Pedagogical Features to Enhance the Reader’s Understanding of the Material:
<ul> <li>Exhibit Boxes: Summarize and illuminate major points within chapters <li>Chapter Opening Stories by Halcolm: Use wit and humor to engage the reader in reflecting upon the puzzles and lessons of qualitative research <li>Foundational Questions: Orient the reader to the "meat" of the material being presented <li>End of Chapter Appendices: Provide excerpts of detailed examples of particular techniques, such as open-ended interviews, case studies, etc. <li>Comparison Tables: Organize, compare and contrast different approaches, strategies, and paradigms <li>Original Cartoons: Created from the book’s material, illuminate and poke fun at chapter concepts</li></ul>]]>This entirely rewritten edition offers readers a full-fledged evaluation text from identifying primary users of an evaluation to focusing the evaluation, making methods decisions, analyzing data, and presenting findings. Both practical and theoretical, Utilization-Focused Evaluation: The New Century Text, Third Edition tells how to conduct program evaluations and why to conduct them in the manner prescribed.
Each chapter contains a review of the relevant literature and actual case examples to illustrate major points. Finally, the book offers a definite point of view developed from observing much of what has passed for program evaluation that has not been very useful: Program evaluation ought to be useful and something different must be done if evaluation is to be useful.
Thought-provoking topics new to this edition are:
- Using participatory evaluation processes to change a program's culture and build a learning organization.
- Alternative evaluator roles connected to varying situations and diverse evaluation purposes.
- Getting started: generating commitment to use.
- How evaluators can nurture results-oriented, reality-testing leadership in programs and organizations.
- Specific techniques for managing the power dynamics of working with primary intended users as well as evaluation stakeholders.
- A paradigm of choices beyond the qualitative-quantitative methods debate.
- Concrete and practical approaches for facilitating evaluation processes and working with diverse stakeholders.
- Development evaluation fully elaborated.
- Utilization-focused evaluation and the Experimenting Society (tribute to Donald T. Campbell).
- Ethical issues in utilization-focused evaluation.
- Fourteen fundamental premises of utilization-focused evaluation that are completely revised and updated.
In addition, Patton has supplemented the book with the following pedagogical features to enhance your, and your students', understanding of the concepts:
- More than 50 new exhibits for teaching and training use.
- Menus developed as special tools for working with stakeholders in selecting evaluation decision options.
- New examples and ideas for useful presentations and graphics.
- Plus, the stories and parables you''ve come to expect--and love--from Patton.
Written with humor, a soft touch, and the sound advice of two decades of experience, Utilization-Focused Evaluation: The New Century Text, Third Edition provides an overall framework and concrete advice for conducing useful evaluations.
]]>This entirely rewritten edition offers readers a full-fledged evaluation text from identifying primary users of an evaluation to focusing the evaluation, making methods decisions, analyzing data, and presenting findings. Both practical and theoretical, Utilization-Focused Evaluation: The New Century Text, Third Edition tells how to conduct program evaluations and why to conduct them in the manner prescribed.
Each chapter contains a review of the relevant literature and actual case examples to illustrate major points. Finally, the book offers a definite point of view developed from observing much of what has passed for program evaluation that has not been very useful: Program evaluation ought to be useful and something different must be done if evaluation is to be useful.
Thought-provoking topics new to this edition are:
- Using participatory evaluation processes to change a program's culture and build a learning organization.
- Alternative evaluator roles connected to varying situations and diverse evaluation purposes.
- Getting started: generating commitment to use.
- How evaluators can nurture results-oriented, reality-testing leadership in programs and organizations.
- Specific techniques for managing the power dynamics of working with primary intended users as well as evaluation stakeholders.
- A paradigm of choices beyond the qualitative-quantitative methods debate.
- Concrete and practical approaches for facilitating evaluation processes and working with diverse stakeholders.
- Development evaluation fully elaborated.
- Utilization-focused evaluation and the Experimenting Society (tribute to Donald T. Campbell).
- Ethical issues in utilization-focused evaluation.
- Fourteen fundamental premises of utilization-focused evaluation that are completely revised and updated.
In addition, Patton has supplemented the book with the following pedagogical features to enhance your, and your students', understanding of the concepts:
- More than 50 new exhibits for teaching and training use.
- Menus developed as special tools for working with stakeholders in selecting evaluation decision options.
- New examples and ideas for useful presentations and graphics.
