Program Evaluation Theory and Practice
Program Evaluation Theory and Practice

Author: Donna M. Mertens

Publisher: Guilford Press

Published: 2012-02-20

Total Pages: 642

ISBN-13: 1462503241

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for conducting large- and small-scale evaluations. Numerous sample studies—many with reflective commentary from the evaluators—reveal the process through which an evaluator incorporates a paradigm into an actual research project. The book shows how theory informs methodological choices (the specifics of planning, implementing, and using evaluations). It offers balanced coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Useful pedagogical features include: *Examples of large- and small-scale evaluations from multiple disciplines. *Beginning-of-chapter reflection questions that set the stage for the material covered. *"Extending your thinking" questions and practical activities that help readers apply particular theoretical paradigms in their own evaluation projects. *Relevant Web links, including pathways to more details about sampling, data collection, and analysis. *Boxes offering a closer look at key evaluation concepts and additional studies. *Checklists for readers to determine if they have followed recommended practice. *A companion website with resources for further learning.

Program Theory-Driven Evaluation Science
Program Theory-Driven Evaluation Science

Author: Stewart I. Donaldson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-05-21

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1136677321

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Program Theory-Driven Evaluation Science fills the gap between 21st century literature on evaluation and what is happening in practice. It features detailed examples of how evaluations actually unfold in practice to develop people, programs, and organizations. Commonly accepted strategies for practicing evaluation are outlined, followed by comprehe

Career Development and Counseling
Career Development and Counseling

Author: Mei Tang

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2018-08-29

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13: 1506353711

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Career Development and Counseling: Theory and Practice in a Multicultural World provides a comprehensive overview of career development theories with a unique multicultural framework. Aligned with the latest standards set forth by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the text focuses on applications across a variety of settings and populations. Each chapter contains numerous case illustrations and learning activities designed to help readers understand the complexities of multicultural aspects of individual career development. Counseling students in training, in addition to working counseling professionals, will find this book as a useful resource for today’s diverse world. Career Development and Counseling is part of SAGE’s Counseling and Professional Identity Series.

Purposeful Program Theory
Purposeful Program Theory

Author: Sue C. Funnell

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-02-09

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 0470939893

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Between good intentions and great results lies a program theory not just a list of tasks but a vision of what needs to happen, and how. Now widely used in government and not-for-profit organizations, program theory provides a coherent picture of how change occurs and how to improve performance. Purposeful Program Theory shows how to develop, represent, and use program theory thoughtfully and strategically to suit your particular situation, drawing on the fifty-year history of program theory and the authors' experiences over more than twenty-five years. "From needs assessment to intervention design, from implementation to outcomes evaluation, from policy formulation to policy execution and evaluation, program theory is paramount. But until now no book has examined these multiple uses of program theory in a comprehensive, understandable, and integrated way. This promises to be a breakthrough book, valuable to practitioners, program designers, evaluators, policy analysts, funders, and scholars who care about understanding why an intervention works or doesn't work." Michael Quinn Patton, author, Utilization-Focused Evaluation "Finally, the definitive guide to evaluation using program theory! Far from the narrow 'one true way' approaches to program theory, this book provides numerous practical options for applying program theory to fulfill different purposes and constraints, and guides the reader through the sound critical thinking required to select from among the options. The tour de force of the history and use of program theory is a truly global view, with examples from around the world and across the full range of content domains. A must-have for any serious evaluator." E. Jane Davidson, PhD, Real Evaluation Ltd. Companion Web site: josseybass.com/go/funnellrogers

Health Promotion Programs
Health Promotion Programs

Author: Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE)

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2010-03-18

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 0470590211

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Health Promotion Programs introduces the theory of health promotion and presents an overview of current best practices from a wide variety of settings that include schools, health care organizations, workplace, and community. The 43 contributors to Health Promotion Programs focus on students and professionals interested in planning, implementing, and evaluating programs that promote health equity. In addition to the focus on best practices, each chapter contains information on: Identifying health promotion programs Eliminating health disparities Defining and applying health promotion theories and models Assessing the needs of program participants Creating and supporting evidence-based programs Implementing health promotion programs: Tools, program staff, and budgets Advocacy Communicating health information effectively Developing and increasing program funding Evaluating, improving, and sustaining health promotion programs Health promotion challenges and opportunities Health promotion resources and career links "The authors have clearly connected the dots among planning, theory, evaluation, health disparity, and advocacy, and have created a user-friendly toolbox for health promotion empowerment." Ronald L. Braithwaite, PhD, professor, Morehouse School of Medicine, Departments of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Family Medicine, and Psychiatry "The most comprehensive program planning text to date, this book examines all facets of planning and implementation across four key work environments where health educators function." Mal Goldsmith, PhD, CHES, professor and coordinator of Health Education, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville "Health Promotion Programs . . . . explores the thinking of some of our field's leaders and confirms its well-deserved place in the field and in our personal collections." Susan M. Radius, PhD, CHES, professor and program director, Health Science Department, Towson University

