EVALUATION RESEARCH

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EVALUATION RESEARCH

• These are those types of research that evaluate
  the impact of social interventions.
• Motivated by the desire of social scientist to
  make a difference in peoples lives.
• Working for social change
• Should Sociologists work for social change?
• How can sociologists work for social change?

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• Why Evaluate?
• 1. Administrative Purposes
• -demanded by funding source
• -assess daily operations
• -improve services, become more efficient
• 2. Impact Assessment
• -what effects is program producing?
• -goals identified -- How well achieved?
• -Change, curtail, alter program?

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• 3. Evaluate Conventional Practices
• -more social scientific
• -evaluate general patterns in programs

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• Types of Evaluation Research
• 1. Formative
• -before program is established
• -planning, implementation, operation
• -target population and characteristics and
  demographics
• -aware of existing services for duplication?
• -knowledge of potential intervention strategies?
• -specify skills and staff needed
• -feasibility?
• -needs assessment

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• 2. Summative
• -evaluate existing programs effectiveness
• -assessing impact
• -typically more large-scale

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• Measurement
• A Specifying Outcomes
• 1. Response variables
• -have programs affected change?
• a. Program Operating as Planned?
• b. Program Quality?
• c. Program Impact?
• 2. Measuring the un-measurable
• -some concepts not operationalizable.