Agrees with the power of randomized clinical trials, but makes the case that random assignment raises other, unanticipated threats to internal validity as a result of failing to consider treatment preference in research participant behavior. Reviews benefits and limitations of research strategies that augment randomization while respecting…

Empowerment evaluation is defined as a process that encourages self-determination among the recipients of a program evaluation. This article contains a theoretical framework of empowerment evaluation, a discussion of methodological issues, and suggestions for operational considerations for evaluators who wish to implement empowerment evaluation.…

Suggests that there is a tendency in social science and program evaluation to adhere to some methodological practices by force of custom rather than because of their reasoned applicability. These ideas include regression artifacts, random measurement error, and change or gain scores. (Author/SLD)

Agrees with L. Mohr that researchers are too quick to assume that measurement error is random, but disagrees that the idea of regression toward the mean has been a distraction and the notion that change scores analysis should be avoided in favor of regression analysis. (SLD)

Responds to C. S. Reichardt's discussion of regression artifacts, random measurement error, and change scores. Emphasizes that attention to regression artifacts in program evaluation is almost bound to be problematic and proposes some arguments in support of this position. (SLD)

Discusses how a time-series approach was used in the evaluation of the impact of California Senate Bill 2669 on child maltreatment reports. Describes the factors that influenced decisions about evaluation methods and the selection of outcome and exogenous measures. Recommends actions that would facilitate the implementation of evaluations of this…

Provides the conceptual framework for the Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) evaluation project, using the diffusion of innovations theory as the theoretical foundation to understand and assess the development of TIPs. Summarizes principles of diffusion theory, and discusses how the model was used to structure the TIPs studies. (SLD)

Summarizes ongoing economic impact assessment activities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for its Measurement and Standards Laboratory Program. Explores designing economic impact studies for integration into assessments of broader programmatic objectives. (SLD)

Illustrates the use of latent growth modeling (LGM) as an analytical tool in program evaluation using the hypothetical example of a high school drug prevention program. Demonstrates the use of LGM in assessing longitudinal impact and in incorporating predictors of status and growth into a model. Highlights advantages and limitations of LGM. (SLD)

Illustrates the usefulness of "tree-generating" statistics for public sector service planning, focusing on the use of Automatic Interaction Detection, an early version of tree-generating statistics, to provide a model for the data analysis needed to plan substance abuse programs on a local level. (SLD)

A longitudinal program evaluation approach used in the Vermont system of care for children and adolescents is described. The method focuses on movement between residential placements and compares system functioning to service system values using a person-level longitudinal database. This methodology can be useful in a number of fields. (SLD)

The current status of Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) is reviewed with special attention to microcomputer-based systems. The primary conclusion is that CATI systems can aid in the administration of telephone surveys in addition to reducing sources of survey error, but CATI systems are neither inexpensive nor easily implemented.…

Describes the methods used to maximize participation and enhance data quality in a randomized, controlled evaluation of an adolescent pregnancy prevention program targeting seventh graders in six urban junior high schools. Documents research procedures and evaluation survey design, discusses cross-cultural issues related to recruitment and survey…

Evaluation activities in China are examined, focusing on housing reform. How evaluation functions in justifying the political initiatives of the Chinese Communist Party is explored, and the possibility that evaluation research can become an academic field in China using Western methodology is discussed. (SLD)

The use of case-control methodology as an applied policy/planning research tool in assessing the potential effectiveness of behavioral interventions is studied in connection with diarrhea control in Zaire. Results with 107 matched pairs of children demonstrate the importance of hygiene-related knowledge and the utility of the research approach.…