Area of Responsibility IV Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education

Area of Responsibility IV: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education The RoleConduct a thorough review of the literature and apply research findings from basic and evaluative research. Conduct evaluations of projects and programs. Write applications for funding, including research proposals. Poses the ability to evaluate a program’s effectiveness is essential to maintaining its funding in an increasingly competitive work environment. The ability to aggregate data from one of more programs for the purpose of establishing baselines and making comparison is also important. Key Terms● ● ● ● Evaluation: assess a process or program to provide evidence and feedback to the program Research: an organized process founded upon the scientific method for investigating problems. It involves systematic progression through a series of necessary steps. Reliability refers to the consistence, dependability, and stability of the measurement process. Validity: the degree to which a test or assessment measures what it is intended to measure. Using an acceptable (valid) instrument increase the chance of measuring what was intended. Variables: operational forms of a construct. They designate how the construct will be measured in designated scenarios. Competency A: Develop Plans for Evaluation and Research ● ● Synthesize information presented in the literature Evaluate research designs, methods, and findings presented in the literature Questions for evaluation literature: 1. Was the purpose of the study stated? 2. Was the research question or hypothesis stated? 3. Were the subjects in the study described? Did the literature describe subject recruitment? 4. Was the design and location of the study described? 5. Were the data collection instruments described? 6. Did the presented results reflect the research question or hypothesis? 7. Were the conclusions reflective of the research design and data analysis? 8. Were the implications meaningful to the priority population? Competency B: Review Research and Evaluation Procedures ● ● Evaluation data-gathering instruments and processes Develop methods to evaluate factors that influence shifts in health status o Formative Evaluation (process evaluation): ongoing process of evaluation while the program is being developed and implemented. o Summative Evaluation: associated with quantitative processes. It is also commonly associated with the impact and outcome evaluation. o Four common evaluation Models: ▪ Decision-Making Model ▪ System Analysis ▪ Accreditation ▪ Goal Free Competency C: Design Data Collection Instruments ● ● Develop valid and reliable evaluation instruments o Content or Face Validity: considers the instruments items of measurement for relevant areas of interest. o Criterion Validity: refers to one measure’s correlations to another measure of a particular situation o Construct Validity: ensures that the concepts of an instrument relates to the concepts of a particular theory o Reliability: assess whether the instrument is measuring concepts consistently Develop appropriate data-gathering instruments o Develop instrument specifications o Develop instructions for implementing the instrument and examples of how to complete items o Establish item scoring procedures o Conduct an item analysis and reliability and validity tests Competency D: Carry Out Evaluation and Research Plans ● ● ● ● Use appropriate research methods and designs in health education practice ▪ Qualitative Research ▪ Quantitative Research Use data collection methods appropriate for measuring stated objectives Implement appropriate qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques ▪ IRB (institutional review board) Implement methods to evaluate factors that influence shifts in health status o Three Primary Tasks: measurement, use of a design, and analysis of the data o Internal Validity: refers to identifying the effects as being attributed to the program and not to other factors related to the evaluation deign o External Validity: allows health educations to apply the concepts of generalizability Competency E: Interpret Results from Evaluation and Research ● ● ● ● Analyze evaluation data Analyze research data o Descriptive Analysis: aims to describe the group being studied o Inferential Analysis: gains knowledge about the sample that be generalized to a similar population Compare evaluation results to other findings Report effectiveness of programs in achieving proposed objectives o Evaluations or Research Report: typical form of communication used to report the outcome of the plan set forth by the evaluation or research planners. It is important to provide user-friendly information to the stakeholders involved. ▪ Introduction ▪ Literature Review ▪ Methodology ▪ Results ▪ Conclusions, Recommendations, or a Summary Competency F: Infer Implications from Findings for Future Health-Related Activities* *This competency is not addressed because the sub-competencies are related to an advanced level of practice.