NCJ Number
52727
Journal
Education and Urban Society Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (AUGUST 1977) Pages: 509-540
Date Published
1977
Length
32 pages
Annotation
EVALUATION APPROACHES TO ASSESSING SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMS ARE DESCRIBED WITHIN A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS SOCIAL SCIENTISTS AND ECONOMISTS TO COLLABORATE IN DETERMINING PROGRAMS' COSTS, EFFECTS, AND BENEFITS.
Abstract
IN THE FIRST EVALUATION CATEGORY, THE DIAGNOSTIC-QUALITATIVE APPROACH, EVALUATORS' GOALS ARE TO PERFORM AN ORGANIZATIONAL AND GOAL ANALYSIS OF AN IN IN-PROCESS PROGRAM BY ASKING QUESTIONS; E.G. HOW LONG WILL IT BE BEFORE THE PROGRAM STABILIZES, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO DEVELOP ORGANIZATION CAPABILITY TO DELIVER THE EXPECTED SERVICE, HOW DOES THE PROGRAM GO ABOUT ACHIEVING ITS GOALS, AND HOW CAN IT BE IMPROVED OR MODIFIED. EVALUATION TECHNIQUES WOULD INCLUDE CASE REPORTING, DIAGNOSTIC CONSULTING, PROGRAM OR FORMATIVE EVALUATION, AND ACTION RESEARCH. A SECOND CATEGORY, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES, IS USED WHEN THERE IS A BASIC ASSUMPTION THAT THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT CAN BE MODIFIED FOR THE GOOD AND THAT THE CHANGE CAN BE MEASURED. THE EXPERIMENTS MUST BE CONDUCTED IN NATURAL SETTINGS WITH LIMITED CONTROL OVER VARIABLES. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IS THE THIRD APPROACH CATEGORY. IT FOCUSES UPON THE PROGRAM'S PROCESS OR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPABILITY, AS WELL AS OVERALL PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. IT ALSO CONSIDERS THE COST OF THE PROGRAM RELATIVE TO EFFECTIVENESS. A COMBINATION OF THE APPROACHES RESULTS IN BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS, A WIDELY USED TECHNIQUE THAT ALLOWS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS TO BE DEFINED IN COMMON TERMS AND THEN SET UP IN A SIMPLE BASIC PARADIGM. THE LAST SECTION OF THE REPORT DISCUSSES THE INFORMATION CAPABILITIES OFFERED BY THE VARIOUS APPROACHES, THE APPROXIMATE TIME IN A PROGRAM LIFE FOR APPLICATION OF EACH TECHNIQUE, AND THE APPROPRIATE EVALUATIVE TECHNIQUE FOR VARIOUS PROGRAM TYPES. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.