![]() ![]() Observations can include watching a participant or program, videotaping an intervention, or even recording people who have been asked to “think aloud” while they work (Ericsson et al., 1993). Observations may help explain behaviors as well as social context and meanings because the evaluator sees what is actually happening. ![]() Analysis will likely include the identification of themes, coding, clustering similar data, and reducing data to meaningful and important points, such as in grounded theory-building or other approaches to qualitative analysis (Patton, 2002). Analyses of qualitative data include examining, comparing and contrasting, and interpreting patterns. Qualitative data answer such questions as “What is the value added?”, “Who was responsible?”, and “When did something happen?’’ Qualitative data are collected through direct or participant observation, interviews, focus groups, and case studies and from written documents. In addition, quantitative data do not provide an understanding of the program’s context and may not be robust enough to explain complex issues or interactions (Holland et al., 2005 Garbarino et al., 2009). The limitations of using quantitative data for evaluation can include poor response rates from surveys, difficulty obtaining documents, and difficulties in valid measurement. The strengths of quantitative data for evaluation purposes include their generalizability (if the sample represents the population), the ease of analysis, and their consistency and precision (if collected reliably). Quantitative data collected before and after an intervention can show its outcomes and impact. Quantitative data measure the depth and breadth of an implementation (e.g., the number of people who participated, the number of people who completed the program). Analysis of quantitative data involves statistical analysis, from basic descriptive statistics to complex analyses. Surveys may be self- or interviewer-administered and conducted face-to-face or by telephone, by mail, or online. Quantitative data provide information that can be counted to answer such questions as “How many?”, “Who was involved?”, “What were the outcomes?”, and “How much did it cost?” Quantitative data can be collected by surveys or questionnaires, pretests and posttests, observation, or review of existing documents and databases or by gathering clinical data. This section describes both quantitative and qualitative methods, and Table 7.1 shows examples of quantitative and qualitative questions according to stage of evaluation. ![]() These methods are rarely used alone combined, they generally provide the best overview of the project. Both methods provide important information for evaluation, and both can improve community engagement. An evaluation can use quantitative or qualitative data, and often includes both. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |