Evaluation Purposes

Program Evaluation

Shawneequa Beal
Charles Fronrath
Program Evaluation
September 11, 2022

Program evaluation is a critical tool for assessing and improving the performance of government programs. Program evaluation involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to provide an evaluation of the impact of a program on a particular outcome. The process of program evaluation involves a series of steps that should be undertaken to ensure that the intended program outcome is achieved (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). The main purpose of program evaluation is to provide decision-makers with evidence-based information about the impact of programs on intended program outcomes. Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen present two categories of evaluation, one that is the traditional approach and one that is emerging as a new approach. The traditional approach to program evaluation is based on the premise that program evaluation is a scientific endeavor that uses methods and procedures to objectively and systematically evaluate an intervention. In contrast, the emerging approach emphasizes the social and political impact of evaluation on stakeholders in the intervention and does not focus on the methodologies used to evaluate an intervention but rather on how evaluation affects stakeholders to the extent that it is meaningful to them personally and socially. This distinction is best illustrated by comparing the approaches of Robert Fitzpatrick, Peter Sanders, and Christian Worthen. All three authors are prominent leaders in the field of program evaluation, but each emphasizes a different aspect of evaluation.
Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen describe program evaluation as a process of planning, implementing, measuring, and reporting. Each phase of the process has its own importance. Planning is important because it helps determine what kind of information will be collected and how it will be analyzed. Implementation is important because it involves setting the stage for the future monitoring of projects. Monitoring is important because it provides feedback on whether or not programs are working as expected. Finally, measuring is important because it provides an assessment of whether or not programs have been effective or ineffective. These three phases are interrelated in that they work together to create a successful outcome.
There are three program evaluation approaches descriptive analysis, critical assessment, and diagnostic assessment. Descriptive analysis is the most common approach to program evaluation. As a result, it is often called experimental in the literature. With this approach, the researcher gathers data through interviews, observation, or questionnaires and analyzes them to determine whether there is evidence of success or failure with respect to a particular program. The critical assessment uses formal methods such as statistics to evaluate programs and outcomes. Critical assessments also include other types of research, such as case studies that provide detailed descriptions of programs and their impact on participants. Diagnostic assessments attempt to identify problems in programs and provide recommendations for improving them. Diagnostic assessments may use qualitative or quantitative methods depending on the information available about the program or its participants.
Fitzpatrick (2011) explains that the different evaluation approaches have been classified into four different categories that are developed based on identifying primary factors that guide the evaluation. The classifications include approaches oriented to the comprehensive judgment of the quality of the program or product, approaches oriented to characteristics of the program, approaches oriented to decisions to be made regarding the program, and approaches oriented to the participation of stakeholders.
The most important ones are the evaluation approaches oriented to comprehensive judgments of the quality of the program or product. These evaluations are used in the process of selecting a supplier or contractor to provide goods or services, and they determine whether or not to proceed with a contract. The evaluation approaches oriented to comprehensive judgments of the quality of the program or product are made by evaluating whether or not the goods or services have reached their goals. The goals often include meeting expectations and exceeding them. The primary goal is usually referred to as quality. This approach is the oldest form of evaluation; it was used by many before the formal evaluation was established.
The evaluation approaches oriented to the characteristics of the program are based on objectives, standards, and theory evaluation. Each of these approaches has an evaluator who applies the program characteristics, its objectives, the standards it should achieve, and the theory that the program follows to recognize the evaluation question to focus on.
The evaluation approaches oriented to a decision regarding the program involve Patton’s utilization-focused evaluation, Stufflebeam’s context-input-process-product approaches, and Wholey’s evaluability analysis and performance monitoring. The evaluation approach to decisions to be made about the program is to use a logical analysis of the problem, identify the program’s objectives, analytically determine the program’s effectiveness on those objectives, and make recommendations for modifications or additions (Fitzpatrick, 2011). The objective analysis is conducted to determine what goals are to be achieved by this program. The objectives should be stated in terms of what is to be accomplished by this particular program and not in terms of general educational goals or society as a whole.
