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Table of Contents >
   Part J. Evaluating Community Programs and Initiatives
      Chapter 38. Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Communi... >
         Section 8. Conducting Interviews with Key Participants to An... >
            Tools & Checklists - A checklist that summarizes the major points contained in the section. >

Conducting Interviews with Key Participants to Analyze Critical Events

  

Tools & Checklists

 Contributed by Aimee Whitman Edited by Bill Berkowitz and Jerry Schultz

Tools
Checklist

 

Tool #1: Criteria Event Interview Form

This form can be used to gather important information when interviewing group members.



The Critical Event Interview

Initiative:
Key Participant:
Participant's Position:
Participant's Involvement with the Initiative:
Time:
Location:
Date of Interview:
Interviewer:




CRITICAL EVENTS:

Date (month, year)                           Event



FOR EACH CRITICAL EVENT, ASK ABOUT:

RATIONALE: (Why was this event particularly important?)




CONTEXT OR CONDITIONS: (What was going on at the time of the event? What made the conditions right for this to happen?)




KEY ACTIONS AND ACTORS: (What key actions brought about the critical event? Who were the key actors?)




BARRIERS AND RESISTANCE: (Were the group's actions met with barriers or resistance? What types of barriers? Who resisted?)




KEY RESOURCES: (What key resources [e.g., people, financial resources, political influence] were used to bring about the critical event? How were these resources used to overcome barriers and resistance?)





CONSEQUENCES (for the initiative): (What were the consequences or results of the critical event for the initiative?)




CONSEQUENCES (for the community): (What were the consequences for the community?)




OVERALL LESSONS: (Overall, what lessons have you learned from your involvement with the initiative? What lessons have you learned from the initiative's attempts to define and act on its mission?)




FUTURE DIRECTIONS: (What issues does the initiative face in the future? What challenges should be addressed?)


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Checklist

Here, you'll find checklists that summarize the major points contained in the text.


You understand that critical events might include:

___Applying for grant funds

___Brainstorming, writing, editing, and completing a draft of your action plan

___Fulfilling any or all of your group's objectives

___Facing a crisis in your community or within your group

___Changing the direction of your mission

___Any other major event


You understand why it is important to interview key participants regarding key events:

___Critical events provide qualitative information

___Critical events can provide a history of the initiative

___Critical events help identify factors that affected the initiative's success or failure

___Critical events can provide you with insights for planning and renewal efforts

___You understand the importance of conducting interviews with key participants at least every few years, or at the end of a grant period


You know how to conduct interviews with key participants:

___Determine who will be interviewed

___Conduct the interviews

___Put the information together (perhaps in the form of a report)

___Use the data to better understand the initiative, provide a history, and aid in renewal efforts


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