Title: Program evaluation : methods and case studies /
Authors: Posavac, Emil J.; Carey, Raymond G.
Publisher: Prentice Hall,
Year: 1997
Subjects: Social Work; Evaluation Studies.; Program Evaluation methods; Evaluation research (Social action programs) United States.; United States
Abstract: "Posavac and Carey provide a comprehensive, but accessible, introduction to the field of program evaluation. By adopting a flexible philosophy of evaluation, the authors demonstrate how program evaluation can be applied to answer a wide variety of questions in many different settings. Enjoying widespread acceptance, Program Evaluation includes case studies of completed program evaluations and sketches of the careers of program evaluators to help readers develop an appreciation of the applicability of evaluation methods." "By viewing program evaluation as a formalization of something that people do all the time and, indeed, find essential, the implicit threat of evaluation is reduced by the authors' approach. Posavac and Carey stress the importance of working with representatives of all groups affected by the program, whether they be program staff or managers, recipients, or people providing financial or moral support. The Improvement-Focused Model of Evaluation can be used to include many people in the evaluation process. The authors show that the application of program evaluation serves to contribute to making society more effective, just, and healthy."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: 1. Program evaluation: an overview -- 2. Planning and evaluation -- 3. Selecting criteria and setting standards -- 4. Developing measures -- 5. Ethics in program evaluation -- 6. The assessment of need -- 7. Monitoring the operation of programs -- 8. Single group, nonexperimental outcome evaluations -- Quasi-experimental approaches to outcome evaluation -- 10. Using experiments to evaluate programs -- 11. Analysis of costs and outcomes -- 12. Qualitative evaluation methods -- 13. Evaluation reports: interpreting and communicating findings -- 14. How to encourage utilization -- Appendix: Illustrative evaluation report.