USE OF GROUP DESIGNS IN PROGRAM EVALUATION

USE OF GROUP DESIGNS IN PROGRAM EVALUATION

When conducting an outcome evaluation for a program, social workers must select a research design that allows them to gather data in a feasible and appropriate manner while also maximizing validity. Group designs can be categorized as cross-sectional, meaning data is collected just once, or longitudinal, meaning data is collected twice or more. Collecting data before and after the program intervention provides a comparison that can more directly attribute client change to the program itself, rather than to an extraneous factor.

For this Discussion, you evaluate group research design methods that can be used for an outcome evaluation of a foster parent training program. You also generate criteria to be measured in the program.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

LEARNING RESOURCES

• Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Chapter 9, Is the Intervention Effective? (pp. 215250)
• Chapter 10, Analyzing Evaluation Data (pp. 255275)
• Gregory, C., & Gellis, Z. (2020).
• . Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 16 (4), 297312. https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2020.1800554
• Walden University, LLC. (2022).
• Links to an external site.
• [Interactive media]. https://waldenu.instructure.com
• Navigate to the Planning a Program Evaluation case study. TRANSCRIPT ATTACHED BELOW

TO PREPARE

• Review Chapter 9 of the course text, paying particular attention to the Group Designs for Programs section.
• Access the Social Work Case Studies media and navigate to the Planning a Program Evaluation case study. Consider which group research design would be most appropriate for the scenario.

BY DAY 3

• Provide a brief description of the foster parent training program (12 sentences).
• Identify which group research design you will use (from those outlined in the Resources as appropriate for the Program Evaluation case study) and state why.
• Identify the outcomes to be measured.
• Describe specific measurements that you will use to assess those outcomes.
• Explain which data collection method you will use and why.
• Specify who will collect the data and how the data will be collected.