Exam Prep Program Evaluation Practice Ch22

CHAPTER 22: Program Evaluation: Applying Science and Practice to Real Life

True/False Questions

1. Program evaluators ideally want to be involved while counseling programs are being designed.

2. A program evaluator's responsibility is to determine if there is a match among the counseling treatment, the anticipated outcomes, and the outcome measures.

3. Program evaluation is often described as a process for judging the worth of a counseling program relative to other alternatives, based on defensible, previously defined criteria.

4. It is mandatory for all counseling students to be trained in the practice of program evaluation.

5. There are eight distinct phases of program evaluation that an evaluator needs to follow, applicable at any stage of a counseling program.

6. During the initial meetings and throughout the evaluation process, it is important for a program evaluator to recognize and control the urge to listen to his or her intuition.

7. Getting stakeholders actively involved in the process of program evaluation is one of the most counterintuitive steps of evaluation.

8. It is a responsibility of a program evaluator to ensure that the concerns raised at meetings represent not just the opinions of the vocal, but also those of potentially underrepresented stakeholders of a counseling program.

9. Even though structured observations and participant observations provide two different data sets, it is common to use both observation methods simultaneously in counseling research.

10. In the context of data collection for a counseling program, focus group methodology relies on the interaction of people as they discuss a common experience or viewpoint.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the context of program evaluation and research, evaluators are responsible for:

1. setting the boundaries of an evaluation.
2. selecting participants for a research study.
3. utilizing the evaluation methods defined by the program developer.
4. providing all of the raw data to the program participants.

2. As a guide to program evaluation, which of the following is the rationale behind the key question "What role will the program evaluator play?"

1. A very small project can be prevented from having a far too expansive evaluation, and vice versa.
2. Knowledge of the program objectives is essential in order to link what the program was designed to accomplish.
3. An evaluator can help shape the evaluation, the time line, and the types of statistics used in the program analyses.
4. Knowing what a program manager feels comfortable with in terms of evaluator exposure helps in planning an evaluation.

3. Which of the following is ideally the next immediate phase of program evaluation after setting the boundaries of the evaluation?

1. Identifying stakeholders and funders
2. Reporting the research findings
3. Selecting appropriate evaluation methods
4. Collecting and analyzing research data

4. Under the second phase of program evaluation, which of the following is a step in creating a focused program evaluation?

1. Determining the purposes of the program evaluation
2. Creating a consolidated data collection plan to assess progress
3. Collecting background information about the program
4. Making a preliminary agreement regarding the evaluation

5. Which of the following is the most common way to determine whether a counseling program took place and the form it took during implementation?

1. Post-research analysis
2. Observational methodology
3. Qualitative data analysis
4. Quantitative research

6. In the context of counseling programs, which of the following is a difference between structured observations and participant observations?

1. Structured observations capture the quantity of activities that have occurred, whereas participant observations describe the mood during activities.
2. Unlike structured observations, participant observations are highly organized and more quantitative.
3. Structured observations occur at the start of an activity, whereas participant observations occur at the end of an activity.
4. Unlike structured observations, participant observations monitor how presenters provide information during 25-minute segments.

7. Data obtained through _____, which are a form of content testing, are useful when distinct facts or information is being conveyed through a counseling program.

1. self-report logs
2. journals
3. course exams
4. satisfaction surveys

8. Which of the following questions is asked as part of the fifth step under phase two of counseling program evaluation?

1. How are differing points of view dealt with in a program group?
2. What aspects of the program need to be evaluated?
3. What statistical analysis will be performed on the collected data?
4. At what point in the program will the evaluation begin?

9. Moving back and forth from a counseling program's objectives to its evidence and the weaving together of the individual pieces of data into a holistic picture is:

1. the core process of program evaluation.
2. the triangulation of the data.
3. the primary step of program evaluation.
4. the cause of attenuation in evaluation results.

10. The final step in conducting a counseling program evaluation involves:

1. reviewing literature and documenting useful citations.
2. creating an evaluation trail and conducting a metaevaluation.
3. obtaining evidence that supports or refutes a claim of the program.
4. calculating subscores and frequencies for each item in an evaluation.