They’re Happy, but Did They Make a Difference?

Applying Kirkpatrick’s Framework to the Evaluation of a National Leadership Program

Abstract

This article examines the Kirkpatrick evaluation framework through a case study of a national leadership development program. The authors introduce the program and the Kirkpatrick framework, and then describe the research processes and instruments through which the framework was applied to evaluate the pilot cohort of the program. The article concludes with several frank and practical insights about using the Kirkpatrick framework to evaluate non-credit educational programs. In areas such as leadership development education, Kirkpatrick offers an appealing framework for organizing an evaluation process. The framework enabled a productive formative evaluation process, and the demonstration of participant satisfaction and learning with the program was sufficient to facilitate the approval of funding for a second cohort. However, despite the investment of considerable resources, the evaluation of this program was not able to conclusively demonstrate that behaviour changes and resulting impacts on organizations and communities took place as a result of the program.