UTILIZATION-FOCUSED EVALUATION AS A STRATEGY FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.
Item
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Title
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UTILIZATION-FOCUSED EVALUATION AS A STRATEGY FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.
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Identifier
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AAI8501161
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identifier
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8501161
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Creator
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MURRAY, JAMES MCALISTER.
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Contributor
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Irwin Epstein
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Date
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1984
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social Work
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Abstract
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This dissertation describes the application of Michael Q. Patton's utilization-focused evaluation strategy to a program with serious staff morale problems. The program was a county youth shelter which accommodated 'status offenders' and minor juvenile delinquents referred from the Family Court. At the time the project was being carried out, the Youth Center's morale problems were being exacerbated by anxiety amongst the administration and staff members about the modifications the Center might have to make to adapt to the requirements of a new State juvenile code.;The writer worked as a consultant to the County Department of Youth Services and formed a Task Group of key decision makers in the County youth services network to work with him to investigate the morale problems and the problems of adapting the Youth Center to the demands of the new juvenile Code. Working together, the Consultant and the Task Group decided what evaluation questions should be asked, and what methods should be used to investigate them. The Consultant then used these methods to obtain data which he and the Task Group analyzed, interpreted, and utilized to make decisions to adapt and develop the program.;As is intended in Patton's strategy, this process produced a great deal of information which was utilized to make and implement program development decisions, which are described. The dissertation concludes with reflections that suggest, however, that there were several favorable factors operating which contributed to the success of this particular project, and that many of the basic assumptions on which Patton's strategy rests may, in many situations, prove to be ill-founded. In such circumstances, the strategy might not only be ineffective, but could create damaging conflict in an organization. Nevertheless, it was concluded that the strategy is a valuable step towards closer collaboration between evaluators and administrators to produce information which will be used rather than ignored.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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D.S.W.
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Program
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Social Welfare
