TRAINING EVALUATORS AND EVALUATING THEIR COMPETENCIES (FROM EVALUATION STUDIES REVIEW ANNUAL, VOL 4, 1979, BY LEE SECHREST ET AL - SEE NCJ-65332)

• NCJ Number: 65337
• Author(s): S B ANDERSON; S BALL
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 26 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPRINTED FROM PROFESSION AND PRACTICE OF PROGRAM EVALUATION, 1978, P 165-190

Annotation

ISSUES RELATED TO THE TRAINING AND EVALUATION OF EVALUATORS ARE EXAMINED, WITH EMPIRICAL DATA FROM A SURVEY OF EVALUATION RESEARCHERS.

Abstract

TRAINING PROGRAM EVALUATORS IS A RECENT EDUCATIONAL EFFORT. SEVERAL DOCTORAL PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY RECOGNIZE THE REQUIREMENT FOR THEIR GRADUATES TO BE ENGAGED IN PROGRAM EVALUATION. PHI DELTA KAPPA HAS LISTED 77 TRAINING PROGRAMS IN EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION. CONTINUING EDUCATION AND SELF-STUDY PROGRAMS IN PROGRAM EVALUATION ARE ALSO GROWING TRENDS. AMONG CURRENT CONTROVERSIES ARE WHETHER EVALUATION SHOULD BE PERCEIVED AS A DISCIPLINE OR PROFESSION RATHER THAN AS A JOB, WHETHER TRAINING IN SOCIAL OR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH IS SUFFICIENT FOR PROGRAM EVALUATORS, AND WHETHER POPULAR TERMS REPRESENT SUBSTANCE RATHER THAN JARGON. TO DEFINE IMPORTANT EVALUATION COMPETENCIES, 64 EVALUATION RESEARCHERS WERE SURVEYED BY QUESTIONNAIRE. FORTY-FOUR QUESTIONNAIRES WERE RETURNED. RESPONDENTS RATED 32 CONTENT AREAS (I.E., DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, SURVEY METHODS) AND SKILL AREAS (I.E., PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL SENSITIVITY, MANAGEMENT SKILLS). FORMAL INSTRUCTION WAS THE PREFERRED METHOD FOR INITIAL TRAINING IN CONTENT AREAS; SUPERVISED FIELD EXPERIENCE, IN SKILLS AREAS. OTHER TRAINING ISSUES INCLUDE THE RELATIONSHIP OF TRAINING TO THE TYPE OF EVALUATION TO BE DONE, THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED IN THE FIELD EVALUATED, AND THE ROLE OF TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS. APPROACHES TO EVALUATING EVALUATORS' COMPETENCIES ARE ANALOGOUS TO APPROACHES TO TEACHER EVALUATION: WHETHER THEIR TRAINING CAME FROM A GOOD PROGRAM, ESTIMATIONS OF COMPETENCY, AND EVALUATION OF EVALUATORS' PRODUCTS; I.E. THEIR STUDIES AND REPORTS. A SAMPLE CHECKLIST OF EVALUATION COMPETENCIES DERIVED FROM THE SURVEY RESULTS IS PRESENTED, TO WHICH ADDITIONAL ITEMS SPECIFIC TO A SITUATION MAY BE ADDED. BECAUSE THE REAL WORLD OFFERS DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO COMPARE COMPETENCIES IN TERMS OF EVALUATORS' PRODUCTS ALONE. FOOTNOTES AND TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)