Evaluation: What Is It and Why Do It?

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Evaluation is a systematic process of establishing the value or importance of something or someone and obtaining information to give the results of that subject. It is used to determine individual performance in different areas. Evaluation involves the use of different methods, approaches, techniques, and types such as summative, formative, needs evaluation, cost-benefit analysis efficiency, accreditation, and effectiveness. In its methods, it explores both qualitative and quantitative methods like a case study, statistical analysis, and survey research.

Several assumptions have been placed on the evaluation models, for example, when evaluating systems analysis quantitative output measures like the test scores may be ignored. This happens because people think that some aspects are not important when carrying out the evaluation. Every aspect should however be analyzed when carrying out the evaluation. For instance, relating the differences in programs to the deviations in student scores is not really evaluating the students or the effectiveness of the program.

Some strategies in evaluation look at evaluation as a critical theory or naturalistic. The anthropological model of evaluation emphasizes the individual understanding, the significance of observation, and the quality of the evaluation context in the process of evaluation. For effective evaluation, four levels of evaluation information should be gathered. The four levels of evaluation include; effectiveness due to enhanced behavior, learning as a result of a change in attitudes, knowledge and perception, reactions and feelings, and changes in skills (House 10).

From the American evaluation association, several principles have been established on several claims on the evaluation activity. They claim that an evaluator is honest, respects the people whom they are evaluating, is responsible, and should take the interest and the values of the public seriously, and that they should provide competent performance.

Program evaluation, which involves evaluation methods in profit and non-profit organizations, has been highly analyzed. Under this context, evaluation is claimed to provide either non-practical or irrelevant information in case the information is not well understood.

In the past evaluation, methods were mainly used in sciences. Scientific methods were evaluated with an aim of ensuring their validity, accuracy, and reliability. Most people did not see the importance of evaluation during this time and therefore considered evaluation as a useless practice that only resulted in boring data with useless conclusions. Their claim was because the evaluation approach used led to the production of much data and evaluators had to carefully choose conclusions from the data. Evaluation administrators were not happy about the value of evaluation since all the evaluation report seemed to restate the same results (Stufflebeam & Webster 13).

Some people have taken evaluation as a tool used for confirming whether the process has failed or succeeded. They believe that once an ideal program is put into use, the success of that particular organization becomes automatic without having to contact the stakeholders. Though in a real-life situation, things do not work this way and therefore there is a need for evaluation since success depends on a constant provision of feedback from the stakeholders, customers, and making constant changes to the program. This feedback is provided through evaluation.

Originally, there was a belief that evaluation has its time and ways of occurrence. It is taken by many people to mean a very complex activity that may just involve the use of experts hired from outside. This claim does not actually hold for the evaluation process takes many ways and is a continuous process. Success can only be effectively achieved when there is a continuous evaluation that provides continuous feedback.

In carrying out the process of evaluation, people think that terms such as reliability and validity must be clear to them. Arguably understanding these terms is necessary but not compulsory. What people ought to consider is the information needed when deciding on the current issues and needs of the program and consider mostly understanding what is happening.

Many people think that the process of carrying out evaluation is so much involving in terms of time and money. This may not be true depending on how much one is focused on what he or she wants to examine in his evaluation process. The extent of focus will determine how efficient one can be in his or her evaluation in terms of time used and the cost incurred, i.e. being more focused implies being more efficient, using shorter time thus leading to less cost.

The type of evaluation chosen to enhance the program should be based on what the evaluator wants to examine from the program. The choice of the type of evaluation however should not be a factor to be considered, instead, the knowledge of program decisions and ways of accurately collecting and understanding the information should be the factors to consider.

Inaccurate conclusions made from an evaluation process do result because some people do not do the evaluation in a formal manner. They assume the natural part of the evaluation thus very little gain comes from their labor. This, as a result, leads to very little difference made to the customers thus they lack the chance to make improvement on their activities.

When conducting program evaluation, it is not necessary that reports of personal information concerning customers or other stakeholders taking part in the evaluation should be included, but in a situation where the evaluators choose to include them, they should be informed in advance. They should be made aware of the reason why they are taking part in the evaluation and how their personal information will be conveyed.

Many people claim that evaluations conducted by internal members will not be effective. There is a feeling that the management will be policing itself and therefore will not make a fair interpretation of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. They feel that it will be cheaper and more effective if questionnaires are sent to outsiders and then analyze their results or when interviews are used. However, where the outside sources are not available, the same methods should be applied and the results analyzed by the managers themselves.

Evaluation is a very important process in improving the performance of individuals in an organization through assessing them and giving them feedback on areas of their strengths so that they maintain, and areas of their weaknesses so that they improve. Unnecessary claims on evaluation should therefore be avoided and more efforts should be put on improving the processes of evaluation.

Works Cited

House, E. R. “Primary models for evaluation and evaluation.” Educational Researcher 7.3 (1978): 4-12.

Stufflebeam, D. L. and Webster, W. J. “Investigation of other approaches to Evaluation.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 2.3 (1980): 5-19.

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Evaluation: What Is It and Why Do It?

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