How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation

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SAGE Publications, Dec 1, 1987 - Social Science - 176 pages
How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation -- a new volume in the Program Evaluation Kit -- reflects the growing use of qualitative techniques in the evaluation process. The author differentiates the qualitative approach in method and philosophy from more traditional quantitative methods and specifies the kinds of evaluation question for which it is most appropriate. The design decisions and sampling strategies which underlie the method are explained. Patton also includes clearly illustrated step-by-step guides for planning and conducting fieldwork and observations, in-depth interviewing, and analysing, interpreting and reporting results.

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Contents

Acknowledgments
5
When to Use Qualitative Methods
23
Designing Qualitative Evaluations
44
Copyright

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About the author (1987)

Michael Quinn Patton is author of more than a dozen books on evaluation including Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods, 4th ed (2015), Blue Marble Evaluation (2020), Principles-Focused Evaluation (2018), Facilitating Evaluation (2018) and Developmental Evaluation (2011). Based in Minnesota, he was on the faculty of the University of Minnesota for 18 years and is a former president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). Michael is a recipient of the Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award, the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award, and the Research on Evaluation Award, all from AEA He has also received the Lester F. Ward Distinguished Contribution to Applied and Clinical Sociology Award from the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology. In 2021 he received the first Transformative Evaluator Award from EvalYouth. He is an active speaker, trainer, and workshop presenter who has conducted applied research and evaluation on a broad range of issues and has worked with organizations and programs at the international, national, state, provincial, and local levels. Michael has three children--a musician, an engineer, and an evaluator--and four grandchildren. When not evaluating, he enjoys exploring the woods and rivers of Minnesota, where he lives.

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