The exponential growth of scholarly publications in recent years has presented a daunting challenge for researchers to keep track of relevant articles within their research field. To address this issue, we examined the capabilities of InfraNodus, an AI-Powered text network analysis platform. InfraNodus promises to provide insights into any…

Because human beings are different and are necessarily subjective, and because evaluation always involves the human factor, many problems arise. The problems may be compounded in third world settings because they have been studied less, and are less understood, and because evaluators are often from outside the setting and therefore bring…

The most important distinction between evaluation (in the psychometric tradition), ethnography, and auditing is that they are guided by three distinctively separate principles. The underlying principle guiding evaluation is assessment. Ethnography is guided by description. Auditing uses description and assessment to establish an opinion on…

Modern test construction strategies in the areas of personality and psychopathology differ in the use of disguise within test stimulus material. Previous research on the validity of using disguised test item content has favored the rational strategy of test construction which views disguise as a liability under normal test-taking circumstances.…

The purpose of this paper is to summarize some of the author's logical and empirical reflections on the practice of using naturalistic techniques to conduct evaluations. The main assertion to be supported by these reflections is that naturalistic evaluation is possible and in some cases powerful. This assertion is supported through a review of (1)…

This paper reviews what has been learned about evaluation ultilization during the past 20 years. Evaluation utilization is discussed in terms of what is used, who uses evaluation, when evaluation is used, how evaluation is used, where evaluation is used, and why evaluation is used. It is suggested that the personal factor - the interests and…

The impact of various definitions of the term "policy" on the nature and outcomes of policy analysis is illustrated by noting a variety of definitions which are implied in the literature. These definitions are applied to exemplar policy arenas to note their differential effect. The policy arenas discussed include the community…

This paper presents a plan of action for managing evaluation implementation and ensuring the ongoing utilization of evaluation results. It addresses strategies that are required to manage the problems encountered in a 10-step management plan. Focus is on introducing an evaluation monitoring system within organizations. Steps in the plan include:…

Brief case studies of three projects are presented to illustrate the steps which open "Wonderful Programs" to evaluation research. The evaluator is provided with the perspective needed to believe the evaluation is worth doing. The project staff is then redirected to the need for a new type of evidence. An ongoing review of the commitment…

Effectiveness of school health education programs is judged by the extent the programs are disseminated and maintained in the classroom. This paper reviews concepts, strategies, and methods used to study dissemination and implementation, specifies functions of this research, and describes procedures that evaluate effectiveness of dissemination and…

A scaling procedure has been developed for ordering binary parallelogram preference data. The procedure uses minimum variance of the item ranks averaged across persons as the optimization criterion. Two seriation strategies are employed. One is pairwise interchange. The second joins together the vector end points and breaks this circle between…

The dissemination of successful educational innovations has long been a strongly supported policy in educational settings. Recent research developments have led to a debate as to the appropriateness of a centralized versus decentralized dissemination policy. The current research provided a test of the modified Research, Development and Diffusion…

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential uses of photography and its practical implications as a qualitative evaluation technique. Potential uses are proposed: (1) systematic recording of a program activity; (2) highlighting specific events; (3) illustrating a point; (4) leading the evaluator to specific persons, activities, and…

A new indicator of item difficulty, which identifies effectiveness ranges, overcomes the limitations of other item difficulty indexes in describing the difficulty of an item or a test as a whole and in aiding the selection of appropriate ability level items for a test. There are three common uses of the term "item difficulty": (1) the probability…

This paper describes how a naturalistic inquirer can demonstrate rigor, or trustworthiness, and how an auditor might assess it. Looking at both inquiry products and processes, Part 1 of this paper describes how an audit may assess whether an inquiry's findings and conclusions are grounded in the raw data, and whether appropriate conventions were…