INTEGRATING EVALUATION FINDINGS - COMPLEMENTARY USES OF DECISION THEORY AND THE CLUSTER APPROACH-AN INTERVIEW WITH MARCIA GUTTENTAG AND RICHARD LIGHT

• NCJ Number: 47354
• Journal: EVALUATION Volume: 4 Dated: (1977) Pages: 178-188
• Author(s): S SALASIN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 11 pages
• Corporate Author: Evaluation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PROPONENTS OF TWO ANALYTICAL EVALUATION TECHNIQUES DISCUSS THE APPLICABILITY OF THEIR METHODS TO THE EVALUATION OF HUMAN SERVICE PROGRAMS.

Abstract

THE CLUSTER APPROACH IS A MEANS OF DETERMINING WHETHER AN APPARENT CONFLICT AMONG EVALUATION FINDINGS IS IN REALITY AN ARTIFICIAL CONFLICT DUE TO DESIGN PROBLEMS. THE CLUSTER APPROACH IS USED TO BREAK DOWN INTO SMALLER UNITS OF ANALYSIS THE RESULTS OF SEVERAL STUDIES THAT SEEM TO CONFLICT IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE CONFLICTS ARE MERELY ARTIFACTS OF STUDY DESIGN. THE DECISION-THEORETIC APPROACH TO EVALUATION PLACES THE OBJECTIVES OF DECISIONMAKERS IN A VALUE CONTEXT IN ORDER TO SET THE FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATION. THE PROPONENT OF DECISION-THEORETIC APPROACH TO EVALUATION POINTS OUT THAT, SINCE INFERENCES, NOT DATA, ARE AGGREGATED IN DECISION-THEORETIC EVALUATION, THE CLUSTER APPROACH COULD BE HELPFUL IN DETERMINING HOW INFERENCES SHOULD BE REVISED. THE PROPONENTS OF BOTH APPROACHES TOUCH ON THE PARTICULAR ADVANTAGES AND FINE POINTS OF THEIR METHODS AND COMMENT ON WAYS IN WHICH THE TWO TECHNIQUES, APPLIED WITH DIFFERENT GOALS IN MIND AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN THE EVALUATION CYCLE, CAN STRENGTHEN DECISIONMAKERS' CONFIDENCE IN THE UTILITY OF EVALUATION INFORMATION. (LKM)