More Information about Guidebook: Evaluating Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs
The goals of this guidebook are:
- To assist individuals in using evaluation to strengthen their teen pregnancy prevention programs or community-wide prevention initiatives; and
- To demystify the evaluation process, showing how and why evaluation is the practitioner's ally.
Primary audience
This guidebook is written for practitioners, specifically: directors of teen pregnancy prevention programs; leaders of community- wide teen pregnancy prevention coalitions; and local policymakers who make decisions about community resource allocation.
Unique targeted approach
The guidebook is unique in its targeted focus: both the managerial and technical aspects of conducting an evaluation are addressed. However, since the book is aimed at a practitioner audience, we emphasize the "big picture" WHATs, WHYs and WHENs that are required to manage the evaluation process. Technical steps, such as coding, cleaning and analyzing data are described only briefly and accompanied by advice to seek a "friendly consultant" for more detail. Importantly, we also help practitioners determine what kind of evaluation will best match their interests, needs, and resources. For example, we urge new programs to wait until all elements of their intervention are firmly in place (e.g., staffing, participants, activities) before investing in a study of the long-term impact on youth.
Hands-on learning tool
The Guidebook provides tools to reinforce the information presented. Exercises, forms, checklists and reminder notices are included throughout the guidebook. These additions are designed to facilitate learning through practice and reflection. They will also help to get you started in designing and planning your evaluation activities.
Features to enhance usability
Several features enhance the guidebook's usability. First, icons are included in the margins to help readers identify the sections most relevant to their efforts. For example, they highlight helpful hints, key tasks, and advantages and disadvantages of various evaluation strategies. In addition, we draw extensively on examples from small-, medium- and large-scale programs. Readers may wish to focus on the illustrations that correspond to their size program. A bibliography is provided at the end of every chapter for those who want to investigate the material in greater depth. Exercises, forms, checklists and reminder notices are included throughout the guidebook. These additions are designed to facilitate learning through practice and reflection. They will also help to get you started in designing and planning your evaluation activities.
CD-ROM features
To meet the varying needs of diverse practitioners, we offer the guidebook in varying formats and with complementary resources. The CD-ROM includes the Guidebook in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). This format allows the user to utilize Adobe's search features, enabling users to search by keyword. This format also preserves the documents original formatting, allowing the user to easily print an attractive document.
The Chapters
Chapter 1: An introduction to evaluation: Chapter One addresses basic questions we frequently hear from practitioners, such as: What Questions Can an Evaluation Answer? Why is Evaluation Worth Doing? What if Your Evaluation Results are Negative? We also introduce the major types of evaluation: needs assessment; formative evaluation; process evaluation; outcome and impact evaluation; and economic evaluation.
Chapter 2: Overview of teen pregnancy prevention programs: Chapter two provides an overview of teen pregnancy prevention programs in this country, focusing on what research has shown to work best for youth. Specifically, readers will learn about: the origins of US prevention efforts; the diversity of current approaches; the importance of matching the intensity, scale, and content of prevention programming to teens' risk and developmental levels; issues in program planning, such as staffing requirements and start-up and implementation costs; What Questions Can an Evaluation Answer?; Why is Evaluation Worth Doing?; and What if Your Evaluation Results are Negative? We also introduce the major types of evaluation: needs assessment; formative evaluation; process evaluation; outcome and impact evaluation; and economic evaluation.
Chapter 3: Outline of the 10 stages: Chapter three gives a brief description of each of the 10 stages of program planning, monitoring and evaluation. The stages represent an ordered progression of tasks required and benefits offered. The chapter also outlines the requirements for each stage and provides some guidelines for deciding which stage is right for a particular program. A central thesis of this guidebook is that it is better to do a small job well than a big job poorly. Programs should strive for the highest stage that is within their means and capabilities. Chapter 3 steers program directors and staff through this stage-selection process. Chapters 4-7 provide the details of the 10 stages.
Chapters 4-7: Details of the 10 stages: Chapters 4-7 present the 10 stages in greater detail. Included for each stage is a thorough discussion of the technical and data requirements, costs and benefits. Examples illustrate how programs of varying sizes might conduct the activities that are required to complete each stage. For instance, we show how a small program (one housed within a single agency), a medium-sized program (one in which a collaborative relationship is established between the program and two or three other community agencies); and a large program (one in which a broad range of agencies join together to address adolescent pregnancy) might each complete the activities involved in Stage 6, documenting and measuring your intervention. Also included in these chapters are hands-on exercises, checklists and forms to assist practitioners in mastering the concepts and tasks required to complete each stage.
Chapter 8: Designing and Costing an Evaluation: Chapter 8 offers guidelines for designing and determining the cost of the most complex stages of evaluation-process, outcome and impact. The technical requirements for each type of evaluation are described, as are the different and increasingly powerful questions each kind of investigation can answer. Examples are included to help practitioners apply this information to their own evaluation efforts.
Chapter 9: Summary and help guide: Chapter 9 reviews and summarizes the steps involved in planning, monitoring and evaluating a teen pregnancy prevention program. The chapter notes which steps program staff can typically carry out with ease and which steps often require outside help and guidance. Tips on finding and working with an outside evaluation consultant are provided, as are tips for disseminating the results of your evaluation to a broad audience.
Appendices: The companion volume of appendices provides a wealth of additional information to assist program directors with evaluation. Appendix 1 offers a recommended core questionnaire that is suitable for use by most teen pregnancy prevention programs. It can be administered as is or be tailored to meet the needs and interests of particular programs. Appendix 2 presents an introductory workbook on data management for teen pregnancy program evaluations. Appendix 3 describes 23 teen pregnancy and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention programs which have demonstrated through scientific evaluations a positive impact on sexual, contraceptive, STD-protective, or pregnancy-related behavior in teens. Information on obtaining these promising programs is also provided.
Ordering Information
The complete Guidebook is available in printed format or on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM includes the Guidebook in Portable Document Format (PDF). This format allows the user to utilize Adobe's search features, enabling users to search by keyword. This format also preserves the documents original formatting, allowing the user to easily print an attractive document. The individual chapters of the guidebook are also available for immediate download. There are 3 ways to order: 1) Call 1-800-846-3475, 2) Use the buttons below for online ordering or 3) mail/fax the order form to Sociometrics.
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