Synopsis:
Everyone involved with policy and program development and delivery is being asked to plan more carefully, reflect more critically and justify their decisions. The key to this is evaluation. Program Evaluation offers a conceptual yet straightforward and practical overview of the evaluation process for both beginners and experienced practitioners. It shows evaluators how to identify appropriate forms, approaches and methods, using an original framework. John Owen examines the contributions of evaluation to program provision, and offers proven techniques for involving stakeholders in the planning process and for disseminating the evaluation findings. This third edition has been thoroughly revised to incorporate recent research on evaluation and new examples of good practice. It includes sections of management of evaluation, negotiating evaluation plans, program logic and ex ante evaluation, evidence based practice, performance management and accountability. With international examples from a range of health, education, welfare, community and other settings, Program Evaluation is an essential reference for anyone involved in evaluation in both the public and private sectors.
Review:
"Program Evaluation, Third Edition, has the hallmarks of thoroughness, insight, and fluency of other editions, but brings us up to date with a map of the evaluation territory which new travelers will find invaluable."--Murray Saunders, Lancaster University, UK "Excellent for use as an introductory text--practical, clear, concise, and straight to the point."--Ernie House, School of Education, University of Colorado at Boulder "Owen maintains that it is important to understand the 'what' and the 'why' of an evaluation and select the distinct 'epistemological cluster' that best fits the issues that need to be addressed in the evaluation. He insightfully captures these complexities of evaluative work and outlines, in an accessible format, all the many considerations needed in order to truly serve the information needs of all sorts of evaluands."--From the Foreword by Marvin C. Alkin, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Los Angeles "It is rare to find a book that provides a nicely organized discussion of the approaches to evaluation, as well as hands-on information on managing evaluation, evaluation ethics, different evaluation philosophies, and utilization of evaluation. I especially liked the distinction among the various interventions that are the focus of evaluations, and the charts of the forms of evaluation. I also liked the focus on planning and diagnostic evaluation. The graphics are excellent, and Owen makes good use of inset boxes for examples. I would use the book in an introductory evaluation class to provide students with a roadmap of evaluation approaches and techniques and when and why to use them. This is one of only a few available texts that assemble techniques and approaches used in various countries across the world, and thus it should appeal to a wide audience."--Debra J. Rog, Center for Evaluation and Program Improvement, Vanderbilt University
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