Qualitative Evaluation Methods

Description

The emphasis throughout _Qualitative Evaluation Methods_ is on strategies for generating valid, useful, and credible qualitative information for decision-making. Different approaches to field observations, in-depth interviewing, and qualitative data analysis are explained; and examples of different research strategies are provided, including samples of qualitative instruments and excerpts from naturalistic inquiry reports. This book provides evaluators with the first comprehensive framework for deciding when it is appropriate to use qualitative evaluation methods. Patton's concrete approach represents a unique and much-needed contribution to the evaluation research literature. `a very good book indeed... I have read and re-read many parts of the text... Wit, thoughtfulness, graceful style, and practical advice are well mixed... a welcome contribution to the maturing of evaluation into an interdisciplinary field whose function in describing and understanding social programs is as important as its role in explaining or judging those programs′ -- Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 0. Preface PART I: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES IN THE USE OF METHODS FOR EVALUATION RESEARCH 1. A Paradigm of Choices 2. The Nature of Qualitative Data 3. The Strategy of Qualitative Methods 4. Evaluation Research Strategies Using Qualitative Methods - Evaluation Models Compatible with Qualitative Methods - Beyond Models: The Practice of Evaluation - Checklist of Evaluation Situations for which Qualitative Methods are Appropriate 5. Evaluation Designs - Critical Trade—Offs in Evaluation Design - Methodological Mixes - The Case of Operation Reach-Out: Variations in Program Evaluation Design PART II: COLLECTING QUALITATIVE DATA 6. Evaluation Through Observation - Variations in Observational Methods - What to Observe - Doing Fieldwork: The Data-Gathering Process - The Stages of Fieldwork - The Observer and What Is Observed: Unity and Separation 7. Qualitative Interviewing - Variations in Qualitative Interviewing - The Content of Interviews: What Questions to Ask - The Wording of Questions - Recording the Data - Personal Reflections on Interviewing - Appendix 7.1 - Appendix 7.2 PART III: DATA ANALYSIS 8. The Purpose of Qualitative Analysis: A Perspective - Truth - Theory - Generalizations - A Documentor’s Perspective 9. Qualitative Analysis and Interpretation - Qualitative Description - Case Studies - Inductive Analysis - Logical Analysis - Validation and Verification - Presentation of Findings - Appendix 9.1 - Appendix 9.2 - Appendix 9.3 10. References 11. Index 12. About the Author