Formative Evaluation Study Research Articles

The Deconstruction of Evaluation Research: Part I, The Way Forward?

Acts of evaluation—the assessment against implicit or explicit criteria of the value of individuals, objects, situations and outcomes—form the core of any high discretion job, where choices have to be made and decisions taken in a world of scarce resources. On a day‐by‐day basis informal evaluations pervade the job of any manager or administrator, but often this is supplemented by formal evaluation research studies—whether technology assessment, investment appraisal, the evaluation of markets and competitors, or in the case of personnel managers—the evaluation of training and development and of organisational change programmes generally. These formal studies include the evaluation studies conducted by “professional” evaluation researchers, such as those engaged in the evaluation of federally funded US social change programmes, those drawn from commercial consultancy agencies or occupying an internal consultant's role within a large company, and those applied social scientists, working in university departments and research institutions interested in issues concerning work system and organisational design . Many articles published in Personnel Review attest to this concern with evaluation research and, indeed, expertise in the conduct of formal evaluation studies has been identified as a major weapon in the armoury of personnel managers who adopt a “conformist innovator” approach to developing their power and influence.

Part II. Evaluation component. School nurse achievement program.

The School Nurse Achievement Program is a national continuing education course for school nurses to increase and improve their services for disabled children. It is currently being developed under the auspices of the Department of Education, Office of Special Education in conjunction with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing. A description of a national needs survey of school nurses and resulting program goals, curriculum development, and course administration in twelve states appeared in last month's Journal. Formative and summative evaluation studies to aid in curriculum development and to examine changes in the school nurses' activities are described in Part II of this article.

Well Log Analysis Concepts in Clastic and Argillaceous Sediments, United States Gulf Coast: ABSTRACT

Reliable estimates of amount, type, and distribution of clay minerals encountered in Gulf Coast sands improve log-derived determination of reservoir properties, such as porosity, hydrocarbon saturation, and permeability. Log-derived determination of clay properties also provide information for geologic and formation evaluation studies, including detailed stratigraphic correlations, clay diagenesis, source rock potential, cation exchange capacity, overpressure detection and evaluation, and commercial hydrocarbon distribution in overpressure regimes. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1557------------

Whether evaluation — whether utilization

In “Evaluation: Manifestations of a New Field,” Flaherty and Morel1 (1978) suggest there is such great variety among the various endeavors termed evaluation that it is too early to define the characteristics of evaluation. Rather we should search for the common elements of these various endeavors and let that commonality define the process. At the 5th Annual Conference of the Evaluation Network, Kirkhart (1979) moderated a symposium on “Making Evaluation Results Useful; Knowledge Utilization Re-Examined,” to some extent at least, a reaction to the oft cited complaint that results of many evaluations are ignored. Such inattention to evaluation results may be partly responsible for Tornatzky’s (1979) argument, in “The Triple-Threat Evaluator,” that evaluators should do more than evaluate; they should work toward modifications of the programs they evaluate, improving the effectiveness of current, helpful programs, “performing euthanasia of social programs that are ineffective, or harmful, or both.” He goes on to say he “finds it difficult to separate the general role of the evaluator from the specific roles of researcher, and innovator, and politicianadministrator.” Fox and Rappaport (1972) suggest programs need not be evaluated, but if they are, “good” evaluation can be utilized: On a different level, some mental health professionals argue that formal evaluation studies are inappropriate to the mental health field and that program decisions are better based on professional intuition than on such studies. We contend that, although program decisions must ultimately be based on judgment regardless of whether evaluation is conducted, good evaluation can provide information that can contribute to the decision making process. (emphasis added) (p. 172)

Post-evaluation determination of a program's generalizability

The literature on the generalizability of program effects focuses exclusively on the a priori development of evaluation designs which enable certain generalizations to be made. Due to a variety of factors, new questions of a program's generalizability often arise only after the completion of the formal evaluation study. This paper suggests secondary analysis procedures which can be employed using existing evaluation data to estimate a program's generalizability when followup field studies are not feasible.

A Structure for Formative Evaluation in Product Development

Many educators working on the development of educational products have stated a need for a logical structure for formative evaluation functions since Scriven (1967) made the distinction between formative and summative evaluation. Recent writers (viz., Reynolds & Light, 1971; Abedor, 1971; Tate, 1971; Westbury, 1970; and Weiss, 1971) have noted the ambiguity in definition of the term, formative evaluation, and the consequent paucity of well-defined procedures and techniques for conducting such evaluation studies. The need for a framework for discussing and organizing formative evaluation studies has become evident. The most urgent need, judging from the frequency of pleas in the literature, appears to be in the area of product development. The questions of how to put limits systematically on formative evaluation studies, and how to choose appropriate evaluation methods once the limits are set, appear to have been especially difficult to answer by developers. The focus of this paper is limited to the formative evaluation of educational materials, which we are calling developmental products, and to their production. There are many other educational entities that might be the target of formative evaluation, but they require evaluation approaches different from those we are outlining. Our purpose is to present a framework appropriate for discussing and organizing formative evaluation studies in product development. The framework is a result of the synthesis of various development and evaluation models and a review of case histories in educational development. The structure has been conceived to be consistent with Scriven's view of the process of evaluation. The term evaluation will be used herein to refer to the process of determining the value or worth of a process or product. Formative evaluation will refer to the process of judging a fluid process or product that can be revised in form. The results of formative evaluation studies