NEGOTIATION,

keystone of assessments and investigations

This book sprouted from reading, reflection and debate with colleagues, and also from the experience of different investigations and assessments carried out over almost half a century of work. It comes from practice and leads to practice. The idea that there is a negotiation in research and evaluation is proposed, because not all research is an evaluation, although all evaluation is research. Both modalities have their particularities and requirements. But the author considers that it is necessary that there be a negotiation in both.

This manual explains what negotiation is, why it is necessary and important, what are its phases (initial, process, reporting), its principles, its myths and its errors. It is a book to gain knowledge, but also to help us know how to do.

Special mention deserves the chapter entitled “The Ethical Arrow”, where the democratic values of evaluation/research are defended against the manipulations of power. Two examples are provided (one in Bolivia, the other in Spain), as well as, briefly, cases in which negotiation has been applied. The last chapter includes twelve exercises as an aid for training in the assessment processes.

Miguel Ángel SANTOS GUERRA is professor emeritus at the University of Malaga. He has a PhD in Pedagogy from the Complutense University, a Diploma in Psychology from the University of Boston, and a Diploma in Cinematography from the University of Valladolid. He has been a teacher at different levels of education and also director of several institutions. This is his 81st book as sole author or editor. He has been writing every Saturday for almost 20 years in the newspaper La Opinion, in Malaga. All his articles have been published at his blog https://mas.laopiniondemalaga.es/blog/eladarve/.

PROLOGUE, by Lourdes de la Rosa Moreno 

As bamboo: negotiating with determination and flexibility

INTRODUCTION. Words on the threshold

1. Sense of educational research/assessment

2. Qualitative research/assessment: characteristics

3. What, whys and how of negotiation

Preparation. With whom, when and how to negotiate

4. Phases of the negotiation

Initial negotiation, process, reports.

Preparing the negotiation of the Report

5. Myths and mistakes about negotiating

Negotiation Beliefs

6. Veto and differences

Agreements and differences. An example of a built-in disagreement

7. The ethical arrow

The case of Bolivia. The case of Spain

8. Negotiation paper

A sample negotiation paper

9. Negotiated evaluations and investigations

Ten Case Study

10. Learning to negotiate

Twelve exercises for learning

ANNEX. Evaluation project of the LÓVA tutorial action program