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ERIC Number: EJ806399
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1098-2140
EISSN: N/A
Using System Dynamics as an Evaluation Tool: Experience from a Demonstration Program
Fredericks, Kimberly A.; Deegan, Michael; Carman, Joanne G.
American Journal of Evaluation, v29 n3 p251-267 2008
Evaluators are often faced with many challenges in the design and implementation of a program's evaluation. Because programs are entangled in complex networks of structures and stakeholders, they can be challenging to understand, and they often pose issues of competing and conflicting goals. However, by using a systems mapping approach to evaluation design, evaluators can identify and diagram the relationships between different variables and learn about their potential impact and unintended consequences on a program's processes. In this article, we describe how using a systems approach and causal loop mapping approach during an evaluation of a demonstration program for people with developmental disabilities helped evaluators to better understand the program's implementation and the variation in the program's outcomes. (Contains 1 table, 6 figures and 2 notes.)
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A