Program Evaluation & Dependent Measure

Which of the following is NOT an example of a typical dependent measure in program evaluation _

(a) a questionnaire given to people served by the program as well as people in the community, asking about their satisfaction with the program
(b) a measure of politician’s commitment to continued funding of the program
(c) a measure of actual change in the community (e.g., rate of unemployment for a community with job training program)
(d) a measure of change in the individual (e.g., a measure of malnutrition for people who receive food stamps)

Correct answer and explanation, please.
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Best answer is (b).

Why?

Let’s first look at why (a), (c) and (d) are typical dependent measures in program evaluation. The telling word here is “dependent.” The measure is dependent on a program administered to the participant(s) and answers the question, did the observed change occur because of the program. The second implies that the measure must be objective (i.e., questionnaire, etc.).

In (a) the measure (program satisfaction) is dependent on the program administered and provides an objective measure (i.e., questionnaire) and we assume that the program lead to program satisfaction both in the people attending the program and the people who know of the program in the community and, (c) the measure (rate of unemployment) is dependent on the job training program and we assume that the job training caused the decrease in the rate of unemployment, (d) the measure (of malnutrition) is dependent on the food stamp program …