Our understanding of programs is enhanced when trained, skilled, and observant evaluators go "into the field"--the real world where programs are conducted--paying attention to what's going on, systematically documenting what they see, and reporting what they learn. The article opens by presenting and illustrating twelve reasons for…

Factors that influence the sample size necessary for longitudinal evaluations include the nature of the evaluation questions, nature of available comparison groups, consistency of the treatment in different sites, effect size, attrition rate, significance level for statistical tests, and statistical power. (Author/GDC)

A major problem in social science research is that of successfully carrying out the random assignment of persons to experimental and control groups. In this study a computer-based random assignment procedure operated successfully on a weekly basis for 17 consecutive weeks in a program serving over 360 ex-offenders. (CTM)

Practical methods for implementing true experimental designs in evaluation settings in which such designs are rarely used are presented. Particular attention is paid to educational settings. (Author/JKS)

A survey of existing research designs and accompanying techniques if presented along with brief assessments of their usefulness for programs of different types. The authors stress particularly the use of field experiments for the assessment of prospective social policies and programs. (Author/MV)

Seven qualitative issues associated with randomization that have the potential to weaken or destroy otherwise sound experimental designs are reviewed and illustrated via actual field experiments. Issue areas include ethics and legality, liability risks, manipulation of randomized outcomes, hidden bias, design intrusiveness, case flow, and…

The 9 articles of this theme issue stem from a project on alcohol and drug abuse that involved 14 projects, 10 of which began with randomized clinical trials. These papers describe implementation problems associated with experimentation in field research and the focus on ensuring internal validity. (SLD)

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE FIELD TESTING OF RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION UNITS IN OPERATION IN A NUMBER OF WISCONSIN SCHOOLS. THE UNIT IS A REORGANIZED SCHOOL STRUCTURE WHICH IS MADE UP OF A LEARNING SPECIALIST LEADER, TEACHERS, PARAPROFESSIONALS, AND STUDENTS. THE MAJOR AIMS OF THIS EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION ARE (1) TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN AN…

This chapter describes the implementation and lessons learned from the conduct of three field experiments in education. All three evaluation designs used randomized assignment. Results showed even under very adverse and unstable conditions, randomized designs can be maintained. (LMO)

Problems with conducting randomized field experiments in education are explored. Focus is on problems encountered while evaluating a group of dropout prevention projects. Project planners were asked to manipulate the subject eligibility criteria until they identified as eligible three to four times as many students as they could serve. They were…

Issues associated with the evaluation of 61 educational curriculum units, which was conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) are described. The units were adapted to the AIR Career Education Curriculum framework by creating 133 instructional units within which students could develop career skills in an orderly sequence. The…

Nine syllabi for courses on research and evaluation in higher education are reviewed. The syllabi fall into four areas: general research design and methods, program evaluation, naturalistic inquiry, and institutional self-study. A course on research design and methods at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, focuses on three basic modes…