- Plus, the stories and parables you''ve come to expect--and love--from Patton.
Written with humor, a soft touch, and the sound advice of two decades of experience, Utilization-Focused Evaluation: The New Century Text, Third Edition provides an overall framework and concrete advice for conducing useful evaluations.
]]>--Nursing Times
"The updated, 1990 version contains valuable material on rapid reconnaissance techniques, focus group interviews, and qualitative synthesis. It is well-written, easy to understand, and full of useful guidelines for conducting interviews and group work observations. Qualitative research's theories are applicable to training professionals, managers, and anyone responsible for making decisions. Special features include an updated bibliography, samples of interview guides, examples of open-ended interviews, and suggested code books for computerized interviews."
--American Society for Training & Development
"The new edition has been completely revised and updated, includes new material on rapid reconnaissance techniques, future applications, focus group interviews and qualitative synthesis, and new chapters on the theoretical foundations of qualitative inquiry; enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis; and particularly appropriate qualitative applications. . . . Michael Quinn Patton's style is direct, engaging, and often humorous. . . . A very useful discussion of the different themes of qualitative inquiry and of the different theoretical traditions and orientations which have been associated with the approach. . . . Provides a much-enhanced treatment of qualitative evaluation and research methods compared to that of the first edition. It should be indispensable reading for the serious qualitative evaluator or researcher, will certainly instruct and possibly entertain those with a general interest in social research or evaluation techniques."
--International Journal of Information Management
"Michael Quinn Patton's discussion of these two major types of empirical inquiry is admirably objective and readable. For those trained in quantitative inquiry but not in qualitative inquiry, this first section may be the most important part of the book. . . .Besides its readable, common-sense discussion of qualitative data collection, Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods has other features which also recommend it. An experienced researcher and evaluator himself, Patton tells detailed, sometimes humorous narratives of investigations he has conducted. This vicarious experience makes the theoretical discussion more understandable and clearly useful for the reader. Even more important, Patton provides a long bibliography--seventeen pages in eight-point type. This extensive bibliography is a good starting place for novices who want to know more about the issues involved in qualitative data collection. . . . Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods is a useful introduction for graduate students, faculty, or program directors who are interested in learning about qualitative data collection. It offers a way in for graduate students and faculty who want to begin qualitative research projects, and it describes flexible, context-sensitive techniques for program evaluation. The survival of the new professional programs in technical communication depends on our ability to establish a scholarly base rooted in composition studies and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our course offerings. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods offers help in both areas."
--Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
"The chapters on 'Qualitative interviewing' and 'Qualitative analysis and interpretation' (chapters 7 and 8) were particularly clear and concise. Important points were highlighted."
--British Journal of Psychology
"Offers a fresh nonconventional approach to qualitative research, emphasizing the use of a research report as a basis for action."
--NYHEDSBREV
"Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods is written in a readable style for students, researchers, and practitioners, and the text is filled with examples used to clarify concepts. . . . It is comprehensive in covering the essential concepts of qualitative methodology, including problem identification, participant observation, interviewing, document analysis, triangulation, data analysis, and reporting. Additionally, the text reflects a thorough examination of the literature on qualitative inquiry. . . . A useful guide."
--Educational Studies
Once again setting the standard for the field, the second edition of Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods reflects the tremendous explosion of interest in qualitative methods over the past decade. Completely revised and updated, the second edition again emphasizes strategies for generating vivid, useful, and credible qualitative information for decision making. New to this edition are chapters on:
- the theoretical foundations of qualitative inquiry;
- enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis; and
- particularly appropriate qualitative applications.
New material has also been added on rapid reconnaissance techniques, future applications, focus group interviews, and qualitative synthesis. In addition, Michael Quinn Patton has thoroughly revised the literature reviews and citations.
A most useful and practical resource, Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods will interest all evaluators and methodologists. Scholars and students in the fields of evaluation studies, education, psychology, sociology, public administration, and management will benefit from the provocative insights offered in this pathbreaking volume.
]]>`Patton brings to the frustrated, joyless or just plain tired evaluator an entertaining and stimulating book...This book is worth reading just for its lively, humorous and thought provoking collection of quotes about evaluation and much more.' -- Evaluation Division Newsletter, July 1983
]]>Intended Audience
Both theoretical and practical, this core text is an essential resource for students enrolled in Program Evaluation courses in a variety of disciplines-including public administration, government, social sciences, education, and management. Practitioners will also find this text invaluable.
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