29 MARCH 2010
NO 1560
Evaluation
There can be no doubt that evaluation is an ambiguous concept. Evaluations are essentially judgments of worth or value – of people, activities, objects, and events. But here we need to distinguish those value judgments which are made informally and often unconsciously about daily life and practice, and formal evaluations that imply some organizing principles for collecting and appraising data systematically and identifying evaluative criteria. But note that these so-called 'informal' evaluations are sometimes powerful influences on policy formulation and decision taking.
When considering formal evaluation, an important distinction can be made between two types of evaluation each containing different processes. Scriven (1972) uses the term 'formative' evaluation to convey the idea of continuous review and evaluation. Every group care programme possesses the vehicles to make this kind of evaluation by way of caseplanning, recording and reviewing procedures, staff supervision and appraisal systems and so on. These yield a steady stream of data which can indicate to the practitioners, programme managers, and other interested parties how well or badly the programme is doing. Scriven also discusses the concept of summative evaluation, which can be interpreted in the group care context, in terms of regular, systematic reviews of all programme functions, which can lead to revisions of objectives, priorities, and methods.
CHRIS PAYNE
Payne, C. (1981). Research and evaluation in group care. In Ainsworth, F. and Fulcher, L.C. (Eds.). Group Care for Children: Concepts and Issues. London. Tavistock Publications.
REFERENCES
Scriven, N. (1972). The Methodology of Evaluation. In C.H. Weiss (Ed.)
Evaluating Action Programs, Boston, Mass. Allyn and Bacon. pp.
250.
