NCJ Number
65332
Editor(s)
L SECHREST,
S G WEST,
M A PHILLIPS,
R REDNER,
W YEATON
Date Published
1979
Length
766 pages
Annotation
THE STRENGTH AND INTEGRITY OF TREATMENTS AS PROBLEMS IN CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF EVALUATION RESEARCH IS THE PRIMARY TOPIC OF PAPERS INCLUDED IN THIS ANTHOLOGY, THE FOURTH ANNUAL REVIEW OF EVALUATION STUDIES.
Abstract
INTEGRATING THEORY, CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS, AND METHODOLOGY, THE ANTHOLOGY FOCUSES ON THE IDEAL, RATHER THAN THE PRACTICE, OF EVALUATION RESEARCH. IT IS A REFERENCE SOURCE FOR EVALUATION SPECIALISTS, CATEGORIZING CONTRIBUTIONS UNDER THESE MAJOR SUBJECT HEADINGS: (1) THE THEORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF EVALUATION; (2) ALTERNATIVE METHODOLOGIES AND STRATEGIES; (3) TECHNOLOGY OF EVALUATION; (4) EVALUATION STUDIES; (5) UNANTICIPATED FINDINGS; AND (6) UTILIZATION. TAKEN AS A WHOLE, THE PAPERS ARGUE THAT CONCLUSIONS REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TREATMENT CAN ONLY BE MADE FOLLOWING KNOWLEDGE OF THE STRENGTH OF THE INITIAL TREATMENT AND AN ASSURANCE OF THE EXPERIMENT'S INTEGRITY. SPECIFICALLY, PAPERS DISCUSS ECOLOGY OF PROGRAM RESEARCH, ISSUES IN EVALUATING HUMAN SERVICES DELIVERY, WHAT CAN BE EXPECTED TO WORK IN EVALUATION, TREATMENT DESTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, SENSITIVITY AND BIAS IN IMPACT EVALUATION, RANDOM ASSIGNMENT AND RANDOM-TIME QUOTA SELECTION, THE ETHICS OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT TO TREATMENT, THE USE OF MULTIPLE CONTROL GROUPS IN A LARGE-SCALE CLINICAL TRIAL OF SURGICAL TECHNIQUES, PROBLEMS OF UNITS OF ANALYSIS, AGGREGATION, AND SPECIFICATION IN CAUSAL MODEL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER CRITICAL ISSUES IN CAUSAL MODELS, AND MORE. EVALUATION OF PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING AND EVALUATING THE COMPETENCY OF EVALUATORS THEMSELVES ARE DISCUSSED AS PARAMOUNT TO EVALUATION OUTCOME. A VARIETY OF STUDIES ARE USED TO ILLUSTRATE OTHER EVALUATION TOPICS; A STUDY OF THE 55-MILE-AN-HOUR SPEED LIMIT CONCERNS THE USEFULNESS OF TOOLS OF NORMATIVE AND POSITIVE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, FOR EXAMPLE, AND A STUDY COMPARING FAULT TO NO-FAULT DIVORCE EXAMINES INTERRUPTED TIME SERIES ANALYSIS AS AN EVALUATION METHOD. A STUDY OF CIGARETTE SMOKING EMPHASIZES THE PROBLEMS OF TIME DELAY FOR POSITIVE STUDY RESULTS. INDIVIDUAL PAPERS INCLUDE REFERENCES.