| Session Title: Planning for Evaluation’s Future: Undergraduate Students’ Interest in Program Evaluation |
| Expert Lecture Session 828 to be held in Centennial Section D on Saturday, Nov 8, 9:50 AM to 10:35 AM |
| Sponsored by the Research on Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Janet Lee, University of California Los Angeles, janet.lee@ucla.edu |
| Presenter(s): |
| John LaVelle, Claremont Graduate University, john.lavelle@cgu.edu |
| Abstract: Currently, few people seek a career in program evaluation, though the demand for evaluators exceeds the supply. Undergraduate students are a potential pool of future evaluators, but little is known about their interest in pursuing a career in program evaluation (PE). The purpose of this session is to expand on a previous study (LaVelle, 2007) and share more representative data on undergraduate students’ interest in PE. The study will present data from students at a number of sites across the U.S. Participants were asked to read five randomly-ordered descriptions of program evaluation, indicate the readability of each, and respond to semantic differential questions to assess their attitude towards each description of evaluation. Participants then indicate their global attitude towards program evaluation, their familiarity and interest in PE as a career, and their interest in participating in a PE internship. Their responses may aid our quest to grow the evaluation profession. |