Forms of evaluation for agricultural extension
This paper outlines the findings of a Review of Evaluation in Agricultural Extension in Australia. The review consisted of collecting documents on 70 evaluations from the field of agricultural extension and categorising these according to the “purpose” of evaluation and other criteria. The main body of the Review comprises descriptions of each of Owen’s (1993) five forms of evaluation, with case studies taken from agricultural extension to illustrate each form. This paper summarises the review of literature on evaluation and some characteristics of the evaluations in the sample of reports examined.
The study was conceived in the context of an increase in the demand for material that can be used to train agricultural extension agents and other rural professionals in the field of program evaluation. In addition to defining the range and type of evaluation studies in agricultural extension, the Review set out to introduce readers to the broader concept of program evaluation and its applications in agricultural extension. Topics covered are:
- major trends in agricultural extension in Australia
- factors influencing demand for evaluation in extension
- development of program evaluation as a discipline, worldwide
- Owen’s five forms of evaluation, with case studies
- summary characterisation of 50 evaluation studies
- summary of methods of evaluation and literature sources
