VPLn8810 Evaluative Research

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 12 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Ondřej Hora, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Miroslav Suchanec, Ph.D., M.Sc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Josef Horňáček, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Ondřej Hora, Ph.D.
Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Sat 4. 3. 9:00–14:40 exP52, Sat 22. 4. 15:00–18:40 exP52
Prerequisites
Introduction to the Methodology of Social Studies, Statistical Analysis
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course aims to introduce students to the merits and relevance of evaluation research as a social science that serves to evaluate various aspects of social programs. Three main topics are covered. The first aims at the definition of evaluation including characteristics and aspects of the field. The second level concerns the purpose and contents of social programs as evaluands. Students are introduced to the choice of an appropriate approach to evaluation. The third level introduces students to evaluation procedures including practical aspects of evaluation in the concrete field and implementation conditions.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course, students should be able to: • understand the merits of evaluation • and formulate reasoned decisions about research methodology in the evaluation process. • conduct some analytical approaches in the evaluation
Syllabus
  • Contents of the course:
  • Introduction to evaluation
  • Introduction to the theory of evaluation
  • Theoretically driven evaluation: logic model and program theory.
  • Needs assessment and ex-ante evaluation.
  • Process evaluation: theory and approaches
  • Process evaluation – methodology, fieldwork, and implementation aspects
  • Program monitoring
  • Impact evaluation I. (contra factual approach)
  • Impact evaluation II (mixed strategy)
Literature
  • P. Rossi et al. Evaluation. A systematic approach. Sage London 1989
  • M.Q. Patton: Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. SAGE London 2002
  • Chen. H. Theory driven Evaluations . Sage, London 1990
  • Chen, H. Practical Program Evaluation. Sage, London 2004
  • Ragin, C. C. 1987. The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. University of California Press.
  • Suchanec, M. Využití Booleho přístupu v komparativní analýze: příklad srovnání 27 zemí EU z hlediska zaměstnanosti žen. Fórum sociální politiky, Praha: VÚPSV v.v.i., 2011, roč. 5, č. 4, s. 17-19. ISSN 1802-5854
  • Wholey J.S. Improving Performance and Accountability. In. Donaldson S., Scriven M. Evaluating Social Programs and Problems
  • Rihoux, B. a Ragin, C. Configurational comparative methods: qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and related techniques. Thousand Oaks: Sage, c2009. Applied social research methods series. ISBN 978-1-4129-4235-5.
  • Patton, M. 1997. Implementation Evaluation. In: Utilization-Focused Evaluation. Thousands Oaks: Sage.
  • SUCHANEC, Miroslav. Evaluace dopadu. In Evaluační výzkum. Brno: MUNI, 2014. s. 85-108, 24 s. neuveden. ISBN 978-80-210-6886-5.
  • Fitzpatrick et al. 2004. Objectives-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. In: Program Evaluation: Alternative Approaches and Practical Guidelines. Boston: Pearson Education.
  • • Rubin, A. 2008. Critically Appraising Qualitative Studies. In: Practicioners Guide to Using Research for Evidence Based Practice. Hoboken: Wiley and sons. 204-218.
  • Hatry, H. 1999, What types of information should be tracked? In: Hatry, H. 1999. Performance Measurement: Getting Result. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
  • Cronbach, L. J. 1982. Choosing questions to investigate. In Designing Evaluations of Educational and Social programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Teaching methods
lectures, homework.
Assessment methods
Final written exam (test), two seminar works, and feedback on those works.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2023/VPLn8810