Practical Program Evaluation: Theory-Driven Evaluation and the Integrated Evaluation Perspective

The Second Edition of Practical Program Evaluation shows readers how to systematically identify stakeholders’ needs in order to select the evaluation options best suited to meet those needs. Within his discussion of the various evaluation types, Huey T. Chen details a range of evaluation approaches suitable for use across a program’s life cycle. At the core of program evaluation is its body of concepts, theories, and methods. This revised edition provides an overview of these, and includes expanded coverage of both introductory and more cutting-edge techniques within six new chapters. Illustrated throughout with real-world examples that bring the material to life, the Second Edition provides many new tools to enrich the evaluator’s toolbox.   

Table of Contents:
PREFACE SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE BOOK ABOUT THE AUTHOR PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Fundamentals for Program Evaluation 2. Understand Approaches to Evaluation and Select Ones That Work: The Comprehensive Evaluation Typology 3. Logic Models and the Action Model/Change Model Schema (Program Theory) PART II: PROGRAM EVALUATION TO HELP STAKEHOLDERS DEVELOP A PROGRAM PLAN 4. Helping Stakeholders Clarify a Program Plan: Program Scope 5. Helping Stakeholders Clarify a Program Plan: Action Plan PART III: EVALUATING IMPLEMENTATION 6. Constructive Process Evaluation Tailored for the Initial Implementation 7. Assessing Implementation in the Mature Implementation Stage PART IV: PROGRAM MONITORING AND OUTCOME EVALUATION 8. Program Monitoring and the Development of a Monitoring System 9. Constructive Outcome Evaluations 10. The Experimentation Evaluation Approach to Outcome Evaluation 11. The Holistic Effectuality Evaluation Approach to Outcome Evaluation 12. The Theory-Driven Approach to Outcome Evaluation PART V: ADVANCED ISSUES IN PROGRAM EVALUATION 13. What to Do if Your Logic Model Does Not Work as Well as Expected 14. Formal Theories Versus Stakeholder Theories in Interventions: Relative Strengths and Limitations 15. Evaluation and Dissemination: Top-Down Approach Versus Bottom-Up Approach References Index

About the Author :
Huey T. Chen has been a Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham since 2002.  He was born and raised in Taiwan.  Dr. Chen worked at the University of Akron until 1997, when he joined the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the chief of an evaluation branch. Dr. Chen had taken a leadership role in designing and implementing a national evaluation system for assessing the CDC funded HIV prevention programs, which are based in health departments and community organizations.  Dr. Chen has contributed to the development of evaluation theory and methodology, especially in the areas of program theory and theory-driven evaluations. His book, Theory-Driven Evaluations, has been recognized as one of the landmarks in program evaluation.  In 1998 he received the Senior Biomedical Research Service Award from the CDC. He is also the 1993 recipient of the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for contributions to Evaluation Theory from the American Evaluation Association.

Review :
"The strength of this text is its coverage of practical concerns for consideration by practitioners who are envisioning, planning, and executing program evaluations." "Chen has the best conceptual framework, and the quality of his writing and analysis are superb. He takes the reader through the essential steps in evaluation, with particularly valuable treatment of stakeholder involvement." "In this eminently readable book, Chen presents a strong matrix framework for conceptualizing a full range of evaluation strategies and approaches… The writing is exceptionally clear, accessible to novice evaluators, and, because it is fair-minded and principled, of relevance to seasoned evaluators as well." "Professor Chen′s Second Edition of Practical Program Evaluation sets a new standard for providing a variety of systematic frameworks for conducting high quality program evaluations. The readers will come away with a detailed understanding of both conventional and cutting-edge approaches. It is a must-read for practicing program evaluators, evaluation scholars, and students of evaluation." "Huey Chen brings decades of evaluation and experience to this new edition. He continues his innovative and pragmatic thinking about evaluation including identifying, constructing, and testing theories that can work, that is, practical theories. Dr. Chen shows how to blend formative and summative evaluation, process and outcome evaluation, theory and action, and much more. If one desires to articulate and build program theories that work, from the bottom up, and conduct effective evaluations, this rigorous and practical book is for you." "Dr. Chen’s latest effort offers evaluators a thoughtful expansion on the topics addressed in Practical Program Evaluation (2005) in terms of program theory, logic modeling, and his evaluation typology. New chapters gleaned from the field reveal solution sets for overcoming challenges in a variety of contexts while still balancing scientific and stakeholder needs. This new work provides a solid foundation for the further development of an evaluator’s acumen."