research methods

Understanding older people's experiences of poverty and material deprivation

The overall aims of the project were to provide an understanding of older people's experiences of poverty and their understanding of a range of indicators used to measure material deprivation.

As well as providing a rich description of older people's saving and spending habits, it also sought to understand how they interpreted material deprivation indicators. The project was based on indepth interviews and focus groups and was undertaken by the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol.

Growing up in Scotland (GUS): the impact of children's early activities on cognitive development summary report

The Growing Up in Scotland study (GUS) is an important longitudinal research project aimed at tracking the lives of a cohort of Scottish children from the early years, through childhood and beyond.

The study is funded by the Scottish Government and carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen). Its principal aim is to provide information to support policy-making, but it is also intended to be a broader resource that can be drawn on by academics, voluntary sector organisations and other interested parties.

Asking the experts : a guide to involving people in shaping health and social care services

This guide was developed to bring together relevant research evidence and practical experience of involving people, focusing on community care settings. It also aims to help practitioners to consider the most appropriate ways of involving the people they serve, to provide some practical guidance on getting started and to present examples of effective or innovative ways of involving people that could illustrate how an approach was used.

How good is our school?

This revised edition of HM Inspectorate of Education's report How good is our school? replaces all previous versions.

Along with a revised edition of Child at the Centre, this document forms the third part of How good is our school? The Journey to Excellence.

The aim of this publication is to help schools to evaluate the quality of its education, based around a set of quality indicators.