Goal-Free Evaluation of a Student-Led Literacy Mentoring Program to Support Children’s Literacy in Bayan Village

Student-led literacy mentoring programs have the potential to expand children’s learning opportunities beyond formal schooling; however, evaluations of their perceived benefits, implementation processes, experienced outcomes, and supporting conditions remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate a Literacy Mentoring Program implemented by the Student Association of the Community Education Study Program in Bayan Village, North Lombok Regency, by adapting a Goal-Free Evaluation orientation. The study employed a quantitative descriptive evaluation design. The population consisted of 40 children who participated in the program, of whom 30 were selected through purposive sampling. The primary data were collected using a 30-item Likert-scale questionnaire, supported by observation and documentation. The evaluation covered five aspects: perceived changes experienced by participants (actual effects), outcomes beyond the primary program focus (unintended effects), participants’ ratings of the implementation process, perceived program benefits (program merit/worth), and contextual factors. The results showed scores of 80.22% for actual effects, 81.44% for unintended effects, 83.78% for the implementation process, 86.33% for program merit/worth, and 85.78% for contextual factors. Perceived program benefits received the highest rating, whereas perceived changes among participants received the lowest. At the item level, perceived improvement in reading fluency reached only 57.33%, substantially lower than the ratings for reading interest, self-confidence, and comprehension. These findings indicate that participants perceived the program as beneficial and supported by favorable implementation conditions. However, because the primary data were based on post-program self-reports without objective pre- and post-intervention assessments of reading performance, the findings cannot be interpreted as evidence of measurable improvement in reading ability. Future evaluations should incorporate objective reading-performance assessments and stronger evaluation designs.