Needs Assessment

First published in 1997. A well-planned, methodically sound needs assessment can and should be a powerful guiding force for change. As a type of applied social research, needs assessment is meant to foster program development and policy-making. Needs assessments can be used as information-gathering tools by a wide range of organizations, agencies, and social scientists at local, state, regional, and national levels, and can be conducted under a variety of arrangements. This book provides a comprehensive guide to the needs assessment process, from conceptualization through implementation and dissemination of findings. Chapter 1 Introduction: Setting the Stage, Rebecca Reviere, Susan Berkowitz, Carolyn C. Carter, Carolyn Graves Ferguson; Part 1 Understanding and Developing Needs Assessment; Chapter 2 Creating the Research Design for a Needs Assessment, Susan Berkowitz; Chapter 3 Taking the Sample Survey Approach, Susan Berkowitz; Chapter 4 Using Qualitative and Mixed-Method Approaches, Susan Berkowitz; Chapter 5 Planning a Needs Assessment, Rebecca Reviere, Carolyn C. Carter; Part 2 Case Studies: Various Approaches; Chapter 6 Assessing the AIDS-Related Needs of Women in an Urban Housing Development, Robin L. Miller, Elizabeth E. Solomon; Chapter 7 Assessing Child and Maternal Health: The First Step in the Design of Community-Based Interventions, E. Walter Terrie; Chapter 8 Assessing the Needs of the Elderly: Two Approaches, Susan Berkowitz, Carolyn C. Carter, Carolyn Graves Ferguson, Rebecca Reviere; Part 3 Dissemination and Future Strategies; Chapter 9 Using and Communicating Findings, Carolyn C. Carter; Chapter 10 Building for Future Needs Assessments, Rebecca Reviere, Susan Berkowitz;