Software Evolution and Feedback
Software Evolution and Feedback

Author: Nazim H. Madhavji

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2006-08-30

Total Pages: 612

ISBN-13: 0470871814

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Evolution of software has long been recognized as one of the most problematic and challenging areas in the field of software engineering, as evidenced by the high, often up to 60-80%, life-cycle costs attributed to this activity over the life of a software system. Studies of software evolution are central to the understanding and practice of software development. Yet it has received relatively little attention in the field of software engineering. This book focuses on topics aimed at giving a scientific insight into the aspect of software evolution and feedback. In summary, the book covers conceptual, phenomenological, empirical, technological and theoretical aspects of the field of software evolution - with contributions from the leading experts. This book delivers an up-to-date scientific understanding of what software evolution is, to show why it is inevitable for real world applications, and it demonstrates the role of feedback in software development and maintenance. The book also addresses some of the phenomenological and technological underpinnings and includes rules and guidelines for increased software evolvability and, in general, sustainability of the evolution process. Software Evolution and Feedback provides a long overdue, scientific focus on software evolution and the role of feedback in the software process, making this the indispensable guide for all software practitioners, researchers and managers in the software industry.

Human Resource Development
Human Resource Development

Author: David McGuire

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2010-11-15

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1446248089

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The field of Human Resource Development has emerged as one of the most dynamic and multifaceted areas of business and management in recent years. Yet despite the mosaic of topics, debates and approaches, existing textbooks often overlook important emerging topics within the field, and do little justice to the variety of strands involved in the study of HRD. Human Resource Development: Theory and Practice encourages students and academics out of their comfort zones by offering the first comprehensive overview that encompasses all the constituent components of HRD, allowing the reader to clearly separate concepts within the field and provide a meaningful basis for detailed discussion and debate. This book serves as a comprehensive introductory text to the field of HRD, as well as an ideal platform for a more in-depth advanced study of the field. It is an invaluable resource for students of HRD, or any reader interested in how HRD can play a major role in oiling the gears of innovation within an organization.

Theory, Practice, and Community Development
Theory, Practice, and Community Development

Author: Mark Brennan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-19

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1135038902

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For many scholars, the study of community and community development is at a crossroads. Previously dynamic theories appear not to have kept pace with the major social changes of our day. Given our constantly shifting social reality we need new ideas and research that pushes the boundaries of our extant community theories. Theory, Practice, and Community Development stretches the traditional boundaries and applications of well-established community development theory, and establishes new theoretical approaches rooted in new disciplines and new perspectives on community development. Expanded from a special issue of the journal Community Development, Theory, Practice, and Community Development collects previously published and widely cited essays, as well as new theoretical and empirical research in community development. Compiled by the editors of Community Development, the essays feature topics as varied as placemaking, democratic theory and rural organizing. Theory, Practice, and Community Development is vital for scholars and practitioners coming to grips with the rapidly changing definition of community.

Workforce Development Theory and Practice in the Mental Health Sector
Workforce Development Theory and Practice in the Mental Health Sector

Author: Smith, Mark

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2016-11-09

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1522518754

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Across the globe, evaluating the initiatives and planning strategies of the modern workforce has become increasingly imperative. By developing professional competencies, various sectors can achieve better quality skill development. Workforce Development Theory and Practice in the Mental Health Sector is an essential reference source on the understanding of workforce capacity and capability and examines specific benefits and applications in addiction and mental health services. Featuring extensive coverage on a range of topics including public service provision, staff motivation, and clinical competency, this book is ideally designed for policy makers, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on the challenges facing countries in the areas of planning and development in the workforce.

Advancing Human Development
Advancing Human Development

Author: Frances Stewart

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0198794452

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Human Development has been advocated as the prime development goal since 1990, when the publication of the first UNDP Human Development Report proposed that development should improve the lives people lead in multiple dimensions instead of primarily pursuing economic growth. This approach forms the foundation of Advancing Human Development: Theory and Practice. It traces the evolution of approaches to development, showing how the Human Development approach emerged as a consequence of defects in earlier strategies. Advancing Human Development argues that Human Development is superior to measures of societal happiness. It investigates the determinants of success and failure in Human Development across countries over the past forty years, taking a multidimensional approach to point to the importance of social institutions and social capabilities as essential aspects of change. It analyses political conditions underlying the performance of Human Development, and surveys global progress in multiple dimensions such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and education and outcomes, whilst reflecting on dimensions which have worsened over time, such as rising inequality and declining environmental conditions. These deteriorating conditions inform Advancing Human Development's account of the challenges to the Human Development approach, covering the insufficient attention paid to macroeconomic conditions and the economic structure needed for sustained success.