Download or read book Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation written by Apollo M. Nkwake and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-08-30 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ​ A major reason complex programs are so difficult to evaluate is that the assumptions that inspire them are poorly articulated. Stakeholders of such programs are often unclear about how the change process will unfold. Thus, it is so difficult to reasonably anticipate the early and midterm changes that need to happen in order for a longer-term goalto be reached. The lack of clarity about the “mini-steps” that must be taken to reach a long-term outcome not only makes the task of evaluating a complex initiative challenging, but reduces the likelihood that all of the important factors related to the long term goal will be addressed. Most of the resources that have attempted to address this dilemma have been popularized as theory of change or sometimes program theory approaches. Although these approaches emphasize and elaborate the sequence of changes/mini steps that lead to the long-term goal of interest and the connections between program activities and outcomes that occur at each step of the way, they do not do enough to clarify how program managers or evaluators should deal with assumptions. Assumptions, the glue that holds all the pieces together, remain abstract and far from applicable. In this book the author tackles this important assumptions theme head-on-covering a breadth of ground from the epistemology of development assumptions, to the art of making logical assumptions as well as recognizing, explicit zing and testing assumptions with in an elaborate program theory from program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Download or read book Evaluating Advancement Programs written by and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evaluating Development Programmes and Projects written by Reidar Dale and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2004-11-16 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Issues of evaluation methodology, practice and use have become prominent in recent times since the need for evaluation is increasingly being felt in many different areas of public life. This entirely New Edition of a successful book deals with the focus, scope and methodology of evaluation in the field of societal development. The focus is on development programmes and projects in lesser developed countries but the author’s methodological frameworks have a wider framework.

Download or read book Evaluating Research Efficiency in the U S Environmental Protection Agency written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-06-17 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new book from the National Research Council recommends changes in how the federal government evaluates the efficiency of research at EPA and other agencies. Assessing efficiency should be considered only one part of gauging a program's quality, relevance, and effectiveness. The efficiency of research processes and that of investments should be evaluated using different approaches. Investment efficiency should examine whether an agency's R&D portfolio, including the budget, is relevant, of high quality, matches the agency's strategic plan. These evaluations require panels of experts. In contrast, process efficiency should focus on "inputs" (the people, funds, and facilities dedicated to research) and "outputs" (the services, grants, publications, monitoring, and new techniques produced by research), as well as their timelines and should be evaluated using quantitative measures. The committee recommends that the efficiency of EPA's research programs be evaluated according to the same standards used at other agencies. To ensure this, OMB should train and oversee its budget examiners so that the PART questionnaire is implemented consistently and equitably across agencies.

Download or read book The Impact Evaluation of Cluster Development Programs written by Alessandro Maffioli and published by . This book was released on 2016-04-13 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evaluating Professional Development written by Thomas R. Guskey and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains how to better evaluate professional development in order to ensure that it increases student learning, providing questions for accurate measurement of professional development and showing how to demonstrate results and accountability.

Download or read book Outcome Mapping written by Sarah Earl and published by IDRC (International Development Research Centre). This book was released on 2001 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Outcome Mapping: Building learning and reflection into development programs

Download or read book Program Evaluation Theory and Practice written by Donna M. Mertens and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2012-02-20 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for conducting large- and small-scale evaluations. Numerous sample studies—many with reflective commentary from the evaluators—reveal the process through which an evaluator incorporates a paradigm into an actual research project. The book shows how theory informs methodological choices (the specifics of planning, implementing, and using evaluations). It offers balanced coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Useful pedagogical features include: *Examples of large- and small-scale evaluations from multiple disciplines. *Beginning-of-chapter reflection questions that set the stage for the material covered. *"Extending your thinking" questions and practical activities that help readers apply particular theoretical paradigms in their own evaluation projects. *Relevant Web links, including pathways to more details about sampling, data collection, and analysis. *Boxes offering a closer look at key evaluation concepts and additional studies. *Checklists for readers to determine if they have followed recommended practice. *A companion website with resources for further learning.

Download or read book Evaluating Progress of the U S Climate Change Science Program written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-12-28 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) coordinates the efforts of 13 federal agencies to understand why climate is changing, to improve predictions about how it will change in the future, and to use that information to assess impacts on human systems and ecosystems and to better support decision making. Evaluating Progress of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program is the first review of the CCSP's progress since the program was established in 2002. It lays out a method for evaluating the CCSP, and uses that method to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the entire program and to identify areas where progress has not met expectations. The committee found that the program has made good progress in documenting and understanding temperature trends and related environmental changes on a global scale, as well as in understanding the influence of human activities on these observed changes. The ability to predict future climate changes also has improved, but efforts to understand the impacts of such changes on society and analyze mitigation and adaptation strategies are still relatively immature. The program also has not met expectations in supporting decision making, studying regional impacts, and communicating with a wider group of stakeholders.

