NCJ Number
66310
Date Published
1980
Length
368 pages
Annotation
THIS PROGRAM EVALUATION TEXT IS DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS PREPARING FOR CAREERS IN HUMAN SERVICE FIELDS AND OTHER APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES, AS WELL AS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS.
Abstract
NONTECHNICAL ASPECTS OF EVALUATION, INCLUDING PERSONAL SKILLS AND SOME TYPICAL INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS THAT CAN BE ENCOUNTERED, ARE EMPHASIZED. ORIENTATION TO THE FIELD IS EFFECTED THROUGH AN OVERVIEW OF THE METHODS AND GOALS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION, ATTENTION TO THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION TO THE VARIOUS STAGES OF PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION, INTRODUCTION TO THE APPROACH EVALUATORS TAKE IN PREPARING TO CONDUCT PROGRAM EVALUATIONS, AND CONSIDERATION OF THE MAJOR WAYS HUMAN SERVICE PROGRAM INFORMATION IS GATHERED AND JUDGED. THE SPECIFIC TASKS OF EVALUATORS ARE ANALYZED IN TERMS OF HOW EVALUATORS USE THEIR SOCIAL SCIENCE SKILLS TO PLAN PROGRAMS AND HOW EVALUATORS HELP MONITOR A PROGRAM TO FIND OUT IF IT HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED AS PLANNED. EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTIONS AND ILLUSTRATIONS HELP EXPLAIN THE VARIETY OF FORMS AND OUTCOME EVALUATION CAN TAKE; THESE ILLUSTRATIONS RELATE TO SIMPLE EVALUATION DESIGNS, TO QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO OUTCOME EVALUATION, AND TO ANALYSES OF CAUSES OF CHANGE, AND OF COSTS AND OUTCOMES. DISCUSSION OF THE EFFECTIVE USE OF EVALUATION FINDINGS DEMONSTRATES HOW TO WRITE AND PRESENT AN EVALUATION REPORT SO THAT IT WILL BE READ AND WHICH METHODS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE EFFECTIVE USE OF EVALUATION FINDINGS. AN EPILOGUE LISTS SOME PERTINENT ATTITUDES FOR EVALUATORS AND AN APPENDIX CONTAINS A REVIEW OF IMPORTANT STATISTICAL METHODS. REFERENCES, TABULAR DATA, AND FOOTNOTES ARE ATTACHED. EDITED EVALUATION REPORTS ARE INCLUDED. (AOP)