Unfolding item response theory (IRT) models are important alternatives to dominance IRT models in describing the response processes on self-report tests. Their usage is common in personality measures, since they indicate potential differentiations in test score interpretation. This paper aims to gain a better insight into the structure of trait…

Objectives: Establish metric properties of the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy). Method: A total of 919 residential block faces were assessed by paired raters using the NIfETy. Reliability was evaluated via interrater and internal consistency reliability; validity by comparing NIfETy data with youth self-reported…

A 10-site school program is evaluated, the history of community schools, local program's goals, and the method used to study each goal are described. Included also are a structural equation model of the data and discussion of the politics of the evaluation. (Author/GK)

The Administrative Decision-Making Skills Project, undertaken for the New Zealand State Services Commission, is described. A philosophical model of decision making and the associated teaching/learning package for government officers is evaluated. The project, including instruments, methodology, and major findings, is evaluated. (Author/LMO)

Evaluation of strategic planning programs is illustrated using the examples of statewide forest resource planning programs implemented by state governments in 1986. Client-based perspectives were studied via a survey of 216 officials affected by the forestry planning program. Considering planning's context, process, outputs, and performance helped…

A computerized mechanism for client tracking linked to a management information system (MIS) is presented. The MIS can thus serve several evaluation functions. Features of the MIS are illustrated through a previous study of a project for pregnant and postpartum chemically dependent women. (SLD)

A statistical model is presented for evaluating the effectiveness of the Demerit Points System of Victoria (Australia) in reducing traffic offenses. Estimates of the mean waiting time between offenses were made by maximum likelihood methods. Empirical results with 46,982 drivers--participants in a Driver Improvement Program--support the system's…

The problem of the appropriate comparison group for bereavement studies is discussed. The use of the retrospective pretest design is illustrated through a longitudinal study of bereavement outcome following pregnancy loss, involving 138 bereaved women and a comparison group of 215 currently pregnant women. (SLD)

Focus group findings were compared with survey findings for three studies in which both methods were used. Studies conducted on voluntary sterilization in Guatemala, Honduras, and Zaire with over 2,000 subjects confirm that focus groups yield information similar to that obtained from surveys and are useful in program planning. (SLD)