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   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

Tools

Tool #1: Criteria Event Interview Form

This form can be used to gather important interview 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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