Feedback and research

I have hosted a monthly death cafe for many years, also at my home in London and in other parts of the UK. I use feedback forms which I devised myself and as far as I could manage to write them up have posted them as part of each death cafe (mostly Death Cafe Hampstead). With one of my co-facilitators, Sharon Young of Kingston University who did research for her PhD, we evaluated the feedback according to words used to describe their experience and quoted some of them to illustrate how people felt they benefited from Death Cafe. We also always asked if there were ways in which we could improve things or if there was anything they did not like or found difficult about the death cafe, asking them to rate the event between 1 and 10, Poor - excellent. We most commonly got somewhere around 9 out of 10, very positive feedback. We gave a 20 minute presentation of our findings at the international academic Death, Dying and Disposal conference in Bath. I think it was in 2015. More recently a PhD student from the University of Glasgow come to our (last) monthly Death Cafe West Hampstead and interviewed me afterwards for her research. I have also hosted filmed death cafes for student projects. All participants of filmed events, all interviews conducted and feedback notes used in the research have been used with signed consent. All the anonymous feedback with stats given with permission to be posted on the Death Cafe website write-ups has been used for research purposes as they are public domain. That is completely in order.

So saying all this I want to show that there is nothing wrong with research. I think it is a very good thing.

Posted by Josefine Speyer

browser

Would like organizers to consider the removal of the term Evaluation and instead use the term "Feedback form"

and where do the forms get
stored? the feedback may be useful...

Posted by J. Elizabeth

In the guide it says the the movement should not be used for research. Hoe=wever I feel that those who might as a sort of spin off develop discussion courses on more set topics that are usually aired at Cafes, could be aligned with a cautious and respectful research mode to appreciate the perceived value of having such a group. and that could be whether you were in the before, during or after bereavement set.

Posted by Mary (AGAIN!)

Working with "Researchers"

Hi , I'm late to this but have this to offer. I have also worked with Glasgow's Death Studies students and this is how I approached it.
1) Did some due diligence - asking for confirmation of establishment, title and scope of research - had it been passed by the universities ethics committee. ( Vital)
2) Considered how the research sat with me. Did i feel that it would take the things I valued about death studies forward for people -
3) got in touch with Death Cafe to check they were ok with the title of the research and the organisation.

I have been approached several times and have said no and yes. The no was when they wanted to talk to participants - for me this felt intrusive, especially as the group was very fluid at the time. I wouldn't know who the partcipants were and didn't feel that I could keep them feeling safe. People are inherently polite and agree to things but may feel uncomfortable.
I've said yes to the sharing of questions and also to myself being interviewed as a facilitator. Hope that helps a bit.

Posted by TracyWardCelebrant