Which statement correctly differentiates formative evaluation from process evaluation?

Which statement correctly differentiates formative evaluation from process evaluation?

• A. Formative evaluation improves program design during development; process evaluation monitors implementation fidelity and reach.
• B. Process evaluation monitors implementation fidelity and reach; formative evaluation improves program design during development.
• C. Formative evaluation measures outcomes after implementation; process evaluation assesses long-term impact.
• D. Formative evaluation is used after implementation; process evaluation is used before implementation.

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is understanding when each type of evaluation is used and what its focus is. Formative evaluation is done during the development or planning phase to improve the program’s design and how it will work in practice. It seeks actionable feedback to refine components, materials, and delivery before full-scale implementation. Process evaluation, on the other hand, takes place during implementation to examine how the program is being delivered: are activities carried out as intended (fidelity), and are the right people being reached (reach)? It looks at the actual delivery and participant exposure to understand how implementation affects outcomes. So the best statement matches this timing and focus: process evaluation monitors implementation fidelity and reach, while formative evaluation improves program design during development. The other phrasings mix up the roles, implying formative evaluation measures outcomes after implementation or that process evaluation assesses long-term impact, which aren’t their primary functions.

The key idea here is understanding when each type of evaluation is used and what its focus is. Formative evaluation is done during the development or planning phase to improve the program’s design and how it will work in practice. It seeks actionable feedback to refine components, materials, and delivery before full-scale implementation. Process evaluation, on the other hand, takes place during implementation to examine how the program is being delivered: are activities carried out as intended (fidelity), and are the right people being reached (reach)? It looks at the actual delivery and participant exposure to understand how implementation affects outcomes.

So the best statement matches this timing and focus: process evaluation monitors implementation fidelity and reach, while formative evaluation improves program design during development. The other phrasings mix up the roles, implying formative evaluation measures outcomes after implementation or that process evaluation assesses long-term impact, which aren’t their primary functions.