Distinguish between process evaluation and outcome/impact evaluation.

• A. Process evaluation examines outcomes; outcome/impact evaluates implementation fidelity.
• B. Process checks cost efficiency; outcome looks at user satisfaction.
• C. Process evaluation examines implementation fidelity, reach, and context; outcome/impact assessment program effects on specified outcomes.
• D. Process evaluation is only qualitative; outcome is only quantitative.

Answer: (C)

The distinction being tested is how we separate how a program is delivered from what it achieves.

Process evaluation asks about the mechanics of delivering the program: is the program implemented as planned (fidelity), who is actually reached by the activities (reach), and how the surrounding environment or setting (context) affects delivery. It’s about the implementation process itself—whether the components were provided, in the right way, to the right people, under real-world conditions.

Outcome or impact evaluation, on the other hand, looks at effects. It asks whether the program produced the intended changes in the defined outcomes for participants, and, in an impact sense, whether those changes can be attributed to the program rather than other factors. This focuses on the results after implementation, not on how the program was delivered.

That’s why the correct explanation emphasizes implementation fidelity, reach, and context for process evaluation, and program effects on specified outcomes for outcome/impact evaluation. Other options misplace these emphases or suggest limits (like only cost or only qualitative methods) that don’t reflect the full purpose of each type of evaluation.