RESOURCES FOR RESEARCHERS AND PROGRAM EVALUATORS

Components of Evaluation

Every evaluation plan must contain certain basic components. These include a clear objective, a description of the target population, and a description of what is to be evaluated.

Clear objectives

Writing a clear objective involves defining what is being evaluated. The objective will depend on the part of the program that is being evaluated. Without such a statement, evaluators are unfocused and do not know what to measure. For example, before the program begins, you will need to test any materials you plan to distribute to program participants. In such a case, your evaluation objective might read something like this:

To learn whether the people in our target population can understand our new brochure about the risk factors associated with suicide

Your evaluation objective for a program component might read like this:

To measure how many interventions were conducted or referrals made as a result of our gatekeeper training program

Description of the target population

In defining the target population, you should be as specific as possible. The target population will vary depending on the reason for the evaluation. A sample definition of a target population might read like this:

All children in grades 10 through 12 who have been disciplined for truancy or alcohol or drug use and who attend public schools in the county

Description of what is to be evaluated

You will also need to clarify the type of information to be collected and how that information relates to your program’s objectives. For example, if the goal of your program is to increase the number of referrals made to a mental health clinician by a person trained as a gatekeeper, you would need to collect information on the following:

Number of referrals made and number of persons who seek services from the mental health clinician

Defining these components takes time and thought. Consulting an authority on program evaluation may be helpful. Once these basic components are in place, the evaluation effort can proceed.

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