Planning and Conducting Needs Assessments: A Practical Guide by Belle Ruth Witkin, Witkin, James W. Altschuld, James W. Altschud

Product Details

Synopsis

Despite the increasing necessity for needs assessments in a variety of fields, much confusion still prevails on how to conduct such assessments successfully. This book is a practical guide to that end.

The authors first introduce a three-phase model - preassessment, assessment and postassessment - to clarify the distinctions between the needs of primary service recipients and the people and resources that exist. They go on to describe methods appropriate for gathering data for assessing needs and for causal analysis. The presentation of the framework, the coverage of several approaches for analyzing data, the balanced description of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and the multiple case studies and

Annotation

The book contains black-and-white illustrations.

Booknews

Provides a framework for systematically investigating critical needs, agreeing on needs-based priorities, and using the information to develop quality programs, for all types of organizations. Case vignettes illustrate concepts in planning and managing needs assessment, collecting and interpreting data, surveys and interviews, and analyzing data. Includes treatment of sociolinguistic and cultural factors, and in-depth discussion of causal analysis. For program planners and consultants. Paper edition (unseen), $22.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Biography

James W. Altschuld received his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and The Ohio State University (OSU), respectively. His doctorate is from the latter institution with an emphasis on educational research and development and sociological methods. He is now Professor Emeritus in the College of Education and Human Ecology at OSU after 27 years of teaching research techniques and program evaluation. In evaluation, he developed and taught a sequence of courses on theory, needs assessment, and design. He has co-authored three previous books (two on needs assessment and the other on the evaluation of science and technology education), written many chapters on needs assessment as well as others on evaluation research and issues, and has an extensive list of publications almost all in the field of evaluation. He has given presentations and done work in five countries outside of the United States. In his career he has been the recipient of local, state, and national honors including the Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Practice Award for contributions to evaluation.