Using theories of action to guide national program evaluation and local strategy in the community care network demonstration.
Evaluations of multisite community-based projects are notoriously difficult to conceptualize and conduct. Projects may share an overarching vision but operate in varying contexts and pursue different initiatives. One tool that can assist evaluators facing these challenges is to develop a "theory of action" (TOA) that identifies critical assumptions regarding how a program expects to achieve its goals. Community Care Network (CCN) evaluators used the TOA to refine research questions, define key variables, relate questions to each other, and identify when we might realistically expect to observe answers. In this article, the authors present their national-level CCN TOA. They also worked with sites to help them "surface" their local TOA; the article analyzes the results to determine the content, clarity, extent of evidence base, and strategic orientation of theories articulated by different sites.
Sofaer
Shoshanna
S
Baruch College.
Bazzoli
Gloria J
GJ
Alexander
Jeffrey A
JA
Conrad
Douglas A
DA
Hasnain-Wynia
Romana
R
Shortell
Stephen M
SM
Margolin
Frances
F
Pittman
Mary
M
Casey
Elizabeth
E
Ladenheim
Kala
K
Mauery
D Richard
DR
Zukoski
Ann P
AP
D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010934:Planning Techniques; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States