Assignment: Drafting a Process Evaluation

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The steps for process evaluation outlined by
Bliss and Emshoff (2002) may seem very similar to those for conducting
other types of evaluation that you have learned about in this course; in
fact, it is the purpose and timing of a process evaluation that most
distinguish it from other types of evaluation. A process evaluation is
conducted during the implementation of the program to evaluate whether
the program has been implemented as intended and how the delivery of a
program can be improved. A process evaluation can also be useful in
supporting an outcome evaluation by helping to determine the reason
behind program outcomes.

There are several
reasons for conducting process evaluation throughout the implementation
of a program. Chief among them is to compare the program that is being
delivered to the original program plan, in order to identify gaps and
make improvements. Therefore, documentation from the planning stage may
prove useful when planning a process evaluation.

For
this Assignment, you either build on the work that you completed in
Weeks 6, 7, and 8 related to a support group for caregivers, or on your
knowledge about a program with which you are familiar. Review the
resource “Workbook for Designing a Process Evaluation”.

By Day 7

Submit a 4- to 5-page plan for a process evaluation. Include the following minimal information:

• A description of the key program elements
• A description of the strategies that the program uses to produce change
• A description of the needs of the target population
• An explanation of why a process evaluation is important for the program
• A plan for building relationships with the staff and management
• Broad questions to be answered by the process evaluation
• Specific questions to be answered by the process evaluation
• A plan for gathering and analyzing the information
  

  Required Readings

  Dudley, J. R. (2014). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do. (2nd ed.) Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.

  • Chapter 8, “Improving How Programs and Practice Work” (pp. 167–207)

  
  

  
  Becker, L. A. (1999). Statistical and clinical significance. Retrieved from https://www.uccs.edu/lbecker/clinsig

  Man-Son-Hing, M., Laupacis, A., O’Rourke, K., Molnar, F. J., Mahon, J., Chan, K. B., & Wells, G. (2002). Determination of the clinical importance of study results. Journal of general internal medicine, 17(6), 469-476.

  Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].Read the following section:

  • “Social Work Research: Qualitative Groups” (pp. 68–69)

  
  

  
  Document: Bliss, M. J., & Emshoff, J. G. (2002). Workbook for designing a process evaluation. Retrieved from http://beta.roadsafetyevaluation.com/evaluationgui… (PDF)Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health.

  Optional Resources

  
  

  
  QSR International. (n. d.). NVivo 10. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo.asp…Use this webpage to view a demonstration of how qualitative data analysis can be assisted by software. You may explore any of the demos, but it is recommended that you start with NVivo eDemo. In order to view this demo, you will need to register, and download (or enable) the latest Adobe Flash Player.

  Examples of Process Evaluation

  
  

  
  Boyce, C., & Neale, P. (2006). Conducting in-depth interviews: A guide for designing and conducting in-depth interviews for evaluation input. Pathfinder International Tool Series: Monitoring and Evaluation – 2. Retrieved from http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/training/materials/…

  Hesselink, A. E., & Harting, J. (2011). Process evaluation of a multiple risk factor perinatal programme for a hard-to-reach minority group. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(9), 2026–2037.Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

  Lee, E., Esaki, N., & Greene, R. (2009). Collocation: Integrating child welfare and substance abuse services. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 9(1), 55–70.Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

  Maxwell, N., Scourfield, J., Holland, S., Featherstone, B., & Lee, J. (2012). The benefits and challenges of training child protection social workers in father engagement. Child Abuse Review, 21(4), 299–310.Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

I’m stuck on a Sociology question and need an explanation.

What do you think of Deborah Tannen’s claims about men and women? (Make sure your response shows that you know what her claims actually are.)

