ERIC Number: EJ932828
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Sep
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1098-2140
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Planning for Evaluation's Future: Undergraduate Students' Interest in Program Evaluation
LaVelle, John M.
American Journal of Evaluation, v32 n3 p362-375 Sep 2011
Undergraduate students are a potential pool of future evaluators, but little is known about their level of interest in pursuing a career in program evaluation (PE). This two-stage study collected survey data on 249 undergraduate students' knowledge, interest, and attitudes toward various descriptions of PE. Qualitative analysis indicated participants had an understanding of PE's intent. Correlations suggest that knowledge of PE was related with a perceived match with professional interests (r = 0.41) as well as general attitude toward PE (r = 0.44), and factorial ANOVA indicates that (a) participants from diverse disciplines (e.g., education, psychology, and business) were equally interested in PE and (b) average participant attitudes were more positive than would be expected by chance. Given this study's findings regarding students' knowledge, interest, and attitudes about PE, it is proposed that undergraduate students may be a viable source of future program evaluators. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Student Interests, Student Attitudes, Vocational Interests, Program Evaluation, Student Surveys
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 - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

Peer reviewed
Direct link
