DESIGNING EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS

1. DESIGNING EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS Class X AEE 577

2. Upon completion of this lesson, students should be able to: List the step by step procedures for developing quality evaluation instruments; Describe the errors that must be controlled in evaluation instruments; Develop different forms of questions to record outcomes such as change of knowledge, attitudes, skills, aspirations, and behaviors; Write process evaluation questions; Describe reliability and validity Identify double barreled questions; and Develop an evaluation instrument.

3. How to Design Your Data Collecting Instrument? Where to begin?

4. Begin with the information needs of key stakeholders Information needs for program improvement Information needs for accountability

5. Designing Instruments Step 1: Identify the type of data and information you need to collect. Focus on the information needs of key stakeholders. Clearly identify what data and information are needed to collect for this purpose. Identify the major categories of information that you need to collect. List subcategories of information under major categories.

6. Designing Instruments Step 2: Develop the “Sketch” of Your Instrument. List the major items in your instrument to structure it. Organize the structure of your instrument to collect needed data. Organize subcategories under each major topic. Include the demographic data collection section at the very end of the instrument.

7. Designing Instruments Step 3: Identify Necessary Scales and Questions. Determine the scales you need to include in your instrument. Determine the types of questions you need ask.

8. Designing Instruments Step 4: Be Consistent in Numbering Answer Choices and Scales It is a good idea to use low numbers for lower manifestation of a measuring variable. For example levels of education answer choices should be coded as follows: High school diploma Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctorate By using a consistent pattern throughout the instrument you can easily interpret results.

9. Designing Instruments Step 5: Writing Questions As a general rule, when writing questions, you must ask “why am I asking this question?” Remember your evaluation information needs always. Think about the answer before you write any question. There are two ways to write a question Open-ended Example: What methods do you use to educate farmers on sustainable agriculture? Closed ended Example: What methods do you use to educate farmers on sustainable agriculture? Field days Workshops Seminars Printed materials Electronic materials Others (please specify)___________________

10. Designing Instruments Writing Open-Ended Questions Things to remember when writing questions: Write questions clearly and concisely. Start with least sensitive or non-threatening questions. Write questions by thinking about the reading level of the target population. Avoid double negatives. Avoid double-barreled questions. Example: Are you satisfied with the place and time of the program?

11. Designing Instruments Writing Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions are useful to explore a topic in depth. However, open-ended questions are difficult to: Analyze Respond Therefore, limit the number of open-ended questions to the needed minimum. When you need to ask a sensitive question it is appropriate to use a closed-ended question with response categories for the sensitive information. Example: Asking income or age (Ask what is your age group and provide age categories instead of asking how old are you?)

12. Designing Instruments Writing Closed-Ended Questions When writing closed-ended questions: Make sure to include all possible response categories. If you have not included all possible answer categories, it is a good idea to include a category called ‘Other’ and provide instruction to specify what the respondent means under this category. Make sure that your answer categories are mutually exclusive. Example: What is your age group? Less than 20 years 20-30 years 31-40 years 41-50 years Above 50 years

13. Designing Instruments Writing Closed-Ended Questions Closed-ended questions are: Easy to analyze. Not exploratory in terms of searching information.

14. Scale Development Develop scales if you need to include in your instrument.

15. Guidelines For Scale Development Scales are developed to measure elusive phenomena that cannot be observed directly. Example: Attitudes, Aspirations. Therefore, scale development should be based on the theories related to the phenomenon to be measured. Thinking clearly about the content of a scale requires thinking clearly about the construct being measured.

16. Guidelines For Scale DevelopmentGenerate an Item Pool The properties of a scale are determined by the items that make it up. At this stage, you need to develop more items than you plan to include in the final scale.

17. Characteristics of Good Items Unambiguous. Avoid exceptionally lengthy items. Consider reading levels of the target respondents. Include positively and negatively worded items. The purpose of wording items both positively and negatively within the same scale is usually to avoid acquiescence, affirmation, or agreement bias.

18. Guidelines For Scale DevelopmentDetermine the Format for Measurement There are different formats Identify the format you would like to use with your items. Determine how many response categories you need to include in your format.

19. Guidelines For Scale DevelopmentDetermine the Format for Measurement The number of response categories should be limited to the respondents’ ability to discriminate meaningfully. Normally 5-7 response categories are adequate for extension and education program evaluations. Example: 1. Strongly disagree 2. Disagree 3. Somewhat agree 4. Agree 5.Strongly agree

20. Guidelines For Scale Development Likert Scale Named after Rensis Likert. This is the most common format The response options should be worded so as to have roughly equal intervals with respect to agreement. That is to say the difference in agreement between any adjacent pair of responses should be about the same as for any other adjacent pair of response options. Common choices for a mid point include neither agree nor disagree and Neutral.

21. Guidelines for Scale Development Likert Scale Example for items in Likert format Strongly Disagree Disagree Somewhat Agree Agree Strongly Agree

22. Guidelines For Scale Development:Semantic Differential Scaling There are several numbers between the adjectives that constitute the response options. Example: The quality of training session Poor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Excellent

23. Instrument DevelopmentStep 6 Provide Necessary Instructions to Complete the Survey Clear instruction is essential to facilitate the responding process. Instructions should be clearly and politely stated. Clear instructions increase your return rate as well as accuracy of your data.

24. When You Develop a Questionnaire: Keep it short, simple, and clear Include only needed questions for indicators Should be compatible with the reading level of the respondents When you use closed-ended questions make sure to include all possible answer choices.