Deborah Tannen He Said,She Said video

1. What is a teleological approach? (summary)
2. Which “Framework for Thinking Ethically” (pp. 248-251) approach is most similar to White’s teleological approach? (analysis)
3. Create an example of a teleological dilemma you might face while attending Syracuse University. (evidence and support)
4. What is a deontological approach? (summary)
5. Which “Framework for Thinking Ethically” (pp. 248-251) approach is most similar to White’s deontological approach? (analysis)
6. Create an example of a deontological dilemma you might face while attending Syracuse University. (evidence and support)
7. Reflect on “The Lifeboat” by Rosetta Lee (p.259) and express which theory, teleological or deontological, most influenced your personal decision-making. Please offer us an illustration by referring to one of your decisions (who drowns on the sinking ship vs. who survives on the lifeboat).
8. Reflect on “The Trolley Dilemma” and express which theory, teleological or deontological, most influenced your personal decision-making. Please offer us an illustration by referring to one of your decisions (who drowns on the sinking ship vs. who survives on the lifeboat).
9. Offer an explanation and provide an original example of White’s opening sentence, “Whatever Truth is, we do know that our beliefs about it have a tendency to change over time.” Your goal is to make this statement clear to others.

These questions ask students to analyze the two articles, “Lynching and the Excuse for It” and “Why Women Should Vote,” assigned during Week 2.

Please answer the following questions:

• What are the articles “Lynching and the Excuse for It” by Ida B. Wells and “Why Women Should Vote” by Jane Addams about? What are the two authors’ key arguments?
• How do the themes and tones of both articles reflect the political objectives that motivated the organizing efforts of women during the Progressive Era? What were some of the organizations that worked to achieve the goals that Wells and Addams advocate for in these articles?
• “Lynching and the Excuse for It” was written, in part, as a response to an anti-lynching article written by Jane Addams earlier in the same year. Wells’ response includes both praise and criticism for Addams’ analysis of lynching. What does this exchange reveal about challenges that women organizers in the Progressive Era faced when working to build diverse coalitions of women from different racial, economic, and educational backgrounds? What were some of the potential benefits of this approach? 
• Both Ida B. Wells and Jane Addams were involved in organizing to address various forms of injustice and inequality. While these two articles were written to address the specific problems of lynching and the exclusion of women from the right to vote respectively, there are portions of both articles that refer to other societal problems. Please identify an additional problem that is discussed in one of the articles. (In answering this question, you may choose either of the two articles). Provide at least one quote from the article that you choose that involves an issue other than lynching or women’s suffrage. Explain how the author connects this additional problem to the primary issue they discuss.

This assignment will be graded according to the following criteria:

1. Does the assignment address all the questions posed?
2. Does the assignment demonstrate a close, careful, and thoughtful reading of the primary sources?
3. Does the assignment demonstrate a strong familiarity with course topics and themes?
4. Are all the claims made in the assignment accurate?
5. Does the assignment make sense? Are the ideas within it communicated clearly within it?

These are the two lectures:

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Using the information gathered from your CAREER RESEARCH OUTLINE Assignment, complete a 2-page, 12 font, double-spaced essay based on the answers to the pre-write questions listed below.

• Identify and list the things you like about your favorite occupation.
• What is it about this specific career that is meaningful or important to you? (i.e. knowledge, skills, abilities, interests and/or work values)

• Identify 3 short and 3 long term goals you need to achieve to help get you to your career.
• Identify and describe at least 3 factors that can get in the way of you achieving your career.

You will interview a community-dwelling adult (not someone living in a long term care facility) who is at least 65 years of age. If you are 65+ yourself, be sure to interview someone who is different from you in some major way (such as sex, race/ethnicity, health status, and/or educational level). Telephone/face time/zoom/ etc. may be used unless interviewing an elder you live with and see on a regular, safe basis. Tip: focus on the present with some on the past depending on the questions but students make the mistake of not looking at the rubric and write mostly about their youth and this paper is about them now not when younger.

The person you interview can be a family member, a co-worker, someone you know from a religious or community organization, or someone completely new to you. It is strongly recommended that you consider talking to someone of a different ethnicity. Interview does not have to be in person due to risk of COVID-19 so do not put anyone at risk.

Conducting the Interview.

