbox Club Northern Ireland. Centre for Effective Education, Queen's University Belfast.
This report summarises the findings of the full Queen's University report (above) on the effects of the Letterbox Club on the reading and maths scores of looked-after children ages 7-11 in foster care, focusing specifically on children in Northern Ireland. Funded by Fostering Network Northern Ireland.
Bookbite is a magazine and website aimed at encouraging people over 60-years-old to enjoy and discover the pleasures of the written word. The vast majority of respondents in this study responded extremely warmly to Bookbite and feel that it is largely hitting precisely the right note. When pressed into saying what they would like from future editions of the magazine, the most common reply was ‘more of the same’.
Bookbite is a magazine and website aimed at encouraging people over 60-years-old to enjoy and discover the pleasures of the written word. The Bookbite team has carried out extensive evaluation of the project and its impact on readers. In all, the research findings have been very positive.
Research and evaluation
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