Although most evaluators are familiar with participatory evaluation (PE), the ability to measure stakeholder participation in an evaluation remains challenging. Based on Cousins and Whitmore's (1998) PE theoretical model, Daigneault and Jacob (2009, 2012, 2014) developed an instrument for measuring the degree to which an evaluation can be…

'A measurement tool to assess systematic reviews, version 2' (AMSTAR2) is a 16-item tool to critically appraise systematic reviews (SRs) of healthcare interventions. This study aimed to assess the methods and outcomes of AMSTAR2 appraisals in overviews of SRs of interventions for mental and behavioural disorders. The cross-sectional study was…

Principles focused evaluation (PFE) can complement existing formative and outcome evaluation plans by identifying Effectiveness Principles (EPs), an operationalization of values and standards that guide practitioners during program implementation. To date, however, few examples of PFE are available in the literature. This description of the…

Postsecondary institutions, and particularly community colleges, are positioned well to train more and more of the nation's entry- and middle-skill workers. The New World of Work (NWoW), a program that promoted teaching and learning soft skills, was designed in 2012 and operated briefly in over 75 community colleges in California. The program…

In this study, we investigated the impact of the evaluation capacity building (ECB) efforts of an organization by examining the evaluation plans included in funding proposals over a 14-year period. Specifically, we sought to determine the degree to which and how evaluation plans in proposals to one National Science Foundation (NSF) program changed…

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a wellness programme for preservice teachers, "Promoting Educational Excellence through Resilience to Stress (PEERS)." The intervention group participants, who took part in the 4-week PEERS programme, and the comparison group participants were recruited online. A battery of self-report…

Career readiness is an important short-term outcome of career guidance activities in England. This research (1) details the development of a career readiness measure and (2) tests the relationship between career guidance interventions and career readiness among secondary school students. The measure was piloted on pupils (Study 1, N = 1508) in…

Introduction: Differences-in-Differences (DD) is a commonly-used approach in policy evaluation for identifying the impact of an intervention or treatment. Under a parallel trend assumption (PTA), we can recover a causal effect by comparing the difference in outcomes between a treatment and a control group, both before and after an intervention was…

More evaluators have anchored their work in equity-focused, culturally responsive, and social justice ideals. Although we have a sense of approaches that guide evaluators as to how they should attend to culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), we have not yet established an empirical understanding of how evaluators measure DEI. In this…

This study focused on the development of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support--Sustainability Scale (MTSS-SS). Review of the literature identified factors associated with sustainability for multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and it indicated few sustainability measures currently exist for practitioners and researchers to incorporate into MTSS…

Creating high-quality programming is essential for fostering learning and development among youth. Outdoor adventure education programs have long been associated with the development of important transferable skills, such as leadership. This study used multi-level modeling to examine the association between six program quality…

This dissertation examines the impact of Skyhawks Sports Academy camps on youth participants' social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies using an intrinsic case study approach. The study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were gathered through SEL competency surveys administered on the first and fifth days of…

Purpose: As new technologies such as immersive and augmented platforms emerge, training approaches are also transforming. The virtual reality (VR) platform provides a completely immersive learning experience for simulated training. Despite increased prevalence of these technologies, the extent literature is lagging behind in terms of evaluating…

Recent meta-analyses confirm that social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions are effective in increasing academic, social, and emotional outcomes via direct skills instruction. With skill development serving as a primary mechanism of change in SEL interventions, we argue for the accurate measurement of skills as an important component of SEL…

The Global Resilience Oral Workshops (GROW) Free and Strong programs take a strengths-based, positive youth development (PYD) approach to promoting thriving. Through both prevention (GROW Strong) and intervention (GROW Free) exercises, these programs aim to build character and emotional resilience while also lowering unhealthy alcohol use. To…