Building Program Evaluation Capacity of Non-Governmental Organizations Practitioners in Hong Kong

Abstract

Purpose: Despite the growing interest in program evaluation capacity building (PECB), its impacts have been rarely studied in the existing literature. This study aims to evaluate a PECB initiative in Hong Kong called the Jockey Club MEL Institute Project. Methods: A pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted to compare the changes between the training ( N = 226) and comparison groups ( N = 213). Focus groups with training participants, mentors, and trainers were also conducted. Results: The quantitative results reported that the training group showed greater improvements in all three core aspects of program evaluation capacity—evaluation mindset, evaluation implementation, and evaluation communication—than the comparison group. The qualitative findings further indicated how NGO practitioners benefited from the project. Discussion: The findings provide support for the positive impacts of PECB on NGO practitioners. As such, implications for researchers and evaluators in effectively conducting PECB activities are also discussed.