Here is another proposal that gives a summary of the CIT

The Critical Incident Technique for the Social Science Researcher: Getting Skunked or Netting the Behemoth


Abstract

This paper outlines a research approach that has provided many social science researchers with valuable insights into human behaviors that contribute to improved practice. While the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) has been known to scholars since its development by John Flanagan in 1954, inclusion of the CIT in research methods texts is rare. The purpose of this paper is to describe the CIT, portray the technique as a means of examining human behavior in a physical context, provide some examples of its use, and offer some claims about its practical value to researchers. The paper does this by developing an extended metaphor or conceit using the unusual example of fly-fishing for trout.
Just as the fly-fisherperson wants know the preferred behaviors that lead to catching trout, the CIT researcher wants to identify behaviors that can be observed or recounted in a specific situation that clearly lead to success or failure. The CIT is a research design firmly motivated by a goal to improve practice. The CIT is, then, located at the nexus of research and practice. As such, it is a tool ideally suited to help social scientists “make things better”. As such, the proposed paper fits within the goal of the conference to explore various approaches to evaluation practices.
The CIT requires that we be curious about a common work experience or setting and that we seek to understand better the critical behaviors enacted in that setting. By critical, we need to know which behaviors clearly lead to success or failure. There are thousands of examples of workplace settings in which CIT researchers gathered data about critical behaviors. In this sense, the CIT can be a valuable methodological addition to the evaluator’s tool kit.

Miles Bryant
Mbryant1@unl.edu

Marilyn Grady
Mgrady1@unl.edu


http://www.ucpori.fi/eval2012cfp/