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Block 4 Organising and Planning Counselling and Guidance

Unit 4 Methods Of Evaluation

1) Describe the meaning of evaluation and discuss the need for evaluating the guidance and counselling programme.

Evaluation, in simple terms, means measuring the effectiveness of any programme or activity against its pre-determined goals or objectives. It involves examining and judging the worth, quality, significance, amount, degree, or condition of something. In the context of guidance and counselling, evaluation helps to determine the extent to which a programme has made a positive impact on students and to identify any barriers that hinder its success.

The need for evaluating guidance and counselling programmes arises because:

• It helps in understanding how current guidance services are being used and to identify areas needing more attention.
• It helps in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a programme.
• It ensures the effectiveness of services or activities.
• It helps in selecting appropriate interventions for specific groups of students.
• It allows observation of progress towards desired changes in students.
• It helps in setting a baseline for remedial action and improving future efforts.
• It assists in assessing the proper use of facilities, budget, and other resources.
• It is also necessary to show that guidance programmes achieve their stated goals.

2) Describe the various steps for evaluating the guidance and counselling programme.

The basic steps for evaluating a guidance and counselling programme are:

• Identification of programme objectives: This is the first step and involves clearly defining the goals of the programme or activity that will be evaluated. Objectives should be stated in clear, concise, and measurable terms.
• Planning: This step includes deciding the type of evaluation (formative, summative, or diagnostic), setting criteria for judgement and assessment, choosing evaluation strategies (such as survey, case study or experimental methods), and specifying the tools and techniques for data collection.
• Data Collection: In this step, information related to programme goals is collected through various methods such as tests, interviews, observation, and questionnaires.
• Analysis: Once the data is collected it is organised, interpreted and analysed to determine the effectiveness of the programme or activity.
• Reflection: This involves thinking introspectively on the outcomes of the analysis to correlate them with the direction of the programme and to guide future action.
• Follow-up: This is the implementation of a modified guidance and counselling programme based on the data analysis and reflection on the programme's outcomes. It also helps in correcting weaknesses and making the programme more beneficial for students.

3) Which method will you use for evaluating career information service and how?

A survey method would be suitable for evaluating a career information service. Here’s how it can be applied:

• Objectives: Clearly define the objectives of the evaluation, such as assessing the effectiveness of career information provided or identifying areas for improvement.
• Participants: Decide on the target group which may include students, teachers and parents to obtain their perspective about career information services.
• Tool: Use a questionnaire, rating scale, or interview schedule to collect data.
  • The questionnaire can include questions about the usefulness of information, its relevance, accessibility, and the overall satisfaction with the career information service.
  • A rating scale can be used to measure satisfaction levels and the perceived impact of the service.
  • An interview schedule can provide more in-depth qualitative information to explore experiences and opinions.
• Data Collection: Collect data from the target group through the chosen tool.
• Analysis and Interpretation: Analyse the collected data to summarise and evaluate the effectiveness of the career information service. This includes both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Report: Prepare a summary of findings that will be shared with the relevant stakeholders.

4) Describe the use of formative, summative, and diagnostic evaluation in a guidance and counselling programme.

• Formative Evaluation: This type of evaluation is conducted during a programme or activity, before it is completed. It helps in the early stages of development of a programme by allowing for ongoing improvements.
• Summative Evaluation: This type of evaluation is conducted at the end of a programme or activity to determine its overall effectiveness and worth. It assesses the overall impact and outcomes of the programme.
• Diagnostic Evaluation: This type of evaluation is done at any time during a programme to identify specific problems within it. It helps counsellors address these problems promptly and improve the programme or activity immediately.

5) Describe the accountability bridge model of evaluation.

The Accountability Bridge Model is a comprehensive evaluation model with two recurring cycles:

• Programme Evaluation Cycle: This cycle involves four stages:
  • Planning: Guidance and counselling programmes are planned, along with the evaluation methods.
  • Implementation: The planned programmes are put into action.
  • Monitoring and Refinement: The programme is constantly monitored to identify areas of adjustment.
  • Outcome Assessment: A final assessment of the programme's results is made.
• Context Evaluation Cycle: This cycle also involves four stages:
  • Feedback from stakeholders: Outcomes are communicated to stakeholders, whose feedback is gathered.
  • Strategic Planning: The school counsellor engages in strategic planning including a review of the vision, mission, and purpose of the school counselling programme.
  • Needs Assessment: The counsellor collects information about the needs and requirements of students, parents, and other sources that would be useful in redesigning the counselling programme.
  • Service Objective: Based on the results of the previous stages, strategies for future interventions are designed.

The model emphasizes communication of the programme outcomes to stakeholders and incorporates feedback from various stakeholders to make the counselling program more effective.

6) State any three purposes of evaluation.

Three purposes of evaluation:

• To identify the strengths and/or weaknesses of a programme/activity.
• To determine the effectiveness of the services rendered or activities organised.
• To observe the progress of desired change in students as a result of the guidance and counselling programme.

7) Briefly describe three approaches to evaluation.

• Appraisal Approach: This approach focuses on determining the current status of programmes and students. It uses surveys to assess programme provisions, activities, and student characteristics.
• Assessment Approach: This approach aims to measure changes in programmes and activities over time. It involves collecting data through periodic surveys to identify and describe the nature and extent of change in programme provisions and student characteristics.
• Evaluation Approach: This approach is designed to determine the worth and effectiveness of programme provisions in achieving desired outcomes, mainly in student behaviour and development. This method often uses experimental and case study methods to determine whether a programme or intervention is effective.

Important Points

1. The goal of evaluation, particularly in education and guidance, is to determine the worth of its materials, programmes and activities.
2. In other words evaluation seeks directly to assess social utility.
3. The evaluator’s role is largely that of a methodological expert applying inquiry techniques to the solution of a particular type of practical problem.
4. Consequently, the evaluator should have sound knowledge of statistical analysis techniques, measurement and psychometrics and methods of evaluation.
5. Steps of evaluation procedure:
1. Identification of programme objectives
2. Planning
3. Analysis
4. Reflection
5. Follow-up
6. Names to remember:
1. Goal Attainment Scaling Model - Glicekn
2. Discrepancy Evaluation Model - Pine
3. Accountability Bridge Model - Astramovich, Coker and Hoskins