Program Evaluation

Intro

Article title and author(s) name: The article is titled “A guiding framework for needs assessment evaluations to embed digital platforms in partnership with Indigenous communities” and it is written by Jasmin Bhawra, M. Claire Buchan, Brenda Green, Kelly Skinner, and Tarun Reddy Katapally.

Journal: The article is published in PLOS ONE, an open access, peer-reviewed journal that covers all areas of science and medicine.

Aim of the study: This study presents a systematic approach for conducting respectful and ethically sound needs assessments by utilizing digital platforms to effectively involve Indigenous populations. The framework was established by the authors following an evaluation of the needs of a Métis community in the subarctic region of Saskatchewan.

Role of the agency: The research is being conducted by the Citizen Scientist Advisory Council, which comprises Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and Métis adolescents. The council assumes responsibility for project supervision and shares ownership of the data with the researchers.

Stakeholders: The stakeholders of the study include people from the Métis community, researchers, funders, and policymakers, all of whom stand to gain from the study’s findings and recommendations.

Reason for the study: This study addresses a gap in the existing scholarly literature about digital needs assessments among Indigenous communities, namely those residing in remote and rural areas. According to the authors, digital platforms have the potential to facilitate ethical and equitable engagement between researchers and communities, allowing for the consideration of community objectives and challenges.

Methods

Population under study: The Métis community of Ile-a-la-Crosse, a subarctic settlement in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, with a population of approximately 1,300 residents.

Research design: it is a qualitative research study.

Recruitment and data collection: The Citizen Scientist Advisory Council played a vital role in facilitating the identification and recruitment of participants, as well as overseeing the coordination and administration of data collection sessions. The present study employed an environmental scan of pertinent programs, conducted three key informant interviews, and facilitated two focus groups.

Sample characteristics: There were 11 participants: four Knowledge Keepers/Elders, four youth, and three community leaders. The participants varied in age, gender, education, and employment.

Constructs/Measurements: The study used the authors’ framework, which includes community engagement and relationship building, needs assessment and priority setting, digital platform development and implementation, and evaluation and feedback. The data collecting methods captured community background, objectives and requirements, digital platform preferences and expectations, and assessment indicators and results for each step.

Statistical analysis: This qualitative research did not need statistical analysis. The data was coded and categorized into themes and subthemes using thematic analysis.

Results

Summary of the findings: The results summary:

The community prioritized the coronavirus pandemic, climate change implications on the environment, mental health and wellness, and food security and sovereignty.

The community Expressed their desired to use digital platforms to address their priorities, but they raised concerns about internet access and infrastructure, digital literacy and skills, privacy and security, and cultural appropriateness and relevance of digital content and design.

The community stressed data sovereignty and self-governance and urged that the community and researchers co-create and co-own digital platforms and store and manage data locally and securely.

The community suggested measuring digital platforms’ engagement and participation, information and feedback quality and usefulness, impact on community priorities and challenges, and community member satisfaction and empowerment.

Summary and critique: The authors clearly and comprehensively described the results using participant quotations to highlight themes and subthemes. The authors also analyzed the results’ implications and limitations and made research and practice recommendations. The authors could have provided additional information and examples of how the digital platforms would be created and deployed, and how the community would get evaluation and feedback. The authors should have further compared their results to other Indigenous community digital platform research and addressed the context and consequences.

Discussion

Main findings: The research findings show that the Métis community of Ile-a-la-Crosse has four goals that can be addressed utilizing digital platforms, but it also confronts several impediments and limitations. The study also demonstrates that the community values data sovereignty and self-governance and expects researchers and the community to co-create and co-own digital platforms.

Strengths and limitations: The study’s strengths comprise its participatory and collaborative needs assessment, which included community members and the Citizen Scientist Advisory Council. The study also provided a framework for researchers and communities to utilize digital platforms for needs assessment and evaluation. The study’s small, convenience sample may restrict generalizability and representativeness. The research also did not reveal the framework’s digital platform development, deployment, assessment, and feedback findings.

Implications for social work practice, research, and policy: The study shows how digital platforms can be used respectfully and ethically to engage Indigenous communities and address their needs and priorities, affecting social work practice, research, and policy. The study’s framework and recommendations for digital needs assessment and evaluation improve prevention and intervention models and evidence-based practice. The study also addresses data sovereignty and self-governance, which affect Indigenous community rights and empowerment in social work policy and advocacy.

Diversity issues: The research addresses diversity by examining the opinions and experiences of a Métis community, a separate Indigenous group with a distinctive history, culture, and identity. The research also includes the perspectives of Knowledge Keepers/Elders, youth, and community leaders to highlight Métis diversity. The research also acknowledges the variety of digital platforms and lets the community pick and adapt platforms to meet their requirements.

Ethical dilemmas: The study mentions ethical issues including informed consent, data ownership and management, and digital platform cultural sensitivity and appropriateness, however it does not disclose any ethical difficulties. The authors claim they followed the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Human Research and got clearance from the University of Regina Research Ethics Board and Citizen Scientist Advisory Council.

Personal learning and reflection: The article taught me that digital platforms can be a useful and innovative tool for needs assessment and evaluation with Indigenous communities, but they must be carefully and respectfully planned and implemented, considering community context, needs, priorities, ethical, and cultural issues.

References

Bhawra, J., Buchan, M. C., Green, B., Skinner, K., & Katapally, T. R. (2022). A guiding framework for needs assessment evaluations to embed digital platforms in partnership with Indigenous communities. PLOS ONE, 17(12), e0279282. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279282

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Program Evaluation

Paper details
Please help put your best in this assignment.

Program Evaluation
Program Evaluation – Critical Response

Select an empirical article utilizing a needs assessment approach. Provide a critical
analysis based on the criteria below. Please do not exceed 3 pages and use APA format.
Please submit the assignment via BB.
Intro
Article title and author(s) name
Journal
Identify the “aim of the study”
Role of the agency
Stakeholders

Reason for the study
Methods
Identify the population under study
Research design
Recruitment and data collection (consent procedures, etc.)
Sample characteristics
Constructs/Measurements
Statistical analysis
Results
Summarize the summary of the findings (relationships, differences, etc.)
Summarize and critique what was reported

Discussion
Identify the main findings
Discuss the strengths and limitations of the study
Give a summary of how the study’s findings may have implications for social work
practice, research, and policy. Specifically state whether the study contributes to
evidence-based practice and improving prevention and intervention models.
Does the research address issues of diversity (race, class, culture, etc.)?
Are there any ethical dilemmas in the research that was conducted? If so, how did the
researchers address the ethical dilemmas?
Please discuss what you learned from reading the article and how the information may or
may not inform your final paper and practice in the future.