ETDs

This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.

In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.

Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.

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Evaluator Exclusion in the Program Planning and Design Phase

Description
Program leadership’s decision to include an evaluator during the program planning and design phase is the critical first step necessary for evaluators to provide the programmatic benefits associated with the evaluation profession. Several recent developments have promoted evaluator inclusion in program planning and design activities, including federal legislation that mandates…

Program leadership’s decision to include an evaluator during the program planning and design phase is the critical first step necessary for evaluators to provide the programmatic benefits associated with the evaluation profession. Several recent developments have promoted evaluator inclusion in program planning and design activities, including federal legislation that mandates evaluator inclusion and advocacy efforts from evaluation academics. However, the evaluation literature presents a collective frustration within the evaluation field due to ongoing exclusion from program planning and design activities. Utilizing the defensive attribution hypothesis, this quantitative study gathered responses from 260 American Evaluation Association members and 61 Project Management Institute members to determine an evaluator exclusion rate, develop a taxonomy of exclusion factors, and explore the extent to which program leaders and program evaluators demonstrate defensive attributions when rating these factors’ influence on evaluator exclusion in program planning and design activities. Results indicated an approximately 70% evaluator exclusion rate in respondents’ most recent program experiences. Furthermore, the defensive attribution hypothesis was not supported in the study, as program evaluators more strongly attributed their lack of inclusion to deficiencies outside of the evaluation practice, but program leaders also more strongly attributed evaluator exclusion to deficiencies outside of the evaluation practice. Program evaluators most strongly attributed their exclusion to program leaders’ insufficient training and knowledge on the role of evaluation during the program planning and design phase. Program leaders most strongly attributed evaluator exclusion to their own staffing decisions, indicating a preference to not include evaluators in program planning and design activities due to achieving previous program success without them, assigning evaluation activities to non-evaluation staff, and a funding process that allows the practice to occur. As the first study to explore evaluator exclusion in the program planning and design phase, it sets a foundation for future research studies to corroborate and build upon its findings, identify policies that encourage evaluator inclusion, and continue efforts to establish mutually beneficial relationships in the program planning and design phase.
ContributorsGallagher, Matthew (Author) / Lecy, Jesse (Thesis advisor) / Knopf, Richard C. (Committee member) / Budruk, Megha (Committee member) / Schuster, Roseanne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
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The role of environmental education for biodiversity conservation: a case study in the protected areas of Nepal

Description
Balancing conservation goals and needs of local residents is always challenging. While some believe protected areas are a safe paradise for wildlife, others suggest that it is shortsighted to ignore the social and economic challenges faced by people who live adjacent to protected areas when addressing conservation objectives. This dissertation…

Balancing conservation goals and needs of local residents is always challenging. While some believe protected areas are a safe paradise for wildlife, others suggest that it is shortsighted to ignore the social and economic challenges faced by people who live adjacent to protected areas when addressing conservation objectives. This dissertation explores the link between biodiversity conservation and environmental education programs (EEPs) administered to residents of buffer zones adjacent to three protected areas in the Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Using surveys and interviews, this study examined 1) the influence of EEPs on attitudes of local people toward biodiversity conservation; 2) the influence of EEPs on conservation behavior; 3) the responses toward biodiversity conservation of local people residing in buffer zones who have received different levels of EEPs; and 4) the effect of EEPs on wildlife populations within adjacent protected areas. Local people who had participated in EEPs and attended school were more likely to express a positive attitude toward conservation goals than participants who had not participated in EEPs or had the opportunity to attend school. Participation in EEPs and level of education favored expressed behavior toward conservation goals, such as making contributions for conservation or supporting anti-poaching patrols. However, EEP participants and non-participants were equally likely to engage in activities that were at odds with positive conservation behavior, such as collecting fuel wood or killing wildlife to protect their farm or feed their families. A direct comparison of EEPs given by schools versus non-government organizations showed that EEPs were largely ineffective in promoting positive conservation attitudes and behaviors. Despite heavy poaching of charismatic species such as the greater one-horned rhinoceros or tiger over past decades, Nepal recently celebrated ‘zero poaching years’ in 2011 and 2013, largely due to increased anti-poaching enforcement. The relationship between EEPs and the decline in poaching is unclear, although local officials all claimed that EEPs played an important role. These results indicate that current administration of EEPs in Terai buffer zone communities is inadequate, while also providing evidence that properly administrated EEPs may become a valuable investment for these protected areas to achieve long-term success.
ContributorsShrestha, Samridhi (Author) / Smith, Andrew T. (Thesis advisor) / Minteer, Ben (Committee member) / Pearson, David (Committee member) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Budruk, Megha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015