Tell the respondent that you are taking this course. They will be helping you by talking about past/present life experiences. Assure respondent that you will not use person’s name or breach confidentiality without their permission. Person can refuse to answer any questions and can stop the interview at any time. If the respondent is in reasonably good health, you can probably plan on getting what you need to know for this assignment in one session. However, if respondent is frail, you may need to have more than one session. During your interview, you should encourage the person to talk in a conversational way; if respondent is reluctant to discuss a topic, do not force an answer. You may give my number if the elder has any questions regarding this assignment.

DO NOT INCLUDE THE LIST OF THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS in your paper~ You will be asking what is stated in this assignment and the rubric so that’s what I will be giving points for and grading–address the issues you’ll see listed on the following page and any questions you add that are not part of the assignment will not be graded:

The interview report will be graded on the basis of organization, clarity, and appropriate use of terms and concepts from class. I will pay particular attention to your discussion of gender, race, discrimination, culture, class, and education and how you integrate course objectives, lectures, discussions, readings, etc.

Cover the following issues and discuss the implications including the person’s strengths andlimitations in each category (you might even try asking what strengths or limitations the person relates to in each category as their answers may be different than what you think. (for ex: if elder is living with a son or daughter, you might think that might not be a good idea but they do!).

1.health: physical functioning (e.g., chronic illnesses, ADLs/IADLs)

2.health: psychological functioning (e.g., sad, grieving, happy, grateful, anxious, memory issues)

3.social relationships and roles (e.g., family ties, support network, class/gender issues)

4.cultural background (e.g., diversity, religion, values, discrimination)

5. economic situation (if the elder is reluctant to answer, do not push but make sure stated in paper why information wasn’t included in your paper)

6. housing situation and living arrangements (e.g., home (single story, 2-story, apartment –low income or not, retirement community, neighborhood- do they feel safe or not)A tip to capture all the information needed for this paper is to write down your questions in advance using simple everyday words (most elders do not talk about “functioning” or “social roles”)

You can either take notes during the interview, ask for permission to tape the interview, or set aside time to write notes immediately afterward but do not hand in your list of questions. This is an essay paper and instructor’s questions will be the expected answers addressed in your paper not your own questions that you make up.

Discuss the STRENGTHS and LIMITATIONS of the person in each area above, based on your conversation and observation. If the elder was reluctant to talk about a topic, say so. (You may be able to make some inferences based on observation. For example, if respondent doesn’t want to talk about finances, you can guess the economic status from observing the neighborhood, the house, and elder’s appearance or you might ask about the cost of prescription medications.) The strengths and limitation may be typed as you cover each topic or in a separate paragraph including all 6 topics at the end of your paper.

How is the identity of the elder you interviewed (e.g., religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age) shaped by culture and societal influences within the context of equality and inequality?

1) Answer the following questions about contemporary marriage in the U.S. It is very important for your grade for this question that you reference class readings to support your answers and clearly indicate where information and arguments are coming from. You should be bringing in material from a minimum of three different readings to answer these questions. The best responses will be able to show mastery of this material by synthesizing information from a variety of different sources from the class reading list.

– What are current trends in marriage and what researchers call “alternatives to marriage”? Describe the central themes.

– What conditions need to be in place for the typical U.S. couple to marry?

-What does marriage mean for people today? What do they expect from it?

– What major differences are there, if any, in these patterns (from the three questions above) by social class, sexual orientation and race/ethnicity?

2) Please read the following short article “California Is Seeing A COVID-19 Baby Bust. What is Causing It?” (Links to an external site.)by Sonja Sharp. Los Angeles Times, May 24, 2021

Covid Baby Bust article_Exam 2.pdf

The article highlights several themes that our course readings provide additional context for understanding. Choose three themes from the list below. Very briefly, explain how each shows up in the article. Then, for each theme, bring in additional context from course materials that help to answer the question asked in the article’s title “what is causing it?” The bulk of your answer should focus on providing this context and making connections between material in the readings and the themes you choose. Make sure to reference class readings to support your responses.

Themes:

-Declining fertility rates in industrialized countries.

-Social and family policies.

