Needs assessment,
broadly defined, is a systematic process in extension organization for
establishing priorities and making decisions regarding programme planning,
development, and operations. Needs assessment is defined as determining if gaps
exist between "what is" and "what should be" in terms of
the outcomes of extension programmes and then determining the priority of these
needs. Emphasis will be placed on making decisions and setting priorities based
on information gathered from the people likely to be affected by these
extension programmes.
In extension, when needs
are being determined, it is essential that distinctions are made between needs,
wants, and interests. Needs refer to something considered necessary or required
to accomplish a purpose. Wants, on the other hand, are considered desirable or
useful, but not essential. Interests indicate an individual's concern or
curiosity about something. It is not unusual for individuals to confuse needs,
wants, and interests. Therefore, extension personnel undertaking efforts to
assess target population needs should ensure that they understand the meaning
of "needs."
Techniques involved in
needs assessment
The
techniques involved in needs assessment are discussed under four
categories: individual, group, secondary source, and rapid rural appraisal.
Individual Techniques
Individual techniques
involve the collection of data from people one at a time. The people from whom
the needs assessment data are collected do not interact with one another in the
course of providing data. Individual techniques include face-to-face
interviews, key informant interviews, questionnaires, informal personal
observations, and formal personal observations for effective data collection.
Face-to-Face Interviews: This technique is appropriate when dealing
with less literate audiences or complex issues about which there is little
available information. Both structured and unstructured questions are
appropriate for face-to-face interviews, depending on the issues involved and
the time available for the interviews. Unstructured questions are useful when
dealing with complex or sensitive issues which require probing in order to get
accurate data.
Key Informant
Interviews: Key informants are
people who are considered experts in a given area because of their professional
knowledge or their position of influence in the community or
organization. Key Informants include teachers, religious leaders,
grass-roots workers, and traditional and political leaders. There is evidence
to show that interviewing several of these categories of informants’ yields
fairly accurate information about the problems and needs of the community at
large.
Questionnaires: This needs assessment technique tends to be more
structured than interview schedules and can be administered by phone, mail, or
in group settings. When dealing with literate communities that have access to
good mail services, needs assessment surveys can be conducted by mail.
Instead of relying on
conventional mail services, questionnaires also can be hand-delivered to
respondents and collected after they have been completed. Alternatively, one
may take advantage of occasions such as annual club or association meetings
when potential respondents might come together. In this case, the
questionnaires are presented to group members, who are asked to complete and
return them before they leave. For best results, the questionnaire should cover
pertinent issues and be short enough to be completed in the time the
respondents have.
Group Techniques
Group techniques allow
participants to interact with one another during needs assessment activities.
Information can be collected in writing or orally in a group setting such as a
focus group, successful needs assessment depends on competent leadership and on
having participants who have both the knowledge and willingness to participate
actively in the interactive group process.
No comments:
Post a Comment