Current and Upcoming Research

Over the past two academic years the Education Evaluation Centre (EEC) has significantly expanded its traditional role of only monitoring and evaluating the Education Sector Enhancement Programme (ESEP) familiarly known as Edutech.  The Centre’s work has expanded to include conducting research and consultancies in various areas of the education and social sectors in the region. 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Contract

The EEC and UNICEF, through the United Nations Children’s Fund Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, have entered into a contract for the EEC to provide technical support for the Adolescent Development Programme in Grenada.  The EEC’s responsibilities will include:

(1)   assisting the Non-governmental Organisations’ (NGOs) involved in the programme with developing proposals for youth programmes;

(2)   collaborating with UNICEF and the NGOs to provide technical support for the monitoring and evaluation of the sub-programmes; and

(3)   providing guidance for the collection of relevant baseline data and quality monitoring data.

To date the EEC’s research team has developed logical frameworks which will be used to assist the NGOs in meaningfully modifying, monitoring and evaluating their programmes.  The Centre is also in the process of developing research instruments to ascertain whether these programmes are achieving their stated objectives especially as they relate to educating the youth on specific health and family life issues.

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Contract

The EEC has also embarked on a project with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).  This project includes four countries (one of which is Barbados) and examines the impact of the IADB-funded technology integration programmes in the schools and communities.  This initiative primarily involves data collection on young people who have been exposed to the use of technology in their learning.

United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) Contract

In August of this year, the EEC submitted a research proposal to be part of a UNDP project towards the writing of their 2009 publication on Inequality in Human Development: Household’s Demand for Education/Education Production Functions.  The Proposal entitled ‘The Achievement Levels of Poor Students in Barbados: An Investigation into the Relationship of Certain Constraints, was accepted and the Centre is preparing to begin this research in November 2008.

Further Collaboration with the Ministry of Education

The EEC is currently undertaking a significant data collection process in 41 schools, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methods.  This data collection is to complete the final report on the ESEP.