When and why would someone use the goal free evaluation approach – the process of implementation:
If the evaluator is unaware of the programs goals it can prevent tunnel vision from occurring and can prevent the evaluator from only looking at the program as it pertains to the intended goals at the risk of overlooking many positive and/or negative unintended side-effects.
Michael Scrivens, a pioneer of goal free evaluation theory suggests; “goal free evaluation is an approach that can determine what the program is doing rather than what is it trying to do (1971).”
In this approach, unintended outcomes of the evaluation may be identified. Here is an example of when this approach could be implemented as
suggested by Owen (2007);
“a well-known physics curriculum met its stated goals of increasing deeper understanding of physics principals among senior high school
students. However, as a result of the pressure placed on students by the teaching methods used, their enjoyment of physics declined over the instruction period. This was a major unintended outcome. There was evidence that the students were ‘turned-off’ physics as a result of the curriculum, and this affected their subsequent decision to study the subject as college level (p.258)”
If the evaluator is unaware of the programs goals it can prevent tunnel vision from occurring and can prevent the evaluator from only looking at the program as it pertains to the intended goals at the risk of overlooking many positive and/or negative unintended side-effects.
Michael Scrivens, a pioneer of goal free evaluation theory suggests; “goal free evaluation is an approach that can determine what the program is doing rather than what is it trying to do (1971).”
In this approach, unintended outcomes of the evaluation may be identified. Here is an example of when this approach could be implemented as
suggested by Owen (2007);
“a well-known physics curriculum met its stated goals of increasing deeper understanding of physics principals among senior high school
students. However, as a result of the pressure placed on students by the teaching methods used, their enjoyment of physics declined over the instruction period. This was a major unintended outcome. There was evidence that the students were ‘turned-off’ physics as a result of the curriculum, and this affected their subsequent decision to study the subject as college level (p.258)”