The fourth evaluation oriented to the participation of the stakeholders involves the Stake’s responsive evaluation, empowerment evaluation, developmental evaluation, democratic-oriented evaluation, and practicing participatory evaluation. The evaluation model has involved other different models that have focused on the stakeholders who have a stake in the program to help in conducting the evaluation. The stakeholders are used in different ways since some of the models use them at the beginning and at the end of the evaluation to assist in assessing the evaluation questions and then interpret the findings to provide recommendations. There are those that use the stakeholders in the whole process and even present the stakeholders as major decision-makers.
The evaluation approaches oriented to the participation of stakeholders are more holistic and participatory, as they involve a wider range of stakeholders, including beneficiaries, community organizations, and local government units. They also try to include the perspectives of the local population. The evaluation approaches oriented to the program’s characteristics are more quantitative and analytical. They focus on examining program outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. On the other hand, the evaluation approaches oriented to characteristics of the program are those that can be used to evaluate a program in terms of its effectiveness and efficiency in terms of costs and benefits. Evaluation is the process of formulating, applying, evaluating, and disseminating knowledge about a program or policy (Chung, 2008). In this approach, the researcher will use data from different sources, such as interviews with beneficiaries/users, focus group discussions, and field observations. These data will be analyzed using different methods such as statistical analysis, qualitative analysis, and case study methods.
The major elements in the evaluation approaches oriented to the participation of stakeholders include participation in the evaluation and inclusion of all the essential groups and individuals—stakeholders’ participation in the evaluation process. The evaluation process must be participatory, involving all stakeholders and their representatives. At the same time, it should not be top-down and controlled by those who are conducting the evaluation. This means that all people involved in the project or program should have a voice and be able to influence its outcome—inclusion of all relevant groups or individuals. No group or individual must be excluded or marginalized when evaluating a project or program. All groups and individuals should be represented both formally and informally. In addition, each group must be given an opportunity to present its views at different levels: individual interviews with key decision makers; focus group discussions; meetings with technical experts, etc., so that all perspectives are represented. The important elements of the evaluation approaches oriented to characteristics of the program include theoretical evaluation, program evaluation, and evaluation of program impact. Theoretical evaluation is a complex process that involves both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative research is used to determine what is working well and what is not working well in a program, while quantitative research measures the effectiveness of a program by quantifying its impact on a particular outcome. Evaluation of programs’ impact on individuals, families, communities, or society at large: A program’s impact on individuals, families, communities, or society at large is measured by using quantitative methods such as surveys, interviews, and observation. Evaluation of programs’ impact on individual behavior change: Evaluation of individual behavior change is best done through qualitative methods such as focus groups, interviews, observation, and case studies.
A program that should be evaluated in the government offices is to provide information regarding how resources are shared in the community and if the process of sharing is fair. This program evaluation can be described as a set of planned, systematic activities since the process will involve analyzing the different levels at which the government divides resources between the community and the effectiveness of the resources (Freidson & Rist, 2020). The best evaluation approach to use in this program is the evaluation oriented to the program’s characteristics. This is because this evaluation approach assists in determining whether a particular program is achieving its intended goals and objectives. In addition, this evaluation approach helps focus on a specific target population, making it more effective.

References
Chung, E. K. (2008). Program Evaluation: Alternative Approaches and Practical Guidelines, (Jody L Fitzpatrick, James R Sanders, Blaine R Worthen). Korean Journal of Medical Education, 20(4), 377-377.
Fitzpatrick, J. L. (2011). Program evaluation alternative approaches and practical guidelines (No. 379.154097 F5).
Freidson, E., & Rist, R. (2020). Program evaluation and the Management of Government. Routledge.
Linfield, K. J., & Posavac, E. J. (2018). Program evaluation: Methods and case studies. Routledge.