Introduction
Evaluation questions are used to define the important issues to be explored through an evaluation. Identification of the suitable evaluation questions is significant for documentation of program outcomes. By understanding the program, the purpose of its evaluation and its importance are crucial steps for development of focused evaluation questions. In addition, grouping the evaluation questions into impact, outcome and process questions help to answer, the program implementation efforts (resources and activities) and program impacts and outcomes on the participants. A set of evaluation questions has been designed for implementation of PANT (Physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco-use prevention) efforts in the school health care program (CDC, 2009).
Process Evaluation Questions
Question # 1
Identify the extent to which the process provides support to the PANT efforts to support the school and its school district’s implementation of the school healthcare program?
Question # 2
What is the role of technical assistance in helping the school district and the schools to implement the PANT efforts within the current school healthcare framework?
Question # 3
How many school districts and schools within the state are in contact with the implementation of PANT in their school healthcare system?
Impact Evaluation Questions
Question #1
Does the PANT program strong enough to achieve the intended goal of improving the school healthcare system?
Question # 2
Does the PANT program impact vary in different groups of beneficiaries such as males, females and indigenous people, over a period of time within the school healthcare system?
Question #3
Identify the effectiveness of the PANT program and compare it with the alternative interventions?
Outcome Evaluation Questions
Question #1
What was the level of problems found through the PANT program among the beneficiaries of the school healthcare system?
Question #2
Are there any process questions that can help in addressing the problems identified in the school healthcare system?
Question #3
List the short-term and long-term outcomes that are expected to be recorded in the form of reactions of participants related to the PANT program, acquisition of knowledge, and change in aspirations or skill development?
Difference between Questions
All three types of evaluation question differ with other in terms of the nature and its context, but they are related to each other too. The process evaluation questions addresses the program operations, which means what, who, how, and when several of program outputs and program activities. The most important evaluation questions reflect a diversity of important components of the program, stakeholder perspectives, the most relevant information needs, and the resources present for answering the questions (CDC, 2009). Impact evaluation is different because it aims at giving feedback that helps to improve the policies and program design. Apart from providing the necessary accountability, impact evaluation questions work as a formal tool for dynamic learning that allows policy makers to better the active programs and improve the allocation of funds in the program (The Word Bank, 2011). Finally, the outcome evaluation questions concern the effects of operation and program delivery has on the beneficiaries. Questions related to outcome evaluation need to incorporate the important outcome components of the logic model that includes the short-term, intermediate-term and the long-term outcomes of the program. The similarity between these questions is the relationship between these categories of questions. All process, impact and outcome questions, help in ensuring that the implemented program remains the most efficient (CDC, n.d.).
References
CDC. (n.d.). Developing Evaluation Questions. Retrieved 22 January 2016 from,
http://www.cdc.gov/std/Program/pupestd/Developing%20Evaluation%20Questions.pdf
CDC. (February 2009). Developing Process Evaluation Questions. Retrieved 22 January 2016 from, http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/pdf/brief4.pdf
The World Bank. (2011). What is impact evaluation?. Retrieved 22 January 2016 from, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTISPMA/0,,menuPK:384339~pagePK:162100~piPK:159310~theSitePK:384329,00.html
