Empowerment Evaluation

Herzberg showed that to truly motivate an employee a business needs to create conditions that make him or her feel fulfilled in the workplace.

Psychological empowerment is an important perception for both practitioners and researchers (Spreitzer, 1995). The concept of empowerment has been developed and advanced by several researchers. Many academics and practitioners over the past decade have embraced empowerment as a means of increasing decision-making at lower organizational levels while at the same time inspiring the worklives of employees (Chebat & Kollias, 2000; Conger & Kanungo, 1988; Spreitzer, 1995; 1996; Thomas & Velthouse, 1990). Beyond the power sharing condition of empowerment, Conger and Kanungo (1988) insisted that there is also a psychological experience of empowerment for individuals. The psychological experience is one of motivational self-efficacy.

confidence. The teacher will begin to understand what they are doing right, and how to implement that properly in future school years. Also, the educator will know what they did wrong so as not to repeat mistakes that previously hindered their grade as a teacher. This evaluation just might even be a good way for students to anonymously share things that they might feel embarrassed to tell someone, such as being sexually harassed, and so teacher evaluations are helpful when it comes to stopping crimes against not only a child’s mind, but their bodies as well.

Program evaluation is a useful resource to evaluate programs that are currently an organization or an industry is making good use of. Evaluating programs not only bring out the strengths and weaknesses but also identifies the picture of the plans implemented. The purpose of this paper is to examine the purpose for program evaluation and why it can be useful to an organization. This paper will speak of the five most common types of program evaluation models and will select one program evaluation model to describe from week one’s reading.

The evaluation of a program can be simple and informal or complex and very formal or a combination of the two. For every program designer or manager there are benefits to program evaluation and a necessity to evaluate the program. Program evaluation tells you whether the time and effort spent in and on the program is worth it ("Why Program Evaluation is Important | National Center for Women & Information Technology," n.d.). This is a look into what program evaluation is, why a program should be evaluated, the different models of evaluation, and an in-depth look at one specific model – The Goal Free Model.

A., & Padgett, D. K. (2010). Program evaluation: An introduction (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 9780495601661.

The program evaluation begins with the program design to assess overall effectiveness and efficiency of implementation of the program (Calley, 2011). To illustrate the program evaluation, a theoretical framework has been developed using Calley’s Comprehensive Program Development Model’s for the proposed program, using the three major evaluations: fidelity assessment, process evaluation, outcomes evaluation.

A Program Evaluation is an important factor in determining if an agency is producing successful results. Usually a program evaluation is requested or brought forth by a specific concern that is in need of being addressed. This type of practice-based research method provides agencies with accountability. Sometimes a program evaluation is needed in order for some agencies to continue to receive funding to keep their programs, to meet accreditation standards, and to ensure clients are being helped by the programs (Royse, 2011).

Evaluation is the systematic application of social science research procedures for assessing the conceptualization, design, implementation, operation, and/or outcomes of project or program. Simply stated, it is the process of collecting, analyzing, and using information to understand how a program is operating and/or the outcomes and impacts it is having. Developing an evaluation protocol requires working through the five basic steps summarized in Box One.

There are several different ways to evaluate the program. A process evaluation can be done to unveil how the program was implemented, and if it was implemented in the way it was intended (Savage, Kub, & Groves, 2016). The program’s outcomes can be evaluated to measure if the obesity rates of the target population improved, and if this improvement was due to the intervention. Lastly, informative evaluations can be conducted to measure if the materials such as the brochures and training kits, were

The rationale of this evaluation is to confirm that the goals of the program are being meet. That the children are being educated in making healthy choices and participating in the program. In order for the evaluation to be accurate research needs to determine if the program will be effective.

This project required me to not just read about program evaluation, but to apply the ideas I have learned about. I now see how difficult it is to appreciate what program evaluation is, and what is involved in the process, without some (even hypothetical) experience. The two realizations that have had the biggest impact on me are: 1. the shift in thinking from research to evaluation; and 2. the sheer amount of information that is required for a program evaluation.

The purpose of a program evaluation is to assess working programs and determine if the outcomes are sufficiently effective (Houser, 2015). Program Evaluations are a type of action research leading to improved programs and services for the designated populations. Feedback from stakeholders is necessary to confirm the program is operating to the highest quality and standards (Astramovich & Coker, 2007).

The empowerment model places importance on people with disabilities being an advocate of their own lives. I view this model as the opposite of the charity model in that we should encourage those with disabilities to stand up on their own two feet and be as independent as possible. This model encourages those with disabilities to show society that they are not helpless and not completely dependent. If we can emphasize those with disabilities to identify their own needs, rather than someone do it for them, then they can achieve a higher level of self-confidence and independence. This will then encourage a more positive public view of those with disabilities as being an integral part of our society.

With the global nursing shortage, organizations are looking for strategies to retain nurses. One strategy for nurse retention is, encouraging nurses to get certified, according to research studies. The population affected by nurse certification is the nurse, the patient, and the organization. Organizations need to invest into getting nurses certified in their specialty area. Research proves that certified nurses’ self-perception is a sense of empowerment. The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice will be utilized to guide the change to practice. A literature search was conducted using one of the world’s largest database search engines, the Academic Search Complete (EBSCO). The search resulted in over 300 journal articles, which were then evaluated and categorized using the evidence hierarchy rating system. The theoretical framework was the Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment. Fostering the nurses’ self-perception of empowerment, which comes with being certified is a mediator of personal growth; increased competence and confidence; enhanced knowledge and self-esteem; and ultimately retention. Specialty nurse certification proves the nurse continued commitment to education and practice, which are ongoing instead of episodic, and thus more consistent with the changes in healthcare. With the rising cuts in healthcare a constraint organization may face with the implementation of a plan to encourage nurses to get certified is funding.