Mixed-Method Evaluation of US Embassy Public Affairs Foreign Assistance Programs in Georgia

The aim of this project is to evaluate how effectively the current program designs are achieving the desired results of building skills, developing attitudes, and increasing awareness among participants, as well as tracking how the effects of programs are maintained in the long term.

Within this project, PMC Research Center is conducting an evaluation of the four US Public Affairs Foreign Assistance Programs in Georgia, namely: the Youth Journalism Program; the National Security Studies Program; the Media Education Program; and the Bringing Georgia and Abkhazia Together Through English (B-GATE III) Program.

To achieve the research objectives, PMC Research Center employs a mixed-method evaluation, comprising both quantitative and qualitative data. The proposed methodology involves the systematic integration of surveys and in-depth interviews, drawn from different evaluation approaches and methods to develop a better understanding of the merits and significance of each program. In addition, for each program, “Success Story” case studies will be reviewed to better portray the overall findings.

In particular, the tasks carried out by PMC Research Center include:

• Collecting and analyzing quantitative data through baseline, end-line, and follow-up surveys individually designed for all four target programs;
• Conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders;
• Conducting sense-making workshops for relevant stakeholders for all four target programs individually;
• Creating eight “Success Story” cases to better portray the findings of the evaluation process for each program; and
• Delivering the base-line findings report, end-line findings report, and final evaluation report.