Discuss how an evaluator determines what outcomes are pertinent.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The evaluator must consider the perspectives of stakeholders about pertinent outcomes, the outcomes that are specified in the program’s impact theory, and applicable previous research. Various program stakeholders will have their own understandings of what the program is supposed to accomplish and, correspondingly, what outcomes they expect it to affect. The most direct sources of information about these outcomes usually are the stated objectives, goals, and mission of the program. Funding proposals and grants or contracts for services from outside sponsors also often identify outcomes that the program is expected to influence. A full articulation of the program impact theory is especially useful for identifying and organizing program outcomes. An impact theory, expresses the outcomes of a social program as part of a logic model that connects the program’s activities to proximal outcomes that, in turn, are expected to lead to other, more distal outcomes. If correctly described, this series of linked relationships among outcomes represents the program’s assumptions about the critical steps between program services and the ultimate social benefits the program is intended to produce. It is, thus, especially important for the evaluator to draw on this portion of the program theory when identifying the outcomes that should be considered for measurement. In identifying and defining outcomes, the evaluator should thoroughly examine previous research related to the program being evaluated, especially evaluation research on similar programs. Learning which outcomes have been examined in other studies may call attention to relevant outcomes that might otherwise be overlooked. It will also be informative to see how various outcomes have been defined and measured in prior research.