ERIC Number: ED169389
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1979-Apr
Pages: 29
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Development and Validation of a Normative Process Model for Determining Priority of Need in Community Adult Education.
Sork, Thomas J.
Research was conducted to develop and gather evidence of validity for a normative process model to be used by community adult education councils in establishing priority among community-level needs. The study design was based on a five-stage problem solving, systems model involving exploration, model building, design and development, validation, and implementation. A prototype process model utilizing a rating scale was developed to determine priorities based on (1) contribution to goals--the goal's importance to the need and the need's contribution to the goal definition, (2) magnitude of discrepancy--discrepancy between the present and valued future situation, (3) immediacy--immediacy of attention the need requires, (4) instrumental value--effect meeting one need has on meeting other needs, (5) resource availability--current resource availability for meeting the need, and (6) commitment to change--relevant publics' commitment to eliminating discrepancies between the present and future situation. The decision-making body assigns weights to the criteria. Judgments using individual criteria are made on a 0-10 scale. Twenty-one research questions were formulated covering the five dimensions of model validity. It was concluded that the model must be refined but that it holds promise as a tool for prioritizing needs. (The supplementary materials contain information on the criteria and rating scales.) (CSS)
Descriptors: Adult Education, Adult Programs, Community Education, Conceptual Schemes, Decision Making, Evaluation Criteria, Evaluation Methods, Models, Needs Assessment, Objectives, Operations Research, Problem Solving, Program Development, Program Evaluation, Rating Scales, Schematic Studies, Systems Approach, Validity
Publication Type: Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Adult Education Research Conference (Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 4-6, 1979)