Evaluation

The research was generally successful and the main research questions were answered.

The background research was helpful and based on reliable sources with credibility and reasonable knowledge claims – research supported by the United Nations is usually regarded as valid and reliable. However some caution should be used as all organisations have a vested interest in promoting research which supports their own objectives. Much of the UN research is based upon official statistics from governments which may be manipulated to show their own countries in the best possible circumstances.

Clear conclusions could be made from the questionnaire and the findings applied to the population sampled – young people in schools. The results can be generalised with some confidence to all young people in Kazakhstan. The large sample from two different schools supports this claim and makes the research both representative and reliable. If repeated in different schools similar results are likely to be obtained. However the conclusions are not generalisable to older adults as they were not included in the sample.

The unstructured interviews worked particularly well – the participants talked openly and freely about their opinions and views; even when admitting that they didn’t always act in ways which were consistent with their beliefs and values. Creating the right conditions for the interviews enabled this to happen – informal atmosphere, relaxed conversational style and simple recording techniques all helped. This gave a deep insight into the barriers to change in lifestyles – trends and fashions in society, peer groups, costs and accessibility. This made the data gathered valid and accurate. If more time was available more interviews could be conducted to strengthen the results. Interviews with older people would be of value, for example. Overall, the results from the unstructured interviews confirmed the results from previous research and the questionnaires. This gives increased confidence in the conclusions to this research.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-02