Good Approaches To Program Evaluation Essay Example

Over the years, there has been a development of a number of approaches to program evaluation. Despite the numerous numbers of approaches to program evaluation, an appropriate approach should ensure improvement of the execution and efficiency of the program. The program evaluation approach should also improve the management of limited resources and guarantee a detailed description of current programs. It is also important for an appropriate evaluation program to satisfy ethical responsibilities to clients, and maintain proper documentation of program development. The program will be objective and measurable by ensuring proper documentation of program development (Wholey & Hatry, 2010). The purposes of program evaluation can be summed up by accountability, control, and systematic social inquiry. From these objectives, it can be established that program evaluation involves a thorough appraisal of the results of a given program, in comparison to anticipated outcomes or a well-known measure. Evaluation is done to establish whether the program attained its purposes. Some of the identified evaluation methods include research methods, valuing, and use.
It is important to important to explain the purposes of accountability and control, and systematic social inquiry in program evaluation before analyzing the different approaches to program evaluation. Accountability involves giving a reasonable justification for an event or being in a position to be responsible for something. Accountability may include reporting, justifying and answerability. It clearly shows that responsibility can provide a precise approach to program evaluation because it involves a process, standards, controlling, and reporting.
Systemic social inquiry is the universal analysis of individual or group behavior in different social settings using a number of methods. Social inquiry acknowledges existence of a unique social aspect to human behavior, which is contrary to the natural and psychological aspect. Social inquiry seeks to establish why individuals in different social settings behave the way they do. From this brief explanation, social inquiry cannot be viewed as a program evaluation approach because it ignores several principles of an excellent evaluation approach.
Since social inquiry cannot be viewed as an evaluation method, it uses other methods such as evaluation guided by research methods. The research method evaluation approach uses generalization to do experimental studies and other controls to understand program phenomena.
Another approach to program evaluation is the valuing approach. The valuing approach involves attaching value to research findings and determining which outcomes to analyze. This approach further refines the research method approach by valuing the findings and selecting the most appropriate one for a given program.
The other approach to program evaluation is the usability approach. This approach to evaluation uses decision-oriented theories to focus on an introduction to evaluation and decision-making. This evaluation approach facilitates the carrying out of assessments that are intended to help the main program stakeholder in program decision-making. The used approach, for this reason, focuses on the way evaluation information will be used and those who will use the information. The use program evaluation approach seems to be the best approach to use in evaluation since it considers all the principles of an excellent evaluation approach. For example, the use program evaluation approach ensures improvement of the execution and efficiency of the program. It also improves the management of limited resources and ensures a detailed description of current programs.
Conclusively, the program will be objective and measurable by ensuring proper documentation of program development. Social inquiry acknowledges existence of a unique social aspect to human behavior, which is contrary to the natural and psychological aspect.
 

Reference

Wholey, S., & Hatry, H. (2010). Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.