Evaluating Public Information Programs: Experiences with the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program

摘要

This report provides an overview of the evaluation methods applied to the Environmental Landscape Management (ELM) and Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) programs of the University of Florida's Cooperative Extension Service. Florida Yards and Neighborhoods is a public education component of the major state-wide Environmental Landscape Management program. The Homeowner Research Questionnaire has been a useful tool in measuring the level of adoption of environmental landscape management practices by different program groups. County-based surveys are used to show overall program effectiveness and to compare different program delivery methods. A1997 analysis by the University of Florida comparing three delivery methods used throughout Florida, indicated that educational seminars are an essential component in helping people adopt ELM practices. Social marketing research conducted in 1997 studied the perceptions that Tampa Bay homeowners have regarding environmental landscape management practices. This research included pre- and post-test evaluations of educational materials used by Florida Yards and Neighborhoods. In this report, a brief overview of the ELM and FYN programs will provide the foundation for discussing the evaluation. This overview is followed by a description of two ELM/FYN evaluation methods. This paper summarizes, in part, two reports prepared in 1997: Adoption of Landscape Management Practices by Florida Citizens, by Glenn D. Israel, Janice O. Easton and Gary W. Knox; and Social Marketing Study of the Perceptions Tampa Bay Homeowners have Regarding Environmental Landscape and Protection Practices, by Bonnie Salazar. Both are cited at the end of this paper. The concluding section will look at lessons learned and future plans for measuring program effectiveness.