Until now, the conventional approach using two distinct groups, experimental and control, continues to dominate research, especially education research. Researchers, particularly those who are active in this domain, readily recognise this pattern when surveying literature. This article explores the use of the Solomon four-group design as a…

This study was designed to assess the impact of a decision-making curriculum (PEER-DM) on the social peer relationship knowledge and self-protective decision-making skills of adolescents with disabilities in hypothetical situations involving negative peer pressure. A randomized design was used to assign students with disabilities from…

After offering some possible explanations for the existing inadequacies in evaluating organizational training programs, the authors discuss several evaluation issues, particularly internal validity. Methods for overcoming evaluation inadequacies and the implications for better controlled evaluation designs are also covered. (EM)

The pretest-posttest design referred to as Design 2 by Campbell and Stanley (1963) is commonly used in educational research and evaluation. The tenability of the assumption of a zero population difference commonly used with this design is questioned. A nonzero population estimate based on the mean difference observed in test-retest reliability…

The biasing effects of a pretest on subsequent post-test results were investigated in two experimental studies. In general, the results argue for using designs without pretests. (Author/JKS)

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)

The evaluation design, which prescribes when and from whom to gather data, is described as significant because it can lend credibility to evaluation results. The objectives of this booklet are to aid the evaluator in: choosing a design; putting it into operation; and analyzing and reporting the data. Examples include both formative and summative…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I Evaluation and Reporting System is a method for giving a federally funded project in reading or math an overall score on its cognitive effectiveness. This System introduced the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) as an aid in aggregating Title I program scores across states and nationwide regardless of…

A quasi-experimental design was employed to determine the effects of a workshop, designed to familiarize teachers and counselors with a technical institute in the North Carolina Community College System, on knowledge and attitudes related to the programs and practices of the institution. Subjects were assigned to experimental and control groups by…

Ninth grade Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I evaluation results in reading and English-writing projects were compared, using the RMC Model A with local empirical norms, Model A with national interpolated norms, and Model B. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS)--Total Reading and Total Language subtests--were administered…