Download or read book Evaluation of Economic Development Programs written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Public Works. Special Subcommittee on Economic Development Programs and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evaluation of Economic Development Programs Part II Hearings Before the Special Subcommittee on Economic Development Programs 91 2 written by United States. Congress. House Public Works and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation written by Apollo M. Nkwake and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-27 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses the crucial place that assumptions hold in conceptualizing, implementing, and evaluating development programs. It suggests simple ways for stakeholders and evaluators to 1) examine their assumptions about program theory and environmental conditions and 2) develop and carry out effective program monitoring and evaluation in light of those assumptions. A survey of evaluators from an international development agency reviewed the state of practice on assumptions-aware evaluation. This 2nd edition has been updated with further illustrations, case studies, and frameworks that have been researched and tested in the years since the first edition. Regardless of geography or goal, development programs and policies are fueled by a complex network of implicit ideas. Stakeholders may hold assumptions about purposes, outcomes, methodology, and the value of project evaluation and evaluators—which may or may not be shared by the evaluators. A major barrier to viable program evaluations is that development programs are based on assumptions that often are not well articulated. In designing programs, stakeholders often lack clear outlines for how implemented interventions will bring desired changes. This lack of clarity masks critical risks to program success and makes it challenging to evaluate such programs. Methods that have attempted to address this dilemma have been popularized as theory of change or other theory‐based approaches. Often, however, theory-based methods do not sufficiently clarify how program managers or evaluators should work with the assumptions inherent in the connections between the steps. The critical examination of assumptions in evaluation is essential for effective evaluations and evaluative thinking. "How does one think evaluatively? It all begins with assumptions. Systematically articulating, examining, and testing assumptions is the foundation of evaluative thinking... This book, more than any other, explains how to build a strong foundation for effective interventions and useful evaluation by rigorously working with assumptions." —Michael Quinn Patton, PhD. Author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation and co-editor of THOUGHTWORK: Thinking, Action, and the Fate of the World, USA. "This updated edition presents us with a new opportunity to delve into both the theoretical and practical aspects of paradigmatic, prescriptive, and causal assumptions. We need to learn, and apply these insights with the deep attention they deserve." —Zenda Ofir, PhD. Independent Evaluator, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy, Berlin, Germany. Honorary Professor, School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. “This thought-provoking book explains why assumptions are an essential condition within the theories and methodologies of evaluation; and how assumptions influence the ways that evaluators approach their work...It will enrich the ways that evaluators develop their models, devise their methodologies, interpret their data, and interact with their stakeholders.” —Jonny Morell, Ph.D., President, 4.669... Evaluation and Planning, Editor Emeritus, Evaluation and Program Planning

Download or read book Evaluation of Economic Development Programs Hearings Before the Special Subcommittee on Economic Development Programs 91 1 written by United States. Congress. House. Public Works and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evaluating Development Effectiveness written by George Keith Pitman and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Practitioners give insights on building and satisfying demand for evaluation in developing countries and on the use of evaluation findings to improve decision making on development policies and programs." "This volume offers useful insights into methods for evaluating the effectiveness of development and assessing the performance of development aid and aid agencies."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Development and Evaluation of Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs P A T H S written by Daniel T.L. SHEK and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-28 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book outlines the development, implementation and evaluation of a project entitled “P.A.T.H.S. to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme," with P.A.T.H.S. denoting Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social programmes. This pioneer project was conducted in Hong Kong between 2005 and 2012 with more than 210,000 participants. Its goal was to help students meet various challenges in their path to adulthood, with a focus on their psychosocial competencies, developmental assets and the promotion of healthy peer relationships. The project was initiated by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in collaboration with the Government’s Social Welfare Department, Education Bureau and five universities in Hong Kong. Edited by the researchers of the project, Development and Evaluation of Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs explores the nature of positive youth development (PYD), the application of PYD constructs to youth programs and implementation issues. Using multiple strategies, the book evaluates the overall effectiveness of the P.A.T.H.S. school-based programme and reveals that stakeholders had positive perceptions of the project, its implementers and benefits. Students in the program showed better positive development and displayed lower levels of substance abuse and delinquent behaviour than students in the control schools. The book also details lessons learned, emergent issues, future directions as well as insights into the development of positive youth development programs particularly in Chinese communities. Development and Evaluation of Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs will appeal to all educators, administrators, psychologists, social workers and allied profeesionals looking to promote whole-person development in their students, especially those with in interest in education in China.

Download or read book An Evaluation of the Outcomes of a Leadership Development Program written by Cynthia Denise McCauley and published by Center for Creative Leadership. This book was released on 1994 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook presents findings of a study that examined the outcomes of the Chief Executive Officer Leadership Development Program, which was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). The 1-year program was comprised of classroom sessions, coaching, journal writing, and learning projects. Data were derived from: (1) a pre-program survey and questionnaire of 38 participating superintendents; and (2) post-program interviews with the 38 participants and their facilitators, a post-questionnaire completed by participants, and analysis of student journals. Findings indicate that the superintendents improved their leadership competencies and self-awareness. Of the four superintendent subgroups that were identified, two--the New Perspectives subgroup and the Role Expansion subgroup--were more affected than administrators who were already highly effective or more control-oriented. The program, compared to other studies of this nature, resulted in two more prominent outcomes: the view of leadership as a shared responsibility and a broader view of their professional role. Implications of the findings for evaluation of leadership-development programs are: the use of multiple methods enriches analysis; evaluation studies should expect highly individualized outcomes; and evaluation studies provide opportunities for understanding the leadership-development process. Eleven tables and five figures are included. Appendices contain copies of the exit interviews and statistics on subgroup differences. Contains 53 references. (LMI)

Download or read book Evaluating the Effectiveness of Academic Development written by Lorraine Stefani and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written for academic developers, academic administrators and others responsible for promoting organizational change, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Academic Development shares best practice advice and frameworks for evaluation and monitoring.