Social Programme
- Submitted by: staceyang
- Views: 662
- Category: Other
- Date Submitted: 02/19/2011 08:24 AM
- Pages: 9
- Report this Essay
Essay
CSV 3102 Social Program Evaluation
What is a program
A program is an objective based set of inter-related activities that intend to meet a number of specific aims and objectives (McDavid, Hawthorn, 2006). Programs are organised activities, “a series of planned actions designed to solve some problem”, according to Royse, Thyer, Padgett, and Logan (2006). So programs are interventions or services that are expected to have some kind of an impact on the program participants. (Royse et al). They are user-defined. They can vary a great deal in scale, structured simply or be complex. A good program would have adequate resources in staffing, stable funding, professional expertise and tangible items such as equipment, as well as intangible items such as a “service philosophy” (Royse et al).
The evaluator
There is sometimes a perception of threat from the presence of an outsider. (Owen, 2006, p.140). Therefore, an ‘outsider’ should become familiar with the needs of the internal audiences and ensure that the evaluation is responsive to the needs of the agency. The more the evaluator can work with the agency personnel, the more clients will come to trust the evaluator and use the findings to make changes suggested by the evaluation (Owen, 1990) as cited in Owen (2006). An ‘insider’, on the other hand, knows the organisation and the key staff, so would have a better understanding of the program. However, his dilemma would be to be truthful or be loyal to the organisation and not disclose the true picture.
The program
I have been called in by Star Secondary School (SSS) to conduct an evaluation on a program that has been in operation for three years. The program, STAR is one of the initiatives in education techniques at SSS. This program came about in 2006 to address the rising number of failures mainly because of failing in English, Science or Mathematics. A hundred and thirty-six students have been on this program since. Through...
CSV 3102 Social Program Evaluation
What is a program
A program is an objective based set of inter-related activities that intend to meet a number of specific aims and objectives (McDavid, Hawthorn, 2006). Programs are organised activities, “a series of planned actions designed to solve some problem”, according to Royse, Thyer, Padgett, and Logan (2006). So programs are interventions or services that are expected to have some kind of an impact on the program participants. (Royse et al). They are user-defined. They can vary a great deal in scale, structured simply or be complex. A good program would have adequate resources in staffing, stable funding, professional expertise and tangible items such as equipment, as well as intangible items such as a “service philosophy” (Royse et al).
The evaluator
There is sometimes a perception of threat from the presence of an outsider. (Owen, 2006, p.140). Therefore, an ‘outsider’ should become familiar with the needs of the internal audiences and ensure that the evaluation is responsive to the needs of the agency. The more the evaluator can work with the agency personnel, the more clients will come to trust the evaluator and use the findings to make changes suggested by the evaluation (Owen, 1990) as cited in Owen (2006). An ‘insider’, on the other hand, knows the organisation and the key staff, so would have a better understanding of the program. However, his dilemma would be to be truthful or be loyal to the organisation and not disclose the true picture.
The program
I have been called in by Star Secondary School (SSS) to conduct an evaluation on a program that has been in operation for three years. The program, STAR is one of the initiatives in education techniques at SSS. This program came about in 2006 to address the rising number of failures mainly because of failing in English, Science or Mathematics. A hundred and thirty-six students have been on this program since. Through...