Needs
Assessment E-5
We
all view life in terms of our own wishes.
Needs
assessment is the first step in the program planning process (see
module E-4). We use needs assessment techniques to discover what
people need. Usually their wants are mixed in with their needs.
We will be able to identify the group's priorities when we complete
the priority setting session that is described in module E-6.
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
When
you finish this module you should be able to:
1. Define
needs assessment.
2. Identify six techniques for assessing the needs of a particular
group.
3. Plan a needs assessment that uses one of the techniques.
A
DEFINITION
Needs assessment
is: a systematic process for documenting relevant needs.
Every word
of this definition is important.
THREE
CRITICAL QUESTIONS
In order
to conduct a needs assessment you have to answer three linked
questions: Who needs What according to Whom?
Who refers to the target group of clients. What
refers to their needs. Whom refers to the informants who
have reason to know the needs of the target group.
EXAMPLES
OF TARGET GROUPS AND INFORMANTS
| Target
groups |
Informants |
| 4-H
Youth |
me |
| new |
4-Hers |
| junior |
non
4-H youth |
| senior |
parents |
| urban |
adult
leaders |
| future |
4-H
agents |
| prospective
members |
4-H
specialists |
| droupouts
from 4-H |
agencies
for youth |
| families |
donors |
| volunteers |
critics |
| 4-H
staff (secretaries) |
|
NEEDS
ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES
To determine
the needs of a group we may use one or more of the following techniques:
1. group
discussion (ask a group what they need and record the answers),
2. brainstorming (see module LT-*),
3. nominal group process (see module E-6),
4. resource inventories (see module E-8),
5. census data (from government census office or from school district
office),
6. evaluation results (from previous programs),
7. informal interviews (as people express their needs in your
office or on the street),
8. formal interviews (planned questionnaire completed in your
office or over the phone) and
9. written surveys.
Examples
of 8 and 9 accompany this module. After using any of these techniques
the results can be summarized on a sheet of paper that has three
columns:
Who
-Needs What - According to Whom?
QUESTIONS
FOR DISCUSSION
1. Which
technique will you use to assess the needs of a group, organization
or community of which you are a member.
2. Why did you choose this technique?
3. Is it the most appropriate technique for your group considering
the situation?
4. Should you use more than one technique to be sure of the needs?
5. Do you have the time and other resources to use more than one
technique?
EXERCISE:
Do a needs
assessment. Work with a partner. Choose a small group or organization
to keep the needs assessment as simple as possible. Records the
results of your needs assessment. What did you learn form the
needs assessment (the process as well as the results).
NEXT
STEPS
Now
that you have identified the needs (issues) of a group, you are
ready to set priorities. Move on to module E-6.
RESOURCE
Etling,
A. W. (1994). Needs assessment for extension agents and other
nonformal educators. University Park: Cooperative Extension, College
of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University.
INSTRUMENTS
Two
examples, a phone interview and a written survey, come from the
resource listed above. Contact the author for copies: aetling@unl.edu
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