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WRITING UP RESULTS

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STEP SEVEN

The Logic Model is a framework that guides an evaluation.

LOGIC MODEL
Inputs/Resources - Outputs/Program Activities - Outcomes/Program Impacts - Life Skills Evaluation System

For information on the Logic Model go to: Logic Model.

One: Describe your program - Logic Model "Inputs"

  • What is the name of your program and topic?
  • Where and when was the program held?
  • Who sponsored the program?
  • What resources were involved in implementing your program?
    • How many staff and volunteers were involved?
    • What types of facilities were needed?
    • How much did it cost?
  • What were the objectives of your program?
    • What skills were you trying to teach?
    • What content area were you teaching?
    • Why did you select these skills and thiscontent area? (Optional - see example below)

Two: Generate a report from the FCS and Youth Evaluation System

  • Go to "Enter Evaluation System"
  • Click on "reports"
  • Print out BOTH the graphic form and numeric form

Three: Describe who attended your program and the number of hours/sessions held - Logic Model "Outputs"

  • Use the information from the demographic data from your Life Skills Evaluation numeric summary report.
  • Figure and report the response rate.

How to figure the response rate: Divide the total number of people who filled out the evaluation by the total number of people participating in your program. Example: 45 youth filled out the evaluation. 50 youth participated in the program. 45 divided by 50 = .90 or 90%.

Note: The higher the response rate the better your evaluation represents what really happened as a result of your program.

  • How many hours was the program?
  • How many sessions were held?

Four: Summarize the changes in Skills - Logic Model "Outcomes"

  • Look at your results. Ask yourself these questions (and think of other questions to ask):
    • Which skill indicators showed the greatest improvements?
    • Which skill indicators stayed the same? Did any averages go down?
    • Were there groups of indicators related to one skill that went up more than other groups?
  • Below are examples of reporting changes in indicators:
    • "In a computer training program, participants reported the greatest improvements in following instructions, reflecting an increase in the area of marketable skills. They also improved their skills in the areas of leadership and communication, based on increases in their abilities to organize a group to reach its goals and to listen carefully to others."
    • "Participants reported no changes in their abilities to keep accurate records or to make a presentation."
    • "Overall, participants gained the most knowledge and skills in the area of communication."

Five: Share Your Results

Before sharing your results think about the following:

  • Who is my audience for this report?
  • What does the audience need/want to know?
  • What format best reaches this audience? Example: oral presentation, written report, display/poster, flyer, brochure

Based on the answers to the above questions, create your report.

Sample Report for Program Funders

The Whitman County Web Wizard program is a school-age program for youths ages ____, and is designed to help youths learn computers skills and design web pages. This program is held for ________ weeks during the school year. The program, sponsored by MSU Extension 4-H Youth Development program and _________, is held at the local library, after school from ______to ______. Each youth attends an average of ________ hours of programming. The planning committee identified four program objectives to help youths: (a) learn computer skills, (b) develop leadership skills, (c)enhance communication skills, (d) and learn marketable skills. These objectives were selected because a community employer's survey indicated these skills were needed for potential employees.

Twenty-four youths ages 11-14 attended the program this year (18 boys and 6 girls). All youths came from the surrounding area of the small eastern Washington community of Colfax. Twenty-two youth were Caucasian and two were Hispanic.

The Family and Youth Evaluation System was used to assess life skills learned in the program. The instrument uses a retrospective pretest/posttest and was administered during the last meeting of Web Wizards. Twenty-one of the twenty-four youths registered for the program were in attendance at that meeting and completed the evaluation form, for a response rate of 88%.

Seventy-five percent of the participants made gains from pretest to posttest. As measured by this self-report, the youths made gains in knowledge and behavior of the life skills in the areas of leadership, communication, and marketable skills. The gains for the total instrument and the individual life skill indicator (the measurement to assess the life skill) are illustrated in the attached graph. From this information we find that the Web Wizard program is helping youths learn the life skills of leadership, communication, and marketable skills.

The evaluation also measured changes in computer skills. Results indicated that youths did make gains in their knowledge of computers. The greatest gains were made in learning how to create Web pages.

Finally, we asked the youths open-ended questions about what they liked and disliked about the program. Twenty of the twenty-one respondents reported that the program was helpful and that they learned more about computers. One youth said, "This was great! I never knew that creating Web pages could be so much fun." Another youth wrote, "Knowing how to create Web pages helped me at my job at the drugstore. The owner now wants me to create a Web page for his home business."

One person was not pleased with the program, and others had suggestions for improvement. One youth wrote, "I didn't learn anything. The teacher was really boring." Other youths reported that sometimes they didn't have enough time on the computer to finish what they had started. This tells us that next time we need to either find more computers so that each participant has access to one, or we need to limit the number of participants in each session.

Overall, our Web Wizard program was a success. In the self-reports, youths were found to have made gains in life skills from pretest to posttest. Youths also gained knowledge in how to use computers.

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Lifeskills programs and database designed and developed by Kathleen Duncan, WSU in Cooperation with Montana State University Extension Service
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