Analyzing Case Study Design. Outcomes for Action Research and Program Evaluation studies must go beyond simply sharing results with stakeholders.  The “action” in action research refers to the development of a specific intervention or action plan that emerges from the findings.  The outcomes of program evaluations generally take the form of a report on program effects and are often presented to funders, planning boards, politicians, and the like for their buy-in and support.  The following are some suggested examples of outcomes and actions that are expected in PSL studies.

Analyzing Case Study Design

• Diagnosis of the need for change in an organization or community and an action plan or set of strategies to make that happen
• A training program that is delivered to a group designated by the stakeholders or the stakeholders themselves and then is evaluated
• Development of a program to intervene with the problem – for example, providing healthy cooking classes for parents of children with childhood obesity or establishing supports for cancer survivors
• Establishing a community task force to address issues such as violence prevention, truancy, or substance abuse
• Providing a job skills training program to reduce homelessness

PROGRAM EVALUATION

• “Testing out” a particular intervention – for example, teaching mindfulness skills to veterans with PTSD and measuring changes
• Documenting program effectiveness in order to report to funders
• Measuring the effectiveness of a violence prevention program to serve as a model for other communities
• Evaluating a job skills training program to determine its success in reducing homelessness
• Measuring client satisfaction with a program or service