Best Practices in Family Life Education Program Evaluation
Keywords
evaluation research, family life education, program evaluation
Abstract
Program evaluation should be integral to family life education (FLE), but program administrators face common barriers, including expense, lack of evaluation expertise, and fear of no‐effects findings. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide a primer on feasible best‐practice guidelines for the evaluation of FLE programs. Specifically, we explore four best practices in FLE program evaluation research in real‐world field conditions: (a) clarify upfront the underlying program theory of change or logic model and make research decisions based on this model; (b) adopt a developmental perspective on program evaluation and a mentality of continuous quality improvement; (c) when ready, invest in rigorous impact evaluations with random assignment; and (d) share and synthesize evaluation work to strengthen the field. A theme woven throughout these best practices is for program administrators to collaborate with experienced evaluation researchers to deal with challenging issues. Following these best‐practice guidelines will help program administrators overcome common barriers and conduct evaluation work that strengthens their programs over time and enriches the lives of families.
Original Publication Citation
Hawkins, A.J., Clyde, T.L., Doty, J.L. and Avellar, S. (2020), Best Practices in Family Life Education Program Evaluation. Family Relations, 69: 479-496.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Hawkins, Alan J.; Clyde, Tiffany L.; Doty, Jennifer L.; and Avellar, Sarah, "Best Practices in Family Life Education Program Evaluation" (2019). Faculty Publications. 4256.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/4256
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2019-12-29
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7066
Publisher
Family Relations
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
Family Life
Copyright Use Information
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/