Page 284 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

Visual aids assist learning.
Source: CDC/Amanda Mills.

CASE ANALYSIS 3

What evaluation or outcome measures do you suggest for the prenatal class?

Although tests are appropriate with school-aged children, adults may respond less favorably. The
practitioner should avoid evoking childhood memories associated with the authoritarian teacher, the
dependent child, or the assigned degree of success and failure based on right or wrong answers. In one-on-one
situations, the practitioner could ask the individual to state verbally what he or she learned as though telling it
to a spouse or friend. Alternatively, a self-assessment instrument may be used.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires may be preplanned and are often used to assess attitudes and values that do not involve correct
answers. Questions may be open-ended, multiple-choice, ranking, checklist, or alternate response, such as
yes/no or agree/disagree. In evaluating behavioral change on the job, trainees and supervisors can both
complete a questionnaire.

Interviews

Interviews conducted on a one-to-one basis are another form of evaluation. They are the oral equivalent to
written questionnaires used to measure cognitive and affective objectives. Before the interview, the instructor
should preplan and draw up a list of questions that will indicate whether learning has taken place. After
instruction, evaluation may consist of asking the learner to repeat important facts. An advantage of an
interview is that the evaluator can put the person at ease and immediately correct any errors. Another
advantage is that the interviewer can probe for additional information. Although this method is time-
consuming, it is appropriate for people with low literacy or those less educated. Focus group interviews,
mentioned earlier, are an example of a qualitative, formative evaluation.

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