Evaluability Assessment of a Community-Based Program

Abstract

Evaluability assessments have increased the usefulness and meaningfulness of evaluation studies through in-depth program analyses to determine which program elements are amenable to further evaluations and which are not. This is especially important for community-based programs, whose structure, activities, and goals are often too broadly defined to allow one to accurately measure their effects. An example of such a program is the Rural Quality of Life (RQL) program designed to address the human consequences of the present rural crisis in Saskatchewan. The evaluability assessment found that the program’s structure and description of its activities and goals required additional clarification before further evaluation research could be considered. The recommendations were directed toward further program development and planning for future evaluations. Overall, the process of the evaluability assessment was helpful for both the program staff and evaluators involved in determining the present nature and functioning of the RQL program in a practical way.