-What people think are appropriate conditions for childbearing, and their ability to reach them.

-Economic and other social structural factors.

-A cultural focus on individualism.

PART 1: Answer the following prompt in 300 words.

Over the last two years massive Mayan cities and temples have been found in Central America. What does this tell us about our knowledge of past civilizations and in particular about what we know about the American Civilizations?

New Discoveries about the Ancient Maya Excavations at Nakum, Guatemala (Links to an external site.)

‘Game Changer’: Maya Cities Unearthed In Guatemala Forest Using Lasers (Links to an external site.)

Lidar reveals the oldest and biggest Maya structure yet found (Links to an external site.)

Lasers Reveal a Maya Civilization So Dense It Blew Experts’ Minds

PART 2: Respond to TWO CLASSMATES

Classmate 1 (Craig)

In Mesoamerica, the period between the years 200 to 900 CE was called the “classic era”. According to The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History, the Ancient Mayan civilization formed slightly before this period (~100 CE) and lasted until ~800 to 900 CE (193). It was a period of innovation, discovery, and political experimentation. During this time, Mayans built large expansive civic centers consisting of palaces, temples, tombs, irrigation canals, and even highways. Famous Mayan cities such as Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán, Bonampak, Dos Pilas, and others have amazed archeologists and quite frankly all of us. Modern-day technological advancements such as lidar (light detection and ranging radar) have uncovered new Mayan enclaves and the number is astonishing. According to Diane Davies, an archaeologist and Maya specialist based in the United Kingdom, “the total population in this period was once estimated to be a few million but in light of the new lidar data, she said it could now be closer to 10 million” (Fortin, 3). “This is a game-changer,” says Thomas Garrison, an archaeologist at Ithaca College who is one of the leaders of the project. It changes “the base level at which we do Maya archaeology.” (Kennedy, 1). Scientists used to spend years mapping ancient archaeological sites due to forestation which has encroached and obscured these sites over thousands of years. With lidar, scientists are able to map several hundred square miles in a matter of hours. The NPR article further states “By raining down laser pulses on some 770 square miles of dense forest in northern Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered 60,000 Maya structures that make up full sprawling cities” (Kennedy, 3). Scientists have literally just now discovered large areas of Guatemala are covered in Mayan settlements. Furthermore, with this new technology, scientists have more insight into how the ancient civilization functioned shedding light on farming practices and infrastructure, and also Mayan warfare. The new discoveries are an indication archeologists past and present know very little about Mesoamerican civilizations and there is so much more to learn.

Classmate 2 (April)

First off, I found these articles fascinating and exciting. I love that in the twenty-first century we are still making discoveries as significant as this about our history.

What these articles tell us about our knowledge of past civilizations is that we didn’t know nearly as much as we thought we did about our neighbors to the South. Thanks to the advent of LiDAR technology, scientists and archeologists have the ability to survey and map large areas of land in a much shorter period time than traditional excavation. What they have discovered is a civilization larger, older, and more advanced than previously believed.

We now know the Mayan civilization didn’t begin as a collection of small villages and grow slowly over time. From the beginning of their society, the Mayans existed as a vast network of city-states, connected by elaborate causeways. They were capable of designing and building monumental structures. Not all of these buildings were constructed in large settlements or organized by kings or other members of the ruling class. Thanks to advances in science and technology, such as LiDAR, archeologists also have a better understanding of the advanced methods employed by the Mayans in terms of agriculture, such as channeling water for hundreds of meters in order to irrigate huge systems of fields. We also know something of the warfare that took place between the states, thanks to the discovery of fortress and systems of interconnected watchtowers.

The Mayas were a fascinating people. In addition to giving the world the mathematical concept of zero, they created a written language of hieroglyphs, possessed a vast knowledge and understanding of mathematics and astronomy. They created not one or two, but three separate calendars. They were skilled agriculturists, builders, weavers, and potters. They understood the benefits of trade and built a series of trade routes.

I’m working on a psychology discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

• Why do preschoolers have difficulty with Piaget’s conservation tasks?