Improving the Evaluation of Public Garden Educational Programs.

摘要

Professional staff at public gardens often overlook educational program evaluation for a variety of reasons, but it remains important for program funding and development. This study developed an original, six-step evaluation approach specific to educational programs at public gardens. Interviews subsequently were conducted with 11 executive directors and/or directors of education at 10 public gardens in the United States with proven, high-quality educational programs. Interviews examined the feasibility, practicality, perceived effectiveness, and merits of the original evaluation approach developed in this study. Interview data added clarification to what is known about the current state of educational program evaluation at public gardens and supported and further improved the original evaluation approach to create an improved version.