Studying generalisability

So you think your research has potential do good in the world, but don’t know how widely it can be applied? There are lots of different ways to study generalisability:

• Systematic reviews: these look at how an outcome varies in the published literature across samples, settings, measures and methods (meta-analyses do this statistically). This can be done without conducting any new studies.
  • For example, UNICEF’s Evidence and Gap Map Research Briefs provide an overview of available evidence of the effectiveness of interventions to improve child well-being in low- and middle-income countries.
• Comparative studies: comparing results from different populations using the same (adapted) materials can show where there may be similarities and differences.
  • For example, Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, which identified and measured cultural differences across countries, particularly in the workplace context.
• Big team science: when researchers from around the world conduct the same study and pool their results, they can look at various factors affecting the presence or size of the effect they’re interested in.
  • For example, the first ManyGoats project is examining goat responses to different human attentional states, and will be testing a diverse range of goats in different living conditions.

Activity 3:

Allow about 10 minutes