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Assessing program outcomes from the bottom‐up approach: An innovative perspective to outcome evaluation
Author(s) -
Chen Huey T.,
Garbe Paul
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
new directions for evaluation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.374
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1534-875X
pISSN - 1097-6736
DOI - 10.1002/ev.368
Subject(s) - outcome (game theory) , perspective (graphical) , typology , top down and bottom up design , stakeholder , management science , program evaluation , process management , government (linguistics) , intervention (counseling) , work (physics) , computer science , psychology , sociology , public relations , political science , business , engineering , public administration , economics , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , software engineering , mathematical economics , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , anthropology
The traditional top‐down approach to program outcome evaluation stresses the need for strong evidence to establish an intervention's effectuality. This approach's principles and methodology are rooted in Campbellian typology and have been applied intensively in outcome evaluation. Yet lessons learned from such applications suggest that in addressing stakeholders' interests and needs, this approach has limitations. To be stakeholder responsive, evaluation must go beyond the top‐down approach's focus and strategies. This chapter proposes an integrative validity model and a bottom‐up approach as an alternative perspective to outcome evaluation. The new perspective enables evaluations to meet both scientific and practical requirements and enhances evaluations' usefulness. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association. 1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.