A Practical Guide to Evaluation, Second Edition / Edition 2

by Carl Brun

Overview

Evaluation of social and education services leads to better practice, however many practitioners find the language of evaluation difficult to conceptualize. A Practical Guide to Evaluation presents the mechanisms and processes of evaluation with a clear eye toward the impact evaluation has for the long-term productivity and success of practices and agencies. Emphasizing theory-driven evaluation, Brun uses his extensive experiences as a practitioner, administrator, educator, and evaluator to apply research skills to agency evaluations. The book utilizes a circular six-step Evaluation Decision-Making Model to discuss every stage of the evaluation process, highlighting the model's applicability to different types of evaluations in different professional settings.
The new edition of the book has been reformatted as a workbook with tear-out checklists, exercises, and decision-making tasks for each chapter, so students and practitioners will have an opportunity to practice the skills taught. The new format also makes the book an invaluable guide that students will use in their work after graduation. Unlike many evaluation manuals, which focus purely on theory, A Practical Guide to Social Service Evaluation uses literature reviews and logic models, and real-world examples throughout the text to help social service practitioners connect theory to planning and evaluation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190615468
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Carl Brun (PhD, Ohio State University; AM, University of Chicago) is professor of social work at Wright State University, where he serves as department chair and MSW program director. Brun served as an evaluator for over fifteen social service evaluations, including small, private agencies and state-wide public agencies. He has published numerous articles, co-authored research and evaluation reports, and is a member of the American Evaluation Association.

Table of Contents

Preface
Section One - Purpose and Scope of Evaluation
Chapter 1. Purpose of Evaluation
Chapter 2. Scope of Evaluation
Section Two - Value-Driven Evaluation Decisions
Chapter 3. SCREAM
Chapter 4. Ethical Guidelines for Evaluations
Section Three - Negotiating with Stakeholders
Chapter 5. Politics of Evaluation
Section Four - Theory-Driven Evaluation Decisions
Chapter 6. Developing a Logic Model
Chapter 7. Conducting Literature Reviews of Evidence-Based Practice
Section Five - Data-Driven Evaluation Decisions
Chapter 8. Research Methods
Chapter 9. Qualitative Research Designs: Exploratory Evaluation Questions
Chapter 10. Quantitative Research Designs: Explanatory Evaluation Questions
Chapter 11. Mixed-Methods Research Designs: Descriptive Evaluations
Section Six - Documenting Evaluating Decisions: Coming Full Circle
Chapter12. Ongoing Evaluation Reports
Appendix A: Evaluation Decision-Making Questions Outline
Glossary
References
Index