Several conceptual issues in the theory of evaluation methodology are discussed and illustrated. Four objectives are to: (1) narrow the distinction between research and evaluation; (2) extend the scope of triangulation and multimethods; (3) approach the problem concretely with extended data and interpretations; (4) structure the discussion in…

Quality assurance and evaluation research, like other fields of social research and its application, are confronted with a series of problems. In the present paper, I want first to give a list of such problems, although necessarily incomplete. It is then claimed that while there is no "perfect" solution to these problems, critical multiplism may…

In evaluation, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts when quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods are combined. Some circumstances in which both approaches can be effectively combined are considered, and case studies of two evaluations using multiple methods are presented. (LMO)

In this article we present a cognitive-ecological model for understanding and preventing emotional and behavioral difficulties and propose directions for school-based intervention programs, particularly with aggressive children. In the cognitive-ecological framework, intervention efforts should target certain cognitive skills (e.g., skills that…

Traditional conceptions of talent generally emphasise the construction of threshold values and the development of relatively unitary abilities, and this approach still dominates talent development programmes for elite sport. Most researchers on high ability, however, now favour domain-specific, multidimensional conceptions of ability that stress…

Discusses teachers' self-perceptions of their teaching effectiveness in higher education. Topics include self-concept; student evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs); a multidimensional university teacher self-concept instrument and an evaluation of its psychometric properties; and a multitrait-multimethod analysis of relations between…

This paper introduces the Website Acceptability Tiered Checklist (WATCH), a preliminary version of a multi-trait scale that could be used by instructors and students to assess the quality of websites chosen as source materials in students' research papers in a Humanities program. The scale includes bands for assessing: (i) the authority and…

This paper is about the structural equation modelling of quantitative measures that are obtained from a multiple facet design. A facet is simply a set consisting of a finite number of elements. It is assumed that measures are obtained by combining each element of each facet. Methods and traits are two such facets, and a multitrait-multimethod…