Research Summary

Ralph Hall is Emeritus Professor at the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW.

Ralph’s research interests are in the theory and practice of the evaluation of social programs, measurement in the social sciences, foundations of social research and in higher education research and policy. He has published three books, several monographs and articles in professional and academic journals on psychology, education, evaluation and research methods.

Ralph used to teach applied social research methods, program evaluation and philosophy of social science. He used to be the Honours Coordinator for all programs in the school, excluding Social Work which has its own Honours Coordinator.

He is a member of the Australasian Evaluation Society, the American Evaluation Association and the editorial board of Australian Universities Review.

Research Areas

Research design and methods in the social sciences; theory and practice of program evaluation; higher education issues including performance measurement, quality, student perceptions of their university experience, and evaluation of teaching

Current Research Projects

• Mixed Methods in Applied Research and Evaluation – a book project requested by Sage Publications

• Peer mentoring programs for first year undergraduate students: A conceptual framework and model
• Mobile phone use while driving: a study of user behaviour

Postgraduate Research Supervision

Areas of Supervision

Program evaluation, educational psychology, quantitative methods

Recent Postgraduate Research Completions

·         Dave Coleman, PhD Social Science & Policy, 2001, The core and the periphery: The case of Foundation Studies programs in the organizational and educational transformations of higher education

·         Suzy Casimiro, PhD Social Science & Policy, 2002, Settlement crossroads: Portuguese migrants in Australia

·         Phillip Snoyman, PhD Social Work, 2010, Staff in the NSW criminal justice system understanding of people with and without disability who offend

Current Postgraduate Research Supervision

·         Le Nhat Tran, PhD Social Science & Policy, Cultural transition of Vietnamese students in Australia (thesis examination completed, revision underway)

·         Jae Won Kang, PhD Social Science & Policy, Towards a level playing field: A case study of young  Koreans and sports in the Australian Context

·         Tanya Carney, PhD Organisation and Management, Navigating employment by mothers returning to the workforce

·         Jamee Newland, PhD Health, Sexuality and Culture, Hepatitis C risk aversion strategies by intravenous drug users

Teaching

Teaching areas

Applied social research, information and research for policy, inquiry and interpretation in the social sciences, arts and social science graduates in the workplace, program evaluation: theory and practice

Affiliation and Memberships

• Member, Australasian Evaluation Society
• Member, American Evaluation Association
• Member, Australian Psychological Society
• Life Member, National Tertiary Education Union