25. Instrument DevelopmentStep 7 Format Your Instrument Appearance and editing of your instrument are important determinants of response rate. Therefore, format, structure, and edit your instrument professionally.

26. Instrument DevelopmentStep 8 Establish Validity and Reliability of Your Instrument Reliability refers to the extent to which a measuring instrument is consistent in measuring what it measures. Test-retest method : We administer the instrument to a sample of subjects on two occasions and correlate the paired scores to establish the reliability. Validity refers to the extent to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure. Use experts’ views to establish validity.

27. APPLICATION OF STEPS

28. Determine Your Evaluation Questions Identify the precise questions need to be answered. Use the logic model to narrow the focus of evaluation.

30. Possible Question Categories Process evaluation questions (These are mostly open-ended) Questions on client characteristics Are we reaching the target clients? Questions on program delivery Did the program use effective teaching methods? What are the weaknesses? Impact evaluation questions Questions on clients satisfaction Did the target clients find the program useful? Outcomes Did the program participants change KASA? Did the program participants change their practices? Impacts Did the participants save money/improve health condition?

31. What Data Are Needed for Program Improvement? Were participants satisfied with: Information received Instructors Facilities Quality of training What do they like/dislike about the training Did the training meet their expectations? If not, Why Ideas for further improvement Look for data that you can use to fix weaknesses and build on strengths.

32. How to Collect Training Improvement Data?

33. How to Collect Training Improvement Data? Did the training session meet your expectation? Yes No Would you recommend this training workshop to others? 1. Yes 2. No If not, why:____________________________________ What did you like the most about this training? What did you like the least about this training? How could this training be further improved?

34. Other Data Demographics What is your gender? ____ Male____ Female How do you identify yourself? ___African American ___American Indian/Alaskan ___Asian ___Hispanic/Latino ___Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ___White ___Other

35. What Data Are Needed for Program Accountability? You need impact data To prove that your program achieved its objectives

36. How to Document Perceived Knowledge Change?

37. How to Document Levels of Aspirations? At the end of a successful training session, participants will have a heightened level of aspirations to apply what they learned. They are ready to “taking charge” of what they learned. Participants are asked whether they intend to apply what they learned. Example: As a result of this training, do you intend to drink reduced fat milk? The answers to this question would be: No Maybe Yes I’m already doing this

38. How to Document Aspirations?

39. Retrospective Pre and Post Evaluations Advantages: Simple & Easy to collect data Disadvantages: Not appropriate for collecting data from very young audiences and low literacy adult audiences. Because they will not be able to compare before and after situation retrospectively.

40. Pre and Post Evaluations Pre Evaluation is administrated before your training session. Post Evaluation is administrated at the end of your training session. You need to match pre and post evaluations for comparison. Pre and Post Evaluation will document three impact indicators: Change in Knowledge Change in Skills Levels of Aspirations

41. How to Document Change in Knowledge? Ask same set of questions before and after your educational session and compare their answers to document the knowledge gain from the program.

42. How to Document Change in Knowledge?

43. How to Write Knowledge Testing Questions: Don’t use general knowledge questions. Don’t include attitudinal or perceptual statements. Example: Growers should practice conservation tillage. __True __False

44. True and False Questions vs Multiple Choice Questions True and False questions save your time and respondents’ time. Easy to analyze. Help you keep your survey short.

45. How to Document Change in Skills? Skill changes are measured indirectly by using participants’ levels of confidence to carry out the specific tasks focused in the program. Example: Participants’ confidence to calibrate equipment.

46. How to Document Change in Skills? We record their levels of confidence to carry out specific tasks before and after the program on a Likert scale. Compare pre and post responses to document the skill change.

47. How to Document Change in Skills?

48. Pre and Post Evaluations Advantages: Comparison is more accurate than retrospective pre and post evaluation. Appropriate for young and low reading audiences. Disadvantages: If you want to compare pre and post evaluations to assess the change you must match pre and post evaluations for each participant. This is somewhat challenging.

49. Change Attitudes Difficult to measure Need to be very careful in designing scales to measure attitudes Not a practical indicator Pre/Post tests

50. CHECKING ATTITUDES Include statements related to the values that your program/activity is planning to bring about and record participants’ responses on a 5-point Likert-type scale. You may be able to use this format. You need to include at least 7-10 statements in the instrument for establishing reliability.Include statements related to the values that your program/activity is planning to bring about and record participants’ responses on a 5-point Likert-type scale. You may be able to use this format. You need to include at least 7-10 statements in the instrument for establishing reliability.

51. How to Document Behavior Change? You need to understand the behavior change process for designing evaluation questions.

52. Understanding Behavior Change Process Behavior change is a process. Prochaska and DiClemente developed a model to explain the human behavior change process. This model is called the Transtheoretical Model. According to the Transtheoretical Model, there are five stages in behavior change process.

53. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Stages of Change

54. Evaluation Template The respondent’s stage of change related to the evaluating behavior will be recorded before and after the program on this scale and compare for the change.The respondent’s stage of change related to the evaluating behavior will be recorded before and after the program on this scale and compare for the change.

55. How to Collect Impact Data from Multi-Session Programs “Benchmark Survey” is administrated before the Extension program. “End of Program Survey” is administrated at the end of the extension program. By comparing benchmark and end of program surveys you will be able to document the change of participants’ behaviors/practices and skills.