This special series focused on treatment integrity in the child mental health and education field is timely. The articles do a laudable job of reviewing (a) the current status of treatment integrity research and measurement, (b) existing conceptual models of treatment integrity, and (c) the limitations of prior research. Overall, this thoughtful…

The purpose of this article is to extend the discussion of issues currently being debated on the need for more rigorous program evaluation in educational and other sectors of research, to the field of international development evaluation, reviewing the different approaches which can be adopted to rigorous evaluation methodology and their…

Course evaluation is integral to medical education. We discuss (1) distinctive features of medical education that impact on course evaluation, (2) a framework for course evaluations, (3) details that shape the evaluation process, (4) key measurement issues important to data gathering and interpretation, and (5) opportunities for expanding the…

With the myriad challenges facing parents in recent years, formal parenting training programs have been developed to address parent needs. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the actual effects of participating in such programs. An attempt to develop a better understanding of how informal parental support networks and formal parent…

One way to improve topicality debates in CEDA (Cross Examination Debate Association) debate would be to thoroughly study the field contextual meanings of propositional phrases prior to submitting them to a vote. Judges need to reward exemplary arguments and "punish" poor arguments by substantially lowering a team's speaker points for…

This paper summarizes the results of a quantitative review of the validity of the employment interview. It begins by discussing factors that make the interpretation of interview validity data difficult. The interpretation of interview validity data is shown to be hampered by the heterogeneity of constructs and measurement methods in the interview.…

The current prevailing professional opinion is that the prevalence rates of alcohol abuse among the elderly are low compared to the general population. The prevalence of alcohol abuse among the elderly was examined through a review of the empirical research. This review revealed a number of serious methodological problems. The most important of…

The role and methods of an evaluator of program effectiveness are discussed. Responses to questions prepared by academicians were obtained from three evaluation practitioners; an external, independent evaluator; and an internal evaluator with program implementation responsibilities. Practitioners uniformly indicated that internal evaluators were…

An examination of teacher performance appraisal methods revealed some problems and abuses. Effective evaluation schemes were built upon observation usually mutually agreed, objective criteria for classroom observation, mutual goal seeting, self-appraisal, and support in the form of inservice training and available resources. (JD)

Reviews available published rural program evaluation efforts, documents reasons rural community mental health centers have offered for not implementing systematic program evaluation activities, and offers constructive suggestions for overcoming barriers to evaluation. Introduces standard program evaluation strategies. Discusses techniques and aids…

Educators use informal theories and assumptions to guide their actions, yet often fail to evaluate these beliefs. This digest examines the nature and purpose of educational-indicator systems and discusses the design of report cards by which schools can inform the public of their performance. An indicator is any statistic that casts light on the…

Educators use informal theories and assumptions to guide their actions, yet often fail to evaluate these beliefs. This ERIC Digest in Spanish examines the nature and purpose of educational-indicator systems and discusses the design of report cards by which schools can inform the public of their performance. An indicator is any statistic that casts…

The "CSE Program Evaluation Kit" is a series of nine books intended to assist people conducting program evaluations. This volume, the second in the kit, provides advice about planning an evaluation--from deciding on the major questions the evaluation is intended to address, through the general approach--and identifying the principal…

Analyzes two methods of testing group differences of a latent variable: group code analysis and structured means analysis. Describes these methods in terms of conceptual representation, unique underlying assumptions, and relative merits and limitations; points toward methodological extensions beyond this two-sample case. (RJM)

Reports on the aggregate analysis of scores generated by a standardized instrument, the Teaching Evaluation Form (TEF; Hudson, 1982), at the College of Social Work, University of South Carolina. Data included more than 11,000 completions of the instrument in 508 class sections offered during a 4-year period. Analysis revealed a severely negatively…