AHSC 260 Lecture Notes - Lecture 99: Needs Assessment, Divergent Thinking, Brainstorming
30 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
In leisure programming, needs assessment performs two major functions: generation of program ideas and the facilitation of input from constituents, responsiveness to constituents by service providers. Two major objectives of needs assessment: helping the agency determine the direction it will take in developing program services, incorporating citizen input in the decision-making process. A needs assessment is a special case of citizen participation; incorporates citizen input into making value judgements about what needs actually exist and wish to serve. Programmers have an issue with needs assessment because of the diversity of leisure needs and the very personal nature of leisure participation preferences. Operational principles about needs assessment: needs are not objective, they are value judgements. What programs are to be developed is a matter of choice and not fact: any needs assessment will identify more needs than an agency can fulfill. The needs assessment must decide which needs will be met. Reading 5: programming theories, degraaf, jordan & degraaf.
