Stake Responsive Model

Responsive model is oriented more directly to program activities than

program intents. Evaluation focuses more on the activities rather than
intent or purposes.

Robert Stake (1975) recommends to the curriculum evaluator the following

steps:

The curriculum evaluator follows the steps before.

Step 1. Meets with the stakeholders to identify their perspectives and
intentions regarding curriculum evaluation.
Step 2. Draws from Step 1documents to determine the scope of the
evaluation.
Step 3. Observes the curriculum closely to identify the unintended sense of
implementation and any deviations from announced intents.
Step 4. Identifies the stated real purposes of the program and various
audiences.
Step 5. Identifies the problems of the curriculum evaluation at hand and
identifies an evaluation design with needed data.
Step 6. Selects the means needed to collect data or information.
Step 7. Implements the data collection procedure.
Step 8. Organizes the information into themes.
Step. 9 Decides with stakeholders the most appropriate formats for the
report.
Robert Stake
- Leader in the development of program evaluation methods
- Director of Center for Instructional Research and Curriculum
Evaluation (CIRCE)
- Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-
Champaign (appointed 1998)

Characteristics of Stake’s Responsive Model

A less formal and more pluralistic evaluation; its central focus is
on addressing stakeholder (administrators, teachers, students,
parents, etc.) concern and issues.
Emphasizes evaluation being conducted in settings where
learning occurs.
Improved communication is the goal so the model responds to
emerging issues learned through interaction and observation
instead of giving too much attention to predetermined issues.
Relies heavily on qualitative techniques (understanding
stakeholder’s context, culture, power, needs and beliefs to a
certain phenomenon) which may often be neglected in other
basic models of evaluation

An evaluation is considered responsive when:

It orients more directly to program activities than to program intents.
Responds to audience requirement for information
Refers to different value perspectives of the stakeholders when
reporting success or failure of a program

Disadvantages of the Evaluation model

Stresses Complexity rather than Simplicity
Subjective
Labor Intensive
Not suitable for making generalizations or to developing theories
Advantages
Directs attention to the needs of those for whom an evaluation is
being done
Looks at a program from different viewpoints
Flexible to the unique needs of participants and relies on insider
knowledge
Allows the researcher/evaluator to responsively focus on issues that
are of priority
Likely to lead to “good decision-making” because it provides answers
to questions that participants are asking