The use of concept mapping in research and evaluation has expanded dramatically over the past 20 years. Researchers in academic, organizational, and community-based settings have applied concept mapping successfully without the benefit of systematic analyses across studies to identify the features of a methodologically sound study. Quantitative…

This paper presents a mixed-method approach to measuring the functioning of Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative partnerships. The SS/HS national evaluation team developed a survey to collect partners' perceptions of functioning within SS/HS partnerships. Average partnership functioning scores were used to rank each site from lowest to…

Evaluators often make key decisions about what content to include when designing new scales. However, without clear conceptual grounding, there is a risk these decisions may compromise the scale's validity. Techniques such as concept mapping are available to evaluators for the specification of conceptual frameworks, but have not been used as a…

This paper reports on the psychometric properties of a multidimensional inventory battery used for evaluating the parenting behavior of 693 parents enrolled in family support programs. Parents, depression, knowledge of child development, attitudes toward child rearing, and available social support were studied. Inventory can be administered with…

The Communities That Care Youth Survey measures risk and protective factors shown in prior studies to predict adolescent problem behaviors such as drug use, delinquency, and violence. This paper describes the development and validation of cut points for the risk and protective factor scales in the Communities That Care Youth Survey that…

A pilot study was designed to investigate two needs assessment approaches: social indicators analysis and key informants surveys. Results showed that social indicators analysis was a valid method of assessing human service needs at a general level. (MH)

A 14-item instrument, the Dentist Satisfaction Survey-14, a form of a previously validated instrument, is described. Use with 522 dentists, and 29 in a follow-up, indicates that the short form is a parsimonious tool for general evaluation of dentists' job satisfaction. (SLD)

An evaluation was conducted to determine the potential usefulness of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) with 97 children aged 7-17 years living in residential mental health facilities. Comparison with other measures of behavioral functioning suggests the utility of the CBCL for evaluating children in residential placement settings. (SLD)

Factors involved in pre-planned and post-planned evaluation of program effectiveness are compared: (1) reliability and cost of data; (2) internal and external validity; (3) obtrusiveness and threat; (4) goal displacement and program direction. A model to help program administrators decide which approach is more appropriate is presented. (Author/MH)

The validity of self-reported drug use as a measure of behavioral change for evaluation of drug use prevention and human immunovirus risk reduction programs was examined, using responses of 154 subjects. Results suggest that self-reports of drug use are accurate enough for measuring risk behavior change in program participants. (SLD)

An evaluation of the Manic Depressive and Depressive Association of Chicago (Illinois) used an adapted version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) as part of a mail survey. Results for 184 respondents reveal characteristics of both the instrument and client satisfaction factors. (TJH)

This study examined the cross-cultural validity of the sex bias contention with respect to standardized aptitude testing, used for academic prediction purposes in Israel. Analyses were based on the grade point average and scores of 1778 Jewish and 1017 Arab students who were administered standardized college entrance test batteries. (Author/LMO)

The development and validation of a weighted index capable of discriminating among competing learner needs to allow equitable resource allocation are described. Using the Delphi technique, this national study was concerned with the needs of Australia's school-age population with non-English-speaking backgrounds. (TJH)

Concept mapping is a structured conceptualization that can be used by groups to develop a conceptual framework that guides evaluation or planning. Twelve papers discuss concept mapping in evaluation/planning in terms of theory development; measurement, construct validity, and pattern matching; outcome assessment and internal validity;…

Two experiments were conducted in Israeli elementary schools to test the assumption that disadvantaged students perform poorly on ability tests because of situational factors related to the testing process. Testing atmosphere and examiner status were examined with respect to verbal and nonverbal ability and intelligence. The assumption was not…