The feedback research approach to evaluation: a method to increase evaluation utility.
The utilization of evaluation results continues to be a great concern among professionals in the field. To increase the potential usefulness of evaluation, the feedback research approach is proposed as a method that is especially helpful in studies that fail to find program effectiveness. Going beyond the bounds of the evaluation framework and studying the problem for which the program was designed to ameliorate, evaluations that incorporate a feedback research component can provide clients with valuable information to guide further program development. This paper provides a description of the approach and an illustration of its use in an evaluation of a major international corporation's health improvement/stress management program.
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005246:Feedback; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*